2,069 karma · joined August 6, 2009
(Also: I'm not entirely clear on what you mean by "out of control" - plenty of countries engage in extrajudicial killings: Russia, obviously, but also Israel, Syria, America...)
To my understanding, that's pretty much what "charismatic" means. It's not a synonym for "friendly".
Because "I had 1.8 viable offspring before I died" is more fit than "I had 1.5 viable offspring before I died", no matter how you slice it. Any trait that moves an individual from the former statement to the latter makes that individual less fit, even if it benefits the group, and since the individual is less fit, that trait is less likely to be passed on, resulting (asymptotically) in more fit individuals massively outnumbering less fit ones, irrespective of the impact those individuals have on group fitness.
What do you mean by "if the market wanted it"? Unless people actually stopped paying for porn on non-.xxx domains, or they payed more for porn on .xxx domains, then there is no market force encouraging porn companies to change what they're already doing.
(Rant: The personification of "the market" to the point where it is capable of "wanting" things on its own initiative is a pet peeve of mine. It's not a person. It doesn't have desires. Market economics is a descriptive theory, not a theological statement.)
Edit: I mean, I've heard people argue that it would help the porn sites curry favor with parents, but I really have a tough time imagining that actually turning into more money for the porn sites (though I admit that I really know nothing about the industry).
"I am a citizen, you must hold (if you are the government) or fund (if you are a taxpayer) an election for me to vote in."
What's your feeling on that positive right? I've encountered people who argue against democracy, and I've encountered people who will re-word the right as stated above and then call it a negative right. I disagree with the former, and the latter only succeed in demonstrating that the difference between positive and negative rights is one of phrasing, and not of the right itself. Do you have a different take on the matter?
The idea of "negative" and "positive" rights is one way of looking at the matter, but it has flaws.
Edit: I don't mean to imply the parent post is making any argument one way or the other; I'm just commenting on the idea itself.
Edit 2: Other things (some completely outlandish, some more plausible) worth thinking about:
- I own a square mile of land with a river running through
it. You own an adjacent square mile of land downriver
of mine. If I, entirely on my own property, divert the
river such that it ceases to run through your property,
have I aggressed against you? Do you have the right to
never have the value of your property decrease?
- I am fantabulously wealthy and buy up all the food in
the world. Do I have the right to refuse to sell it?
Have I aggressed against the other 7 billion by forcing
the large majority of them to starve to death?
- The local branch of the Nazis are hunting for members
of unpopular minorities. I am a gay black Jew. Am I
justified in trespassing on a stranger's property in
order to hide and evade capture? India: Give us access to your secure messaging service.
RIM: Okay.http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2004254
My understanding is that it's basically a proxy for Twitter that allows you to filter based on criteria you specify.
Now, if you are wondering why it is dead, I can't help you in the slightest.
In fairness, it's a bit late for that:
It is, at best, evidence, not proof. Reasonably strong evidence, mind you.
Edit: I mean, I can see how it's in the browser's interests to convince people that the system is reliable. And I can see how it's in web companies' interests to convince people that the system is reliable. But trying to convince people that the system is reliable when it is known not to be reliable strikes me as ethically questionable, at best.
Spring: Mid-March til Mid-May. Snow goes away. Then it
comes back. Then it goes away. Then it comes
back. Then it goes away.
Summer: Mid-May til early September (with luck) or late-
August (without it). Mostly warm, usually dry.
Punctuated by hailstorms. Once every few years
punctuated with a smallish snow storm.
Fall: Early September til late October. Stuff cools down.
Frost is common. Occasional hail or freezing rain.
Winter: Late October til mid-March. October-til-Christmas
swings back and forth between (very) cold streaks
and stereotypically fall-ish weather. January to
March is mostly just cold and snowy and icy.