Second, yes information has real world value. I work for an engineering consulting company. Oil and Gas companies pay us hundreds of thousands of dollars for reports, which we mostly send in electronic PDF format.
But that is our choice, right? You do believe in democracy, don't you?
You argument is idiotic. Either the majority of people pirate, and therefore they are saying, "Find a way to make cheaper content," or the minority of people pirate, and it shouldn't matter to the industry. You can't have it both ways. Either way, the consumer is right.
Regulatory Capture is the biggest danger with a large regulatory governments. Many people think the solution is more regulation, when in fact the solution is less. Or, more specifically, laws that are results-based and not behaviour-based.
Capitalism is the closest thing to democracy we have, yet the government keeps trying to mess with it. The solution is to have a free-for-all in the ring and have just enough government to prevent corporations from climbing out of the ring. The more power you give the refs, the more the players try and corrupt them.
Regulatory Capture is the biggest danger with a large regulatory governments. Many people think the solution is more regulation, when in fact the solution is less. Or, more specifically, laws that are results-based and not behaviour-based.
Capitalism is the closest thing to democracy we have, yet the government keeps trying to mess with it. The solution is to have a free-for-all in the ring and have just enough government to prevent corporations from climbing out of the ring. The more power you give the refs, the more the players try and corrupt them.
> if only all medical care was run by the government,
> it would be way more efficient
Canada has a government run healthcare system, and no one says it is more efficient than a private system. What is said is a government run system is more accountable, and distributes scarce resources based on need, not on money.
America's health care problems can be summed up as, An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. America is great at the "pound of cure" side. But an ounce of prevention is cheaper. For example, diabetes is relatively easy to manage or prevent, but unmanaged, consequences like limb amputation, vision loss, or kidney problems are very expensive to treat AND they remove people from the workforce.
This is why Canada pays less for health care per capita and has better results.
Interestingly, prostitution was a lot more prevalent in North America before birth control. The sexual revolution killed the demand for prostitutes, because normal girls were now more likely to have sex before marriage.
Because they are idiots. I'll illustrate it with one quote:
"extracting water and refining it for spaceship fuel"
Water =/= fuel. That's like saying an empty tank of gasoline is "fuel". Turning water into hydrogen and oxygen _requires_ energy; more than you get back when you combine it. It is almost as bad as Stephen Hawking suggesting colonizing other planets is humanities only hope, because its going to get so "hot" here.
If you don't want to defend cops, I will. I have many cops as cousins and in-laws (but I'm in Canada, so it may be slightly different).
They have a soul-sucking job. They deal with the absolute worst of society: violent drunks, addicts, domestic abuse, child abuse. These people are con artist, and are used to dealing with the police. It is easy for cops to become cynical because 90%, the people they are dealing with are lying sacks of crap. When they deal with the last 10%, who really are innocent or not breaking the law, mistakes can be made.
They go into situation and have no idea who is the bad guy, who is a spectator, and who just wants to help. If some punk has a camera in their face, they don't know if someone is creeping up behind them. Filming a cop from a respectable distance is fine. When a cop is try to figure out what is going on, if you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
The idea cops should be held to a "higher standard" ignores the fact they are in a different situation. Has anyone got mad in traffic and cut someone off, or otherwise done something dangerous? Of course. And that is during a 1/2 hour drive to work. Imagine a 12 hour shift where people are testing your patience all day. Most cops lose their temper way less than you or I would in their situation.
Re: Re: Harvard's cost inflation can't keep pace with the journals'?
Isn't it more likely that periodical prices contributed to the increase in tuition, rather than the other way around?
The student debt bubble is coming, just like the housing bubble. Lending someone who has no income $200K to buy a house is the same as lending someone who will have no prospects $200K to get an Arts degree in Comparative Religions. US Student debt is at $1 trillion, and a significant portion of that won't be paid back (no matter what the bankruptcy laws say), because the economy has slowed and won't be back for a while.
Mike: when ... products are seen in movies ... it's often there because of product placement
Idiot AC: If you can see an actually product name ... it is almost certainly a paid product placement
How can you say the exact same thing as Mike and then preface it with "how little you seem to understand"? Do you even read the f*cking posts before this sh!t comes out of your mouth? Wow.
The reckoning has already started for Developers. First-purchaser codes are becoming more common (e.g., Mass Effect 3, Batman), and they are driving down the price of used games. Right off the bat, used games must be at least $15 cheaper than new games, which means GameSpot is offering even less for trade-ins. In the past, I have bought new games for $60, played them for a few weeks, then sold them for $40 (on Kijiji and sometimes GameSpot). I basically was paying $20 for a new game. I recently had to sell my Mass Effect 3 for $22 f*cking dollars. This is going to change my habits severely. I'll more likely wait until the game is 1 year old and buy it for $15 at a pawn shop. (The exact same thing happened when I got rid of Cable and got Netflix -- now I enjoy old TV shows and I barely miss not seeing the latest Mentalist or 30 Rock.)
It makes no sense to me. I predict the video game industry will adopt first-purchaser codes en masse, and this will only accelerate their losses. In the worst case, people will migrate to computers (where they can pirate games), start gaming on different systems (like tablets), or just buy a few games a year (like the annual Call of Duty release).
Penn and Teller tested this in one of their Bullsh!t episodes. The hippies couldn't tell organic from non.
Organic is a scam, and if everyone adopted it, a huge percentage of the population would starve to death. It is easy to eat "organic" when you are a rich suburbanite driving your SUV to the local community food store. It's like saying everyone should get rid of their evil gas fireplace and use a wood-burning stove. These pie-in-the sky ideas aren't scalable.
Maybe. But I just want to weep when I read "Instead, it will drag on in court. And I will fight it in court as long as I have to." Are you kidding? The only people making money are lawyers.
Why don't you make t-shirts that says: "I sing better than this b!tch" and have a picture of Debbi with an X thru her. Put your track up for sale on iTunes and link to Debbi's song and say, "Hey, you heard the copy, now get the original!" Put it on Youtube and get some ad revenue. Whatever you do, don't "poor me" in the corner as your lawyers waste money. This is free advertising and good will, and you're pissing it away.
We don't even need to talk about whether this is right or wrong. It just doesn't matter.
> It's OK to violate other people's rights if everyone's doing it
Yes. Now you get it. Everyone violates copyright. Everyone.
The system was workable when there wasn't digital distribution. The police didn't have the time or desire to bust people for mix tapes or bootleg VHS. The internet has brought this common practice into the open and revieled how draconian the law is. Yes, if everyone does it, the law is broken and should be scrapped.
> So many people talk about Sony being evil, stupid, etc...
> how the hell is it they are still in business?
Because the Sony owners and the Sony complainers aren't the same people. You know the internet has more than 12 people in it?
I have a PS3. I like the games better than the XBOX 360. Online access is free. I can watch Netflix and movies off my computer. Yes, I'm annoyed by some of these other issues, and if it gets too annoying, I'll get something else. I certainly don't complain about it. Voting with my dollars is much more effective. And I haven't found anyone else to vote for.
On the post: 'Hack The Real World And Share The Results'
Re:
Second, yes information has real world value. I work for an engineering consulting company. Oil and Gas companies pay us hundreds of thousands of dollars for reports, which we mostly send in electronic PDF format.
On the post: Insanity: Apple Rejects Podcatching App Because It Has Flattr Integration
Re: Hmmm
On the post: Hollywood Super Agent Ari Emanuel Mystified That Google Doesn't Just Invent A Magic Stop Piracy Button
Re: Re:
But that is our choice, right? You do believe in democracy, don't you?
You argument is idiotic. Either the majority of people pirate, and therefore they are saying, "Find a way to make cheaper content," or the minority of people pirate, and it shouldn't matter to the industry. You can't have it both ways. Either way, the consumer is right.
On the post: If You Think The Cost Of 'Piracy' Is High, What About The Cost Of Enforcement?
Re: Re: Re:
> we need to get the governement completely out of business.
FTFY
On the post: Confused Jury Says Google Infringed On Oracle's Copyright, Sorta, But Maybe Not
Re: Re: Broken system
Capitalism is the closest thing to democracy we have, yet the government keeps trying to mess with it. The solution is to have a free-for-all in the ring and have just enough government to prevent corporations from climbing out of the ring. The more power you give the refs, the more the players try and corrupt them.
On the post: Confused Jury Says Google Infringed On Oracle's Copyright, Sorta, But Maybe Not
Re: Re: Broken system
Capitalism is the closest thing to democracy we have, yet the government keeps trying to mess with it. The solution is to have a free-for-all in the ring and have just enough government to prevent corporations from climbing out of the ring. The more power you give the refs, the more the players try and corrupt them.
On the post: AT&T Argues That More Competition Is Bad For You & Leads To Higher Prices
Re: obviously
> it would be way more efficient
Canada has a government run healthcare system, and no one says it is more efficient than a private system. What is said is a government run system is more accountable, and distributes scarce resources based on need, not on money.
America's health care problems can be summed up as, An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. America is great at the "pound of cure" side. But an ounce of prevention is cheaper. For example, diabetes is relatively easy to manage or prevent, but unmanaged, consequences like limb amputation, vision loss, or kidney problems are very expensive to treat AND they remove people from the workforce.
This is why Canada pays less for health care per capita and has better results.
On the post: B&N Removes Magazine From Nook Store Due To Feature Article On 'Hacking'
Re: Fuck them - they're gonna die anyway.
An ebook reader in the bathroom is gross.
On the post: Misguided Senators Propose Plan To Make It Harder For Law Enforcement To Track Down Human Trafficking Online
Re: Re: I agree...but also disgree
On the post: Did One-Sided Legal Advice Lead To The Terrible Copyright Deal For Canadian Universities?
Re:
On the post: DailyDirt: Unobtainium Will Save Us!
Re:
Because they are idiots. I'll illustrate it with one quote:
"extracting water and refining it for spaceship fuel"
Water =/= fuel. That's like saying an empty tank of gasoline is "fuel". Turning water into hydrogen and oxygen _requires_ energy; more than you get back when you combine it. It is almost as bad as Stephen Hawking suggesting colonizing other planets is humanities only hope, because its going to get so "hot" here.
On the post: Police Officer Fired Over Questionable Confrontation, Would Have Gone Unnoticed Without YouTube Video
Re:
They have a soul-sucking job. They deal with the absolute worst of society: violent drunks, addicts, domestic abuse, child abuse. These people are con artist, and are used to dealing with the police. It is easy for cops to become cynical because 90%, the people they are dealing with are lying sacks of crap. When they deal with the last 10%, who really are innocent or not breaking the law, mistakes can be made.
They go into situation and have no idea who is the bad guy, who is a spectator, and who just wants to help. If some punk has a camera in their face, they don't know if someone is creeping up behind them. Filming a cop from a respectable distance is fine. When a cop is try to figure out what is going on, if you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
The idea cops should be held to a "higher standard" ignores the fact they are in a different situation. Has anyone got mad in traffic and cut someone off, or otherwise done something dangerous? Of course. And that is during a 1/2 hour drive to work. Imagine a 12 hour shift where people are testing your patience all day. Most cops lose their temper way less than you or I would in their situation.
On the post: Even Harvard Can't Afford Subscriptions To Academic Journals; Pushes For Open Access
Re: Re: Harvard's cost inflation can't keep pace with the journals'?
The student debt bubble is coming, just like the housing bubble. Lending someone who has no income $200K to buy a house is the same as lending someone who will have no prospects $200K to get an Arts degree in Comparative Religions. US Student debt is at $1 trillion, and a significant portion of that won't be paid back (no matter what the bankruptcy laws say), because the economy has slowed and won't be back for a while.
On the post: Cultural Insanity: You Can't Show A Painting In A Movie Without Paying The Copyright Holder
Re:
Idiot AC: If you can see an actually product name ... it is almost certainly a paid product placement
How can you say the exact same thing as Mike and then preface it with "how little you seem to understand"? Do you even read the f*cking posts before this sh!t comes out of your mouth? Wow.
On the post: Video Game Developers Continue To Ignorantly Attack Used Game Sales
Its already started
It makes no sense to me. I predict the video game industry will adopt first-purchaser codes en masse, and this will only accelerate their losses. In the worst case, people will migrate to computers (where they can pirate games), start gaming on different systems (like tablets), or just buy a few games a year (like the annual Call of Duty release).
On the post: Sherry Turkle Says Technology Is Making Us Lonelier Because We Spend Less Time Alone, Or Something
Re: Re: Re: Re: Are you kidding me?
Penn and Teller tested this in one of their Bullsh!t episodes. The hippies couldn't tell organic from non.
Organic is a scam, and if everyone adopted it, a huge percentage of the population would starve to death. It is easy to eat "organic" when you are a rich suburbanite driving your SUV to the local community food store. It's like saying everyone should get rid of their evil gas fireplace and use a wood-burning stove. These pie-in-the sky ideas aren't scalable.
On the post: A Perspective On The Complexities Of Copyright And Creativity From A Victim Of Infringement
Re:
Maybe. But I just want to weep when I read "Instead, it will drag on in court. And I will fight it in court as long as I have to." Are you kidding? The only people making money are lawyers.
Why don't you make t-shirts that says: "I sing better than this b!tch" and have a picture of Debbi with an X thru her. Put your track up for sale on iTunes and link to Debbi's song and say, "Hey, you heard the copy, now get the original!" Put it on Youtube and get some ad revenue. Whatever you do, don't "poor me" in the corner as your lawyers waste money. This is free advertising and good will, and you're pissing it away.
We don't even need to talk about whether this is right or wrong. It just doesn't matter.
On the post: Unfortunate: Appeals Court Revives Misguided Rosetta Stone Lawsuit Against Google
Re: Re: Re: Re:
On the post: How Can You Be Register Of Copyrights If You Don't Even Understand Copyright's Most Basic Purpose?
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Yes. Now you get it. Everyone violates copyright. Everyone.
The system was workable when there wasn't digital distribution. The police didn't have the time or desire to bust people for mix tapes or bootleg VHS. The internet has brought this common practice into the open and revieled how draconian the law is. Yes, if everyone does it, the law is broken and should be scrapped.
On the post: Court Says Sony Is Free To Change Its Terms Of Service Because Accessing PSN Is A Choice
Re:
> how the hell is it they are still in business?
Because the Sony owners and the Sony complainers aren't the same people. You know the internet has more than 12 people in it?
I have a PS3. I like the games better than the XBOX 360. Online access is free. I can watch Netflix and movies off my computer. Yes, I'm annoyed by some of these other issues, and if it gets too annoying, I'll get something else. I certainly don't complain about it. Voting with my dollars is much more effective. And I haven't found anyone else to vote for.
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