biggerbistro

Bitcoin won't free people who won't lift a finger to learn it just like the US constitution won't protect people unwilling to defend it. I've yet to meet someone who is unable to understand the basic use of bitcoin (sending and receiving) and if we are trying to cater to the lowest common denominator we have already lost. It is worrying that we have resorted to scrapping a new technology just because lazy or incompetent people are unable to completely master it.

How is this elitist? Do most people understand the current financial system in any meaningful way?

Do most people understand how their computers work? How their air conditioner works? How about the pressure dynamics that make their toilets flush?

Saying everyone can't mine it is inaccurate, everyone can mine it even with a smartphone. Is it profitable? No, but neither is mining iron ore with a shovel. Those with the knowledge and capital to fully utilize any system will always have an edge over those who don't, in what reality is this not the case?

I'm curious as to why you don't think diversity programs are not exactly that: discrimination programs. Enforcing quotas assumes (usually incorrectly) that there is an equal supply of talent within the underrepresented minority group and that it is simply bias on the part of the hiring managers that prevents equal numbers of blacks/women/hispanics/whatever from being hired. Putting pressure on companies for not having more minority representation is being discriminatory against (usually) white males, as there are limited spots available at a given company.

If you start with the potentially incorrect assumption that your hiring practices are biased in favor of one group over another then doesn't it make more sense to address this bias directly rather than enforcing quotas? Having your hiring process audited and getting rid of any bad weeds seems like a good start. I've seen firsthand manager who have said outright "we can't hire him, we need to hire a woman this time" after interviewing what seemed to be a good candidate.

Is that not what a diversity program amounts to? If the candidate was superior on merit alone then market forces would reward those companies that ignored race and gender in their hiring decisions and punish the racist/sexist ones that were passing up perfectly good candidates. If all existing companies are racist/sexist then the potential entrepreneur that starts a competitor and scoops up all the "ignored talent" would make a killing.

Perhaps instead of whining about gender ratios we should be the change we want to see while making a ton of money at the same time?

>There is no research (to the best of my knowledge) claiming that there are biological differences between the same sex of different races.

Actually there are numerous observed differences in physical ability that are attributed to race, such as Tibetans having better adaptability to high altitudes than most other groups[1]. Physical differences are relatively uncontroversial, the problem arrives when we start to discuss mental differences.

I see not reason why a difference in environment would not cause various mental adaptations to form along the course of natural selection of geographically separate groups of people. This is an inconvenient idea and has been vehemently suppressed in the scientific community whenever it is brought up [2]. Instead of pretending such differences cannot exist we should instead focus on overcoming these differences so that everyone can participate according to their own unique ability.

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-altitude_adaptation_in_hu... [2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lynn#Reception

How about female coal miners? Female construction workers? This isn't about fairness it is all about browbeating people from a perceived moral high ground so that wages can be lowered for all (more supply of programmers = lower cost). The "useful fools" here likely have the best intentions but are being used by people without good intent.

Actually, diversity measures make things worse by promoting below-average candidates unfairly based on their superficial attributes (skin color, sex etc). This actually achieves the opposite of what is intended as it reduces fitness selection of whatever genes make someone good at/interested in STEM topics. By going against meritocracy you are harming the vulnerable groups by giving them a crutch to rely on.

>The reality is that tech companies led by women do better Wow, what a sexist thing to say. Ignoring Marissa Mayer for the moment, are you claiming that women are inherently better at something than men? Isn't that a little like claiming that men are better than women at technical roles? That white people are better than black people at building civilization? Seriously, that is a nazi-esque belief you have there. I suggest you reconsider your stance before making claims about one group being better in any way than another.

Do you think these people don't have extensive private security? The elite could easily take on a whole city of rioters with the resources at their disposal. When the gloves come off and it starts being about survival it won't be bodyguards pushing people out of the way, it will be mercenaries with helicopters and full-auto weapons. The middle class that can't afford such protection will of course be the losers, as usual, and will be scapegoated after all the Richie Rich types have escaped to their private islands/bunkers.

>Almost 100% of midwives in Ontario are female No, it is only a problem for the "good jobs" that are dominated by men. No one will fight for gender ratios in the coal mining business, despite how useful "a diversity of life experience and opinion" might be within this industry.

This entire thing is a political tool being disguised as a moral crusade and it is playing off our collective desire to do the right thing. Absolutely disgusting.

Germany has "volksverhetzung" which amounts to hatespeech laws. To me it seems like an intentionally broad law banning "incitement of hatred", a noble goal for sure, but still not free speech. They also have laws against holocaust denial (again, noble intent) but that is not free speech. They also have anti-nazi laws ("the distribution or public use of symbols of unconstitutional groups") which again is not free speech. Somehow the US allows all of these forms of speech but has maintained its position as a pretty decent place to live, even for minority immigrants. Free speech is a binary despite what the detractors will try to claim. If someone wants to run a nazi political platform it is up to the public to make the judgement call to not vote for them.

>not take 4% back on gas and 3% on restaurants yes? This is the same argument for using stuff like gmail. What, are you really gonna pay 20 bucks a year for email? I'm sure everyone's price to sell away their privacy is different but I'm a little off-put by how cheaply people are selling themselves these days. I hope it never becomes a problem (e.g. Stasi) but if it does I won't be crying for those people whose lives will be ruined.

So then based on the admittance data Asians have it easiest? Must be due to discrimination in their favor, not because they are pressured to get good grades and do well. Surely you see the hypocrisy of such a position?

If the shoe was on the other foot would we be so quick to write it off? If Google was run by right-wingers and fired LGBT activists would we say "they can do whatever they want since it is their company"? Why do we not allow discrimination on the basis of religion (a belief) but allow it based on political opinion (a belief)?

Freedom of speech (which Germany does not have) is a core tenet of democracy. If the government can police what we say then it follows that they can prevent those from being elected that they do not agree with. For example: what if we made liberal values into hatespeech, how likely do you think it would be for the democrats to win the next election? Any country without true freedom of speech is autocracy in disguise.

So what happens when you run out of places to run to? Do you just wave goodbye to your Jewish neighbors? Put a headscarf on your wife and tell her not to go outside without a male relative? Head down to the gulags for your shift? The reason we have nice countries like in Western Europe for you to live in is because they have deterrence against invasion by those who wish to take it from us. You can't just leave and expect to wind up in a similar country with Western values that will be unthreatened by the same threats.

Outside of the mess that is Bitcoin they are much cheaper than what credit/debit cards charge. More advanced coins like Ethereum take under a minute for an appropriate number of confirmations.

India doesn't seem like an ideal location based on the number of tech emigrants going to other countries. What do you think of this phenomenon? Is there a reasonable explanation that doesn't try to skew it as "They are adventurous and want to experience other cultures"?

Biodiversity is already dead my friend. Corn and Soy absolutely eclipse other crops in USA because they are the most profitable to produce.

I'm also pretty sure we are talking about different things here, you seem to be speaking of the natural flora while I am speaking of the agricultural uses. I don't understand your point.

I don't think the Chinese citizens have a choice about whether they say they like their government or not. The Hundred Flowers Campaign was pretty brutal.

Sorry, immigrants make better entrepreneurs? Is this a fact or just something you pulled out of thin air? Not to mention the fact that allowing only immigrants to benefit from this is discriminatory and directly contradicts your first sentence. What about all the potential native entrepreneurs that might not get their chance to shine due to not being given the same advantages as the foreigners? You should work for government, I think you would fit right in.

If natives don't want to pick the fruit (ignoring the cost question) then the fruit just doesn't get picked? Perhaps fruit growing in USA is simply not a viable business, importing underpaid laborers (frequently illegally) is not the correct solution to this non-problem.

Isn't considering yourself lucky for being white a somewhat racist viewpoint? Perhaps you have more in common than you thought.

This is why we need a diverse ecosystem of these types of services. Patreon getting involved in policing the politics (not legality) of their users is annoying but not unexpected these days. What Patreon does as a service is absolutely nothing special and can easily be (and has been) copied, they just have what I assume is the first-mover advantage right now.

I suspect a not-insignificant portion of the refugee population are actually economic migrants using the situation to their advantage.

Isn't it a little ridiculous not to expect immigrants to have favorable opinions of the host population? What you say is probably true for a great portion of immigrants in general but the tolerance must extend both ways. Being disliked by your guests is a pretty disheartening experience and likely a cause of some of the backlash we've been seeing lately.

The number of "for-profit" scum schools that have cropped up lately to stands to challenge this idea further. There is heavy foreign demand for Canadian education but not always prioritizing the good institutions.

I had a Chinese friend tell me that in China it doesn't matter which Canadian school you went to, just that you went to a Canadian school. Nice to have that reputation but it is ultimately self-destructing.

And why wouldn't they? Would you move to China if you didn't like Chinese people? Yet I've noticed this phenomenon recently, in which new Canadians think it is appropriate to disparage the old ones despite their choice to move to Canada. Racism never ceases to amaze me.

Many of the forms of soy eaten in Asia are fermented or otherwise chemically changed to the point that their negative effects could be less pronounced. Soy sauce, miso and natto are some of many examples.

And where do we stop? Calling something "stupid" is hurtful to stupid people who are usually not at fault for their lack of ability. Calling something "dumb" is hurtful to mute people. There is no end to this PC treadmill, so I will continue to say "retarded" until the Speech Police kick in my door.