Displaying 151 To 180 Of 1,384 Comments How do you Build a Million Dollar Mousetrap that Steals Cheese Abby – the key to human success as a species is cooperation, not the ‘rugged individualist’ that sociopaths seem to think is the ideal. In Paleolithic times, to be alone was to die. Quickly. Somehow, we have to get back to village ideals. Literally. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 17, 2011 @ 4:10 pm ADONAI – I don’t know about that… I think that the gene pool needs a good vacuuming, frankly. Sociopaths are being selected FOR right now, rather than against. Not good. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 17, 2011 @ 4:02 pm ADONAI – maybe, but I will submit this… complications arise from the “what if” questions. As a village, we say “Killing someone is illegal.” Ok, says the smartass in the back, but, what if I am defending myself? Ok, then self defense is ok. Then another smartass asks, what if someone just punches a guy in the nose, and the guy then kills the puncher? THAT can’t be right! Ok, then, we have to make some sort of “equal force” provision… And so on… Smart, dumb, overthink… hard to say. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 17, 2011 @ 3:56 pm Smed (if I may call you that… LOL) – It’s simple conditioning. Use big and unfamiliar words, and you, too, can be an ‘expert.’ And people will hate you, but will somehow believe that you probably know what you are doing/saying. Doctors, lawyers, IT people, they all trade on this. Doctors are my favorite.. all the Latin or pseudoLatinate names for things we all know about… contusions, abrasions, lesions, you name it… all to make themselves a club or mystical somehow, and we all fall for it. I used to have to test security systems for secret installations. You know how I got in almost every single time? Wore a white hard hat and carried a clipboard and a briefcase, and looked like I was supposed to be there, was busy, and important. I got into one installation using Marine guards using that ploy and a fake ID card that had a KoolAid package front with Bugs Bunny on it. The reason? It was the exact same color lime green as the passes they were using. People see and hear what they want to hear and what makes them most comfortable. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 17, 2011 @ 2:53 pm foodchain – the good news is, if you are sincere, people will treat you well here. Might get a little beaten up, but politely and with equal sincerity, and that’s all we can ask, isn’t it? Don’t be shy. All voices NEED to be heard. Everyone has something to offer. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 17, 2011 @ 12:13 pm Hi foodchain… Glad to have you aboard. While I don’t quite share the hostility that some here have towards HP {spit!} since I always EXPECT to get screwed over by corporatists, I do have an extreme appreciation for a site like PPOV that actually allows any member to write articles and express views unabashedly. It can be fun and intimidating, all at the same time, since if you are factually incorrect or cannot support your stance, there will be someone here that will surely challenge your assumptions. I like that. Reminds me of our dinner table when I was growing up! » Posted By PocketWatch On March 17, 2011 @ 11:33 am Hi Truth! Been a little busy and also sort of burned out. Been reading this though, most days. 8) » Posted By PocketWatch On March 17, 2011 @ 8:45 am I’m going to weigh in on this briefly… I used to be a military instructor… trained by the US Army in 6 short weeks in how to properly train people in a classroom and laboratory environment. I taught advanced electronics… Boolean algebra, basic and advanced electronics, how transistors and such work, how to troubleshoot complicated pieces of equipment, and so forth. One of the core pieces of training was the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid!)principle. Part of that principle is to avoid jargon at all costs. When confronted with jargon, most people have one of two reactions. They either nod wisely while having absolutely no idea what you are talking about, or they simply blank out. Both are bad. Maybe one in 50 will stop you and demand an explanation. Emotionally, all will look at you and start to literally hate you for trying to make them look stupid. That was reinforced in my first job in the ‘real world,’ as a service engineer for a computer company. Did that job for 14 years, and that company also was heavily invested in training its guys on the road. And they, too, said the same thing. As anyone that has read my business series can vouch for, I avoid jargon and obfuscation. That is why. How does that apply to the article above? Easy. Any time I see (and I advise the same for all) jargon or a mountain of words “explaining” what should be a simple problem, my bullshit detector goes off in a deafening klaxon, and fireworks start exploding all over the sky. Someone is either trying to hide something, scamming you, or has no idea what they are talking about (or all three). I realize that technical things like legal issues and engineering problems require precision in language and detail, but all that can and should be reduced to plain and ordinary understandable language. If someone says that is impossible, they are either intellectually lazy or are invested in keeping you confused. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 17, 2011 @ 7:55 am Adonai – I guess my comments are as much a preface as anything. This is the sort of thing that leaders of nations have to face, literally. Whether it’s sending in troops that you know may be killed, or whatever the circumstance. You are the leader of ALL the people, and not just some. So, given your hypothetical, I would have to agonizingly make the sacrifice. ***** You may recall my management test question about the restaurant manager and the staff that quit. The answer is, “I would never let things get that far!” Maybe THAT is the real morality, not letting yourself or the people you are responsible for get into a situation like that in the first place. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 17, 2011 @ 5:44 pm Fox – later, then. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 17, 2011 @ 5:31 pm The problem I see with this question is one of certainty. How is one to know what is absolutely certain? But, to play along, the way I think of your question parallels your article on Thermopylae… Sacrificing some did more than just save a nation, apparently. But did it really? If those Spartans had just stung the Persians and beat feet, would the entire campaign outcome really have changed? Hard to say. Again, nothing is certain, and most decisions are basically guesswork based on incomplete information and assumptions. That, however, cannot and should not lead to complete inaction either. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 17, 2011 @ 5:30 pm Hi fox! Holy crap! If I were around, he’d be lucky to be alive! Sure, I’m always around. Any time. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 17, 2011 @ 5:10 pm Adonai – not enough information to say one way or the other. (Of course, that answer sort of implies I would, doesn’t it?) » Posted By PocketWatch On March 17, 2011 @ 5:07 pm 2nd – I agree that the GR is a subjective measure. What I think of as “harm” may be just fine to someone else. What I think of as “harmless” may be entirely offensive or harmful to someone else. Having said that, though, I still will go with that concept as a starting point, erring on the side of caution. I am a fairly reserved person as a result, until I get to know you. I view joking with someone as a very high sign of respect, because it denotes a degree of trust. I have gotten into untold trouble because I have made a joke or used an amusing (so I thought) turn of phrase that was completely misunderstood. I don’t do that any more. Harm can come in many forms, and some not so obvious. I often stand open-mouthed at what some people get away with. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 17, 2011 @ 5:00 pm 2nd – the Golden Rule is a pretty good place to start, though. And I agree. I’ll take the hit if I have to in order to not hurt someone else. My choice. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 17, 2011 @ 4:41 pm Abby – True enough. Actually, this sort of question angers me. It’s a trick question, and is designed to put the person trying to answer it in an inferior position for some other point down the road. I have been known to not only leave the room, but to leave the house and go home. If someone wants to have an argument with me, at least they can be honest about it. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 17, 2011 @ 4:37 pm I have issues… When I get “vapor locked” and unable to commit to an action, it is typically because no action I can think of will result in a good outcome (defined as no harm to someone). Trying to choose in that situation is the one frustrating thing in my makeup. I usually know what to do instinctively. Even if I end up being harmed, I will not take a deliberate action that will harm another. My choice, I suppose. I can’t identify my personal idea of morals by or through any one of those three types of moral frameworks. All I know for sure is that the Golden Rule seems a safe and fairly universal bet. I liken a moral dilemma to a fairly common question a girlfriend/wife asks, for which there is no right answer… “Do these pants make me look fat?” No matter WHAT you say, trouble will ensue. I generally just leave the room at that point. Call me a coward, if you will. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 17, 2011 @ 4:27 pm Khirad – I don’t know who first coined the word “infotainment,” but that’s what we have. The only thing that matters in the short OR long run is eyeballs on the screen so that people are exposed to the commercials. ‘Follow the money.’ All material on TV is designed to keep you watching until the next commercial airs. Anyone that thinks that’s not true is a fool, IMO. NOTHING is aired for the sake of airing it or informing anyone of anything. If it’s boring, it’ll never get on. When viewed in that context, it’s easy to see how important stuff gets sidelined. Actual information is boring, unless it has explosions and floods and smoke and all that along with it. Policy decisions with charts and graphs? Fuggeddaboudit! » Posted By PocketWatch On March 13, 2011 @ 10:02 pm A Little Truth About Business and Taxes As an addendum, notice that we are talking about just G&A increases (overhead). If we add both COGS and G&A together, cut the recited percentages in HALF (or nearly enough). That means an increase of a nominal 35% (and who pays the whole raft of that anyway!) to a ridiculous 50% nominal rate means a whole 0.75% increase in total costs and a corresponding 0.37% increase in price needed to compensate. Hmmmm… a third of 1% increase in cost to the consumer for a 15% increase in corporate tax rates… And we hear bitching about raising it 3%?!?!?!??!?!?! Bottom line, tax rates are barely noticeable to corporations, and increases in prices to consumers (inflation) is even MORE unnoticeable. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 7, 2011 @ 9:32 pm Yes Virginia, There is Class Warfare Hypno… ::snort!!!!:: » Posted By PocketWatch On March 10, 2011 @ 4:59 am Patsy, what people may not realize is that WI farmers are a real conservative (in the traditional sense) bunch. If you lose the farmers in WI, you can pretty much kiss any conservative support in the state goodbye. I wonder how these guys are going to be portrayed by the RW radioheads…. thugs? unemployed nobodies? greedy government workers? Ought to be interesting to see what spin they try to put on THIS. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 8, 2011 @ 3:35 pm I’ve been trying to find an old comment of mine here and ran into this, and can’t help but comment. Sociopath: Unconcerned about the adverse consequences for others of one’s actions. I have long said and deeply believe that most C-level executives of large corporations have to be sociopaths. It is a requirement for the position. Why, you may ask. Well, let’s think about it for a moment… You are a middle level manager or executive with ambition. You know that your corporation (or, for that matter, most corporations) are not meritocracies. The way to get ahead is to lie, cheat, steal, stab your friends in the back, and climb over your mother if you have to, not only to get to the next level, but to “prove” yourself to upper management. Corporations do not ‘select,’ in a Darwinian way, for anyone with a conscience. So, if you are the ‘best of the best’, have some connections, have proven yourself over and over again to be ruthless, and have some luck, you, too, can run an international conglomerate! You will have to make daily decisions about who literally lives and dies. You will listen to and decide on issues that have a cost (human lives) and a benefit (profits) and make decisions based on that. And you will go home in a limousine and sleep like a baby. Why? Because that’s what sociopaths do. I do not believe for one second, ANY C-level executive when he speaks or writes about his feeling for “his” employees or how the business benefits people. It’s all crap for public (that’s YOU Binkey!) consumption. This is not a rant about my distaste for large corporations, but I have met some of these so-called people, and have spent 10 years in NYC dealing with these creatures, and have thought long and hard about why they are the way they are so as to better screw them over at every opportunity in negotiations. Nothing beats first-hand experience. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 7, 2011 @ 4:03 pm choice – This is a rant I have saved and used for a very long time, and it goes along with your “prove it!” challenge… 1. Tax cuts help ‘the economy.’ Let’s debunk each in turn. 1. There is absolutely NO historical evidence that tax cuts grow the economy. CBO reports going back 50 years show that as soon as the Reagan tax cuts became effective, the GDP flatlined around 2.5% and hasn’t changed much since. Alan Greenspan has admitted in sworn testimony to Congressional committees that tax cuts for the rich return a -20% to the economy. (20 cents on every dollar of tax cuts literally disappear and they don’t know what happened to them) 2. Savings & Loans in the 90’s and now banks and insurance companies …. need I say more? 3. I challenge ANYONE to name any effort, program, or initiative of local, state, or federal government that was privatized that became cheaper or more efficient or both. Citations please. I’ve asked that question for 20 years and have only ever been given one or two examples. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 7, 2011 @ 2:35 pm Patsy – I would take this further… What are the downstream costs that could be avoided if: Early Childhood programs are NOT enacted or funded? It’s easy to say no to things in the present, ignoring the consequences of inaction in the future since it’s so easy for politicians to disconnect themselves from those very same consequences. I call it the “Who ME????” form of governing. See it all the time, and it’s disgusting. And expensive. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 7, 2011 @ 1:10 pm e e cummings poet or insane? » Posted By PocketWatch On March 7, 2011 @ 4:51 pm Changing the mental blocks to change KQ – this is why I love math. Facts are important. I just wish our politicians and policy makers knew how to add and subtract! » Posted By PocketWatch On March 3, 2011 @ 12:59 pm AB – two words that should be taught in every grade from K through college… “Carrying Capacity” » Posted By PocketWatch On March 3, 2011 @ 6:37 am Kali, I think it’s in the nature of humans to gather together. All these “rugged individual, I do it all myself” types are delusional. It DOES take a village, and we are nothing if we do not have a tribe around us. We are more of sheep than of cats in that regard. Not being judgmental, but, as I pointed out, even the 7B of us really don’t take up a lot of acreage when considering the whole planet. Fact is, we DON’T use space efficiently or well, and that’s the problem. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 3, 2011 @ 6:28 am KQ – This comment is NOT an effort to claim that population growth isn’t a problem, but, as always, I once did a little math… (who knew?) It turns out that every man, woman and child on the planet would fit in the state of Texas with each human being having about 1,100 sf of room. A family of 4 would have 4,400 sf to live in, etc. That says nothing about living standards, or acreage to support everyone, or all of that. But it does put things a little in perspective. We look at a place like NYC or Tokyo, and imagine that we are overcrowding the planet. We are not. We are overcrowding little places on the planet. This interesting fact that I have pointed out solves nothing, but I find it fascinating when discussing population growth. The reality is that most of the planet is empty of humans. We clump a lot. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 3, 2011 @ 5:50 am ghsts – I’m talkin’ actual genetic differences… There’s gotta be something different about people that have no empathy whatsoever. » Posted By PocketWatch On March 4, 2011 @ 10:42 amComments Posted By PocketWatch
I don’t believe that stoning is used very often in this realm… typically slow roasting over a bed of coals until tender is the preferred method of chastisement, but only for actual errors in the rules of comity and polite society. Protocol?
There are 3 pillars of conservatism these days, and only 3. They are:
2. Deregulation helps ‘the economy.’
3. Privatization is cheaper and more efficient, therefore it helps ‘the economy.’
WIC
Teacher training
After school programs
Job training
Community health centers
Title X family planning
«« Back To Stats Page
Home Stats