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Senator Proposes New Farmville Subsidies

Fake News written by James Baughn on Wednesday, July 27, 2011

from the old-mcdonald-had-a-virtual-farm dept.

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF CLUELESSNESS — In yet another attempt to stimulate the economy, U.S. Senator Ernest Fattecat has proposed offering federal subsidies for people to stop participating in Farmville and other pointless Facebook games.

“We’ve simply got too many people playing Farmville, wasting valuable bandwidth and free time,” Fattecat said at a press conference. “If we can encourage people to do something more productive, the American economy will start booming again.”

Details of the Fattecat initiative haven’t been fully announced yet, but most Capitol Hill observers expect that his program will require creating a vast new federal agency, the Department of Virtual Agriculture.

“These programs are always very dollar-intensive,” explained one lobbyist we found lobbying in the Capitol lobby. “First you have to hire a bunch of people to run the agency, then a bunch of people to manage the other people, then a bunch of investigators to make sure the other two groups aren’t embezzling money, followed by a fourth group to keep an eye on the investigators. You then need to hire a consulting firm to build a $200 million website.”

Rep. Mia Shill, chairwoman of the House Ways & Means of Blowing More Money Committee, has co-sponsored a similar bill in the House. “Too much of America’s cognitive abilities are being squandered in Facebook games, Solitaire, and other online time sinks,” she said during a fact-finding mission to the Bahamas. “Do the Chinese waste their time on this crap? No, and that’s why they’re beating us!”

Prospects for passing the bill appear uncertain after a rival senator has proposed a program with the opposite goal. “We should be paying people to use Facebook and Farmville even more,” said Sen. Les Clue. “Subsidies are the only way that America can remain competitive at building social networks and engaging in virtual trade. We need bold new leadership to make this happen.” He added in hushed tones, “The fact that I own a bunch of stock in Facebook is purely coincidental.”

A study by a think tank found that every dollar spent by the federal government on subsidizing social networking would yield $12 for senatorial re-election campaigns. “That’s a powerful multiplier effect that we can’t ignore,” said the study’s lead author. “Everybody needs to ‘like’ this idea.”

~ Source humorix.org

Things I can do in Linux that I can’t do on Windows.

Since I often hear from friends and people on the Internet about things they can’t do in Linux that they could on Windows, I thought I’d write up a list of things I can do in Linux that I can’t do in Windows.

1. Update every single piece of software on my system with a single action.  This is one of the main reasons I run Linux.  Sure, Windows has Windows Update, but that only updates the operating system, Office, and a few other things.  For every Linux distribution I’ve used (Gentoo, Red Hat, Suse, Ubuntu), updating is simple.  When you update, you have every application, every library, every script – every single piece of software upgraded automatically for you.  And on most of them, they will check for updates automatically and notify you.  This is great for security, fixing bugs quickly, and getting the latest in features.
2. Update nearly everything on my computer without a reboot.  On Linux, there is only one thing that requires a reboot after updates.  The kernel.  And even then you can continue to run on the previous kernel.  You just need to reboot to get the benefit of using the new kernel (say, if it has a bug fix or a new feature).  In Windows, many of the updates to even non-critical software require reboots.
3. Keep my system secure without software that consumes my system resources, requires my time, and frequently nags me.  Basic requirement for a secure Windows box include:
   1. Running antivirus protection.  AV software consumes resources and requires routine scans.
   2. A software firewall like ZoneAlarm or the one built into Vista that constantly asks you if you want to allow software to contact the Internet.  More time on your part.
   3. Running Adblock Adaware and/or Spybot Search & Destroy on a routine basis, consuming your time, and requiring your manual intervention.  People often forget or don’t “get around to it”.
   4. Never trusting software.  You have to go through life assuming every bit of software and every website on the Internet is going to screw you over.  What a sorry state of affairs that is.

   All of this requires your attention, slows your computer, and ruins the open experience of the Internet.  None of this is necessary in Linux.  You get your software through your distribution.  As long as you can trust your distribution, you can trust the software available.  Having a firewall is a good thing even in Linux, but most of us have a firewall built into our Cable and DSL modems, or our wi-fi router.  A software firewall in windows is as much used to keep malware from calling out as it is to keep outside intrusions from coming in, and you don’t have the same concerns in Linux (since, as I said, you can trust your software).

4. Run an entire operating system for free without pirating software, and without breaking the law.  Most Window’s users seem to accept that breaking the law is okay, because it is pretty much required.  Either you break the law, or spend countless thousands of dollars on the software you need.  You may not think it is a big deal, but if you own a home like I do, you are putting it at risk.  While unlikely, the potential is there for software companies to come after you just like the RIAA has come after countless people.  With Linux, this isn’t necessary.  You can run the software you need without paying for it, and without breaking the law.  I know I sleep better at night.
5. Take my settings with me where ever I go.  In Linux, all your personal settings are stored in your Home folder, most in folders that begin with a period (like .gaim).  So, I can copy all these settings from one computer to another.  I can put these settings on a USB drive.  When I switched from Gentoo to Ubuntu, I kept all my settings.  On Windows, some settings are under your home folder and some are in the registry.  So your settings are not portable.
6. Run Internet Explorer 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, and 7.0 on the same desktop.  I have all installed thanks to the wonderful IEs4Linux project.  I can even run them side-by-side if I want.  For a web developer, that’s huge.  Testing browser compatibility to that level on Windows requires multiple machines or something like VMWare.  Further, when I run IE under Linux, I don’t have to worry about any malware or virus getting onto my system.
7. Understand everything that is going on in my computer.  Using Windows is like working with a black box.  You can see the outside, but you have no idea what is going on inside.  If you hit snags, your only option is to hope Microsoft fixes it.  Or, perhaps you can submit a bug report to Microsoft, spending your time improving software that  a company makes billions from.  Under Linux, you can look at the system logs, where you can see most issues.  You can search for the log messages on Google, and can usually track the cause and often find a fix.  If not, I can even go look at the source code to find the offending problem.  Granted, most people aren’t capable or don’t have the time to look at the source code.  But the fact that tens-of-thousands of geeks do is often very, very helpful.  And if you do spend the time filling out a bug report, you are helping other people just like yourself, not contributing your time to a rich software company.
8. Customize every aspect of my desktop.  In Windows, you are more or less stuck with what you are given.  Sure, you can install buggy skinning engines, or you can pay Microsoft extra for the ability to put skins on your desktop.  But even these aren’t very adaptive.  It’s just a new coat of paint on the same desktop.  Under Linux, I can choose the window manager, the desktop environment, the theme, the GTK engine, the icon theme, the special effects (see Beryl or Compiz), the filesystem browser, and so on.  Nearly every aspect of the system has competitive options.  If you look around the internet at screenshots of various Linux desktops, you rarely see two that look the same.
9. Benefit from competition between projects for each system on my computer. As I mention in point 8, there are options for every aspect of the Linux desktop.  Not only is it fun to try the various options, but it leads to better software as multiple projects compete against each other to be the best.  Can you imagine competing printing backends, competing desktop environments, or competing USB mounting systems on Windows?  I’ve been a Linux user for 3 years now, and I’ve seen remarkable changes in systems used on the Linux desktop, from critical systems (XFree86 switched to X.Org, auto-mounting systems) to non-critical  (my CD-Rom eject button works!).
10. Run thousands of great pieces of software that only run on Linux.  Just like Windows, Linux has software that doesn’t run on Windows.  Great pieces of software like Amarok, Bluefish, Neverball, Gnumeric, K3B, Beryl, gdesklets, and MythTV.  I know this is a chicken-and-egg point, where Windows has the exact same situation. Too often I hear “I can’t switch to Linux because it doesn’t run [insert Windows software]“.  My reason for pointing it out is just to make it clear that this is a two-way street.
11. Learn about, support, and appreciate the value of free software.  I believe free software is important to us all.  Even if you use non-free software, the free software movement ensures checks and balances on non-free software by offering an alternative.  By running a free operating system and becoming involved in the community, I’ve contributed to free software, even if only in a small way.

~Source: Dan Martin

Politically correct Holiday Greetings

To all the Politically Correct out there:

“Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2011, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. And without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting these greetings you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself or himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.”

~Author Unknown

To Everybody Else:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Real Airport Security

The airport security solution government crooks don’t want you to know about
This video busts down their wall of lies

The most censored news story in America.
Even the “alternative” media won’t touch it
Please share this one far and wide

First we created what has turned into the ultimate TSA abuses reference video…”The TSA is Out of Control”

Then, we traced the problem to its source, a government-criminal enterprise operated by Michael Chertoff.

Now, we present the solution.

Please share this video far and wide.
Send the link to bloggers and writers and other influential people.

A special request to StumbleUpon users to give this page a thumbs up.

We can beat these devils, but we better get real info out before they drown the country in BS.
Brasscheck TV has done its part. Now, we ask you to do yours.

Thanks.

Bottom line:
Bomb-sniffing dogs work infinitely better than any high tech/high cost/high scam device…

That’s why the FBI uses them to protect its own headquarters and why the US military uses them in Iraq and Afghanistan under the most hazardous and hostile conditions imaginable.

We are being irradiated, lied to and put in real danger so Michael Chertoff and his friends in Homeland Security can rip us off. Meanwhile, Obama tells us it’s for our safety.

Meanwhile, the news media – including the alternative news media – has completely overlooked the facts reported in this video.

Please share this link: http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/985.html