waveman2

Elections are the least worst system so far, but they are far from optimal.

In effect what we get is "second rate people recruiting third rate people". If you have ever had anything to do with the general public you will realize the average person is pretty stupid. That is why they so easily fall for all the lies politicians tell.

In particular the public consistently votes for deficit spending and the accumulation of unsustainable debt, short sighted policies and policies based on emotion rather than reason.

We need to find some way to skew the legislature towards people who are honest, and who are more than fast talking lawyers - people committed to rationality and sustainable policies.

This. I have been using org-mode for a month or so and it is wonderful.

I also use Kalarm for reminders, e.g. stand up every 30 minutes, but also for longer term things.

And Anki for memorization and behavioral reminders.

One thing that concerns me about this is how will research get funded. Currently undergraduate students cross-subsidize research.

Disruptive technologies typically a) have weaknesses, and b) offer a product that is inferior in some respect.

That doesn't stop them decimating the old industries. Online education is more flexible, more accessible and far cheaper than traditional education.

Issues like "how to mark papers" are soluble. Cheating in exams can be resolved the same way other organizations solve it: by running some exams in controlled environments. Plenty of organizations do this now: the institute of actuaries, the international baccalaureate, etc.

If I could short traditional universities it would be the trade of the decade.

You need to look carefully at the definition of manufacturing before you get too excited.

For example, did you know the staff at MacDonald's "manufactures" burgers?

As a reality check, how many people do you know who work in manufacturing?

BTW the only reason manufacturing is coming back is because the jobs are completely disappearing from it due to robotics and automation. From wikipedia "Employment in manufacturing ... its lowest since July 1950".

If it happens to you it is a 100% result.

Just today a man was ordered to move his airline seat away from two young children. Until he proved they were his children.

In another story out today a woman aggressively approached a man and threatened him with arrest for taking his own children to a store.

Another man found a lost child and returned the child to its mother, only to be abused and threatened by the mother.

You see enough of this, eventually you conclude "OK, have it your way".

And if you did, you would be likely to find yourself in cuffs.

As an investor I looked into United and I believe the issue was that, being staff owned for a long time, there was no effective management and poor performers could not be fired. As a result a culture of not-my-problem arose. Cultures, once established, are hard to shift.

I remember coming in to the US on a 16 hour flight, I was having trouble getting my bag out of the overhead compartment and was treated to an extended harangue by a fat, ugly, unpleasant woman (stewardess) about how stupid all men were. All I needed not to hear after a long trip (with another 8 hours to travel to look forward to). This was in business class. Last time I traveled with United.

I think an old East German joke tells the story.

"Indeed we have an even-handed relationship with the Russians. After all, we send them coal and they send us snow in return".

"In the case of Stuxnet and DuQu, they used digitally signed components to make their malware appear to be trustworthy applications."

How did they do this? This seems to imply that either

(1) the certification authorities or the (2) vendors of these "trustworthy" software applications were "part of the team".