Gideon MacLeish

Reply to What to do about Internet trolls? in Personal Computing JoeUser Forums

(First -- hello after a long absence). Weighing in on this one: Part of the problem with trolls is that the expanded reach of the Internet has allowed them to "take it to the next level" with greater ease, both through the ability to connect with larger numbers of likeminded individuals, and through enhanced search functions. While it may be hard to accept, a portion of it is the unfortunate new reality. In essence, there's not much you can do, short of growing a ver

Reply to All I want for Christmas is... in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Tova, Agreed. And it's ongoing.

Reply to It’s not the game’s problem, it’s a player problem in PC Gaming JoeUser Forums

I don't play much RTS, but this, in a nutshell, is precisely why I don't play chess online. The exact same "recipe win" strategy is employed and players bail when the strategy is properly countered.

Humble Pie: NOT the tastiest dish! in Life Journals JoeUser Forums

NOTE: This was a very hard article to write, as it required revealing some vulnerabilities, which I hate doing. But I've come to realize that GOOD writing, the kind of writing that changes people, is about being willing to be vulnerable. This morning I had a reminder of something I felt needs sharing. I was driving to work and about 5 miles from home, I realized that I had not kissed my wife goodbye. I turned around and went home, and gave her a kiss godbye before heading back to work

All I want for Christmas is... in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Before I begin, let me apologize for once again gracing the pages of JU. I promised I would leave, and I fully meant it up until I discovered a couple of (two months old) messages from former JUers. As many of you know, there was a great deal of conflict that erupted over things that occurred between me and the family of another JU member almost three years ago. While many lies were spread (such as the fact that I NEVER raised my children in a home without utilities or had my wife iso

Reply to When Gays get Married, Who does it Really Bother? in Blogging JoeUser Forums

[quote]Come on Gid.. what your saying is scientific law and fact, what most people believe in has not ever been proven as a scientific fact and therefore "beliefs" are based on what each individual holds true by their own internal experiences.[/quote] I believe there are SPIRITUAL laws as well. Now, you may reject that, PB, but come on...IF I am right and there ARE spiritual laws do you REALLY think God's going to let you off the hook just because you didn't WANT them to be the

Reply to When Gays get Married, Who does it Really Bother? in Blogging JoeUser Forums

OK, so to set the record straight, the Bible lied? Because either Sodom was destroyed for the reasons Ezekial stated, or the Bible is false and every word in it is suspect. I get a little frustrated when Christians tell me I'm wrong when I'm quoting directly from the Bible. [quote]Check out Gen. 19...it recounts the story of how Abraham's nephew, Lot, entertained two angels at his home in Sodom. Word got around that Lot had some visiting men in his home, and "the townsmen of So

Reply to When Gays get Married, Who does it Really Bother? in Blogging JoeUser Forums

[quote]Really? so where does the word "sodomy" come from?[/quote] From the long held notion that that was the reason for Sodom's destruction. To clarify FS's statement, I'll give you the Scripture reference that supports it: Ezekial 16:49. While the aforementioned verse does state that the reasons for Sodom's destruction were pride and excess of food while the poor and needy suffered outside her door, it does not, nor does any other verse in Scripture, CONDONE homosexu

Reply to Obama - Another Environmental Wacko Socialist in Politics JoeUser Forums

[quote]My education is ME btw.[/quote] It shows. Your grammar is appalling (re-read the first sentence in your response on post #78 and tell me the problem with it). You again refer to our alleged assertions that global warming is a hoax in post #79. I haven't seen that assertion made by anyone who is seriously discussing this issue. The assertion is that MAN MADE global warming is a hoax. There's a substantial difference between the two. We don't question the measurable fact t

Reply to Obama - Another Environmental Wacko Socialist in Politics JoeUser Forums

[quote]Please don't be stupid and act like an adult.[/quote] Aaaahh, the old "you disagree with me, you must be a MORON!" argument. FYI, I DID read the article, the FIRST TIME. And while I found interesting information, the FACT remains that there IS NO WAY we can have zero impact short of killing ourselves. And even then, our decomposing bodies will produce methane, or, if we choose to be cremated, will create more greenhouse gasses. The fact is, as I said before, your argumen

Reply to Bait and Switch - Alive and Well! in Blogging JoeUser Forums

[quote]So far so good for me. I have always liked "HP" boxes, but not Compaqs[/quote] I don't think I'll ever be a big fan of Comcrap. They shoehorn their components into the cases and seriously hinder the whole PC repair process. As for HP's, I've seen some professional machines I've liked, but that's about it. I've replaced mobo's, hard drives, and optical drives on one model and never had to turn a screw except to remove the processor's heatsink.

Reply to Customs official loses marijuana with traveler in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Yeah, I read this article on Yahoo! news and had a serious WTF! moment. Did this idiot not somehow realize that simple miscommunication could have ruined this innocent traveler's life? Is this routine in other countries or only Japan? If I were the traveler in question, I would be seriously ticked!

Reply to Bait and Switch - Alive and Well! in Blogging JoeUser Forums

[quote]I went in to remove all that "freeware" that all computers come with - guess what? There was not very much![/quote] Well, in Dell's defense (my verdict: I like Dell laptops, would prefer to build my own desktop), while they DO have bloatware, a simple wipe and reload fixes THAT problem. So while I don't like that feature of Dell, it's easy to deal with. But yes, I have seen the new HP laptops and I like them.

Reply to When Gays get Married, Who does it Really Bother? in Blogging JoeUser Forums

[quote]What if I believe that there is no sin, that the only one I have to answer to is my own Consciousness and that there is no "right" or "wrong" but only different experiences which allow different reactions according to what I do or do not do.[/quote] What if I believe gravity does not apply and jump off a cliff? The consequences of being wrong are dire. I'll leave it to you to hold your beliefs, Phoenixboi, because you're a big boy and entitled to that. But assuming for a

Back in My Element! in Current Events JoeUser Forums

For the first time in nearly two years, I have no classes to attend for the next three months. Although I DO have three classes to teach, so I'm not entirely off the hook! In addition, I have a commitment to play guitar once a week for a day program in the area. I received my final grades yesterday. The only one up in the air, really, was programming. I received A's in Business Management, Business Communications, Network Security, and Intermediate Programming (PHP). I received B's in

Reply to Mmmmmmmm Chili in Blogging JoeUser Forums

[quote]Well, then do either of you do take out?[/quote] I'll hafta swap ya some of my chili for some Menudo. LOL

Reply to When Gays get Married, Who does it Really Bother? in Blogging JoeUser Forums

[quote]In my opinion, law should do nothing more than minimum to restrict behavior necessary for a functioning society. No killing, no stealing, no fraud, no extortion, etc... As such, I would have to say no, the government should not be in the business of marrying people (or really even civilly uniting them); but until it removes itself from the equation, it should apply such unions equally to all couples able to give consent. Besides that, I am sure somewhere out there, there is a religion tha

Reply to Mmmmmmmm Chili in Blogging JoeUser Forums

[quote]That may be a bit extreme, dont you think?[/quote] Nope :D They know the basics to make a GOOD bowl of chili; they just don't know the secrets to making it *great*.

Reply to Mmmmmmmm Chili in Blogging JoeUser Forums

[quote]Three words: chili cook off.[/quote] Exactly. Not only do I not share my recipe, I even have my wife and kids leave the kitchen for the addition of some key ingredients. I may pass it on to the kids at some point in time, but there's something sacred about a man's chili recipe, IMO.

Reply to Obama - Another Environmental Wacko Socialist in Politics JoeUser Forums

[quote]I never said that we have to live in darkness and reject lights of technology we made. And again, can you please at least try to pretend to read the article first I mentioned?[/quote] No, what you're seeing is the eyeroll of someone who's tired of the "never quite good enough" attitude of the "greener than thou" club. And my response was a logical extension of the premise. Incandescents = bad, CFL's = bad, fire = VERY BAD, you're not leaving us with a lot of options to satisf

Reply to Obama - Another Environmental Wacko Socialist in Politics JoeUser Forums

wnmnkh, Ahhh, so you're a true believer. Ban all electricity and open flame, better to curse the darkness than light a candle, eh? I know that CFL gives SIGNIFICANT cost savings over incandescent, from personal experience.

Reply to Obama - Another Environmental Wacko Socialist in Politics JoeUser Forums

[quote]And right now much of our technology and transport is pretty damn inefficient![/quote] Right on the money with that one, Arty. The main reason we need to make changes is because of the inefficiency of our current way of doing things. CFL's are better than incandescent bulbs because they don't give off as much heat energy, which is essentially wasted energy, especially in the summer time. And efficiency benefits us because we can stretch our resources further. Th

Reply to Obama - Another Environmental Wacko Socialist in Politics JoeUser Forums

[quote]As for the list of scientific "communities" claiming to accept that global warming is man-made, you must apply some critical thinking to why some do and some do not. What could be their motivations for such things? Political? Money?[/quote] I'm thinking if they truly believed our use of "fossil fuels" (quoted here because, umm, there's some debate on THAT, too) was endangering the planet, they would be pushing for vehicles that don't use those fossil fuels rather than pushing for

"Prince Caspian" Movie Review in Movies & TV & Books JoeUser Forums

(Note: This article's a little later than I'd like, but it's been a busy past week) GID'S TOP 3 RULES FOR WATCHING A MOVIE BASED ON A BOOK: 1. The movie is not the book! 2. The movie is NOT the book! 3. The movie is NOT THE BOOK! If you're going to see "Prince Caspian", and you remember these three rules, you may thoroughly enjoy the movie. Forget them, and it will be a long 2 1/2 hours. For those not up to

Reply to High oil profits. in Politics JoeUser Forums

[quote]I have no idea what grouse profits are though. Never heard of them.[/quote] Yeah, at best, I've only so far been able to break even on grouse. Now PHEASANT profits, on the other hand, are another story. But don't tell Jesus. He'll bring all his self loathing illegal alien buddies over here and clean out the prairies!