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Comment Re:Current programming tools suck, that's why. (Score 1) 207

That's true for current methods of developing software. Which is typing in code.

Note this response took too long to compose, so there have already been some good/better answers below, Prograph, LabView, and the comments about APL are all relevant and interesting

Random idea on how to get around it:

Starting point: utilize some esoteric language that use a limited symbol set and positional coding, i.e. funges. In this case, the screen would be a scrollable grid (say 3x4, for 12 tiles in view at one time), and you would press on grid locations to set their value, possibly through a sub-menu, possibly by just cycling through choices, or maybe a gesture system.
Going further, each grid position wouldn't necessarily be limited to a single symbol, it could be a symbol plus inputs selectable by sub-menu. This would allow you to use multiple registers, not just a single stack. Then, you could save sub-programs with defined inputs/outputs as functions to a library. You could possibly even start putting together classes.
Once you get to the object oriented side, the strict grid might be too limiting, at that level it might be better to view objects as packages, which you can draw connections between. Programming by flowchart/object model.

You won't excise typing completely, because you will need to put in strings at some point. However, class names/function names/variables could all be custom icons.

Comment Re:Good ... (Score 3, Insightful) 1073

Well, this would probably work because there are churches that are willing to marry same-sex couples. So they could be married, and have their civil union the same as different-sex couples.
    Due to the overwhelming number of statutes at all levels of government, it would require an amendment to the United States Constitution to catch all of the usages. One of the general rules of conservatism (in the United States) is a reluctance to pass constitutional amendments at that level. I don't see social progressives (again using United States standards for the words) willing to cede the word "marriage" to religious institutions. That means that while this is a potential solution, it has a low chance of implementation.
  The other argument being presented is that marriage shouldn't be religious at all, those trappings being added (according to others in this conversation) after Europeans started routinely coming to the Americas.

Comment Re:From a citizen's standpoint (Score 1) 1073

I'm not aware of how incest or bestiality truly harm society. Maybe you just find them offensive and wish that to be the case?

And as the other person said, individual liberties trump all else most of the time.

Incest - a mechanism would need to be put into place to prevent incestuous couples from having children, due to the preponderance of genetic abnormalities that occur within such relationships. Incest is currently not defined the same in every state, the only consistent parts being direct ancestors/descendants (mother/son, grandfather/granddaughter) and siblings. In most states, marriage to first cousins once removed (your grandparent's sibling's child) is allowed.

Bestiality - is generally considered a matter of consent, similar to rape. Animals cannot give consent and cannot enter into contracts, and both parties need to consent for the marriage to go through. The way underaged marriage is currently handled may provide a framework, since in many of those cases, the parents of the underaged party(ies) can validate the contract (although there are still limits where even that is not the case).

Comment Re:Good ... (Score 5, Informative) 1073

...nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

- Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution

...nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws...

- Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Comment Re:More person, more cost. Fine. (Score 1) 587

All of those points are valid, they just aren't dollar-signs.
Although, the time one can be debated if you are staying in the business-center of a large metropolitan area (a very specific case). Then traffic will usually negate any time savings from a car, especially if there is rail as opposed to buses.

Comment Re:If you're not doing anything wrong... (Score 2) 332

There is a reason why the Constitution had to be amended to allow for an income tax. As far as I know, that reason wasn't because the Founding Fathers never heard of such a concept.

The reason why the Constitution had to be amended is that the Fuller court (incorrectly) decided that whether income was from property or not determined whether it was a direct tax or duty. Prior to this ruling it was understood that an income tax was always a duty and not a direct tax, so did not have to be apportioned. The 16th amendment doesn't create the income tax, it just says that the income tax doesn't have to be apportioned even if under the Fuller interpretation it would be a direct tax.

Comment Re:Bullshit! Calm down there big guy... (Score 1) 433

The case is explicitly about holding the phone in your hand while using it.

California Highway Patrol Officer Jack Graham and appellant each testified that, while driving, appellant was cited for looking at amap on his cellular phone while holding the phone in his hand.

The argument in this case (which is an appeals case) is over how broad the law is, and whether it applies.

subdivision (a).Section 23123, subdivision (a) provides:A person shall not drive a motor vehicle while using a wireless telephone unless that telephone is specifically designed and configured to allow hands-free listening and talking, and is used in that manner while driving.

Some choice statements from the judge:

The term “using” is nowhere defined in the statute, but if the Legislature had intended to limit the application of the statute to “conversing” or “listening and talking,” as appellant maintains, it could have done so

The judge also addresses section 23123.5 which makes it illegal to text (specifically) on a wireless communications device. He indicates that he thinks this was passed to catch non-cellphones, not because the previous section was limited to listening and talking. Throughout he uses some of the legislative notes as context (I think incorrectly - specifically there is a note for 23123.5 by the author of both sections that indicates he believed the first section is only enforceable when holding a cellphone up to your ear, and the second section was added to catch people using devices in a different way). In the end he says that someone should probably bring it up to the legislature if they think 23123 is too broad and 23123.5 is too narrow in illogical ways.

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