It's not so much that they don't understand reality, but they seem to make decisions based on emotion instead of logic/reality.

Perfect example is liberals trying to ban guns (because they make them uncomfortable) even though there's pretty clear evidence that armed, law abiding citizens reduce crime instead of perpetrating it.

Because heaven forbid the alternative: that they were informed they did something wrong and then voluntarily did the right thing, regardless of how enforceable the license is.

I'd like to second this. I'd also like to point out that this applies to security as it relates to anything (cloud computing, Linux, apache, etc). Security is not a product. Security is a process. It is incumbent on administrators and engineers to ensure that they are aware of what they are doing with their technology, and what sort of implications it may have.

It does little good to build an impenetrable vault and leave the door open all the time.

What's really funny is that 20-30 years ago the earth was apparently cooling for all the man-made reasons it is warming now.

What's really happening, is science evolves and as new data comes in the general accepted opinion changes from time to time. But when politicians and activists get along, the question is not "What is the truth?", the question becomes "What can I use to get my pet agenda accepted." This is why you see the exact same groups touting the exact same answers for a problem that has been re-identified over many decades.

There was a big stink when the hole in the Ozone Layer over Antarctica was huge, but nobody said a word when it shrunk back up and nearly disappeard. I'll bet most people think it's just getting bigger.

This is just another area where climate scientists got it wrong, changed their mind about the whole thing, and the rest of the world just pretends nothing changed.

Scientists aren't pushing Global Warming, activists are. Scientists are busy trying to figure out why, and whether or not it is a long term trend or a short term cycle. Nobody debates the earth is in a warming period, but a lot of people debate whether or not it will go back down on its own, and whether or not man is contributing more than their fair share to the problem. If anybody tries to tell you the debate is over, that should be a red flag that they are full of shit. We don't have 100% knowledge of what is happening, and until we do the debate will never be over. There are simply prevailing theories.

And of course, everybody everywhere has the time and the intellect to assess all the evidence of every scientific theory they want to form an opinion about and then form a judgement based on that evidence.

Very often when it comes to science the issues are so complex and the evidence so voluminous that one has no choice but to defer to experts: people whose lives have been dedicated to understanding and making such a judgement. They are likely to be more qualified and make a better judgement given the available evidence than me.

no paywalls on journals: put it all on an open peer reviewed internet site. allow anyone to comment (who is a serious scientist)

all internal communications, specifically related to the subject matter, placed on an open log

nothing is lost by doing this, nothing can be feared to be revealed. there's nothing to hide

the issue with hard science versus the soft sciences, or, in this case, versus political partisan hack jobs, is that hard science can withstand rigorous analysis. because such rigorous second guessing is the very essence of what science is: its nothing more than the accumulation of the most likely explanations for what we see in our natural world... until anomalous data comes along that requires a new explanation, which is what makes challenging and exciting

fanatical transparency is not a problem at all for what science is supposed to be. therefore, hard science is in a position to be the most trusted set of institutions in all of modern society, were it to actually submit itself to this regime

Sure, if a company PAYS people to think of things like this, that's called an INVESTMENT in R&D (which is by nature, speculative and risky -- most of the time, a LOSING venture). So when the company's R&D comes up with one idea that is commercially viable, why shouldn't they get some return on the money they put at risk? Oh, and if they're not allowed to get any return to offset their investment (in losers as well as winners), what happens to the R&D cash flow? Unless you're a noncommercial government-funded program, it generally dries up.

That totally reminds me of the cow at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minor_characters_from_The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_Galaxy#Dish_of_the_Day

In the US, pretty much. In India, there's much more choice as a veggie since most people are hindus. But meat still tastes very good and I will definitely eat fake meat if an animal didn't suffer to produce it. (Mind I don't mind eating dead animals. I just have a problem if it suffered before dying).

Business systems.

Systems intended for business use generally come with a 3 year warranty, which increases the quality of the system. If they know it will be their responsibility to fix it if it goes bing in 2.5 years, they must make a more robust system. You will have to pay a little more, but it's worth it.

This question seems to be a FAQ and SlashDot. Here is an approximation of what I posted last time. It is/was the actual policy at a Fortune 500 technology company during a time when I was the PHB that had to pay for the 24x7 coverage on a particular server.

For your 40 hrs/week, you get your regular pay. For your time "on the pager", you get 25% of your regular hourly, until such time as it goes off. From the time the pager goes off, until you clear the trouble ticket, you get 100% plus any applicable shift/holiday/overtime premium.

If you can dial in remotely and fix the problem, great for everyone. If not, you must be able to get from wherever you are to the server room in 30 minutes. 100% of the time you are on the pager, you must be in condition to work, ie: sober.

So... does that sound like getting paid 25% for doing nothing? Not to me. You can't get more than a 30 minute drive from the plant -- so no ski trips for you that weekend. Going to a party? Better have cranberry juice. You are getting paid for making yourself available.

My company had a policy that the cost of 24x7 coverage came out of the budget of the PHB demanding it. A very good policy, IMHO. Its too easy to ask for it otherwise, without considering the consequences, both in terms of dollar cost, and in terms of quality of life for the employees that provide the coverage.

but london does have the seventh-busiest greyhound canada terminal in terms of passengers

perhaps you meant to say you wanted to visit the university of western ontario?

Where are you staying? If it's a secure place, then bring your laptop for when you're "at home" for planning your day, photos, etc. There are tons of coffee shops and even pubs with wireless, sometimes free. Personally though, I leave it at home and just carry a camera, A-Z and a Lonely Planet guide (along with a small but wind resistant umbrella, etc), but I can see the benefit to being able to check google maps and the TFL. BTW, tfl.gov.uk will be your best friend at figuring out how to get between any places, especially considering that large parts of the Tube close at the weekends for engineering works. Having a laptop with me around always ways on my mind due to the risk of it being stolen - yes, one of my work colleagues had his bag (containing work laptop) stolen from under a table six of us were sitting around, in a pub in Soho.

Other than that, get out an enjoy yourself. London is a walking city, even in December when the daylight is limited and it can be blustery and wet. One of my favourite walks is from parliament, down the South Bank to the Tower: London Eye, South Bank, Tate Modern, Southwark Cathedral, The Globe, St. Paul's Cathedral, Borough Market, City Hall, Tower Bridge, etc. Greenwich is ace. You can get a Soho walking tour from Trafalgar square. The Royal Parks are awesome. There are tons of little villages that have been over-run by London growing outwards. Then there are more free museums and galleries than you can shake a stick at, and always a trusty pub nearby when you want a break.

Always ask any kilt wearing Scotsmen you see, "Is anything worn under the kilt?" Laughing, they will give the classic replay, "No, It's all in perfect working order." Remember to shout across the Whispering Gallery in St Paul's Cathedral. The name is historical and fools many tourists into missing the exciting results.

Don't forget, you can always get a passing ragged urchin (you'll recognise them from the bow legs due to rickets and the sooty covering from sweeping chiminees) to take your message to the nearest telegraph office for a farthing.
One other thing - you must never mention the name Dick Van Dyke in London, otherwise you'll be hounded by a baying mob with pitchforks and faming torches