woo hoo! The inmates take over the prison. That will certainly improve things for everyone!
Well...it did end up improving things in a number of ways following the Attica prison riots, so maybe...
Don't be surprised at what might happen if enough people get angry, frustrated, and then decide to do something collectively to rectify the imbalance. Let's just hope that it doesn't devolve into something as violent as what happened in the incident I site above...
SciFi is first and foremost an expression of the human experience as is all fiction. The only real difference is that some advanced technology is thrown into the mix to give the story a hook.
Everything Ellison has written is based on the same thing every other story is based on: human experience that is explored in different scenarios and environments.
Should he now be able to sue any/all writers who dare to also explore various aspects of human behavior and political/social beliefs?
Here's a clue: there is nothing new under the sun where humans are concerned. Maybe the scenes change, but even Star Wars was based on the proverbial son...
The photos of the Wldo linked to in your article and on the abandoned website are not viewable/missing. Is there an alternat site or links for the photos?
The only way you could realistically get this to happen would be for a general backlash where juries (and this must be nearly universal) simply nullify the law by finding defendants not guilty of copyright infringement.
My guess is that this would be a serious uphill climb at best and would be more likely to fail as it would inevitably lead to a different kind of push back from the government and those special interests that fund the political system...
Actually, Nick's post above captures the essence of what I was saying. Certainly, should such technology be developed and made widely available, the long term consequence would most likely be closer to what the vision is of those who are looking at the Star Trek scenario: abundance means the human species can concentrate on "bettering" themselves and society in general.
The rub is when you look at the short to mid term scenarios where society is struggling to adapt. With great disruption comes a period of chaos; it's just human nature and would take time to clear itself up as society realigns itself to absorb said changes and then move forward. Change sometimes can be smooth, but when you have something that could be as destructive as this to the very order of society, you have a period of extreme turmoil and uncertainty.
I am far from being a Luddite, but I do recognize that when some things move too quickly, humans tend to lag behind the curve and thus introduce "turbulence" into the equation. Don't naively believe that a Utopia will suddenly appear and be universally embraced...
You missed the point of my post entirely and are basing your thinking on the current world. If there were a means for anyone to replicate anything they wanted or needed, what need would there be to make anything other than replicators?
This would mean all companies other than replicator manufacturers (during the first production run) would go out of business and all the employees would loose their jobs as there was nothing for them to do...and no one would be paying taxes...and...and...
It's an interesting thought experiment: how would things change if/when somebody does create a way to transform raw molecular compounds into complex things like food or building materials? ...
"Not pretty" is an understatement and I suspect there will be aggressive attempts to outlaw and bury such technology as it could be potentially so disruptive that the mere introduction could cause devastating consequences across all economies world-wide.
..or it could unleash the true potential of the human species - both worthy of fear from those in power...
Any interaction one person has with another involves some form of "profiling". As has been noted in a follow up post lower down the chain, that profiling only becomes unconstitutional when it is targeted towards a specific group, not specific types of behavior.
The officer who pulls you over might have "profiled" you as a speeder; the clerk behind the counter might have "profiled" you as a potential customer; the state government might have you "profiled" as a taxpayer and/or landowner; etc, etc, etc...
Not all profiling is bad and if used judiciously and properly, can help to quickly separate the "wheat" from the "chaff". IFO would rather the authorities weed out the actual terrorist threats long before there is any need for someone to try and locate suspicious behavior at the boarding or loading gates...
There is already an example of effective airport security and the Government has ignored it with trite replies about it not being able to scale. What they are actually saying is that your, mine, and our security should be left up to the lowest bidder with barely trained personnel.
If Mica really wants an effective and proven security setup, start talking to the Israelis and make a ROI on this or drop it entirely for the theater it actually is...
Looks like they are trying to equate their losses with the drop in velocity (loosely: how quickly money received is then turned around and spent) with piracy rather than (more appropriately) as a consequence of the recession.
If I have $10 to spend but am not certain or confident in where the economy is going I would tend to be more cautious and targeted as to where I spent that $10 bill. While the Entertainment Industry would be highly unlikely to get that money, other portions of the economy would continue to get that money as I spent it on essential, rather than nonessential goods and services.
This does however mean that less money would be circulating in the economy at any given moment (and thus a partial reason for lower velocity in the currency) as I reined in or lost access to disposable income...which is where the Entertainment Industry actually makes its money.
LOL - what a farce. Obama is not a socialist nor could any of his policies even remotely be considered as such. At best Obama is an old time Rockefeller type moderate republican if you need a reference.
On the post: British Transport Police: Illegal Downloading Kills Babies [Updated]
Re: The real effect...
On the post: Pirate Party Takes 9% Of The Vote In Berlin Elections, Wins A Bunch Of Seats In Parliament
Re: ARRRRR How do we know you aint scurvy ridden plank dogs!
On the post: Pirate Party Takes 9% Of The Vote In Berlin Elections, Wins A Bunch Of Seats In Parliament
Re:
Don't be surprised at what might happen if enough people get angry, frustrated, and then decide to do something collectively to rectify the imbalance. Let's just hope that it doesn't devolve into something as violent as what happened in the incident I site above...
On the post: Harlan Ellison Sues Again; Because No One Could Have Possibly Came Up With The Same SciFi Ideas As He Did
Everything Ellison has written is based on the same thing every other story is based on: human experience that is explored in different scenarios and environments.
Should he now be able to sue any/all writers who dare to also explore various aspects of human behavior and political/social beliefs?
Here's a clue: there is nothing new under the sun where humans are concerned. Maybe the scenes change, but even Star Wars was based on the proverbial son...
On the post: Owners Of Old, Abandoned Hotel Threaten Guy Who Photographed It With Copyright Infringement
Re: Photos not availavle from links/website
On the post: Owners Of Old, Abandoned Hotel Threaten Guy Who Photographed It With Copyright Infringement
Photos not availavle from links/website
On the post: Shouldn't Unilateral Retroactive Copyright Extension Mean Copyright Is Void?
Re: Re: How does that even make sense?
Another means would be for the public to elect representation that would actually work to repeal these changes and/or the entire law itself...
On the post: Shouldn't Unilateral Retroactive Copyright Extension Mean Copyright Is Void?
Jury nulification
My guess is that this would be a serious uphill climb at best and would be more likely to fail as it would inevitably lead to a different kind of push back from the government and those special interests that fund the political system...
On the post: It's Only A Miracle If You're Not In The Business Of Selling Loaves & Fishes
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Matter replication
The rub is when you look at the short to mid term scenarios where society is struggling to adapt. With great disruption comes a period of chaos; it's just human nature and would take time to clear itself up as society realigns itself to absorb said changes and then move forward. Change sometimes can be smooth, but when you have something that could be as destructive as this to the very order of society, you have a period of extreme turmoil and uncertainty.
I am far from being a Luddite, but I do recognize that when some things move too quickly, humans tend to lag behind the curve and thus introduce "turbulence" into the equation. Don't naively believe that a Utopia will suddenly appear and be universally embraced...
On the post: It's Only A Miracle If You're Not In The Business Of Selling Loaves & Fishes
Re: Re: Re: Matter replication
This would mean all companies other than replicator manufacturers (during the first production run) would go out of business and all the employees would loose their jobs as there was nothing for them to do...and no one would be paying taxes...and...and...
Society could conceivably collapse...
On the post: It's Only A Miracle If You're Not In The Business Of Selling Loaves & Fishes
Re: Matter replication
..or it could unleash the true potential of the human species - both worthy of fear from those in power...
On the post: Guy Who Created The TSA Says It's Failed, And It's Time To Dismantle It
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Willful blindness
On the post: Guy Who Created The TSA Says It's Failed, And It's Time To Dismantle It
Re: Re: Re: Re: Willful blindness
The officer who pulls you over might have "profiled" you as a speeder; the clerk behind the counter might have "profiled" you as a potential customer; the state government might have you "profiled" as a taxpayer and/or landowner; etc, etc, etc...
Not all profiling is bad and if used judiciously and properly, can help to quickly separate the "wheat" from the "chaff". IFO would rather the authorities weed out the actual terrorist threats long before there is any need for someone to try and locate suspicious behavior at the boarding or loading gates...
On the post: Guy Who Created The TSA Says It's Failed, And It's Time To Dismantle It
Re: Sad but true button...
On the post: Guy Who Created The TSA Says It's Failed, And It's Time To Dismantle It
Re: Re: Willful blindness
If Mica really wants an effective and proven security setup, start talking to the Israelis and make a ROI on this or drop it entirely for the theater it actually is...
On the post: MPAA: Bad At Math & Bad At Economics
Velocity vs. recession
If I have $10 to spend but am not certain or confident in where the economy is going I would tend to be more cautious and targeted as to where I spent that $10 bill. While the Entertainment Industry would be highly unlikely to get that money, other portions of the economy would continue to get that money as I spent it on essential, rather than nonessential goods and services.
This does however mean that less money would be circulating in the economy at any given moment (and thus a partial reason for lower velocity in the currency) as I reined in or lost access to disposable income...which is where the Entertainment Industry actually makes its money.
On the post: RIAA Sending DMCA Takedowns On *FREE* Music Being Distributed Directly Off Universal Music Website & Promoted By The Artist
Re: Re:
On the post: Is Destroying A Hard Drive On A Work Issued Computer The Equivalent Of Hacking Or Fraud?
Re: Re: Re: Re:
On the post: France: Copyright Is More Important Than Human Rights
Re:
On the post: Man Facing 75 Years In Jail For Recording The Police; Illinois Assistant AG Says No Right To Record Police
Re: Re: Re: Welcome to the new nation
Now if you want to know what a real Socialist is, try this site: http://sanders.senate.gov/
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