Quote: Originally Posted by obobskivich Neal Stephenson wrote Snowcrash, correct? Yessir. It's a fantastic book, too. Great if you're into the cyberpunk genre.

Quote: Originally Posted by rogue Neal Stephenson - Neuromancer Just a correction, Neuromancer was actually written by William Gibson (who is, along with Stephenson, awesome). It seems that there are a few Bradbury fans, which is always good. Farenheit 451 was great, although...

Shame on me for forgetting Kurt Vonnegut. I highly advise Slaughterhouse 5, it's a classic of the genre. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater is great too.

1. John Crowley - Little, Big 2. Neil Gaiman - American Gods 3. Philip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? 4. Neal Stephenson - Quicksilver (and the whole of the Baroque cycle) 5. Thomas Pynchon - Gravity's Rainbow

Anybody else a fan? I'm generally not much of a folky/country fan, but man, if it's done properly it's simply amazing. I love listening to Elvis Presley Blues through a mid-friendly rig I haven't yet heard her first album (I've only heard Hell Among The Yearlings and Time (The...

Bruce Springsteen - I'm On Fire

Quote: Vonnegut Fantastic taste. I read Slaughterhouse 5 when I was around 14, it's truly a great book. God Bless You, Mr Rosewater is another great one. I personally didn't like Wheel of Time series, but that's just personal preference. It seemed that his writing was drawn out and...

Quote: How do you replace your bumper cheaply? Trick question! You don't!

Sagan is indeed amazing. Here's a video to give you an idea: YouTube - Carl Sagan - Pale Blue Dot Quite possibly one of the more moving speeches ever written. On another note, a few other books I can recommend (if Fiction is more your thing): American Gods, by Neil Gaiman...

Quote: Originally Posted by Towert7 Reflections: Quoting an image, which I know is against the rules, but ah well. 'Tis a victimless crime. I love this photo - I really think the hair around her (her?) neck looks fantastic, in the way that it's bristling off - it reminds...

Quote: Originally Posted by ecclesand I did no such thing. I clearly stated that anyone who takes pleasure in taking the life of another human being is not capable of being rehabilitated. I implied nothing! Let me spell it out for you. If a person enjoys murdering another person, that...

Quote: Originally Posted by EyeAmEye In reality, apparently nobody, . And herein lies the problem. There's no real body which decides about the forfeit of a life, and whatnot - in an eye-for-an-eye society, someone who exerts equal justice is scarcely better than the criminals...

Quote: Originally Posted by ecclesand If you had read my post, I said that anyone who takes pleasure in killing another human being does not have the capacity for rehabilitation. Your post assumes that ALL convicted murderers in the US took pleasure in taking a life which is probably...

Quote: Originally Posted by EyeAmEye The forfeiting of one's life is immediate upon the action. The state is the executioner. The actual hand is immaterial, but I personally would offer first crack to the victim's next of kin. This applies to attempted murder also, as I have never...

Quote: Originally Posted by ecclesand As far as I'm concerned, any human being that takes pleasure in harming or killing another human being does not have the capacity to be rehabilitated. Well frankly, you're wrong, given the fact that (in America, at least), convicted murderers...

Quote: Originally Posted by RYCeT ask marados to step forward Btw, marados, if you ever been in North Philadelphia, I bet you'll be ****ting in your pants and begging to get you ticket back to NZ. If it ever happens to you, your family or relative, I want to see if you still hold...

Quote: Originally Posted by EyeAmEye Your exasperation is forgiven, now please forgive me in return for letting you in on a little secret. I did not read any of your posts, nor will I. I truly don't care what your opinion is, nor ever will. See, I posted on this thread my own opinion...

Quote: Originally Posted by EyeAmEye The cost is how many other people they will continually hurt after they have been "rehabilitated" by their punishment. I believe in protecting the rights and lives of the innocent, not the guilty. Letting criminals have another go at their activities...

Quote: Originally Posted by bundee1 Forget this guy he doesn't get it and is probably trolling around looking to goad us. I guess things are different in Hobbiton. Yeah, things are pretty different here. For one, we don't argue with ad-hominem.

Quote: Originally Posted by archosman You were saying? The incident began when teachers at the Moss Elemenary School in Orange County confronted an 11-year-old girl for allegedly attempting to push another student into ongoing traffic outside the campus, MyFOXOrlando.com reported...

Quote: Originally Posted by EyeAmEye Anyone who thinks any human life is so sacred it must be spared at all costs is delusional. Remind me, what costs are there. What difference will it make if this boy isn't killed? That's right - jack ****. Don't talk about preserving...

Quote: Originally Posted by archosman I didn't say I would make the decision. I said I would do what no one else wants to do. You gave the impression of being the person to make the decision when you said "I will." Quote: You really need to read the definition of what...

Quote: Originally Posted by nysulli heres the problem, i haven't beaten anyone till they hit the ground. Ok, let me try and explain this once more. Say that you think killing someone justifies the death penalty. Therefore, if you kill someone, we'll kill you. So, a murderer...

Quote: Originally Posted by archosman No... I'm not. Fantastic! A dog-eat-dog, anarchist world. Quote: Yes I will. On what grounds? Who gets to decide that you have the power to have someone executed? As I said before, who watches the watchmen? Quote...

Quote: Originally Posted by RYCeT Whoa, why don't you lobby your government to re-educate our criminals over there and keep it there while you've finished re-educating them. They might be a perfect mate for you. Ad-hominum me a bit more, please.