If I'm the only one who can unlock your encrypted communications, then it's in my best interest to have everyone encrypt their communications, because then, I'll be the only one with total situation awareness.

It won't be in any of your interests, of course, because you'll be handing me my advantage on a silver platter... but you're all far too shortsighted to pay attention to such things.

Of course Obama and the NSA want you all using strong encryption. Stupid of you to give them what they want, though.

> Pilots with Bank of America and Deloitte have led to significant business improvements

Such as? Were they tweaks to processes that further objectify employees? Or did they improve the environment, thus inspiring employees to higher levels of achievement?

Came here to say this if it hadn't already been said. Roll on fellow Browncoat!

Wormholes have never been observed in nature.

Therefore, there is no science behind them. There is only faith.

Right.

What if you're one of those people who has gone around the track long enough to understand that sex divorced from reproduction is meaningless, who always wanted to have that family that everyone seems to want to be "liberated" from taking responsibility for?

Because, honestly, that's how I feel, and I've quite literally given up on women, and sex.

Reproductive sex isn't boring, like something out of a Puritan movie. It's just as nasty and wild and passionate and kinky as it always was. But, it's overlaid with the knowledge that, in that moment, you're like God, reaching down to create life, and your dick is his finger, and this might be the moment that your child is created. It's like taking everything that was pleasant about sex and elevating it to a spiritual level without taking anything away from it.

Contraception takes all that away, and renders sex with a woman no different from sex with an apple pie, or a man, or a dog.

It should be the first letter in the acronym. SLGBT, with the first letter representing the word "Sterile".

I used to spend my free time chasing a mate. Now that I realize I'd have an easier time finding a unicorn in this culture than a woman who will truly commit to creating a family, I find it hard to find reasons not to sit and grow moss.

But hey, thanks for setting us all free.

As we become more sophisticated, we design things that are more delicate. The more advanced we are, the less likely our creations will be accessible to those who come after we fall.

Which, considering that we've demonstrated these capabilities once already, and considering how long we or bipeds like us have been around, implies that it's happened before.

If there were more advanced civilizations before us, there's no reason to think we'd know about them.

I know the answer to your question! And, I'm one of the great developers, not like all those other dummies! All the other guys suck, except me and the people I work with! Let me give you some examples of how I'm not like all those other guys!

Man, I feel so good about myself right now!

These aren't televisions. They're billboards. And until someone offers to pay me a monthly fee to put a billboard in my living room, there won't be one there.

I think this is great news.

The ONLY thing anonymity has ever done for me is prevent me from identifying trolls.

If trolls knew there was a chance they'd end up like the folks at Charlie Hebdo, the world would be a nicer place to live in.

The answer is not to restore darkness so we won't be prey to those who can see clearly as we stumble about, but to bring everyone together into the light.

Is the purpose of journalism to control the population, or to inform the population?

If it's to control the population, then these discussions are reasonable. If we share the message, how will the population react... will they be sympathetic, will they be fearful, will they be angry?

But, if the purpose of journalism is to inform the population, then, showing us things that might make us sympathetic are just as important as things that might make us angry.

I see no larger merit in journalism if it doesn't exist to provide us agency.

And in a similar vein: http://www.pewresearch.org/fac...

But there is no such choice in the single most important sphere of all: the children education.

Really? There is no choice? No private schools, no charter schools, no home schooling?

I'm all in favor of arranging public education to grant more choice to students; smaller and more numerous schools and let a student go to any public school in their county/city/state (depending on how taxes are allocated) they like. Maybe even vouchers for secular private schools that take the voucher as the whole tuition (no public funds for religious education, no letting rich kids use tax dollars as partial payment at a school for the 1%ers), though I'm not sure on that point. But to claim that the current system offer no choice is simply inaccurate.

Since 1960-ies the per-pupil annual cost of public schools quadrupled (inflation-adjusted), while the quality of education remains the same (if it has not gotten worse).

Public schools have increased the array of services provided -- free and reduced-price meals, special education, vocational education, and services for disabled or ESL students -- in that time.

Overall, public schools have equivalent or better outcomes than private schools with the same level of spending per student.

And Texas's public school spending is near the bottom compared to other states, so trying to link this to some supposed overspending on schools does not fly.

If you're thinking of voting for any politician who takes contributions from the the NEA, then FUCK YOU.

...because the NEA is so strong in Texas. So very strong that per-pupil spending and teacher's salaries are near the bottom compared to other states.

As usual, union bashing is disconnected from reality.

Highest *marginal* tax rates...not only that, but a signification percentage of companies (especially the largest ones) pay only a small fraction of that due to subsidies, tax breaks, and other perks that the average citizen does not get. This is nothing more than a talking point with zero substance.