He may well have been a dick, and he probably could have diffused the whole situation, but that doesn't mean he isn't right, and it doesn't mean his bosses should be allowed to throw him in jail for following policies that could very well have landed him in jail for not following.
True. But it does mean that I and many others like me aren't going to get all up in arms about it, because most people don't feel sorry for dicks.
Does anyone really think that Apple hadn't already figured out who lost it already?
No. But when he starts applying for jobs (little j) next week, many potential employers are going to recognize his name (or find it when Googling) and think twice about hiring him.
My point is, we can all complain that banks are evil machines not caring about people, but we're part of the problem because we treat them like machines.
Woah woah, wait... let me get this straight. I *choose* to patronize a bank, enriching them through my custom. Now you're telling me, that's not enough? That I essentially have to bribe them for good fucking service?
I'm sorry, buddy, but that's pure, complete bullshit. I am their fucking client. It's their job to please *me*, not the other way around. Now, do these employees deserve to be treated with kindness, dignity, and respect? Yes, of course, just like every other human being out there. But I am not, and should not, be obligated to buy fucking flowers for the local bank branch manager just so that I get decent service. Hell, the very fact that you believe that's necessary speaks to their rank arrogance. It's utterly absurd.
I seriously doubt that anybody's contract at the bank says "Be sure to please Abdc1234." You have a contract with the bank, and the bank has contracts with its employees. Some, who take similar attitudes to contracts as you, think that they only have to do the bare minimum in order to get by, and that doesn't include kissing your rear end.
Now, as you mentioned, they do happen to be people. The fact of the matter is that people respond well to those who treat them well. If you were to "buy them flowers", they would probably put more effort into helping you. It's the way the world works. You can either toss out some more cuss words in an attempt to look cool, or get a clamp on your anger and realize that swallowing a bit of pride goes a long way.
Here in Australia, every bank I've been with offer similar services. You can setup automatic deposits into any other Aussie bank account, or to any service provider that provides billing through a system called BPay (all relatively-large companies do). These payments can be once-off, or recurring, and do not incur transaction fees.
Granted, I can't do it via cron with a shell-script, but I can do it. I generally don't give direct debit access to any company; I either automatically pay via this system (majority), or use a direct debit card (which uses the VISA network, and is identical to a credit card in its disputation rights, but uses actual cash rather than credit).
Same with Swiss banks. And, as a matter of fact, it's the same with my American bank. I think the GP needs to get out of the basement once in a while.
I have no information on the subject, but I would guess that the income tax rate has increased considerably since 1900. Also, if most Americans were self-employed, there were more businesses back then - did individuals have to pay income tax if they were self-employed back then? I do recall reading that originally, only the very richest people payed income tax at one point.
While an organisation may be too big to prosecute, the people in it never are. Crimes are commited by individuals and it's them who should be identified and prosecuted, not the companies they work for. The easiest way to do this is for the police to send a note (summons?) to the CEO listing the charges and stating that either he/she turns over the individuals responsible, or takes the hit themselves.
Should clarify the mind and make directors / VPs realise that they must take responsibility for the organisations they run id they want to keep earning the big bucks.
You had me until the "or takes the hit themselves". I'm hoping you mean "be arrested for obstruction of justice if you fail to cooperate" rather than "take punishment for a crime if you can't tell me who did it."
You're right on the key point, though: responsibility. Just as we want to take credit for our achievements (billions in profits) we must take responsibility for our failures (i.e. crimes).
IANAL, but I believe that in a U.S. civil case, they only need to "prove" it beyond reasonable doubt. So they don't have to prove that you were the only one who could possibly have used that network connection, but that you were the only one likely to have done so.
In your example: dynamic IP, well, the ISP has logs. Someone sneaking into your house? Not if the download was happening for a full 24 hours. Wireless AP: someone taking the effort to hack your WAP just to download films doesn't seem likely, does it?
Oh, and leave us not forget the forensic evidence when they subpoena your PC.
Not in my case. I download movies because I can, when I have more than enough money to pay for them. It's convenient, it happens to be legal in the country in which I'm currently residing, and so on and so forth. But I go to the movies *maybe* quarterly and have bought about 10 DVDs / VHS cassettes in my life, whereas I download that many in a week sometimes.
I'm not going to say that what the MPAA/RIAA is doing is right, but the counter argument that one suspects these people spend more money is, in my experience, self-justifying bullhonkey.
Try hanging out with adults then. I've never had, nor will I ever have a Facebook or Myspace account. I'm not into teen events and gossip so I just don't see the point.
Besides, I have an actual web site if anyone wants to contact me.
The problem that the libertarians miss is that the interests of the corporation align with those of the population very rarely. Somehow, it's not particularly reassuring when you are being exploited to know that the exploitation is happening very efficiently.
Err, that's different from government how? Most of what my elected politicians due is not to my benefit; they pander to the masses in order to get reelected and maintain their positions of power. Whether that happens to mean signing into law a construction project that no one except the workers needs, or just plain lying about something, it really doesn't align with my interests.
Thank you for being the only post I've seen here to actually point out that the article is BS. I've seen this floating around Facebook and other sources, and everyone seems to be (wilfully?) misinterpreting this as a violent games ban. It is not. It is the first step in developing such a bill, true, but nothing more.
The way I read it, the officers did not give contradictory orders; they gave orders that, had they been delivered at the same time, would have been contradictory. Get into the car; pause; get out of the car is stupid, but not contradictory.
You're writing an emotional response to the GPs clear and insightful explanation. The law was broken (stupid though it may be in this situation), and Watts was guilty of it. Allowing a jury to determine whether the law *should* be followed or not undermines the criminal justice system, and is a bad suggestion.
Now, I grant you, there's much about the system that needs to be changed, but you don't do it by tossing the baby out with the bathwater.
I would think that someone capable of finding his way to Slashdot should be able to RTFA correctly...... wait, never mind.
Given that this is Slashdot, allow me to clarify it for you: they have been working for him (one since 1990, the other since 1991) until as recently as the last 4 years.
The Swiss healthcare system, which in my opinion after 4 years exposure, is absolutely excellent, does not use a single payer system. Perhaps you care to redefine "the rest of the world"?
1) high speed rail: lack of demand in the US 2) French health care: heh. go try it. and don't forget the accompanying taxes. 3) Vancouver: I found Chicago pretty damn liveable too, back when I lievd in the US 4) JJ's nipple: meh. muslim head scarf bans in france. minaret bans in Switzerland. so on and so forth.
Well, a billion people eating rice will certainly produce a fair amount, that's for sure. Though honestly, you should probably do an analysis of other countries' excrement production as well, as your comment sort of implies that they're the only ones in the business.
Actually, here in Switzerland, they *do* replace it if you drop your iPhone in your G&T. I don't know why, but I walked in to the apple store to have a macbook speaker replaced and joked about them fixing my iPhone (the back of the case was cracked, very clearly from me dropping it). I was told, "sure, no problem". I was a bit surprised, explained how I had physically damaged the device, and the apple guy (I won't ever call them Geniuses!) told me the following.
"As long as it's under warranty, and if you bought it here in Switzerland, we'll replace it even if you drop it in the bathtub."
I have no idea why, but at that point, I stopped looking the gift horse in the mouth.
Oh, bullshit. Nobody would ever care if the story didn't get printed, and such a claim would never be taken seriously. Court of public opinion and all that.
I cycle about 15km a day (5500km a year), which is mostly to and from work, plus going to places at weekends. I weigh ~60kg, which puts me on the lower end of "healthy weight" for my height. One of my IT colleagues rows regularly, another belongs to a football team, another goes to the gym most days. Many others cycle or walk to work. There are only a couple of people I'd consider overweight.
I can only assume that you're American and that your relative tolerances for "overweight" are skewed as compared to the rest of the world.:)
So, when a criminal does his time, gets out, and can't find a job, your only response is, "It's your own fault." That's just stupid.
There seems to be a widespread belief that if you have a social problem, all you need to do is find somebody to blame. As when ex-cons can't find work: it's their own fault for breaking the law. Moral myopia aside, that just doesn't work out. If a criminal has no chance to "go straight" you're guaranteeing that he'll go on comiting crimes.
I didn't RTFA (no surprise, this is Slashdot) but one really has to wonder what sort of jobs he was looking for. There are plenty of jobs out there where a smart can get ahead, regardless of his past. Being a construction worker pay may not pay much compared to a security consultant (I should know, I've been both), but it'll put food on the table and gas in the car, even if you're a novice.
Frankly, when you've broken trust like he did for his original crime, it's unreasonable to believe that anyone's ever going to hire you again in a field that's built entirely upon that trust. Besides, you don't turn to crime and keep going to 27 million out of "desperation"; the right word in English is "greed".
Slashdot Mirror
He may well have been a dick, and he probably could have diffused the whole situation, but that doesn't mean he isn't right, and it doesn't mean his bosses should be allowed to throw him in jail for following policies that could very well have landed him in jail for not following.
True. But it does mean that I and many others like me aren't going to get all up in arms about it, because most people don't feel sorry for dicks.
Does anyone really think that Apple hadn't already figured out who lost it already?
No. But when he starts applying for jobs (little j) next week, many potential employers are going to recognize his name (or find it when Googling) and think twice about hiring him.
Xiaodong Li, lead researcher on the project...
They still make bullets out of lead?
Actually, they might be implying that the researcher is made of lead.
My point is, we can all complain that banks are evil machines not caring about people, but we're part of the problem because we treat them like machines.
Woah woah, wait... let me get this straight. I *choose* to patronize a bank, enriching them through my custom. Now you're telling me, that's not enough? That I essentially have to bribe them for good fucking service?
I'm sorry, buddy, but that's pure, complete bullshit. I am their fucking client. It's their job to please *me*, not the other way around. Now, do these employees deserve to be treated with kindness, dignity, and respect? Yes, of course, just like every other human being out there. But I am not, and should not, be obligated to buy fucking flowers for the local bank branch manager just so that I get decent service. Hell, the very fact that you believe that's necessary speaks to their rank arrogance. It's utterly absurd.
I seriously doubt that anybody's contract at the bank says "Be sure to please Abdc1234." You have a contract with the bank, and the bank has contracts with its employees. Some, who take similar attitudes to contracts as you, think that they only have to do the bare minimum in order to get by, and that doesn't include kissing your rear end.
Now, as you mentioned, they do happen to be people. The fact of the matter is that people respond well to those who treat them well. If you were to "buy them flowers", they would probably put more effort into helping you. It's the way the world works. You can either toss out some more cuss words in an attempt to look cool, or get a clamp on your anger and realize that swallowing a bit of pride goes a long way.
Here in Australia, every bank I've been with offer similar services. You can setup automatic deposits into any other Aussie bank account, or to any service provider that provides billing through a system called BPay (all relatively-large companies do). These payments can be once-off, or recurring, and do not incur transaction fees.
Granted, I can't do it via cron with a shell-script, but I can do it. I generally don't give direct debit access to any company; I either automatically pay via this system (majority), or use a direct debit card (which uses the VISA network, and is identical to a credit card in its disputation rights, but uses actual cash rather than credit).
Same with Swiss banks. And, as a matter of fact, it's the same with my American bank. I think the GP needs to get out of the basement once in a while.
After reading your first line, I was going to respond with "Why just corporate income tax? Why not the simplification of all taxes?"
However, it looks like step 2 is a good start in that direction. Being me, I'd add in two more parts though:
Step 3: flat tax. You know the arguments, and you're either for or against it. Frankly, I think any other system is unfair, but that's me.
Step 4: US taxes should apply only within US borders. As a resident in a foreign country, I shouldn't have to pay the US tax money.
Actually, it's usually the labor unions that put out the "buy American" crap, not the employers. There are some exceptions, but...
I have no information on the subject, but I would guess that the income tax rate has increased considerably since 1900. Also, if most Americans were self-employed, there were more businesses back then - did individuals have to pay income tax if they were self-employed back then? I do recall reading that originally, only the very richest people payed income tax at one point.
While an organisation may be too big to prosecute, the people in it never are. Crimes are commited by individuals and it's them who should be identified and prosecuted, not the companies they work for. The easiest way to do this is for the police to send a note (summons?) to the CEO listing the charges and stating that either he/she turns over the individuals responsible, or takes the hit themselves.
Should clarify the mind and make directors / VPs realise that they must take responsibility for the organisations they run id they want to keep earning the big bucks.
You had me until the "or takes the hit themselves". I'm hoping you mean "be arrested for obstruction of justice if you fail to cooperate" rather than "take punishment for a crime if you can't tell me who did it."
You're right on the key point, though: responsibility. Just as we want to take credit for our achievements (billions in profits) we must take responsibility for our failures (i.e. crimes).
IANAL, but I believe that in a U.S. civil case, they only need to "prove" it beyond reasonable doubt. So they don't have to prove that you were the only one who could possibly have used that network connection, but that you were the only one likely to have done so.
In your example: dynamic IP, well, the ISP has logs. Someone sneaking into your house? Not if the download was happening for a full 24 hours. Wireless AP: someone taking the effort to hack your WAP just to download films doesn't seem likely, does it?
Oh, and leave us not forget the forensic evidence when they subpoena your PC.
Not in my case. I download movies because I can, when I have more than enough money to pay for them. It's convenient, it happens to be legal in the country in which I'm currently residing, and so on and so forth. But I go to the movies *maybe* quarterly and have bought about 10 DVDs / VHS cassettes in my life, whereas I download that many in a week sometimes.
I'm not going to say that what the MPAA/RIAA is doing is right, but the counter argument that one suspects these people spend more money is, in my experience, self-justifying bullhonkey.
I don't know very many people without facebook
Try hanging out with adults then. I've never had, nor will I ever have a Facebook or Myspace account. I'm not into teen events and gossip so I just don't see the point.
Besides, I have an actual web site if anyone wants to contact me.
Let me guess - don't get contacted much?
The problem that the libertarians miss is that the interests of the corporation align with those of the population very rarely. Somehow, it's not particularly reassuring when you are being exploited to know that the exploitation is happening very efficiently.
Err, that's different from government how? Most of what my elected politicians due is not to my benefit; they pander to the masses in order to get reelected and maintain their positions of power. Whether that happens to mean signing into law a construction project that no one except the workers needs, or just plain lying about something, it really doesn't align with my interests.
Thank you for being the only post I've seen here to actually point out that the article is BS. I've seen this floating around Facebook and other sources, and everyone seems to be (wilfully?) misinterpreting this as a violent games ban. It is not. It is the first step in developing such a bill, true, but nothing more.
The way I read it, the officers did not give contradictory orders; they gave orders that, had they been delivered at the same time, would have been contradictory. Get into the car; pause; get out of the car is stupid, but not contradictory.
You're writing an emotional response to the GPs clear and insightful explanation. The law was broken (stupid though it may be in this situation), and Watts was guilty of it. Allowing a jury to determine whether the law *should* be followed or not undermines the criminal justice system, and is a bad suggestion.
Now, I grant you, there's much about the system that needs to be changed, but you don't do it by tossing the baby out with the bathwater.
I would think that someone capable of finding his way to Slashdot should be able to RTFA correctly... ... wait, never mind.
Given that this is Slashdot, allow me to clarify it for you: they have been working for him (one since 1990, the other since 1991) until as recently as the last 4 years.
The Swiss healthcare system, which in my opinion after 4 years exposure, is absolutely excellent, does not use a single payer system. Perhaps you care to redefine "the rest of the world"?
1) high speed rail: lack of demand in the US
2) French health care: heh. go try it. and don't forget the accompanying taxes.
3) Vancouver: I found Chicago pretty damn liveable too, back when I lievd in the US
4) JJ's nipple: meh. muslim head scarf bans in france. minaret bans in Switzerland. so on and so forth.
china makes shit
Well, a billion people eating rice will certainly produce a fair amount, that's for sure. Though honestly, you should probably do an analysis of other countries' excrement production as well, as your comment sort of implies that they're the only ones in the business.
Actually, here in Switzerland, they *do* replace it if you drop your iPhone in your G&T. I don't know why, but I walked in to the apple store to have a macbook speaker replaced and joked about them fixing my iPhone (the back of the case was cracked, very clearly from me dropping it). I was told, "sure, no problem". I was a bit surprised, explained how I had physically damaged the device, and the apple guy (I won't ever call them Geniuses!) told me the following.
"As long as it's under warranty, and if you bought it here in Switzerland, we'll replace it even if you drop it in the bathtub."
I have no idea why, but at that point, I stopped looking the gift horse in the mouth.
That, sir, is a hell of an anecdote.
Oh, bullshit. Nobody would ever care if the story didn't get printed, and such a claim would never be taken seriously. Court of public opinion and all that.
That stereotype is overrated.
I cycle about 15km a day (5500km a year), which is mostly to and from work, plus going to places at weekends. I weigh ~60kg, which puts me on the lower end of "healthy weight" for my height. One of my IT colleagues rows regularly, another belongs to a football team, another goes to the gym most days. Many others cycle or walk to work. There are only a couple of people I'd consider overweight.
I can only assume that you're American and that your relative tolerances for "overweight" are skewed as compared to the rest of the world. :)
I think you should hire a few people first, particularly ex-cons, before you go mandating how other people should behave.
So, when a criminal does his time, gets out, and can't find a job, your only response is, "It's your own fault." That's just stupid.
There seems to be a widespread belief that if you have a social problem, all you need to do is find somebody to blame. As when ex-cons can't find work: it's their own fault for breaking the law. Moral myopia aside, that just doesn't work out. If a criminal has no chance to "go straight" you're guaranteeing that he'll go on comiting crimes.
I didn't RTFA (no surprise, this is Slashdot) but one really has to wonder what sort of jobs he was looking for. There are plenty of jobs out there where a smart can get ahead, regardless of his past. Being a construction worker pay may not pay much compared to a security consultant (I should know, I've been both), but it'll put food on the table and gas in the car, even if you're a novice.
Frankly, when you've broken trust like he did for his original crime, it's unreasonable to believe that anyone's ever going to hire you again in a field that's built entirely upon that trust. Besides, you don't turn to crime and keep going to 27 million out of "desperation"; the right word in English is "greed".