While its certainly true that a good journalist is someone who digs out stories, fact checks sources and so on, anyone can write for a paper. Now, whether you say ‘They aren’t really a journalist’ or you say ‘They are a bad journalist’ doesn’t really matter. They clearly consider it their job to write articles that sell papers, not to ‘find the truth’, and whether or not you grant them the title of journalist isn’t going to change that.
The problem then, would seem to be the people that buy the paper, who aren’t demanding of the quality of the journalism within, but who are we to demand that they demand quality? If they did, this kind of thing would quickly get out and they wouldn’t buy it. But when we tell them the problem, they won’t care. They won’t much care that it’s not true, much less will they care if the government lied, or if the paper didn’t catch the lie. They won’t stop buying and they won’t tell their friends.
And so the ‘journalist’ can photocopy the press release and feel satisfied in his work, and the people can buy it and feel informed. And you know what? That’s not a problem. Everyone involved has either accepted their level of misinformation, or would accept it if we told them about it. At the end of the day, I guess that’s their choice.
While it’s an impressive statement on the build quality of the Amiga, it’s a damning statement on the schools administration.
I wonder what the impact would have been if the machine failed? Say a pipe bursts and destroys the machine and everything on it? Whether you replaced with a new system, or found an old Amiga and had the programmer replicate the original system you are looking at weeks. From the context I suspect that this is a cooling rather than a heating issue, but what if it happened mid-winter? I don’t know what Michigan winter weather is like, but over here in the UK, that would see the school closed until it was sorted. It would end someones career.
It’s really a liability issue. For example, its driving along the road, passing a pedestrian, with oncoming traffic in the other lane, when something runs out into the road to close to stop. If it swerves, then it’s made an active decision to take someone else out, which the manufacturer could potentially be held liable for. If the car simply slams the brakes on, and hits the kid, it’s made no decision, its simply responded as best it could to a situation someone else created.
I care. I like video games. Lots of people also care. I think what you mean is that YOU don't care because you are not interested in video games. Which is fine, but why are you commenting here?
The presence of a cheater can and often does totally spoil the game for the other players. Now, if you take the view that "It’s only a game" then you might say it doesn’t matter, but I don't accept that view point. I don't watch the American football, but I'm guessing if I found a way to prevent you from enjoying the superbowl, you wouldn't accept "It’s only a game".
Bottom line? These people 'hurt' others for their own gain. On balance, I think a legal response may actually be justifiable.
Its not their job to be confrontational. Its their job to deal with confrontation. Professionally.
Tazing someone who isn't presenting an active threat isn't aggressive?
Hang on, its ok to be an ass if someone else is an ass first? Seeing as a stop and search without reasonable cause violates your constitution, I'd say they started it.
Finally, criticizing cops for doing things they are explicitly NOT allowed to do is not blindly anti-cop, its perfectly justifiably anti-THESE-cops
Its so easy to just blame the civilian. If the cops would have just acted within the bounds of the law, she wouldn't have been tazed. They were confrontational, aggressive and generally behaved like asses.
What if this was a misguided attempt to warn the woman that her security was lacking? After all, if he had been a rapist or a murderer instead of a (Going with my theory a second) a well intentioned citizen, he would have walked in and done far worse than taken a picture with her phone. If nothing else, it shows someone could have walked in, nicked her phone and walked out without any problem. If this were true, sure the guy would be creepy, but I don't think it would be a criminal act, particularly looking at the whole 'intent' thing.
Not trying to suggest this really is the case, but more of a 'if this was the case, how would it change things' conversation starter
I’d like to respond to whoever at the home office wrote this statement. You seem to be under the impression that people object to this action because they condone terrorism. This could not be further from the truth. They are objecting because they hate terrorism, especially when it’s being perpetrated by their own government.
Re: Pirate the Beatles, Upload Crap of Your Own... Awesome...
You notice how these guys trot out the same crap every time. Wouldn't it be nice if all the copyright trolls all agreed to bugger off and sue each other to death for 'stealing' each others 'arguments'?
In addition, its often called "Global warming" because it was first noticed as a warming trend, however, it is more accurately called "Climate change". There are greater extremes at both ends of the scale as a result.
"Isn't it worth at least making sure he's breaking the law before insisting he must have done so?"
Mike, you should check out the history on this website - there are a number of articles that prove that actual evidence is considered an irrelevance by these people
I don't think its fair to blame 3 here. The other telcos do the same thing, and given there is a cost involved, I have to assume there is a legal requirement or at least risk they are trying to mitigate. Is the system over active? Sure, they all are. But the problem that needs to be addressed here is whatever is forcing the telcos to implement this - landline ISPs don't filter by default.
The other thing I would say is that the provider I use allows you to turn off the content settings through your on-line account management page if you are on pay monthly, yet PAYG has to prove their age? That also tells me there is something forcing the telcos hand here.
Full disclosure - I work for a UK telco (Not 3UK), but I'm in IT and have no more knowledge of the legal requirements to filter than the next guy - this is just my opinion.
Dear content industry. You've actually managed to make DRM mean "Anything the manufacturer does that screws the customer over". Are you getting the hint yet?
Just because you could be, does not mean you should be. Your not committing the offence yourself, you are point people to those who will. Its lazy and frankly just another sign of our ever more oppressive government.
But hey, the laws the law, so I guess you win, huh? Although, thinking about it, it does make you wonder why they keep pushing for SOPA etc.
As I understand it, the friend I mentioned is employeed by the telco but paid by the government. I don't know if the telco gets a cut or not though. Like I say, this is the UK, so not directly relevent on what charges US telcos might levey.
That Ben Franklin quote gets trotted out every time, hell I've used it myself plenty of times, but what is it really saying? Taken litterally, it says that freedom is always more important than saftey. If that was true, there would be no cops on the street at all, and the gaols would be empty.
In reality I believe he was saying 'We can't have unlimited freedom, but lets not give up more than we reasonably need to'. Is this exchanging some freedom for some saftey? Yes. But its still more freedom than the current free for all system and a reasonable amount of saftey gained. It feels 'reasonable' to me.
As to chipping away at freedom, I couldn't agree more, I think its actually worse here in the UK than in the states. But we protect ourselves from this by being vigilant and making intelligent desisions based on the situation. A blanket 'No more restrictions on freedom' could be as harmful as a blanket 'the government can do what it wants'. After all, no new laws could ever be passed.
We live in a democracy, and like the system itself, freedom in a democracy is about balance, not extremes, whichever way they swing.
Normally, stopping this kind of behaviour is the kind of thing I'm all in favour of, however in this circumstance I'm not so sure. A friend of mine works for the disclosures team in a UK mobile company. Her job is basically to take calls from law enforcement requesting information. She frequently gets what she calls "life and death" calls, things like missing children, people who have committed violent crimes against thier spouse and then legged it before the cops arrive - things that are time critical. On occasion, this can and has saved lives.
I don't think law enforcement should be requesting any old information they want, but where its life and death, a warrent shouldn't be required. The real question is how you judge this. I'm not sure what the right answer is.
On the post: Sunday Times Editor: If You Have Questions About Our Snowden Story, Address Them To UK Government
While its certainly true that a good journalist is someone who digs out stories, fact checks sources and so on, anyone can write for a paper. Now, whether you say ‘They aren’t really a journalist’ or you say ‘They are a bad journalist’ doesn’t really matter. They clearly consider it their job to write articles that sell papers, not to ‘find the truth’, and whether or not you grant them the title of journalist isn’t going to change that.
The problem then, would seem to be the people that buy the paper, who aren’t demanding of the quality of the journalism within, but who are we to demand that they demand quality? If they did, this kind of thing would quickly get out and they wouldn’t buy it. But when we tell them the problem, they won’t care. They won’t much care that it’s not true, much less will they care if the government lied, or if the paper didn’t catch the lie. They won’t stop buying and they won’t tell their friends.
And so the ‘journalist’ can photocopy the press release and feel satisfied in his work, and the people can buy it and feel informed. And you know what? That’s not a problem. Everyone involved has either accepted their level of misinformation, or would accept it if we told them about it. At the end of the day, I guess that’s their choice.
Morans.
On the post: Mi Amiga: One Michigan School District's Three-Decades-Old Hero Computer That Still Manages HVAC Today
I wonder what the impact would have been if the machine failed? Say a pipe bursts and destroys the machine and everything on it? Whether you replaced with a new system, or found an old Amiga and had the programmer replicate the original system you are looking at weeks. From the context I suspect that this is a cooling rather than a heating issue, but what if it happened mid-winter? I don’t know what Michigan winter weather is like, but over here in the UK, that would see the school closed until it was sorted. It would end someones career.
On the post: Should Your Self-Driving Car Be Programmed To Kill You If It Means Saving A Dozen Other Lives?
On the post: Meanwhile, In Japan: More Arrests For Cheating At Video Games
Re: It's a video game
The presence of a cheater can and often does totally spoil the game for the other players. Now, if you take the view that "It’s only a game" then you might say it doesn’t matter, but I don't accept that view point. I don't watch the American football, but I'm guessing if I found a way to prevent you from enjoying the superbowl, you wouldn't accept "It’s only a game".
Bottom line? These people 'hurt' others for their own gain. On balance, I think a legal response may actually be justifiable.
On the post: Border Patrol Agents Tase Woman For Refusing To Cooperate With Their Bogus Search
Re: Re: Re:
Tazing someone who isn't presenting an active threat isn't aggressive?
Hang on, its ok to be an ass if someone else is an ass first? Seeing as a stop and search without reasonable cause violates your constitution, I'd say they started it.
Finally, criticizing cops for doing things they are explicitly NOT allowed to do is not blindly anti-cop, its perfectly justifiably anti-THESE-cops
On the post: Border Patrol Agents Tase Woman For Refusing To Cooperate With Their Bogus Search
Re:
On the post: Dumb Criminal Incriminates Dumb Self With Dumb Selfie [UPDATE: Or Not]
Just to play devils advocate...
Not trying to suggest this really is the case, but more of a 'if this was the case, how would it change things' conversation starter
On the post: UK Home Office Says Miranda's Detention 'Fully Justified,' Attacks Press And Public For Condoning Snowden's Leaks
On the post: UK Prime Minister Calls ask.fm A 'Vile Site,' Blames It For The Behavior Of Some Vile Users
He who casts the first stone
Interesting. Here's a list of things that Cameron, by his own logic, is accountable for - http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/legal-aid/eligibility/list-of-criminal-offences.pdf
On the post: Modest Proposal: Going Piracy Neutral
Re: Pirate the Beatles, Upload Crap of Your Own... Awesome...
On the post: Anti-Piracy Group Already Demanding That Kim Dotcom's New Mega Service Be Shut Down
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
On the post: Anti-Piracy Group Already Demanding That Kim Dotcom's New Mega Service Be Shut Down
"Isn't it worth at least making sure he's breaking the law before insisting he must have done so?"
;)
On the post: UK Mobile Operator 3UK Filtering New Class Of 'Mature Content', Including Political Satire
The other thing I would say is that the provider I use allows you to turn off the content settings through your on-line account management page if you are on pay monthly, yet PAYG has to prove their age? That also tells me there is something forcing the telcos hand here.
Full disclosure - I work for a UK telco (Not 3UK), but I'm in IT and have no more knowledge of the legal requirements to filter than the next guy - this is just my opinion.
On the post: When A Mouse Requires An Internet Connection, You're Doing 'Cloud' Wrong
What does this tell you about DRM?
On the post: Yes, Apple, You Have To Tell The UK Public That Samsung Didn't Copy You
Re: Amused.
On the post: Horrifying: Surfthechannel Criminal Conviction Driven By Hollywood Money -- Not The Government
Re:
But hey, the laws the law, so I guess you win, huh? Although, thinking about it, it does make you wonder why they keep pushing for SOPA etc.
On the post: Wireless Industry Association Opposes Bill That Would Require Warrant For Them To Turn Data Over To Law Enforcement
Re: Re: Price Wars
On the post: Wireless Industry Association Opposes Bill That Would Require Warrant For Them To Turn Data Over To Law Enforcement
Re: Re:
In reality I believe he was saying 'We can't have unlimited freedom, but lets not give up more than we reasonably need to'. Is this exchanging some freedom for some saftey? Yes. But its still more freedom than the current free for all system and a reasonable amount of saftey gained. It feels 'reasonable' to me.
As to chipping away at freedom, I couldn't agree more, I think its actually worse here in the UK than in the states. But we protect ourselves from this by being vigilant and making intelligent desisions based on the situation. A blanket 'No more restrictions on freedom' could be as harmful as a blanket 'the government can do what it wants'. After all, no new laws could ever be passed.
We live in a democracy, and like the system itself, freedom in a democracy is about balance, not extremes, whichever way they swing.
On the post: Wireless Industry Association Opposes Bill That Would Require Warrant For Them To Turn Data Over To Law Enforcement
I don't think law enforcement should be requesting any old information they want, but where its life and death, a warrent shouldn't be required. The real question is how you judge this. I'm not sure what the right answer is.
On the post: Key Techdirt SOPA/PIPA Post Censored By Bogus DMCA Takedown Notice
Re: Reinstated
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