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User: omega_dk

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  1. Re:yet another industry on Cyber Insurance Industry Expected To Boom · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The other option, of course, is that the insurance company will mandate the better security practices, like is happening to get people out of the areas of New Orleans that are beneath sea level:
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14456934/ns/business-us_business/t/many-new-orleans-cant-afford-insurance/

  2. Re:In related news... on Man Emails AT&T's CEO, Gets Threatened With C&D Order · · Score: 1

    Not his senator, actually. He's from PA and the senator was from KY. (Not that that makes it any less ridiculous)

  3. Re:Anti Virus? on Android Rootkit Is Just a Phone Call Away · · Score: 1

    No, it works. On a 4 it's accepted, then later pulled for a random reason.

  4. Re:Not a chance in hell on Talk of an Apple Search Engine To Thwart Google · · Score: 1

    The IT staff spends as much time supporting 10 macs as they do a hundred PCs (linux and windows).

    Aaaaand another wall of text people can safely ignore.

  5. Re:He could have fixed it with a wave of the hand on Jobcentre Apologizes For Anti-Jedi Discrimination · · Score: 1

    It's probably because you said 'i.e., Islam' rather than the more generally targeted 'e.g., Islam'

    i.e. (id est), after all, is a specifier. It takes a general term, and qualifies it, i.e., provides the specific example you're talking about.

    e.g. (exempli gratia), on the other hand, merely provides an example for clarification. A Free-as-in-beer example, as it were. It does not eliminate other options from being considered, merely specifies one option that qualifies.

    Therefore, when you're saying that Jediism makes more sense than [another religion] i.e., Islam, what you're actually saying is that specifically, Islam makes less sense than Jediism, while Jediism makes less sense than the rest of the religions.

    If instead, you were to say that Jediism were to make more sense than [other religions], e.g., Islam, then you would be saying that Jediism makes more sense than religion in general, which is much less combative, especially since all the Abrahamic religions pretty much boil down to the same thing when you get down to the core beliefs, and so specifying one of them as being less sensible than a religion whereby a person may gain power over the very nature of physics through deft control of mutualistic symbiotes infesting our cells makes little to no sense.

    Also, if I'm not mistaken it's established in the expanded universe that one cannot be a Jedi Knight until one has created their own lightsaber (specifically, I'm pretty sure that is established in I, Jedi). Why would a purported follower of Jediism claim to be a knight if he hasn't undertaken that task yet?

  6. Re:A slap in the face to all American veterans. on Court Rules Photo of Memorial Violates Copyright · · Score: 1

    If the work was created by a government contractor, then by the very law that grants copyrights the work is not copyrightable and is in the public domain. I have no clue if that applies in this case, and am too lazy to look it up, but copyright law very specifically does not apply copyright to creative works contracted by the government.

    Also: Judging by the fact that the case was ruled pro-artist, my guess is this was not a contracted piece of work.

  7. Re:Why? on Google Sets Censorship Precedent In India · · Score: 1

    So you understand JSM's argument perfectly then! Good thing we live in a culture that allows dissenting opinions to be expressed, and so, through your dissent, you could come to a perfect understanding of what JSM was trying to say.

  8. Re:MORE FUNDS?! on Obama Backs New Launcher and Bigger NASA Budget · · Score: 1

    I believe in this case it was someone alluding to the assassination of McCain and then trailing off...

  9. Re:You know, this is another problem I have on Engaging With Climate Skeptics · · Score: 1

    You seem to be conveniently forgetting the actions of the Chamber of Commerce earlier this year.

    One example for your personal edification: http://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/25/nation/na-climate-trial25

    There are more examples of businesses doing similar things - they know that with any (and I do mean *ANY*) theory in science, if you don't need to present an alternative, you can always find holes in the theory and ram those holes through to be the only thing anyone talks about.

    A non-climate related example would be people saying we haven't witnessed macroevolution in a lab, so how can we be sure that it exists? Of course, anyone versed in the field will say, "Well, we have witnessed macroevolution among single-celled organisms, and it's unreasonable to expect us to have lab evidence of a process that takes hundreds of generations for multi-celled creatures, where hundreds of generations could take decades."

    Of course, to evolution skeptics (or those paid to oppose evolution), this is not nearly good enough. Nothing says a priori that macroevolution on a unicellular scale extends to multicellular organisms, much like nothing says a priori that microevolution on a multicellular scale extends to macroevolution. Scientifically, of course, we are united on macroevolution occurring, and have moved onto discussing its mechanisms, history, etc.

    I guess what I'm saying is, if we can't get people to agree that macroevolution exists despite the overwhelming, irrefutable evidence that it does, how can we get people to agree on something with even greater societal impact based on (by necessity) much less data?

  10. Re:Lowered expectations on Murdoch-Microsoft Deal In the Works · · Score: 1

    You jest, but you should try watching Youtube on my MSN-provided DSL. How they can provide consistent 1MBps downloads of windows updates but be unable to completely cache a 2 minute Youtube clip after I walk away from the computer for 3 minutes will forever be beyond my limits of comprehension.

  11. Re:Monopoly position to overcharge for their softw on Los Angeles Goes Google Apps With Microsoft Cash · · Score: 1

    Once again, I recommend you actually read my arguments rather than complain about people who don't know economics.

  12. Re:Monopoly position to overcharge for their softw on Los Angeles Goes Google Apps With Microsoft Cash · · Score: 1

    1) I never said we've had a free market since then. I said we've chosen competitive markets over free markets.

    2) Read Brian's posts. He is using free market as a synonym for unregulated markets, so I used competitive markets as a counter to that.

  13. Re:Monopoly position to overcharge for their softw on Los Angeles Goes Google Apps With Microsoft Cash · · Score: 1

    When did we give them the 'right' to a free market?

    Or, to put it another way, when did we give them the right to remove *our* right to a competitive market?

    This 'we, as a society' are the people of the United States who decided in the early 1900s to enact anti-trust laws, after seeing what lack of competition did to OUR (not their) economy.

    Similarly, you are free to exercise your right to live in a non-competitive market by moving. If you want to enjoy the benefits of living in a competitive market, you have to agree to live with the restrictions that places on you.

    Also, if you're saying a free market doesn't have rights violated, you're forgetting that it only protects you from the Government violating your rights. The government does not have a monopoly on that, and so I welcome their restricting the ability of others to violate my rights.

  14. Re:Monopoly position to overcharge for their softw on Los Angeles Goes Google Apps With Microsoft Cash · · Score: 1

    So it's right for those with power to abuse it? Because that's the point of Antitrust - we as a society have decided that we value a competitive market more than a free market, so we took steps towards that. We have economic evidence that competitive markets are better for both consumers, corporations, and innovation than free markets. You are assuming that free = better, and therefore free = right. I see no evidence you're giving that that is correct.

  15. Re:Monopoly position to overcharge for their softw on Los Angeles Goes Google Apps With Microsoft Cash · · Score: 1

    You're right. Similarly, if Microsoft doesn't want to agree to the terms of doing business in the United States, where we require businesses to not behave in anti-competitive behaviour, they are perfectly free to take their business elsewhere.

  16. Re:Turn the tables on Legal War For WA State Sunshine Law · · Score: 1

    I don't see any problem with posting the names of people who signed a petition to legalize gay marriage, and don't see it as a privacy violation as it is entirely opt-in.

    I also don't see how it would be a non-issue if roles were reversed - no one is forcing anyone to sign a petition. Signing a petition is an inherently public act - a petition starts, 'We, the undersigned," and as such the undersigned should have an expectation that their name will be viewed on the list. Sometimes, that viewing will have consequences.

  17. Re:Turn the tables on Legal War For WA State Sunshine Law · · Score: 1

    But then you don't have the same rights as a straight woman! She's allowed to marry a man, why can't you?

  18. Re:Turn the tables on Legal War For WA State Sunshine Law · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Since the dawn of time, the family, consisting of a husband and his property has been the fundamental unit of society.

    I, for one, am glad that we altered the whole structure of that civilization - why not this one?

  19. Re:Why is that "unfortunate"? on Modern Games and Technology Challenging ESRB's Effectiveness · · Score: 1

    The game publishers will *never* get rid of the ESRB voluntarily. The ESRB is the only thing holding back the spectre of government-mandated ratings, which I can assure you will not be as company-friendly as their voluntary system.

  20. Re:Yay for Ray on Judge Won't Punish Lawyer For Anti-RIAA Blogging · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Methinks you either greatly overestimate the number of songs that were prevented from being entered into the public domain, underestimated the number of songs in the public domain/that would still be under copyright had he won, or completely misunderstand the Eldred case.

  21. Re:So did he upload the FOIA? on FBI Investigates Liberator of Court Records · · Score: 1

    Maybe not a script, but the information received minus a few redactions the government made are available in the last link, and being information created by the government is not bound by copyright and you may feel free to do with it what you will.

  22. Re:Seems low on 72% of Banks Say Their Employees Committed Fraud · · Score: 1

    People also pay with US dollars, Euros, and other foreign money which is now legally available for purchase in Zimbabwe, and I would be very surprised if gold were more common than any of those.

  23. Re:Someone call Natalie on Why the Sony PSP Had To "Go" · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Sure it is. You would expect someone referencing the song to know who sings/wrote it. In this case, they did not. There is a difference between what one would expect and what actually happened. That IS dramatic/situational irony.

    You not knowing that is also situationally ironic, because when complaining about whether or not something is ironic, you should know the various accepted definitions of irony and have a grasp of what situations can fulfill those definitions. In this case, you did not, which led to another difference between what one would expect (your competence) and reality (the complete lack thereof).

  24. Re:License missing on Google Serves a Cease-and-Desist On Android Modder · · Score: 1

    Laches only applies (according to the US supreme court) in cases where there is no other statutory limit, unlike copyright. Until the US supreme court changes that precedent, laches does NOT apply to copyright.

  25. Re:License missing on Google Serves a Cease-and-Desist On Android Modder · · Score: 1

    Citation or you're wrong.

    http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html (see #5)