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Comment Re:No, they don't (Score 1) 681

I'll raise you and say that, even if you or I do not consider it moral, any and all discrimination on the part of an employer should be legal. Decisions to hire or fire are personal ones, and should not be regulated at all. Period. We should not legislate morality.

If one posts a comment in public view, one has to realize that others will see it. One must realize that he is in control of his reputation. If he tarnishes it, that is his problem. His actions have repercussions. The sooner he realizes this, the better.

Freedom is not license.

Comment Re:I'll sue ya! (Score 1) 414

It doesn't have to be that way. There could be a sudden outbreak of sanity. No doubt that would be painful in the short run, but it would save us from the ruinous path we are headed down.

Yes, Merry Christmas to you too. There's no need to be depressed and angry all the time. Get enough of that the other 364 days.:)

Comment Re:I'll sue ya! (Score 1) 414

Technically you're right. Anyone who can print money can not go bankrupt per se, though it doesn't mean that those governments do not destroy themselves and their citizens by resorting to the printing press. That's the worrisome part.

It is impossible to spend our way to prosperity or print wealth. Wealth is not money nor is money wealth, but rather wealth is the capital of a nation as represented by machinery and other factors of production.

Money itself is a token used to trade for those things, the creation of which does not generate more capital just more claims to that capital.

This results in an increase in prices, but prices do not increase evenly and the inflation in the supply of money does not effect the populace evenly. Instead it stretches the middle-class to non-existence, impoverishing many at the expense of the politically well-connected (i.e. they are the ones who get the money before it has lost its value).

This is what I'm worried about. This is de facto bankruptcy. This is where we are headed if we do not change course.

This is why the thugs in Washington need to stop with the cockamamie spending plans. They are destroying us.

To hell with universal broadband.

Comment Re:I'll sue ya! (Score 1) 414

Is it just me, or does no one realize that the country is bankrupt? Where the hell is $44 billion going to come from? There was a nearly $1 trillion deficit this year alone. Next year's could be double that. The national debt is over $10 trillion and there is an additional $40+ trillion medicare/social security liability.

Funny thing is if the federal government were a corporation all of its executives would be in jail for phony accounting practices.

I ask again, where is the money going to come from? (hint: the printing press is the correct, but morally and intellectually bankrupt answer)

Comment Re:The Pragmatic Programmer (Score 1) 517

I would second this. There's no specific technological content, but in terms of best practices it kills.

I would add:
Design Patterns by Gamma et. al
Effective C++
Modern C++ Design
Large Scale C++ Software Design

I guess you can tell what world I live in...

I found Dive Into Python an excellent book too, but with the release of Python 3000 it is probably less relevant.

Microsoft

Microsoft Applies For "Digital Manners" Patent 289

SirLurksAlot writes "Ars Technica reports that Microsoft has recently applied for a patent for a technology which would attempt to enforce manners in the use of cell phones, digital cameras, DVRs and other digital devices. According to the article, the technology could be used to bring common social conventions such as 'No flash photography' and 'No talking out loud' to these devices by disabling features or disabling the device entirely. The article also points out that the technology could be implemented in situations involving sensitive equipment, such as in airplanes or hospitals. The patent application itself is also an interesting read, as it describes a number of possible uses for the technology, including 'in particular zones to limit the speed and/or acceleration of vehicles, to require the use of lights, to verify an indication of insurance coverage and/or current registration, or the like.' While this technology could certainly be of interest to any number of organizations one has to wonder how the individuals who own devices which obey so-called 'Digital Manners Policies' would feel about it."
Government

If IP Is Property, Where Is the Property Tax? 691

nweaver writes "In a response to the LA Times editorial on copyright which we discussed a week ago, the paper published a response arguing: 'If Intellectual Property is actually property, why isn't it covered by a property tax?' If copyright maintenance involved paying a fee and registration, this would keep Mickey Mouse safely protected by copyright, while ensuring that works that are no longer economically relevant to the copyright holder pass into the public domain, where the residual social value can serve the real purpose of copyright: to enhance the progress of science and useful arts. Disclaimer: the author is my father."
Technology

Should Addictive Tech Come With a Health Warning? 329

holy_calamity writes "Academics researching how technology addiction affects businesses and employees say 'habit-forming' gadgets like Blackberries should be dispensed along with warnings about the effect they can have on your life. 'We don't want to be in a situation in a few years similar to that with fast food or tobacco today. We need to pay attention to how people react to potentially habit-forming technologies.'"
Privacy

DHS Official Suggests REAL ID Mission Creep 277

The Register noticed that a senior US Department of Homeland Security official has floated the idea of requiring citizens to produce federally compliant identification before purchasing some over-the-counter medicines — specifically, pseudophedrine. The federal ID standard spelled out by the REAL ID act has been sold as applying only to air travel and entry to federal buildings and nuclear facilities. A blogger on the Center for Democracy and Technology site said, "[The] suggested mission creep pushes the REAL ID program farther down the slippery slope toward a true national ID card." Speaking of federal buildings, CNet has a state-by-state enumeration of what will happen on May 11, when REAL ID comes into effect, to citizens who attempt to enter, say, the Washington DC visitors bureau.

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