Curiosity

[The Beatles]

I was curious, so I formulated a few questions if you care to answer. To kick off, I'll answer them for myself.

1. What are your favorite hobbies?
I love reading to a passion. I also like listening to rock music, and I really enjoy programming.

2. What, in a few sentences, do you think about any recent (0-5 years?) developments in world politics that you particularly followed?
Hmm... I'm appalled about the situation in the US concerning wiretaps, the suppression of stories about them, and about the DoJ's request from Google and the fact that other search engines blithely complied. I'm not against the war in Iraq, although it would help the US's image if it withdrew.

3. What field or topic are you most interested in as a potential career and not a hobby?
The interface between medicine and computer science.

4. What is the thing you like best about FAF?
Hard to answer for an admin... I have really enjoyed working with the staff and I think they're excellent (if at times unresponsive).

5. Can you name world events that shaped your outlook on life?
Not many recent ones. However, while reading about the Munich massacre and a later Mossad action to recapture hostages in Nigeria, I've come to the conclusion that civilization is a very thin mask, only nominally respected in most of the world. Yet respecting it is in everyone's interests.

6. Will you drink on your 21-st birthday?
Nope. At most, a toast with champagne or something similar.

7. Share a wise thought.
I haven't got any... however, Kipling has many, so read his poems.


~B

[Freenhult]

1.)Reading, Playing Video Games, Science Olympiad, Playing the Violin, Anime and Sword fighting.
2.) I just think that if people really were smart, they'd all kick out all their leaders, have a nice civil war, and reform their governments. That way all the idiots who run countries would be gone. Honestly, I think that if we don't attack countries that have a high chance of giving WMD's to terrorist, a nuke could blow up in the US or one of its allies.
3.) My future is as a Meteorologist. Look for me on the Weather Channel!
4.) Tough question...The way the game works, the people, ect. The little things that make FAF different.
5.) Can't really define an event that changed my global perspective. As things happen, I change my outlook on life. I take this one day at a time...
6.)Nope...Alcohol is a waste of funds. I'd rather buy a new game or a shamshir...(Type of sword) XD
7.)If I may post two...I origionally came up with these for a 50pg story I wrote...
A) “If we knew at all times what consequences our actions would bring against ourselves and the world, we would never act�
B.) “There will always be mysteries in life as there will always be problems. Solve one of them and another takes its place. Sometimes, it is just better to not even bother with them at all.�

Edit: Spelling errors...

[Alcaline the Badger]

1. What are your favorite hobbies?
Getting drunk, partying with my friends, even though it's mcdonalds I like working there its fun buncha friends work there so its sort of a hobbie. Smoking some.. non-legal substances.

2. What, in a few sentences, do you think about any recent (0-5 years?) developments in world politics that you particularly followed?
Don't really care for politics they all lie at some point so why trust any of them. And yea the war is extremely (insert bad word here ). Let's just say I'm against American and British soldiers beating up young Iraqi *CHILDREN*

3. What field or topic are you most interested in as a potential career and not a hobby?
Even though I break many laws now I would like to get into police work because I know how the underground circuit works

4. What is the thing you like best about FAF?
"Pwning" people.

5. Can you name world events that shaped your outlook on life?
Holocaust, and the Rwanda Genocide

6. Will you drink on your 21-st birthday?
Probably, even though it's 19 in Canada, and I get drunk all the time now so what's the difference.

7. Share a wise thought.
Everytime I do it, I do it for my Hood.
~Young Jeezy


~Alcky

[bjornredtail]

1. What are your favorite hobbies?
I play the cello, swim, (sometimes) admin FAF and mess around with other general tech gear (such as my p166 Linux rig and other related junk)

2. What, in a few sentences, do you think about any recent (0-5 years?) developments in world politics that you particularly followed?
The continuing effects of excessive copyright and patent restrictions on the development of software.

3. What field or topic are you most interested in as a potential career and not a hobby?
Something to do with computer science and/or engineering.

4. What is the thing you like best about FAF?
The fact that I am an admin...

5. Can you name world events that shaped your outlook on life?
Perhaps


6. Will you drink on your 21-st birthday?
How am I supposed to know now? Chances are I will not. Since my 18th birthday I have not purchased firearms, porno, cigarettes, nor have I voted, been drafted into the millinery, married, or entered into any legal contracts (except clickwrap agreements).

7. Share a wise thought.
"A witty saying proves nothing"

[windhound]

1. What are your favorite hobbies?
Music, rangeing from classic to modern rock, though less of the latter..
remote control model boats.. gutting older models and replacing them with (vastly) updated equipment.. my hydrofoil was made in germany in the 80's and worked quite well till it decided to be a submarine instead.. burnt the esc and reciever... also have two rc sailboats...
Kites and computers as well

2. What, in a few sentences, do you think about any recent (0-5 years?) developments in world politics that you particularly followed?
The entire.. what was it, 2004 (?) election in the us. Democrats saying get bush out of office more than they were saying 'Elect Kerry,' as well as Kerry's insane wishywashyness.. is this really the best the us can come up with for its leaders? Bush is alright I guess, but surely we could do better

3. What field or topic are you most interested in as a potential career and not a hobby?
eh. probably IT network management..

4. What is the thing you like best about FAF?
the fact that if there is an issue with the game it is fixxed very quickly

5. Can you name world events that shaped your outlook on life?
eh. not really

6. Will you drink on your 21-st birthday?
doubtful

7. Share a wise thought.
I'll share 4
"In the beginning there was nothing, which exploded" -email sig of a Duke researcher
"The early bird gets the worm. But the second mouse gets the cheese" -unknown
"If we weren't all crazy we would go insane" - Jimmy Buffet
"If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice" - Rush

[Corban]

1. What are your favorite hobbies?
Reading, Listening to Music, Movies are Great, Swimming (USS), Video Games, and many more things

2. What, in a few sentences, do you think about any recent (0-5 years?) developments in world politics that you particularly followed?
The War in Iraq may not have been necessary but it is better now for the Iraqis than it was during the reign of Saddam Husein.

3. What field or topic are you most interested in as a potential career and not a hobby?
Possibly a form of engineering.

4. What is the thing you like best about FAF?
The overall community.

5. Can you name world events that shaped your outlook on life?
Maybe, but not off the top of my head.

6. Will you drink on your 21-st birthday?
Unlikely. The most I would even consider drinking would be a small amount champagne or something similar.

7. Share a wise thought.

"Ambition is poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy." -unkonwn

[Devari]

"The War in Iraq may not have been necessary but it is better now for the Iraqis than it was during the reign of Saddam Husein."

I'm not arguing about the point that things will probably eventually be better, but I do remember reading that, at the current time, things are actually a lot worse for a considerable amount of people. Especially considering that Iraq is essentially in a state of Civil War...

[Freenhult]

Well, I can't really think of too many times, when a form of government broke down and was reestablished as a differnent one without dissent and protest. It is a natural effect of governmental change. The problems it creates do not always cause a conflict right way, but eventually do.

But yes, the current situation is worse, and that is bad. It could and SHOULD be a lot better. I think I'll write my congressmen about that...XD

[Gen. Volkov]

1. Reading, building models, computer/video games, and playing RPG's. (D&D, Obsidian, Werewolf, a few others.) I do other stuff, but that's my primary activities outside of school.

2. The war in Iraq may or may not have been necessary, and I would like to see us out of there, but not at the price of the place collapsing into anarchy. So I still support us being there for now. The Iraqi people are worse off in some ways, but better off in others. They may be about to plunge into a civil war, (which was pretty much inevitable anyway given the ethnic makeup and distribution), but at least they will be charting their own destiny, and the minority will not be crushing the majority. The Kurds in particualar are ALOT better aff than they used to be. Saddam killed thousands of people, and gassed the Kurds, a civil war would prolly be a not alot different in terms of body count, but no WMD's would be used.

3. Biology, lab or field, or veterinary medicine.

4. The people here.

5. 9/11 and WW2. Those two have shaped my view of the world massively, especially WW2.

6. I drank on my 21st birthday.

7. "Those who do not study history are destined to repeat it."-Can't remember who.

[The Beatles]

As to your 7 -- Cicero said a variant of it, although the one you cite sounds much better. Cicero said "Those who do not learn about what has happened before they were born, remain forever children". Then along comes Henry Ford and says "History is bunk"...

A few days ago I read a quote about Britain's withdrawal from Pakistan. They were convinced that if they left, it would plunge Pakistan into chaos, so they didn't leave for quite some time, and got heavy flak in the press (foreign and home) for it. In the end, they felt their decision had been justified, but a Pakistani in government said something along the lines of "Yes, there might have been chaos, but it would have been our chaos." (rough quote). Which strikes me as particularly true... sometimes, the right thing (and I do believe that the war was a Right Thing) will always be unpopular.

[Ruddertail]

1: Reading, playing FAF, random computer games, board games, talking about high powered explosives and other weapons that I'd love to have but probably never will, and staging imaginary millitary campaigns/battles.

2: I think the war in Iraq is a good thing. Sure, in some respects, things might be worse then under Saddam, but when you have to take a guy out by force, what do you expect? Things are getting better every day, and, what's more, they're free. No more Saddam dragging people out of their houses and executing them, no more living in fear of something you said being reported. Further more, whether Saddam had WMD or not, and whether he would have aquired it or not, we knew he wanted it, and there's only one sure way I know of to prevent him from getting it. What we did: Throw him in jail somewhere. (And probably execute him...)

3: Politics and law. Vote Ruddertail in '28!

4: Bugs are fixed, suggestions are listened to, discussed, and if approved, implemented.
It's a living, breathing game. We're constantly making it better, and I've gotten to have a hand in it. That, and it's fun, the people are pretty nice, and we run a pretty tight ship as far as language and decency.

5: World events? 9/11, to some extent. The Iraq war, possibely.. Other then that, nothing really.

6: Nope. I've never liked fizzy stuff, I don't drink pop. If I tried chapagne, I'd probably spit it out and spray everybody there... not good.

7: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - Jesus

[Gen. Volkov]

Henry Ford... what a jerk. Have you read 1984? Makes my blood curdle. Still no clue who said my quote, but I like him, whoever he is. And yes, sadly, that is exactly what is happening in Iraq. Things would be so much simpler if we had just taken over the world after WW2. Just gone in, taken out Russia, and disarmed the world. We wouldn't have all our lovely modern conveniences, but at least we be freaking safe. And there'd be no chance of Achmed the mujahideen getting his hands on a nuclear device and blowing up New York. (If you don't like the fact that I used an Arab for my terrorist, too bad, they are the ones who make the rest of the world miserable for their greivances, everyone else has the decency to keep it in their own country.)

[The Beatles]

The problem with your argument, V, is that there are people who would be afraid of America, just as today we are afraid of some foreign powers. Single hegemony is not the answer, as it completely eliminates checks and balances.

What does 1984 have to do with Ford? Brave New World I can understand, but 1984?

Great No. 7, Rudder.

[Gen. Volkov]

1984 changes history until its meanignless to learn about it, Brave New World says it's bunk. Variations on the same theme.

And how does it eliminate checks and balances, that's refering to how a government is run. We'd still be a democracy, just many times larger. And people are already afraid of the US, but they have ways to strike at us. A single hegemony would eliminate that, or reduce it to the point were it was an annoyance, instead of us being very rightly worried that we are going to wake up tomorrow to find a major city gone. Course then whoever did it would never wake up again, but that's not the point. If we had the only nukes, no one would dare mess with us.

[Alcaline the Badger]

The problem with your argument, V, is that there are people who would be afraid of America, just as today we are afraid of some foreign powers. Single hegemony is not the answer, as it completely eliminates checks and balances.

What does 1984 have to do with Ford? Brave New World I can understand, but 1984?

Great No. 7, Rudder.

China's going to run your sh*t soon *laughs*. Sorry to be so crud but now that they don't have a limit on their exports, there going to have alot of power of what everyone gets/gives to them. Not to mention the 2 billion people they have. No doubt in my mind they'll be the next super power.