[Link]

http://www.citypages.com/databank/26...ticle12985.asp

Great article -- some excerpts:

Twenty percent of Americans think the sun orbits the earth. Seventeen percent believe the earth revolves around the sun once a day (The Week, Jan. 7, 2005).

Lack of health insurance coverage causes 18,000 unnecessary American deaths a year. (That's six times the number of people killed on 9/11.) (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005.)

(Oh bushies!!! Look up -- yeah you.. look above..)

"U.S. childhood poverty now ranks 22nd, or second to last, among the developed nations. Only Mexico scores lower" (The European Dream, p.81). Been to Mexico lately? Does it look "developed" to you? Yet it's the only "developed" country to score lower in childhood poverty.

Forty-three percent of Americans think torture is sometimes justified, according to a PEW Poll (Associated Press, Aug. 19, 2004).

# "Nearly 900,000 children were abused or neglected in 2002, the last year for which such data are available" (USA Today, Dec. 21, 2004).

[JohnSmithXTREME]

Pretty funny. I wouldn't be surprised if most Americans thought that the world was flat.

However, the article barely cites 2 sources. Most of the facts came from some book called The European Dream: How Europe's Vision of the Future Is Quietly Eclipsing the American Dream which is probably rather biased. The most risible point (about the earth's orbit) came from some publication that nobody has ever heard of (The Week) Just thought I should point that out, before anyone takes it seriously.

[Captain Obvious]

Originally posted by JohnSmithXTREME:
Just thought I should point that out, before anyone takes it seriously.

The thread comes from a boy who dresses up as a fictional character from a video game made in the 80s for fun and to meet women. I don't think many people anywhere in the world would take a thing from him seriously.

[analogika]

Originally posted by Captain Obvious:
The thread comes from a boy who dresses up as a fictional character from a video game made in the 80s for fun and to meet women. I don't think many people anywhere in the world would take thing from him seriously.

Considering that he's merely posting a link and quotes from an article, I find it amusing that you need to resort to a pitiful ad hominem.

But then, we expect no less from you, do we?

[Xeo]

OK, I read the title and thought it was about USB but was disappointed to see there is no B...

Is this political enough to be moved?

[effgee]

Originally posted by Captain Obvious:
The thread comes from a boy who dresses up as a fictional character from a video game made in the 80s for fun and to meet women. I don't think many people anywhere in the world would take a thing from him seriously.

Whereas the attempted smackdown comes from a guy who resorts to making up his own superheroes.



Which in return is pointed out by yet another another weirdo who thinks it's cool to have a photo of some schmuck with tatooed knuckles as his sig.

[JohnSmithXTREME]

I see this is shaping up to be a nice thread.

[analogika]

Originally posted by JohnSmithXTREME:
I see this is shaping up to be a nice thread.

It's certainly lost its political touch, which, as far as this forum goes, is a Good Thing.

[Apple Pro Underwear]

i livein NY

i consider it more like our own country rather than a piece of the US

[zizban]

Pretty funny. I wouldn't be surprised if most Americans thought that the world was flat.

It isn't?

[Lateralus]

Why is it that the people who create threads like this are teenage suburbanites enjoying the fruits of American life?

[Link]

Originally posted by analogika:
Considering that he's merely posting a link and quotes from an article, I find it amusing that you need to resort to a pitiful ad hominem.

But then, we expect no less from you, do we?

I think he got upset over my "bushies" joke.. I was kidding though, but this was not meant to be a political thread at all, just a noting of a news article I found interesting...

Hrmm based on a book that's rather biased, I'm not surprised.. it's still interesting!

Originally posted by Lateralus:
Why is it that the people who create threads like this are teenage suburbanites enjoying the fruits of American life?

And why is it that people who respond negatively use images off my webserver in their sig?

[Luca Rescigno]

Oh don't give me that bullsh*t. "Oh, I didn't mean to start a political thread..." is the dumbest excuse ever. What do you mean you didn't mean for it to be political? Are you blind or something? In case you didn't notice, MacNN is completely packed to the brim with political hotheads, and using the disclaimer (late, by the way) that you didn't mean for it to be political is retarded.

By the way, I can understand some criticism of the way our country handles things, but you shouldn't forget to take into account how much the country has done for you and me. You're riding the wave of capitalism. Didn't your parents just buy you a several thousand dollar computer setup? What do you need that for?

I admit that I'm also riding that same wave. My parents are essentially paying my entire college tuition (I pay for food, books, housing, and other expenses, which adds up, believe me). The difference is that I don't start threads that basically proclaim our entire country as evil. Know where to lay the blame.

[Eug Wanker]

As a proud Canadian, I'd have to say... Canadians are just as stupid. And from my experience, so are the Europeans, the Chinese, etc.

[SomeToast]

Oh sure, City Pages. We're a bunch of hippie commies out here in Minneapolis.

(finally decent radio, though)

[Kilbey]

Originally posted by Lateralus:
Why is it that the people who create threads like this are teenage suburbanites enjoying the fruits of American life?

Originally posted by Captain Obvious:
The thread comes from a boy who dresses up as a fictional character from a video game made in the 80s for fun and to meet women. I don't think many people anywhere in the world would take a thing from him seriously.

post of the week

[Garage81]

Originally posted by Lateralus:
Why is it that the people who create threads like this are teenage suburbanites enjoying the fruits of American life?

[Link]

Originally posted by Kilbey:






post of the week

And I used to actually LIKE your posts.

[Kilbey]

Originally posted by Link:
And I used to actually LIKE your posts.

Yet another one of your flaws.

[King Bob On The Cob]

Originally posted by Link:
http://www.citypages.com/databank/26...ticle12985.asp

Great article -- some excerpts:

Twenty percent of Americans think the sun orbits the earth. Seventeen percent believe the earth revolves around the sun once a day (The Week, Jan. 7, 2005).

Lack of health insurance coverage causes 18,000 unnecessary American deaths a year. (That's six times the number of people killed on 9/11.) (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005.)

(Oh bushies!!! Look up -- yeah you.. look above..)

"U.S. childhood poverty now ranks 22nd, or second to last, among the developed nations. Only Mexico scores lower" (The European Dream, p.81). Been to Mexico lately? Does it look "developed" to you? Yet it's the only "developed" country to score lower in childhood poverty.

Forty-three percent of Americans think torture is sometimes justified, according to a PEW Poll (Associated Press, Aug. 19, 2004).

# "Nearly 900,000 children were abused or neglected in 2002, the last year for which such data are available" (USA Today, Dec. 21, 2004).

But... But... Our military can crush yours! And our genitals are bigger than yours! Perhaps they are THE SAME THING!!!1 (Notes in his conspiracy log "America Military = Pen*s size?")

[Captain Obvious]

Originally posted by effgee:
Whereas the attempted smackdown comes from a guy who resorts to making up his own superheroes.

Actually, when I was registering I couldn't think up a user name. Mallrats was on cable and I took the name from a line in the movie. Weeks later I was bored and decided to come up with a sig image. The only thing that came to mind that represented the user name and made any sense in a GIF was a character. The only character that I could remember that was close to the user name was Captain America. And so I came up with my own variation on the idea. It was actually more apathy and lack of originality than any form of creativity or bemused fantasy.

I was the first, to the best of my memory, to come up with a politically themed sig image. Then fatty made it trite with his Kerry sigs, odd he had no creativity since he wants to be a graphic artist, and so I removed the GOP symbol from my image which had dated back to mid to late 2001. It happened to coincide with my move back home so I changed the graphic altogether to one that represented that move and best utilized the larger dimensions the admins allowed us to have.

It's not a superhero it is the progression on an idea I don't care enough to evolve any further.

[effgee]

Originally posted by Captain Obvious:
Actually, when I was registering I couldn't think up a user name. ... It's not a superhero it is the progression on an idea I don't care enough to evolve any further.

You really are a riot, you know that? I have to admit that I don't have the faintest clue as to what it is you're talking about and in what general direction that blurb of yours was aimed. So here's what I can think of:

1. You're talking to me - You did see that my post consisted of two sentences, right? It seems - and not only in this thread - that you have a tendency to take this place as well as your (online-)self a tad bit too seriously. Come on, you can't really believe that I actually care about whether or not your user name is imaginative/cool/witty/whatever. Personally I think you're as crazy as a rat in a shithouse - but I use the same expression when talking about myself all the time, so that in it itself isn't necessarily a bad thing.
   
2. You're talking to anyone reading this thread - Why in the world would you think that the folks here give a flying f*ck about the origins of your user name? Your explanantion would have been moderately interesting/funny in one of the "what's the meaning of your user name threads" - but here? It almost sounds like you were embarassed by the possibility that someone might think you sit in your (computer-)room, wearing a cape while hacking away at your keyboard - saving the world one post at a time. Stop taking (online-)life so seriously.
   
3. You're talking to yourself - Stop that! It's not good for you!! Do what I did and get yourself a pet rock. They don't need to be fed, make no noise and are generally easy to care for. And above all else, they're marvelous listeners - if you happen to find a nice flat one, you can even paint a face on either side of your pet - and all of the sudden your pet can even adapt to your moods - very flexible, I tell you. Just make sure you only walk him at night - neighbors tend to get that puzzled, slightly scared look on their face when they see someone walking down the street with a pet rock on a leish.

So, lean back, take a deep breath and chill. Life - even the online equivalent thereof - is way too short to be grumpy all the time. Laugh at yourself once in a while, will ya? It's good for you and the people who read your posts - makes the whole thing look less, uhm ... cramped.

[Oisín]

Originally posted by Link:
And why is it that people who respond negatively use images off my webserver in their sig?

You own the University of Minnesota's webserver?

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
As a proud Canadian, I'd have to say... Canadians are just as stupid. And from my experience, so are the Europeans, the Chinese, etc.

It's a human thing. Some people get it, some don't.

[fireside]

Originally posted by effgee:




You really are a riot, you know that? I have to admit that I don't have the faintest clue as to what it is you're talking about and in what general direction that blurb of yours was aimed. So here's what I can think of:

1. You're talking to me - You did see that my post consisted of two sentences, right? It seems - and not only in this thread - that you have a tendency to take this place as well as your (online-)self a tad bit too seriously. Come on, you can't really believe that I actually care about whether or not your user name is imaginative/cool/witty/whatever. Personally I think you're as crazy as a rat in a shithouse - but I use the same expression when talking about myself all the time, so that in it itself isn't necessarily a bad thing.
   
2. You're talking to anyone reading this thread - Why in the world would you think that the folks here give a flying f*ck about the origins of your user name? Your explanantion would have been moderately interesting/funny in one of the "what's the meaning of your user name threads" - but here? It almost sounds like you were embarassed by the possibility that someone might think you sit in your (computer-)room, wearing a cape while hacking away at your keyboard - saving the world one post at a time. Stop taking (online-)life so seriously.
   
3. You're talking to yourself - Stop that! It's not good for you!! Do what I did and get yourself a pet rock. They don't need to be fed, make no noise and are generally easy to care for. And above all else, they're marvelous listeners - if you happen to find a nice flat one, you can even paint a face on either side of your pet - and all of the sudden your pet can even adapt to your moods - very flexible, I tell you. Just make sure you only walk him at night - neighbors tend to get that puzzled, slightly scared look on their face when they see someone walking down the street with a pet rock on a leish.

So, lean back, take a deep breath and chill. Life - even the online equivalent thereof - is way too short to be grumpy all the time. Laugh at yourself once in a while, will ya? It's good for you and the people who read your posts - makes the whole thing look less, uhm ... cramped.

[maxintosh]

Originally posted by Apple Pro Underwear:
i livein NY

i consider it more like our own country rather than a piece of the US

Word.

[Zimphire]

I like to think I have a zillion dollars too.

[KeriVit]

Who said US was Number 1- (outside of a sports discussion)?

Is there a dif between proud and cocky?

[Xeo]

So can this thread be about USB then? Let's list reasons why USB isn't #1.

I'll start.

#1 HARD TO USE

[Kilbey]

Originally posted by Xeo:
So can this thread be about USB then? Let's list reasons why USB isn't #1.

I'll start.

#1 HARD TO USE

I'll help.

iEEE 1394 is soooo much better.

Makes USB seem slow. Well, you know what I mean.

[Balneum]

When I grow up I wannabe Firewire 1200...

[CD Hanks]

This thread is testiment to the absolute and utter stupidty and mindlessness that occupies this forum on both sides of the political spectrum.

You all suck. This includes myself.

[Wiskedjak]

Originally posted by Xeo:
So can this thread be about USB then? Let's list reasons why USB isn't #1.

I'll start.

#1 HARD TO USE

How is it hard to use?

[TubaMuffins]

Originally posted by SomeToast:

(finally decent radio, though)

cheers to that

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by Wiskedjak:
How is it hard to use?

It is square, with no sides.

[finboy]

Originally posted by Link:
http://www.citypages.com/databank/26...ticle12985.asp


"U.S. childhood poverty now ranks 22nd, or second to last, among the developed nations. Only Mexico scores lower" (The European Dream, p.81). Been to Mexico lately? Does it look "developed" to you? Yet it's the only "developed" country to score lower in childhood poverty.

It's unclear how "poverty" is defined, but I'm sure that "poor" kids here have it much better than "poor" kids in other developed countries. Do Mexicans in poverty have cellphones and color televisions?

Next, if we're so far behind on stuff like this, why are so many folks risking their lives to come here and work? Or come here to start a family? That seems really inconsistent.

[mitchell_pgh]

Some of them are simply rediculous and obviously filler.

"The European Union leads the U.S. in...the number of science and engineering graduates; public research and development (R&D) expenditures; and new capital raised" (The European Dream, p.70).

"Europe surpassed the United States in the mid-1990s as the largest producer of scientific literature" (The European Dream, p.70).

wow, you mean... the EU (multiple countries... with a larger population) has more scientists and R&D. I'm amazed...

[Wiskedjak]

Originally posted by Zimphire:
It is square, with no sides.

ok, I'll go with that. At a glance it is often difficult to determine which side is "up" for my memory key (though it has 3 little bumps on up). What I find most difficult is determining "up" with vertically oriented USB ports.

[analogika]

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
wow, you mean... the EU (multiple countries... with a larger population) has more scientists and R&D. I'm amazed...

According to the CIA factbook, the US has a population of 293 million (estimated July 2004).

The EU has roughly 300 million.

That's a difference of about 2%. Your "amazement" is not as appropriate as you think.

[Wiskedjak]

Originally posted by analogika:
Your "amazement" is not as appropriate as you think.

Though, perhaps somewhat telling ...

[analogika]

Originally posted by Wiskedjak:
Though, perhaps somewhat telling ...

...not to put too fine a point on it.

[Dimethyltrypt]

100% silliness

[Dimethyltrypt]

Originally posted by Kilbey:






post of the week

but wait you're a proletarian gm fanboy!

[Dimethyltrypt]

Originally posted by Kilbey:
I'll help.

iEEE 1394 is soooo much better.

It's IEEE 1394.

</pedant>

[Oisín]

Originally posted by Dimethyltrypt:
but wait you're a proletarian gm fanboy!

A personal attack/derailment in the Lounge? How original!

[Hawkeye_a]

In the end, every place has its faults and weeknesses. Some places it's poverty, others, racism, the way they treat women, literacy, mortality rates, famine, war, political orginazation, economics, etc....

And despite all that negativity, there are many people everywhere who are genuinely happy, and positive.

Pointing a finger at America has become quite a popular passtime these days. But despite it's many faults (most have to do with politics and economics by the way), it's still the one place where a LOT of people want to live. And in the end that counts for something.

Cheers.

[macaddict0001]

Originally posted by Wiskedjak:
How is it hard to use?

a. the physical plug is friggen square and you can't tell by looking at it which way it should go in.
b. even with just one device in a hub it slows down dramatically.
c. it is the industry standard despite being sucktastic.

[CharlesS]

Originally posted by macaddict0001:
c. it is the industry standard despite being sucktastic.

thanks to Apple putting only USB on the original, hugely popular iMac with no high-speed option like FireWire.

[macaddict0001]

Originally posted by CharlesS:
thanks to Apple putting only USB on the original, hugely popular iMac with no high-speed option like FireWire.

what is that about? I am talking about the entire computer industry, not just apple. usb was not designed by apple and it was not adopted because apple used it early in its adoption. and the original imac has no need for a high speed option(leastways not faster than ethernet).

[mitchell_pgh]

Originally posted by analogika:
According to the CIA factbook, the US has a population of 293 million (estimated July 2004).

The EU has roughly 300 million.

That's a difference of about 2%. Your "amazement" is not as appropriate as you think.

Interesting... Eurostat (department for statistics) has the EU population around 456 million... but even if the cia factbook is accurate, why would one assume that a country with 7 million fewer people have more researchers, etc. etc.? (considering they are both developed countries)