SplitPeaSoup

Reply to Ambition for Ambition’s sake in Blogging JoeUser Forums

Cool. Freedom is a sincere reason for a CEO to work hard towards achievement. Myself, I am a bigger fan of people who work hard for accomplishment, to create something, to do something great, or to be someone with a life worth living. I have spent countless hours pursuing a career in science because I believe that is somewhere I can go where I can build something useful in society. I think I can improve lives, either as a medical professional or a contributer to human knowledge, and t

It's Ok Not To Be Smart in Ethics JoeUser Forums

Have you ever considered the idea that, in the end, the world is a fair place? Karma exists. Good things happen to good people and vice versa. Hard work results in achievement. Well, I have. And I reached a difficult conclusion: In the end, the world is much more complex than that. Why? Because the world is run by chaos. Can you think of a single sinister character in history books or fiction who was born, lived a happy, fulfilling, and satisfying life, and then died happily? No, of c

Reply to New Link in Evolution: Grape sized single cell organism! in Pure Technology JoeUser Forums

Wow. That is incredible. How does this cell deliver materials throughout its cytoplasm?

Reply to Planning Starts for Income Redistribution in Politics JoeUser Forums

Wow, Frogboy must pay well. And he clearly hires from among people who read into politics, whatever that means ;). Paying what's fair means that the top 5% of incomes in this country should have to pay the most to bail out our economy simply because they can take the hit and then order a big fat NY strip from a fancy steakhouse. Taxing the bulk of the American people would not yield as much revenue and would decrease their buying power.

Reply to Losing a Friend.... in Misc Stardock Forums

She seems impulsive. How did you two come to be friends in the first place?

Reply to Post Election Polls in Politics JoeUser Forums

[quote]ah slavery through socialistic oppression. [/quote] wtf. what does this mean?

Reply to Yes, Tax the Rich in Politics JoeUser Forums

[quote]I don't see how. The middle class depends on the economy working (the rich do not, they can leave).[/quote] Firstly, that is not a very patriotic opinion. But I will not press that issue right now except to point out that, while this may be true, people would really rather not hear it. And to answer how, taxation removes money from the economy that could have been invested or could have been used to create supply and also demand (Say's law, or the converse proposed

Reply to Yes, Tax the Rich in Politics JoeUser Forums

[quote]It is not how hard you work, but how much you produce with the work you do.[/quote] And how does owning a company that employs workers produce, exactly? A better argument is that you should be rewarded for the risk you take with your money when investing in said company. But, then, how did you get that money in the first place?

Reply to Post Election Polls in Politics JoeUser Forums

[quote]They don't want equality because equality is bad for the weak. They want entitlements.[/quote] They want buying power for the work they put into the nation, and they want work that they can put into the nation. http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/ (This is the official economic platform from obama's site. Feel free to compare it with McCain's http://www

Reply to Yes, Tax the Rich in Politics JoeUser Forums

Does anyone believe that taxing the rich, while hurting the economy overall, preserves the middle class and promotes social mobility? To me, creating a more humane economy is a greater ideal than creating a perfectly efficient economy. Let's be honest. Many of the super rich do not work as hard as many in the poorer classes. Redistributing wealth is not about taking from the people who worked hard. Many other factors besides work ethic go into determining

Reply to Post Election Polls in Politics Stardock Forums

I think that, rather than ignorance, current events and the social class of the voters played a large part in deciding the election. In my opinion, after reading a few anecdotal responses off reason.com, many of the people who voted for Obama did so in order to "punish the Republican party."In light of current events, an unpopular war, an economic crisis, and a president perceived to be unintelligent, I think people were just sick and tired of the old and conservativ

Reply to Science and Maths in Islamic Countries in Pure Technology JoeUser Forums

[quote]You know... you still haven't explained what you are actually talking about and why you asssume that an interest in and knowledge of one subject somehow imply that there cannot be interest in or knowledge of another subject.[/quote] You said earlier that body building and studying are almost polar opposites. But Arnold Shwartz... nevermind that spelling. The governor of California is a body builder who studied at Wharton. You didn't defend your position solidly then, so I know yo

Reply to Pirates are eating themselves! in PC Gaming JoeUser Forums

[quote]for the love of god get off your high horse, for all we know you could pirate software as well and just be trolling.[/quote] No. I would not tell you that I am a non-pirate if I were a pirate, and I would not tell you that I were a pirate at all. Your post illuminates a depressing point. People who side with non-pirates are 'trolls', which I believe means people who create posts in disagreement with the general consensus. It follows that people have generally concluded p

Reply to Pirates are eating themselves! in PC Gaming JoeUser Forums

[quote](and those of his supporters),[/quote] I have none. It's usually that way. [quote]Let the police worry about the law.[/quote] It's not as if anyone here can change anything. This is just for fun, to see how people feel. But you are right. The police should handle this virtual looting. However, new laws need to be put into place. In the meantime, steal away. They won't stop you. If you have the heart for thievery, that is. And I suspect most of us do. O

Reply to Pirates are eating themselves! in PC Gaming JoeUser Forums

[quote]Emotion is not the only reason why someone might pay for a game instead of pirating it, and thus you cannot (correctly) say that the best decision for everyone would be to steal if you discount only the emotional reasons.[/quote] Misinformation, ignorance, or stupidity are also possible explanations in the absence of emotion. I only assumed that people were all smart, sane, and well-informed. [quote]Retribution has proven to often be ineffective and nearly always leads

Reply to Pirates are eating themselves! in PC Gaming JoeUser Forums

[quote]I couldn't have put it better myself. Your insights into the psychology of the pirate are truly inspirational.[/quote] You just have to think of your worst qualities and exaggerate them. Everyone has the potential to be a pirate. But, luckily, we all feel compelled at varying degrees. [quote]Working from your examples, the pirates are right in not handing over money for items with hidden contracts designed to give the companies the legal right to defraud them.[/quot

Reply to Pirates are eating themselves! in PC Gaming JoeUser Forums

[quote]Just because you don't think you can see any effects of paying or not on a company doesn't mean there are none. Even a small percentage of pirates actually buying the product would allow the company to hire more workers, work on more projects at once, get them done faster or better, etc. An "I can get something for nothing as long as it doesn't completely destroy the people selling it" attitude is not only irrational for anyone considering more than their own immediate personal g

Reply to Pirates are eating themselves! in PC Gaming JoeUser Forums

[quote]You are neglecting the difference between short term gain and long term gain. If you take into account the need to fund the developer, net benefit may come from a long term gain (additional content/follow-on titles) at the expense of a short term loss (paying for the game).[/quote] Yep. And thanks to the mass of sucker non-pirates, I get more games to steal in the future. Even if I don't pay, I get games in the future. Why be one of the payers when it is equally valid to be a pir

Reply to Pirates are eating themselves! in PC Gaming JoeUser Forums

[quote]By your reasoning anyone who buys such a game is therefore irrational or makes little sense - that is, pretty well every single person who pays money for a PC game is irrational . Again, it's conclusions/statements like this that demonstrate you do not understand what rationality means.[/quote] This is exactly what I said. This is exactly what I mean. You have two options. Option 1: You get the game for free Option 2: You pay for it. All else b

Reply to Why having a conscience is "wrong", "evil", or "incorrect". in Current Events JoeUser Forums

[quote]Emotions guiding people correctly? Ha![/quote] Emotions and instinct are all that dumb animals have, and they have been around for much longer than human beings. We use emotions as a crutch. I wonder what the world would be like if no one felt them? No one could understand the position of another man. Anyone could lie to himself about the morality of his actions and act according to his illogical beliefs, assuming people even cared about being 'good' anymore. No

Reply to EU to Ban Pirates from the Internet? in Personal Computing JoeUser Forums

[quote]....and Heinlein's Starship Troopers was a treatise on Fascism within Western Democracies [read USA] ...so probably shouldn't be held up as something to aspire to/applaud...[/quote] As a citizen of the facist America described by Heinlein, I wonder how piracy survives at all under our decidedly enslaving but efficient social and economic system. Oops. We aren't facists. Too bad.

Reply to Pirates are eating themselves! in PC Gaming JoeUser Forums

[quote]The problem isn't piracy, it's bloody fools who think that the only world that should exist is their ideal and blindly keep trying to push it into existence despite its impossibility. UTOPIA DOES NOT EXIST. Get used to it and figure out how to deal with it.[/quote] I don't need a utopia. But seeing that our weak society will not resort to draconian means of enforcement (a crying shame).... My point was this: if you can't stop piracy, certainly don't support pir

Reply to Science and Maths in Islamic Countries in Pure Technology JoeUser Forums

[quote]We talked about studying the Bible a bit and she told me that a superficial view of it is enough for her.[/quote] You know. You might have something here that I hadn't considered. I just made an assumption that no one would talk so much about something if they didn't know much about it. How can you feel that strongly about something you don't understand?

Reply to Pirates are eating themselves! in PC Gaming JoeUser Forums

[quote]You evidently have no understanding of the concept of rationality.[/quote] Rationality means doing what's in your best interest. I figured you didn't know. Supporting free-loaders, by the way, is not in a man's best interests. Conversely, paying for a game that free-loaders are already stealing makes little sense.

Reply to Is racism still alive and well in the US? in Blogging JoeUser Forums

[quote]So again admit you are a racist, by your own words, because I bet you agree with people like Jesse, Al Sharpton, Obama and his Pastor.[/quote] What was all that you said about assumptions? I couldn't remember once I read this. You also called me a name. I especially like how you imply that I am uneducated. You are right. I do call people names. But at least when I use them they properly describe.