Moonlapse

I'll drink to that.

I usually listen to the local NPR college radio if I have no other option, so I'll check this out... Evening Music http://www.dominicfrasca.com/

Ah, I overlooked this! Makes me think... if this concept was widely considered, would humans be able maintain some sort of equilibrium? Or do you think that this revolution/freedom/oppression cycle cannot be affected?

I'll keep punching and kicking as long as I can. The rules I don't want are the ones created by the people who think that freedom should be forfieted in order to create a specifically controlled and designed society. Common good, my ass. I just want individual rights, not to have individual rights given to some entity, corporate/state/whatever, and have the latter supercede the former. I think that people, with all possible information available to them and without an institution to psychologically condition them, will come to this conclusion. Just a hunch, I guess. So basically I want a true education system (not a school institution which mimics hierarchical prison), which means the parents teach or decide who teaches their children, and without any censorship of information. I firmly believe in the rational capabilities of the human mind, no matter what the supposed 'intelligence quotient', when it is given its own freedom.

Ahh, yes, thanks for clarifying that.

Traveling backwards in time, you mean the way Powdered Toast Man travels backward through the air? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_sail

I attended a private school for a number of years and I did extremely well during that time. I actually achieved very decent grades in public schools up until my later highschool years when I completely lost interest in going to school. I still managed to get accepted to the engineering department at the Univeristy of Colorado, but I changed my major to earth sciences in an attempt to compensate for my lack of any motivation to sit in a classroom and do the same crap I had done for the last 12 years. It really didn't make a difference and I soon dropped out. I was just glad to get the hell out of the small town I grew up in. If I had the same frame of mind when I was young that I do now, I'd currently be about 6 years (or more) ahead of where I am, career-wise. How powerful do you think corporations would be if teenage kids regulary became entrepreneurs and produced and learned by their own will and with an unsupressed passion? This iwas a reality that existed in the early days of America, that has now been choked almost to death. "Overproduction" was the label given to it - millions of independent humans passionately following their own dream. It severely limited big business. It's no wonder that Rockefeller and Carnegie heavily funded mass schooling.

This is way over my head... reverse? Anyone know of a diagram to illustrate this? NM, theres one here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamaterial

Indeed. The quoted poem makes me sick. Multiple readings will bring out the underlying meanings. I felt a lot of suicidal hopelessness in my late teens because even though I had an incredible desire to learn, I absolutely despised school and viewed my failures there as failures in life - a message beaten into every childs head. In my mind, my will to succeed and my inability to function on a scholastic level seemed to be a direct contradiction. I mean, I knew that I was capable of excelling if I had the will to do so. I inevitably blamed and hated myself for this. After all, the children are the ones that recieve permanently recorded failure grades for their inadequacy... schools can't fail at educating them... right? Anger, of all things, has fortunately led me to do a lot of things that ultimately destroyed my pre-concieved mental barriers. Anger itself does not equal hatred and has the potential to be one of the most positive of forces.

Ditto - even if you did not have a busy schedule. No need to pay someone to show you things that are immediately available for free. Besides, you can learn by your schedule and your particular eccentric interests. Another resource you have is the variety of people in this community. Whatever topic you want to learn about - ask for a good starting spot and you'll probably get a lot of help and make some interesting friends.

It absolutely blows my friggin mind when people fight so hard to keep this system, or think that pouring more money into it will somehow fix the situation. From this book:

Geez, I seem to be turning into a subversive propaganda syndication. Weee! No really, I found this fascinating. Ever wonder what politicans talk about when they think the camera isn't rolling? http://www.brasscheck.com/videos/spin.html

I was scanning over the weekend journal section of today's Wall Street Journal and did a double take at the name Andrew Dalby highlighted within the book section. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed to see that it was only a brief blurb about Rediscovering Homer and its controversial feminine suggestion (objectively written, simply indicating that it's a topic now) but its nice to see that the book is getting some press. Congratulations

I actually enjoyed The New World, despite Collin Farrell's presence! Awesome atmosphere.

I saw an episode once where Ren was forced to drink skunk milk, which he promptly threw up into his mouth, swallowed back down again, then erupted an earth-shaking belch. I nearly pissed myself.

If you're not itching to be utterly independent, then here's a little advise for you. Landing a decent job has as much to do (or more) with social networking as actual qualifications. You need to get to know some people who are doing what you want to do.

This reminds me of something I heard on some radio interview today, "Being a victim doesn't make you right."

I'll see what I can come up with Edit: Check your inbox.

Actually, the National Intelligence Estimate got the facts wrong... but note that is labeled an 'estimate'. On a side note, if al Qaeda were to possess WMDs I doubt they would come from Iraq anyways - they lagged behind many others in their technological progress.

I think Aghanistan and probably North Korea should have been resolved before ever considering actions against anyone else. I realize that it wasn't just Bush who believed in the existence of WMD's, but my line of thinking goes something like this.... it would be wrong for me to break into my neighbor's house and kill him simply because I have a hunch that he's got a gun and he wants to kill me. As I recall, the only way I can legally kill him is if hes on my property and has an obvious physical intent to kill me. Consider North Korea, determined to prove that they have the capability to hit the U.S. with a nuclear bomb...

Right here and now is probably the most opportune place and time in history to be able to sucessfully be an entrepreneur with self-education. I'm not saying, "Don't get a regular job." In fact, manual labor jobs have created an intense motivation for me to succeed on my own. I started working on my dad's farm/ranch when I was 11, and have worked mostly construction and automotive jobs since, with the exception of a few computer jobs which really sparked my interest. Right now, I have a job overseeing a crew of tire and lube mechanics. I've been with this company for 5 years and in that time I've applied for 80+ computer/clerical jobs, some of which I was called back on, none of which I was hired for. The fact that I was able to find vast free resources for webdesign and programming on the net, learn how to do it, hookup with motivated people and make even a fraction of my currect paycheck working in my spare time is incredible to me. I wish that I had been able to shed the subservient mind-frame that I learned in school earlier and realized that my future and my life are completely in my hands. Anything you want to do, learn it - you don't need someone to teach you - and stay persistent and patient. Anyways, I'm rambling now. lol Just keep this in mind. http://www.google.com/search?q=young+entrepreneurs

I have the interactive layered map planned for high detail province maps. The same could be done to lesser detail with an empire overview map. If you find me some way to eliminate the need for sleep, I'll make them for you.

You know Moonlapse I still have my old Crossman pellet gun and with a few beverages and a nice quiet pond with docile ducks and geese I could probably be persuaded to display my skill at missing harmless creatures 3 feet in front of me. And then we bring the pellet gun to the brawl?

That's a good question... I don't think you can really split the factions along a Democrat/Republican line, since there really is no line. Rather, you'd have the unquestioning followers fighting the my-own-opinion people, with some deranged maniacs thrown in to make things truly chaotic.

You know... if there ever were to be a huge UNRV convention, I think that once a few people got drunk, all hell would break loose and a brawl would ensue... probably with some re-enactment weapons. I would probably participate.