My whole developing life experience was to enter Canada with no check whatsoever, and re-enter the U.S. by just verbally declaring you're a citizen. No papers needed in any direction. This was true for things like family vacations, or just part of a day trip on a lark while in college (we're so close, let's cross into Canada and have a pizza). This was growing up & going to school in Maine, left about 15 years ago.
So stories like this absolutely hit me like I'm living in a dystopia.
Haven't they made some arrests in a few European countries, and the targets are, like, 17-year-old kids? Outright naivete and foolhardiness will short-circuit a lot of your track-covering-requirements right quick.
Like for all the same reasons you can only really fight wars with a bunch of mostly un-laid young men. Or as "the war nerd" wrote this spring: in a real combat, it's your bravest friend who would be at the front and the first to die.
At this point, I'm willing to say there's something really structurally broken with our system. Guess we'll see another case study for that come Aug-2.
"Are you telling me that in ~5 years I may or may not be able to play TOR after I invest tons of time into it? That could be a serious dealbreaker for something I've been following very closely. Or is this just some relatively small fee that Sony has to pay to keep a small but loyal set of fans happy (and, of course, they're in the screwing customers over business so why do that)?"
First sentence: Yes. Last sentence: No.
That's exactly what all of these gaming license deals are like -- usually a 5- or 10-year period and then it ends, hard stop. I was at small game companies 1995-2000 and that was really the whole business model. Land a license, make big bucks for one/two years, sell out to a major publisher, let them turn off the lights when the license runs out. Neither place I worked ay exists anymore. The license fees are not small, but the (temporary) payoff is even larger.
Just like Smedley says, they could in theory circle around and ask to negotiate for a new license, but (a) it would be starting from square one all over again, (b) the negotiating position would be atrocious because you've got all this sunk cost in the infrastructure you're tied to (and proven ceiling on what it can make back), and far more keenly (c) any license-holder I've seen wants to consolidate the license, not have it scattered around, so with the Bioware thing coming up it's 99.74% likely that LucasArts would just say "no, go away, now you're bugging me".
I think that this is a self-fulfilling (and self-limiting) prophecy. People skills are a skill and can be learned, when necessary and important, just like any other. The idea that geeks need to be locked in a back room is a mythology that serves certain people, but certainly not the geeks themselves.
I had a software engineering job once -- one-year review comes up and my manager tells me, "Your problem is that like any engineer you can't communicate with others. You need to read such-and-such book on communication." Well, that's just bullshit. I've always enjoyed public speaking and presentations, and I left that job to become a college lecturer (with very high student evaluations, etc.) But god forbid my engineering manager actually think that through, instead of regurgitating mythology.
I think a better explanation is that being connected to an Indian is proof of quasi-fraud on the part of the company we're dealing with. I mean, we bought the product in America from a company that represents itself in our language and culture. They gave us a support number they asserted would be our connection to that company. The we get connected to someone on a foreign continent and we realize they're using a fake name. So that's the catalyst for suddenly recognizing a whole series of lies.
My experiences with American-based call centers are leaps and bounds beyond Indian call centers. As soon as I know I'm talking to an Indian, I can put in the category of (a) really aggravating language issues*, and (b) probably incompetent or even damaging to my equipment.
*And I say this as someone who had native Indian instructors & advisors all through my graduate math program, and had no problem with them. I'm usually about the last person to complain about hard accents -- but call center support is bottom-of-the-barrel stuff.
"If Google+ is to succeed, they need to stop with the invite-only nonsense."
Is this exactly how Google rolled out GMail? Isn't this exactly how Facebook built itself, initially limiting itself to certain college campuses? Isn't this how any marketer wants to introduce a service, by making it appear that there's overwhelming demand?
"For example? And by 'example', I mean an example of something they are actually doing and not just something you think they could conceivably do."
You make it sound like you don't understand how contract law works at all. You read the contract and decide if the terms sound good before taking action on it. You don't agree to it by default, and then wait to see if you get screwed over and then smack your head.
Perhaps, but they're how changes get made. Your options are (a) work with people's emotions, xor (b) never get anything done requiring political organization.
I'm interested and scared to think what the result would have been if this happened in America today and the response had been, "My constitutional right to avoid being a witness against myself in a criminal case".
To play devil's advocate, a consistent response might be -- Some of those other practices and beliefs were overturned via the amendment process, which isn't the case here.
Slashdot Mirror
"how do you think the publishers are going to explain away lost sales"
Piracy & hackers.
My whole developing life experience was to enter Canada with no check whatsoever, and re-enter the U.S. by just verbally declaring you're a citizen. No papers needed in any direction. This was true for things like family vacations, or just part of a day trip on a lark while in college (we're so close, let's cross into Canada and have a pizza). This was growing up & going to school in Maine, left about 15 years ago.
So stories like this absolutely hit me like I'm living in a dystopia.
"I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic"
Mission Accomplished. (Especially the "against domestic enemies" of the Constitution part.)
False.
Haven't they made some arrests in a few European countries, and the targets are, like, 17-year-old kids? Outright naivete and foolhardiness will short-circuit a lot of your track-covering-requirements right quick.
Like for all the same reasons you can only really fight wars with a bunch of mostly un-laid young men. Or as "the war nerd" wrote this spring: in a real combat, it's your bravest friend who would be at the front and the first to die.
At this point, I'm willing to say there's something really structurally broken with our system. Guess we'll see another case study for that come Aug-2.
Surely there's some free-market economic explanation for all this. That shit can explain anything (or so I'm told).
"Are you telling me that in ~5 years I may or may not be able to play TOR after I invest tons of time into it? That could be a serious dealbreaker for something I've been following very closely. Or is this just some relatively small fee that Sony has to pay to keep a small but loyal set of fans happy (and, of course, they're in the screwing customers over business so why do that)?"
First sentence: Yes. Last sentence: No.
That's exactly what all of these gaming license deals are like -- usually a 5- or 10-year period and then it ends, hard stop. I was at small game companies 1995-2000 and that was really the whole business model. Land a license, make big bucks for one/two years, sell out to a major publisher, let them turn off the lights when the license runs out. Neither place I worked ay exists anymore. The license fees are not small, but the (temporary) payoff is even larger.
Just like Smedley says, they could in theory circle around and ask to negotiate for a new license, but (a) it would be starting from square one all over again, (b) the negotiating position would be atrocious because you've got all this sunk cost in the infrastructure you're tied to (and proven ceiling on what it can make back), and far more keenly (c) any license-holder I've seen wants to consolidate the license, not have it scattered around, so with the Bioware thing coming up it's 99.74% likely that LucasArts would just say "no, go away, now you're bugging me".
That works for no-man.
*ante
I think that this is a self-fulfilling (and self-limiting) prophecy. People skills are a skill and can be learned, when necessary and important, just like any other. The idea that geeks need to be locked in a back room is a mythology that serves certain people, but certainly not the geeks themselves.
I had a software engineering job once -- one-year review comes up and my manager tells me, "Your problem is that like any engineer you can't communicate with others. You need to read such-and-such book on communication." Well, that's just bullshit. I've always enjoyed public speaking and presentations, and I left that job to become a college lecturer (with very high student evaluations, etc.) But god forbid my engineering manager actually think that through, instead of regurgitating mythology.
I'd say that's perspicacious, but...
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/christiane-amanpour-uses-such-a-fancy-word-abc-has-to-define-it-in-a-graphic/
(See comments)
I think a better explanation is that being connected to an Indian is proof of quasi-fraud on the part of the company we're dealing with. I mean, we bought the product in America from a company that represents itself in our language and culture. They gave us a support number they asserted would be our connection to that company. The we get connected to someone on a foreign continent and we realize they're using a fake name. So that's the catalyst for suddenly recognizing a whole series of lies.
My experiences with American-based call centers are leaps and bounds beyond Indian call centers. As soon as I know I'm talking to an Indian, I can put in the category of (a) really aggravating language issues*, and (b) probably incompetent or even damaging to my equipment.
*And I say this as someone who had native Indian instructors & advisors all through my graduate math program, and had no problem with them. I'm usually about the last person to complain about hard accents -- but call center support is bottom-of-the-barrel stuff.
"If Google+ is to succeed, they need to stop with the invite-only nonsense."
Is this exactly how Google rolled out GMail?
Isn't this exactly how Facebook built itself, initially limiting itself to certain college campuses?
Isn't this how any marketer wants to introduce a service, by making it appear that there's overwhelming demand?
"Maybe it was self-fulfilling."
I must admit, I've heard anyone blame someone's being wiretapped on their prior paranoia. Live long enough, amazing what you'll get to read.
"You'd think if there was some actual, concrete reason to fear this TOS, there'd be examples readily available."
Only if you're really dumb. It was updated, what, a few hours ago as I write this on a Saturday? How fast do you think they move?
"For example? And by 'example', I mean an example of something they are actually doing and not just something you think they could conceivably do."
You make it sound like you don't understand how contract law works at all. You read the contract and decide if the terms sound good before taking action on it. You don't agree to it by default, and then wait to see if you get screwed over and then smack your head.
Empower and civil-defense-educate citizens to responsibly spot hostilities and defend themselves.
Or optionally, say "The probability of extremist suicide attacks is so low that I just don't give a shit."
"Emotional appeals are annoying"
Perhaps, but they're how changes get made. Your options are (a) work with people's emotions, xor (b) never get anything done requiring political organization.
Not really, if it then just shifts to hassle whatever other mode of transportation you choose to take (train, bus, ferry, private car, etc.)
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/06/tsa-swarms-8000-bus-stations-public-transit-systems-yearly
"You're really using the Flight 93 situation as a citation of functional security? It fucking crashed. Everyone died. Way to go, security."
The point is that it reduces the expected value for hijackers to something much less than their objective, i.e., no longer a good investment.
You missed the fine point wherein he did answer, and the answer was "the thing I value most are my Constitutional rights".
Citations? (short quote, title, author, page/link?)
I'm interested and scared to think what the result would have been if this happened in America today and the response had been, "My constitutional right to avoid being a witness against myself in a criminal case".
To play devil's advocate, a consistent response might be -- Some of those other practices and beliefs were overturned via the amendment process, which isn't the case here.