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Comment Re:Mark my words (Score 1) 210

If the universe is 14.5 billion years old and is as vast and incomprehensibly big as we think it is, and if we as a species are within a couple hundred years of being able to effectively simulate reality, and you consider all the possible simulations that might run on computer hardware of the future, then the probability that we are either brains in a vat, or some other type of computer simulation, seems considerably higher than the probability that it is actually the year 2015 and we are technologically close to, but haven't quite mastered virtual reality simulations. How would you differentiate this reality compared to a simulation of human society in 2015 as created by some human 1000 years in the future? We're "The Sims" from a game of the future.

Comment Egypt is a great model (Score 1) 308

Did you see how the western world cheered when the Egyptian generals took control of the country, when their despot was dethroned. Except, hold on, now they have altered the constitution to ensure their continued power regardless of elected officials. I believe that is called a military coup... You are fucking retarded if you don't think the same thing is being implemented in the US.

Comment Re:Culmination of a dream (Score 5, Insightful) 372

The problem is not that "the people" allow them to get away with it, but that nine particularly selected individuals will make this decision based on a long history of weighing some rights over other rights, with a recent disposition (over the last hundred years or so), of devaluing individual rights over the rights of corporations. And the 535 other individuals that could overrule this decision will not and do not because their jobs depend on the people who benefit from these decisions.

Comment One of my favorite books (Score 2, Informative) 291

The Data Modeling Handbook : http://www.amazon.com/Data-Modeling-Handbook-Best-Practice-Approach/dp/0471052906/ref=sr_1_58?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1278645029&sr=1-58 It is not new, but relational theory hasn't changed much in the last 20 years either. I have been designing, developing, implementing and fixing relational databases and data warehouses for the last 15 years. The book above was one of the most useful things I read early on in my career. In my opinion, data integrity is one of the most valuable functions that a database can provide, and a high quality data model is the most important first step in ensuring that. Understanding tuples, understanding relationships and understanding how to translate your business model and business requirements into a functional and correct data model is a very valuable process. Skipping this step, or attempting it with a limited understanding of the theory behind it is a major mistake.

Comment Re:How About Typing Comics Fans as Sex Offenders? (Score 1) 387

The only people who are really for horror movies are people who like to kill other people. Possibly some free speech advocates as well, but really - odds are that if someone has a collection of violent images (drawn or not) then they're a murderer or a potential murderer Now do you see how ridiculous your thought process is? Everyone is a potential murderer too. That's why we don't (or at least not until the Bush and Obama administrations) lock people up for POTENTIAL crimes. It's called thoughtcrime and it is ridiculous.

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