Ben’s Comments

• May 4th, 2012 @ 9:35am

  Re:

  on Nobody Cares About The Fixed Costs Of Your Book, Movie, Whatever

  The proper way to do it is determine what price the market will bear, more specifically what price will maximize profits, and then create the product only if you can develop, produce, and distribute it somewhere around that price point.

  
  That is exactly the point the article makes.
• Jun 6th, 2011 @ 4:21pm

  Re: Re: Response to: Zacqary Adam Green on Jun 6th, 2011 @ 3:04pm

  on Oh Look, Apple Copies Android, And That's Not A Bad Thing
  Spoken like someone who has never really used an Apple product.
• Mar 13th, 2011 @ 8:55am

  Government regulation

  on Retroactive Drug Monopoly Raises Rates From $10... To $1,500
  Wow. You think government-granted patents and government-mandated monopolies are the epitome of unregulated capitalism, and in the same breath call *other* people stupid.
• Dec 29th, 2010 @ 3:10pm

  Re:

  on Piracy Isn't The Problem, A Bad Business Model Is The Problem
  I am one of the people who refuses to pay for DRM, or an exorbitant price (more than the physical version) for a virtual item, etc. You are wrong about them being simply "justifications." When a service appears that meets my expectations, I use it, regardless of the free options, because it is more convenient and provides more value. allofmp3.com was an example of this. The prices were reasonable (and directly linked to the cost of providing service) and the content was provided in many formats, leaving me free to choose.
  
  Of course, instead of learning from allofmp3's model, the RIAA just threw money at lawyers and lobbyists to try to shut it down.
• Jul 12th, 2010 @ 9:38pm

  What is with the t-mobile hate?

  on Class Action Against Apple & AT&T Over iPhone Moves Forward
  Using t-mobile without an unofficial unlock is exactly what I'd like to do. It's ridiculous that I can own something outright (I purchased my iPhone used) and still be refused an official unlock.
  
  I'm still putting up with it because I like the device, but I should not have to.
• May 13th, 2010 @ 9:53am

  Re: Embedded document

  on Subway Claims Trademark On 'Footlong' Threatens Hotdog Seller Who's Been Selling Footlongs For Decades
  I see the same thing.
• Mar 23rd, 2010 @ 8:38am

  Tossing patents

  on Why Real Programmers Don't Take The USPTO Seriously: Doubly-Linked List Patented
  Perhaps you already have seen this, but if not:
  
  http://levine.sscnet.ucla.edu/general/intellectual/againstfinal.htm
  
  I've recently started reading it, and it's been enlightening so far.
• Dec 18th, 2007 @ 3:24pm

  PEBKAC

  on We Already Suffer From The Paradox Of Choice, Now We're Paralyzed By The Ubiquity Of User Reviews
  I think one of the biggest problems I see in user reviews boils down to stupidity. Sometimes I see reviewers describing problems that are obviously user error. Often, however, it is difficult to tell whether the reviewer is dumb or has raised a legitimate issue with the product.
  
  It's for this reason that I think user reviews are best taken in aggregate. If even a sizeable minority of people love the product, I think it's probably decent.