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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#51776: Mar 24th 2013 at 10:50:51 AM

All I know is, my father, a computer programmer, tended to refer to himself as a nerd as a positive sense. Maybe that's a completely unusual way of handling it, but it's hard for me to get indignant about congress calling "the smart people that know stuff that we don't" nerds.

deathpigeon Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: One True Dodecahedron
#51777: Mar 24th 2013 at 10:56:41 AM

The problem is that while people do refer to themselves as a nerd positively (myself included), people who don't refer to themselves as nerds tend to use the term derogatorily.

Midgetsnowman Since: Jan, 2010
#51778: Mar 24th 2013 at 11:09:31 AM

[up][up]

Well, yes. But some of the senators started their statements about SOPA's backlash with stuff like "well, I'm not a nerd" as though they were trying to not get beaten up by fratboys at college

Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#51779: Mar 24th 2013 at 11:21:18 AM

To be fair, half of them were fratboys in college.

Midgetsnowman Since: Jan, 2010
#51780: Mar 24th 2013 at 11:23:48 AM

[up]

Yes. But if you're a 60 year old man, you should be goddamn mature enough by now to realize that treating people who didnt go into business management or something equally bullshit as subhuman and worth ignoring just makes them look like they never grew up.

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#51781: Mar 24th 2013 at 1:28:45 PM

Apparently another girl was raped by football players and the community is treating them like the victims. Fucking hell! I hope that never happens at my school. I would have to exert a lot of willpower to avoid knocking these people out, especially if it's a girl I knew.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#51782: Mar 24th 2013 at 1:32:12 PM

edited 24th Mar '13 2:01:00 PM by SeptimusHeap

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Midgetsnowman Since: Jan, 2010
#51784: Mar 24th 2013 at 2:11:48 PM

[up][up][up]

welcome to america. where football players are worshipped unless they complain about injuries debilitating them in old age,. and girls who get raped "were asking for it"

edited 24th Mar '13 2:12:14 PM by Midgetsnowman

theweirdKiddokun What a Wonderful World! from Last Place in the Race Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Maxing my social links
What a Wonderful World!
#51785: Mar 24th 2013 at 3:55:15 PM

Why is no one talking about this?

The Reaper Games starts anew.
Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#51786: Mar 24th 2013 at 3:58:33 PM

Getting the train back on the track, there's definitely a generational disconnect between Congress and the people who live on the Internet (as opposed to just using computers), which is being exploited by certain companies. It's another case of Congress simply not having anyone to voice the views of the affected segment, with additional problems from the lobbyists being heavily paid to back the anti-piracy stuff.

Though I'm surprised that we simply don't see the lobbies of the pro-piracy set in action, given that the entire issue began, way back in the mists of time. As some of you may know, the Napster case was originally a turf war between two divisions within Sony. You'd think Silicon Valley (as in Google, Microsoft, and other companies that have a stake in seeing people pirate as widely as possible, legally or illegally) would have a proper lobby in place by now to clue Congressmen in to how toxic these bills are, but it seems that the Beltway Reality Distortion Field is keeping these big, evil companies out too.

[up] Another thread for it, mainly.

edited 24th Mar '13 3:59:12 PM by Ramidel

Wildcard Since: Jun, 2012
#51787: Mar 24th 2013 at 3:59:04 PM

[up][up]So where can I hear news about this supreme court action? Can I hear about it as it happens?

edited 24th Mar '13 3:59:37 PM by Wildcard

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#51788: Mar 24th 2013 at 4:00:28 PM

Lobbying is relatively new to Google and Co. They are just starting with it. Apparently, even the Wikimedia Foundation is doing it now.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#51789: Mar 24th 2013 at 4:39:55 PM

[up][up][up][up]Check the "Gay Rights in America" thread. It's likely in there.

theweirdKiddokun What a Wonderful World! from Last Place in the Race Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Maxing my social links
What a Wonderful World!
#51790: Mar 24th 2013 at 4:41:27 PM

I felt it was weird that one brought it up here.

The Reaper Games starts anew.
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#51792: Mar 24th 2013 at 4:55:32 PM

There are far worse things he could have done than marijuana.

Dammit, Rove is getting smart.

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#51793: Mar 24th 2013 at 5:00:44 PM

Rove and the GOP establishment are starting to realize that far-right positions on social issues are a lost cause that will only hinder their economic and foreign policy agendas. This realization and attempts to reform the party will invariably lead to conflict with the Tea Party and Evangelical factions of the party. As was seen when Rove got photoshopped onto a picture of Heinrich Himmler.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#51794: Mar 24th 2013 at 5:01:48 PM

I only wish their economic agenda was as toxic as their social one. That's a much bigger concern in my mind.

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#51795: Mar 24th 2013 at 5:04:10 PM

Well a GOP civil war might bring out all the really crazy economic, social and foreign policies of the party and their supporters into the lime light. And as we saw with the 2012 primary, that did nothing to help them.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#51796: Mar 24th 2013 at 5:09:35 PM

We'll see. The Republican party is losing at this point but they're not out yet. The Democrats still have time to screw up and if they don't retake the House in 2014 then they could be in trouble in 2016.

edit: Dammit, isn't the "War on Christmas" enough for you idiots!

edited 24th Mar '13 5:11:38 PM by Kostya

TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#51797: Mar 24th 2013 at 5:11:29 PM

It'd be difficult for them to retake the house, just because of how viciously Republicans managed to gerry mander districts.

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#51798: Mar 24th 2013 at 5:12:25 PM

Difficult but not impossible from what I've heard. Really as long as they add seats I think they'll be in good shape. Anything would be better than having another Tea Party surge like 2010.

TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#51799: Mar 24th 2013 at 5:13:22 PM

That much is true. Democrats need to learn to bring their grand game into the midterms. They tend to flounder in the midterm elections.

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#51800: Mar 24th 2013 at 5:15:01 PM

@the NRA: Dammit, stop making sense you guys! I'm trying to hate you here!

Not that the NRA aren't doing exactly the same thing as Bloomberg, but that was a good quip.


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