Cortese's Corner - formerly Beefy's Corner, the off topic chat thread

A country is defined by its geography, its mixture and size of population, its history. The USA has a similar ballsy attitude to government and the outside world as France. But the French have Liberté, égalité, fraternité [liberty, equality and brotherhood], which is very powerful. France isn't that big a country, and its population isn't as big and diverse as some [within the mainland]. Its history has also defined it to be united. The USA's civil war divided the population into two, with a deep mistrust between them. So bad it has killed Presidents.

The more I think about them, the more I think they are a hopeless case. But then there's the educated and emancipated classes in the States who could lead the way if government won't.

 

I dunno if I'm getting overexcited and caught up in the hype, but it seems like when 3D printing takes off then a whole lot of the market will be entirely worthless, which would surely be a huge punch in the dick of the economic system.

 

It's a worry if probably the most powerful country in the world (I dunno how China are doing) is such a hopeless case. Let's hope it all sorts itself out, but I get the feeling it doesn't work like that.

 

Sort of on topic, did you know that a new tort was created today? "Misuse of private information, in Google data case. First time in centuries. I don't really understand but it seems interesting.

 

Speaking of private information, did you reveal who Redstripe was in the end?

 

Yeah Dune from TUI.

 

One of Nick's mates then?

 

The ordinary Chinese have a history of servitude and obeying. It's where we get the word kowtow from, I believe. They are almost the perfect single large population to manipulate by centralised government. They'll be fine.

 

Yes, I meant to look him up on TUI. No Aubrey-Maturin tonight.

 

Fine in terms of, they'll take over the world just fine? As long as they don't ally with North Korea we'll be alright.

 

Yeah, with the system we have now that just puts a ton of people out of work because there are simply fewer jobs which need doing, and the economy collapses because it runs on commerce and commerce is ****ed.

Buuuut, imagine a world where we can print all our own **** at home, for only the cost of however much energy it takes to run the printer, and also imagine that we're running entirely on cheap (or free even) solar power enabled by awesome new creations such as graphene. There's very little buying and selling of goods left, but we still need to provide certain services for each other, we still need police and teachers and all that, and we need people to maintain the machines that make our lives so easy, so we all need to do our part and work, say, 15-20 hours a week. Not so much for profit, because that's not as important now, but just as a communal effort to keep this awesome society running. There are some holes in this idea of mine, I'm sure, but we can figure those out.

 

Think the biggest hole is, as it always would be, human nature. What's going to motivate someone to do training for an extremely hard and stressful job like being a surgeon, when there's no particular benefit to it because you have everything you want anyway? Some particularly altruistic people might, but I'd think they're a minority.

 

Hmm, it appears by the few and mixed responses he gets that he's almost as unpopular on that excuse for a fans forum as our intelligent quarters.

And yes, I have posted on TUI in the dim distant past. The very dim distant past, I may add. I think Matty was still playing without carrying an injury.

 

I'm sure I can think up a non-monetary incentive for that. Let's say, after about ten seconds of deliberation on my part, that tougher jobs are rewarded with larger plots of land. That seems like a commie way of doing things. You can print almost anything you want, but space is still finite. We divide it up according to each individual's societal contribution.

 

Ooh good answer. Seems we're set - send a letter to Russell Brand, he'll get the word out.

I've always been able to avoid TUI aside from a couple of scary glances, like today to check up on Dune. I lurked Saintsweb for a while but I think I'm still in single figures for posts, and haven't posted for years. This is home now!

 

Fine, in that they won't kick over the traces. World domination..? They're too polite. The Chinese have been around a long time. They've been there and done that. Civilised people. Like their tea, they've had long enough to brew.

 

China's cool enough. They have some human (and animal) rights issues that desperately need sorting out, and the smog is out of control, but they're opening up to us and working with us now and distancing themselves from NK and that. It'll be a very nice place to live in the future, and hey, they're already down with the communism so that won't be a difficult transition for them.

 

Well I certainly wouldn't want to think you were unsettled.

 

Just figured out what would improve things - some decent smileys, and a stop to this F*****G RAIN..!

My roof is leaking again slightly, I think.

The smileys I can do something about:

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The rain is just impossible.

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So, as mentioned in the other thread, I'm trying to make a sig out of Cortese ascending as an angel (in greyscale, naturally). This is what I have right now...alternations and accompanying text welcomed:

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