That is total rubbish. Slashdot must be going downhill rapidly if that gets modded insightful!
OP was right - big companies came about because of economies of scale in a relatively free market. They were not created by the government as an excuse to tax people!
Also I have seen very bad behaviour by small companies because they cannot afford to absorb costs as much and because they have a small workforce, they can't deal with several people being sick or having babies or whatever.
I think you're simplifying a bit. What if you get a job for a company; everything goes well for a year or two. You're making progress in terms of skills and remuneration and you get on well with your colleagues. There are some extra hours involved but it's not too crazy.
Then, one day you decide to start a family. You happen to be the only parent in the department. Turns out you can't do the extra hours any more, but you assume the company will make allowances for the biological imperative.
Turns out they hate kids and people with kids and you are absolutely not allowed to just work contracted hours. You have to stay until the job is finished each day. Unfortunately, head office isn't happy with the cost of the department so they freeze hiring while continuing to take on more and more business. The hours get longer. The single people are there for 9 hours per day while you've got to go pick up the kids at 5pm sharp (as described in your contract).
I wish people would stop bashing China for air pollution. Yes it's a problem. Yes it kills people. No they're not doing it to annoy you. No it won't be there forever.
China is going through something like an industrial revolution at the moment. That makes a big mess. Britain was no different, in the 19th Century the Midlands (around Birmingham) were called the "Black Country" because the fields were literally black with smog.
The Chinese government has just lifted 300 million people out of poverty. What has Bush done for the common man lately?
Seriously I live in Oxford (UK, genius) and I think we've got this just about right. The council have made it almost impossible to drive into the city centre (to be fair, we all complain bitterly about it!) Instead, there are several "park&ride" bus terminals around the outskirts. People who live outside the city drive to them and then get the bus the rest of the way. That saves people sitting in jams, wasting gas. They're also near the residential areas of the city so people who live nearby can hop on them too.
The city is very small (150k people I think) so the outskirts aren't that far away. That means it's not the end of the world that property in the centre is bloody expensive (about a million dollars... often more), because house prices are more or less average once you get about 3 miles away (that's where the park&ride stops are). My missus cycles in to work every day, which saves her thousands and thousands per year.
Lots of small cities seem like a much more scalable design than a few really big ones. There are fringe benefits too, such as more community spirit and regional character, with less depressing crap like identikit, paper-walled apartments.
Well overall they're very mature and intellectual. I like them. But the current government is a little bit too good at playing the "Crazy Ivan" bit for comfort. Putin has more or less co-opted power by rigging an election and we all know where that sort of stuff ends up.
What would happen if they did menace Ukraine? Maybe we'd start to give them money to keep them quiet. Maybe they'd just help themselves to Azerbaijan or Estonia in the meantime. You know, a bit of "breathing space".
BANG - next thing you know, the French have surrendered, the Italians have changed sides and we're sat in the back of a lorry wearing helmets and holding rifles.
The theory is that they didn't think the Russians would risk upsetting the Chinese by letting rip during the olympic opening ceremony. Which was stupid.
All viruses are parasites that depend on a host's replicating machinery by definition, therefore cannot be considered living.
Although it may not exist, it's easy enough to imagine a more complex life form which might depend on their host for reproduction in some way. Complexity is more the thing.
Oh, come on. How hot could it have been? Was it actually boiling? Is there an ISO standard on how hot coffee should be at point of sale? It's very unfortunate that she got so badly hurt and I wouldn't deny her sympathy, nor do I have any love of McDonalds (far from it). However, something about Americans that annoys everyone else is that they seem to expect to be given money every time something bad happens. This "blame culture" is what you're espousing.
I don't care if I get the sack. I'm a computer geek - people need me to make their expensive sh1t work! I'll be fine. I've always leaned left politically but find myself in agreement with the right when it comes to employment. Skilled, mobile labour and legislation providing a bit of compensation if you do get canned, is far better than entrenched industries, overemployment and trade unions. That's one of the few things the UK has just about right. A manager can barely glance at an employee in France without causing a strike...
Yep exactly, that's why if you murder someone you go to prison rather than having to pay a fine. Otherwise Bill Gates could go around slaughtering people left right and centre. In a big car with spikes on top!
If you were and you now don't, then somebody is not getting your money, so it is not a victemless crime.
yes but who is not getting the money? Chris Martin? The bugger is loaded already. If he misses out on another £2 (or however much) an artist gets for a CD now, it is a bit of a stretch to say that he's a victim.
Cue lots of bleating about the people employed in the industry...
As long as that's where it stays. A minute ago you were advocating giant fines! We're very worried that the US is trying to mould our legal system to be more like theirs. We would not allow this. Actually I'd feel better if it were handled as a criminal case. That would at least guarantee some proportionality.
Without quoting your entire rant about damages, I agree with some of it. I find civil law to be utterly bizzare sometimes. While I haven't much sympathy for people who have plastic surgery, that should probably get your friend a refund and a token of goodwill, at least. However, having a drunk coach driver doesn't entitle you to damages. Never did, never will. That's a criminal matter and it's not really the coach company's fault. I'm rather disturbed that you seem to want to be able to get money from someone every time life takes a shit on you. That is not the British way, chum. Stiff upper lip, what?
More lawyers help only those who can afford to employ them. Therefore they do not improve or provide any benefit whatsoever to society as a whole. Lastly, I do not consider lawyers helpful to me because they're only ever going to work against me. I have employed lawyers for simple matters before, but I'd never sue anyone, while someone may sue me some day.
I admit I am a little jealous of people with gigantic salaries. But then I do Ok myself, I can feed my family and have enough luxuries that I feel very lucky compared to many people in the 3rd world suffering under the yoke of US and EU trade subsidies and arms dealing. Actually the things that make me happy in life are the things that cost nothing. So you can have your $300,000 and enjoy it, but it'll never make you happy. But if anyone comes near the food I put in my son's mouth - expect a fight.
Re:It's summer, and Slashdot is trolling
on
UK P2P Fight Brewing
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
Let me ask you this: what should be the penalty for a shoplifter who shoplifts, say, candy?
A slap on the wrist, first time. Repeat offenders could be taken to task eventually but stealing small amounts of candy should never result in giant fines or prison sentences.
But please, don't let my reality intrude on your comic book view of the world.
I do not live in a comic book. I live in the UK, where virtually everyone agrees that we should not allow corporations to run roughshod over families.
Please tell me more about this theoretical person
Not theoretical!
Also, stumping up $20 a month for broadband does not make someone "fair game" for lawyers earning $300,000 per year.
You'll find software from the smallest of the small shareware companies being pirated regularly.
I agree that's bad. Where is the software industry body that's going after those guys? There isn't one. So if you steal software, you get away with it. If you steal music, you get financially crippled for life? Real nice.
I also like to live in a society of law and economic progress
Define economic progress! The gap between rich and poor is growing under right wing politics. Predictably so, since your aim is to make the rich richer and oppress everyone else through legal and economic tools.
Re:It's summer, and Slashdot is trolling
on
UK P2P Fight Brewing
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
That's an absolutely appalling post and I couldn't agree less. You think someone on minimum wage, trying to bring up kids, should have their income garnished for 10 years so some wealthy executives can carry on collecting their bonuses? That's sick.
Let's agree something - burning a copy of a Coldplay CD isn't going to ruin anybody. It's a victimless crime and not at all like physical theft.
What this is about is the US Corporate Empire bearing down on weaker countries, trying to protect it's revenue at the expense of others. That is bad enough by itself, but not only that, the music industry in itself is horribly broken. Governments don't seem to care whether cheap trash is peddled at 95% markup, with dozens of companies all sticking their fingers in the pie. Music sales have been falling for years, because it's overpriced, overexposed and often of a poor quality.
Perhaps governments shouldn't care about that. But they should protect their own citizens from vicious attacks by immoral lawyers working for executives that care not for right and wrong, only for personal gain.
I agree with your rant up to a point, although the bit about unreleased stuff doesn't make much sense.
The bit that concerns me is that the UK governmnet seems to be moving more and more towards US style enforcement. The law is the law, even copyright stuff. However, punishment must fit the crime and as we have seen in the US, these big media bodies are quite willing to sue poor people for tens of thousands of dollars.
That will never happen in Britain. The strong are not permitted to bully the weak here, as apparently they are in the US.
Slashdot Mirror
That is total rubbish. Slashdot must be going downhill rapidly if that gets modded insightful!
OP was right - big companies came about because of economies of scale in a relatively free market. They were not created by the government as an excuse to tax people!
Also I have seen very bad behaviour by small companies because they cannot afford to absorb costs as much and because they have a small workforce, they can't deal with several people being sick or having babies or whatever.
I think you're simplifying a bit. What if you get a job for a company; everything goes well for a year or two. You're making progress in terms of skills and remuneration and you get on well with your colleagues. There are some extra hours involved but it's not too crazy.
Then, one day you decide to start a family. You happen to be the only parent in the department. Turns out you can't do the extra hours any more, but you assume the company will make allowances for the biological imperative.
Turns out they hate kids and people with kids and you are absolutely not allowed to just work contracted hours. You have to stay until the job is finished each day. Unfortunately, head office isn't happy with the cost of the department so they freeze hiring while continuing to take on more and more business. The hours get longer. The single people are there for 9 hours per day while you've got to go pick up the kids at 5pm sharp (as described in your contract).
What's going to happen then? Is it fair?
I wish people would stop bashing China for air pollution. Yes it's a problem. Yes it kills people. No they're not doing it to annoy you. No it won't be there forever.
China is going through something like an industrial revolution at the moment. That makes a big mess. Britain was no different, in the 19th Century the Midlands (around Birmingham) were called the "Black Country" because the fields were literally black with smog.
The Chinese government has just lifted 300 million people out of poverty. What has Bush done for the common man lately?
Wasn't the World Series named after an old newspaper that was around before the war?
Oh dear, sounds like your cities are too big!
Seriously I live in Oxford (UK, genius) and I think we've got this just about right. The council have made it almost impossible to drive into the city centre (to be fair, we all complain bitterly about it!) Instead, there are several "park&ride" bus terminals around the outskirts. People who live outside the city drive to them and then get the bus the rest of the way. That saves people sitting in jams, wasting gas. They're also near the residential areas of the city so people who live nearby can hop on them too.
The city is very small (150k people I think) so the outskirts aren't that far away. That means it's not the end of the world that property in the centre is bloody expensive (about a million dollars... often more), because house prices are more or less average once you get about 3 miles away (that's where the park&ride stops are). My missus cycles in to work every day, which saves her thousands and thousands per year.
Lots of small cities seem like a much more scalable design than a few really big ones. There are fringe benefits too, such as more community spirit and regional character, with less depressing crap like identikit, paper-walled apartments.
I think I read it in the Telegraph on Saturday, but I can't find a source now!
Well overall they're very mature and intellectual. I like them. But the current government is a little bit too good at playing the "Crazy Ivan" bit for comfort. Putin has more or less co-opted power by rigging an election and we all know where that sort of stuff ends up. What would happen if they did menace Ukraine? Maybe we'd start to give them money to keep them quiet. Maybe they'd just help themselves to Azerbaijan or Estonia in the meantime. You know, a bit of "breathing space". BANG - next thing you know, the French have surrendered, the Italians have changed sides and we're sat in the back of a lorry wearing helmets and holding rifles.
The theory is that they didn't think the Russians would risk upsetting the Chinese by letting rip during the olympic opening ceremony. Which was stupid.
All viruses are parasites that depend on a host's replicating machinery by definition, therefore cannot be considered living.
Although it may not exist, it's easy enough to imagine a more complex life form which might depend on their host for reproduction in some way. Complexity is more the thing.
Oh, come on. How hot could it have been? Was it actually boiling? Is there an ISO standard on how hot coffee should be at point of sale? It's very unfortunate that she got so badly hurt and I wouldn't deny her sympathy, nor do I have any love of McDonalds (far from it). However, something about Americans that annoys everyone else is that they seem to expect to be given money every time something bad happens. This "blame culture" is what you're espousing.
Come over here and say that, we'll show you how to win wars.
I don't care if I get the sack. I'm a computer geek - people need me to make their expensive sh1t work! I'll be fine. I've always leaned left politically but find myself in agreement with the right when it comes to employment. Skilled, mobile labour and legislation providing a bit of compensation if you do get canned, is far better than entrenched industries, overemployment and trade unions. That's one of the few things the UK has just about right. A manager can barely glance at an employee in France without causing a strike...
Yep exactly, that's why if you murder someone you go to prison rather than having to pay a fine. Otherwise Bill Gates could go around slaughtering people left right and centre. In a big car with spikes on top!
Risky - be my guest!
If you were and you now don't, then somebody is not getting your money, so it is not a victemless crime.
yes but who is not getting the money? Chris Martin? The bugger is loaded already. If he misses out on another £2 (or however much) an artist gets for a CD now, it is a bit of a stretch to say that he's a victim.
Cue lots of bleating about the people employed in the industry...
ISNT THIS EXACTLY WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED HERE?
As long as that's where it stays. A minute ago you were advocating giant fines! We're very worried that the US is trying to mould our legal system to be more like theirs. We would not allow this. Actually I'd feel better if it were handled as a criminal case. That would at least guarantee some proportionality.
Without quoting your entire rant about damages, I agree with some of it. I find civil law to be utterly bizzare sometimes. While I haven't much sympathy for people who have plastic surgery, that should probably get your friend a refund and a token of goodwill, at least. However, having a drunk coach driver doesn't entitle you to damages. Never did, never will. That's a criminal matter and it's not really the coach company's fault. I'm rather disturbed that you seem to want to be able to get money from someone every time life takes a shit on you. That is not the British way, chum. Stiff upper lip, what?
More lawyers help only those who can afford to employ them. Therefore they do not improve or provide any benefit whatsoever to society as a whole. Lastly, I do not consider lawyers helpful to me because they're only ever going to work against me. I have employed lawyers for simple matters before, but I'd never sue anyone, while someone may sue me some day.
I admit I am a little jealous of people with gigantic salaries. But then I do Ok myself, I can feed my family and have enough luxuries that I feel very lucky compared to many people in the 3rd world suffering under the yoke of US and EU trade subsidies and arms dealing. Actually the things that make me happy in life are the things that cost nothing. So you can have your $300,000 and enjoy it, but it'll never make you happy. But if anyone comes near the food I put in my son's mouth - expect a fight.
Let me ask you this: what should be the penalty for a shoplifter who shoplifts, say, candy?
A slap on the wrist, first time. Repeat offenders could be taken to task eventually but stealing small amounts of candy should never result in giant fines or prison sentences.
But please, don't let my reality intrude on your comic book view of the world.
I do not live in a comic book. I live in the UK, where virtually everyone agrees that we should not allow corporations to run roughshod over families.
Please tell me more about this theoretical person
Not theoretical! Also, stumping up $20 a month for broadband does not make someone "fair game" for lawyers earning $300,000 per year.
You'll find software from the smallest of the small shareware companies being pirated regularly.
I agree that's bad. Where is the software industry body that's going after those guys? There isn't one. So if you steal software, you get away with it. If you steal music, you get financially crippled for life? Real nice.
I also like to live in a society of law and economic progress
Define economic progress! The gap between rich and poor is growing under right wing politics. Predictably so, since your aim is to make the rich richer and oppress everyone else through legal and economic tools.
That's an absolutely appalling post and I couldn't agree less. You think someone on minimum wage, trying to bring up kids, should have their income garnished for 10 years so some wealthy executives can carry on collecting their bonuses? That's sick.
Let's agree something - burning a copy of a Coldplay CD isn't going to ruin anybody. It's a victimless crime and not at all like physical theft.
What this is about is the US Corporate Empire bearing down on weaker countries, trying to protect it's revenue at the expense of others. That is bad enough by itself, but not only that, the music industry in itself is horribly broken. Governments don't seem to care whether cheap trash is peddled at 95% markup, with dozens of companies all sticking their fingers in the pie. Music sales have been falling for years, because it's overpriced, overexposed and often of a poor quality.
Perhaps governments shouldn't care about that. But they should protect their own citizens from vicious attacks by immoral lawyers working for executives that care not for right and wrong, only for personal gain.
I agree with your rant up to a point, although the bit about unreleased stuff doesn't make much sense.
The bit that concerns me is that the UK governmnet seems to be moving more and more towards US style enforcement. The law is the law, even copyright stuff. However, punishment must fit the crime and as we have seen in the US, these big media bodies are quite willing to sue poor people for tens of thousands of dollars.
That will never happen in Britain. The strong are not permitted to bully the weak here, as apparently they are in the US.
I've always felt that 7 layers weren't enough. As the good lord sayeth, "more like 7 x 7".
Wiki agrees with you.
However, if it's wrongly used then the perpetrator is in good company
je vous salue !
Anyway, this nonsensical BS should be rejected by the European Court of Justice
That's probably why the UK government folded to the yanks on this. Why p1ss off the yanks when the French are dying to do it for you?
Yes. I wasn't saying the ancient greeks didn't know the Earth was round, they clearly did and even measured it's diameter by using shadows.