That would be the client. Sometimes things get pushed up because the client decides they need something sooner rather than later. Personally I'm not going to tell the client "tough luck, we can't do it", especially if they're paying extra, we're going to rely on people we know and trust to make sure we have a customer who is happy. It doesn't happen often, maybe twice in the last three years, but it does happen.

Money. That's our excuse. Not because it's "cheap" to hire those guys, but because their work tends to be solid and reliable. We didn't pick them because they were inexpensive, we picked them because after years of chatting back and forth on several tech sites we gained a huge respect for their knowledge and skills. By choosing people who have serious talent we've grown, which has let us hire more people full-time, American People, who live right here and come to the office everyday. So occasionally tossing some projects out to people elsewhere has made us more effective and have helped us create American Jobs and have put more money in our pockets. So our lame ass excuse is capitalistic greed and it don't get more American than that.

Further south, we're true hay seeds. Kansas City Mo. I think he got bent out of shape because we've outsourced some of our work to a couple guys in India when the deadlines have changed and exceeded our internal capacity. Some of the greatest developers I know are from India and if someone thinks taking advantage of their skills is "Un-American" then that's their loss. We developed those relationships, those friendships, because they share the same passion for development that we do. As a general rule we only re-outsource when the dynamics of a deadline changes in mid-project and we need some quick help. Yes, we're Americans, but most importantly we're humans beings, just like those guys in Bangalore.

We do a lot of out sourced work for other companies and our customers tend to be very happy with us and many of them come back to us for follow up projects. We're also not cheap, in fact our fees are rather high, but so are our standards. We're located in the mid-west and the vast majority of our customers are within our region, but I've been known to hop on a plane and fly to the coast to finalize a deal or to reassure a customer that we're real people doing real work. Your first sentence says it all, you get what you pay for. As for the time zone statement I think it depends on who you're outsourcing. There have been times where we've outsourced some of our projects in order to meet deadlines and we've established solid contacts with several Individuals in Bangalore and I've found them to be an absolute treat to work with. If someone is going to outsource the most important deciding factor shouldn't be money or location, it should be skill. Any good development firm is going to have a list of previous satisfied customers that should provide a solid reference, if they don't then you shouldn't take the risk unless you're willing to accept sub-par work for sub-par pay. If someone is looking for "cheap" then that's exactly what they'll get.

Once. He ran as a Libertarian Candidate one time. You make it sound like he ran as the Libertarian candidate half a dozen times. It was 1 time. I'm not sure 1 can be considered "many", but to someone who has lived through only a couple of elections as an adult it might seem like he's "always" running for President and it might give them the perception that it's been a great many times, but in reality he has only run for President in two previous Elections (Once as a Libertarian in 1988 and once as a Republican in 2008). This would be his third run. Just for your information the following men also ran for president 3 times; Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, Grover Cleveland, William Jennings Bryan, and Richard Nixon.

Getting a little bent out of shape aren't you? You seem a little angry that you can't grasp the concept. It's alright to not understand something, but to display blatant anger and disrespect at someone over your own lack of understanding is rather childish and certainly doesn't progress the conversation.

I realize you want some kind of lab experiment proving or disproving my belief, but as I stated in a previous comment I do not have any idea how to test the theory, it's kind of like asking me to prove you're sentient. So let's start there. Being sentient essentially means being aware of your own existence (that's kind of a dumbed down explanation, but I figured it was as complex as we need to be in this discussion). So I assume you're aware that you exist, but can you provide an experiment that proves it? Can you prove that you are aware?

Provide me with a scientific experiment that proves you're sentient and we'll see if we can scale it up. If you can't prove you're sentient then I suspect proving the Universe is sentient won't be any easier. Oh, and do try to keep your anger in check, if you want to have a meaningful discussion I'm game, but please leave the blatant disrespect out of it.

Interesting question. I wish I had an equally interesting answer. Sadly I still haven't come up with an experiment that proves people are sentient, much less the Universe. In fact most of what I've seen would say at least a majority are not. Of course I'm waxing philosophically and your question deserves an honest answer. I would be interested in any experimental ideas that could prove or disprove the theory. If I come up with something I'll be sure to post it.

One of my closest friends is a high functioning Autistic. He's a wonderful human being and I cherish our friendship. He does have a high degree of social interaction problems and he was in his mid thirties before we could go out in public without him having an episode or creating a scene (he doesn't like people touching him or making eye contact).

I met him when we were in middle school and he was often a target of bullying. As we moved into high school the bullying started to become worse, but there were several of us who befriended him and it soon became known that to mess with him was to mess with us.

Today he lives on his own and has married a woman very similar to himself, he still can't manage his own finances and he does require some watching but he holds down a very nice job as a data analyst (his mind was made for abstract numbers) and lives a mostly normal life. The older he gets the better his social skills become, although he is definitely different.

Ironically I don't think there's a darn thing wrong with him, he's perfect just the way he is. Yes, he's different, but in so many wonderful ways.

You're right, your son is not disabled and you're doing the right thing by not treating him like he is. He might be different, but that doesn't mean he's disabled, it just means he's different.

No, I didn't redefine God to mean Universe. God is considered to be all knowing, he is considered to be everywhere and is consider the beginning and the end. The only thing I propose is that the Universe is sentient in a way that far exceeds our ability to understand. That sentience, that living spirit of the Universe, the part that connects all of us is what we call God. It would be like a single brain cell trying to comprehend that it is part of a larger life form. Theoretically I can grasp what my belief means, but there is no way I can comprehend any more than a tiny abstract view.

If you want to believe Jack Link's Beef Jerky is all knowing then go right ahead, but I've never seen any scientific evidence that Jack Link's Beef Jerky was here at the beginning of time, nor do I think there's reason to believe it will be here at the end of time. However, since your Jack Link's Beef Jerky is part of the Universe then yes, it is a part of God. But it is no more God than a hair on my arm is me.

If I had to pick a specific blend I would say Darjeeling. A long time ago I worked with 5 gentlemen from Russia (Igor, Igor, Sergey, Sergey & Vladimir...no kidding) and they made their own tea blend, all I can recall is that they used rose hips as one of the ingredients. It was the best tea I've ever had in my life. I hated that job, but I loved the tea, almost made it worth coming in to work. My only regret is leaving that job without learning more about the tea they made.

I drink Hot Tea every morning. I enjoy almost any kind, except Earl Grey (it tastes like perfume). After my morning tea I almost always switch to coffee, but that's because it's readily available here in the office.

Very interesting reply, probably the most intelligent reply I received. I think the problem is with labels or putting people in boxes. The problem is that we so seldom fit within the box we've been assigned. The universe is far more complex than any human mind will ever be able to conceive, of course we will always continue trying to make sense of it all, it's part of what makes us human.

On a side note my beliefs are a little closer to Panentheism than Pantheism, but after reading my comments above I can see why you picked the later. Boxes... one size really doesn't fit all.

Evidence of what? That atheists are closed minded?

Or did you mean Evidence that the Universe is far more complex than the human mind?

Or are you looking for Evidence of God? Since I believe the Universe is God then everything is evidence.

Perhaps you're looking for Evidence or some kind of proof that everything is connected. There are so many examples I don't even know where to start. Ever watch a school of fish? A flock of Birds? Read anything on entanglement? You obviously believe all of your cells combined together form something greater than the cells themselves? Do you really need evidence showing connectivity?

You ask for evidence, but you didn't really clarify what you wanted evidence of. I assume you're wanting evidence that God exists, but as I stated I believe God is everything in the Universe. So it's kind of like asking me to provide evidence that the Universe exists. Sorry, but I simple can't prove the Universe exists, it's just a hunch, but as soon as I have evidence you'll be the first to know...

So then you don't believe in your previous statement now? You've made up an answer & believe it whole-heartedly. You said "admit we don't know and try to figure it out.", now you've turned around and declared the opposite. You have me more than a little confused, but I suspect you're a little confused as well, most Agnostics are (especially the one's in denial).

I would love to keep baiting you, but I have a meeting in a few minutes, so no hard feelings.

Nope, not even close to what I believe, in fact some of what you said makes me wonder if you even read my comment. I don't believe God made anything. I believe God is everything and is the culmination of all that is, was and shall be.

I realize nothing I say will change your mind, but I do want to make sure you don't misunderstand. I don't go to Church, I don't follow a Dogma, nor engage in Ceremonies to appease the spirits. Philosophically I do not consider myself to be a Christian, or a Jew or a Muslim. I believe the bible is a historical document that has been altered over time and the old testament is comprised of fables based on events far older than the written version and contains only a hint of any actual events. I know many "religious people" and many of them feel I'm some kind of heathen, I'm also close friends with a couple Atheists who think I'm a religious loon.

So take from that what you will, I just wanted to make sure you understood that on a personal level I find Atheists to be ignorant, arrogant & self-righteous people who think they have it all figured out, kind of like bible thumpers. I realize you consider yourself an Atheist who doesn't know if God exists, but I see you as more of an Agnostic in denial so please don't take offence at the previous sentence.