I was about to mod you up for at least showing a different side of a story, but then I read your last paragraph and decided you don't deserve it. Next time leave out the attacks.

You supposed problems are easily solved. First, if you don't like poring over spreadsheets, then DON'T. Only idiot mix/maxers do that who give a shit whether their missisles do an extra 1.5342% damage or an extra 1.5368% damage. If you want to play the game, then play the game, and fuck spreadsheets. You don't need spreadsheets. You don't need fancy fitting programs, either. I've been having a blast playing the game forever (about 80 million skill points now) and I never, ever, even once, have used a spreadsheet. One only needs spreadhseets if one is has OCD. I can't express to you how little the super-high-end skills and weapons matter in the end. What matters is skill at PLAYING THE GAME. Someone good at startegy and tactics will win every time over someone who has .00032% extra damage or whatever. Being smart matters way more than massive skills or super-rare weapon drops. I've seen skilled players flying frigates with dead standard fittings decimate n00bs in tricked-out battle cruisers. In short, it's not your leets skills or your expensive equipment that matters, it's how well you play. Concentrate on that, not spreadsheets. Delete your spreadsheets and just PLAY. You'll have lots more fun.

If outfitting a battlecruiser for PvP is your goal and you haven't done it in six months, then you aren't allocating your training time right. You're probably trying to Max skills out so you can use the Sooper Dooper Navy Version Extra FooBar Cannon instead of the regular Foobar Cannon. Don't listen to the idiots who seem to imply that if you don't fly a ship into PvP with six billion ISK worth of gear that you're bound to lose. It's FAR smarter to fit a ship with everyday run of the mill gear and use it wisely. Plus, when (not if) you get it blown out from under you, no big deal, just get another cheap one.

And finally, if you fear that you're missing the "big stuff" because you're not in a big corp/alliance, then... JOIN a big corp/alliance. Pretty simple! It's lots of fun!

I'm using a proxy, you insensitive clod! How am I supposed to measure ping times?

It sure reminds me of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ilMx7k7mso

Extra points for the phrase "oligobble our balls".

Tough shit for the police. They have to deal with the same shit everyone else does, poor things. Guess what - we ALL would like to be able to act "without worrying about adverse consequences" - that sure would be nice! Golly, I know I'd like it if my employer promised not to monitor me. I'm apprehensive about being videotaped, too, but I can't do anything about it.

If you're a cop and can't do your job without worrying that you'll violate someone's rights on camera and get caught, well - QUIT NOW, thanks.

I'm not saying cops should have to get permission in triplicate before taking any action, but their actions should be recorded just like citizens are recorded, those recordings should be accessible to the puiblic, and police should be held accountable for their actions. What Jim Pasco seems to think is that it's OK for police to record citizens in case they are breaking the law, but not OK for police to be recorded in case *they* are breaking the law.

As usual, no information about oversight, abuse detection, or anything similar. It's the same old "just trust us, we won't use our powerful new toy for anything bad, we promise." Puh-lease. The same people who claim that law abiding citizens with nothing to hide shouldn't care about privacy-invading constant surveillance are also the peopel who do their utmost to make darn sure no one can oobserve *their* activities or punish *them* for any infractions. "We don't trust you at all, but we expect you to just trust us." I'm so filled with confidence.

How about this for a LONG TERM plan?

1) Start phasing out fossil fuels as much as possible and replacing them with renewables like solar and wind etc.
2) Build nuclear plants that produce Hyrdorgen at the plant
3) Run everything else (cars, power plants, industry, etc) on Hydrogen.
4) Once the Hydrogen economy is built, start phsaing out nuclear and replacing it with a wide mix of renewables.

People always say that the problem with Hydrogen is that it takes enegry to produce and there is no delivery infrastructure. But nuclear can generate tons of electricity on-site to make the Hydrogen, and the infrastructure can be built slowly - start with large industrys (aviation, factories, heavy equipment) and gradually expand the network to towns (fueling/"gas" stations) and finally homes. Hydrogen is the cleanest fukle in the universe and the most abundant element, and they are constantly discovering new ways to separate it. It also doesn't stop on cloudy/windless days.

It only makes sense - corporations have found out that while outsourcing to the developing world results in cheap labor that's easy to abuse, there are all kinds of nasty side effects. Instead of going to all those poor countries full of brown people, why not *bring the slaves to the US*? That way, you can still pay them next to nothing and abuse them as much as you want, but you don't have to deal with flying to some remote part of the world! You can keep them in line by danging their visas just out of reach. That way you can have a nice breakfast, abuse your slaves all day, and get in a nice round of golf! And all it costs is some really minor payments to congresspeople. It's win/woin, really. Well, except for the slaves. But who cares about them? It's their fault for being born poor and in the wrong country.

I don't mind if you or anyone else at Slashdot posts stuff like this when it's relevant and interesting, which this one is. I don't evenm care if you get money for it, though it should be labeled as such if so. As long as it's relevant and ionteresting to me, that's what I care about. It Slashdot makes a few bucks in the process, then fine - win/win.

I do mind when the quality of the material is poor and it's not relevant or interesting. Then I feel like my time is being wasted.

I don't know for a fact if Slashdot got money for this or any other posting, and I don't care if you do. But remember that I come to Slashdot for that "geek mentality", for thing that are interesting to genuine geeks. Don't dilute your brand. If my non-geek friends would have any idea what a posting here is about, then it shouldn't be here.

"Extraordinary claims requier extraordinary evidence." You can't just make a wild claim like that and then shine it on with "oh, it;'s everywhere, YOU go find it."

Provide evidence or I call bullshit and go on my way assuming that you're just another internet crank. If it's so easy, YOU provide the evidence. It's like saying "the moon is made of green cheese" and then when I say "prove it" you say "go find out for yourself." Or, closer to homer, saying "an all-powewerful superbeing naed god exists." "Really? Prove it." "No, you DISprove it!"

Are you denying that he's on the board of directors of an organization whose purpose is to oppose gay marriage?

Hey, it wasn't Wagner's fault that Hitler liked his music. Get your facts straight.

Ender's Game is not as "terrible written" as your post. He uses articles - and adverbs, too! Plus, he knows how to not overuse commas. Pardon me if I ignore your penetrating literary criticism.

I can disagree with Card and give him freedom of speech at the same time. I'm saying "I disagree with him", not "I think he should be prevented from expressing his opinions."

He chooses to be on the board of an organization I feel is hateful. That's his right.

And it's my right to stop buying his stuff, which I will now do.

When you say that "history shows" that this "hove mind" is "usually wrong, can you give some examples? And remember, you said "usually", so I expect quite a lot of examples, and good ones. Sure, you can say the obvious things like "nazis" and "slavery", but you didn't say "it can be wrong' or "it's sometimes wrong", you said *usually*, which I take to mean "more often than not". If the grup opinion is so wrong so often, how have we even achieved society?