I've been saying this same thing for years when talking to authors. One of the most common argument for higher ebook prices I've come across is "but it took me two years to write this book, three bucks is too cheap! My time is worth more than that!"
If you want to charge $10 for a book that took you a year to write, should I charge $50 for a book I spent five years writing? It took me five times as long, so I need five times as much money per copy! Ridiculous....
You can't charge the customer for the time it took you to write the book!
- "Fuck off Paul. You worthless freetard douchebag."
Wow, that's quite a persuasive argument you have there... Well played, indeed. I'm just gonna give up right here and now. How could any of us possibly win a debate against such a brilliant mind?
It doesn't matter that they are not a government institution. If not an absolute monopoly, PayPal is still a de facto monopoly in the business they're in. So I agree that it is a question of censorship.
- "We are actually auditing all of our previous DMCA's to Google today to ensure no one else is being DMCAed by mistake."
It's cool that you're on here apologising and all, but wow...
You're auditing all the DMCA's now? When were you planning on doing that anyway? Never? It's been over a month, and you're only doing it now because you ended up in a shitstorm over one item on the list.
How about if you had done an audit of that list before you sent it off to Google?
And using a keyword based search to determine what pages to add to the list? Shame on you, that's borderline retarded, honestly.
I'm sorry for sounding hostile, but I really don't think you grasp the gravitas of your mistakes.
--Now, the crew in that helicopter on the other hand.... As far as I know they have still not been punished for what should obviously be classed as a war crime.
-lets see... a dozen Iraqi males in a combat zone armed with at least one AK 47 and an RPG. Others carrying camera bags mistaken for weapons. And you're surprised they took fire? No shit you were never in the military. A better question is who were the guys with the weapons and why were the journalists reckless enough to be part of an armed group in broad daylight?
So you don't see a problem with soldiers being trigger happy, begging for permission to open fire because someone on the ground "appears to have a weapon?" You don't see a problem with opening fire on two kids on their way to school? Oh, sorry, they did sit in that scary looking minivan, and their dad was trying to help wounded people lying in the street. I guess it's ok then....
Is it really too much to ask that soldiers verify that they are shooting at the right people, before they open fire? Really?
--Or how about the soldiers responsible for killing a whole family and covering it up by calling in an air strike on the house?
No, I haven't served in the military. Not in the US and not in my native Sweden, or anywhere else.
But, whaddayaknow, I've never gunned down civilians with large calibre machine gun fire or blown kids to shreds with hellfire missiles, either.
I'm not saying Manning should not be punished at all, but he's been punished enough already. He doesn't deserve life in prison, not for what he's done.
Now, the crew in that helicopter on the other hand.... As far as I know they have still not been punished for what should obviously be classed as a war crime.
Or how about the soldiers responsible for killing a whole family and covering it up by calling in an air strike on the house?
I guess it's only a war crime if someone else is doing it. Same as it's only terrorism if the people doing it are brown. Or how it's not torture if the President's advisor says it's not. Kind of like "it's not gay if you don't swallow."
Now, I wouldn't call myself an art critic or an expert on the subject of pornography, but isn't it true that a lot (A LOT!) of porn contains similar content?
Let's say porn is covered by copyright. Let's say I produce a pornographic film showing people having sex. (A fairly common theme of porn, as I understand it.)
Now, can I be sued for producing a work that is similar to someone else's work?
"Subject is centered in the frame, legs spread wide...."
Just because something is illegal, that doesn't automatically make it wrong. Lot's of things used to be illegal but are now legal, because we know better.
If "lost sales" should be illegal, should it be illegal to write negative reviews? After all, if I advice someone to not buy your product and they don't, I have caused you to lose a sale.
If I buy a pizza and split it with you, should that be illegal? I mean, if I hadn't given you half a pizza, you would have bought your own, right? That's a lost sale, right there.
Yup! We better get some new laws in place, to protect all the pizza guys in the world from the evil pizza sharers who are trying to take their jobs away...
"No offensive magic, you say? Hmmm... What's that spell for when we need water? 'Summon Water'? How about I summon a gallon of water inside the lungs of that orc?"
Don't you realize how many people would lose their jobs if you made your own clothes? You should be ashamed of yourself...
Also, no home cooking (think of the caterers!), no car driving (think of the bus drivers!), no riding the bus (think of the car manufacturers!), no drinking water from the tap (think of the soda manufacturers!), no singing in the shower (think of the musicians!), no electronic music (think of the musical instrument manufacturers!), etc, ad nauseum....
On the post: Nobody Cares About The Fixed Costs Of Your Book, Movie, Whatever
It took you two years? That's interesting...
I've been saying this same thing for years when talking to authors. One of the most common argument for higher ebook prices I've come across is "but it took me two years to write this book, three bucks is too cheap! My time is worth more than that!"
If you want to charge $10 for a book that took you a year to write, should I charge $50 for a book I spent five years writing? It took me five times as long, so I need five times as much money per copy! Ridiculous....
You can't charge the customer for the time it took you to write the book!
On the post: Dan Bull Talks About Trying To Reach The Charts While Giving Away His Music
Just remember one thing...
Or, as I would like to put it in this particular case:
Your right to be a dick is also my right to point out that you're a dick.
You're a dick.
On the post: Paramount Thinks That Louis CK Making $1 Million In 12 Days Means He's Not Monetizing
It's all philosophy
If a comedian makes a million bucks in a forest and no MPAA executive is there to profit from it, did he actually make any money at all?
On the post: DailyDirt: Taxes On The Mathematically Challenged
Million to one?
But don't take my word for it. Here's a video from Khan Academy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyqodNhM3EU
On the post: Why Hollywood's Six Strike Plan Should Be Investigated For Antitrust Violations
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Wow, that's quite a persuasive argument you have there... Well played, indeed. I'm just gonna give up right here and now. How could any of us possibly win a debate against such a brilliant mind?
On the post: When Entertainment Industry Numbers Are More Suited To Comedy Than Analysis
Re:
Please provide some actual proof that the business is actually being decimated by piracy.
Go ahead, I'll wait...
On the post: Authors Can Sleep Easy Now; Paypal Reverses Its Censorship Decision
Re:
On the post: Authors Can Sleep Easy Now; Paypal Reverses Its Censorship Decision
Extreme is in the eye of the beholder, and PayPal does not get to decide what is legal and what is illegal.
On the post: Key Techdirt SOPA/PIPA Post Censored By Bogus DMCA Takedown Notice
Re: Re: Re: Apology
It's cool that you're on here apologising and all, but wow...
You're auditing all the DMCA's now? When were you planning on doing that anyway? Never? It's been over a month, and you're only doing it now because you ended up in a shitstorm over one item on the list.
How about if you had done an audit of that list before you sent it off to Google?
And using a keyword based search to determine what pages to add to the list? Shame on you, that's borderline retarded, honestly.
I'm sorry for sounding hostile, but I really don't think you grasp the gravitas of your mistakes.
On the post: Key Techdirt SOPA/PIPA Post Censored By Bogus DMCA Takedown Notice
Re: Re: Other interesting hits...
This was a Very Bad Idea(tm). Even I could have told you that.
You should be banned from the internet for thinking it was actually a good idea to begin with.
On the post: Bradley Manning Formally Charged; Defers Plea
Re:
When an organization's first instinct is deception, that organization cannot be trusted.
On the post: Bradley Manning Formally Charged; Defers Plea
Re: Re: Re:
-lets see... a dozen Iraqi males in a combat zone armed with at least one AK 47 and an RPG. Others carrying camera bags mistaken for weapons. And you're surprised they took fire? No shit you were never in the military. A better question is who were the guys with the weapons and why were the journalists reckless enough to be part of an armed group in broad daylight?
So you don't see a problem with soldiers being trigger happy, begging for permission to open fire because someone on the ground "appears to have a weapon?" You don't see a problem with opening fire on two kids on their way to school? Oh, sorry, they did sit in that scary looking minivan, and their dad was trying to help wounded people lying in the street. I guess it's ok then....
Is it really too much to ask that soldiers verify that they are shooting at the right people, before they open fire? Really?
--Or how about the soldiers responsible for killing a whole family and covering it up by calling in an air strike on the house?
-Not familiar with, citation appreciated.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/02/wikileaks-iraq-massacre-inquiry
--Or how it's not torture if the President's advisor says it's not.
-I have to agree with you there.
Well, then... I believe George Carlin said: "Misinformed is the new patriotic."
I wish I could watch you be waterboarded so I could ask you if you still agree it's not torture.
Waterboarding, classified as "not torture:"
Watch Christopher Hitchens Get Waterboarded
On the post: Bradley Manning Formally Charged; Defers Plea
Re:
But, whaddayaknow, I've never gunned down civilians with large calibre machine gun fire or blown kids to shreds with hellfire missiles, either.
I'm not saying Manning should not be punished at all, but he's been punished enough already. He doesn't deserve life in prison, not for what he's done.
Now, the crew in that helicopter on the other hand.... As far as I know they have still not been punished for what should obviously be classed as a war crime.
Or how about the soldiers responsible for killing a whole family and covering it up by calling in an air strike on the house?
I guess it's only a war crime if someone else is doing it. Same as it's only terrorism if the people doing it are brown. Or how it's not torture if the President's advisor says it's not. Kind of like "it's not gay if you don't swallow."
On the post: Why A Case Testing The Theory That Porn Cannot Be Covered By Copyright Could Be Important
Sue for "similar content?"
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120204/01440917661/photographer-appeals-ruling-saying-its-n ot-infringement-to-have-vaguely-similar-photos.shtml
Now, I wouldn't call myself an art critic or an expert on the subject of pornography, but isn't it true that a lot (A LOT!) of porn contains similar content?
Let's say porn is covered by copyright. Let's say I produce a pornographic film showing people having sex. (A fairly common theme of porn, as I understand it.)
Now, can I be sued for producing a work that is similar to someone else's work?
"Subject is centered in the frame, legs spread wide...."
On the post: Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt
Illegal != wrong
On the post: Jonathan Coulton Destroys The Rationale Behind The Megaupload Seizure With A Single Tweet; Follows Up With Epic Blog Post
Lost sales?
If "lost sales" should be illegal, should it be illegal to write negative reviews? After all, if I advice someone to not buy your product and they don't, I have caused you to lose a sale.
If I buy a pizza and split it with you, should that be illegal? I mean, if I hadn't given you half a pizza, you would have bought your own, right? That's a lost sale, right there.
Yup! We better get some new laws in place, to protect all the pizza guys in the world from the evil pizza sharers who are trying to take their jobs away...
On the post: How SOPA Will Be (Ab)Used
Re: Re: H fundamental thing.
On the post: Morality, Non-Zero Sum Games, Externalities & Why Someone Profiting Off Of Your Work Isn't A Bad Thing
Copying does not equal theft
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw-MFeR8Frw
"If I steal your bicycle, you have to take the bus. But if I just copy it, there's one for each of us!"
Theft: 1 - 1 = 0
Copying: 1 + 1 = 2
That's pretty simple mathematics, right there, that anyone should understand.
On the post: Morality, Non-Zero Sum Games, Externalities & Why Someone Profiting Off Of Your Work Isn't A Bad Thing
Re:
Don't you realize how many people would lose their jobs if you made your own clothes? You should be ashamed of yourself...
Also, no home cooking (think of the caterers!), no car driving (think of the bus drivers!), no riding the bus (think of the car manufacturers!), no drinking water from the tap (think of the soda manufacturers!), no singing in the shower (think of the musicians!), no electronic music (think of the musical instrument manufacturers!), etc, ad nauseum....
On the post: Morality, Non-Zero Sum Games, Externalities & Why Someone Profiting Off Of Your Work Isn't A Bad Thing
Re: "Morality" has no place in this discussion
"Those of us who believe in the rule of law should not knowingly or willingly break it, unless we must."
For a protest against a law to have any meaning, you have to be willing to break that law.
If gathering in the streets to protest openly against your government is illegal, you won't change that law by staying seated in front of the TV.
A lot of things that used to be illegal are now legal because we (generally) know better.
Next >>