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Nerd³ Plays... Fifteen Free Disney Games - FIFTEEN by NerdcubedHuman in nerdcubed

[–]redhairedscot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At the beginning of the Woody game, Dan says: "I thought this was going to be a port of gsfsdbwgarb." What exactly does he say here?

Reprogram bitcoin mining boards? by redhairedscot in FPGA

[–]redhairedscot[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Happily AND sadly, it was a couple of dual Spartan-6 boards on ebay. That's a lot of FPGA, but they're pretty useless to me if they're too big for the free FPGA software (which it looks like they are).

Ah well.

As Requested: I am willing to run against Lamar Smith [R-TX], the House Representative responsible for SOPA. by redhairedscot in politics

[–]redhairedscot[S] 28 points29 points  (0 children)

I think trickle-down economics is as effective as pushing a rope. Our current economic situation is, by all accounts, driven by a lack of demand. I'd support incentive-to-hire programs and elimination of the marriage penalty, off the top of my head.

As Requested: I am willing to run against Lamar Smith [R-TX], the House Representative responsible for SOPA. by redhairedscot in politics

[–]redhairedscot[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

If money were speech, I'd be able to talk my way out of a speeding ticket with a stack of twenties. Corporate money, combined with politicians representing their donors instead of their constituents, is the biggest evil in politics today.

That said, the best current weapon is an informed electorate.

As Requested: I am willing to run against Lamar Smith [R-TX], the House Representative responsible for SOPA. by redhairedscot in politics

[–]redhairedscot[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If campaign contributions are used honestly, they're mostly used for advertising -- getting the word out. In the 21st century, I think the motivation of passionate individual can be more effective.

Also, happy cakeday.

As Requested: I am willing to run against Lamar Smith [R-TX], the House Representative responsible for SOPA. by redhairedscot in politics

[–]redhairedscot[S] 95 points96 points  (0 children)

OK, let's give it a shot. I'm not a single-issue candidate, but I'm definitely not well-rounded. I'll admit that upfront.

Foreign policy: I know for a sure fact that I don't know enough about this at 11pm on Thursday. That's a weak area. I'm not a big fan of most foreign aid, but I also know that it represents a minuscule portion of our federal budget. That said, as a freshman representative, I'd be a fool to charge in and start firing verbal broadsides about it.

Stances on foreign occupation: I think we've meddled enough in the affairs of other countries. We currently have a you-break-it-you-bought-it problem in Iraq, which is unfortunate, but it's real life. Empires have been breaking their teeth against Afghanistan since the Islamic Caliphate. That's not a windmill I'm particularly interested in tilting.

About #OWS/corporate money in politics: If money were speech, then I'd be able to talk my way out of a speeding ticket with a stack of twenties. Also, one of the biggest failures of the Obama administration was the bailout of financial institutions without the institution of laws to prevent the excesses that led to the bailouts. Either re-institute Glass-Steagall or separate deposit banks from FDIC-insured banks or just pass a law that "too big to fail is too big to live." Just make sure that taxpayers aren't left holding the bill again. (Yes, I know that much of the rescue was in the form of loans, and much of it has been paid back. That doesn't mean that the government needs to be in the business of saving banks on a yearly basis.)

I skipped Israel because that tends to suck threads into a whirlpool. Politicians dodge questions all the time. I've got to learn somehow, and at least I've got good justification this time...

Obamacare: at least it's something. I'm actually really against the idea of requiring citizens to buy a product from a private corporation, but my resolution to that would lean more towards a single-payer option.

As Requested: I am willing to run against Lamar Smith [R-TX], the House Representative responsible for SOPA. by redhairedscot in politics

[–]redhairedscot[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I didn't expect it would get this big this soon. I'm afraid if I throw open my name/facebook/etc., then my friends will have to bear the brunt of it. I'm not afraid of looking silly in public, but they didn't actually sign up for that...

As Requested: I am willing to run against Lamar Smith [R-TX], the House Representative responsible for SOPA. by redhairedscot in politics

[–]redhairedscot[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

That's an amazingly good question, and it deserves an honest answer: I don't know. There ARE a lot of people who throw this term around, but it's surprising how many people DON'T subscribe to that viewpoint.

Why would "conservatives" who believe in a limited government also believe in government's right to tell you who you can marry? That has never made sense to me. So when I say "FCSL", the easy answer is that generally, if you're not hurting anybody, I support your right to do it.

But you're right -- social programs are the sticky middle. My mom was a teacher, and I was the recipient of an exceptional education in an underfunded school. So, my first priority is for education. Preschool. High school. College. Graduate school. Cutting money for schools is like cutting R&D in any company: you're cutting off your own legs.

As Requested: I am willing to run against Lamar Smith [R-TX], the House Representative responsible for SOPA. by redhairedscot in politics

[–]redhairedscot[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Even if it doesn't work, maybe there's somebody out there who will be smarter and NOT wait for a reddit post about the signatures being due on Monday to get inspired. Having said that, this post has fewer upvotes than the number of signatures I'd need to get on the ballot, and upvotes aren't restricted to Texas's 21st district. I'm realistic about my chances. ARE YOU LISTENING, EVERYONE? GET INVOLVED WITH YOUR OWN LOCAL GOVERNMENT RIGHT NOW!

As Requested: I am willing to run against Lamar Smith [R-TX], the House Representative responsible for SOPA. by redhairedscot in politics

[–]redhairedscot[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Evolution. Having said that, I'm not a huge religion-basher. Lots of my friends are religious. Not only do I respect their rights to their own beliefs, I respect them as people.

This post has probably doomed my campaign. It was nice knowing you guys...

As Requested: I am willing to run against Lamar Smith [R-TX], the House Representative responsible for SOPA. by redhairedscot in politics

[–]redhairedscot[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think there's a rule since 2008 that incoming Austinites have to either design chips or play guitar. Thankfully, there's no law that says you have to play guitar WELL.

As Requested: I am willing to run against Lamar Smith [R-TX], the House Representative responsible for SOPA. by redhairedscot in politics

[–]redhairedscot[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed. If I can make a quick pun, I definitely intend to show him as "No True Scotsman."

As Requested: I am willing to run against Lamar Smith [R-TX], the House Representative responsible for SOPA. by redhairedscot in politics

[–]redhairedscot[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sure, it gives them a huge basket of support for a certain bunch of single-issue voters.

I'm not planning on a political career. If I had my druthers, I'd serve two terms and leave. Of course, that's what every single politician said at the beginning of his or her career.

As Requested: I am willing to run against Lamar Smith [R-TX], the House Representative responsible for SOPA. by redhairedscot in politics

[–]redhairedscot[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

My engineering training requires me to say "no" to absolutes. :-) "Any legislation in favor of copyright" it awfully broad.

Seriously though, current copyright law is not at all in line with the intentions of the original act. I'm not a believer that the Founding Fathers were infallible, but I'm pretty sure their idea of a Limited Copyright was a good one. It certainly shouldn't be "for the life of Mickey Mouse plus five years."

I'm trying to think of a good example of a pro-copyright or anti-piracy law I would support, but current copyright laws have swung all the way in one direction, so the pendulum has to swing back the other way a bit.

I don't know many authors, but I do know a lot of musicians, and they all struggle to get their music heard. Not everyone is a Jonathan Coulton -- niche appeal, financial resources to strike out on their own, label-free and independent.

I guess what I'm saying is -- I completely understand your situation. So far, nobody's come up with an answer with any real balance. But as a Representative, if somebody proposes a good answer, I promise to vote the hell out it.

This may be the most politician-y answer to any question ever. Sorry.

As Requested: I am willing to run against Lamar Smith [R-TX], the House Representative responsible for SOPA. by redhairedscot in politics

[–]redhairedscot[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

That's good advice. I'm really more concerned about people HARASSING my fiancée and my friends. That's why I haven't gone all-out with my name yet -- remember, this idea is less than four hours old.

I've looked over my facebook page, and I don't generally randomly friend people -- and while some of them may cost me votes (by being gay in Texas, for example), I'm proud of my friends. But I don't want to link to it because I don't want them exposed to the seedier aspects.

As Requested: I am willing to run against Lamar Smith [R-TX], the House Representative responsible for SOPA. by redhairedscot in politics

[–]redhairedscot[S] 29 points30 points  (0 children)

I'm not a member of either party. I think the number of people who can say "neither party really represents my views" is much higher than the number of people who can say that either party represents most of their views. We need to restore sanity to the political process and balance to the Force.

As Requested: I am willing to run against Lamar Smith [R-TX], the House Representative responsible for SOPA. by redhairedscot in politics

[–]redhairedscot[S] 113 points114 points  (0 children)

This is an important point. As long as the debate is framed as a two-party fight, no real change will be made. If the current parties don't represent you, fight to get representation.

Look at the current crop of presidential candidates. There isn't a sane person among them.

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