Wow, I think AC is on the rag today.

BTW- The transitor, microchip, and microproccessor are the results of the funding of US space and military programs. While private companies may have developed them, guess who was paying the contracts. Yes, that computer you adore was developed through a process you scorn.

Further, the US has plenty of ICBMs, fully capable of striking anywhere in the world within 30 minutes, guaranteed delivery, or the next one is free...We don't actually need suborbital launch platforms.

Due to increased radiation levels, rats grow up to 3 feet long and have opposable thumbs.

Well, the crew and oil employee did not observe any "whales"....You see, the sonar causes the Melon headed whale to go through a process known as instantaneous inversion, or in other words, its insides are immediately flipped inside-out, due to water pressure and being hit by the pulse. What they did see was a new species of whale sized jelly fish...they called her Exxo...and they believe using this sonar will help increase their population.

I have yet to meet an independent engineer who has had work stolen by someone who commits the type of cyber crime that McAfee claims to protect from.

I have met individuals who claim to have had their life's work stolen by corporations, who subsequently patent it and then troll on the patent.

Small companies and corporations seem like more likely targets of that claim, and the perpetrators are likely larger companies....imho.

Can we all be a little less Star Wars and a little more Star Trek???

I understood your context, I was biting at the hook to invalidate these common claims by using the same vehicle from which they are often derived, rather than asking for the scientific evidence to support their claim. Asking for proof only seems to stoke the embers of discontent, and invariably the claimant proclaims the proof-seeker as godless. In their eyes, one may believe in creationism or evolution and never the two shall meet. Educating people with such claims to theories and ideas that align biblical metaphor with observable science allows them to self-invalidate the claims through alternative logical conclusions.

I'll bite...and I'm not a strong Christian, but I also believe in God. I think most of your questions stem from the ignorance and fear that many people of high faith and low intelligence bring to the table. I find that people that follow that logic and call themselves Christians are little more than bigots. My understanding of Jesus was that his disdain was only for those that sought to take advantage of or for those who were intolerant of others (enter current US-centric Christian conservatism).

God created the world 6000 years ago (well really about 5800): Many theological scholars, both Jewish and Christian, have rectified this statement by referring to Psalm 90:4 and 2Peter 3:8. Paraphrasing, to god a day is like a thousand years and a day a thousand years. Accepting that science is proven observation, that the timeline is not literal, and taking into account the cooling of the universe and relativistic effect on gravity and the perception of time, theological scholars actually put the biblical age of the universe at 15.3 billion years. I believe our (science's) best guess is currently 13.8 billion years, pretty damn close if you ask me.

Immutable types: God created man in his image. Well, God really created everything in his image. If you reduce every living thing (or even non-living collection) down to its basic form, you come up with a shape not dissimilar to that of an atom...whether it is a galaxy, a star-system, or a living-cell. Everything seems to organize itself in that basic shape. And from different organizations of those cells comes the various species. Nowhere in the bible, that I am aware of, says that God made these immutable. From what I know of the bible, the stories outline dynamic people who go through cycles of change and rebirth...evolution if you will...it seems to me that all of the universe, and all its creatures, would follow this formula. I think it is hard for people to understand how anything could think so far ahead as to account for the dynamic processes which may have caused one trait or another to be naturally selected in an animal or plant, but isn't this exactly what a God could do?

God punishes Gays: Really? Just closed minded people would think this. People often point to Leviticus..."to lay with another man is an abomination." Unfortunately, the entire book was specifically a guide for those who wished to serve as God's priests. To me, the book is not meant to be a doctrine for common man. And then there is translation accuracy...does the usage of the word "man" refer to the sex of a person, or the common grouping of both men and women (which it is commonly used as). In which case, for a priest to lay with any man or woman could be considered a violation of the power bestowed upon the priest...which is an abomination. I'm not saying that a priest must remain celibate, just that power corrupts and a degree of caution should be taken by the priest.

God will cure your cancer: Personally, I find praying for yourself self-serving. It is my belief that God setup the universe in such a way as to favor those people that live in the service of others...karma. It is my personal experience that being a "good" person has provided for me. I often do not seem to get what I want, but I always seem to get what I need. That being said, life is only a ride, one that you were allowed to endure on borrowed time...when the ride is over, its time to get off. God already knows you want to stay...hell, its a pretty cool fucking ride...instead pray for the ones that must remain on the ride.

Rule #1: Don't talk about CCI bit.

Rule #2: Don't talk about CCI bit.

Anyone else think of the ID10T interface?

God damnit...out of mod-points.

No, that is just what the tell people to make it seem like they have a choice. The Gestapo...errr...TSA basically has the right to violate any civil liberty you think you may have.

If they look illegal, then they must be!!!

American's do not have dark skin and speak a foreign language!

But really, it is an ER! There is a triage process as well as ambulance runs that usually aren't visible to those in the main waiting areas. If you wanted faster service, stop applying pressure! As soon as the nurse realizes that you are dumping blood all over the floor, they will get you to a bed. As long as your condition in not "immediately life threatening," it does not meet the standard of emergency.

And above all else, remember, you are not special simply because you are an English speaking caucasian.

We ask, "Why do you park on a driveway, and drive on a parkway?"

I was in a car collision a few years back. Does this mean that I can sue Ford for manufacturing the car that hit me?

So, the dirty secret is that most IT employers know that degrees and certificates mean absolutely nothing. The bottom lines of them is that the individual was able to memorize the required information long enough to pass a test. Most do not retain that knowledge for longer than is required...and nearly all students do not practice what they have learned long enough to gain any true experience. There are exceptions to this rule, but far-and-few between.

When IT managers are not directly doing the hiring, HR departments are often asked to include the phrase "blah degree or equivalent experience" in the job postings. This opens the door for those with X number of years doing hands-on work and no degree to get past the submission process. But it often comes down to who actually hires the individual. Some bottom-line oriented companies will hire droves of fresh graduates for no other reason than they are cheap. It is quite a bit harder to get someone with 5 to 10-years experience to want to work for <30k/yr.

IMHO- I would rather hire someone with 5+ years working experience than a fresh BS recipient. That being said, any BS degree is often sufficient to meet a minimum job posting requirement...at the end of the day, it comes down to how much you really know and how well you can articulate your skills.