>>>you actually created a charge for somebody else to pay.
That's true. Likewise the production of a song or movie "creates a charge" on somebody's account which they have to pay. And you've taken that item without compensating them for that charge, so really it's no different than what I did back in 1990.
>>>having a charge appear on someone else's account for services you got.
Sooooo just like when you block ads on various websites, and you make a charge appear on that webowner's account for services you took .
>>>you assume I download music/other files illegally. I don't.
I don't believe you. At some point whether now or over the last two decades, I bet you took a song, movie, or tv show without paying the original owner. Not that I really care because I do it myself. My point is this: If you believe you are without sin, then you are mistaken, so maybe you ought to put down that stone.
No. What I did was no more stealing than when you (and lots of other people) download movies, songs, or tv shows. It's not real property - it's just internet data.
Think about it. If I'm right - it's not stealing. If you're right, then it is stealing and so too is downloading/bittorenting and you too are a thief. (ponder) Ooops.
>>>Passengers should be banned, too. That increases reaction time
You are correct. AAA performed a study about ten years ago and found the reason teen drivers have such high accident rates is almost-universally due to other teens in the car distracting the driver. Older passengers tend to be less of a distraction.
>>>Stupid people will find a way to do stupid things
That's true but I'd prefer they kill themselves in private, rather than hitting me with their car. So I say - ban the stupid people from doing stupid stuff like using a cellphone while driving, or being drunk while driving, or whatever else stupid people do that ultimately harm us smart people with death.
>>>if you find an unlocked machine, pull up the email client and send a message to everyone: "today's my birthday, drinks on me after work!"
When I was in college, I used to get free printouts from people who left their computers turned-on and logged-in. For example I was part of a club that ran off ~1000 flyers each month to advertise various events. I would create the flyers in advance and then simply carry a disk around until I saw a turned-on computer. I would surf the net for a half hour, waiting to see if the delinquent student, and if not then I'd start printing.
I bet after mommy/daddy received the $100 bill, that student learned not to walk away until the computer was OFF.
>>>Are the corporations you so love demonizing really any more "greedy" than the people who work to buy their products?
All good questions. I'm going to present this as an example of corporate greed: I withdrew my money from my bank's money-market account and moved it to my checking account. I then asked to close the MM account since it was empty, and the manager on duty said he can't close it since there might be some last-minute transactions. Now because the account is still open, but below the minimum, they charged me a $10 fee on my most-recent statement. And they sucked that money from my checking account.
I call that "greed" because the manager knew full well I would be charged that fee, which is why he left it open, in order to entrap me.
>>>I would also be interested to see how many deaths and injuries are related to trying to eat, read a book (I've seen it), find and change a CD, change clothes, put on makeup, or any other the millions of other distractions that happen to people behind the wheel. >>>
I'm fairly certain these too are illegal activities. .
>>>instead we have witch-hunts on something because it is the popular thing to do.
Which makes sense. You prioritize the activities that are causing the most driving deaths - DUI and cellphone gossiping - and make them illegal. Seems like a perfectly rational thing to do.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) has shown via study that the mere act of using or talking into a cellphone is a distraction & reduces response times below that of drunk drivers. People don't like to hear that, but those are the results.
What we need to do is surround the building and remind this town's legislators who gave them their job. This bullshit red-light ticketing without a trial needs to end.
Then once that's done, we'll surround the headquarters of RIAA and shoot anyone who tries to leave the building. (Or until the police show up.)
>>>the deed for the land in question, and the ORIGINAL copy of the agreement with AT&T
You won't win. The politicians will just use eminent domain to take-away your land, give it to government (on the basis of "bettering the community"), and then lease that land to the corporations in question. Yes that's called "theft" but individual rights mean nothing in this ex-republic. It's how a mall in Jew Jersey was able to take-over private homes, tear them down, and build several stores (upheld by the Supreme Court as legal).
Also try creating a cable company to compete against the current Comcast monopoly. You'll find yourself in court because Comcast (or AT&T or Cox or whoever) has been granted an exclusive monopoly. Therefore since competition is banned, by law, government has a right to step-in and regulate that monopoly to ensure it's not abusing its special legal privileges.
>>>bought all of my games used (see, game publishers?
The game publishers are working to close that door. That's why they are pushing downloadable games so hard - you can buy or sell them on the used market.
Nintendo was just greedy. (Sorry if that offends you, but it's just opinion.) Back when Atari ruled as the #1 console (1977-84) the games cost just $30 brand-new; $20 if they were older catalog titles. The most expensive Atari cartridge I ever bought was Star Raiders for $40 but it came with a free controller, so it was worth it.
Then along came Nintendo with their NES in 1985, and they charged twice as much as Atari had charged. I never could figure that out. It's one of the main reasons I stuck with 8/16-bit computer gaming where prices were reasonable (or even free).
>>>Paying $60 for a 40-100 hour RPG experience complete with full score, FMV and incredible rendering that took thousands of man-hours to produce is actually pretty cheap.
Yeah.
Too bad most of those RPGs are dull and I quit after only 10 hours. So that's what? $6/hour. About double the cost of a movie (~$3.50/hour) and 3 times more than a TV show (~$2 per hour) but not as entertaining as those other formats. This is why I prefer to wait until RPGs and other games drop to a reasonable pricepoint of $20 or less.
I *love* short games. They are the kind I can play over and over, like Resident Evil 2 or Eternal Darkness. Those 50-hour marathons drive me nuts because they move so slooooow. That's why I've only ever played FF7 twice in my life - it's a good game but just too darn long.
Most games will drop to $20 in 6 months time (usually after Christmas). Even the greatest hits eventually drop to that pricepoint, so I wait until that happens. One of the best games I ever got was Space Channel 5, parts 1 and 2 which for some reason Sega released at only $10 per game. Nice bargain.
Don't pay $60 for your games. Don't even pay $40. That's too much.
Sorry but I don't see the distinction. Whether you're talking about the power company, the natural gas company, or the internet provider, they still have a monopoly over the market, which was granted by the government's express permission. (Example: Comcast was granted monopoly by my local politicians.) That grant gives the government the power to control pricing. That grant also gives the government power to revoke the monopoly and give it to somebody else.
Very true. Just like the power company and the piped natural-gas company are regulated, so too does the Internet service company need to be regulated. Since the government granted these monopolies, it also has the right to control their pricing.
>>>Companies should be allowed to sell their services at a price they want
Yes except those companies are government-granted monopolies, like the power company, the piped natural gas company, or the Internet service company. Then the government, since it granted the monopoly, also has the right to control its pricing.
Oh good. This gives me an opportunity to go watch FREEDOMWATCHonfox.com and stop being distracted by my Slashodot addiction. I love listening to Judge Napolitano's insights on the law.
(typed on Opera - the only browser that lets you type/. for quick and easy access to the best news site)
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>>>you actually created a charge for somebody else to pay.
That's true. Likewise the production of a song or movie "creates a charge" on somebody's account which they have to pay. And you've taken that item without compensating them for that charge, so really it's no different than what I did back in 1990.
>>>having a charge appear on someone else's account for services you got.
Sooooo just like when you block ads on various websites, and you make a charge appear on that webowner's account for services you took
.
>>>you assume I download music/other files illegally. I don't.
I don't believe you. At some point whether now or over the last two decades, I bet you took a song, movie, or tv show without paying the original owner. Not that I really care because I do it myself. My point is this: If you believe you are without sin, then you are mistaken, so maybe you ought to put down that stone.
Yeah well I was young and stupid, and didn't really think about the consequences of what I was doing. Also underage. http://nelsonhaha.com/
No. What I did was no more stealing than when you (and lots of other people) download movies, songs, or tv shows. It's not real property - it's just internet data.
Think about it. If I'm right - it's not stealing. If you're right, then it is stealing and so too is downloading/bittorenting and you too are a thief. (ponder) Ooops.
>>>Passengers should be banned, too. That increases reaction time
You are correct. AAA performed a study about ten years ago and found the reason teen drivers have such high accident rates is almost-universally due to other teens in the car distracting the driver. Older passengers tend to be less of a distraction.
>>>Stupid people will find a way to do stupid things
That's true but I'd prefer they kill themselves in private, rather than hitting me with their car. So I say - ban the stupid people from doing stupid stuff like using a cellphone while driving, or being drunk while driving, or whatever else stupid people do that ultimately harm us smart people with death.
>>>if you find an unlocked machine, pull up the email client and send a message to everyone: "today's my birthday, drinks on me after work!"
When I was in college, I used to get free printouts from people who left their computers turned-on and logged-in. For example I was part of a club that ran off ~1000 flyers each month to advertise various events. I would create the flyers in advance and then simply carry a disk around until I saw a turned-on computer. I would surf the net for a half hour, waiting to see if the delinquent student, and if not then I'd start printing.
I bet after mommy/daddy received the $100 bill, that student learned not to walk away until the computer was OFF.
>>>Are the corporations you so love demonizing really any more "greedy" than the people who work to buy their products?
All good questions. I'm going to present this as an example of corporate greed: I withdrew my money from my bank's money-market account and moved it to my checking account. I then asked to close the MM account since it was empty, and the manager on duty said he can't close it since there might be some last-minute transactions. Now because the account is still open, but below the minimum, they charged me a $10 fee on my most-recent statement. And they sucked that money from my checking account.
I call that "greed" because the manager knew full well I would be charged that fee, which is why he left it open, in order to entrap me.
Instead of making HF corn syrup more expensive, the government could make real brown sugar cheaper. i.e. Remove the tax on sugar.
And for those who support a sin tax, I suspect you'd change your tune if they started sin-taxing gaming, tv watching, and internet surfing.
>>>I would much rather the government got income through 'sin' taxes than through the income tax.
You would change your tune if they started taxing gaming, tv watching, and internet surfing.
>>>I would also be interested to see how many deaths and injuries are related to trying to eat, read a book (I've seen it), find and change a CD, change clothes, put on makeup, or any other the millions of other distractions that happen to people behind the wheel.
>>>
I'm fairly certain these too are illegal activities.
.
>>>instead we have witch-hunts on something because it is the popular thing to do.
Which makes sense. You prioritize the activities that are causing the most driving deaths - DUI and cellphone gossiping - and make them illegal. Seems like a perfectly rational thing to do.
Hands-free phones should be banned as well.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) has shown via study that the mere act of using or talking into a cellphone is a distraction & reduces response times below that of drunk drivers. People don't like to hear that, but those are the results.
You're right!
What we need to do is surround the building and remind this town's legislators who gave them their job. This bullshit red-light ticketing without a trial needs to end.
Then once that's done, we'll surround the headquarters of RIAA and shoot anyone who tries to leave the building. (Or until the police show up.)
>>>the deed for the land in question, and the ORIGINAL copy of the agreement with AT&T
You won't win. The politicians will just use eminent domain to take-away your land, give it to government (on the basis of "bettering the community"), and then lease that land to the corporations in question. Yes that's called "theft" but individual rights mean nothing in this ex-republic. It's how a mall in Jew Jersey was able to take-over private homes, tear them down, and build several stores (upheld by the Supreme Court as legal).
Also try creating a cable company to compete against the current Comcast monopoly. You'll find yourself in court because Comcast (or AT&T or Cox or whoever) has been granted an exclusive monopoly. Therefore since competition is banned, by law, government has a right to step-in and regulate that monopoly to ensure it's not abusing its special legal privileges.
>>>bought all of my games used (see, game publishers?
The game publishers are working to close that door. That's why they are pushing downloadable games so hard - you can buy or sell them on the used market.
Correction: "I stuck with 8 and [32] bit computer gaming". I've never owned a 16-bit machine, since I skipped over that generation of computers.
>>>I remember $80+ SNES games
Nintendo was just greedy. (Sorry if that offends you, but it's just opinion.) Back when Atari ruled as the #1 console (1977-84) the games cost just $30 brand-new; $20 if they were older catalog titles. The most expensive Atari cartridge I ever bought was Star Raiders for $40 but it came with a free controller, so it was worth it.
Then along came Nintendo with their NES in 1985, and they charged twice as much as Atari had charged. I never could figure that out. It's one of the main reasons I stuck with 8/16-bit computer gaming where prices were reasonable (or even free).
>>>Paying $60 for a 40-100 hour RPG experience complete with full score, FMV and incredible rendering that took thousands of man-hours to produce is actually pretty cheap.
Yeah.
Too bad most of those RPGs are dull and I quit after only 10 hours. So that's what? $6/hour. About double the cost of a movie (~$3.50/hour) and 3 times more than a TV show (~$2 per hour) but not as entertaining as those other formats. This is why I prefer to wait until RPGs and other games drop to a reasonable pricepoint of $20 or less.
I *love* short games. They are the kind I can play over and over, like Resident Evil 2 or Eternal Darkness. Those 50-hour marathons drive me nuts because they move so slooooow. That's why I've only ever played FF7 twice in my life - it's a good game but just too darn long.
Most games will drop to $20 in 6 months time (usually after Christmas). Even the greatest hits eventually drop to that pricepoint, so I wait until that happens. One of the best games I ever got was Space Channel 5, parts 1 and 2 which for some reason Sega released at only $10 per game. Nice bargain.
Don't pay $60 for your games. Don't even pay $40. That's too much.
Did somebody say strip poker?
Here you go. Some classic games you ought to check out: http://girls.c64.org/ (NSFW)
Sorry but I don't see the distinction. Whether you're talking about the power company, the natural gas company, or the internet provider, they still have a monopoly over the market, which was granted by the government's express permission. (Example: Comcast was granted monopoly by my local politicians.) That grant gives the government the power to control pricing. That grant also gives the government power to revoke the monopoly and give it to somebody else.
Very true. Just like the power company and the piped natural-gas company are regulated, so too does the Internet service company need to be regulated. Since the government granted these monopolies, it also has the right to control their pricing.
>>>Companies should be allowed to sell their services at a price they want
Yes except those companies are government-granted monopolies, like the power company, the piped natural gas company, or the Internet service company. Then the government, since it granted the monopoly, also has the right to control its pricing.
Oh good. This gives me an opportunity to go watch FREEDOMWATCHonfox.com and stop being distracted by my Slashodot addiction. I love listening to Judge Napolitano's insights on the law.
(typed on Opera - the only browser that lets you type /. for quick and easy access to the best news site)