Desipio Message Board

January 12 – A long-distance radio message is sent from the Eiffel Tower for the first time.
February 18 – Japanese immigration to the U.S.A. is forbidden.
May 26 – At Masjid-al-Salaman in southwest Persia, the first major commercial oil discovery in the Middle East is made. The rights to the resource are quickly acquired by the United Kingdom.
June 30 – The Tunguska event, also known as the Russian explosion, occurs near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Siberia, Russian Empire.
September 27 – Henry Ford produces his first Model T automobile

October 14 - The Chicago Cubs win the World Series.

See y'all on the other side.

Quote from: thehawk on January 29, 2010, 10:18:56 AM

Quote from: SKO on January 29, 2010, 10:08:01 AM

Quote from: Dr. Nguyen Van Falk on January 29, 2010, 10:04:58 AM

Quote from: SKO on January 29, 2010, 09:59:38 AM
And as for the bolded part, I find that notion unsettling. I'm not sure I trust Congress to judge whether a problem (meaning something the Supreme Court deemed unconstitutional being reinstated) needs to be "cured" by leglislation.

But that's their job.

QuoteTo make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

Why do you hate the Constitution so much?

Yes, I understand that Congress passes legislation. I just don't think Congress passing legistlation that's basically designed to overturn a Supreme Court decision is a great idea. Frankly, though, the answer I wanted has been given, because I didn't really think about the Court just turning over said legislation. The system works, I guess. Thank you, Desipio roundtable.

Another point is that, if people think the Constitution requires somthing that people really really do not want, the Constitution is amendable [which would of course have the effect of overturning any Surpreme Court decision), and the amendment process starts in the Congress.  While I do not think Obama was going there with campaign finance yet, other presidents have recommended amendments (Reagan recommended a balanced budget amendment, I think the Equal Rights Amendment was pushed by a few democrats as well).  I don't see a problem with Obama complaining about a Surpreme Court decision as he did in the speech.

Overturning statutory interpretations of SCOTUS decisions is often done.  In 1982 Congress amended the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to overrule a narrow Supreme Court holding in Mobile v. Bolden, a 1980 decision that addressed whether intentional discrimination must be shown before the act could be invoked. In 1988, Congress overruled another Supreme Court decision (in  Grove City College v. Bell) by passing the Civil Rights Restoration Act, which broadened the coverage of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The legislative history of that law specifically recited that "certain aspects of recent decisions and opinions of the Supreme Court have unduly narrowed or cast doubt upon" a number of federal civil rights statutes and that "legislative action is necessary to restore the prior consistent and long-standing executive branch interpretations" of those laws.

And in 1991, Congress passed a broad, new Civil Rights Act that specifically reversed no fewer than five Supreme Court cases decided in 1989--decisions that severely restricted and limited workers' rights under federal antidiscrimination laws.  The new law recited in its preamble that its purpose was "to respond to recent decisions of the Supreme Court by expanding the scope of relevant civil rights statutes in order to provide adequate protection to victims of discrimination."

The trickiest issue is whether or not Congress can overturn CU with remedial legislation.  This decision was rendered under first amendment grounds, aka constitutional interpretation, and I doubt the further legislation would satisfy the compelling state interest test that SCOTUS would impose on the new law.  Unless one of the Five Horsemen kicks the bucket soon, this is the law of the land.

Also, SKO, remember this.  Article 1 is number one for a reason.  The founders may have envisioned separate and equal branches, but Congress comes first.

Quote from: flannj on January 28, 2010, 06:52:49 PM

Quote from: Gil Gunderson on January 28, 2010, 03:58:34 PM

Quote from: CT III on January 28, 2010, 02:47:48 PM

Quote from: Fork on January 28, 2010, 02:34:30 PM

Quote from: CT III on January 28, 2010, 01:51:49 PM

Quote from: Day Man on January 28, 2010, 12:54:30 PM

Quote from: Wheezer on January 28, 2010, 12:25:29 PM

Quote from: Gil Gunderson on January 28, 2010, 11:24:50 AM

Quote from: Day Man on January 28, 2010, 10:45:53 AM
First the Olympics, now this?

While I still say fuck the Olympics, this does suck.

A smaller event that I can actually see without navigating some disease-ridden mob sounds pretty good to me.

Sorry.

First the Olympics, now this?

Also, for some reason Chicago is omitted as one of the host cities for the US's 2018 World Cup bid.  I know the grass hockee isn't too popular around here, but that's completely idiotic, especially since Indianapolis is included as one of the sites. 

Strange, since last time the WC was here, Chicago got all Germany's games, and tickets went in a heartbeat.

Also strange in that the US Soccer Federation's HQ is in Chicago.

Fuck soccer.

Wait... Gil is Fork?

You ever throw up in your mouth a little bit when you burp?  Yeah, just happened.

Quote from: Oleg on January 28, 2010, 06:08:05 PM

Quote from: MAD on January 28, 2010, 05:41:24 PM

Quote from: Internet Apex on January 28, 2010, 05:38:19 PM
If the Expos had any fans, those people might have gone to games occasionally where they'd have developed fond memories of The Hawk. But alas...

They had fans, pre-1994.

Or somebody was sitting in those 2.2 + million seats when Hawk was patrolling center.

How big was that place?

It was an Olympic Stadium.

Quote from: CT III on January 28, 2010, 02:47:48 PM

Quote from: Fork on January 28, 2010, 02:34:30 PM

Quote from: CT III on January 28, 2010, 01:51:49 PM

Quote from: Day Man on January 28, 2010, 12:54:30 PM

Quote from: Wheezer on January 28, 2010, 12:25:29 PM

Quote from: Gil Gunderson on January 28, 2010, 11:24:50 AM

Quote from: Day Man on January 28, 2010, 10:45:53 AM
First the Olympics, now this?

While I still say fuck the Olympics, this does suck.

A smaller event that I can actually see without navigating some disease-ridden mob sounds pretty good to me.

Sorry.

First the Olympics, now this?

Also, for some reason Chicago is omitted as one of the host cities for the US's 2018 World Cup bid.  I know the grass hockee isn't too popular around here, but that's completely idiotic, especially since Indianapolis is included as one of the sites. 

Strange, since last time the WC was here, Chicago got all Germany's games, and tickets went in a heartbeat.

Also strange in that the US Soccer Federation's HQ is in Chicago.

Fuck soccer.

Quote from: Chuck to Chuck on January 28, 2010, 02:09:08 PM

Quote from: MikeC on January 28, 2010, 09:48:34 AM
You know what Bush inherited alot of crap from Clinton too but he never blamed him for his problems.

What?

"To understand the State of the Union, we must look not only at where we are and where we're going but where we've been. The situation at this time last year was truly ominous. [...] First, we must understand what's happening at the moment to the economy. Our current problems are not the product of the recovery program that's only just now getting under way, as some would have you believe; they are the inheritance of decades of tax and tax, and spend and spend. [...] The only alternative being offered to this economic program is a return to the policies that gave us a trillion-dollar debt, runaway inflation, runaway interest rates and unemployment," - Ronald Reagan

Yeah, well that was Reagan, and he's dead, so there.

Riposte!!

Quote from: CBStew on January 28, 2010, 01:52:05 PM
This is Phil Rogers' opinion.  He is entitled to his opinion.  I just wish that he would write more coherent run-on sentences.

"Along with guys such as Tim Raines, Gary Carter, Steve Rogers, Jeff Reardon, Ellis Valentine, Warren Cromartie, Larry Parrish and Tim Wallach — among others — he was part of a remarkable run for the Expos' player development staff and, no matter what he thinks about the turf at Olympic Stadium, belongs more to Montreal's fans than any among us in Chicago."

So, +9 for the Expos then?

Quote from: Oleg on January 28, 2010, 12:35:49 PM

Quote from: Gil Gunderson on January 28, 2010, 12:32:44 PM

Quote from: MAD on January 28, 2010, 12:30:50 PM
FIGHT!  FIGHT! FIGHT!

This just pisses me off.

Oleg, you small bastard, YOU READ MY PICKS!!!

I swear I did not.

I know.  I'm just miffed that you're getting five points to my one for the same guy.

But, that's my fault.

Also, it really sucks that JD Salinger died.  Maybe if he had emerged from his recusal from these many years, more people would know who he is, as opposed to the millions of high school freshman.

Quote from: MAD on January 28, 2010, 12:30:50 PM
FIGHT!  FIGHT! FIGHT!

This just pisses me off.

Oleg, you small bastard, YOU READ MY PICKS!!!

Quote from: Day Man on January 28, 2010, 10:45:53 AM
First the Olympics, now this?

While I still say fuck the Olympics, this does suck.

Guess more people will be driving to Indiana the first week of July.

Quote from: Dr. Nguyen Van Falk on January 27, 2010, 10:20:58 PM

Quote from: ChuckD on January 27, 2010, 06:30:29 PM
The benefit of the Kindle is that it doesn't destroy your eyes. If you're looking strictly for an e-reader, then the iPad isn't a better device. It's more powerful and more useful in general, but it's not really a better e-reader.

Honestly, I think the notion that backlit displays are inherently harder on the eyes than reflected light is overblown. Whether light is reflected or not, it's still just photons being directed at my retina. Yeah, if the backlight is considerably brighter than the ambient, that can get harsh. But even then I can easily replicate the relatively low-contrast ratio of a Kindle display on my laptop just by ratcheting down the brightness 10 steps.

Perhaps a more reasonable knock against backlighting is the flicker. Florescent backlighting has the same constant high-frequency flicker as all florescent lighting, and I gather LED backlighting (as found in the iPad) uses rapid flickering to attenuate brightness.

But neither even begin to approach the eye-gouging associated with low-refresh-rate CRTs of yesteryear. I feel like you're more liable to suffer eye strain these days from simply staring at the same object 10 inches from your face for hours at a time than from anything inherent to the screen itself.

That said, even granting that it might be better for its dedicated purpose, the Kindle is still effectively the hardware word processor to the iPad's personal computer...



Word processing typewriters apparently remain well suited enough for dedicated niche tasks that there's still something of a market for them. A negligibly small market, but a market nonetheless. But for most tasks, the personal computer almost immediately proved good enough to supplant them.

Whatever the market for e-readers might be (and Amazon has never, as far as I'm aware, released official Kindle sales figures), there's no way it approaches the relatively broader appeal of a general purpose device like. And, given current prices for these things ($259-$490 for a Kindle, $259 for a Nook, $199-$299 for a Sony Reader), I think a more general purpose device that is a good enough e-reader substitute has a great shot at dominating its single-purpose cousins on their turf.

We're already talking $200-$300 down for a single purpose device. For $200 more initial investment (plus maybe the price of a slight increase in eye strain) you get a computer to go with it: A general purpose device that (whenever you're through reading Norman Mailer's* latest clap-trap about his waning libido) will let you watch a movie, surf the web, play a game, write an email, watch a live feed of a Cubs game... or whatever other possibilities come down the pike as the App Store continues to grow.

That's a trade-off I think more people looking at these choices than not would be willing to make.

This about covers it...

QuoteThe Kindle is too expensive for a single-purpose device.

Amazon really has two roads it can choose now. One would be to completely redo the Kindle, adding more functionality, speeding it up, and integrating touch, color, a Web browser and a new user interface.

The second option would be to strip the device to its bare bones and drop the price as much as possible. A lot of people will have a hard time justifying $500 for the lowest entry-level iPad and would probably choose a $100 Kindle if they were hoping to find a new device to replace their paper-book reading.

One more thing ...

Kindle's store and its reading application for the iPhone are both excellent, simple experiences for purchasing and consuming books. Amazon understands this market better than anyone and could easily sell more books on the iPad than Apple could through its new iTunes bookstore. Amazon also offers an excellent recommendation system, and I can envision some users opting for the Kindle application on their fancy new iPads.

And I don't find the arguments on the other side terribly convincing.

*Or maybe the latest clap-trap from someone who's not dead.

I'm intrigued by your theories and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

Goddamn, that was one of the best SOTU's I've seen in a long time.

The coup de grâce for me was the smackdown of SCOTUS; Alito took it really personally.

I think the President is back.

Quote from: Yeti on January 27, 2010, 06:49:04 PM

Quote from: CBStew on January 27, 2010, 06:26:47 PM
...a 42 DDD Bra

Initially, I was going to correct your placement of this, but I'd prefer if the DDD thread was Julie-free

THI.

Quote from: Internet Apex on January 27, 2010, 06:15:34 PM
DPD. I just got a call from Chase telling me that my debit card number may have been compromised and that they're replacing it. No theft has occurred.

How weird!

They've been extra cautious ever since Cubbie Julie and her bailout squad began their vendetta against the Pierponts.

But weird indeed.

Quote from: Dr. Nguyen Van Falk on January 27, 2010, 06:10:00 PM

Quote from: Gil Gunderson on January 27, 2010, 05:50:36 PM
I wish I never learned how to read so I'd never have to suffer at the fingers of Kurt again.

How many of America Jr.'s youngsters have to say the same before action is finally taken?

Alley-oop...you're welcome.