Good points. Note however that among poorer classes of people (where religious following is at a higher rate in some ME nations) the performing of rituals like washing for prayer (which they do 5 times a day) can keep things like this pretty low, compared to the poor in other cultures that don't use as much water/as frequently.

I just thought I'd clarify that this is not some standard theory but rather something I cam up with while washing dishes at home :)

And for everybody who is about to jump out of their chair to tell me that evolution doesn't mean to do things, it just happens to do so: I know.

It's called collective ego, or group ego. It's not about nationalism or religion, although with bigger groups it tends to get worse. It is part of your evolution, just like your individual ego, and serves almost the same purpose.

>My question is, since when is 1.9 million PCs a megabotnet?

Look sonny, in my day, we had to carry our megabotnets uphill both ways, in the snow, and we didn't complain, and the master nodes sent out instructions with punch cards that were sent via carrier pigeon. A million computers was something we doubted any deity could create, but we were wrong. I don't think I have to tell you to get off my lawn. Wait, you're still there? GET OFF MY F*CKING LAWN. Damn kids.

I'm writing code and my Master's thesis together now.

Conditions are not pleasant, and sanity is brittle, and summer is so so close.

Well you've clearly had too much of it, so it must be as in beer, innit?

Gah, I was so not focused on the word that I forgot I even mentioned it. I guess that makes my stance clear enough. And yes I was suggesting that if you shackle a man to the floor, tie his head back to the wall, open his eyelids (no significant physical injury) and force him to watch replays of a movie, then you are torturing him. I hope, I honestly hope, that someone talking about legalizing drugs does not think otherwise.

I support most of your views, but I also support the right of town councils/states to decide on their own do's and don't based on their common opinions, even though I would disagree with most of them. And yeah you are right about healthcare, but healthcare is a topic for people in governemnt not people on slashdot, because it is very extensive. Which illnesses of the public should the rich be forced to pay for with their tax?

Have a great Sunday. Don't think too much :)

-A

Read my post again. Do you find the word "torture" in there, anywhere? It is not about a term, it about the values and strengths this country was built upon.

You were trying to argue about grey areas, and the GP was making out of context comparisons about human duress in civilian situations - I argue that both of you are missing the point. It is not about gut wrenching physical torture, it is about the fact that when you imprison your enemies, they must fall for your values, not your barbarism.

Our military should not be the said bar underneath the old apartment. We are not embodied by federal prison arrangements, even though they are pretty sad. We are the beacon of the free fucking world. Do you understand? We do not abide by history, we make history. We are the nation that is supposed to communicate to the rest of humanity the values of freedom, and liberty, and justice; and the world sees it in the way we treat our most loathsome enemies, not in the impeccable look of fresh paint in the oval office.

Now let's move on to nicer topics, OK? Nobody is going to look at this, anyway.

You are right, although I suppose for a target of such high 'value' (for some value of 'value') we might have put in a couple of officers to keep things in check so we don't get this kind of nonsense in the news.

I didn't think the day would come when I'd talk back on behalf of the likes of Saddam (I was in Kuwait in '91), but you are being sumdumass, today.

Not all torture is alike, and not all our respect for our marines' conduct stems from their lack of engaging in such barbarism as physical torture. Forcing a man -actually forcing him - to repeatedly watch a movie is far worse than forcing him to stand naked in the snow. The humiliation of complete control is a lot more... stark. The more petty the forced action, the worse it is for the actor, not the man being lightly insulted. What animals have we become that our vengeance on foreign tyrants is put in the hands of frat boys like these?

We're not a 'strong race', in the sense you meant, but I'd rather be civilized and strong, than just strong.

What exactly is your definition of a 'nice' girl??

Sweet, smart, and sexy ;)

Last line was ugly. I meant to say:

Congratulations! You are a gentleman. Join our exclusive club! We party on Saturdays, and only get intimate with people we really like!

I'm sorry, but this is nonsense, you cannot use statistical inference in something like this, because the world is too small, and the factors too many. When you say "regardless of other factors" you have no idea how bad that sounds. "Other factors" considered by the survey, maybe, not in the real world. A single unkown factor, like intelligence of the father, or what the parents like to do on weekends, or relationships between jobs, can completely skew this thing one way or the other.
Also, the theory makes sense only to the extent of primates. Human beings maintain social status in a variety of ways, so the child reaching age 5 does not really mean much on its own. And yes we do have instincts to care for our offspring's welfare even when they are adults. I think it's more about people getting bored with each other, whether or not they have kids. Other studies have shown this too. The magic number is 4 years.

You didn't miss out on much. There are some great people who go clubbing to dance..etc with their friends. Very few 'nice' girls go to clubs to get picked up. They don't have to, and they don't want to. I've been approached by women in clubs, every half decent guy has.. and those women were always garbage. Or on a rebound. That sounds mean, but I'd be lying if I told you otherwise. And I live in DC so we party a lot.

Congratulations, you are a decent human being who actually has feelings. Please collect your badge at the door, or pick up a free t-shirt from the table near the exit.

Hello! Are you a mean person? You must be the mean person everybody's mother told them about when they were little. I'm going to scribble down in my slashdot diary, that slashdot devs have provided me with, that you are a mean person; so that I don't forget.

Yeah, and with the judge ruling like he did against the prosecution (as opposed to for the truth) those tubes are bound to get clogged, and the sewage is going to spill everywhere. Just you wait. We have not seen the end of this yet. There will be smelly days to come.