bugleyman's page

We're trained from birth to think in decimal, which matches (1) the median number of fingers, and (2) the metric system. Imperial is inferior, both in that it is inconsistent (12 inches to a foot, 16 ounces to a pound) and that it is not decimal.

The United States should really just get with the program.

bugleyman wrote:

Let me jump to the end of this thread and save everyone some time:

The person/people with whom I disagree represent(s) unprecedented* evil -- double-plus-ungood, even -- and must be stopped at *all* costs. Anyone who disagrees is stupid/misguided/uninformed.

You're welcome.

<lock>

* I know this had been said every year since forever, but I it's really true this time. Trust me.

And since this is obviously a strawman, the opposite really must be true: There must be no real substantive differences between the groups. No particular reason to choose one or the other.

Might as well just stop paying attention.

Stop paying attention? Never.

Stop trying to win arguments on the Internet, on the other hand...

Let me jump to the end of this thread and save everyone some time:

The person/people with whom I disagree represent(s) unprecedented* evil -- double-plus-ungood, even -- and must be stopped at *all* costs. Anyone who disagrees is stupid/misguided/uninformed.

You're welcome.

<lock>

* I know this had been said every year since forever, but I it's really true this time. Trust me.

So decided to pick up EW based on the strength of EU. I started again from the beginning, and so far, so good. I love how Meld is fully integrated into the campaign.

Do you have an AMD CPU and/or an AMD/ATI graphics card?

More and more and more PC games are now pretty much optimised for nVidia cards only, the result of AMD/ATI losing massive amounts of market share (nVidia now have about 55-60% of the PC graphics market, AMD are down to about 25%). Looking through the bug report list, a lot of them are coming from people with AMD hardware.

I know it sucks to be in that situation, but by some accounts AMD have been less than cooperative in working with games manufacturers on optimising things for their games, so it's a difficult situation to be in.

Yup...Radeon 6850. Happily, I have various other parts, including a GTX 550ti lying around. Maybe I'll give that a whirl.

PS4 looks like a solid product...I just don't play console games often enough to justify buying one. Probably get one for my kids next Christmas once they've had a while to build up the game library.

What bugs? I've never encountered any in 80 hours (on PC). The closest thing is what the camera very occasionally gets a bit confused and sits on the other side of a wall whilst you're firing on the other side, but that's hardly serious.

These bugs.

But the one that kept getting me was the game would just hang when switching between soldiers. I could still move the camera, etc., but couldn't take any actions. Happened two or three times, and once at the end of a long involved mission. That soured me on the game and I've still not gone back.

I loved the original X-Com, and really enjoyed Enemy Unknown, but eventually the bugs just got too frustrating and I never finished the game.

Has the game been patched to be more stable? If so, I might have to pick-up the expansion.

Forcing the issue requires abhorrent abuse of power. As is usually the case, it would be far better to change the incentives (which has largely already happened in the developed world).

If they want to make a D&D movie that people will actually want to go and see, they're going to need to use a setting and character people actually know.

On the contrary, I think they just need to make a good movie. YMMV. :)

So...
Healthcare.gov is complex software. Check.
Complicated software has vulnerabilities. Check.
Therefore Healtcare.gov likely has some vulnerabilities. Check.
Ergo, the ACA is bad. Wait...what?

And Justin, you're demanding detailed design docs on the Internet (the existence of which would be a huge security breach) to prove the software is secure? Do you even understand how ludicrous you sound?

I'm going to go to the city bus depot and slash the tires on every bus...

...and then be outraged when my bus is late. I told you so!

Not necessarily.

First, if there is a vulnerability in the ACA application, then a hacker can use it as a starting place from which to elevate privileges.
Second, if the ACA server is connected to insurance provider servers, the hacker can move from the ACA server to the insurance provider servers. One common way to do that is with XSRF.

If that is the case, then the insurance provider's application has a problem, not healthcare.gov. Unless you're arguing that the information wouldn't have been available online in any form without the ACA? I think that would be a pretty tough argument to make -- and even if you could, it still isn't a problem with healthcare.gov.

Maybe someone who gets medical care because of the ACA -- and subsequently survives -- will go on to assassinate the president. In which case, I guess you'd say the ACA killed the president? :P

Markets may not be perfect, but they are the best option out of the list of imperfect choices.

I respect the power of the profit motive, and the efficiencies that markets deliver. But I think markets work best when regulated, which is Keynesianism in a nut shell. Unfortunately, part of the American public reliably confuses regulation with Socialism.

Now that the ACA is in place, 1.5% have had their current coverage cancelled as of Dec 01 2013 because it's not good enough for what's set forth in the ACA, AND the 29% this was for can't get onto the exchanges to get healthcare, either.

Any coverage in place when the law was signed is exempt from ACA requirements forever. These are known as grandfathered plans. Any company that canceled coverage effective Jan 1, 2014 was NOT required to do so by the ACA. Did they use the ACA as an excuse? Quite possibly.

Edit: Turns out I was mistaken -- Grandfathered plans are exempt from some requirements, but not others. Here is a good article on the matter. I would summarize things thusly: Some plans are being canceled because bringing them into compliance with the law would make them less profitable than the insurance company is willing to accept.

Markets aren't as fragile as you think.

Someone better tell this guy.

Smart-assery aside, there are some pretty good arguments out there that markets aren't the panacea they're often made out to be. Assuming you're willing to look.

That's some startlingly bad judgement on the part of the police and the doctors.

Justin Rocket wrote:

I know about the "land, labor, and capital" view of production. But, there isn't just one possible view of production and, by definition of a complex system, no view is complete.

Regardless, your assertion was that the economic paradigm has changed and that labor now owns capital. Which is patently false for the vast majority of us.

Yup. I think labor is in much greater danger of becoming irrelevant than is capital. Just look at our tax structure...

Oh, oh! I took Econ 101, 102, and 330-something. Can I play, too?

Here in 'Merica, we exercise our freedom to select an objectively inferior measurement system. And by select, I mean "remain too lazy to bother changing." :P

Besides, I'm pretty sure that metric system is Socialist. Think about it -- every unit of measurement is exactly 1/10 the size of the next larger unit. Talk about equality of outcome!

I'll offer you a deal. I'll quit "attacking and insulting" people -- neither of which I've done here -- as soon as people stop confusing Keynesian progressives with socialists. The distinction isn't subtle.

But the primary issue with coercive power is that someone has to wield it. If it isn't the government it will be someone else. With the government, at least you have some power to effect change through representation.

Well and succinctly put.

Anti-equality? What the hell does that mean?

It means opposing equal rights for everyone. Don't be obtuse.

So it's impossible to censure a bigot without becoming a bigot oneself? Nonsense.

The existence of gay NPCs = political? That's homophobia, plain and simple.

In other news though: I bought the beginner box and am really excited to try it. I've realized something from my other thread (4e vs PF) and it's that the systems may be different, but every person has his/her opinions on it and neither system is better nor worse. I know that isn't really like an epiphany or anything but I'm really excited to try PF considering I never played 3.5. I've heard the rules may be a little more complicated than 4e but that's okay. I learn rules pretty quickly; especially related to games and gaming.

You won't be disappointed -- the beginner box is a fantastic product.

That said, it is an introductory product, so much of the complexity of the full game has been removed. It sounds like you might consider spending $10 on a PDF of the core rules as well.

I found 4E to be mechanically superior to Pathfinder, but inferior in terms of adventure support, setting material, PDFs, and plain-old completeness in the core rules. As a result of these shortcoming, 4E failed -- and many great ideals were deemed untenable.

I'm looking forward to trying 5E, but my expectations aren't high.

Guys...don't feed the troll. Seriously.

Yes, the failure of Obamacare to do anything about the skyrocketing costs of health care is one of its biggest drawbacks.

No argument here. But this is kinda one of those "perfect being the enemy of the good" situations, no?

But, then again, this "health care reform" business wasn't about the American people getting better health care. It was about shifting the burden of that costs onto the laboring population.

Yay "progressives"!

All costs are ultimately borne by the proles. But why am I telling you that? Aren't you a Communist? :P

bugleyman wrote:

Don't bother, Scott. Clearly the working poor are the greedy ones. :P

How dare they aspire to a living wage! Don't they know they should be paying for a private education they can't afford in order to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps?

And don't forget that many have the audacity to hope that their children, should they be unfortunate enough to become sick, won't die in a ditch. Leeches.

Really, we should just shout "bootstraps!" at chronically ill children who can't afford treatment. It's their fault for getting sick. They should buckle down, master medical science, and treat themselves!

Meh. This will be appealed and overturned -- as it should be.

Rest assured the mega-rich have numerous other ways to screw you.

Don't bother, Scott. Clearly the working poor are the greedy ones. :P

bugleyman wrote:

Comrade Anklebiter wrote:

I heard his administration has been committing war crimes in Pakistan and Yemen.

I've heard he's an incompetent mastermind. Also, he's an iron-fisted dictator who can't control the federal bureaucracy. And he's rounding up the guns. And crushing freedom of speech (this one is usually said with no sense of irony whatsoever). He's Keynesian. Or Kenyan. Or something.

He's a bad, bad man.

You left out Atheist Muslim communist socialist

Oh right! Apologies to our worst (illegitimate) president ever. :P

I heard his administration has been committing war crimes in Pakistan and Yemen.

I've heard he's an incompetent mastermind. Also, he's an iron-fisted dictator who can't control the federal bureaucracy. And he's rounding up the guns. And crushing freedom of speech (this one is usually said with no sense of irony whatsoever). He's Keynesian. Or Kenyan. Or something.

He's a bad, bad man.

I'm not sure what you guys are trying to prove, but New Hampshire, while having low sales taxes and no personal income tax, has pretty high property taxes and the "harshest" corporate tax burden in the country.

I'm trying to prove that the middle class is taking in the shorts to benefit the rich, but being told to blame the poor. And it's working.

Though really all one should need to do is look around.

I'm confused. Did Obama make you lose your healthcare, or did he raise your premiums?

Both! Remember kids, Obama is the worst president evar.

Taxes are necessary for society to function. We're all members of society. Why is this so hard to understand?

The tea party isnt about Rich people fighting. It looks like most are middle/lower class voters sick of their money being wasted and tired of being taxed.

I repeat: Revenue as a % of GDP is just about the lowest it has been in 60 years.

That's right: "Obama has raised taxes to records levels" is a bald-faced lie. So why all the anger just now, I wonder? Hmmm...

LOL, every time I mention taxation as being the forced taking of property from someone, I get this surge of "Well, the rich bastards got rich by stealing from us poor folks anyway!" or "The rich can afford it" or similar comments.

It is almost as if these folks believe that taxing rich people alone could pay for all the stuff they want the government to buy.

I really think that's what is going to surprise the hell out of a lot of them, when they realize that the rich can't be taxed enough to pay for it all and the government will be coming to get a chunk from THEM too.

Ah well, we all have to learn lessons in life.

That's quite a chip you've got on your shoulder. Pray tell, what other "lessons" have I to learn, oh wise one?

For the record, I already pay a higher percentage of my income in taxes than the so-called 1%. Or have you forgotten this already?

Not that it matters -- unlike the Tea Party, I understand that my taxes haven't gone up under Obama. That's right. Revenue as a % of GDP isn't high...it's actually just about the lowest it has been in 60 years. You know what else has been going down? The effective tax rates on the highest earners. In other words, we have a revenue problem.

But sure, the poor people are engaging in class warfare. Those jealous bastards. /s

Adamantine Dragon wrote:

How is it possible that someone does not realize that a "taxpayer subsidy" is the very definition of "taking the property of others?"

Tell that to all those rich people who make their fortunes off of them, like Walmart.

No kidding. Companies employ tens of thousands who need public assistance to survive. Not only do the companies not dispute this, they tacitly acknowledge it by advising their employees how to best collect public assistance. It's disguising.

Taxation as theft ignores how the wealthy got (and stay) that way. Meritocracy and trickle-down are myths. The idea that they're selling -- that the poor are to blame for the woes of the middle class -- is patently ridiculous.

Looks pretty sucky to me, frankly. Oh; and "elective" isn't just boob jobs.

You can need elective surgery and be in excruciating pain, which is pretty sucky.

As opposed to the ~48 MILLION people in the United States that have no insurance whatsoever, and no access to primary care, let alone specialists?

Even assuming the worst about Canadian health care, I know which I'd prefer.

Health Care in Canada is so awful that none of our notables would be caught dead using it, right?

Market Watch is not generally known for being a pink liberal advocacy rag, so you might want to read this article

Yes there are medical procedures that tend to be delayed. They are generally the ELECTIVE non-emergency procedures so that costs can be kept down.

Guess we have to add Market Watch -- Along with 86% of Canada -- to the list of those with whom it is "not worth having a discussion."

It's certainly a time saver. :P

Yeah. Champions Complete boils it down to 1 128 page book, but I think it was too little too late - even though I have the 6E core books, I love CC.

I thought CC was twice that many pages.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

I love this place.

I had to look that up. Quit teaching me stuff!

Less blood overall? Ain't nobody got time for that. Besides, I'm too busy throwing children into wood chippers.

How far do you have your head up there to not know the difference between "hostility to those that are different" and not being willing to feed innocent people to the killers and rapists?

Here is more on authoritarian followers. Of particular interest to you might be: "5. Hostility: RWAs frequently become hostile when confronted."

Yeah, cause that'll teach 'em!

I'll just leave this here.

thaX wrote:

Use cool downs, have casters use a pool to do stunts, treat Prepared spells as Known Spells (with the cool downs) and leave behind the need to prepare more than one copy of a given spell.

I know, it wouldn't be the same. Isn't that the point? The game needs to move forward. Make the monk viable, have the Fighter do more than swing swords, let the Rogue bluff his way through and so on. Remove alignment restrictions on base classes, have a unified magic system, have craft/profession be a part of backgrounds instead of a skill, Tone down feats, having some be chosen class abilities, others into traits and backgrounds and so on...

Hey, didn't 4E do most of that?

Yes. And those things are therefore terrible, horrible, no good, and very bad.

Record levels of tax revenues in nominal dollars. Which doesn't really mean anything.

As a percentage of GDP it's still below long term average.

Preach on, brother.