one time in our history, men took pride in their work and machinery was built to last forever. the light bulb that Thomas Edison invented STILL works. where is that nowadays?

now gargantuan companies like Phillips spend 2.1 million engineering a light bulb that will burn out after 180 hours of use, ±1 hour so you have to go buy another light bulb.

the world is a fucked up place, and if your not outraged, your not paying attention.

@Robert
glad you like my articles, mebbe you got something from it, that was the point im not bitter, just cynical.

stw

stw

Just a few points of interest (and NOT a cut-up of anything you’ve voiced)…

“People won’t switch to GNU/Linux en-mass because it requires more work to understand and use than Windows”
- People could still try learning even the basics of Windows itself. That would help.
Sure, it would be nice if more opened their minds to Linux (or even MAC!). But, then again, if they can’t be bothered to nail down Windows, or at least learn how to get a satisfactory experience out of it, you can’t expect them to be any less “dependent on others” when given another OS.

“…many drivers out there really understand what’s going on under the hood?”
- Many drivers don’t truly aquaint themselves with what happens behind the wheel itself.
That’s why we have many road tragedies. Some people really could be much better drivers, without much additional training or thought.

Once again, a classic example of how people put many “other things” ahead of even their own safety, in terms of priority. It generally takes a “catastrophic event” to change their thinking.

I appreciate your articles, I really do. I will admit that I am not the most secure computer user/developer (I don’t use home encryption or IP anonymizers or email client bouncing or PGP or proxy servers with firewalls, I use sw firewalls and keep my system up to date, and I don’t use Windows), but I still really enjoy your information. You provide a lot of food for thought.

Great article on the 8-track tapes by the way. I always thought those were cool while growing up. Hell, my uncle has Van Halen’s first release on 8-track, how cool is that? My cousin, who’s a little younger and not into VH, didn’t appreciate the uniqueness of the VH 8-track.

I know others will too! So you’re doing a good job with the watering hole, not all will come to drink.

As for me, I don’t have enough knowledge for a watering hole, so I have to rely on door-to-door sales of whatever I can carry in my backpack

i can create the watering hole, nothing more.

and i love sheeple that post things like ‘Unmask his ego and you expose a coward disguised as a monkey’, of course, unsigned. if this was an attempt to rile my goat or abrade me personally, you had the opposite effect. to me, you only proved yourself quite ignorant in only 12 words. and then I laughed, AT you. please continue with the bland comedic repetroire, you are the statistic, not me.

stw

Perhaps after they have finished bitching and complaining, and they are less stressed over whatever is bothering them, they might be open to the right method of motivation. “might” is the key word. I know my family members are seldom interested, but I try anyway and sometimes it actually works (though they still all use Windows so I have a long way to go).

People want the benefits without the work involved to really understand what they are doing. People won’t switch to GNU/Linux en-mass because it requires more work to understand and use than Windows, which they have been using.

In short, many people just don’t like change.

I firmly believe in self-education, but so many people I talk to say that is rare. They don’t want to educate themselves at levels above what they would normally require. How many drivers out there really understand what’s going on under the hood? They feel all they need to know to drive is “gas, brake, steer, mirror” and some vague understanding of Park versus Drive or Neutral. That’s it. It’s all they want.

I am not pushing anything on anyone, but I do try, when asked for help, to motivate them to teach themselves. My mother just gets turned off all together. I haven’t quite figured out how to motivate her to learn more. She does get really proud when she can book a hotel online and use Mapquest or Google Maps to find directions to the hotel and destinations. To me that’s nothing, but to a non-technical person, it is a big deal.

I lose my patience a lot with people asking for help because, in my opinion, they don’t do enough research themselves first. That includes engineers I’ve worked with and work with at the new job. Each person has the ability to learn but their motivation levels are different. They want to learn what they need for their job, nothing more.

I must be quite different because I like to know everything about everything, whether I need it or not, but even I am not always receptive to info I don’t need, as much as I try to be.

Again, for those who want to educate or when asked to help (assuming you agree to help) the real struggle is figuring out how to motivate that person to teach themselves. There has to be some method of igniting the fire, and it usually comes from them being proud for doing something for themselves.

And finally, as always, there are people that you just can’t motivate at all, no matter what you do. “learn the bash command line for loading kernel modules, it’s only one command, or die” response: “hmm, I’d like a supersized death with a Coke”

I think you’ve just outlined something I find to be one of the key factors in any battle over issues that affect us all – the “General Mentality” – those who want change or support, but won’t help themselves or learn enough to understand why they need to, etc. (”seeders vs. leachers”, so to speak?), and (sadly) often make up the greatest percentage of the whole.

The only way things are going to change in a lot of these battles we’re having now is for people to start CATCHING UP to where things are in the first place. There’s absolutely NO EXCUSE for anyone in this current “generation”, who are using computers to accomplish all the things they do now, to be sitting back riding on the coattails of those they would call “geeks”.

The knowledge to empower themselves and take control of their boxes is all out there, if they’re really interested in being involved and want to make a real difference. And, it’s not anyone’s business to pass judgement on those who ARE doing things, and try to inflict some self-perceived “agenda of responsibility” on them .

my responses are typically edged with the underpinnings of annoyance towards this class of people. they bitch, they complain, but cant be bothered to do anything about it other than bitch and complain.

I like to think I make educated decisions, ones that are based on research or fact, and not the mindless dribble known as the mainstream media. this is a terse point in my mind, and I have no compunction to educate the morons that are too lazy to go figure it out for themselves.

and for the record, I do respect your posts, obviously, as I respond to them.

stw

Thank you for explaining.

I suffer from the opposite syndrome, where I like to offer information so much, in my attempt to educate everyone, it often backfires! And by often I mean 75% of the time.

People a) don’t care b) feel my excitement is “know it all” attitude c) are overloaded with info they stress out. But I really don’t care if there are some that don’t like it, by some I mean 75%. I feel, for me only, that I must learn how people think and feel and learn, so that I can manage my mental database appropriately. That process includes figuring out how different people learn and figuring out I can teach those that feel a, b, or c. Everyone has things that intrigue them and I want to know what that is for those I meet or interact with, then I can try to educate in way that does not cause a, b or c.

I expect the same in return, though I seldom get it unless I ask. I personally feel that we need to better educate ourselves and those around us for society as a whole to be better educated. The more we know the better we think and thus the better we act.

There is a grand amount of ignorance out there and it is disturbing. People that actually believe half of what CNN of Fox News says are voters and well… their daily actions and comments in the media reflect what education they’ve acquired. It is very scary.

Think of all the things that disgust you about the human race and then think about the last Fox News interview with the “average” citizen and you no longer need to wonder why the disgust exists.

in the giant picture of things, my help/no help is an insignificant thing. this is my motivation of apathy, nothing more.

Sure others *could* learn it themselves as you have, but many are not like you. Many are not self-teachers. Does that mean they don’t deserve to learn new things, especially knowledge that could save them from a common enemy (**AA groups)?

I am not saying you owe anyone anything, I just find it interesting you support sharing the wealth with regards to that which was created by someone else only. It doesn’t really separate you from the pack of IP patent folks who don’t want to freely share that which they created.

Also, I respectfully disagree with the claim that people invent for $$$. People invent because they are inspired and challenged and like the feeling of creating something new or doing the impossible. True, they don’t necessarily think what their invention could be used for in the “wrong” hands and some are in it for money, but most are in it for the thrill of creation.

To think otherwise is to say that musicians create for $$$ and let’s face it, Radiohead is not Nickelback, where the latter is only interested in the money.

and to be blunt, i have no moral compunction to help the uninformed. the MAFIAA campaign has been against printers, and dead people. and the low hanging fruit they sack using kazaa. honestly, understand an application if you plan on using it. dont take this the wrong way, but cmon. i banned bittorrent usage in 2003 because i knew it would leave footprints back to my server(s). i have no sympathy for those not paying attention.

just because i am literate i should step forward? see this is a big mistake in the world. science doesnt invent for the ‘better good’ of man, they invent for $$$, period. the intelligent of the world rules the world, you find them in politicians, lobbyists, lawyers, doctors, geneticists, et al. do you really think that a genetic biologist has any clue what the world will do with his discoveries? he doesnt care, he is discovering, thats it. the lawyers take over once the breakthru is achieved.

so i behooves some kind of duty i owe society because of my ability, that is as hypocrital as charging for my services. shit, should i offer my amicus pro bono? sure, why not, in your comprehension, i already ‘owe’ something, cause i ‘know’ something. hogwash.

the world will exist long after my stay….

stw

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stw