Sounds like they got a bonus for new memberships and she really wanted that bonus. I hate when businesses do that. It was one of the reason why I hated working at EB games. They wanted us to push memberships and subscriptions to their crappy magazine. I hated doing that.
Me too, though for me it was extended warranties for crap that would cost more to insure than to go out and buy again.
Pushing EB memberships were as much free money for EB as pushing extended warranties were for the Good Guys/Best Buy/Whatever...
Re: Re: Re: Re: Funny! But are e-books democratizing?
Sorry, I thought I was being witty and implying that having a computer with Internet access, probably costing $500+ plus $720+ per year wasn't as simple and universal as Middle-Classers might tend to believe. Maybe I'm wrong?
Have you ever been to a public library?
You don't have to pay anything and for the most part there are plenty of computers for you to access the internet.
Plus, you can rent one down at the local UPS Store for a few bucks.
I don't have the numbers, but I have been to a public library recently and computers are far more simple and universal than you might tend to believe.
If anything, it depends on the business model if it's workable. Some charge a high fee upfront with no monthly, while others have a low fee then make up on the "back end" via monthly payments.
It could also be that they are using those subscription fees to support the product, as programmers aren't cheap. While I am a big fan of, and contributor to, open source projects...there are many times when companies use closed source/subscription models which are fair and workable, like you say. If they are being douches about it, someone should be able to come along and provide a better mousetrap for cheaper.
OK. So what? Many companies have been "found guilty" of something. Last I checked, they were not sentenced to permanent exile from the Internet.
Heh... Microsoft was found liable of using their monopoly unfairly. In a way, they have been found guilty of being a monopolist. Figure they should be exiled too.
I stand corrected. However, I am not a lawyer, and the sad point is that I really shouldn't need to be to understand copyright. There are way too many variables. It is interesting, however, that if I write a book today, and get it published a couple years from now, and then die, I have less time to capitalize on copyright than a company who hires me to write a book (and then die.) Not that dying is something I plan to do...
The limitations of previous communication mediums wasn't the main reason (if a reason at all) why most democracies deemed it the best option. To cite wikipedia:
I suspect in the not so distant future some very smart people will likely say the same thing about Representative Democracies too, since they appear to suffer from the same afflictions when not done properly.
The problem I see with the current system is clear in this post -- the government is subject to caprice and the madness of popular rage -- terrorism (and in this case, money from a small interest) sets them off into a rage and they pass all sorts of do nothing laws which will likely be rejected by the courts eventually. They don't need to act to every perceived threat and money alone should not be a motivator for them passing laws. The fact that very few of them read the laws they pass should say something to them about their failures.
What this government needs is less money from small interests and more transparency. What they want is free-reign and opacity, so they can collect their millions and move on without getting into trouble, and quite frankly, that sort of government is just as unsustainable as a true democracy.
I still agree with Douglas Adams -- there has to be a better way of electing politicians. Term Limits is a good idea, removing money from politics is a better one, but I am still a fan of political positions being like Jury Duty -- nobody wants it, but when someone gets it they try to do the best job they can while they have it -- nope, that won't work well either. I don't know what the answer is.
I am waiting to pay Jim his $5...April 11th is still a long way away. Jim was awesome on the Nerdist and on Kevin Pollack's show, and I've Netflix'd him quite a bit. He isn't Louis CK, but he certainly is a great comedian.
PM1: "I got here two weeks ago. You owe me $25."
PM2: "I got here two months ago. You owe me $100."
PM3: "I got here two years ago. You owe me $10,000."
GOD: "I got here before any of you, knock it off!"
And they accuse us of being entitled! I am glad the government (through the Supreme Court) brought some rationalization to this. I wish copyrights would become more normalized with patents in length and in not bat-shit crazy "I can copyright a single paragraph and sue the world for the rest of my life and my great grand-children's lives."
I still think what is necessary is putting satellites in orbit. That way TPB doesn't have to worry about cut links and can operate with impunity. Sure, someone can jam the signal (which would be localized,) and they would need to worry about solar flares, but since no country can lay claim to outer space, it is less likely they would run into problems there. Just need to find a Lagrange capable launch facility and pay for the satellite and launch.
We need a "true that" button. I always like your poetry -- much better than Azgoths of Kria.
If anything though, the internet should make the journalist's life easier for fact-checking. However, they've become so lazy. But I thought journalism was always such a ruse ever since my high-school journalism class where the teacher and the editor of the paper sat down with my articles and rewrote them with "facts" even though they weren't at the interview and didn't research anything. At that point, I figured I didn't want to be a journalist any more. Most journalists want to do the right thing, but then the editors and moneymen get involved and everything unravels.
It was beyond misinformation, it was strategically planned lies.
Planned by who? Do you have any evidence for this at all?
Aliens? I don't have any evidence, and I am not the original poster, but if my years worth of experience watching X-Files and Hulu commercials are up to snuff, it is usually the aliens. /s
the worst don't even realize that they're paid astroturfers
Bob, I realize you are paid not to think, but explain to me exactly how someone doesn't realize that they're paid astroturfer? You're either a paid astroturfer or you're not, and you will likely know you are when you receive a paycheck.
One article stated that to get to the moon we'd have to build an orbiting space station and then launch a craft from there. Good stuff.
Given the state of rockets in the 1950's, that would have been a true statement. It wasn't until we figured out how to build multistage rockets and launch them without them blowing up on the pad that we had enough speed to break orbit. Firing a rocket from a space station would require less fuel than from the ground, since you are further out of the well.
Encyclopedias are always out of date before they are even printed. Wikipedia catches up some because of the ease of editing.
I bought some industrial strength drain clog remover and had to sign a waiver saying I promise to be good.
Where? I bought some a couple weeks ago and walked out after paying without signing anything. I'd stay away from the places that treat you like a toddler.
Uh....I would think twice before jumping on this bandwagon (unless, of course, you like evening visits by the Secret Service).
See: 31 C.F.R. PART 411
I was just thinking that too -- I wonder if/when Mike will get another visit from the Secret Service. More ammunition for the trolls to jump on; "Techdirt encourages counterfeiting currency."
Re: Re: Re: But...but...how will I know what's good?
And online sites you can never be sure of the authenticity of someone's review (see: the many stories of companes paying people to write reviews) and even if they are, you can't look at the book the way you can in the bookstore (if you really wanted to, you could read the whole book).
I spend quite a bit of money on Amazon doing exactly what you say, and I have yet to find a book there that I didn't like. On the other hand, I've been in bookstores where the employee recommended a book that I didn't like. They don't know my tastes any more than Amazon does, and just because they like a particular book doesn't mean I will. Most of them didn't even ask about my tastes before recommending a book, and thus had no idea what I liked or didn't like. Amazon has a list of my previous purchases and thus had a better idea on what I purchased before.
They're operating under the assumption that every ebook sale WOULD HAVE COULD HAVE SHOULD HAVE been a 1st-day-hard-cover purchase.
Well that and a case of Hollywood accounting. I find it surprising that they said the authors get less when the publishers use Apple's agency pricing, which costs far more. Someone is getting rich, and I am fairly certain it isn't the producers or the consumers. The middlemen can fudge the numbers and pocket the difference easier with agency pricing.
I would never replace my PC with that dinky thing. It's not powerful enough to run any of my games, and it couldn't run them even if it was.
I deleted that part in my script, but I'd never suggest getting rid of the big PC for a majority of my work, but I don't need 10 large PCs...I could have one large one and one or two small ones.
On the post: Our Gift To The Author's Guild: An Ad For Brick & Mortar Book Stores
Re: Re:
Me too, though for me it was extended warranties for crap that would cost more to insure than to go out and buy again.
Pushing EB memberships were as much free money for EB as pushing extended warranties were for the Good Guys/Best Buy/Whatever...
On the post: Our Gift To The Author's Guild: An Ad For Brick & Mortar Book Stores
Re: Re: Re: Re: Funny! But are e-books democratizing?
Have you ever been to a public library?
You don't have to pay anything and for the most part there are plenty of computers for you to access the internet.
Plus, you can rent one down at the local UPS Store for a few bucks.
I don't have the numbers, but I have been to a public library recently and computers are far more simple and universal than you might tend to believe.
On the post: Patents Threaten To Silence A Little Girl, Literally
Re: Re: Re: Re:
It could also be that they are using those subscription fees to support the product, as programmers aren't cheap. While I am a big fan of, and contributor to, open source projects...there are many times when companies use closed source/subscription models which are fair and workable, like you say. If they are being douches about it, someone should be able to come along and provide a better mousetrap for cheaper.
On the post: Microsoft Spying On Live Messenger Messages, Censoring Any Pirate Bay Links
Re: Re: Re: Re:
Heh... Microsoft was found liable of using their monopoly unfairly. In a way, they have been found guilty of being a monopolist. Figure they should be exiled too.
On the post: Hobbit Actors Stephen Fry & Ian McKellen Pay License For Hobbit Pub
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
I stand corrected. However, I am not a lawyer, and the sad point is that I really shouldn't need to be to understand copyright. There are way too many variables. It is interesting, however, that if I write a book today, and get it published a couple years from now, and then die, I have less time to capitalize on copyright than a company who hires me to write a book (and then die.) Not that dying is something I plan to do...
On the post: Hobbit Actors Stephen Fry & Ian McKellen Pay License For Hobbit Pub
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Author's life+95 years, and going with the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension act...if Disney keeps it going.
On the post: Hobbit Actors Stephen Fry & Ian McKellen Pay License For Hobbit Pub
Re: Re: Re: Re:
And this is where copyright shows its magic, isn't it.
In England, copyright (since 1955) was author's life+70 years. Tolkien died in 1973, which means the work is unavailable until 2043.
Just be thankful he didn't live in the US, where, if he played his cards right and Disney keeps at it, copyright will likely never expire.
On the post: Australian Gov't: Not In The Public Interest For The Public To Be Interested In Secret Anti-Piracy Negotiations
Re: Re: Getting a little tired of this argument
I suspect in the not so distant future some very smart people will likely say the same thing about Representative Democracies too, since they appear to suffer from the same afflictions when not done properly.
The problem I see with the current system is clear in this post -- the government is subject to caprice and the madness of popular rage -- terrorism (and in this case, money from a small interest) sets them off into a rage and they pass all sorts of do nothing laws which will likely be rejected by the courts eventually. They don't need to act to every perceived threat and money alone should not be a motivator for them passing laws. The fact that very few of them read the laws they pass should say something to them about their failures.
What this government needs is less money from small interests and more transparency. What they want is free-reign and opacity, so they can collect their millions and move on without getting into trouble, and quite frankly, that sort of government is just as unsustainable as a true democracy.
I still agree with Douglas Adams -- there has to be a better way of electing politicians. Term Limits is a good idea, removing money from politics is a better one, but I am still a fan of political positions being like Jury Duty -- nobody wants it, but when someone gets it they try to do the best job they can while they have it -- nope, that won't work well either. I don't know what the answer is.
On the post: More Comedians Following Louis CK's Path... But They Don't Need To Copy It Exactly
On the post: Huge Ruling: Court Rejects Medical Diagnostic Patent
Patent Maximalists
PM2: "I got here two months ago. You owe me $100."
PM3: "I got here two years ago. You owe me $10,000."
GOD: "I got here before any of you, knock it off!"
And they accuse us of being entitled! I am glad the government (through the Supreme Court) brought some rationalization to this. I wish copyrights would become more normalized with patents in length and in not bat-shit crazy "I can copyright a single paragraph and sue the world for the rest of my life and my great grand-children's lives."
On the post: The Pirate Bay Claims It's Going To Host The Site Via Drones Flying Over International Waters
Satellites at Lagrange ponts...
On the post: Journalism Opportunities Aren't Drying Up, They Are Just Changing
Re:
We need a "true that" button. I always like your poetry -- much better than Azgoths of Kria.
If anything though, the internet should make the journalist's life easier for fact-checking. However, they've become so lazy. But I thought journalism was always such a ruse ever since my high-school journalism class where the teacher and the editor of the paper sat down with my articles and rewrote them with "facts" even though they weren't at the interview and didn't research anything. At that point, I figured I didn't want to be a journalist any more. Most journalists want to do the right thing, but then the editors and moneymen get involved and everything unravels.
On the post: MPAA Exec: Only We Can Make Content That People Want
Re: Re:
Planned by who? Do you have any evidence for this at all?
Aliens? I don't have any evidence, and I am not the original poster, but if my years worth of experience watching X-Files and Hulu commercials are up to snuff, it is usually the aliens. /s
On the post: MPAA Exec: Only We Can Make Content That People Want
Re: Re: Five comments in?
Bob, I realize you are paid not to think, but explain to me exactly how someone doesn't realize that they're paid astroturfer? You're either a paid astroturfer or you're not, and you will likely know you are when you receive a paycheck.
On the post: Encyclopaedia Britannica Stops Publishing Dead Tree Version; If You're Unfamiliar, You Can Read About It On Wikipedia
Re:
Given the state of rockets in the 1950's, that would have been a true statement. It wasn't until we figured out how to build multistage rockets and launch them without them blowing up on the pad that we had enough speed to break orbit. Firing a rocket from a space station would require less fuel than from the ground, since you are further out of the well.
Encyclopedias are always out of date before they are even printed. Wikipedia catches up some because of the ease of editing.
On the post: Why Anti-Circumvention Laws Are Evil: Hollywood Gets To Veto DVD Jukebox, Despite Complete Lack Of Infringement
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Where? I bought some a couple weeks ago and walked out after paying without signing anything. I'd stay away from the places that treat you like a toddler.
On the post: Since The RIAA & MPAA Say That A Copy Is Just As Valuable As The Original, Send Them A Copy Of Money
Re:
See: 31 C.F.R. PART 411
I was just thinking that too -- I wonder if/when Mike will get another visit from the Secret Service. More ammunition for the trolls to jump on; "Techdirt encourages counterfeiting currency."
On the post: Author's Guild Boss On E-Book Price Fixing Allegations: But... But... Brick-And-Mortar!
Re: Re: Re: But...but...how will I know what's good?
I spend quite a bit of money on Amazon doing exactly what you say, and I have yet to find a book there that I didn't like. On the other hand, I've been in bookstores where the employee recommended a book that I didn't like. They don't know my tastes any more than Amazon does, and just because they like a particular book doesn't mean I will. Most of them didn't even ask about my tastes before recommending a book, and thus had no idea what I liked or didn't like. Amazon has a list of my previous purchases and thus had a better idea on what I purchased before.
On the post: Author's Guild Boss On E-Book Price Fixing Allegations: But... But... Brick-And-Mortar!
Re: Re:
Well that and a case of Hollywood accounting. I find it surprising that they said the authors get less when the publishers use Apple's agency pricing, which costs far more. Someone is getting rich, and I am fairly certain it isn't the producers or the consumers. The middlemen can fudge the numbers and pocket the difference easier with agency pricing.
On the post: Ltlw0lf's Favorite Techdirt Posts of the Week
Re:
I deleted that part in my script, but I'd never suggest getting rid of the big PC for a majority of my work, but I don't need 10 large PCs...I could have one large one and one or two small ones.
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