You all speak of the consumer's right to "make an informed choice" but you forget that almost all consumers are uninformed.
My freedom includes the right not to have my right to consume better, genetically-modified food (as backed by actual science) ruined by the paranoia of a propaganda-fueled public.
Please explain to me why I should trust Joe Blow Consumer and his paranoid ability to ruin the market viability of my preferred product, because "his friends say it is bad" over the opinions of actual scientists.
Having certain social perception issues myself I often find myself having to specifically ask my coworkers to tell me if I am making them awkward, offending or upsetting them as often if they don't tell me, I have no idea and cannot correct my own behaviour.
This has already been going on in Canada for years.
The last time I was in college, almost all of my courses required a textbook with one of these codes. You did have the option to buy the codes separately, but the codes alone cost $50-100.
Perhaps you did not bother to read the comments thus far before opening your proverbial mouth. Allow me to rectify your willful ignorance.
First, nobody ever said it was the girl's phone. Perhaps Dad handed her his phone and said "Yes, you can play your game for a few minutes."
More to the point though, these games are often very subtle about how they get you to pay and buying something on a smartphone is the simplest process in the world. You hit a button, your card is instantly charged. And while the wording of a "buy premium stuff now" pop up might ring alarm bells with us mature folks - and even we miss it often enough - who can fairly blame a 9 year old for missing something designed to fly under the radar of most adults?
While I do not disagree with what you are saying, I would suggest having all of the facts before condemning specific people.
Well, it all starts with people getting the right idea. The more that we, the "early adopters" can spread the idea of safe, anonymous browsing and (if you'll pardon my poor sense of humour here) alter-net options, the better things get... and unfortunately we have to walk a fine line between scaring people enough that they're careful, but not so much that they're scared away.
All I mean is, it's a very old story. People keep acting like senseless violence was invented at about the same time as video games; it couldn't be further from the truth.
All throughout history there have been incidents of people - adult and child alike - drastically, physically overreacting to things. I remember two of my friends nearly going a few rounds over whether they were looking at a picture of the front or the back of a pokémon.
The BIG difference today is that we have an extremely efficient mass media system that just wants to shock your pants off, because sensationalism sells, and they have access to news from the entire world.
Consider where these kids lived and then try to imagine if you'd even have heard about this "back in the day" - then go back another 20-30 years and try to imagine whether THEY would have heard of it.
But because of our modern mass media, you're reading a story about one human being out of seven billion knifing another human being about seven billion - and asking yourself what's wrong with the world today.
Perhaps a better question to ask yourself is: what's wrong with ME when I apply the statistically insignificant actions of one person (again, one in seven billion, that means he represents 0.0000000000143% of the population) to an entire generation?
True enough. I'm not disagreeing that things need to change; far from it.
That being said... even if they're not perfect I'll take advantage of every anonymizing technology I can, because "the problem with TOR" is nothing compared to, for example, the problem with Internet Explorer.
We can certainly say all day that nothing is perfectly safe from the Feds if they really want you, but crying wolf is not constructive and serves little purpose.
On the other hand, I do have to admit to rather egotistically grouping myself into a very small percentage to which I apply the "not fool" label. I think - for now - it transcends age, though. Those who are of a certain mental bent and agility will continue to resist the brainwashing, because that's built into human nature, and as long as materials are still out there to study - history, more than anything - we'll know that it's not necessarily "supposed" to be the way we're told it's supposed to be.
No group in history has ever achieved any sort of freedom by sitting back and simply obeying the rules and working within the system, and revolutionaries are always found in the most unexpected times and places.
Slashdot Mirror
I posted this because the original didn't detail the relationship between the 2010 Pixels and the 2015 Pixels.
It may have been brought up in the comments, fair enough, but the comments aren't the story. Not even remotely.
I texted the story to a friend of mine before posting it here.... his comment:
"Whoopsie."
I'm still giggling half an hour later.
Actually, it's the exact opposite.
Anti-plagiarism software searches for the same content with completely different styles.
Writer identification involves searching for the same style amongst completely different content.
Most people in my own country of Canada haven't had unlimited data for years and everyone I know still has a NetFlix account.
Not that I LIKE not having unlimited data but it actually has not limited my internet use to any significant extent.
I, for one, am highly impressed that they only managed 78% with a 50 km margin of error.
That must have taken a real effort to be so inaccurate.
Protect us from having to evolve our business!
Links. Links to "all the data". Prove it.
You all speak of the consumer's right to "make an informed choice" but you forget that almost all consumers are uninformed.
My freedom includes the right not to have my right to consume better, genetically-modified food (as backed by actual science) ruined by the paranoia of a propaganda-fueled public.
Please explain to me why I should trust Joe Blow Consumer and his paranoid ability to ruin the market viability of my preferred product, because "his friends say it is bad" over the opinions of actual scientists.
I'm waiting.
This argument is ridiculous. I drive my car every day in the faith that it probably won't kill me, even though I know the possibility exists.
Having certain social perception issues myself I often find myself having to specifically ask my coworkers to tell me if I am making them awkward, offending or upsetting them as often if they don't tell me, I have no idea and cannot correct my own behaviour.
Relevant:
http://www.cracked.com/article_15231_7-reasons-21st-century-making-you-miserable.html
This has already been going on in Canada for years.
The last time I was in college, almost all of my courses required a textbook with one of these codes. You did have the option to buy the codes separately, but the codes alone cost $50-100.
So it's all right to flat out pretend that you can see the future, but if you do research first, it's fraud?
We generally call it a letter and a stamp.
Perhaps you did not bother to read the comments thus far before opening your proverbial mouth. Allow me to rectify your willful ignorance.
First, nobody ever said it was the girl's phone. Perhaps Dad handed her his phone and said "Yes, you can play your game for a few minutes."
More to the point though, these games are often very subtle about how they get you to pay and buying something on a smartphone is the simplest process in the world. You hit a button, your card is instantly charged. And while the wording of a "buy premium stuff now" pop up might ring alarm bells with us mature folks - and even we miss it often enough - who can fairly blame a 9 year old for missing something designed to fly under the radar of most adults?
While I do not disagree with what you are saying, I would suggest having all of the facts before condemning specific people.
Well, it all starts with people getting the right idea. The more that we, the "early adopters" can spread the idea of safe, anonymous browsing and (if you'll pardon my poor sense of humour here) alter-net options, the better things get... and unfortunately we have to walk a fine line between scaring people enough that they're careful, but not so much that they're scared away.
Sorry about that; I meant "yourself" as a generalization, not an attack on you specifically.
I'm trying to make a point, not start a fight. I know we're all fallible creatures. Otherwise, what'd be the point?
What I'm trying to say is that I'm against any individual or group blaming video games for violence.
All I mean is, it's a very old story. People keep acting like senseless violence was invented at about the same time as video games; it couldn't be further from the truth.
All throughout history there have been incidents of people - adult and child alike - drastically, physically overreacting to things. I remember two of my friends nearly going a few rounds over whether they were looking at a picture of the front or the back of a pokémon.
The BIG difference today is that we have an extremely efficient mass media system that just wants to shock your pants off, because sensationalism sells, and they have access to news from the entire world.
Consider where these kids lived and then try to imagine if you'd even have heard about this "back in the day" - then go back another 20-30 years and try to imagine whether THEY would have heard of it.
But because of our modern mass media, you're reading a story about one human being out of seven billion knifing another human being about seven billion - and asking yourself what's wrong with the world today.
Perhaps a better question to ask yourself is: what's wrong with ME when I apply the statistically insignificant actions of one person (again, one in seven billion, that means he represents 0.0000000000143% of the population) to an entire generation?
Nothing new about that, kids have threatened kids over possessions since time immemorial.
Someone getting beat up in school for their lunch money is pretty much a cliché now, it's brought up so often.
Never mind that, there's got to be something illegal about threatening someone with a knife.
True enough. I'm not disagreeing that things need to change; far from it.
That being said... even if they're not perfect I'll take advantage of every anonymizing technology I can, because "the problem with TOR" is nothing compared to, for example, the problem with Internet Explorer.
We can certainly say all day that nothing is perfectly safe from the Feds if they really want you, but crying wolf is not constructive and serves little purpose.
For the record, I've been reading things all day that may have put me in a reactionary state of mind, so I apologize.
Oh, I do more than think about it ;)
On the other hand, I do have to admit to rather egotistically grouping myself into a very small percentage to which I apply the "not fool" label. I think - for now - it transcends age, though. Those who are of a certain mental bent and agility will continue to resist the brainwashing, because that's built into human nature, and as long as materials are still out there to study - history, more than anything - we'll know that it's not necessarily "supposed" to be the way we're told it's supposed to be.
No group in history has ever achieved any sort of freedom by sitting back and simply obeying the rules and working within the system, and revolutionaries are always found in the most unexpected times and places.
What does this have ANYTHING to do with a series of Spaceballs quotes?
They must've overshot us by a week and a half!