Another reason why you can't blame the free market for the 2008 meltdown. The fact that the security _sellers_ needed to get the rating was made law. This makes no sense. When you want to buy a house, _you_ hire the house inspector. You wouldn't trust a house inspection commissioned by the seller of the house. There is too much risk of conflict of interest.
So basically, because the US can print money, you can't treat it like a household. This is baloney. The free market will punish anyone who tries to abuse the system. The US has to buy stuff from other countries. Yes, the US can't go "broke", but eventually, no one will take their monopoly money if they keep printing it off. The US is lucky that the US dollar is the only currency accepted for oil. Once that changes, your dollar will crash, and everything will become expensive.
The household analogy is useful because fiscal discipline is a good quality, for people or governments. The punishment for fiscal mismanagement is just different.
Why is this written as if a guy named Amicus is speaking in the third person? "Amicus invites the Court", "Amicus submits that". Is this the format of an Amicus brief?
> parents will fight and the winning pair will be parents
> of both pairs' offspring
There is no way this is true.
The only bird I know of that is raised by other parents is the Cuckoo. Its parents lay it in other birds nest, it hatches early, and pushes all the other eggs out of the nest.
>1) because anyone at any age now can make "music" extremely
> easily ... and throw it up on Youtube
Okay, yes, I'm with you, this looks good ...
> and, because we have no reliable filters,
Ahh, I see where you're going. Google for music! Brilliant. I like your analysis ...
> the music merit bar has been deeply lowered;
WTF? You totally went off the rails here. What the hell is a "merit bar", and does it have nuts?
> many have given up listening,
Wait, what? "Everywhere I look on YouTube there are crappy songs, so I'm going to live in silence. No, asking a friend to recommend a song won't work because they all think I'm a freak, what with my no-listening policy."
> music has been devalued to zero
Wouldn't a sea of crap make good music more valuable? Let me ask you a question. You are going on a blind date and meeting at a bar. Do you want that bar full of good looking dudes with six-packs and fat wallets, or do you want a sea of Trekies with Mountain Dew guts?
> no more competition driving need to be good
No matter where I pause as I read that sentences doesn't make sense. Look, I can do it too!
> Alternatively, too much competition
I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that. On one end there is a monopoly. In your world, on the other end is a multipoly. "Help, too many people want my business. I can find exactly what I want. I miss my limited choices and high prices!"
> not get into the market b/c rewards are much less
Exposure is its own reward. I'm pretty sure that is why we have this "problem" to begin with.
> There's more, but I'm done for now.
Code for, "I just puked in the comments section. Maybe something I said makes sense and doesn't contradict the other stuff." Nope and nope.
> "Let's lock our employees out, then a week later, legislate
> them back only on what they already had!"
*Canada Post* locked out its employees and the *Canadian government* legislated them back to work. They are not the same thing.
Oh, and they legislated back for _less_ than Canada Post was willing to pay. In my opinion, this was a perfect time to union-bust these lazy corrupt bums. Did you know it is cheaper for me to send something to the US than it is within Canada? Insane.
I just got my Google Plus invite. Goodbye Facebook. Goodbye Linkedin. Google Plus has Circles so you can have your boss as a friend and not worry about him seeing you drunk in Mexico.
The big problem with social engineering is you start focusing on behaviours and not results. Brushing your teeth isn't the goal, no cavities is. Walking isn't the goal, cardiovascular health is. Economic incentives need to be results orientated.
In any case, it is scary because policy makers are notoriously idiotic when creating incentives (just look at Ban Fransisco). Just make sure the consequences are swift and expensive, and the free market will sort all this out.
> I can't stand the taste or the texture of anything made with HCFS
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is chemically the same as sugar. Sugar (sucrose) is one molecule of glucose bonded to one molecule of fructose. HFCS is simply a (approximately) 50-50 mix of glucose and fructose. The only difference is HFCS is missing the extra oxygen atom that bonds the glucose to the fructose. I'm pretty sure you can't taste that.
Re: Re: Re: This version of "free" only applies for those selling advertising!
> The free revolution is thankfully grinding to a finish,
You obviously have no understanding of business. You ever heard of a "loss leader"? Lose money on one thing to gain money on another.
My company _has_ gone through this. We have two products: the first can be automated so the customer enters info and gets a rough answer, the second requires an engineer to review and sign off on. My company was thinking about charging for both, which is crazy. One has a marginal cost of zero (even though the fixed cost of creating the website was a few weeks of work), and the second has a real marginal cost. Why not make the first free, which will act as free advertising for the second?
It literally took me days to talk my management out of charging for the first. I kept telling them, if you charge for it, it won't be free (to us) anymore. Free stuff doesn't have to work right and doesn't need technical support. Once people have to pay, it better work perfectly everytime. If it doesn't, I don't care how cheap it is, they are leaving with a bad taste. Free avoids all that.
Free, as a part of a business model, is going nowhere.
I've heard this argument before. Even Stephen Hawking says we need to go into space to escape global warming. Here's the problem. No matter how bad things get on Earth -- global warming, ice age, zombies -- it will still be 1000x better and easier than living in space or on a hostile planet like Mars. The only hope we have is if we find a planet similar to Earth, with 20% oxygen atmosphere, liquid water, and food we can eat. But the idea we can colonize the moon or Mars is just ridiculous. We'd have an easier time "colonizing" the bottom of the ocean.
The market decides winners and losers, not judges. Lord help us if art is judged in a courtroom. Just another socialist situation where the state interferes with the free market. As long as there is no confusion about who did what, then the market will decide who the better artist is. Boring B&W picture of Run DMC or crushed-record impressionism? Let the consumer choose and quit subsidizing bad artists.
The state of patents today is retarded. I search for patents very frequently, and you wouldn't believe what is granted a patent. Vibration absorbers, for example, were invented around 1910, and there are still big companies (like 3M) who try and claim their new little tweak allows them to re-patent a device which is over 100 years old. (Vibration absorbers are at the top of sky-scrapers which help them from swaying too much in the wind, and also on industrial equipment.)
In my opinion, if I can't build it from the drawing, the patent should be instantly invalid. Or, "No screws, you lose."
> most vile pit of murder for the english language
Kids read and type more today than ever thanks to things like Facebook. What, you'd have them go back to sitting in front of the TV, like the 70s and 80s, before computers?
On the post: Insanity: Getting Worked Up Over One Company's Slight Change Of Opinion In The Creditworthiness Of The US
Re: Rating Firms Blew it Before
On the post: Insanity: Getting Worked Up Over One Company's Slight Change Of Opinion In The Creditworthiness Of The US
Re: Re: Re: Re:
The household analogy is useful because fiscal discipline is a good quality, for people or governments. The punishment for fiscal mismanagement is just different.
On the post: If Your Comment Section Is Awesome, It's Your Community's Fault
Re: Re:
Opinions are just facts with a weighting factor.
On the post: Looking At Security Theater Through The Lens Of The Utøya Massacre
Re: Re: Re: Re:
US: 3.3/100K
Norway: 0.1/100K
On the post: New Filing In Colorado Says That Righthaven Is An Illegal Law Firm In Disguise
"Amicus" says ...
On the post: Facebook Bans User's Ad Campaigns For Displaying Google+ Ad
Re: Re: Re: Nitpicking
> of both pairs' offspring
There is no way this is true.
The only bird I know of that is raised by other parents is the Cuckoo. Its parents lay it in other birds nest, it hatches early, and pushes all the other eggs out of the nest.
On the post: Yes, Silicon Valley Is Filled With Trivial Startups... And That's A Good Thing
Re:
>1) because anyone at any age now can make "music" extremely
> easily ... and throw it up on Youtube
Okay, yes, I'm with you, this looks good ...
> and, because we have no reliable filters,
Ahh, I see where you're going. Google for music! Brilliant. I like your analysis ...
> the music merit bar has been deeply lowered;
WTF? You totally went off the rails here. What the hell is a "merit bar", and does it have nuts?
> many have given up listening,
Wait, what? "Everywhere I look on YouTube there are crappy songs, so I'm going to live in silence. No, asking a friend to recommend a song won't work because they all think I'm a freak, what with my no-listening policy."
> music has been devalued to zero
Wouldn't a sea of crap make good music more valuable? Let me ask you a question. You are going on a blind date and meeting at a bar. Do you want that bar full of good looking dudes with six-packs and fat wallets, or do you want a sea of Trekies with Mountain Dew guts?
> no more competition driving need to be good
No matter where I pause as I read that sentences doesn't make sense. Look, I can do it too!
> Alternatively, too much competition
I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that. On one end there is a monopoly. In your world, on the other end is a multipoly. "Help, too many people want my business. I can find exactly what I want. I miss my limited choices and high prices!"
> not get into the market b/c rewards are much less
Exposure is its own reward. I'm pretty sure that is why we have this "problem" to begin with.
> There's more, but I'm done for now.
Code for, "I just puked in the comments section. Maybe something I said makes sense and doesn't contradict the other stuff." Nope and nope.
Yay, that was fun.
On the post: False Advertising: CRIA Becomes 'Music Canada,' Even Though It's Not
Re: Re: Re:
> them back only on what they already had!"
*Canada Post* locked out its employees and the *Canadian government* legislated them back to work. They are not the same thing.
Oh, and they legislated back for _less_ than Canada Post was willing to pay. In my opinion, this was a perfect time to union-bust these lazy corrupt bums. Did you know it is cheaper for me to send something to the US than it is within Canada? Insane.
On the post: Google Wants Another Court To Determine If Accessing Open WiFi Is Wiretapping
Re: Re: Re:
On the post: Using Gaming To Drive Desired Behavior: Privacy Policy As A Game
Social engineering
In any case, it is scary because policy makers are notoriously idiotic when creating incentives (just look at Ban Fransisco). Just make sure the consequences are swift and expensive, and the free market will sort all this out.
On the post: DailyDirt: Do You Want To Sell Sugar Water For The Rest Of Your Life?
Re: Yuck
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is chemically the same as sugar. Sugar (sucrose) is one molecule of glucose bonded to one molecule of fructose. HFCS is simply a (approximately) 50-50 mix of glucose and fructose. The only difference is HFCS is missing the extra oxygen atom that bonds the glucose to the fructose. I'm pretty sure you can't taste that.
In summary,
Sugar = glucose + fructose
HFCS = glucose & fructose
On the post: The Misconceptions Of 'Free' Abound; Why Do Brains Stop At The Zero?
Re: Re: Re: This version of "free" only applies for those selling advertising!
You obviously have no understanding of business. You ever heard of a "loss leader"? Lose money on one thing to gain money on another.
My company _has_ gone through this. We have two products: the first can be automated so the customer enters info and gets a rough answer, the second requires an engineer to review and sign off on. My company was thinking about charging for both, which is crazy. One has a marginal cost of zero (even though the fixed cost of creating the website was a few weeks of work), and the second has a real marginal cost. Why not make the first free, which will act as free advertising for the second?
It literally took me days to talk my management out of charging for the first. I kept telling them, if you charge for it, it won't be free (to us) anymore. Free stuff doesn't have to work right and doesn't need technical support. Once people have to pay, it better work perfectly everytime. If it doesn't, I don't care how cheap it is, they are leaving with a bad taste. Free avoids all that.
Free, as a part of a business model, is going nowhere.
On the post: Facebook, Roger Ebert And The Pointlessness Of The Jerk Patrol
Re:
That makes about as much sense as:
telephone = evil
On the post: Iran Says 'Me Too' To The Space Race; Pledges To Launch A Monkey Into Space By The End Of The Summer
Re: Re: Wait, what ?!
On the post: Another Appropriation Artist Loses Copyright Lawsuit; Are We Nearing The End Of Appropriation Art?
Re:
The market decides winners and losers, not judges. Lord help us if art is judged in a courtroom. Just another socialist situation where the state interferes with the free market. As long as there is no confusion about who did what, then the market will decide who the better artist is. Boring B&W picture of Run DMC or crushed-record impressionism? Let the consumer choose and quit subsidizing bad artists.
On the post: Score One For The Trolls: Supreme Court Says Congress Intended It To Be Very Difficult To Invalidate Patents
Re:
In my opinion, if I can't build it from the drawing, the patent should be instantly invalid. Or, "No screws, you lose."
On the post: Miami Beach Police Tried To Destroy Video From Bystanders, Holding Them At Gunpoint
Re: Scary & Sad
> doing and put back on the job within weeks.
Who says public unions are corrupt tax-guzzling out-of-touch greedy thugs? Certainly not me.
On the post: If You're Going To Forge An Email By Mark Zuckerberg, Make Sure You Use Proper English
Re:
Kids read and type more today than ever thanks to things like Facebook. What, you'd have them go back to sitting in front of the TV, like the 70s and 80s, before computers?
On the post: RIAA Wants To Put People In Jail For Sharing Their Music Subscription Login With Friends
Re: Re: Re:
40% of government spending is on defense, which goes to high-tech weapons manufactures, most you've never heard of. How about boycotting war?
On the post: Two Can Play At This Game: Samsung Wants To See Apple's Next Gen iPhones & iPads
Re: Re: HAHA
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