I have always found it funny how politicians seem to think that events, activities, and cultures that they don't like will just disappear whenever they write a law banning it or part of it. Most people have no clue what laws exist and what don't and often when they find out about a ridiculous law they just ignore it. Laws like these are nearly impossible to enforce and highly impotent.
Also, this woman is a complete idiot and should be kicked out of office. But then again I feel that way about most politicians. In the end I think we would do better without the vast majority of them (and lawyers, and lobbyists).
The problem people have is not with legal immigrants...
The problem most people I know have is with ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, not the legal kind. The legal kind are more often than not skilled and productive and came here through proper channels that control migration. These, I think, most people have no problem with.
The problem you seem to be missing Mike is the huge yearly influx of illegal immigrants.
The people that hop the border and come over here like cattle in trucks doing jobs under the table (and therefore not taxed like the rest of us), taking much lower pay, generating more crime (I live near where a lot of this crap happens), and refusing to learn the local language (we speak English here, NOT SPANISH) and not learning the culture.
And then expecting a free education, free benefits (which they did not pay taxes for), and free health care (since there is no SSN to sick collection agencies on). And on top of that they demand that we learn their native language. Which is a complete outrage. They came here, they need to adapt to our country, not the other way around.
These are the people we have a problem with Masnick.
Now, I am all for people learning multiple languages (though I refuse Spanish out of defiance of this issue). It is beneficial on many levels.
I am also for integrating people, as long as they come through the proper channels and don't force us to adopt their language and culture. If you move to another country willingly then you need to willingly adapt to it and pay back into the system.
We hate freeloaders, not foreigners. And we have enough freeloaders in our country as it is.
I wonder if someone could patent breathing. Just write the patent out in such a complex way that the monkeys at the patent office don't immediately recognize it for what it is and pass it.
Then, assuming the patent holder is a good guy (on the side of sanity and reason when it comes to patents and copyright), the patent holder could sue all patent lawyers and patent trolls for their indiscretions.
Make them pay a few or settle or stop breathing. I would make the settlement be an active invalidation of the current patent system entirely.
So by that logic we should outlaw strong religious views...
predicting that the next tragedy would involve someone who "was first addicted to harmful video games."
So by this logic we should ban any religious ferver or conviction. Because those first addicted to strong religious bindings and/or beliefs will be involved with the next major terrorist attack.
I guess there goes evangelical Christianity... and Islam and Judaism and Hindu and whatever else you can find.
Really its more of an idea for a new law. We should make it ILLEGAL for politicians to vote on anything they don't understand or have not researched fully with the advisement of people representing both sides of the argument along with a representative of those that would be affected.
I am sick and tired of politicians making decisions about industries and fields that they know little to nothing about. They are continually making things more of a mess because they have absolutely no real understanding of how things work. Its like asking a 2 year old to make decisions about the economy and on automotive laws. They have no place making these decisions.
They need to go back to bed and let the adults make the decisions here. ** Ok, I am off my soapbox **
Wow, talent much? While the style isn't my personal taste there is no denying the skill and talent that went into making this, especially in real-time. The blending was that of a professional and the pace was that of a practiced musician. He is just using a different instrument.
Wow, talent much? While the style isn't my personal taste there is no denying the skill and talent that went into making this, especially in real-time. The blending was that of a professional and the pace was that of a practiced musician. He is just using a different instrument.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Are the papers giving back the settlement?
That is a great middle ground actually. My first response was to just say f-them and never add them back into the index again.
But by simply saying that they are going to follow the court ruling and wait until trust has been regained or enough time has past for wounds to heal (or the court order to be lifted), it effectively punishes them while not looking like punishment at all AND they would be following legal direction given by the courts.
Your solution is beautiful and elegant. Google can take the financial hit and look like a reasonable company.
You know they are afraid of what intelligent people might say when they limit who can and can't comment on a story on their site. I inherently don't trust any site that doesn't allow easy commenting and anonymous commenting.
It would be hilarious if someone were to run the numbers on how much money these copyright maximalists are costing the government each year and how much money they are taking away from charitable causes by strong arming companies that normally donate a lot of money but had to redirect that money to our copyright overlords.
The heading could be something like "Copyright is costing the U.S. government billions per year and hurting sick babies." That would be an awesome headline.
If they think this is such a great thing then people should accuse the entertainment executives, the politicians, and the ISP executives of copyright infringement a couple hundred times. Then lets see how supportive of this they are.
I think I can accuse them of stealing my copyright on my walking gait or maybe the songs I create and sing in the shower. We are all intelligent people, we can get very creative with it. This could be a fun way to punish these guys.
Ok, so this probably won't work, but it would be awesome if it did.
Mike, I completely agree with you that it needs to be fixed and focused on. But what I never really hear from those that say it needs to be fixed is how.
So how should it be fixed? You can complain all day long and talk in generalities all you want, but at the end of the day if you don't have a solution yourself then maybe the problem is extremely difficult to solve. Far more so than you are making it out to be.
I am just playing devil's advocate here. But seriously, we can say stop bad patents or make copyright more fair and never actually have a real solution to the problem. Those types of comments are far too general.
Lets stop bad patents, ok how? Who or what determines that a patent is bad? With those factors are we missing anything? Maybe forgetting about a problem these factors create?
I am all for patent and copyright reform, but how about some constructive feedback here. It would be like me saying "Health care is too expensive. Someone should fix it." Ok, that sounds great but what makes it expensive is a complex list of variables and no magic bullet.
Ok, I am off my soap box. Keep fighting the good fight.
I don't know why someone doesn't just file counter takedown requests against the domains of those that abuse this law to stifle free speech. Give them a taste of their own medicine. Also, if enough filings are made then the government will be overwhelmed and may be unable to continue processing the requests.
I wonder if we could write a law that outlaws the business model of major record labels. What we would outlaw is the stealing from artists and fans that they have been doing for decades. We could call it PROTECT ARTISTS.
Jeez Techdirt, seeing posts like this makes me think you WANT to connect and engage with your community of dedicated readers. WHY would you want to do a silly thing like that? You need to monetize these sheeple like the New York Times and put up a pay wall.
I mean come on, people don't want to be connected to. They just want you to tell them how to think so that they can go about their day doing whatever mindless operation they do every day.
This way they can leave the thinking to the people who think they are important, like politicians and executives in multinational corporations. You know, the people that are willing to SACRIFICE your rights for you to think you feel safer.
It really makes you think, these are great times that we live in when we can rely on those with more power and influence than us to think for us and make decisions for us that they tell us will make our lives better. And isn't that what progress is all about?
My father has been using eBay since they first started (around 1994 sometime I think) and much of his business has come from it. He sells antiques and toys and other things. But they have done everything they can to make their system horrible for everyone.
First they started putting in more and more restrictions on what you can and can't sell (even though none of these items are illegal). Then they removed the ability to leave negative feedback, so its much harder to spot fraudulent users/sellers. They continually jack up their prices and percentages. They restrict you from adding your website address to any of your listings.
Then as of I think last year they did this. They removed alternative payment options from their system. They did this because they own PayPal, so they are running a monopoly within their own system so that they can force people to give them more and more money.
Everything eBay and PayPal have done in the last decade has been very shady and gotten worse. As soon as my father's website starts bringing in sufficient money flow he is dumping eBay. He has hundreds of thousands of stars on their system so he is not a small fry by any standard. I truly hope to see this trashy company fail. It would serve them right for all sleazy crap they have been doing.
So this woman could not see the headlights of a car coming at her in the dark? The headlights would be sticking out like an atomic explosion at a picnic. This woman clearly should be instructed to NEVER go out in public unaccompanied again. She is obviously incapable of using the most basic of survival instincts. Big object heading at me fast, let me think should I walk in front of it or stay out of its way?
Mike, you say that you are concerned that this new precedent could increase suicide rates in order to punish those that torment others. But what you are missing is that most kids want to SEE their tormentors punished. They can't do that if they are dead. This twist in logic, while a classic example of cutting off your hand to spite your finger, is I think going to be a rare occurrence in the minds of these children that are tormented.
I speak from some experience because I myself was tormented as a child in school. While my friends and I certainly felt vindictive at times we never considered any extremes that could directly harm ourselves. No I think more than likely we will see more strong violent aggression against bullies than harming themselves.
I usually agree with you Mike, but in this case I whole-heartedly don't. This large organizations keep bullying people left and right. Whether it be a corporation, a government entity, or just a school our rights keep getting trampled on and few are either willing or able (financially or otherwise) to fight back.
It sickens me to no end to see these abuses of power time and time again with nothing done about it. These abuses require a measured response greater than just a little bit of public embarrassment. The school threatened to end his higher education over something petty that was blown out of proportion. That was a huge over-reaction. Then to spite him in the face of the PR mess they punished him the best they could at the time.
That is like someone punching you for alerting a store to their shoplifting. They are the one doing the wrong, but you still get punished for it. Its not right and something has to be done about these bullies.
So now the kid is stepping up and finding any way he can to fight back and let them know that they can't just keep having their way. Its bad enough that primary education (high school and below) is allowed to trample on the rights of its students, but colleges are dealing with young adults whom are of full legal age (18+). Once you are legally an adult then you LEGALLY have full rights and as such NO ONE is allowed to deny them to you, even a University.
So yes, while it may be a bit spiteful it is also just. It is his right to punish those that harm him. In many ways justice is about spite. Its a you hurt me so I will return the favor scenario. If you think about it justice is just a controlled, measured, equivalent action form of spite.
On the post: California Politician Discovers That You Can't Ban Specific Type Of Music; Admits 'I Didn't Know What Was Going On'
Gotta love moronic politicians
Also, this woman is a complete idiot and should be kicked out of office. But then again I feel that way about most politicians. In the end I think we would do better without the vast majority of them (and lawyers, and lobbyists).
On the post: Study Shows Bringing In Skilled Immigrants Does Not Hurt Americans; May Increase Innovation
The problem people have is not with legal immigrants...
The problem you seem to be missing Mike is the huge yearly influx of illegal immigrants.
The people that hop the border and come over here like cattle in trucks doing jobs under the table (and therefore not taxed like the rest of us), taking much lower pay, generating more crime (I live near where a lot of this crap happens), and refusing to learn the local language (we speak English here, NOT SPANISH) and not learning the culture.
And then expecting a free education, free benefits (which they did not pay taxes for), and free health care (since there is no SSN to sick collection agencies on). And on top of that they demand that we learn their native language. Which is a complete outrage. They came here, they need to adapt to our country, not the other way around.
These are the people we have a problem with Masnick.
Now, I am all for people learning multiple languages (though I refuse Spanish out of defiance of this issue). It is beneficial on many levels.
I am also for integrating people, as long as they come through the proper channels and don't force us to adopt their language and culture. If you move to another country willingly then you need to willingly adapt to it and pay back into the system.
We hate freeloaders, not foreigners. And we have enough freeloaders in our country as it is.
On the post: Could The Supreme Court Invalidate Software Patents?
I wonder...
Then, assuming the patent holder is a good guy (on the side of sanity and reason when it comes to patents and copyright), the patent holder could sue all patent lawyers and patent trolls for their indiscretions.
Make them pay a few or settle or stop breathing. I would make the settlement be an active invalidation of the current patent system entirely.
On the post: And Here Comes The Video Game Backlash Due To The Norway Tragedy
So by that logic we should outlaw strong religious views...
So by this logic we should ban any religious ferver or conviction. Because those first addicted to strong religious bindings and/or beliefs will be involved with the next major terrorist attack.
I guess there goes evangelical Christianity... and Islam and Judaism and Hindu and whatever else you can find.
On the post: Are There Any Politicians Who Know What PROTECT IP Is About? Senator Hutchison Thinks It's About Net Neutrality
I have this theory...
I am sick and tired of politicians making decisions about industries and fields that they know little to nothing about. They are continually making things more of a mess because they have absolutely no real understanding of how things work. Its like asking a 2 year old to make decisions about the economy and on automotive laws. They have no place making these decisions.
They need to go back to bed and let the adults make the decisions here. ** Ok, I am off my soapbox **
On the post: After Watching This Video, Can Anyone Say That Remix Isn't An Act Of A Musician?
On the post: After Watching This Video, Can Anyone Say That Remix Isn't An Act Of A Musician?
On the post: Belgian Newspapers 'Give Permission' To Google To Return Them To Search Results
Re: Re: Re: Re: Are the papers giving back the settlement?
But by simply saying that they are going to follow the court ruling and wait until trust has been regained or enough time has past for wounds to heal (or the court order to be lifted), it effectively punishes them while not looking like punishment at all AND they would be following legal direction given by the courts.
Your solution is beautiful and elegant. Google can take the financial hit and look like a reasonable company.
On the post: The Copyright Alliance Blog Takes On Someone Who Wrote Something
Cowards
On the post: Once Again, Using Industry's Own Methodology Shows That Copyright Exceptions Contribute More To The Economy Than Copyright
It would be hilarious if...
The heading could be something like "Copyright is costing the U.S. government billions per year and hurting sick babies." That would be an awesome headline.
On the post: Major US ISPs Agree To Five Strikes Plan, Rather Than Three
Re: Can't Wait
On the post: Major US ISPs Agree To Five Strikes Plan, Rather Than Three
Lets give them a taste of their own medicine
I think I can accuse them of stealing my copyright on my walking gait or maybe the songs I create and sing in the shower. We are all intelligent people, we can get very creative with it. This could be a fun way to punish these guys.
Ok, so this probably won't work, but it would be awesome if it did.
On the post: Congress Happy To Knock Out Patents That Impact Financial Institutions... But Everyone Else?
But how???
So how should it be fixed? You can complain all day long and talk in generalities all you want, but at the end of the day if you don't have a solution yourself then maybe the problem is extremely difficult to solve. Far more so than you are making it out to be.
I am just playing devil's advocate here. But seriously, we can say stop bad patents or make copyright more fair and never actually have a real solution to the problem. Those types of comments are far too general.
Lets stop bad patents, ok how? Who or what determines that a patent is bad? With those factors are we missing anything? Maybe forgetting about a problem these factors create?
I am all for patent and copyright reform, but how about some constructive feedback here. It would be like me saying "Health care is too expensive. Someone should fix it." Ok, that sounds great but what makes it expensive is a complex list of variables and no magic bullet.
Ok, I am off my soap box. Keep fighting the good fight.
-Pjerky
On the post: Why Operation In Our Sites Is Illegal And Needs To Be Fixed ASAP
I don't know why...
On the post: Universal Music: We Need PROTECT IP Because Musicians Are Dying!
I wonder...
On the post: JohnJac's Favorite Posts Of The Weeks
Its like you WANT to engage with your community.
I mean come on, people don't want to be connected to. They just want you to tell them how to think so that they can go about their day doing whatever mindless operation they do every day.
This way they can leave the thinking to the people who think they are important, like politicians and executives in multinational corporations. You know, the people that are willing to SACRIFICE your rights for you to think you feel safer.
It really makes you think, these are great times that we live in when we can rely on those with more power and influence than us to think for us and make decisions for us that they tell us will make our lives better. And isn't that what progress is all about?
Sincerely,
-Pjerky
On the post: eBay Dumping All Third Party Checkout Options
Ebay is dying...
First they started putting in more and more restrictions on what you can and can't sell (even though none of these items are illegal). Then they removed the ability to leave negative feedback, so its much harder to spot fraudulent users/sellers. They continually jack up their prices and percentages. They restrict you from adding your website address to any of your listings.
Then as of I think last year they did this. They removed alternative payment options from their system. They did this because they own PayPal, so they are running a monopoly within their own system so that they can force people to give them more and more money.
Everything eBay and PayPal have done in the last decade has been very shady and gotten worse. As soon as my father's website starts bringing in sufficient money flow he is dumping eBay. He has hundreds of thousands of stars on their system so he is not a small fry by any standard. I truly hope to see this trashy company fail. It would serve them right for all sleazy crap they have been doing.
On the post: Lawyer Explains Reasoning For Suing Google Over Walking Directions: It Was Dark
Headlights?
On the post: Teens Face Felony Charges Over Girl Who Committed Suicide
I think your concerns are overblown...
I speak from some experience because I myself was tormented as a child in school. While my friends and I certainly felt vindictive at times we never considered any extremes that could directly harm ourselves. No I think more than likely we will see more strong violent aggression against bullies than harming themselves.
On the post: Student Punished For Facebook Study Group Files $10 Million Lawsuit
Mike, I think your wrong.
It sickens me to no end to see these abuses of power time and time again with nothing done about it. These abuses require a measured response greater than just a little bit of public embarrassment. The school threatened to end his higher education over something petty that was blown out of proportion. That was a huge over-reaction. Then to spite him in the face of the PR mess they punished him the best they could at the time.
That is like someone punching you for alerting a store to their shoplifting. They are the one doing the wrong, but you still get punished for it. Its not right and something has to be done about these bullies.
So now the kid is stepping up and finding any way he can to fight back and let them know that they can't just keep having their way. Its bad enough that primary education (high school and below) is allowed to trample on the rights of its students, but colleges are dealing with young adults whom are of full legal age (18+). Once you are legally an adult then you LEGALLY have full rights and as such NO ONE is allowed to deny them to you, even a University.
So yes, while it may be a bit spiteful it is also just. It is his right to punish those that harm him. In many ways justice is about spite. Its a you hurt me so I will return the favor scenario. If you think about it justice is just a controlled, measured, equivalent action form of spite.
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