This being the second reply apparently presuming that I was referring to some sort of government-approved licensure process, I feel compelled to point out that I by no means meant to imply that either situation should require such approval.

I was merely pointing out the absolute fact that properly trained people are far less likely to misuse a tool than people who are not properly trained.

Proof in the pudding: the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937

I am GP, and I could not have said it better myself.

We, the American community, can train each other in the proper operation of the tool known as a "firearm" without the nanny-state looking over our shoulders, as we do with so many other specialized tools. To whit, if one wants to learn how to use the tools needed to build guitars, they apprentice with a luthier, not some government agent.

No, but sociopaths are.

A properly trained person is far less likely to try and use Dangerous Tool X when inebriated than an untrained person. Even so, we have to learn to accept that sometimes bad people do bad shit, but that's not a valid excuse for limiting the rights of the billions of not-bad people who don't do bad shit.

I'm sorry, what? That sentence makes no sense.

FWIW, 15 years ago we were saying that very thing about a lot of the technology that exists today - like drones, hypersonic aircraft, incredibly powerful computers that fit in a pocket, stem cells, government agencies with the ability to monitor every communication on the planet, rail guns, etc.

Slight Correction: I've never seen them mistreated by any other ordinary citizen. The legal system, however... But I'm pretty sure that's a problem no matter where you hail from.

I've lived on the Ozark Plateau my entire life, and while I know why it's considered part of the Bible Belt (lotta churches around here), I've found that it's not the cesspool of hatred and bigotry that people who have never been here claim it is. Yea, there's some bigotry, but most people tend to keep it to themselves, and in 30 years I've never, ever seen a minority person mistreated because of their race.

The Mennonites who spend every Saturday night downtown, holding a sign that says "Your cell phone is your call to HELL" in one hand and am iPhone in the other are about the worst I've ever seen, and those guys are mostly harmless.

Looking at the world today, and how those in power treat those who are not, do you honestly think humanity would be responsible with that kind of power? Or would powerful people try and manipulate the general public into supporting the elimination of "genetic abnormalities" that aren't directly detrimental to society at large, but rather represent a threat to their monopoly on power?

I.e., the oligarchs would absolutely love being able to stomp out dissent genetically.

Reductio ad absurdum aside...

To be fair, it would be pretty damn difficult to kill millions of people in seconds with a drone. At least, one that's not carrying a significant nuclear payload.

FWIW, I both support the 2nd Amendment and firmly believe that nobody is responsible enough to have nuclear weapons, governments included.

FTFY. Proper training has a tendency to fix a lot of the issues with people misusing tools, outliers notwithstanding.

And Monett - Jack Henry pretty much has that place on lockdown, jobs-wise.

Forgot to mention, I also have a TEAC reel-to-reel (don't recall the model off the top of my head) that's been getting quite a bit of attention the last couple of weeks, but once I get all my tapes ripped to digital, it'll probably go back in the display case.

All depends on what you mean when you say "tech," since tech-nically all tools count as tech-nology; to that end, I have a hand-hewn stone axe head that's probably a few hundred years old at least, and it still works fantastically.

Presuming you meant electronic tech... For me, it would be a toss-up between the DAK Mark III CB radio my grandpa gave me and my Marshall Valvestate 8080 amplifier. The DAK doesn't get a whole lot of facetime (don't have a decent place to put an antenna), but the Marshall gets a workout almost daily.

Funny, because Detroit isn't that far removed from St. Louis weather-wise, and STL is the tech hub of the midwest.

Slashdot's corporate masters will like this tidbit: Dice ranked Missouri as the fastest growing state in regards to tech jobs last year.

Of course, there's plenty of good reasons why tech companies wouldn't want to base out of Detroit, but the weather sure ain't one of them.

... and since the worldview of you and your friends equals 100% of tech employees... /sarc

Never actually been to the "bible-belt," have you? It shows in your bigotry against those of us who actually live here, the irony of which is not lost on me.

It has for AT&T, Verizon, EA, Dropbox, etc. Why would General Mills' be treated any different than the other Corporate Masters?