tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25066620.post5223703299928477663..comments2009-05-19T10:09:53.902-05:00S. Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341145424164713662noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25066620.post-76924994253220804902008-01-31T13:06:00.000-06:002008-01-31T13:06:00.000-06:00Interesting comments. <BR/><BR/>America's two-party system and the general traditionalism found within our population is certainly well-entrenched. However, don't fall into the trap of assuming those two parties will never get along, or that adherents of the two will never switch sides or vote for the other half. For example, Obama seems to be garnering a fair share of support from independents and Republicans, not just his native Democrats. If he loses the primaries, he may well be able to win the presidency on an independent ticket...solely because of the unity he seems apt to inspire.<BR/><BR/>Also, with the average American so heavily specialized in his or her own field, sometimes it is too much to expect that they will be able to understand a simple, basic truth of politics: politicians, at their core, are managers. Nothing more. They are the division chiefs of the political world, and their function is supposed to be purely one of streamlining American society to operate at optimum.<BR/><BR/>Of course, in practice, it seems that many politicians fail to realize this themselves...let alone the general public. They turn it into some kind of idealized Quest for Truth and Justice.<BR/><BR/>As for Ruby, PHP, Java, and the rest...in the end, they're all just ways of facilitating a discussion with the end user. The details don't really matter, and neither does the choice of language. This is not to say that one can write a Web 2.0 app in GWBASIC, but the ire that exists between language zealots seems to be greatly misplaced. <BR/><BR/>Similarly, Linux/Windows/Amiga/Mac junkies have always amused me greatly. The choice of operating system doesn't and shouldn't matter. The end purpose of any computer is simply to facilitate the aforementioned discussion between people. Whether that's playing a game, writing a book, or managing a company, the purpose of the activity remains the same - at the lowest level, it's all about human interaction.<BR/><BR/>Also, long live the bicycle, the most energy-efficient machine in all of recorded history.Ben Overmyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362794638243300594noreply@blogger.com