Rhelamos

so here's a scenario. US government starts taking a monthly tax on the estimated oxygen usage as dictated by their age, profession, physical state (of fitness, etc.), and location, and charges all citizens with apprehending those who "steal" this air (I.E. breath without paying the tax) for public execution, you would be in favour of it because dirty thieves should burn in Hell since laws should be obeyed regardless of their nature?

[quote]democratic governmentI see. You are not a pirate. You are a liberal. My mistake. I respect that far more. I just think you are wrong and I want to see thieves burn in hell, if you don't mind. Thank you for clearing that up, though. I am all for giving the people what they want. Unless, of course, the people are stupid thieving diseased bastards. That's what makes me conservative, I guess.[/quote] Dear Lord man... Thus far your only backup for claiming anything

[quote]Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. I'm sure new Zealand is beautiful. Nor do I have any particular love of Texas. However people usually find that when they try to run away from their problems they can't because their problems are with themselves and not the location in which they happen to live.[/quote] If by "problems" you mean, "born and raised in California where I was spoiled by good weather, varied and interesting landscape, and the ability to spend a sum

[quote]So, basically, there is no one in this discussion who believes that digital rights should be defended? In fact, everyone here praises Stardock because they just let pirates steal from them if they want? I am confirmed in my initial belief that you are ALL pirates. I have not heard an opinion from anyone who I would assume has not and will not steal ideas.It is also interesting to have it confirmed that America's internet infrastructure is infinitely superior to the barbarian countries. Al

So I've been trapped in miserable, hot, frustratingly confusing over why people feel patriotic about it Texas for the past 10 years and I finally have the chance to escape. As a teacher I have the good grace to move more or less anywhere so long as I can teach in a language I know and there is a school present. I've been thinking of going to New Zealand. I'm a big mountain person and think the climate and geography would be perfect. Anyone been to/lived in New Zeal

[quote]I can't say if I have one favorite; there are just so many good authors. If I had to pick one, I'd pick Patrick O'Brien. His Aubrey/Maturin series is superb. They are set on British naval vessels during the Napoleonic wars. They are the most completely immersive books that I have ever read.[/quote] O'Brian is pretty good, but have you read the Horatio Hornblower series? Aubrey's ok, but a captain who gets seasick makes for an interesting character in my book ;)

Bernard Cornwell, writes historical fiction. Has an excellent series of books about Saxons and Danes, really well researched and entertaining stuff. Also has an extensive series about a British soldier during the good 'ol Imperial days. Haven't gotten to them yet but I hear they are equally good.

[quote]Is there anyone in this discussion who has never pirated an idea? What do you think?Pirates offers a product at a lower cost, or of better quality, or of more convenience.Pirates don't offer products. They smuggle the products of others, which is certainly at a lower cost, wholeheartedly not of better quality, and more convenient only in that they don't have to protect themselves from having their ideas stolen (namely because they don't have any); they are the ones doing it.[/quote] <

Saying that pirates are responsible for the destruction of companies in any shape or form is like blaming ants for showing up in your kitchen after you spread peanut butter all over the floor. Are they annoying? Yes. Are they responsible for the mess? Absurd. Piracy in any of its forms has never crippled any industry to the point of it ceasing in the creation of a product. Never. It never will. Sooner companies start learning ways AROUND piracy instead of h

Governments have, at no point in time whatsoever, had the interests of individual people in mind. This has never nor shall it ever be the case. Governments have the interest of the collective whole in mind; the stability of the state far outweighs any concern for individual citizens. You can make yourself feel better by calling it "Sacrificing the one for the sake of the many" or whatever you wish, but the fact of the matter remains: if there's a choice of killing off one or one hundr

I have the opportunity to acquire vista free of charge from my workplace so i'm wondering if it's still in the low end so far as gaming/stability/etc. is concerned. I heard that it was having problems when it first came out but I haven't put much thought into it in some time. Any improvements been made? Should I just stick with XP for gaming concerns or otherwise?

Let me just say that those Dreadnoughts are extremely powerful level 6+ if you micromanage them properly. 2 level 6 Dreadnoughts firing off Missile Barrage at the right time can decimate most frigates. If fired on a fleet the entire fleet will go down regardless of numbers. 3 is even more effective,you can wipe out hundreds of annoying frigates in a few moments if you time it properly. They also do more autofire damage than any other Capital in your arsenal, only the Battlesh

tried 3 drivers, on that came with the card, newest full driver, and the new beta driver. Same issue with all three.

Anybody? As an update, it seems like the sounds are only partially playing then cutting out, creating that popping sound. It also seems related specifically to laser fire/strike sounds. Additionally, I have tested it both with and without modded sound effects so it's not some sort of corruption or what have you in the files themselves.

So I recently started having cracking/popping issues post install of a new CL x-fi xtremegamer sound card. I look around the forums and found a fix involving turning on "Use Hardware" in the user settings file. Well, I did so. General popping issues have been fixed but now the firing/striking sounds in combat are messed up. Sounds like a popcorn maker is having a seizure. Everything else is just fine, music etc. plays perfectly over the sound of popping. I'm

[quote]Everyone is entitled to their opinion but there is one thing in the above post that I really must disagree with:"People were dumb back then compared to now." "dumb" is subjective.*snip*I think I balanced out my "dumb" statement when I originally posted it. I don't know why you'd take offense to it. Are you from 1900? Do I have to worry about offending old timey mountain men and trappers? Read the whole paragraph and put it in context instead of just looking for phrases like "people were d

[quote]Hydrogen fuel cells are still far beyond our technological ability.Hydrogen fuel calls are not far beyond our technological ability. Hydrogen fuel cells are a storage mechanism, not an energy source.The amount of people that don't get this is amazing.[/quote] Yes but the system, as a whole, is considered as a possible fuel source. When I said it was beyond our technological ability, I mean that we do not possess the means of turning it into a viable alternative to batteries or a

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but there is one thing in the above post that I really must disagree with: "People were dumb back then compared to now." "dumb" is subjective. I bet many of those people you spoke of as ignorant were capable of hunting and skinning animals to survive, or farming enough to feed their families, or doing any number of other tasks with any number of other skills. Lack of scholastic knowledge or knowledge of current events, etc.,

[quote]Jack Thompson isn't evil because he wants to ban video games, he's evil because he wants to ban anything at all.Censorship is the enemy of progress, the very barrier that the insidious "Old Guard" rely on as they keep the world in a constant state of stagnation and decay. When time brings down the scythe upon their ignorant, terrified heads the universe itself will be the better for it.Your logic fails. By that logic, child pornography, calling for the violent overthrow of the government,

"I think that yes, and no. Only a small portion of the citizens knew and/or understood what was coming and happening. But for certain, the ones in power were ignorant to the matter. But then again, the Empire in 450 a.d. had been undisputed supreme for like 300 years, and even if they knew something was wrong, they might not have had the "knowlegde" to know what to do. Do what their ancestors did?? The Legions in those time were not as strong and well trained as the ones that Caesar lead into Ga

Your comments concerning batteries and their possible use are heartening, though your sentiment that the government will ultimately be ineffective at shifting us over to them is a fear I also share. I believe that we're coming to a point where society is too complex, too pushed in a certain direction to change smoothly from one track to the other. I think of it a bit like this... -------------------->-----] --------------^----------- What you see here are wha

[quote]Hmmm... It is indeed interesting to note that "moral decay" arrives in a civilization just before its fall: Akkadia in the fifteenth, Greece in the fifth, Rome in the second A.D., the Church in the fifteenth, France in the Seventeenth...America in the 20th...?[/quote] I am extremely glad you brought this up, it adds to the discussion. I find myself of the opinion that morality and certain other facets of a given civilisation are merely constructs of the society at hand.

You make some excellent points but I feel I must disagree on your estimation of the importance of transport vs, in your example, supplies of electricity. Electricity is crucial, this is true and undeniable, but there are actually alternatives in this area that cannot be turned towards transportation. Herein lies the problem. Nuclear power, for example, is enough to supply that kind of "home base" need for the time being. The issue at hand, however, remains supply. Any milita

So as a history majour i've been looking recently at a lot of ancient civilisations and taking note of the various factors that contributed to their decline and eventual collapse (though I hate to use that word as I believe not in the collapse of a society but rather massive reorganisations of political, military, and economic forces. Change /= destruction). We see the Roman Empire and its decline, caused in great part by internal strife coupled with external pressures and the inabi

Jack Thompson isn't evil because he wants to ban video games, he's evil because he wants to ban anything at all. Censorship is the enemy of progress, the very barrier that the insidious "Old Guard" rely on as they keep the world in a constant state of stagnation and decay. When time brings down the scythe upon their ignorant, terrified heads the universe itself will be the better for it.