Everything Else

hamei wrote: Everything will be poisoned, isn't that cool ?

While I see your point on the various failures of the private sector, those aren't really damning considering we are talking about cellphones and websites. Hardly the stuff nightmares are made of. It would be nightmarish on the other hand for individuals driving across the bridge to find out all of a sudden that the decrees of bureaucrats and the seal of approval from academia is hardly the stuff that constitutes material reality. Sure, we can name off a countless list of the failures of big business and their government cohorts, or we can even do better and start talking about the straight evil shit that comes out of the combination of the two. I.G. Farben being an excellent example.

Besides, not everything will be poisoned, the Carlyle Group and others have been buying up water rights. The ancient hydraulic despotism of yore shall ride again, with drones in tow. Water wars here we come!

hamei wrote: You're going to stand there and seriously claim that "artificial intelligence" is possible for a species as stupid as this ?

Actually, you are making it sound easier because it is obviously low hanging fruit.

hamei wrote: With the exception of dentistry, I can't think of a single thing that is as good today as it was in 1975. There must be something but ...

Objectively, marijuana is better now than it was in 75. That is, if you take quality control, continued selective breeding and the ever rising cannabinoid content percentages as signs of improvement. I could also list the global telecommunications network as something that has improved since 1975. The price of computers has dropped, unless you buy Apple products and the price has pretty much been flat. As a matter of fact, I could keep going on and on and maybe even mention the quality, quantity and availability of pornography and the decline in popularity of the Bee Gees. The proliferation of abortion and prophylactics since 1975 is also nice, it allows folks to selectively become genetic dead-ends. All good things.

We can dog the human race for a lot of things, and it is sure as shit easy to be a rampant pessimist when you have a head on your shoulders, but that is all ignoring the big picture. The real truth that arises from pessimism is that humanity is malignantly useless. We serve no greater purpose, we are accidents of chemistry and evolution. That doesn't mean we should stop enjoying being human or become hermits and await the Bureaucratic Eschaton at the end of time. I think it means we should just be and watch what becomes of us as humans, because we cannot predict the future even with all the pessimism in the world.

If I judged the 20th century by the first 2 or 3 decades alone I wouldn't be able to see the continuing mixture of: horror, wonder, grief and joy that played out and how the world became objectively better in that time. The 20th century sure had a lot of it: The end of colonialism, the holocaust, the rise and fall of communism, the space race, nuclear power, etc.

hamei wrote:
With the exception of dentistry, I can't think of a single thing that is as good today as it was in 1975.

Well, right there is your problem...

hamei wrote:

R-ten-K wrote: self awareness, that post has none...

Could you diagram that sentence, please ? I didn't do very well in my ESL courses

Don't sell yourself short dude. I'm sure if you put your mind to it, even a lackluster student like yourself can get the gist of that sentence. Watch "Stand and Deliver" if you need the proper cinematic motivation.

Cheers.

Oskar45 wrote:

hamei wrote: The new definition of hell is, to have something to type but stuck on an iBad or a "smart"phone.

You're not obliged to peruse these - surely, even in China, there's lot of alternative junk to choose from

Until you've actually struggled with the stuff yourself, how can you know the truth ? Marketing sure won't tell you. They know less than a plumber.

In fact, I had a Touch - the iPhone without a phone ? and it seemed like it would be almost good. A larger screen would have made it perfect. So the iBad came out and there we were, perfect.

Except I forgot about software iBad software licks the percolating scrota of deceased bovine creatures which have been rotting in the hot sun for extended periods of time.

So a week ago the Assist bought her Mum a new tablet because they are very nice for portability. And she chose (without any assistance from me) a Toshiba that runs Windows . She chose this so that Mum can run real software, not that worthless "app" crap that smells up the Universe today.

So far so good. The Mum is happy. I wish it were Windows 2000 but still, it's way better than the iBad. In fact, I'm feeling a touch of tablet envy ...

VenomousPinecone wrote: While I see your point on the various failures of the [public and ... ed ] private sector, those aren't really damning considering we are talking about cellphones and websites. Hardly the stuff nightmares are made of.

Yup. If it were not for the current Great Extinction and global warming, I'd be just another tinpot wackoff in a long line of tinpot wackoffs. But unfortunately global warming is not a dolgurn Liberal myth ...

VenomousPinecone wrote: Objectively, marijuana is better now than it was in 75.

I almost gave this to you ... but then I had a flashback In 1975 you could walk up Telegraph and for the princely sum of $2 per hit pick up acid, mescaline, psilocybin, THC, MDMA, and/or 714's. Quaaludes vs modern smoke, hmm. You lose

THC in a cap is pretty nice, btw. You should try it

VenomousPinecone wrote: I think it means we should just be and watch what becomes of us as humans, because we cannot predict the future even with all the pessimism in the world.

Absolutely. Now if we could just do that without destroying the Earth so that little Jamie Dimon could have elevators for his cars, things would be okay. What the fuck do these assholes need so badly that they are willing to destroy the entire planet to get it ? And the bigger question, why do we allow them to do it ?

R-ten-K wrote: Well, right there is your problem...

I know ... it's a bitch. I have all these repressed memories, see ? So when I go to the dentist office I am not in a good place to absorb the wealth of knowledge in those learned journals. I have to use my own brain, which is a poor puny thing compared to all those industry pundits and marketing department press releases.

R-ten-K wrote:

self awareness, that post has none...

Don't sell yourself short dude. I'm sure if you put your mind to it, even a lackluster student like yourself can get the gist of that sentence.

I dunno To start with, I wasn't aware that a "post", i.e. some electronic words on an electronic page, could in some way be self-aware ? In fact, as a sentence, you seem to be trying to say "That post has no self-awareness." Which is, well, kind of obvious ? Sort of like saying "That tree has no uranium" or "That girl has no rutabaga" or "elephant tusks, that bird has none."

I am guessing you were trying to express some sort of meaning but what it might be escapes me ? Could you explain this in English ? Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

hamei wrote:

Oskar45 wrote:

hamei wrote: The new definition of hell is, to have something to type but stuck on an iBad or a "smart"phone.

You're not obliged to peruse these - surely, even in China, there's lot of alternative junk to choose from

Until you've actually struggled with the stuff yourself, how can you know the truth ? Marketing sure won't tell you. They know less than a plumber.

In fact, I had a Touch - the iPhone without a phone ? and it seemed like it would be almost good. A larger screen would have made it perfect. So the iBad came out and there we were, perfect.

Except I forgot about software iBad software licks the percolating scrota of deceased bovine creatures which have been rotting in the hot sun for extended periods of time.

So a week ago the Assist bought her Mum a new tablet because they are very nice for portability. And she chose (without any assistance from me) a Toshiba that runs Windows . She chose this so that Mum can run real software, not that worthless "app" crap that smells up the Universe today.

So far so good. The Mum is happy. I wish it were Windows 2000 but still, it's way better than the iBad. In fact, I'm feeling a touch of tablet envy ...

Ahhh, hamei, I don't know in china where they sell you a windows CD for $0.50 but here at the shooping mall there is an apple store and a microsoft store next to each other. At the apple store you can buy a last-year's ipad for about $250. The windows tablets from microsoft are starting at about triple that. I think their cheapest is over 600. Although the microsofties are much more fun because they have xboxes and etc. I've been in the apple store only once even though I have at least half dozen of their machines now. It looks dreadful and the people that work there are clueless assholes.

The software is plenty good enough for the 99.9999% of the people that buy them - all they need is internet safari and angry birds.

R-ten-K wrote: self awareness, that post has none...

Sense, your post does not make any.

guardian452 wrote: Ahhh, hamei, I don't know in china where they sell you a windows CD for $0.50

Nah, I wouldn't pay that ! Windows we just borrow from a friend. Or download

here at the shooping mall there is an apple store and a microsoft store next to each other. At the apple store you can buy a last-year's ipad for about $250. The windows tablets from microsoft are starting at about triple that. I think their cheapest is over 600.

Run over to Best Buy. There's a gazillion Androids and two Toshiba tablets. The Toshiba is the Echo or Event or Ex-Lax or some such hooey. Small one is $199, larger one $260. New. Windows 8.1 installed. They look decent. Full report from Mum in a week or so.

Although the microsofties are much more fun because they have xboxes and etc.

And (as far as I can tell) you can run Windows programs on them. This is a key feature for many of us.

I've been in the apple store only once even though I have at least half dozen of their machines now. It looks dreadful and the people that work there are clueless assholes.

It's a different demographic for sure

The software is plenty good enough for the 99.9999% of the people that buy them - all they need is internet safari and angry birds.

Mostly agree but also disagree. It's not really a question of "good enough." For example, the Mum is a typical product of the Cultural Revolution. Technologically speaking, she's a knuckle-dragger. But she does do a few things on the computer : play the stock market (Alibaba red for fifteen yuan, please !) and online card games. Neither one exists on the iBad.

For me, I can adapt if I have to but the stinking iBad is not built for human-sized fingers. You can't put the cursor where you want. And even if you could, the p.o.s. insists on capitalizing words I don't want capitalized, changing the spelling, making suggestions, and getting in the way. I scream at it: "mother please, I'd rather do it myself !" but that doesn't help. And then when you go to a website or try to get your mail, the idiot webtwits insist on trying to shove some crappy "app" down your throat. Thank you very much but I don't want your worthless arfing app. I want the same damned interface I've been using for the past five years.

When using an iBad I spend half the time swearing "Get the fuck out of my way you stupid little idiot !" (So much for Artificial Intelligence.) It's a Rich Internet Experience for sure.

Go to Best Buy, take a look at the Toshiba. Maybe it's okay.

R-ten-K wrote: self awareness, that post has none...

hamei wrote: [...]but then I had a flashback

Fine, you got me on price and availability!

As for the other stuff, I don't know. All I know is that it is easier to stay in your rut as long as the it is less painful than getting out of it. Maybe thats what we have, humanity in some giant rut where letting mobsters and con-men run the show is just easier than actually doing something about it. Mencken said something witty in regards to this, it was about cabbage and liberty.

Same thing for anthropogenic climate change; both sides are full of liars with ideological axes to grind, politicians and big business ne'er-do-wells. Sure we humans pollute the living hell out of this planet, but I don't see politicians fixing the problem no matter how good the science is or how well intentioned the bureaucrats are. Bureaucracy is the King Midas of shit, everything it touches turns to shit and all they and their private sector cohorts can do is manage the consumer/voter expectations of said shit-storm.

There is no fix that involves either the Jamie Dimon's or Harry Reid's of this world. You can't vote with your dollar if all you got is the company store.

VenomousPinecone wrote: All I know is that it is easier to stay in your rut as long as the it is less painful than getting out of it. Maybe thats what we have, humanity in some giant rut where letting mobsters and con-men run the show is just easier than actually doing something about it.

You are doubtless correct. But that is very similar to sitting in the comfy deck chair on the Titanic while the bow goes under. Honest, some features of the future really are predictable.

Same thing for anthropogenic climate change; both sides are full of liars with ideological axes to grind, politicians and big business ne'er-do-wells.

But you don't need to listen to either "side". Chemistry 101 will answer the question for you. Or even easier, just go take a dump in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator and see what happens. The chemistry of this is simple. How many billions of tons of crap can we add to the atmosphere while expecting it to stay the same ?

I don't see politicians fixing the problem no matter how good the science is or how well intentioned the bureaucrats are. Bureaucracy is the King Midas of shit, everything it touches turns to shit and all they and their private sector cohorts can do is manage the consumer/voter expectations of said shit-storm.

I guess I'm an optimist, in that I believe things could be much better. But you are probaly right, as long as Harry and Jamie are running the show and the buffoons who inhabit the world keep doing what they do, we're toast.

I forgot you have Harry ... that's a cross for anyone to bear. Good thing today's weed is such high quality

Bureaucracy does not have to be as bad as you think. China really is better than the US. Oh, they have their heads up their butts a great deal of the time but they aren't as mentally-retarded as Americans. At least the commies try to do what's best for the country. e.g., I hear these ignorant little twat foreigners arriving with their "The evil gumbint shouldn't prescribe a one-child policy, they should have economic incentives." I want to slap them so hard their noses fly off : rich people can have as many children as they want, everyone else can have none ? Money-grubbing ignorant Dimon-indoctrinated little turds.

There is no fix that involves either the Jamie Dimon's or Harry Reid's of this world. You can't vote with your dollar if all you got is the company store.

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here

hamei wrote:

R-ten-K wrote: Well, right there is your problem...

I know ... it's a bitch. I have all these repressed memories, see ? So when I go to the dentist office I am not in a good place to absorb the wealth of knowledge in those learned journals. I have to use my own brain, which is a poor puny thing compared to all those industry pundits and marketing department press releases.

Okay...

hamei wrote:

R-ten-K wrote:

self awareness, that post has none...

Don't sell yourself short dude. I'm sure if you put your mind to it, even a lackluster student like yourself can get the gist of that sentence.

I dunno To start with, I wasn't aware that a "post", i.e. some electronic words on an electronic page, could in some way be self-aware ? In fact, as a sentence, you seem to be trying to say "That post has no self-awareness." Which is, well, kind of obvious ? Sort of like saying "That tree has no uranium" or "That girl has no rutabaga" or "elephant tusks, that bird has none."

I am guessing you were trying to express some sort of meaning but what it might be escapes me ? Could you explain this in English ? Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Well, at least you tried. That's what really matters.