Slashdot Mirror


User: b4upoo

b4upoo's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
1,708
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 1,708

  1. It Won't Work on On Realism and Virtual Murder · · Score: 1

    The problem with self regulation or self control is that it is even worse than governmental controls. Think about it in terms of crime. How many criminals believe that they are doing the right thing whether it is driving drunk or molesting little children the last thing a criminal mind worries about is whether it is doing the right thing. The notion of self control particularly over long range effects of watching violent content is just not something that many people worry about.
                      You see the same attitude in illegal drug use. People feel that it is not them that can become the wretched addict. They feel that somehow they can handle it. So how many people feel that they will be the one to strike out in totally uncalled for violence when they subject themselves to huge doses of game and movie violence?

  2. Re:Ridiculous on Madoff Sentenced To 150 Years · · Score: 1

    How about smaller convenience store chains that purchase huge life insurance policies on employees and then station them in neighborhoods where there is a good chance that they will be killed on the job? There is more than one way to profit on the backs of your employees.

  3. Re:Ridiculous on Madoff Sentenced To 150 Years · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Your point is appreciated. Murderers usually serve 25 years in my state. I don't find it much of a surprise that stealing money gets a bigger sentence than murder. If society isn't careful
    the message that wealth is more important than life itself to some people just might become obvious to the masses.

  4. Re:Last thing to do on Madoff Sentenced To 150 Years · · Score: 1

    His wife and sons may well also get heavy sentences. This is not over yet.

  5. The Public Suffers on Of Catty Rants and Copyrights · · Score: 1

    This girl's rant is identical to the problem with porn laws. It exposes a simple fact. If a case at law proceeds from this situation then the public must fork over the money that it takes to run the court, pay the jurors etc.. Each similar but not identical case will cause public expenses as it plays out in court. The total cost of these nonsense law suits can bury our nations economy. In other words the reason that copyright laws are bad may be many but the greatest is the cost to the tax payers of having such laws.
                How many billions have been squandered in our courts debating whether a porn movie went too far? How many millions has the RIAA cost the tax payer whining about supposed lost sales due to illegal copying. Are we now supposed to throw millions out the window debating fair use of utterances made in public whether on the net or in other mediums? It's time to stop this nonsense.

  6. Re:What languages? on Emigrating To a Freer Country? · · Score: 1

    Hopping about and working off the books are both recipes fro disaster. Social Security benefits will leave you stranded in your old age. And God help you if you have a serious accident or medical condition as disability payments including jury awards will be minimal without accumulated earnings histories. Try telling a court that you earn money under the table and can no longer work because a car wreck messed you up. You'll land in prison and starve to death from a minimal disability payment when you are released.
                    I've seen this happen to a beautician who worked off of the books. Her foot was crushed and she could not cut hair for 18 months while the foot healed. She got no unemployment, could not sue and suffered poverty. Then before the foot finished healing she came down with cancer. She tried to apply for welfare and could get nothing due to her invisible, former, means of support. She tried to explain that she had survived by running up bills on her charge cards that she could not pay. She died in total poverty and without aid from any governmental agency.

  7. Re:What languages? on Emigrating To a Freer Country? · · Score: 1

    As far as freedom goes Canada might offer more freedom than the US does at this time.

  8. Re:Bush-era? on FBI Files a "Secret Justification" For Gag Order · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Maybe it is time to shut down the FBI for good. Back in the old days when they caught up with Dillinger or Baby Face Nelson we could all see the good that was done. But as they became more and more secretive we lack evidence that they justify the expenses of their existence. It is also next to impossible for the public to know when they are going to far as we are not free to know what they are doing at all.
                  As a matter of fact I was recently astounded that they had compiled a 900 page report on someone's mother. I believe it was Bobby Fisher's mom. After all we all know he is just a savage criminal who dared to play a game of chess in Bosnia when the US forbade it. They call that a felony. Our nation needs a doctor.

  9. Re:real children + real pornongraphy = ??? on Tennesee Man Charged In "Virtual Pornography" Case · · Score: 4, Insightful

    These laws were designed to prevent stirring the flames of child molesters. It wouldn't matter if the faces were photographed thirty years ago and the women gave consent to use their childhood pictures.
                      Frankly I am at the point of thinking that even if some of this type of art actually could be proven to cause the death of children at times perhaps it should still be allowed. After all, the food served at fast food joints or allowing people to use cars also cause deaths to kids and neither fast food nor automobiles are essential elements of life.
                      Social engineering is a slippery beast and logic is not behind the desired consequences that people feel must occur.

  10. Re:As I recall, about 2 years ago. SCOTUS on Tennesee Man Charged In "Virtual Pornography" Case · · Score: 1

    Even cartoons depicting children in sexual positions or nude can land you in prison in America. Normally I would feel that cartoons should be allowed but these days we are getting to the point that cartoons can be made that could not be separated from reality unless one uses technology to determine the nature of a film. Although we think of this as virtual reality it is in ways nothing more than a very real looking cartoon.

  11. Re:Interesting...and so's this! on Tennesee Man Charged In "Virtual Pornography" Case · · Score: 1

    How many people are betting that drugs caused that heart attack?

  12. Re:Human Size Ants on Beamed Space Solar Power Plant To Open In 2016? · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Then again perhaps we can use an albatross to lift this system into orbit as we certainly lack launch capacity for almost anything right now.

  13. Re:No way on The Worst US Cities To Work In IT · · Score: 1

    The problem with hunting and fishing in Alaska is that there is always a real chance that you will be the game. Bears think people are just yummy.
                    Then again the dangers from freaks in Miami, the stinking year round heat, the endless traffic jams as well as lower wages and higher expenses makes being eaten by a bear in Alaska sound like a reasonable idea.

  14. The RIAA Messed UP! on In Round 2, Jammie Thomas Jury Awards RIAA $1,920,000 · · Score: 1

    A huge jury award such as this one virtually assures that the RIAA will never get paid. In addition to grounds for appeal it also
    would cause almost all normal people into bankruptcy or simply moving to an area such as Florida where the debt would be next to impossible to collect.
                    Perhaps the RIAA values the publicity generated by such an award but it sure is the wrong way to try to get paid.

  15. Re:Headline Spin on British Court Rules Against Blogger Anonymity · · Score: 1

    Obviously the newspaper had to study the information closely and come to a conclusion as to the blogger's identity. An interesting conflict will arise the first time a mistake is made in exposing such a person. What if they have concluded his identity incorrectly? And how about a person's legal rights to prove that they are not the blogger if that involves exposing the real blogger?
                      Maybe these issues get twisted enough that the law should in no way get involved either in exposing or correcting the identity of an accused blogger.

  16. Re:Hey, ya know: screw the dumb stuff on IRS Now Wants To Repeal Cell Phone Tax · · Score: 1

    You can bet that both state and federal tax authorities will be intruding more than ever trying to find funds during these economic hard times.
                        As for remarks about public employees being paid low wages I suggest to you that in fact they are vastly over paid compared to non government workers in many areas of the US. For example many jobs have no benefits at all in the private sector. No retirement, no vacations, no medical care may be standard in many areas in the private sector.
                      And this private sector freedom has very serious regional impacts. I could show you an area in Georgia were almost every one gets a minimal Social Security check of about $700 per month or a few dollars less. In these small town areas jobs always paid really tiny wages and when folks reach retirement their checks reflect what they were earning decades ago. It is more than telling that states that have the worst poverty issues are conservative in nature. It is really hard to be more conservative than Mississippi and take a peek at the poverty in that state.

  17. Re:i'll be the first to say.. on Anonymous Newspaper Commenters Subpoenaed In Tax Case · · Score: 1

    Our nation has gone nuts. Currently the rule seems to be that if a person perceives words to be a threat then a threat has been made.
                    And that is bonkers beyond all reasoning. People may perceive absolutely anything. Their perceptions can be totally wrong and even worse these threat cases do not get equal standing in law. For example if you go to the local bar and you and another drinker exchange words and you state that you are going to punch his lights out you need not fear squad cars with flashing lights in your driveway.
                    Further there is no historical support for these "threat" type of laws. For example John Calvin preaching that anyone involved in the charging of interest should be tied to a pole and "sliced" surely made bankers rather nervous but the courts 300 years ago were not insane enough to put Calvin on trial for his beliefs.

  18. Re:The Real Problem (The Phone Companies) on Auto Warranty Robocall Scammers Busted · · Score: 1

    A few years back Fed Ex was in a similar position. They made a lot of money picking up checks and delivering nonsense objects for scam phone sales companies. The feds threatened to prosecute Fed Ex for conspiracy as thousands upon thousands of daily orders of this nature boosted their sales considerably. After that Fed Ex became more concerned when customers complained. The under current of all of this is that scam phone artists avoid using the US Mail as the postal authorities and federal prosecution are very effective if the mails are used for fraud.
                  The general point being that these phone scams always cross state lines and that gives the feds the ability to jump in if people complain to their senators and representatives as well as law enforcement. By the way scam companies usually avoid calling within their own state as then local police could easily get involved. The big snag being that local politics involves turning a blind eye as money and jobs are brought into the local community by stealing from people in other states. It is also not so rare for local cops to be paid off by phone sales companies.
                    Frankly I have little respect for the sales staff who steal so little. If they really want to steal they should at least be good at it. It's funny how out of work folks will quickly train to sell on the phone for $10. per hour and work their tails off for nothing. Maybe one in one hundred has the ability to really become a grifter.

  19. Re:Gravel roads are cheap but need more maintenanc on Broke Counties Turn Failing Roads To Gravel · · Score: 1

    I can see a huge advantage in the colder states. Obviously ice would be far less of an issue on a gravel road. I would also suspect that a grader could level gravels roads rather quickly so that maintenance isn't much of an issue.
                    But I also could predict that washing and waxing cars could be a really frequent chore as gravel tends to spray that chalky looking goo all over cars whenever it is damp.

  20. It's Time To Open Source Education on What Open Source Shares With Science · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why not free up the educational system and put K1 right up through the Ph.D. level of education as free, open source, tools available in towns as well as on the net. Education is simply a form of information. Let's get the for money players out of the loop.

  21. Orrin the Loonie Hatch on Senator Applauds Pirate Bay Trial, Chides Canada · · Score: 1

    Maybe we should just rename him Booby Hatch! This creep has been on the wrong side of almost every issue since the dawn of time. He is too old, too evil and just plain stupid so naturally he has some power.

  22. Re:How to beat a Child Pornography Charge... on Supreme Court Declines Case Over Techs' Right To Search Your PC · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Not only has the law gone insane in regard to a parent taking a photo of their kid in the tub the law has also gone insane on real sex offenders.
                For example Florida has a confined camp where offenders who have completed their sentences can be held for the rest of their lives. We also have two communities that have so greatly restricted permitted housing for former offenders that they are allowed to only live under a bridge as it is the only spot greater than 2500 feet from places that children gather.
                The crazy part is that molesters almost never offend near where they live as distance shields them from getting caught. The only exception being molesters who are attracted to their own kids or family members.

  23. Slow Decline? on Why Isn't the US Government Funding Research? · · Score: 1

    The decline of the U.S, relates directly to improved social justice. America was a power house when we had slavery and starvation wages for workers. We also had brutal policies in relation to foreign powers as well as our own American Indians.
                  But we pulled the five year olds out of the coal mines. We freed the slaves. We established a minimum wage and insisted upon safety in the work place. We toned down actions such as kicking the Mexicans out of the ownership of most of the American west.
                  And every time we improved life for the oppressed there was little thought that companies would have to compete with nations such as China and Russia that use slave labor. Our machine shop workers did not sleep next to their machines while another worker continued machining. Our Pullman workers did not starve to death on the job. And America declined.
                  It has not been a recent process. Our decline relates directly to justice and fairness for the lower classes.

  24. Sure You Can on iPhone Users Angry Over AT&T Upgrade Policy · · Score: 1

    Why should anyone suffer due to the absurd legal freedoms that allow all this pricing nonsense? One price to all people at all times supports the notion of equality and such a policy would bring prices down for everyone across the board. So you can blame companies for using all kinds of gimmicks in sales and stop blaming the little people on the bad end of the bargains.

  25. Re:Awesome! Wait, Children's Protection? on Internet Tax Approved By Louisiana House · · Score: 2, Insightful

    We don't seem to have a lot of molested children running about where I live. It seems like a fairly rare problem and in most cases that we do hear about it is a family member or live in boy friend that does the bad deed.
                      Frankly I can't see society spending much money on such an issue. I am aware that we have a witch hunt for sexual offenders. There is a city near my town that has all of its convicted sex offenders living under a bridge. That is the only spot in that city where it is legal for a released sex offender to live. Insanity is not the sole property of the mentally ill.