The Internet and the Spread of Illiteracy

[PDX Dopesmoker]

Yeah ya right, apart from sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us ?

The Bishop of Rome is the leader of a billion catholics worldwide, the power that goes along with being pope was established well before the collapse of the Roman empire. So don't act like the Romans are all dead and gone and can't do you any good in the future. Maybe you'll get molested by a sexy female priest after they liberalize that brotherhood and allow females in.

 

[Gry]

Companies pay for Product Placement.

I don't think Israel paid for their product placement on NCIS, since it's such a Rah Rah Support the US gov type show.

There's one scene where Abby, played by Pauley Perrette, has a coffee cup on her desk with an Israeli flag in it. No US flag, just an Israeli flag.

There's about 30 seconds of video, in the middle of a slightly longer sequence, where the screen is filled with the Israeli flag.

With the panning & zooming of the camera, 3 or 4 different times.

It was like a Mega product placement. Imagine if the camera zoomed in on the Apple image on one of the actor's or actresses laptop. And just showed the 'Apple' for 30 seconds. I think most film critics would consider that "massive over-do".

I wonder if Israel got their product placement for free. NCIS Washington is one of the most pro-Israel TV shows out there.

One more thread evolving into a tribute to television...

 

[Teddybrae]

We just love to look at ourselves!

Never mind what's going on INSIDE the Organism ... it's what the Organism can see OUTSIDE that fascinates it!

Ha ha! Even Hitler imagined a bright future existed OUT THERE somewhere!!!

One more thread evolving into a tribute to television...

 

[St. Phatty]

Reminds me of a talk I heard the other day, went something like-

Does a collapsing society know they are collapsing ?

A scholar of Rome said that history seems to show that Romans had no clue they were collapsing only what the governing rule told them. They they probably just experienced was the gradual decline of their money and quality of life.

I wonder if silver coins turned to tin ?

Had to look that up.

2 History
2.1 Roman Republic: c. 500 – 27 BC
2.2 Roman Empire: 27 BC – 476 AD

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_currency

"Coins of the Republic
The early Republic did not use coins but rather a system of bronze weights, the aes rude. These units were quite large as one unit was the equivalent of 324 g. or 11 1/2 oz. in weight. Despite their heaviness, this type continued to be produced up to c. 218 BCE. As the Romans expanded over central Italy war booty meant coins could be produced using precious metals - gold, silver, and bronze. The first Roman coins were probably the small bronze ones of low value produced at Neapolis from 326 BCE and carried the legend PΩMAIΩN. The first silver coins were produced from the early 3rd century BCE and resembled contemporary Greek coins. These were worth two Greek drachmas and carried the legend ROMANO, later to become ROMA. Gradually, following the financial excesses of the Punic Wars, the weight of coins was reduced, as was the metal content of the bronze bars. Due to financial necessity, gold coins (aurei) were also minted, a rare event not to be repeated until the 1st century BCE.


In c. 211 BCE a whole new coinage system was introduced. Appearing for the first time was the silver denarius (pl. denarii), a coin that would be the principal silver coin of Rome until the 3rd century CE. The coin was initially funded by a tax on property but then via war booty as the wars against Carthage swung in Rome's favour. The denarius was equal to 10 bronze asses (sing. as), each of which weighed 54 g. or 2 oz. There were other coins such as the silver victoriatus which was in weight equal to three quarters of a denarius, the quinarii, worth half of a denarius, and other bronze and gold coins but these were not always widely or consistently used. From c. 200 BCE only Rome now produced coins in Italy and the movement of troops ensured the wider circulation of Roman coinage.

In 46 BCE Julius Caesar minted the largest quantity of gold coins yet seen in Rome.
As Rome expanded and took ever more treasure from her enemies silver began to replace bronze as the most important material for coinage. This was especially so following the acquisition of the silver mines of Macedonia from 167 BCE, resulting in a huge boom in silver coins from 157 BCE. In addition, in c. 141 BCE the bronze as was devalued so that now 16 were equivalent to one denarius. It was now no longer necessary to mark coins as Roman as there were no others in Italy and by the 1st century BCE Roman coins were now also being widely used across the Mediterranean."

https://www.ancient.eu/Roman_Coinage/


Hmmm ... complicated.

I was hoping it would be simple, they debased the coinage and 20 years later they collapsed.

Rome seems to have survived 500 years with de-based coinage.

The US de-based its coinage in 1964.

 

[aridbud]

After all the grammatical rules drilled from grade school to high school, I must admit, I'm rusty due to SPELLCHECK! ;o)

 

[Sertaiz]

that is honesty. disable spell check, type with thumbs on a phone, and it leaves me with no urge to hit extra buttons.
with a fully functioning computer keyboard some can type almost as fast as talk, and punctuate too.

spell check takes away my originality, to make up words or use slang. whatup. feels good. personal freedoms, im glad we dont have punctuation police yet.
good eye mite.

 

[Ringodoggie]

mate

 

[Sertaiz]

say it fast....

 

[bigtacofarmer]

that is honesty. disable spell check, type with thumbs on a phone, and it leaves me with no urge to hit extra buttons.
with a fully functioning computer keyboard some can type almost as fast as talk, and punctuate too.

spell check takes away my originality, to make up words or use slang. whatup. feels good. personal freedoms, im glad we dont have punctuation police yet.
good eye mite.

Spell check can completely change the meaning of what you are saying. So that makea it pointless. And predictive text seems to think I want to make me sound like an old pervert.

 

[Sertaiz]

hahahahahaha

 

[Switcher56]

say it fast....

A mite and a mate (m8) are 2 different beasts!

 

[Sertaiz]

i wasnt telling him he had a good eye....

edit, dont know gender

 

[Ringodoggie]

A mite and a mate (m8) are 2 different beasts!

What's the difference?

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

Elagabalus was emperor of Rome from 218 to 222, his only real goal in life was to be the highest paid homosexual prostitute in the city. According to contemporary Roman historian Cassius Dio the emperor

set aside a room in the palace and there committed his indecencies, always standing nude at the door of the room, as the harlots do, and shaking the curtain which hung from gold rings, while in a soft and melting voice he solicited the passers-by. There were, of course, men who had been specially instructed to play their part. For, as in other matters, so in this business, too, he had numerous agents who sought out those who could best please him by their foulness. He would collect money from his patrons and give himself airs over his gains; he would also dispute with his associates in this shameful occupation, claiming that he had more lovers than they and took in more money.

Explain how the Visigoths or Carthage or the Huns were responsible for that faggot being emperor.

 

[Gry]

Spell check can completely change the meaning of what you are saying. So that makea it pointless. And predictive text seems to think I want to make me sound like an old pervert.

Predictive text, was wondering what it was called.
The suggestions are an abysmal nod to future dementia.

 

[mayorofthdesert]

i used to have impeccable grammar and spelling, was a voracious reader. now i can't live without spell check. for me i think it's mostly age & the way i've abused my brain with chemicals.

 

[siftedunity]

I was lucky enough to get a good education and love learning. I can spell and punctuate clearly and articulate myself.. sometimes I just cant be fucked. theres nothing wrong with using shortcuts as long as you actually have a grasp of the real thing.. I mean its a forum not an English paper.

 

[kickarse]

The left have control of ALL the indoctrination centers(schools,and colleges)
that's why ya a bunch of illiterate dumb stnuc, its the same in my country.

The same as most western country's, the flogs that run the show, want a nice compliant human/slave population

 

[kickarse]

Its got nothing to do with the internet

 

[EvergreenState]

My reedin compahshun good not. What say?