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What about splitting XP into different catagories, like, you might be a level 10 courier, but you can forget competently swinging that battle axe competently until you maliciously slaughter every stray dog in the city 40 times over?

There's room for this, too. I guess I used some indefinite wording when I said "many", I didn't say majority or minority, I didn't cite any studies. In truth, I knew that attempting to define the exact proportion would be stupid, given that I haven't read any studies to cite, and this is why I chose the word "many". So I'm not saying YOU, I'm saying that there exists a significant proportion.

On the other side, I said "a lot of", which again does not specify an exact amount. I know a lot of people, who happen to be of above average intelligence, who do not take the time to answer surveys, simply hanging up. My mom is fairly smart, in some ways, and she answers political surveys, but when I'm around to eavesdrop it sometimes makes me cringe. She's one of those self-styled republican "wiccans", and I can't stand talking to her about religion, as far as politics, I have to pull out my soap box and use those long monologues she hates so much in order to discourage any kind of conversation on the matter. She usually just agrees with me to get me to shut up, I think. Just because she answers surveys, or has notions I do not agree with, does not make her wrong, it's just, I can hear the same stuff from Glenn Beck, and I don't trust that guy.

Still, the purpose of the poll is to gauge opinion, which is neither validated nor invalidated by the intelligence of those surveyed, but rather by particular groups of people who may be over or under represented in the poll, whether due to opting out or strange wording of the question. My point is, polls are tainted, and IMO, not a reliable opinion gauge... You can't just snag a random group of people off the street and expect to have a firm understanding of the view out there in the larger portion of the population, just like you can't call random numbers and reliably predict opinion, but I suppose it's a step in the right direction, which looks a lot like a dead end to me. Easy to criticize, but hard to solve. Yes, I know that's why they use statistics, and I know statistical information is useful in a number of areas... Determinism with such a large problem is impossible (or, as I've suspected and possibly read somewhere else, extremely difficult with just about anything, as determinism is ideal for simpler problems, involving two body interactions, but these interactions never truly exist, always being interacted with by countless factors and forces, and I apologize if my understanding of the issue is completely ignorant), and I'm not saying a poll should be %100 accurate.

I am not saying your post is ill thought out, I am saying that I used weasely wording to provide a seemingly coherent idea, but you likely already knew that... In my mind, using these terms is slightly justified by the ends, which is hopefully someone much more invested in such an idea will happen along and expand on it. Perhaps this is foolishness, I don't know. While I admit, it's not very considerate to just cop out on the work related to making a point, I'm really not that concerned with making a point (in which case, perhaps I should think my posts out a little more before considering posting them), though I will admit that my take on poll results is not my own, so there must exist some basis for the idea in the first place... Whether that basis comes from a sound source or not, I can't say.

The statistic on statistics I made up on the spot, although I can't take credit for that idea, either.

Should someone discover that this idea is wrong, and prove their point, they will be doing me, and in the long run, potentially many others, a service... Same goes if it should happen to be right. I apologize if this crap has come up before, but I noticed the notion in my head and figured I could use some input on the subject. I'm sorry if this bothers anyone. Perhaps I'm retroactively attempting to justify the post, but I don't think so, as the reason I post here, or anywhere, is usually to see who agrees and disagrees with me and why... This here is a poll in itself, but I'll try not to go about touting it like it's the truth... And I recognize the hypocrisy with posting some half-baked opinion on polls as truth and then posting what I have just posted.

I find that a lot of the news articles I've read have been biased. True neutrality is hard to achieve, and likely not sensationalist enough to capture the public's attention the way biased articles and stories are, which serve to validate what they already "know", or guide them along a path parallel with the agenda of the powerful people behind the news itself.

That makes me laugh. Thank you, TGRR.

So, if it forces me to unlearn something, this means the appropriate response is horror?... Sure, I get a little ticked about the inconvenience, but I've gotten pretty used to it by now... Still, the fear of the unknown does seem to strike some people rather deeply.

Rereading the stuff I've written, or observing my older drawings always gives me this sick feeling, it's something I prefer not to do... I suppose the concept of death is quite unpleasant, but it doesn't scare me as much as the possibility of being maimed for the rest of my life. I suppose that's as close to "horror" as I get these days, except for the occasional spooky phantom (or ghost, or whatever) sighting, or glowing eyes in the dark. Change is the only thing I've found to be a constant in life, and for ghosts, there are cats (who's eyes have odd reflective properties and freak me out a little anyway).

Also, telephone calls to or from relatives almost always result in a deep sense of dread. It's not that I don't like them, I just don't like the things they often want to talk to me about.

Didn't Rasputin preach something like that?

What gives me significance? Not really sure... The people I know seem to know something, but I'm not asking because that will sound like fishing for compliments and/or sympathy... I guess I get my significance from others, as unwelcome as that may be at times. There is significance in one's work, one's hobbies, a beautiful sunset or sunrise, a stormy day, a bird's song... There is so much that is of significance to me all around that I don't have a lot of time to ask what makes me significant...

I suppose it's one of those deep questions, but as seems the gist of much of what is in this thread (sorry to generalize, it's likely a product of my flawed perception), the significance is in dropping the question and getting on with the things that matter, rather than wasting time on finding a way to phrase an answer to a question with a mind-jarring number of possible answers. While it can be a fun thinking exercise, letting the search for the answer obscure your vision is going in the completely wrong direction.

When people bring up that tired old question about the meaning of life, I usually request that they stop asking that, because while they're paying attention to that, they're missing the answer right under their nose... This doesn't always go over well. I know there was a time when that was what I mostly thought about, and all it brought was misery. I won't pretend my life is all puppy dogs and rainbows now, but at least I am mostly present for the good bits before they're gone.

And what will you do once you have the answer simplified into a small phrase? What good will it do you? Will it bring you happiness? Do not mistake the finger pointing for the answer, it is the direction in which the finger points where one should conduct one's search.

I must admit, they might, but I have this strong intuition (In other words, I'm full of BS) that something is going to go horribly wrong...

Well, you used to have to be a natural born citizen to run for president, why not? :P

Alls I can say is, I sense an evil against evil scenario approaching. If you believe all the speculation, good 'ol Joe has a history of completely dismembering anyone who stands against him by putting them under investigation for sex offender charges and the like. It would be amusing to watch that jackass ruin himself AND the political aspirations of the Palin family, then again, I'm a sick fuck, so maybe nobody else sees it that way.

Keep in mind, Joe had one of his potential political adversaries ripped to shreds by the media with accusations of the guy trying to rape his own mother... Or maybe I read the article wrong, I don't know, it has been a while. He was being investigated for corruption last I heard, not really sure how that turned out, but the article was along the lines of "all things considered, the truth may never be known."...

Perhaps some kind of unlikely suicide will be in the works for Joe, some kind of MKULTRA defenestration technique, or chainsaw seppuku?

Maybe they meant "jean pool", as in, fewer potential contributors to a community blue-jeans fund? Na, that's too much of a stretch, and probably wouldn't make sense in Armenian, Russian or whatever.

I love the way the flushing action generates enough wind to blow the toilet paper about.

Hell is where all the badass parties will be. Phack heaven. Bunch of singing and bible thumping with no atheists around to remind them that God doesn't exist, no more blind rage at people who just don't get it, where's the fun in that?

That's absurd. I'm not much of a fan of any kind of punk (though I will admit that I've heard some that I like), but still... The crazy thing is this kind of rationalization of the invasion of privacy is not so foreign as it may at first seem, there often seems to be an unusual volume of "ends justify the means" violations. Are such incidents evidence of some catastrophic domino effect of failing human logic? Or are they part of some sinister agenda? Perhaps only time will tell.

And "damage the gene pool"... Really? Music and style of dress somehow damaging the gene pool? What black hole of stupid do these idiots crawl out of?

Yes, Mr. TSA Agent, I happen to be allergic to latex, as well as other people's ass sweat, and will likely be sending your fine establishment my hospital bills if you cannot procure a clean set of disposable sheepskin gloves.

I'm going to refuse the scanners just so someone will fondle my balls. Hey, if I'm already paying an assload for a flight, may as well get the extras out of it.

I like Kobe beef... Only had it once (asssuming it wasn't one of those crossbred american ones, which it probably was, now that I think about it), but man... Tied up to a stick, gorged with saki and rice, massaged, then slaughtered for my enjoyment, or is that a lie? Still, good stuff. I cooked one once for 30 seconds on each side, then ate the bloody thing. Did a number on my bowels, but I think I'll try that again sometime