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The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

scottaaronson.blog

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Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#591

Post by direwolf20 »

accidentallfact wrote: post #588
direwolf20 wrote: post #559

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do we need those? Oh right thermodynamics. Don't let the label fool you. Thermodynamics is the study of energy flows at the fundamental level, not only heat.

Thermodynamics doesn't apply to the body in any meaningful way. It sounds like a 19th century idea of how the body might work that people repeat with no understanding. And, you not only need to get fuel from the food, but also the materials to build the engines, and for making spare parts and consumables. And everything that actually uses the energy. There will be no energy spent on lighting if you can't get the indi…

Listen to what you're saying. Thermodynamics doesn't apply to the body? So what, I'm a perpetual motion machine?

Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#593

Post by gib444 »

whatever1 wrote: post #160
gib444 wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Corruption within private companies is irrelevant I'll have some of whatever you're smoking. It's not that useful separating public and private when there are revolving doors and the people who run the companies bribe — sorry, lobby — politicians. It's an incredibly intimate relationship

Politicians also go to the private sector after they retire.

Yeah that's the revolving door

Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#594

Post by AlexeyBelov »

SanjayMehta wrote: post #215
direwolf20 wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If only it was just karma. A pattern of getting downvoted can lead to account restrictions.

"You're posting too fast" means you're telling the truth.

This doesn't pass the smell test. People are "telling the truth" every day on this platform and only a small % of users are so disruptive they have restrictions applied to their accounts.

Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#595

Post by direwolf20 »

anigbrowl wrote: post #554
mcherm wrote: post #519

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, not that I am aware of. I'm not an expert on the topic, but it is my understanding that the majority of prosecuted crimes involving the Internet in the US are prosecuted in State courts, not Federal.

I wouldn't call myself an expert on this topic, but I think you're severely missing the point: virtually any case involving use of the internet can be federalized under the interstate commerce doctrine. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48764

Everything can be federwlized under the interstate commerce doctrine. There was a case where a farmer grew his own plants (wheat, I think) to feed himself and his animals, in contravention of federal quotas. It was ruled the federal government has authority because growing wheat affects the wheat market, even if the wheat is never sold and never leaves the state.

Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#596

Post by AlexeyBelov »

SanjayMehta wrote: post #576
vee-kay wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The links and news I have shared can be easily verified. The truths are there for those who wish to see. I type fast though, LOL. Bad habit from my early days as a programmer and blog writer. ;-)

I was referring to Hypocrisy News' response to getting a bunch of downvotes in quick succession.

I know that it's against the guidelines to make comparisons to Reddit, but this is exactly what I frequently see there. People complaining about 4 downvotes and telling everyone how they are being silenced for being truthful in the sea of lies, or whatever else.

Very, very often this is some form of lashing out and has no basis in any reality.

Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#597

Post by direwolf20 »

alphazard wrote: post #399
nicoburns wrote: post #385

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Everyone wants taxes to go up on everyone making more than them, and for their own taxes to go down. That's not true at all. I make a good salary as a software engineer, I absolutely think I ought to be taxed a little more than I am, and would gladly pay that money to live in the better society I believe that would create. I believe this attitude is pretty common in many parts of the world. That being said, I do th…

> That's not true at all. I make a good salary as a software engineer, I absolutely think I ought to be taxed a little more than I am, and would gladly pay that money to live in the better society I believe that would create. This confusion is precisely why the middle class has less power than ever before. You and many others have been sold a meme that your tax dollars are in service to a greater good, and you are a…

This is where the Rawlsian veil of ignorance must be applied. What's the EV if you turn off all the tax programs and you don't know which class you're in? If it's negative, cut that program. If not, keep it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_position

Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#598

Post by direwolf20 »

SV_BubbleTime wrote: post #345
mapt wrote: post #339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really want to cut taxes for the working/middle class though. I want to tax the everliving fuck out of the hyper-wealthy, to the point that they cease to exist. The money should go into providing goods and services for the working/middle class, but collecting that money and lighting it on fire (or parking assets in a sovereign wealth fund) is a superior option to doing nothing. Neither our democracy nor our p…

This is just silly. Not many animals will stand completely still while you attack them. It sure sounds tough though! Literal war with people for being successful, how much time have you spent on this line of thought?

Have you considered that enforcing any right against a wealthy person is punishing them for being successful? They can't come on your property, that's a punishment.

Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#599

Post by direwolf20 »

SV_BubbleTime wrote: post #459
mapt wrote: post #355

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The prospect of "Attack" and "Literal War" is limited by the fact that worst-case resistance involves a drone strike, and worst-case compliance involves retaining enough wealth for you and everyone you know to live on the beach sipping mojitos for the rest of your natural lives, while holding a nice trophy. Just not, you know, a space program and a larger military than Krushchev's reporting to you personally.

Worst case scenario? It was the first you brought up.

They better comply then

Re: The time I didn't meet Jeffrey Epstein

#600

Post by direwolf20 »

zozbot234 wrote: post #320
program_whiz wrote: post #312

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree, I think the issue is that taxes specifically flow to "the government" in the abstract. If there was a simple law like "95% of income or gains above $10M are taxed and redistributed equally via check / IRS rebate to every citizen automatically" then it could be a high-trust system that helps out everyone. Politicians, though greedy and self-interested, would have little choice but to continue the program untouc…

Most super-wealthy folks are not going to spend anywhere on the order of $200B or even $20B (in the broad timeframe of Elon's payout) on their own consumption. Even if Elon spent $100B on a mission to Mars or whatever it is that he cares about, would you really have reason to object to that, any more than if the money was spent by NASA? (The whole Apollo program and surrounding stuff probably cost on the order of tha…

Elon and people like him are currently spending a similar amount of money on building AGI, how's it going, any reason to object?

Asthma and lung cancer from Elon's gas turbines, polluted water everywhere, high electricity prices everywhere, RAM and SSD price hikes, Micron and Nvidia completely stopped making equipment for consumers, disinformation is everywhere, the internet is full of slop.

Oh, seems like billionaire projects are actually bad for people and there's plenty of reason to object.

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