StevenRayOrr

Definition of VIRTUALLY

1: almost entirely : nearly

2: for all practical purposes <virtually unknown>

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/virtually

Even intelligent people that know the meaning of the word will make this mistake when writing casually. The English language would be much better off if we removed the word "literally" from it. Or, I suppose, if we all just decided to accept that "literally" now means "metaphorically".

In which case, please kill me.

Good point. I've been worried about Kutcher too, but I forgot how much everyone doubted Eisenberg's ability to play Zuckerberg. Sorkin proved himself; Eisenberg proved himself; hopefully Kutcher will too.

Thanks for the reminder.

It seems that we need to have a conversation about truth, art, and the space between the two. Just because it happened doesn't mean it is worth telling. Just because it happened doesn't mean that it will sell. Just because it happened doesn't mean that it is art.

Benjamin Franklin probably didn't do anything with a key and a kite and a thunderstorm. Did you know? Do you care? It makes a good story so we tell it. We build the mythology of our heroes (and villains) through the best narratives that we can construct, not necessarily the most true. Aaron Sorkin is not a truth-teller; he is a storyteller. His entire purpose is to entertain and he has a knack for doing just that.[0] Hopefully he manages to do so with this film, because there are parts of Steve Jobs' life that would do incredibly well with the Sorkin treatment. Personally, I can't wait. The author of this piece is not so excited. I have some advice for him: don't watch it, particularly since you don't seem to know the difference between biography and story.

[0]: See: The West Wing, Social Network, A Few Good Men, Moneyball.

iBalls?

Oh god. Why did I even say that? Someone kill me now.

It's "tire" in Canada, but our Commonwealth status has stopped meaning anything at all. We owe more to our American cultural ties than to our historical monarchy and our tendency towards UK English.

Source: my entire life and, I suppose, http://canadiantire.ca

The real question is if Lego produces more blocks than a brickyard. Or people than a... maternity ward?

Nope, you're right. It is kind of silly although maybe Lego somehow uses it as a point of advertising pride.

I do not pretend to understand very much of the original post. The TorrentFreak "translation" did make it a bit more clear, but I'm pretty much boiling this down to, "somebody is trying to poison the Internet -- if not now, then sometime soon".

It's easy to forget how young a medium the Internet is and that there are going to be a lot of pitfalls along the way that we haven't begun to imagine. This seems to be one of those. I guess the question that I have is simple: what happens next?

Or woman.

Hmm. Actually, and woman. Gender neutrality powers, activate!

I would absolutely love to stand on the surface of Mars or see Alpha Centauri with my own eyes, but I also know that such things are outside of my grasp. Poets and philosophers make for lousy explorers. It is enough for me that we, as a species, are reaching upward. It is enough for me that we, as a people, are overcoming chains that were not even imagined by our ancestors -- tasks so difficult, so alien that they would only describe it as touching the face of god. This is about more than the whimsical realized dream of an individual; it is the progression of the entire species.

This is how human beings are made great.

I get caught up in the romantics of this.

We could be explorers again like Magellan or Shackleton, this time charting the vast, infinitude of the stars. We could see planets and moons that are but specks in a telescope. It has been so easy, over the last few years, to become jaded with politics and our society and the minutia of technology. SpaceX gets me excited about "the future (of our species)" which hasn't happened in a long time.

I don't particular agree with the "visit other countries" sentiment, because I have not been convinced that traveling inherently leads to challenging your own ideas -- in fact, most people seem to come back pointing to experiences that confirmed their already existing biases.

But: the status quo is dangerous. It always has been. If we stay comfortable for too long we run the risk of being overtaken by those who don't know how to relax, by those who cannot relax. The tortoise and the hare retold again and again, ad infinitum.

What I'm trying to say is, "good piece".

Not that I disagree, but the argument against this is often: consumers are idiots. Most people have no idea about the finer details of "problems" like this one and so will completely ignore it when making their purchase. If the iPhone meets all their needs but does secret voodoo to carriers on the back end, consumers are losing -- sometimes long after they've voted with their dollar.

Hence: regulators.

So you have a source for this? It sounds equal parts insane and amazing. Certainly adds to the Valve mythos though.

Medieval History, English, & Film Studies. I shouldn't throw stones, because my chosen discipline of Political Theory is not exactly a bustling field. But: what did they think they were getting into? Education for the sake of education is fine, but it is incredibly difficult to take care of a family when you completely ignore economics.

Study what you love, sure, but don't expect that it will lead you to financial success.

I think we all know that spice coffee is only brewed and enjoyed in the comfort of the sietch. When you're deep on the sand dunes, the only thing you are drinking is your own refiltered urine.

Although now I want to see a study on coffee spillage while riding Shai-Hulud...

It certainly is possible to work full time and school full time, although I have not meet many people who are able to do both well. It requires a great deal of commitment and drive to be an excellent employee while being an excellent student -- particularly for two entire years, minimum, while finishing your degree. It is exhausting and puts a strain on you in other ways, not just having to give up on your free time to program.

If your options are "work full time with the freedom to do what you want to do" and "work full time, take a full course load, and have have no free time", it seems a pretty easy decision to me. Particularly because you actually seem excited abut the job and not at all excited about the prospect of more schooling.

Good luck choosing.