It's like the way everyone driving a BMW is a fucking dickwad. It's not that the car causes people to become dickwads, it's that in most circumstances only dickwads would drive one in the first place.

With who? Looks to me like you're the only one who responded. :)

Hell, from what I've seen, Ron Paul would probably wear it if a non-profane word were substituted.

Why did this get downmodded?

Hold on, I've got a perfect solution but I need to patent it first.

Do you know what kind of descriptions you get when you ask someone non-technical to tell you what's on the screen?

Heh, I sure do... and deciphering them quickly and accurately is probably my most valuable skill from an employability perspective. But I'm actually getting paid for it, so yeah.

Being a prick is among the most effective methods (and certainly the most easily grasped and implemented) of acquiring personal wealth and/or managerial status, which are the litmus by which mainstream American culture measures success. I was not kidding with the final line of the GP post.

My point isn't that people should be pricks, or that I respect people who are. My point is that people who do behave that way suffer no subjective hardship; they climb corporate ladders and feel quite pleased with themselves, and alternately disdain or feel sorry for we bleeding-heart peaceniks / naive romantics.

Can you be "successful" without being a prick? Sure. It's a shitload harder, is all; those who manage it are laudable exceptions to the trend.

This sort of shit is why you get picked on.

And that is the jock/geek dichotomy in a nutshell. It is socially acceptable, even admired, to flaunt one's muscle and belittle others for having less.

It is absolutely unacceptable to flaunt one's intelligence and belittle others for having less.

Belittling others is, of course, central to American society. So the jocks hold all the cards.

My kindgom for a mod point!

Ah... well, that at least makes sense. :)

Mathematical possibility aside, I had no illusions that a non-Republicrat candidate would be elected in any case; as such, I helped to gather enough registered electors (myself included) in California for Ron Paul write-ins to be tallied rather than simply discarded, then got as many people as possible to use him as their protest vote. More effort but a similar outcome, and I can honestly say that I picked the candidate who would best represent my interests!

Speaking of which, I want to thank you for touching on that in your later reply: "A vote against your own interests is worse than wasted." It's seriously refreshing to see someone who understands that a vote is an act of self-representation, not a cheer for a champion.

(-1 Off-topic)

[blockquote]IIRC I voted for the Libertarian last election.[/blockquote] If the recipient of your Presidential vote less than a year ago is qualified with "IIRC," you probably shouldn't be voting at all.

[blockquote]One thing that's remarkably consistent is that fake AV peddlers seem to be systematically not native English speakers. I can't remember the last time I saw one of their sites without some kind of typo on it. It my be worthwhile to train lusers solely based on that criterion.[/blockquote]
wat r u talkng abot?

btw usa#1!!!

Corporatism is not capitalism. Nor can any system be which uses a fiat currency. Ironically the strongest bastions of capitalism in the modern world are back-to-basics communities who make extensive use of barter.

I'm still waiting for Cairo.

Whoosh!

If all you care about is the game running, EA's got their priorities completely straight and you're the reason we'll never see anything like M.U.L.E. again.

It's rarely possible to pass the highway patrol in my area. California has flow-of-traffic laws which adjust freeway speed limits based on surrounding traffic, on the basis that when everyone else is zipping along near 80, the one going 65 is a hazard. One of my favorite things to do is get behind a speeding cop and match velocity, which is perfectly legal (assuming no lights/siren). Sometimes they'll pull off and get behind me, but I'm back down to 65 by the time they're in position. Invariably they'll pass me again and we'll both get where we're going nice and quick!