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Tunnel with 40,000 LEDs Is the Closest You'll Ever Get to Light Speed
Broadband Cut Entirely From Stimulus Bill: Republicans Hate the Internets
Microsoft, Washington State Sue Scareware Makers over Fake Error Messages
Cruzin' Cooler Operator Gets Charged With DWI

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DeadWriter
02/24/09

In reply to Tunnel with 40,000 LEDs Is the Closest You'll Ever Get to Light Speed
Two American scientists are lost in the swirling maze of past and future ages, during the first experiments on America's greatest and most secret project, the Time Tunnel.
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bosskev
02/24/09

@DeadWriter: Now there's a referential blast from the past...or, would that be the future? Can't tell, it's all a swirling maze...

And (speaking of actors we all thought would be dead by now but somehow aren't) did you know that Lee Meriwether, 73, is not only still alive but continues to work in both film and television?
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nutbastard
02/24/09

In reply to Tunnel with 40,000 LEDs Is the Closest You'll Ever Get to Light Speed
run a zipline through it and gimme 3 hits of acid and i promise i'll entertain myself for 12 hours.
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DeadWriter
02/24/09

In reply to Tunnel with 40,000 LEDs Is the Closest You'll Ever Get to Light Speed
Boo wee ewuuu

Boo wee ewuuu

Doo dee doo de do do de-do

boo woo
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bosskev
02/24/09

@DeadWriter: Who?
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DeadWriter
02/24/09

@bosskev: Jelly Babby? (vegan for you)
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bosskev
02/24/09

@DeadWriter:

Private note to DeadWriter:

You do realize how many readers here have no idea what we're on about. You know--the culturally deprived, the hopelessly uneducated, the "I-take-every-comment-literally-because-I-have-no-idea-what-a-joke-is" types. And, of course, then there's also all those FaceBookers...

Or was that redundant?

Anyway, please keep this message to yourself, don't want to get slammed on my FB wall!!!

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mikeness
02/24/09

In reply to Tunnel with 40,000 LEDs Is the Closest You'll Ever Get to Light Speed
Energy consumption in the name of art... I love it, especially in the Nation's capital. Eat that damned dirt hippies.
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Hello Mister Walrus
02/24/09

@mikeness: According to the article, it's in "Washingtong DC".
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Lite: hates Illinois Nazis
02/24/09

In reply to Tunnel with 40,000 LEDs Is the Closest You'll Ever Get to Light Speed
What is this, a preview of Ohare's tunnels being refitted?
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OMG! Ponies!
02/07/09

In reply to Broadband Cut Entirely From Stimulus Bill: Republicans Hate the Internets
I partially blame Obama. There was a certain crude truth to George W. Bush's famous declaration that the 2006 midterm election gave him political capital to spend.

Obama has a ton of political capital. But that capital has no value until it is spent. At a certain point, he is going to need to pull his allies in the Congress in line and explain the situation.

President Obama needs to sit the Republican bloc down and explain that they will either vote for the bill which has the reasonable concessions that Obama and the Democrats made or the bill that will pass is the one with all the Democrat bells and whistles and no concessions to the Republicans.
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FuzzysFriedChicken
02/07/09

In reply to Broadband Cut Entirely From Stimulus Bill: Republicans Hate the Internets
Not enough was cut. Stimulus bill should stimulate the economy, not be a Democrat wet dream of free spending.
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Voyou_Charmant
02/07/09

@FuzzysFriedChicken: lol @ your simple understanding of how "things work".
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skotfarkis
02/07/09

In reply to Broadband Cut Entirely From Stimulus Bill: Republicans Hate the Internets
• $16 Billion for school construction

• $3.5 Billion for higher education construction

a major part of creating construction jobs totally cut from the bill :P
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RobotVampire
02/07/09

@skotfarkis: Yeah, let's build new schools when many states have school sitting empty, good plan.
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Voyou_Charmant
02/07/09

@RobotVampire: GET OFF MY INTERNETS.
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XanderCrews
02/07/09

In reply to Broadband Cut Entirely From Stimulus Bill: Republicans Hate the Internets
Ironic that you chose to include an image of the Founders with this post, considering their views on the role of the federal government.
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Voyou_Charmant
02/07/09

@XanderCrews: Which founder, specifically?

Your statement is so open-ended that it would imply you don't actually know what your statement even means.

Who's view are you referring to?

Thomas Jefferson?

Alexander Hamilton?

John Adams?

James Madison?

Benjamin Franklin?

OR maybe someone more obscure?

Anyway, the picture is of the Continental Congress, not the "Founders", who's idea of what the roll of government is/should be varied greatly.
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Oh yeah, I still have a clock and a pencil!
02/08/09

@Voyou_Charmant: I am of the Ben Franklin's opinion of our Republic myself AND I believe you are getting trollish and just ATTEMPTING to bitch slap any opposing ideas, even new and different ones.

1. Open your mind

2. Get off of your ass and be part of the solution

3. Stop trolling other peoples comments, there is a ban-hammer for a reason
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Voyou_Charmant
02/10/09

@Kevin:

That is a fairly vague statement concerning Franklin, but, you're probably pretty upset about all the money being taken from education, science, technology, innovation, etc..? You're probably very happy with Obama's call for volunteerism, to fulfill one's civic duty, so to speak?

Debate and opposition to ones comments is not "trolling", I'll admit a couple of comments were just one liner throw away remarks, but who doesn't do that from time to time? The vast majority of my comments here are from an informed position with a real opposing view point. Did you accuse of Robotvampire of trolling as well? He has posted as many comments in disagreement, with a commenter, or with the specific post as I have.

1) Open my mind? To what? We're not talking about new types of music, or art -- it's politics, and at some point facts and figures, hard number, data, history all need to be looked at. Unfortunately, you have people posting meaningless questions under the guise of some greater understanding.

2) I'm very involved in local politics, I campaigned heavily for Obama (and prior to that Edwards, oh well) I call my Reps and Senators, I attend county meetings when there are issues of importance to me. What makes you think I'm somehow disengaged from real action?

3) Using the term "ban-hammer" should actually get you banned.
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devonbowers
02/07/09

In reply to Broadband Cut Entirely From Stimulus Bill: Republicans Hate the Internets
Wow this is like a liberal fanboy site right now.
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Hello Mister Walrus
02/07/09

@devonbowers: Disagreement about matters like this is actually important, in my opinion. On one hand, you have republican congress people who want to spend conservatively, but on the other hand, you have liberal tech-hippies who want huge subsidies for broadband internet. In the end, we get some sort of compromise in which everyone is generally happy, and that is better for society overall.
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Voyou_Charmant
02/07/09

@devonbowers: Yeah, liberals tend to take an interest in technology and science -- the sort of stuff they talk about here.

Go comment on the freerepublic site if you don't like it.
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First
02/07/09

In reply to Broadband Cut Entirely From Stimulus Bill: Republicans Hate the Internets
This is why it takes Decades to get anything done.

We should eliminate the Government completely and have the country run as a For Profit Company.

for example... The United States of Wal-Mart... Bad Example, I know.
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rimshot515
02/07/09

@winmac: Honestly, that's not too bad of an idea. As long as they follow the constitution that is.
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Hello Mister Walrus
02/07/09

@winmac: I agree with you in principal. The premier of Hong Kong is called the Chief Executive - they are a very capitalistic country and are doing great because of it.

The problem is that the government's purpose is not just to increase economic growth. They have to worry about the environment, social rights, and all that intangible stuff.
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RobotVampire
02/07/09

@winmac: Walmart is one of the few retail chains that is meeting or exceeding their foretasted earnings. Them and McDonalds.
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Hello Mister Walrus
02/07/09

@RobotVampire: That's mostly because everyone has no money now. If you are poor you buy cheap things, aka you go to Walmart and McDonalds.

They are well-run companies, though. Particularly Walmart - possibly the best distribution system in the world.
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Voyou_Charmant
02/07/09

@rimshot515: My head just caught on fire at exactly how stupid this statement is.
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Voyou_Charmant
02/07/09

@RobotVampire: Yeah, why doesn't the government appreciate the race to the bottom like Walmart? Maybe we could write legislation in China, move the House of Representatives to a call center flooded with human waste in India and hell. The Senate could be run by Colombian anti-labor murder squads.
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Woden501
02/07/09

In reply to Broadband Cut Entirely From Stimulus Bill: Republicans Hate the Internets
I can kind of understand a few of these. This is a stimulus bill to help our economy. Giving $50 million to NASA doesn't really do all that much for the economy, and neither does giving $300 million for research. In the long run those two things might make a difference, but within the next year or two they won't do all that much.

Don't get me wrong I'm a strong support of NASA I think that we should give them all the money we can, but I'm also a realist and realize that right now the money needs to go elsewhere.
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PresidenToor
02/07/09

@Woden501: During the Apollo program NASA accounted for around half the nations GDP...
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Hello Mister Walrus
02/07/09

@PresidenToor: "During the Apollo program NASA accounted for around half the nations GDP..."

That basically means the government spent a shitload of money on rockets. It doesn't make the economy better. Government money has to come from somewhere, i.e. taxes or borrowing from other countries. So, to have a huge space program, they would have had to make everyone poorer through taxes, or increase the national debt through borrowing.

There is also the "crowding out effect" to consider. Spending money on NASA increases capital costs, which decreases private investment. So chances are, government spending on NASA decreased growth in other industries.
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ghmlco
02/07/09

@Hello Mister Walrus: "That basically means the government spent a shitload of money on rockets. It doesn't make the economy better."

Yeah, millions spent HERE ON EARTH on engineers, technicians, assistants, contractors, materials, buildings, parts, and so on doesn't help the economy.

None of those people buy houses, cars, clothes, food, send their kids to school, pay taxes...
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Hello Mister Walrus
02/07/09

@ghmlco: Those people you mentioned benefit, but everyone else loses. You tax everyone else to pay for engineers and technicians. Very simple.
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John Soares
02/07/09

In reply to Broadband Cut Entirely From Stimulus Bill: Republicans Hate the Internets
Congratulations republicans! You've rediscovered fiscal conservatism in exactly the wrong ways.
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Voyou_Charmant
02/07/09

@John Soares: I like that it takes a Democratic President for them to find it.
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cowboyshootist
02/08/09

@Voyou_Charmant: Funny...the Democrats have had control of Congress for 2 years now and what was it exactly they did to curb spending?

Remember how they promised CHANGE in 2006?
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Voyou_Charmant
02/10/09

@cowboyshootist: "Fiscal responsibility has never been the cornerstone of the Democratic party, though Clinton made it a high priority.

I think there has always been an understanding, from the Democratic side, that there is a time and place to spend money, where are Republicans seem to be possessed by the dishonest ghost of Reagan anytime spending money on the people is requested.

The Dem s Rep debate is a false debate anyway, it's corporatist vs populists. I personally am not the CEO of any company, so I'm partial to any politician that will pass legislation and spend money on what I see as an investment in the people -- an investment for greater good.
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Linux Chief hardware engineer
02/07/09

In reply to Broadband Cut Entirely From Stimulus Bill: Republicans Hate the Internets
Dumbass republicans.

They really do hate this country.

Not just for this, but all the stuff they cut.

I agree with stephen colbert, he said that if the republicans are going to vote against the package, they should refuse any of the money in their districts.

Seriously.
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TalKeaton
02/07/09

@Jim Halpert: Well, what exactly would you cut? The point here is that stuff needed to be cut from the bill to make it work. And everything's apparently necessary. There's a ton of great stuff in this bill.

So, no matter what was cut, you were going to hate the Republicans either way, non?
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BeautifulAgony
02/07/09

@TalKeaton: "...you were going to hate the Republicans either way, non?"

Well, duh...
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Bob Brown
02/07/09

In reply to Broadband Cut Entirely From Stimulus Bill: Republicans Hate the Internets
The problem with the government putting money into the economy is that government gets that money by taking it out of the economy.
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Hello Mister Walrus
02/07/09

@Bob Brown: The goal of the stimulus is not to magically create more wealth - it is to stabilize the economic shock. The money they spend will be recouped from future fiscal surpluses (in theory, anyway).
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