give me a proj puleeze!!!!!!!!!!!

[PDubya]

Here are a couple of my posts where I point out the fact that I'm stumped on a topic.

"PIC Random Numbers" - https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/random-numbers-for-pic.22535/

"Basic PWM with an LED" - https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/just-basic-pwm-with-an-led.22152/

"12c508a Power Timer" - https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/12c508a-power-timer.22004/

Do you think I did enough leg-work on my own before posting?

 

[BeeBop]

PDubya,
I think you do very good legwork, and you also respond very well when someone does offer help. You are also an 'active member' here, so I don't think you should worry at all.

Kim launches missiles anytime he feels like it for two reasons.

I don't think Kim JI is anything to worry about. I think, also, that he is very concerned with what others, especially the US thinks. I think this latest launch was to get himself back in the limelight, which I think he loves. I also know that he is a big fan of American movies, but that he is even more in love with himself.
Also, I am familiar with the Korean personality, which is very oppositional, and 'in your face.' People here seem to love bumping into each other, and often it is hard to tell if they are really angry, or just being expressive.
I live in 'the kill box.' From the information I got when I visited the DMZ, the North could rain down 26,000 rounds per minute on us. The funny thing is that I have never felt so safe in my life.

 

[ThermalRunaway]

The kinds of people responsible for the "can you do my work for me" posts usually only have 1 post to their name, and that's the one in which they're asking you to do their entire work for them. It's quite clear to me that these people have no intensions of contributing in a positive manner to the group, and infact if you were to do their project for them they'd soon dissapear, never to be seen again. With that in mind, it's difficult to see why I or anyone else would spend the time to help them.

Helping a hobbyist is a different thing altogether. I'm a hobbyist myself, and I don't know everything so I sometimes ask questions. On the other hand, I find that I know more about certain areas of Electronics than some other people do and they undoubtedly know more about other areas of Electronics than I do. So I am able to contribute in a positive manner to the group by answering questions when I feel I'm able to give a useful reply.

I find that it's very easy to tell the people who can't be bothered to do their coursework from those who genuinely want some help, so I don't think there's a need for any hobbyists to feel like they can't ask questions on here!

Brian

 

[Papabravo]

PDubya,
I don't think Kim JI is anything to worry about. I think, also, that he is very concerned with what others, especially the US thinks. I think this latest launch was to get himself back in the limelight, which I think he loves. I also know that he is a big fan of American movies, but that he is even more in love with himself.
Also, I am familiar with the Korean personality, which is very oppositional, and 'in your face.' People here seem to love bumping into each other, and often it is hard to tell if they are really angry, or just being expressive.
I live in 'the kill box.' From the information I got when I visited the DMZ, the North could rain down 26,000 rounds per minute on us. The funny thing is that I have never felt so safe in my life.

I'm not worried. Miscalculation is far easier and far more justifiable if your adversary is a lunatic. We could easily pulverize the Korean Peninsula and say "oops..we're sorry we thought Kim was attacking us. You mean he was just showing off. Too bad." The collateral damage would be horrific for Japan, South Korea, China, and Russia. It would probaly poison the atmosphere and damage the environment of the entire planet. We've been playing the game of Global Thermonuclear War for 60 years and I think the newcomers have a great deal to learn.

There is probably an ancient saying to the effect that "If you intend to wave a weapon around it really should work and not fizzle into the sea"

 

[BeeBop]

Papabravo,
While I agree with you on these points, I'm just a bit reluctant to reply, because it is precisely this, which I found disgusting in HiTech's sig. This board has been wonderfully free of politics. When I start reading the news, often I become quite depressed, and angry. I prefer to focus my mind on electronics, which makes me happy. I get depressed from reading the news, because then, I start to believe that civilization, and everything we have done, is nothing more than a lie. This leads to a misanthropic state, where I begin to believe that we are not only doomed to destruct, but that we deserve to be obliterated.

Secure people do not brag about their strength, intelligence, or power. The problem is that there are far too few of these people, and far too many of the other. Is kindness ever really respected? It seems that most humans only respect those who abuse them, and walk on those who are kind to them.

That said, I think I'm stuck on an age old philosophical question which produces pain, so I'm going back to my project.

Regards

 

[Papabravo]

Yes indeed, life goes on despite the insanity and the craziness that surrounds us. The outside world touches our professional lives just as our professional lives touch back. Bad things tend to happen when good people remain silent. I did not mean to imply in the previous post that I thought it was a good idea to initiate a nuclear exchange. What generations of Soviet and American leaders feared more than anything was a miscalculation or a mistake leading to unintended consequences. In that case, at least, both sides believed that the other side was a rational actor.

The world now has at least two examples of adversaries that are not motivated by rational considerations. This situation is far more dangerous than the one that scared me from the time I was five years old living in Dayton, OH next door to Wright Patterson AFB. We had enormous targets painted on our foreheads. When Nikita Kruschev pounded his shoe on the table at the UN in 1964 and said "we will bury you!" it was a defining moment for the members of my generation. The situation today is stangely similar, only the names have changed.

Your description of the part of Korean culture involving confrontation and brinksmanship is deeply disturbing. How does a player with that mindset avoid provoking a dispropotionate response?

 

[BeeBop]

I'm quite enjoying having someone to discuss this with, however I don't want to be anymore of a thread jacker than I have already been, therefore I'm going to copy our conversation thus far, to a new thread. I will call it global politics.
I hope we can continue there.

 

[HiTech]

HiTech,
You got my attention long ago, with that arrogant and abrasive sig. you are wearing. With attitudes like that, it is no wonder Kim Jeong Il launches missiles on July 4th. ;-)

My sig can be applied to a good number of nations on this earth if you stop to think about it. Britain and Russia for example, has kicked ass and saved others in the past. France, well we'll leave them out if this! It just happens that the USA truly does kick ass when necessary, renders assistance, financially bails out others, etc. and unfortunately to go along with all that, comes some bad, perpetrated by a rotten few that tend to tarnish what good the nation is trying to accomplish. As for Ping Pong Jeong, he's really not an immediate threat to mainland US. And if one of his floundering missles were to make it through someday, most assuredly N.K. would become a totally different looking piece of real estate with a natural glow to it. Prolly wouldn't hurt to start constructing a radiation monitor in your spare time.

 

[ThermalRunaway]

I think England takes the cap for the most cruel civilisation in living history. In the past, England have fought many a brutal war for nothing in return but their own selfish goals. They've been incredibly brutal in the process too!!!

Just to use one example, England went to Australia and slaughtered all of the Aborigine's so that they could settle there instead!

I don't think America can claim to have kicked ass in all of the wars they've ever fought. What about Vietnam?! And in the second world war, America didn't join until the very late stages. I don't think you can say America won that war, when they only joined with a fresh army at the end of it! The winning of the Second World War was the result of a coalition between many countries (which includes America), not just one self-important country wading in at the last minute and claiming to have single-handedly saved the planet.

Brian

 

[ThermalRunaway]

Saying that though, I don't really have a "problem" with Hitech's sig. I can remember the first time I read it that I raised an eyebrow in a "yeah right..." kind of way, but I wouldn't say it offends me.


Brian

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Just to use one example, England went to Australia and slaughtered all of the Aborigine's so that they could settle there instead!

Don't you mean Britain?, not just England? - and did we slaughter Aborigine's?, I thought we mostly just dumped our convicts on them?.

Although certainly Britain was rather conspicuous in conquering large parts of the earth, and created the largest empire known to man (and have since given it back!, or had it taken from them!).

 

[ThermalRunaway]

I was thinking mainly England because I thought it was the English Army, as opposed to the British Army which it would be today - I could be wrong though.

We did dump our convicts in Australia yes, but before that (before it became our territory) we decided to kill all of the aboriginies there, who as you can appreciate weren't too happy about us conquering their land.

Brian

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I was thinking mainly England because I thought it was the English Army, as opposed to the British Army which it would be today - I could be wrong though.

I don't recall ever hearing 'English Army', at least not for centuries - perhaps since James I or so? (history isn't my strong point!). Much of the 'British' army has tended to be Welsh, Irish, and Scottish - all areas with very strong army traditions.

 

[ThermalRunaway]

Ok I've looked this up and there seems to be some confusion about how the native aboriginies died in Australia. I was of the understanding that we (The British) killed them all, but Wikipedia says that there is a dispute about this. Some claim that the British took the Aboriginie's Children, which led to their population decline, and some people claim that they died because of widespread disease.

Here's a quote:

"The removal of children, that some historians and Indigenous Australians have argued could be considered to constitute genocide by today's understanding,[4] may have made a small contribution to the decline in the indigenous population"

Personally, the fact that the decline in population of the aboriginies directly coincides with our claiming of the land says to me that we killed 'em ;-)

Anyway... how did a topic about lazy people asking us to do their coursework for them lead to this??!?!?

Brian

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Anyway... how did a topic about lazy people asking us to do their coursework for them lead to this??!?!?

Perhaps we're going to 'remove' the lazy people's children, to genetically stamp out lazy people

Having just read the links, I didn't realise you were talking about such recent events! - are you aware of the large numbers of innocent British children who were sent to Australia, basically as slave labour (and again, only last century).

 

[HiTech]

Yes, Vietnam was a tragedy for the US just as Afghanistan was for Russia. As much as our soldiers tried to fight valiantly, there were a number of political and beaurocratical issues that often hindered their success. US public support was also quite low and that was demoralizing to our soldiers while they were there as well as when they returned home. About the only good that came from that war was Americans soon learned to never dis their military men and women, regardless of where and what they are sent to do. Unless a soldier has gone astray from procedure, they deserve our full patriotic support while away or at home.
Somalia was another ill-fated mission, however the powers to be had a heavy hand in allowing things to get afouled. Bill Clinton was a piss-poor Commander-in-chief more focused on chasing skirts and shrugging off problems with taxpayer dollars than to confront them head on and fix them proper like.

 

[ThermalRunaway]

Bill Clinton was a piss-poor Commander-in-chief more focused on chasing skirts and shrugging off problems with taxpayer dollars than to confront them head on and fix them proper like.

Confront them head on and fix them proper like?! What, you mean like President Bush does?!?!

He certainly confronts people, I'll give you that. He's got the whole World's back up! And I don't mean backup as in support.

<You asked for that >

Brian

 

[HiTech]

First of all, Bush and us citizens wouldn't be in a majority of our present situation if Clinton would have done something with binLaden when the Saudis were able to hand him over on a platter to us. Instead, Clinton brushed it aside just as he tried to distract the public from his perjury trial by lobbing a couple of missles into Africa. Carter appeased N. Korea years back with a bunch of financial and other aid to keep them from nuclear advancement... only to have them fund their effort with that money and kick American taxpayers in the teeth. Bush has the testicular fortitude that both Clinton and Carter sorefully lack. He may not be 100% perfect in his methods but he's doing something about the serious issues that can and will eventually come to roost for the US and other world nations. Confronting challenges is never an easy task, and a prez and his staff will never keep everyone happy in the process. Only history will tell someday if all this struggle and cost in money and lives is worth it. Look at the cowardly gov. of Spain, who are now held captive from future terrorist actions. Don't wanna be living there! America is like the big kid on the block... a target always nipped at by those who desire to taunt and test its mettle. Problem is some liberals in this nation believe that dictators, terrorists, corrupt regimes and the like, can all be reasoned with and pursuaded to change for the better given enough money and other aid. Yeah, right!

 

[ThermalRunaway]

Ok. I actually agree with most of what you say, but again there's this whole thing of America perceiving themselves as being the saviours of the planet and the heroes of the world. What about Britain? We have offered substantial military support for the US in the war against Terror, and are continuing to do so at great cost to us. Perhaps we do not offer the same military force that America themselves have, but if we look at things on a scale rather than actual numbers I think it would be fair to say we have contributed equally. More than that, if you disregard the military figures, we have offered a moral support which has given the US much more freedom to do what they wanted. And it doesn't stop there either, there are many other countries who have also supported the US since 9/11.

So why has it always got to be about America kicking ass??


Brian

 

[ThermalRunaway]

And one thing which does bother me about this whole war against terror crusade that Bush is embarking on, is that it doesn't seem to be completely truthful. If he were indeed so concerned about terrorist activities that he was willing to take his armed forces into an entire country and bring down a regime, then what about all the other places in the world with similar problems? Where do you stop? Do you wage war against all countries with corrupt regimes? If you apply the logic that Bush so far has, then yes you do. But we hear nothing of his intensions to sort any other problems out.

So personally, I think there was more to him going into Iraq than meets the eye. But as you say, History will tell.

Brian