cactoblasta

Reply to JU Wonkiness And Deleted Article in Misc JoeUser Forums

You can probably resurrect it. All of my deleted articles appear in the "My Articles" list on the forums. Have you tried editing it from that list?

Reply to I'll show you where you can stick that phone . . . in Various Handhelds JoeUser Forums

Ah yes, the Nokia dildophone with its notorious vibration functions. I didn't know you swung that way but, hey, it's a bold new world we live in. Why not?

Reply to JoeUser Assignments in Blogging JoeUser Forums

I plead the 12th; the only interesting things I can think to write about are in my private life, and with my new job I can't do that sort of thing any more (not that I did it much before). So unless you've got some inspiration I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to plead to being several beers short of a six-pack in the inspiration department.

Reply to SINCE YOU ASKED in Blogging JoeUser Forums

Hello BFD. Drop the caps and we'll all get on fine. IT IS A HARD PLACE AND A HARD REALITY TO KNOW THE WANDERING IS OVER. To be honest I have little respect for anyone who doesn't change their environment the instant it gets tiresome. Don't like the decor? Break out the axe. Don't like reality? Break out a habit. It's amazing how qui

Reply to Do You Care if Obama Attended a Madrassa? in Politics JoeUser Forums

Given the age he would have been at the time, I don't think you would have seen the kind of radicalism you might find now, especially in Indonesia. Certainly not from a school with foreign students. Suharto was a vicious and efficient dictator. The Islamic factions were repeatedly crushed into the dirt from the moment he stepped into office unt

Reply to The Versions of Windows Vista in Windows Vista JoeUser Forums

What is the MacOSX version of Remote Desktop btw? I looked through the feature set and couldn't find it. It's a purchasable add-on. US$299 for up to 20 desktops at once, US$499 for unlimited. That's nowhere near as cheap as Vista's $50. link: http://www.apple.com/remotedesktop/ To somewhat make it up for that huge price though it

Reply to Moderate Man is in the Hospital in Personal Relationships JoeUser Forums

I can't say we've ever really gotten along but I have always respected his passion. I hope he gets better soon. I'm thinking of you, you old bastard.

Reply to Quoteable Quotes in Misc JoeUser Forums

"If something's worth doing, it's worth doing badly" - unknown. "There's none so blind as won't see" - I can't remember but possibly a folk saying. "Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination." - Oscar Wilde. "The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself." - Oscar Wilde. "Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious." - Wilde. "Nowadays most people die of a sort of creeping common sense, an

Reply to What is the cause of Britain's social irresponsibility? in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Honestly I don't know why anyone thinks anything has changed. Sure old people are always saying that the youth of today are more criminal than their generation, but if you look at the figures it doesn't show that at all. Admittedly I've only made the most cursory examinations of the records in my own country (Australia) but from what I've seen there were at least as many assualts and thefts by teens back in 1950 as there are today. As for respect, well, from the looks of it parents

Reply to Lost in Translation *Intentionally*: Iraq and Linguists in Current Events JoeUser Forums

And really, isn't that what it all boils down to? That's been my experience. Learning at home will give you the necessary skills to speak a formal, slightly academic version of your language of choice. Realistically speaking that's all most (business/government-oriented) people need. It's only if you want to understand children

Reply to Lost in Translation *Intentionally*: Iraq and Linguists in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Text translators have come a long way but often in Arabic (where vowels are often skipped entirely) and other languages the context is what actually determines the meaning. The EU has some good ones, but I wouldn't trust them very much with any language whose grammar is much different from English.

Reply to Lost in Translation *Intentionally*: Iraq and Linguists in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Seemed pretty handy, and I guess it would be a lot more objective than the human alternative. Depends where you get the interpreter from. Accredited interpreters (ie professionals) are tested and trained to remove themselves from the translation process. They're far more accurate and just as objective as any machine too, which is a bonus. I'm

Reply to More Than Ever, Points Mean Nothing On This Site in Just Hanging Out JoeUser Forums

I seriously doubt many of the Joeuser bloggers buy many stardock products, on average. Brad's already said the site's basically a constant drain on resources. The only reason it exists at all is because it's useful-ish for cross-pollination of articles by the major players in stardock.

Reply to Why Britain should not withdraw its troops from Iraq in Politics JoeUser Forums

The English have always betrayed their vassals, so it only makes sense for them to get out quick when there's the possibility their masters could betray them (eg by leaving Iraq quickly and leaving England with the bag). It's a damn English thing to do, come to think about it.

Reply to Safari Coming to Windows? in Windows Software JoeUser Forums

Safari is an okay browser, but it's not compatible with Stardock forums. The text-entry boxes don't appear. I'd imagine it's a bug not worth fixing considering the limited number of Mac users who post here. So you'd still need to use something else if you want to use Stardock stuff.

Reply to Why do they hate Americans so much ? in Blogging JoeUser Forums

No,there should be something more than jealousy. I think it's probably the US' consistently hostile approaches to North Korea. South Korea knows that eventually the North will fail and it will merge with the South. They accept that and are prepared to wait it out so that the chances of war or unnecessary conflict is minimised. The US thin

Reply to Corrupted by a Book: Global Warming in Philosophy JoeUser Forums

Uh, great article, but that is a Gable. Clark Gable, not Humphrey. When it comes to great quotes from the past, Dr. Guy, I have always had but one policy: They're dead, I don't care. Thanks for the correction anyway though.

Reply to Actions Speak FAR Louder than Words in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Actually in the case of this individual, I believe she DID mean it. I gave her several outs, she absolutely refused to take them. I was supposed to shed tears for this daughter (who, by the way, is a wanted criminal herself), and I didn't. True, but we all know she has a severe anger management problem. If she feels the same way tomorrow he

Reply to Actions Speak FAR Louder than Words in Current Events JoeUser Forums

I was and continue to be against the death penalty, so I can honestly say I didn't consider Saddam's execution to be either moral or just in the first place. But I can understand, to some extent, the mindset that would make a person view the circumstances of his execution as disappointing, ie the view that: We should be better. The good guys should be better than to jeer at someone's execution and chant the name of one of the good guy's biggest enemies. The good guys should also s

Corrupted by a Book: Global Warming in Philosophy JoeUser Forums

If you'd asked me before Christmas where I stood on the whole global warming deal, I probably would have said something like: Well, it seems to be real, so we should probably do something about it. After all, we definitely know the symptoms are real, and we need to do something about them anyway. But for Christmas I received a book. I must confess right from the start that it wasn't a very good book. In fact in terms of literature I would rate it, entertainment

Reply to American MUSLIMS DEMAND Special Treatment in Religion JoeUser Forums

But I'd wager a fair sum that if I refused to take a cab because the driver was Muslim, I'd be accused of a hate crime. Anyone want to put some money down on that? I never wager on a sure deal, and nothing's surer than that an American will always choose litigation when threatened. It must be in the water or something. There's no end to th

Reply to Saddam Hussein and the US: A cosy Relationship gone wrong in Politics JoeUser Forums

Before I can even hope to agree with this statement I first want to know the extent of your knowledge of Iraqi law. It may not seem fair in your part of the world but your laws are different that thiers. When Saddam ran the country a fair trial would be given but the outcome would have been determined before the trial started. At least for those lucly enough to have a tria

Reply to Saddam Hussein and the US: A cosy Relationship gone wrong in Politics JoeUser Forums

Saddam had more of a fair trial than he ever gave any of his victims. A fair trial is not merely one that is fairer than an atrocity. It is a trial based on principles of justice and fairness. It is a trial that gives due process. It is a trial where the law is held to be more important than anything else. If the law is not respec

Reply to Saddam Hussein and the US: A cosy Relationship gone wrong in Politics JoeUser Forums

Please provide proof that he didn't receive a fair trial. You honestly feel that he did? The judges gave consistent preferential treatment to the prosecution, defence lawyers were assassinated, the defence was barely given an opportunity to argue its case and it was blatantly obvious that no jury in the country would give him a fair trial. <

Reply to Saddam's Impending Excecution in Current Events JoeUser Forums

I suppose it is a matter of opinion, but death is death, and whether you are treated like a hero in your last moments or spit upon results in the same end. You're dead. Given the death in question was considered a punishment for deeds done, I see no reason why "dignity" should even be a factor. To be utterly cynical for a moment it's more politic