All off topic discussions go here. Everything from the funny thing your cat did to your favorite tv shows. Non-programming computer questions are ok too.
beyond infinity wrote:
...such a big country and only two political parties?
They have more, but only one with any hope of winning any significant number of votes (Nader and his Greens - I hope I got the names right). They're usually bashed by the Democrats whenever they decide to run, because they "take away votes".
That's what you get when your system is about "Mr. President"...
Every good solution is obvious once you've found it.
Throw away the Electoral College. Make the Senate elected by nation-wide Proportional Representation. Switch to Condorcet Method with Borda Count tiebreakers for one-winner elections.
Now a question, to continue our little game:
American or European? (I wouldn't be surprised if most people would answer "european," though I myself am american)
To take the edge off, we Germans aren't much better with our two-vote system (first vote for direct candidate, second vote for party). There's a district that will vote later than the others in the upcoming elections (one candidate died), and due to a couple of quirks in our voting system it might end up that SPD supporters will vote for CDU and CDU supporters vote for the FDP... ::)
Every good solution is obvious once you've found it.
Now a question, to continue our little game:
American or European? (I wouldn't be surprised if most people would answer "european," though I myself am american)
best is direct democracy as is done in Switzerland. They might have quite some oddball qualities considering behaviour towards foreigners (I've experienced that on my own skin, so pls don't argue with me), but theire modus operandi concerning the government stuff is quite fascinating. I bet none of our fat arsed, over fed politicians would ever dare to employ such a system in austria. They'd fail with most of their idiotic toll ideas and so forth if they' have to ask the ppl for every law they intend.
What we in austria experience is this mess called indirect democracy - crap - thats plain oligarchy. Those in government, once elected by chancellor nore those in parliament, once elected by us from some stupid lists care **** about the folk.
Well, enough of that.
@stephen: Ah ... and never forget your drizabone upon leaving the house *gg* I'm about to do myself a treat and buy one - imported from downunder.
Impatient and Stupid are hardly opposite, So if the selections were Fast and Impatient or Slow and Patient, I would go with the latter, Slow and patient. If it was indeed fast but smart or slow and stupid, then fast and impatient and smart... Patience is a virtue, didn't your mother ever teach you that
Calum wrote:
Impatient and Stupid are hardly opposite, So if the selections were Fast and Impatient or Slow and Patient, I would go with the latter, Slow and patient. If it was indeed fast but smart or slow and stupid, then fast and impatient and smart... Patience is a virtue, didn't your mother ever teach you that
MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV or AAC?
That's easy. Ogg.
MP3, WMA and AAC all have copyright issues plus people that can change the standard. WAV is plain uncompressed (or slightly compressed) so not a real contender. OGG is free (both as in free beer and free thinking).
Talking into your mobile on the train, or letting the voice box take it?
Definitely "letting the voice box take it". It's of no one's concern what my Talking is about but relatives to me - or my GF. I always find this hectic chit-chat in trains/busses and other means of public transport *extremely* disturbing.
Talking into your mobile on the train, or letting the voice box take it?
Definitely "letting the voice box take it". It's of no one's concern what my Talking is about but relatives to me - or my GF. I always find this hectic chit-chat in trains/busses and other means of public transport *extremely* disturbing.
complex numbers or trigonomety?
I'll take the simple one, complex numbers.
The CNN and MSNBC one was based on whether you wanted news that presented itself as neutral while it wasn't, or whether you wanted it to present itself as nonneutral. It's obvious which people will choose when faced with neutral vs nonneutral.
