Did you hear the theory that it is a sequel to.....Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Did you hear the theory that Snowpiercer is actually a sequel to..... Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

...pretty please with sugar on top. If there are ANY large technology firms that need hit at the State and/or Federal level with all the weight the respective Justice Departments have, it has to be the Monopolistic cable companies. They have preyed upon and bled the people for FAR too long. Spurious charges and fees. Almost regular sneaky rate increases in violation contracts in hope the customer does not notice.

Problems:
1) Linux does not run the applications that people want to use (Games, Professional Software Tools, etc.) When I design an information system, first I pick the software that best suits the customer's needs/requirements, THEN I pick the best OS to run that software.

2) Linux is too complicated for non-computer people. They have other things they need/want to do than to learn how and spend time managing an OS. Customers want devices and software that just work, be it a phone, tablet, laptop, or server. Automatic. Or at most, push a button to do a series of complex tasks behind the scenes.

3) Linux as a community is to balkanized. Too many forks. If I am a retailer trying to sell Linux laptops to customers, which Linux do I choose? How many do I have to offer/support? How much will that cost my business?

4) No advertising. I would say the majority of potential customers do not know Linux exists, let alone is an option for them. How could they possibly choose it? (most small businesses fail because they do not advertise enough and to the right audience.) Or if I am selling laptops and offer multiple Linux distros for installation, Why would a customer pick something they have never heard of before?

"lots of times there's just hyperlinks to Microsoft documents, to Wikipedia"

So it's just like working a real job, then? ;)

Quid Pro Quo is the term for sexual harassment of that nature. Career advancement in exchange for sexual favors. See here:
https://employment.findlaw.com...

Not a lawyer, so I do not know what the legal view is when someone gives in to the harassment. The above link seems centered around rejecting the harassment and then losing the job and the legal avenues after that.

If you want to make a very good Tolkien based TV series, don't re-hash The Lord of the Rings or even The Hobbit.

Use the Silmarillion.

It won't happen as long as Christopher Tolkien is alive, but once the controlling rights to the book are out of his hands it could be done.

Lots of stories there, The Oath of Feanor, The Fall of Morgoth, Beren and Luthien, & The Rise and Fall of Gondolin to name a few. Lots of brand new characters, except for Galadriel but she does not do much. "Main Characters" die left and right. Still, lots of room to do your own thing. The book spans thousands of years and several Ages, but the series could just focus on the very end of the Age of Bliss to the end of the First Age. Competent writers could get at least 5-7 season out of it with plenty of action. Lots of terrible stuff going on then. 6 Great Battles, plus lots of minor skirmishes. Wurms, Dragons, Balrogs, etc.

Luna is the key to getting off this planet.

1) We master fast, safe travel to and from Luna. Think some kind of cross between Space-X and the Shuttle and Apollo LEM. Maybe something like Space-X takes you to IIS, then you board a Shuttle to Luna orbit, then a sturdy LEM departs the cargo bay or top half, and lands on Luna surface then can take-off back to Shuttle leaving nothing behind, then Shuttle travels back to IIS, then Space-X back down to Earth while Shuttle stays in orbit.

2) We establish a permanent colony on Luna. Dig down and use Lunar rock to shield from radiation. Build large loops underground that centrifuge up to 1G for normal living. Learn hard lessons of living off Earth, but with not too horrible 4 day return if needed using technology in Step 1.

3) Build Space Elevator - it is possible on Luna with existing materials and technology. Very hard if we have to ship the materials up, but we may find what we need on Luna.

4) Use Lunar resources to build large interplanetary vessel powered with ion drive in Luna orbit with the Elevator. Step 3 is huge, but this will make Step 3 look like a picnic. It would have to have enough shielding to keep radiation down to earth normal levels, rotate to simulate 1G for living, and be able to make the trip to Mars, or elsewhere, and back without refueling, and carry it's own Space-X, or two, for landing on the surface and taking you back up to the ship and all the fuel that requires.

5) Make permanent colony on Mars using lessons learned in Step 2. Dig down to shield. Centrifuge to 1G for living. Etc.

We get to Mars eventually, but we learn how to get there and how to live there by doing it on Luna first. Next would be in the Asteroid Belt on some minor planets. Or perhaps turning large asteroids into space stations. Lots of possibilities once you know how to get this far.

Neither Baseball or Cricket are boring, provided you realize what is happening and what is at stake.
There are many subtle nuances and "game within the game" things happening all the time in both sports.
Despite the higher velocities in Cricket, it is easier to generate offense due to paddle shape and wicket size and many other things. Nothing wrong with that.

Hitting a Baseball thrown by a Major League Pitcher (someone that actually belongs there) is one of the hardest things to do in all of sports. The hitters that fail between 6 & 7 times out of 10 over their careers end up in the Hall of Fame. Just one at-bat is full of strategic decisions by both the battery (Pitcher and Catcher) and the Batter. If the Batter can get information about a pitch beforehand, it is a huge advantage.

Normally, signs are stolen when a runner is on Second. In that situation, the Battery changes signs to something more complicated or encoded. But even then, smart runners can still crack the signals and then show signs to the batter about what pitch he thinks is coming next. Or the runner may just be signaling where the Catcher is setting up. Which is why you will see some catchers shift quickly at the last moment to the real position he wants to be in to receive the pitch.

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects!" - R. Heinlein

Never stop learning. Do not be afraid to try new things.

It may not work for everyone, but I had many job offers base on the fact that I have done a little bit of everything. One Manager that hired me specifically said that the offer was based on the fact that I could be flexible and move to many positions on their team if needed. (and did so)

However, utility player positions do not get the big paychecks. So eventually find something to focus on.

Thank you green1, I was about to post the same thing but with an emphasis on how HTML _is_ the easy on-ramp for curious amateurs that Thompson is talking about.

And further, having a fancy View Source that allows amateurs to copy code they do not fully understand is dangerous as it could compromise their server and expose any traffic hosted by it should they use that copied code.

"(LSD) has been credited, in part, for the creation of the iPhone, the polymerase chain reaction, as well as some pretty abstract artwork." ...and also a Baseball No-Hitter by Dock Ellis.

Must See Video Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Making it "Free" to students only shifts the burden to all taxpayers.

Which kicks-in another consequence. No barrier to entry.

Remember back to your High School days? Now imagine instead of graduating after 12th Grade, next year you simply took the bus over to a new school building next door and attended 13th through 16th Grades with the same classmates and pretty much the same type of teachers.

That's where it would be headed. Since it's free and most employers would want it, most students would go. In order to handle that sort of demand, the local Community Colleges could never handle it (if taxpayers pay for it, then everyone will be allowed to go), the States would have to supply it just like they do K-12. (and only a matter of time before States start passing laws, with the help of the Union, making it mandatory like K-12.) Mostly, because that is what they know how to do. The teachers would be Union and the Union would make sure it happened this way. Also, the increased demand coupled with the low salaries (compared to current college professors as a tax payer funded system would pitch the tax payers vs. the teachers just like K-12) would make people think twice about being teacher in that system. Also, who would be the "Inner City" College Teacher? It is highly likely they would have the same problems as their 9-12th counterparts.

There will still be "Private" colleges, just like there are Private Schools but they will be the "real" colleges that we know today. But their costs will remain unchanged and taxpayer dollars only used in States that have passed the "voucher" system.

There is a high probability that the end result of a "Free" college education for all will result in most people getting an 8 year High School education for free while the few students that can pay or get loans for a Private College will get a more advanced education with superior teachers and materials. So, only changes are forcing non-college students to take 4 more years of classes and making all taxpayers pay for it.

The Electoral College exists for a similar reason the Senate exists.

The Senate was created to give each state equal representation. Otherwise, the populous states would get to pass all the laws and get all the goodies. Remove the Senate, and the less populated States would be totally justified in leaving the Union. Hence why they demanded the Senate be in the Constitution in the first place.

If we do not have the Electoral College, then again the popular states/cities get to elect the PotUS. Essentially, making it if you did not live on taller peaks on this map (http://i.imgur.com/mcA2hWa.jpg), then you would not have a voice in choosing the PotUS. Why would less populated States ever agree to make themselves irrelevant?

The question is: Is there a reason for these smaller, less populated areas to have a voice in government? Yes. The reason is that these areas are where our natural resources come from. It is also where your food comes from. Large population centers would be impossible without them. In that way, they already have a certain power over the population centers. The Senate and Electoral Collage recognize this fact and give them some representation. Probably less than they are really due.

Over at Mental Floss, Erik Sass is compiling a tremendous body of work on the topic.
http://mentalfloss.com/section...
As of today, there are 235 articles. I believe there are about 1 to 2 per week for several years. He is covering the events that lead to the War and occurred 100 years ago. Snippets from journals, letters, and old photographs help convey what it was really like then. It has been a very large eye-opener for me. As a history buff, I thought I knew a good deal about the topic...but there is so much more.

Just to be clear, I am not connected with Mental Floss or Mr. Sass in any fashion. Only a large fan of this series.

Installment #1 posted on November 4th, 2011
http://mentalfloss.com/article...