Before every flag waving murrican scream USA! USA! USA!, your country do it too. In this case, it is against Iran. You can read it here: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Iran-Confirms-Refueling-Problems-for-Some-of-Its-Planes-in-Europe-105276043.html. So, how does it feel to be on the receiving end for a change? Not very nice, is it?
Wow. Around half of the comments in this thread are for "lynching" Assange and Wikileaks. Now, I am all for secrecy where it is warranted. For example, the launch codes for nukes should be kept a secret. However, atrocities and war crimes should not. Governments may try to cover it up but exposing such atrocities is not only a right but a responsibility of a human being. If you come from a country where governments are elected, then you are responsible for what your government did, unlike people from dictatorships. By not caring or worse, supporting efforts to cover up atrocities by your military and character assassinate Assange, you too have blood on your hands. Show me and the rest of the world, that the Unites States deserves its "Leader of the Free World" moniker.
Would it kill the story submitter to give people like me with no background in open source politics some info on what the heck is LibreOffice, why was it forked and is this latest development good or bad? I occasionally use Go-oo to open incompatible files but that's about it. Wikipedia and Libreoffice's website aren't much help either. So, someone knowledgeable, please reply below. Thanks in advance.
I don't get Fanboyism either, which are mostly on mass consumer products and even more baffling, on free, open source software. Even the most low spec netbook can run 2 or more browsers. Why not have them all, especially if they are free? Why limit yourself to one particular browser, as if by doing so, you earn karma, expiate your sins, restore balance to the Force and prevent the sky from falling down. And why the vitriol on people who have a different browser/game console/airline/computer manufacturer/OS/processor/ad nauseum preferences? I have said before when iPad just came out. We as consumers owe nothing to manufacturers, rather they owe everything to us. If you like their products, good for you and good for them. If you don't like it, try something else and move on.
Scientists (I am one) will often carry out research on what seems to the layperson as "obvious". Contrary to the opinions of such laypersons, such basic research are not a waste of taxpayer's money. Before you can get to the "useful" applied research, years of basic research man-hours needed to be done in the background until enough data had accumulated. These scientists, are looking at the brain signals associated with the phenomenon that they are studying. Their findings would add more information to our understanding of the human brain, mind, individuality and society. Only those with a mistaken understanding of how scientific research works would narrowly look at similar research like this and think that it is not very useful.
Sigh, why is it I find myself siding with China all the time on Slashdot, even though I don't actually like the Chinese government? The US is not blameless or is Guantanamo bay just a tropical holiday resort? Sure the Chinese is in Tibet, but the US is in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sure the Chinese imprison and torture people, but so do the American government. Sure the Chinese execute its enemies, but so do the US, only difference is that the US uses Predator drones instead of a bullet to the back of the head. Sure the Chinese are propping up dictatorships in Africa, but the US is supporting genocidal Israel. In fact, looking a the balance sheet of foreigners killed, the US had killed more foreigners than China had in the last 20 years. If you hold China to such standards, then it is only logical and internally consistent that you should boycott the US as well. Or are you a hypocrite?
I voted never because because there isn't a DONOTWANT option in the poll. Flying cars will not solve our transportation problems. All it does is move the congestion to the air where accidents will be catastrophically worse, instead of on the ground. And aren't passenger planes the aerial equivalents of buses and trains anyway? Like many posters above, I think allowing everyone to fly around, even in automated flying cars is just begging for trouble. Already cars and trucks veer off roads and plough into houses. At least only people with houses next to busy roads have to worry about this. If you want to fly, then get a pilot's license and fly a proper aircraft. There are many options ranging from microlight all the way to business jets. Flying cars are just pipe dreams for wannabe pilots to act out their TopGun fantasies. There is a reason why getting a pilot license is much harder than getting a driving license.
Maybe if you stop from getting into expensive un-winnable foreign wars, propping up puppet states and general meddling in the Middle East and Afghanistan, you could save trillions of dollars easily, make less enemies, get "free" healthcare, better schools, lower taxes, more investment in science and RnD, send man to Mars etc. and as a bonus, save lives (your own and others). Heck, just give 1% of the money saved as "incentives" to other countries so that they like you more, instead of bombing them.
And of course, most "modern" SAM, i.e. even 1st generation 60s ex-Soviet hardware http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SA-7_Grail have infra red tracking ability rendering the use of this iPhone app moot. This is just self-important bureaucrats doing make work to justify their existence while feeding the paranoia of the masses.
Anything I missed?
What about the ones that are lost sales though? Should they be ignored? What about the ethics of it? Should people enjoy the fruits of your labour for free when you've made it clear that you want to be paid for them?
Not a personal rip on you or anything, just a general observation. Capitalists are only ethical when it is profitable to them. Make of this what you will.
When China was resolutely Communist, you Westerners were always barking about the utopia and freedoms and the Golden Age that would follow if they adopted capitalism. Now that China had shown (as they had historically always been) better capitalists than Westerners and as a results are gaining stature as a world power (again, as they had historically been), it is all environment this, air pollution that. Make up your mind. And have you not forgotten your recent oil spill disaster, never mind the continent sized forests you mowed down and the countless species you drove to extinction to be pontificating on what other countries should do? Western countries got to where they are now due to the very polluting Industrial Revolution. Do you think other countries will want to stay an agricultural backwater forever? Maybe become bucolic tourist atractions for Western tourists to see Giant Pandas and half naked villagers knee deep in rice fields, framed by picturesque majestic mountains in the background. Then, after many glasses of Martinis served by discreet native servants, you jet back to your mega cities and drive home in your luxury cars. Give me a break.
Notice that in all of the articles above, the Romans were not the first and usually not the best in the fields that you listed. The Roman civilization was a highly militaristic, predatory one, relying on periodic pillage of other civilizations to fill its coffers and expand. It places less emphasis on the sciences and arts than the preceding Greek civilizations. If you want a great civilization, look to the ancient Chinese empires.
From my non-American point of view, the difference between American Liberals and Republicans is like the difference between getting bitten by a cobra or mauled by a bear. One might be somewhat less painful than the other but the end result is not that different. From what I have seen, it does not matter who is the American president or from what party he is from since all of them will stick to the status quo on foreign policies (preserving American "greatness") while also eroding the rights of not only American citizens but by setting bad examples to other foreign governments to follow.
Make sure your code does nothing gracefully.
