BeIR/webis-touche2020 huggingface dataset:
Mac is Better than Windows

Service Here are the flaws in this argument 1. At the end of the blog, the author states that the Indian accent wasn't a problem, just the service, so Pro should have picked a better argument 2. This link: . https://discussions.apple.com... shows a disgruntled Apple customer, for every angry PC consumer there's an angry Apple consumer. 3. It is a blog, there is no proof that any of this happened at all, in fact, the link in point number two in this rebuttal could have been a lie for all I know, that is why I am not using it as solid evidence of anything. 4. Pro's point about the scam could really happen anywhere. There are scams all over the place, just because it happened in India doesn't mean it is a problem that there are call centers in India. Processors Pro, you should have dropped this topic because now you are defeating yourself even more. If my Toshiba has an i3 and your Mac has an i5, that doesn't mean Mac has better processors, it means I couldn't afford a computer with an i5 processor. In fact, it would seem that Mac tends to use the lower end of each processor in the Macbook Pro. For example, for $1200, the 13 inch Macbook Pro has a dual core i5 operating at 2.3 GHz [1]. The dual core i3 in my Toshiba laptop operates at the speed of 2.53 GHz and yet my computer was a mere $450. So the only valid processor argument is about who uses the better version of the type of processor, not who has the better types of processors. Pro used the latter which is a moot point, and I used the first which would seem to be a much more valid argument. Security This was a comparison of the fully upgraded models on release date. If Pro wishes to challenge my sources then why does he not use sources to fight my sources? Pro is trying to make the reader think my sources are unreliable but he never refuted them with real evidence and I know that my sources are legitimate so there is no reason to not accept them. I did not say the Macbook PRO didn't have a microphone, pay attention to my argument please, Pro. Also, the Macbook Air is not cheaper than the Sony Vaio TZ, the Macbook Air's current price is $1700 while the Sony Vaio TZ is $1000[2]. Pro's last statement seems to be unfounded. When did Pro offer evidence for user-friendliness and customization? Windows also has an App Store called the Windows Live Gallery for Windows 7 and Vista. . http://gallery.live.com... [1] . http://store.apple.com... [2] . http://www.google.com...
Mac is Better than Windows

My opponent's rebuttal is appreciated and I thank him for raising these points. SERVICE First of all, Microsoft does, in fact, have call centers in India, as this web page proves. It should also be noted that this customer had a bad experience. He could tell it was in India because of the accents of both service representatives. http://geekswithblogs.net... This link describes a fake Microsoft scam based in India. http://www.guardian.co.uk... PROCESSSING I don't I have to say much here. My opponent states that my argument defeats itself, but he must remember that we are not arguing about what processing strength would be suitable for him. Instead we are arguing over what processor is BETTER, and if Macs use better processors, then they are better in the processing category. SECURITY My opponent has just admitted that Windows computers are more susceptible to viruses, malware, and spyware than Macs! The top MacBook Air is NOT $3100! These are the configuration options for the top-line MacBook air and with the improved processor, it is only $1700, making it cheaper than the Sony VAIO TZ my opponent mentioned earlier. The MacBook battery CAN be removed and replaced., as it is in this video: http://youtu.be... The MacBook Pro (,which is cheaper than some configurations of the Air,) has a camera AND a microphone! Look at the tech specs for the MINIMUM configuration! http://www.apple.com... I also question the legitimacy of my opponent's source. If it is legitimate, then it is outdated. So the MacBook air (maximum configuration) is, in fact, cheaper than the Sony VAIO TZ. And who doesn't want an OS with extreme user-friendliness, customization options, its own app store, and negligible security risks for $30?
Mac is Better than Windows

ServiceMy opponent says that Microsoft will transfer you to India. I will now request a source of proof that this happens. If he cannot provide a source for this statement, his point is moot. ProcessingMy opponent's processing argument basically defeats itself. If you are only going to go 65 mph with your car, why would you spend 500,000 to above 1 million, (yes, that is how much a car that fast costs,) when you could by, let's say, a Toyota Camry for 23,000 which will do everything you need it to do. If Mac only uses i5, i7, and the Xeon processor, why would someone like me or my opponent need that? If I were a Mac fan there wouldn't even be a reason for me to buy a Mac. Why would I need an i5 processor computer that costs over a thousand dollars when I could get my current laptop, a Toshiba Satellite with an i3 processor for only 450 dollars. Programs open instantly, my computer goes from turn on to the login screen in less than 30 seconds, my opponent has yet to explain why someone would need a Mac. VirusesMacs are much less likely to get viruses, but it is more appealing to get viruses once in a while than to pay too much for a computer that isn't even as good as a PC, here is an example. The Sony Vaio vs the MacBook Air. This MacBook is $3100 whereas the Sony Vaio TZ is $2200. The Sony has higher resolution, more USB ports (the ones on the MacBook aren't even expandable,) the Sony has 4 to 7 hours of life on their REMOVABLE battery, he Macbook battery is non removable, the Macbook has a camera but no microphone, the Sony has a fingerprint scanner, a card reader, and even has stereo speaks unlike this Macbook. One thousand dollars cheaper for the Sony, many more features, but I guess for some people a cheaper operating system and less chance of viruses is worth it. References:. http://nerdfighters.ning.com...http://www.msnbc.msn.com...http://www.thesupercars.org...
Mac is Better than Windows

OS I would first like to address the unreliability of my opponent's source in his saying that Lion is the only Apple OS to be released for $30. In fact, Snow Leopard was released for $30. Also the OS upgrades were not 200 dollars, but rather $110, which is comparably priced, if not cheaper than today's Windows 7 OS!! If we want to talk about shortcomings in releases, then windows is the target here, not Mac. Mac has both added AND improved the UI, apps, and how things work under the hood with every update. Cheetah was the start of the modern Mac OS. Puma reworked Finder and added support for DVD, camera, 3D, printers and other hardware. In Jaguar, they revamped finder again, this time adding Mail, Address book, and a plethora of other apps used today. In Panther, there was a new UI, development tools, and Safari. Tiger updated many apps and added Dashboard. Leopard reworked the UI once again, and the UI of lion started to take shape. Snow Leopard COMPLETELY reworked the usage of RAM and rewrote Finder. The updates in Lion completely changed the way the computer works, moving computing into the tablet era. Windows on the other hand, did nothing except fool with the UI and add hardware support until Vista and Aero, but Mac had smooth 3D animations from the start, and Dashboard was introduced WAAAY earlier in tiger Also, we are not here to argue about who WAS better, but rather who IS better, so therefore I feel any comments on past Mac ways that are no longer applicable can be rendered irrelevant. Mac comes with useful out of the box software that can do things of which Windows could never dream using out of the box software. Windows m must be bought or ordered. Mac OS Lion can be downloaded DIRECTLY to the computer. Mac has its own app store, a place where users can go to find free and paid apps that will do most anything while staying secure. SERVICE If you call Microsoft or HP, you are transferred to India, whereas with Mac, you speak with an American who you can understand the first time they say something! PROCESSING As my opponent has stated, windows processors are not always as strong as Mac's. Although the extra power may not be NECESSARY it is BETTER. it is like having a car with top speed of 65 mph vs. a car with top speed of 250 mph. You will never go 250 on a road, but its still better than 65. And bottom line processors these days are i5 and i7 which are both better than i3. And they only us hyper threaded dual core and quad core. VIRUSES I don't care WHY Macs don't get viruses, the point is they don't!!!!!!!! Not to Say they are 100% virus free, but there's a MAJOR virus for Windows every year and I always know someone who gets it. Never met someone with an infected Mac.
Mac is Better than Windows

Rebuttal to His ArgumentOSFirst, I will address his statement about the pricing of the OS. Lion is the only Apple OS so far to be only thirty dollars. The upgrades before that were upwards of a hundred dollars. Apple OS upgrades are no more than service packs. The updates in them are insignificant compared to Windows. From 2001 (When Mac OS was launched) to 2006, five OS upgrades came out, all 200 dollars, all doing a little more than the last one. The upgrade from XP to Windows 7 was drastic. Windows Aero introduced a whole new way of experiencing Windows, at only 120 dollars for the home premium version, users could finally experience their desktop in HD graphics. Animations allowed windows to open and close in a smooth and stylish manner, preview allowed users to view a LIVE thumbnail of what was running on their minimized icons, peak allowed users to see transparent glass forms of their windows so they would know what was running and where they put it, gadgets allowed users to see things such as their stocks, weather, etc. live on their desktop. Multiple CompaniesNow I argue with the point about having to deal with multiple companies. With computer problems with Windows, here are the companies that you may have to deal with. Microsoft Your Manufacturer (i. e. Toshiba, HP) Intel or AMD Here's the thing, my opponent's argument about this point is invalid. Here is why: How often when you are having computer problems does the problem stem from your processor, your OS designer, AND your manufacturer at the same time. In fact, I have never heard of anyone needing to call Intel because their processor wasn't working. ProcessorsJust because Apple uses the best processors doesn't make it better. Sure, Apple computers use all dual core processors, but the reason Windows uses all kinds of processors is because not everyone needs a powerful processor. Do you need 2.7 Ghz of speed when you only use word and firefox? The answer is absolutely no. This point by my opponent is therefore moot because you can't judge a company by what kind of processors it uses. Also, the Core 2 Duo processor is NOT better than an i3 at processing. the i Series of processors is a significant jump from the Core 2 Duo processor. Even though they both have 2 PHYSICAL processors, which allows them to do two different things at the same time, the i3 has a feature called hyperthreading which allows it to run 2 processing threads on each core. This gives it two virtual cores in addition to the physical ones, making the i3 somewhat resemble a quad core whereas the core 2 duo is left behind with its 2 physical cores and no virtual cores. VirusesThe reason that Macs do not get viruses is because they control less than 10% of the computer market. Hackers don't make viruses for Macs because they wouldn't have many people to give the virus to. If hackers started making viruses for Macs right now, Mac users would be almost defenseless due to the weakness of its antivirus. References. http://www.pcauthority.com.au...
Mac is Better than Windows

Mac is better than windows because they boot using EFI strings instead of hardware, meaning faster booting/running speeds, and they utilize RAM more efficiently and don't crash often, due to the fact that they run on Unix. Although the upfront costs for purchasing Macs may be more expensive than Windows, updating the operating system and keeping the computer secure are both large concerns with Windows, and cost a lot. Macs are $30 per upgrade. With Mac, there is an app store and you know what you are getting. If there is a malfunction, you only need to deal with three companies: Apple, Intel, and AMD, whereas with windows, you must deal with multiple companies. Macs can last forever and use an old software and windows cannot. Apple only uses the best processors from Intel: Core 2 Duo, i5, dual core i5, dual core i7, and Intel Xeon "Westermere". They o not use i3 because although the gigahertz may be better than that of core 2 duo, the material of core 2 duo is better for processing. Macs require no security softwar and despite this they dont get any viruses. The same is not true for Windows. Mac is a company that revolutionizes technology with every update. Windows is a sad laggard.
Book Debate!

My next book is Moby-Dick. Among the themes it discusses is the limits of knowledge As Ishmael, the main character, tries in the opening pages of Moby-Dick, to give through a collection on excerpts that often involve whales he sees that whales have had many different meanings. He makes use of every discipline in his actions to understand the nature of the whale. Each of these disciplines, however, fails to find a good account. The many approaches that Ishmael takes, suggest that human knowledge is always limited and never is complete. When it comes to Moby Dick himself, this limitation takes on allegorical significance. The ways of Moby Dick, like those of God, are unknowable to man and thus trying to interpret them is impossible. Another theme is the deceptiveness of fate Ishmael's narrative hints that the whaling ship he is on, the Pequod, has an inevitable doom. Many of the sailors on board do believe in prophecies and there are few who claim to see the future. However, it seems that many of the characters are deluding themselves meaning they have no way to see fate and that fate doesn't exist or that it is something that humans cannot see. Captain Ahab, for example, exploits this by telling them that hunting Moby Dick is their destiny. One great motif in it is whiteness (Moby Dick is white) Ishmael sees whiteness as something horrible like creatures that live in inhospitable environments. This is one of several examples that reverses the traditional association of whiteness with purity. Whiteness conveys a lack of meaning and an unreadable excess of meaning. Moby Dick is the pinnacle of whiteness and the characters in the book cannot understand the white whale. Ahab, for example, believes the whale is completely evil while Ishmael tries find its fundamental nature. In terms of symbolism: The Pequod - The ship is named after a Native American tribe from Massachusetts that went extinct with the arrival of white Europeans. This means in a sense than the Pequod is a symbol of doom. It is painted in a black and full of whale teeth and bones which are symbols of death in a way. The Pequod eventually does become its own coffin against Moby Dick (Moby Dick being white seems like white Europeans). Moby Dick - The great thing about the white whale itself is that it symbolizes different meanings to people. As a profitable commodity, it fits into the scheme of white economic expansion and exploitation. As a part of the natural world it represents the destruction of the environment. It can also be read as an allegorical representation of a God. Ahab believes that the white whale represents all that is wrong with the world and that it is his duty to eliminate this evil. http://www.amazon.com...
Book Debate!

In this round I will defend the L'etranger (The Stranger or The Outsider), the classic novel by the French writer Albert Camus. 1) Philosophical Complexity The Stranger explores themes of free will, justice, rationality of the external and internal world, the genesis of meaning, and more. These themes are intricately woven together so that in the context of the story they are nearly inseperable. The story centers around a murder committed by the main character Mersault, a murder which was carried out on a beach with a gun and with no apparent motive behind other than the glaring heat of the sun. In asking the classic question "Why did Mersault shoot the Arab?" we are faced with a deluge of uncertainties and perplexities. Mersault had no motivation, from his own psychological vantage point he cannot explain his actions other than citing the heat of the sun. Was this and action of his own free will, then? If it was not how are we to understand the attempted application of a justice system to his crimes? Is a crime a crime if it is committed with no rational explanation? How are humans supposed to relate to a world in which a man can kill another man with no comprehensible reason, not even his own desire? These are the questions that arise from a single event in this book, and all are aptly explored as Mersault is put on trial and sentenced to death. The complexity of and interconnection of these issues is left in place; these themes are not artificially separated so that Camus may make neat little statements about this or that aspect of society. Camus intend for the reader to come into contact with these issues as they are in the real world: a big ugly tangle of contradictions that we are irresistibly compelled to try and unravel. 2) Ability to Evoke Visceral Confrontation with Absurd Not only are a variety of philosophical themes explored, they are explored in a manner that impresses upon the reader the relevance and reality of the matters at hand. These are not pie in the sky thought experiments, these are matters of life and death. In reading the book the reader is frustrated in the attempt to make sense of Mersault's murder and trial. This is precisely the frustration that the author Camus wants us to feel as we confront the absurdity of our world. We feel the clash of the color of humanity of our desire for meaning, justice, and beauty with a world that fundamentally contains none of this. The reader feels the weight and burden of the absurd and thus Camus succeeds in imparting his philosophical motivation to his readers through the use of powerful writing. 3) The Stranger Inspired the Song "Bohemian Rhapsody" For this reason alone the Stranger must be recognized as a great and influential book.
Book Debate!

By book I mean a novel or short story, nothing like an epic poem or play. We are both not allowed to critique each other's choice for each round. The voters will decide. Here is my first book: To Kill a Mockingbird The reason why I think To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the best books is because of its main theme which is the coexistence of good and evil. The novel has approached this question through the two main characters, Jem and Scout, and their transition from their perspective of childhood innocence where they think everyone is good and then turn it into a more adult perspective when they actually see evil. One of they key characters acting as the moral voice is Jem and Scout's father Atticus who tries to teach his children that many people are not generally good or evil, they just have good qualities and bad qualities and that you should appreciate and understand everyone and see it from their perspective. The book also talks about the existence of social inequality and how irrational it is. For example, in the town the story takes place in the two main characters and their father a largely at the top of a social hierarchy with most of the people in the town below them and further below them are the poor farmers. Below the farmers are people like the white trash Bob Ewell and even further below him is the black community in the town despite having admirable qualities. This enables Bob Ewell to take advantage of the black community. The book tries to teach that such social divisions are destructive. A good example of symbols in the book is its title. A mockingbird is supposed to represent innocence so to kill a mockingbird would mean to kill innocence. http://www.amazon.com...
Environmental protection

The Clean Air Act The CAA Was implemented in order to control the amount of hazardous pollutants issued into the atmosphere, targeting sources capable of releasing a combined total of 25 tons of "Hazardous Pollutants" each year. These pollutants include Chlorine, Hydrogen Sulfide, and even Chloroform [1]. Because of Earth's atmosphere, these gasses compile in and around the troposphere and stratosphere, building up each year. Why i this a problem? This blanket of toxicity is directly detrimental in countless ways, but perhaps the two most prominent factors acid rain and smog. Acid rain occurs when toxic gasses combine with water vapor in the troposphere, producing an acidic solution that can pollute ecosystems year round. Fish, for example, have been found with hormone overloads, infertility, and even cancer [2]. The question is, how long will it be until these ever-increasing toxin deposits begin to affect us in these ways? What's to say that people in third world countries are not already suffering from these effects? This would obviously be a decrease in the quality of life. This brings me to my second point: smog is an especially pressing issue in areas where not as much money is devoted to environmental issues, such as developing countries. Smog's affects are almost immediate, damaging the respiratory system: "children who were exposed to more air pollution scored more poorly on respiratory tests" [3] “Teenagers in smoggy communities were nearly five times as likely to have clinically low lung function, compared to teens living in low-pollution communities” [3]. Once again, immediate effects upon the quality of life.I'll leave it at that for now. I hope to have a good debate, and wish you the best of luck. [1] http://www.epa.gov...[2] http://www.peta.org...[3] http://www.sciencedaily.com...
Environmental protection

Pro will argue that the $10.5 billion that the EPA requested for 2010 is justified in that the ideal ramifications upon local and global ecology will be beneficial to humanity, easily worth the $10.5 billion price tag. Pro will also support environmental regulations such as the Clean Air Act. Con will argue that environmental protection does not merit the amount of money it receives. Con will not argue the validity or efficiency of programs like the EPA, but Con will rather debate the ideals behind such organizations and the money they receive. Con will also argue that environmental regulations hurt society by damaging business, and that environmental regulations do not merit this economic damage.Definitions:"success of humanity" is defined as an overall increase in the standards of living (i.e. wages, life expectancy, education, etc.)"ecology" Flora and fauna. Indirect affects obviously included (i.e. poisoning a stream that runs through a forest).RulesNo semantics No "straw man" argumentsStructureFirst round is acceptance with a 500 character max opening statement from Con.Final round, Con may make a closing statement but may not dress any new points.