Not to mention the beautiful expressiveness and readability of things like:
(and (or (= (string-length "hello world") (string->number "11"))
(string=? "hello world" "good morning"))
(>= (+ (string-length "hello world") 60) 80))
Especially for the average 9th grader.
You just don't get it, do you? The point isn't the weapons system, it's the expenditure.
The "sequestration" cuts are $85B out of $3.6T, or ~2.4 %. This has motivated politicians from both parties, and loud-mouthed political actors of all stripes, to make wild claims about terrible consequences if the cuts were to be made. The implicit claim is that cutting 2.4% across the board would result in an "unready, hollow force", 9% unemployment, and all sorts of other horrific things (which I'm sure you've heard of by now).
Is it even true? From cutting a measly 2.4% of future spending? Or is it yet another shock doctrine exercise to distract us from other things we should be paying attention to instead? There's a book, BTW.
etc.
"Studying the effects of space travel on humans" is a dumb piece of circular logic, so it is an incorrect answer. "Because humans need/want to explore blah blah blah" is also incorrect because the cost of manned space exploration is so high that it drastically reduces the amount of exploration that can be done, so it too is an incorrect answer.
Hint: It would have to be done with robots over a period of at least 100 years with the construction of numerous intermediate way stations.
25 % of Americans consume fast food every day
20% of meals are eaten in the car
More Than 40 Percent of Americans Believe the Rapture Is Coming
That 71% think we have an extra trillion dollars or two to go to Mars for no useful or compelling purpose is no great surprise. Depressing? Disconcerting? Tragic? Sure, but not surprising.
'As we move toward the cloud and technology gets easier to use, we'll have less need for full-time teams of people to maintain our stuff.'
Gavin Newsom, present. This guy is a political diva. Don't pay attention to him. His book and his overall schtick are pure self-promotion. In California, "lieutenant governor" means "guy who has no duties whatsoever and is there in case the governor dies or something."
One gets the impression these days that the bulk of Slashdot's current participants are young libertarians who did not pay attention in school while 20th century history was being examined and discussed, and have little or no living memory of any of it. These seem to be libertarians who think regulation of any kind is absolutely bad and that anyone should do whatever they want, as if there were no criminals or abusive citizens anywhere to be found. The mobsters who are in possession of our nation belie this childish and idyllic view of the world. Oddly, they seem to think it is just fine for governments to perform extra-legal executions without any legal consequence.
Your list describes the Soviet Union and Maoist China. It now also describes us. Yes, things do indeed look seriously bad. All the more disturbing are the numerous posts in support of our glorious Union of Soviet Corporatist Republics.
or where the benefits are murky
Ah, yes. The benefits, elusive (and illusive) though they may be. "Controlling" your fridge or your thermostat from far away via your cellphone. Useful? Hardly at all. Cool and shiny? Sure, that's why people buy them. You need almost none of this. You don't even need a "food processor," unless you have to prepare food for more than 4 or 5 people. A set of decent knives and cutting boards will do just fine.
Just be realistic and recognize that if you buy kitchen gizmos it is because you are a gadget freak, not because they serve any compelling useful purpose. They are, by and large, paraphernalia, not tools.
THEGODDESSOFTHENETHASTWISTINGFINGERSANDHERVOICEISLIKEAJAVELININTHENIGHTDUDE
