The English language doesn't belong to the United States of America. What if I'm Canadian. Am I not allowed to speak English?

Cue the Quebecois and their "Fuck you, Anglais!"

Mod parent up: Troll

Indeed, this is precisely how I would describe most workers I encounter in daily life. Motivated just enough to show up. If you think the average middle manager is anything like a soldier storming the beaches at Normandy or a World Cup player, you're deluding yourself.

Maybe I'm just a cynic, but perhaps they keep working because they're fully committed to the rat race, keeping up with the Joneses, and/or getting a high score in the game of life (i.e. dying rich). It doesn't help that society praises work as inherently valuable and looks down on people who take breaks, vacation, or retire.

I became a developer because I thought it would be great to have someone pay me to do something I love doing.

I do see development as an enjoyable puzzle to solve, but I still made the wrong career choice, even though I kick ass at it.

If you love painting, the last job you want to get is as a painter. Because you won't be painting Mona Lisas, you'll be painting walls.

What if language started to gradually change such that citizens, residents, or passport holders of Luxembourg became known as Europeans? Wouldn't that necessarily imply that they're more European than other Europeans? Wouldn't that come across as arrogant to you?

Also, a majority of commonplace continent models include a single continent named "America" which can then be further subdefined into North, South, and possible Central regions, much like Asia is often further subdivided as Minor, South-East, etc. Much like many would argue that there is no continent named South-East Asia, so too would they argue that there is no continent named North America. I was never taught this in US public schools, so I'm not surprised to hear so many "Americans" bring this point up.

Perhaps my ignorance got the best of me, as I really don't know much about Michaelangelo's personal life. Are you saying that he gained significant wealth through his painting and sculpting? I was under the impression that artists of that era sought commissions from wealthy patrons simply as a means of supporting themselves. If Michaelangelo died wealthy, I'll have learned something new today.

I take it you're not familiar with the work of Archbishop Don Magic Juan. Chuuch.

"Chuuch" is an exclamation or interjection largely synonymous with "okay". It is used to express assent, agreement, or acceptance.

Unique to a particular branch of African American Vernacular English, it is most commonly heard in the pimp community.

Let's turn to popular culture for more:
Snoop Dogg's thoughts on "Chuuch".
Urbandictionary on "Chuuch".

You know, the closest I ever came to that situation was when I delivered pizza for Dominos. Second closest was when I was a cabbie in Maine.

I like jobs where there's really no consequence for underperformance and no requirement for thinking. Jobs where I can spend half the work day just relaxing and listening to music, or reading a good book (I read War&Peace, among other length tomes, as a cabbie). Jobs where nobody checks up on me to see if I'm on schedule. Jobs where I can call out sick and it's never a problem. Jobs where I don't give a shit, and nobody expects me to give a shit.

Jobs that pay minimum wage (or less, in the case of being a cabbie). That shit doesn't pay the bills, though. And there's a lot of fucking bills.

If you know of any jobs like this that pay as much as my software developer gig, I'm all ears. In my experience, however, employers don't pay people big bucks to chill out. The idea that work is supposed to be magical and fulfilling is quaint. I wonder if the miners and farmers of yesteryear pined for fulfilling employment like everyone does today.

As much as I hate "USian", what's the preferred alternative? American? America isn't a country, it's a pair of continents. Argentinians are no less American than New Yorkers are. "Citizens/residents of the United States of America" is too wordy. So it's down to "USian", which is retarded, or "American", which is ridiculously arrogant. When it comes down to it, I'll take retardation over arrogance.

Today, I agree. However, that's only the case since 2011. Previously, we had a first-to-invent system (in theory, at least), and sufficient documentation of your invention would have been sufficient to invalidate any patents granted to others for the same invention at a later date.

Either way, I can't fault you for your actions. Even before we transitioned to a first-to-file system, it was either patent or get fucked. An inventor tinkering in his garage is unlikely to have the financial resources to enter into litigation against a giant corporation. Thus, in practice, it's always been a first-to-file system, and any self-interested person would be wise to patent their inventions as soon as possible.

However, we're talking about making the world better. Sometimes making the world better necessarily involves personal sacrifice, like sacrificing one's own potential profits, sacrificing ones one's ability to sell one's very own inventions. Can you say with certainty that the world is better off with you selling your invention instead of IBM or HP selling it? Perhaps, perhaps not. In any case, you say you're reasonable regarding licensing fees, but who are we to comment on whether the fees you set are truly low enough to make the world a better place? If there were no fee, that would necessarily be the case, but as long as the fees are nonzero, it's not entirely obvious that the benefits offered by your inventions are truly (as opposed to economically) more valuable than the fees that you charge.

That being said, congrats on figuring out a way to meaningfully contribute to society. I apologize for (but can't resist) using your positive comment as a platform for an anti-patent socialist rant. I acknowledge that it's more likely than not that your patents do qualify as a creation that makes the world better. I just enjoy challenging people to be critical of their own accomplishments, since it's much easier to be proud of one's accomplishments than it is to be critical of them.

Relevant observation: Thomas Edison's greedy ass created stuff (okay, well, his lab assistants did at least) that made the world a better place. So did Michelangelo. Maybe it's just me, but I see one as a rent-seeking cocksucker and the other as someone who truly dedicated his life to humankind. I'm just sayin'.

You're mistaking me for someone that likes to work. I don't. I'll find the workplace you describe once people start hiring professional sleepers. Even then, I wouldn't be surprised if I developed insomnia and grew to hate that which I now love.

Being compelled to do things not of your own volition is toxic. Unfortunately, that's how society is structured.

That's one hell of a fence.

Or, conversely, it's not the fence that's the problem, it's the giant concrete wall that it's built on top of. Bonus spiderman in picture because why the fuck not.

It works in Israel because a majority of the population has no qualms with embracing apartheid. Israel, where hypocrisy is the national dish.

The worst professor I ever had (over a very long academic career), or, well, the only terrible professor I ever had, claimed (repeatedly) to be a MENSA member. He would literally mock people for failing to understand course material, once causing a student to break out in tears and leave the room (and subsequently drop the class) while he continued his mockery. This is the only person I've met that boasted of being a member of MENSA, and so this is the impression that I have of MENSA members.

Amusingly enough, he was a physics professor at a county college. No, not tenured at a research institution. Instead, he chose for himself a job where he could belittle those of us who for whatever reason couldn't make it to the ivy leagues. A true asshole.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think what you're calling a skill is in reality called a net positive bank account and the ability to sign paychecks.

The carrot of salary and the stick of unemployment are what's getting many people to accomplish a single goal. True leadership is what gets people to line up in support of a cause at no immediate benefit (and indeed, even great personal risk) to themselves. One who can compel men to give their lives for a cause is a great leader; one who can get wage slaves to try to not get fired is mediocre at best. Talk to me about CEO's "skills" when you can point out a company that told their workers they wouldn't be getting paid anymore and still had workers the next day.

You created a legal restriction for others wishing to create things, and you see this as making the world better?

I'd argue that openly publishing your designs for the world to use freely would make the world better. What you did makes your world better.

Otherwise, I completely agree with your post. All too often, ambition and intelligence are inversely correlated. I like to think of it the other way around, though. Perhaps some of us are smart enough to know better than to bust our asses for no good reason. Personally, I'd rather get some good sleep than chase after more shiny.