Comments for ConradHubbard.com http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog The chip is broadcasting... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:44:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 Comment on Congress Against Democracy by Conrad Hubbard http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/2010/03/04/congress-against-democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-7667 Conrad Hubbard Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:44:40 +0000 http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/?p=682#comment-7667 True, although in a body of 100 people, a single vote is 1%. On a national level, if everybody could vote, that 1% would require more than 30 million people to vote for one issue over another. I can't seem to find a link to the article right now, but I was recently reading that the way that a filibuster works was drastically changed. Once upon a time, a lone senator could hold up a bill by speaking for as long as he could stay awake, but he had to actually work for it. If the majority still held to their views after his best effort, then the bill passed, but he had a period of time limited only by his stamina to persuade them. Now, a filibuster only requires a senator to announce that he wants to filibuster. Then the bill is put aside until forever until it dies or 60 votes can be found, while the senator who is filibustering doesn't have to exert even the slightest of effort. The filibuster has been made so easy to do that it has become the de facto procedure in the Senate, and this is why laws now require 60% majority to pass. True, although in a body of 100 people, a single vote is 1%. On a national level, if everybody could vote, that 1% would require more than 30 million people to vote for one issue over another.

I can’t seem to find a link to the article right now, but I was recently reading that the way that a filibuster works was drastically changed. Once upon a time, a lone senator could hold up a bill by speaking for as long as he could stay awake, but he had to actually work for it. If the majority still held to their views after his best effort, then the bill passed, but he had a period of time limited only by his stamina to persuade them. Now, a filibuster only requires a senator to announce that he wants to filibuster. Then the bill is put aside until forever until it dies or 60 votes can be found, while the senator who is filibustering doesn’t have to exert even the slightest of effort. The filibuster has been made so easy to do that it has become the de facto procedure in the Senate, and this is why laws now require 60% majority to pass.

]]> Comment on Congress Against Democracy by Mike Todd http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/2010/03/04/congress-against-democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-7666 Mike Todd Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:09:19 +0000 http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/?p=682#comment-7666 To play devil's advocate, perhaps it's because if something is close to 50%, then it's close enough to a "tie" that it brings question on whether or not it should be passed. To take it a bit further, what if each individual citizen got to vote (a true democracy), and a single vote over 50% was the deciding vote? Some might argue that would indicate that the country is indecisive on what should be done, and that a simple majority by one vote does not constitute the best method for resolving that indecisiveness, but rather it would be better to rework the bill/law until it is acceptable to something more than a just-barely-majority. To play devil’s advocate, perhaps it’s because if something is close to 50%, then it’s close enough to a “tie” that it brings question on whether or not it should be passed. To take it a bit further, what if each individual citizen got to vote (a true democracy), and a single vote over 50% was the deciding vote? Some might argue that would indicate that the country is indecisive on what should be done, and that a simple majority by one vote does not constitute the best method for resolving that indecisiveness, but rather it would be better to rework the bill/law until it is acceptable to something more than a just-barely-majority.

]]> Comment on State of the Union Response by Conrad Hubbard http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/2010/01/27/state-of-the-union-response/comment-page-1/#comment-7662 Conrad Hubbard Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:31:53 +0000 http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/?p=667#comment-7662 Okay, no help offered by the Republican response. I can't claim that means that they don't plan to help, but it seems to be a logical result. Okay, no help offered by the Republican response. I can’t claim that means that they don’t plan to help, but it seems to be a logical result.

]]> Comment on Why did FOX lie? by Jennifer Finnigan http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/2009/09/18/why-did-fox-lie/comment-page-1/#comment-7650 Jennifer Finnigan Sat, 19 Sep 2009 02:40:27 +0000 http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/?p=613#comment-7650 Fox has never been "fair and balanced". With this ad they have basically just shown their collective backside to CNN and the entire world. The apparent use of an image from CNN's own camera at the capitol was just icing on the cake. Kudos to CNN for putting Fox under fire for that kind of slander and to you for posting about it. Fox has never been “fair and balanced”. With this ad they have basically just shown their collective backside to CNN and the entire world. The apparent use of an image from CNN’s own camera at the capitol was just icing on the cake. Kudos to CNN for putting Fox under fire for that kind of slander and to you for posting about it.

]]> Comment on Kingdoms of the Sun by Conrad Hubbard http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/2009/08/26/kingdoms-of-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-7646 Conrad Hubbard Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:48:48 +0000 http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/?p=598#comment-7646 Oh, yeah, definitely. We have been playing this setting for a while now. Since December 20th, 2008, actually. Also, my Exalted games are intertwined, with a shared timeline. Oh, yeah, definitely. We have been playing this setting for a while now. Since December 20th, 2008, actually. Also, my Exalted games are intertwined, with a shared timeline.

]]> Comment on Kingdoms of the Sun by Anonymous http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/2009/08/26/kingdoms-of-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-7645 Anonymous Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:55:44 +0000 http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/?p=598#comment-7645 Anything happen yet? Anything happen yet?

]]> Comment on Maybe Someday Little One by Maggie http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/2009/04/17/maybe-someday-little-one/comment-page-1/#comment-7492 Maggie Sat, 20 Jun 2009 09:23:10 +0000 http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/?p=414#comment-7492 Conrad, I met you 10 or 11 years ago online. reading your poetry. We were friends for a long time.. My heart aches for all the pain you have been through.. It is very sad you can not talk to Deva.. I pray she will find this some day.. Conrad, I met you 10 or 11 years ago online. reading your poetry. We were friends for a long time.. My heart aches for all the pain you have been through.. It is very sad you can not talk to Deva.. I pray she will find this some day..

]]> Comment on Mr. Tambourine Man by Mike http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/2009/04/14/mr-tambourine-man/comment-page-1/#comment-6519 Mike Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:24:04 +0000 http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/?p=412#comment-6519 "I believe that many people derive a sense of peace from trying to create the funeral they imagine their loved one would want." I wholeheartedly agree, and this brings to my mind Hunter S. Thompson's funeral service. “I believe that many people derive a sense of peace from trying to create the funeral they imagine their loved one would want.”

I wholeheartedly agree, and this brings to my mind Hunter S. Thompson’s funeral service.

]]> Comment on Today’s Bandwidth by Mike http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/2009/03/09/todays-bandwidth/comment-page-1/#comment-6255 Mike Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:01:15 +0000 http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/?p=360#comment-6255 I like the interface at http://www.speedtest.net/, and they also allow you to test different locations -- your speed getting stuff from Atlanta will be different than your speed downloading from New York, or California, or China. I have, however, found their numbers to be highly suspect -- they seem very high to me, definitely higher than I've ever actually seen in normal use, by a factor of about 2. My CNet results were 708.5 Kbps (which seems low), SpeedTest.net results were 13,657 Kbps to San Francisco (which seems very high). Based off of anecdotal evidence, my actual speed usually seems to be somewhere around 800 KBps (or 6,400 Kbps) when downloading a file from a "bigger" site like Microsoft.com. I like the interface at http://www.speedtest.net/, and they also allow you to test different locations — your speed getting stuff from Atlanta will be different than your speed downloading from New York, or California, or China. I have, however, found their numbers to be highly suspect — they seem very high to me, definitely higher than I’ve ever actually seen in normal use, by a factor of about 2.

My CNet results were 708.5 Kbps (which seems low), SpeedTest.net results were 13,657 Kbps to San Francisco (which seems very high). Based off of anecdotal evidence, my actual speed usually seems to be somewhere around 800 KBps (or 6,400 Kbps) when downloading a file from a “bigger” site like Microsoft.com.

]]> Comment on Sweeney Todd Runs Late by afe http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/2009/02/24/sweeney-todd-runs-late/comment-page-1/#comment-6237 afe Thu, 26 Feb 2009 06:29:58 +0000 http://www.conradhubbard.com/blog/?p=338#comment-6237 i agree! i hadn't seen anything related to Sweeney, so it was my first time! the ending had me in tears! i agree! i hadn’t seen anything related to Sweeney, so it was my first time! the ending had me in tears!

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