That's just it! These are the phsyics of the internet. Will people always think cheaper is a fair price? Yes. You have to find a good price that will cause the most profit with the the most sales. It's a fine balance. The point is, you can't just make up physics to describe what you want, and legislate yourself a market that won't hold. People are getting it free, despite the laws. Either adapt or sink. Or hold on to your idealistic views.. and sink..
A potentially brilliant plan on Vonage's part if it's them. One problem though- do you think the people in charge here are going to get the point? I mean- they're the ones who let this through in the first place...
The question is- are these the physics of the internet? And the answer is: yes. Instead of fighting these basic principles that are demonstrated again and again, we should focus on leveraging these priciples to profit. Accessibility seems like the best option- make it cheap and convenient, and people will indulge on a larger scale.
Although it doesn't have to do with books or piracy, Ian Rogers has an interesting speech about "effective by design." His mantra is similar- those who embrace the scalability of the web instead of try to create scarcity will be the ones that profit.
I feel it isn't ground breaking, but his little thing on physics really put into words what I've been feeling for a long time. Worth a read.
I agree whole heartedly. Around where I live I have a small company that feeds off comcast, called metrocast. They want around $65/month for basic cable, and apparently around $200 for the premium package.
Even if there was a decent amount on tv to watch (which there isn't), it's not like I'm just sitting around all day to watch tv. I might watch a show or two in the evenings after work. What makes them think I'm going to spend that much money on watching 50% adverts anyway?
Basically, as soon as the companies realize that in order to take advantage of the web you must present not only convenience but additionally it needs to be a bit cheaper than the real thing, people will kill their cable service.
The problem is, with technology as it is now, people find driving to walmart, buying a DVD for $11 to be EASIER than getting an online rental that's unlikely to work and costs just as much.
But as far as the potential of the net to kill cable as we know it? Oh it's already there.
Portal is a great game- too short in my opinion. It shows that PC gaming is long over-due for something more innovative in the game-play category. Now combine portal with half-life 2 = most amazing game ever!!!
I know where you're coming from. Most people here see this as a perfect opportunity to tell you that you're clearly an idiot and what-not, but I identify with what you said, and the rest of the people here clearly do not (which means they don't know what it feels like).
I am often alienated by my own reasoning. I would not say I'm a genius (I've never been tested), however I have an aptitude for logic, and I work in software development.
If it were not for my girlfriend, I would most certainly be depressed on a regular basis. I think the problem tends to be a feeling of aloneness, that you cannot connect with anybody on an intelligent level. It's not an elitist attitude that causes this, it's more of an observation that occurs over time. I used to be very optimistic, but over the years I've grown more and more weary of the people on this planet and their lack of ability to think.
A close friend of mine once told me that I just need to stop hanging out with idiots and start being around people who can think, but the problem is exactly what causes you to feel alienated- none can be found, at least not easily.
It can be relatively difficult to stand firm in your convictions, and most people will shun you for doing so- eventually causing you to start questioning yourself and *your sanity.* Time and time again I have found myself against everybody I know, on what I believe to be simple logic that somehow nobody else can grasp. It seems the gift of intelligence is a curse just as much as it is a blessing. And, no, I don't believe you nor I are tooting our own horns here. I feel it's ok to be honest about things like this- and yes, it pays to be modest, but sometimes you need to vent about this stuff. A lot of times I find myself quoting Will Farell: "I feel like I'm taking crazy pills."
Anyway, I just wanted to comment that this alone feeling is VERY overwhelming when you can clearly see the end of a logical path but nobody around you has the vision. It is specifically that vision that makes you different, and it is the nature of the world to doubt and ridicule anybody who has that vision until they can show it to people in a way they will understand. Sadly- things so big as creating an AI brain may have been such a daunting task that without any support, the overwhelming alienation caused depression, and ultimately suicide.
It's also a sign- the company has clearly chosen a strategy from the following two:
1. Side with the consumer. In the end it's their money that will make you surpass your competition. 2. Side with legislation. You can legislate yourself a consumer base, that's where the money will be.
It's sad when a company thinks they're so big that they can take option 2. It's fun when option 2 basically kills a company. I wouldn't be surprised if this type of move kills them. Think about it- they're talking about censoring the very basic service that's being offered. It's like they're trying to sell a damaged highway to people, expecting them to take it because the potholes are on purpose. People will vote with their wallets, I hope.
I assume that AT&T carries traffic across their network that doesn't neccessarily start or end with them. Somewhere in the middle? How much would this affect a Verizon subscriber accessing something from a server that's not neccessarily AT&T? Would AT&T likely get the traffic across their network somewhere in the US anyhow? If not, then could the rule be applied:
"The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it."
I could see a massive boycott of AT&T if this is possible, but I admittedly don't really understand too much how the infrastructure works.
It does restrict your access though. In an industry that relies heavily on mainstream distrobution, if it becomes mandated that certain things will stop a game selling to minors, two things will happen:
1. Walmart and the like will play the "righteous" card, and stop stocking the game altogether. 2. Game makers will (already do) censor games before they go out the door so that their game doesn't end up in the 'M' pile.
Walmart already takes it upon themselves to censor their content that they sell, we wouldn't want to legislate a reason for them to take it further.
Last year I was at walmart with 3 friends (I was 20, they were 21 and 19. One of them didn't have their license on them, and I was trying to buy a Mature game, they didn't let me buy it because 1 of the 3 of us didn't have a way to prove we were old enough to get it.
The good news is, this type of refusal to sell is similar to that of alcohol, that is, I tell them to go to the car, and I grab the game and check out in a different line, and nobody knew better. It's just un-enforcible.
Honestly, in order to better my perspective, I play the devils' advocate a lot.
The problem in my argument lies in the simple fact that whether or not Microsoft wants to play by their rules- they've got so much ground that they'd got to. If you had a small company doing exactly the same thing as microsoft, there would be no issue with it, because there's nothing inherently wrong with what they do.
The concept just doesn't scale well, other than to say it only applies with scale.
I think it's the news that's really giving Blu-Ray momentum, if you think about it.
People are on the sidelines waiting for a winner. The simple move of a studio or two to one format or the other won't decide the battle- the consumers will, and the studios will follow.
But what's really going to give the consumers the illusion that one side has already won? Sensationalist headlines and news stories similar to this one. It treats it like the battle is already over and toshiba lost. If enough news sources post something like that, people will think it's true, and toshiba goes down without a fighting chance- and it turns out the MEDIA fought the battle for blu-ray.
If the media announced the NEWS about it, but didn't make statements like "looks like HD-DVD is dead" then people could make their own decisions. And maybe which format has Disney would make the difference, instead of Fox news announcing which direction the lemmings should be walking.
I work in computer repair, although I haven't been able to tell which HPs are direct from walmart, and which ones are from different retailers, but the computers that I see the most quality problems on are the emachines.
People bring in a computer, say it's not turning on- so I suggest it could be a number of things, but typically a power supply problem. Except if it's an emachine from walmart. I instantly know failed motherboard. (and often times power supply as well).
I mean, they're priced to be disposable anyway, right?
Price the content based on quality, and make it convenient. People prefer convenience.
People won't bother to steal if there's a quality, low-cost solution they could just pay for.
For example- I pay $15/month to subscribe to Yahoo Music with my MP3 player, because it's just easier than stealing. The catch? I don't even keep my music if I stop paying. But I don't care! I'm paying for convenience.
I wouldn't consider it fair to pay Microsoft a few hundred dollars to read my newspaper. So I get Open Office. There are choices. If I wanted the ease of use of MS Office, I could buy it. There's no reason they shouldn't make their software compatible with themselves and make it especially for their own OS, but ultimately it's the consumers choice what they buy. Nothing's being shoved down anybody's throats. Open office reads MS Office documents fairly well.
And your point that some games can be aquired on multiple platforms overlooks the simple fact that some software titles can be gotten on multiple platforms. Heck! I can get MS Office for the Mac! I can run Photoshop where ever I please. I can run Opera on all the major OS's. But I can't get the latest Internet Explorer on mac (I can get an old version). But safari works in windows- so is this really an antitrust issue any more so than the fact that HALO will only be an XBOX game? Not really.
Our local Irving has audio adverts, but no mute button. Something's wrong with the system, though. The other night I was standing there pumping gas, and it was telling me about a muffins deal inside and suddenly it stopped and I heard this deep dark voice say some garbled crap. I looked around, there was only 1 other guy at the pumps, he just looked at me and we both just kinda shrugged it off.
I'm convinced that the source of the ads was in fact satan.
That and women are probably less likely to completely trash the washroom. That's just plainly not true. I don't think things have changed much, but I did some janitorial work while I was in highschool at a local supermarket. The women's room was always worse than the mens room.
Anyway, that being said, I've been to a lot of men's bathrooms that mount poster advertisements right above the urinals so you can read them while you stand there. So far, none of them that I've seen have been peed on.
As a side note, the past tense of the verb "pee" looks funny. "peed"
If toyota makes cars, but then decides they want to engineer their own CD players and install them as stock on all their cars, is it against sony, because people will most likely just use the stock cd player? Goodness knows there are manufacturers who make steering-wheel covers who'd be pissed if toyota sent out their cars with great steering wheel covers too.
What microsoft is doing is covering the bases. Yeah, NERO's pissed when MS new OS has burning capabilities in it, but lets face it, interfacing with hardware (a technology like DVD-RW is getting older every day) is a primary function that I'd wonder WHY the OS doesn't already do that. If I bought a computer with no web browser, I couldn't go get opera and install it. It's not like Windows comes with Office- that'd be nice. I just think it's a bunch of whiney babies. Don't like it? Buy a mac!
My guess is that the people here complaining probably already have a mac, which is why I got modded down. I like microsoft. There I said it. Don't mark me Flamebait cause I have an opinion that MAC fanboys don't share with me.
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That's just it! These are the phsyics of the internet. Will people always think cheaper is a fair price? Yes. You have to find a good price that will cause the most profit with the the most sales. It's a fine balance. The point is, you can't just make up physics to describe what you want, and legislate yourself a market that won't hold. People are getting it free, despite the laws. Either adapt or sink. Or hold on to your idealistic views .. and sink..
A potentially brilliant plan on Vonage's part if it's them. One problem though- do you think the people in charge here are going to get the point? I mean- they're the ones who let this through in the first place...
The question is- are these the physics of the internet? And the answer is: yes. Instead of fighting these basic principles that are demonstrated again and again, we should focus on leveraging these priciples to profit. Accessibility seems like the best option- make it cheap and convenient, and people will indulge on a larger scale.
Although it doesn't have to do with books or piracy, Ian Rogers has an interesting speech about "effective by design." His mantra is similar- those who embrace the scalability of the web instead of try to create scarcity will be the ones that profit.
I feel it isn't ground breaking, but his little thing on physics really put into words what I've been feeling for a long time. Worth a read.
As long as most of the flaws in VISTA are still being counted as features (DRM anybody?), they can basically claim it's a zero-flaw system.
I agree whole heartedly. Around where I live I have a small company that feeds off comcast, called metrocast. They want around $65/month for basic cable, and apparently around $200 for the premium package.
Even if there was a decent amount on tv to watch (which there isn't), it's not like I'm just sitting around all day to watch tv. I might watch a show or two in the evenings after work. What makes them think I'm going to spend that much money on watching 50% adverts anyway?
Basically, as soon as the companies realize that in order to take advantage of the web you must present not only convenience but additionally it needs to be a bit cheaper than the real thing, people will kill their cable service.
The problem is, with technology as it is now, people find driving to walmart, buying a DVD for $11 to be EASIER than getting an online rental that's unlikely to work and costs just as much.
But as far as the potential of the net to kill cable as we know it? Oh it's already there.
Holy fuck, yes!
Portal is a great game- too short in my opinion. It shows that PC gaming is long over-due for something more innovative in the game-play category. Now combine portal with half-life 2 = most amazing game ever!!!
I know where you're coming from. Most people here see this as a perfect opportunity to tell you that you're clearly an idiot and what-not, but I identify with what you said, and the rest of the people here clearly do not (which means they don't know what it feels like).
I am often alienated by my own reasoning. I would not say I'm a genius (I've never been tested), however I have an aptitude for logic, and I work in software development.
If it were not for my girlfriend, I would most certainly be depressed on a regular basis. I think the problem tends to be a feeling of aloneness, that you cannot connect with anybody on an intelligent level. It's not an elitist attitude that causes this, it's more of an observation that occurs over time. I used to be very optimistic, but over the years I've grown more and more weary of the people on this planet and their lack of ability to think.
A close friend of mine once told me that I just need to stop hanging out with idiots and start being around people who can think, but the problem is exactly what causes you to feel alienated- none can be found, at least not easily.
It can be relatively difficult to stand firm in your convictions, and most people will shun you for doing so- eventually causing you to start questioning yourself and *your sanity.* Time and time again I have found myself against everybody I know, on what I believe to be simple logic that somehow nobody else can grasp. It seems the gift of intelligence is a curse just as much as it is a blessing. And, no, I don't believe you nor I are tooting our own horns here. I feel it's ok to be honest about things like this- and yes, it pays to be modest, but sometimes you need to vent about this stuff. A lot of times I find myself quoting Will Farell: "I feel like I'm taking crazy pills."
Anyway, I just wanted to comment that this alone feeling is VERY overwhelming when you can clearly see the end of a logical path but nobody around you has the vision. It is specifically that vision that makes you different, and it is the nature of the world to doubt and ridicule anybody who has that vision until they can show it to people in a way they will understand. Sadly- things so big as creating an AI brain may have been such a daunting task that without any support, the overwhelming alienation caused depression, and ultimately suicide.
It's also a sign- the company has clearly chosen a strategy from the following two:
1. Side with the consumer. In the end it's their money that will make you surpass your competition.
2. Side with legislation. You can legislate yourself a consumer base, that's where the money will be.
It's sad when a company thinks they're so big that they can take option 2. It's fun when option 2 basically kills a company. I wouldn't be surprised if this type of move kills them. Think about it- they're talking about censoring the very basic service that's being offered. It's like they're trying to sell a damaged highway to people, expecting them to take it because the potholes are on purpose. People will vote with their wallets, I hope.
I assume that AT&T carries traffic across their network that doesn't neccessarily start or end with them. Somewhere in the middle? How much would this affect a Verizon subscriber accessing something from a server that's not neccessarily AT&T? Would AT&T likely get the traffic across their network somewhere in the US anyhow? If not, then could the rule be applied:
"The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it."
I could see a massive boycott of AT&T if this is possible, but I admittedly don't really understand too much how the infrastructure works.
It does restrict your access though. In an industry that relies heavily on mainstream distrobution, if it becomes mandated that certain things will stop a game selling to minors, two things will happen:
1. Walmart and the like will play the "righteous" card, and stop stocking the game altogether.
2. Game makers will (already do) censor games before they go out the door so that their game doesn't end up in the 'M' pile.
Walmart already takes it upon themselves to censor their content that they sell, we wouldn't want to legislate a reason for them to take it further.
Last year I was at walmart with 3 friends (I was 20, they were 21 and 19. One of them didn't have their license on them, and I was trying to buy a Mature game, they didn't let me buy it because 1 of the 3 of us didn't have a way to prove we were old enough to get it.
The good news is, this type of refusal to sell is similar to that of alcohol, that is, I tell them to go to the car, and I grab the game and check out in a different line, and nobody knew better. It's just un-enforcible.
They said in 4 years they'd let the highschool name it. That means nobody who's currently at the school will be there when it's time to name it.
Suckers!
Honestly, in order to better my perspective, I play the devils' advocate a lot.
The problem in my argument lies in the simple fact that whether or not Microsoft wants to play by their rules- they've got so much ground that they'd got to. If you had a small company doing exactly the same thing as microsoft, there would be no issue with it, because there's nothing inherently wrong with what they do.
The concept just doesn't scale well, other than to say it only applies with scale.
But seriously, what can we do to help? If anybody wants to start a mission to help, I'm in.
Exactly, it's a game of inches.
If they moved in feet, people would then notice the big deal.
Walking up to the 100 pt hole and manually placing the ball in is difficult. I just don't think it's possible from that angle.
I think it's the news that's really giving Blu-Ray momentum, if you think about it.
People are on the sidelines waiting for a winner. The simple move of a studio or two to one format or the other won't decide the battle- the consumers will, and the studios will follow.
But what's really going to give the consumers the illusion that one side has already won? Sensationalist headlines and news stories similar to this one. It treats it like the battle is already over and toshiba lost. If enough news sources post something like that, people will think it's true, and toshiba goes down without a fighting chance- and it turns out the MEDIA fought the battle for blu-ray.
If the media announced the NEWS about it, but didn't make statements like "looks like HD-DVD is dead" then people could make their own decisions. And maybe which format has Disney would make the difference, instead of Fox news announcing which direction the lemmings should be walking.
I work in computer repair, although I haven't been able to tell which HPs are direct from walmart, and which ones are from different retailers, but the computers that I see the most quality problems on are the emachines.
People bring in a computer, say it's not turning on- so I suggest it could be a number of things, but typically a power supply problem. Except if it's an emachine from walmart. I instantly know failed motherboard. (and often times power supply as well).
I mean, they're priced to be disposable anyway, right?
Price the content based on quality, and make it convenient. People prefer convenience.
People won't bother to steal if there's a quality, low-cost solution they could just pay for.
For example- I pay $15/month to subscribe to Yahoo Music with my MP3 player, because it's just easier than stealing. The catch? I don't even keep my music if I stop paying. But I don't care! I'm paying for convenience.
I wouldn't consider it fair to pay Microsoft a few hundred dollars to read my newspaper. So I get Open Office. There are choices. If I wanted the ease of use of MS Office, I could buy it. There's no reason they shouldn't make their software compatible with themselves and make it especially for their own OS, but ultimately it's the consumers choice what they buy. Nothing's being shoved down anybody's throats. Open office reads MS Office documents fairly well.
And your point that some games can be aquired on multiple platforms overlooks the simple fact that some software titles can be gotten on multiple platforms. Heck! I can get MS Office for the Mac! I can run Photoshop where ever I please. I can run Opera on all the major OS's. But I can't get the latest Internet Explorer on mac (I can get an old version). But safari works in windows- so is this really an antitrust issue any more so than the fact that HALO will only be an XBOX game? Not really.
Our local Irving has audio adverts, but no mute button. Something's wrong with the system, though. The other night I was standing there pumping gas, and it was telling me about a muffins deal inside and suddenly it stopped and I heard this deep dark voice say some garbled crap. I looked around, there was only 1 other guy at the pumps, he just looked at me and we both just kinda shrugged it off.
I'm convinced that the source of the ads was in fact satan.
Anyway, that being said, I've been to a lot of men's bathrooms that mount poster advertisements right above the urinals so you can read them while you stand there. So far, none of them that I've seen have been peed on.
As a side note, the past tense of the verb "pee" looks funny. "peed"
Oh my god- a pro-microsoft argument that actually makes sense. Let's mark it troll.
If toyota makes cars, but then decides they want to engineer their own CD players and install them as stock on all their cars, is it against sony, because people will most likely just use the stock cd player? Goodness knows there are manufacturers who make steering-wheel covers who'd be pissed if toyota sent out their cars with great steering wheel covers too.
What microsoft is doing is covering the bases. Yeah, NERO's pissed when MS new OS has burning capabilities in it, but lets face it, interfacing with hardware (a technology like DVD-RW is getting older every day) is a primary function that I'd wonder WHY the OS doesn't already do that. If I bought a computer with no web browser, I couldn't go get opera and install it. It's not like Windows comes with Office- that'd be nice. I just think it's a bunch of whiney babies. Don't like it? Buy a mac!
My guess is that the people here complaining probably already have a mac, which is why I got modded down. I like microsoft. There I said it. Don't mark me Flamebait cause I have an opinion that MAC fanboys don't share with me.