Why is there this huge phobia about genetically engineering the human race? What is so wrong about seeking to be better than you are?
When people talk about humanity, the natural negative traits are often overlooked. Genetic engineering has great potential, for good and bad for the human race as a whole.
After all, we go to school in order to become better than we were - to expand our horizons, to be able to accomplish and learn new things. Through life we're taught that it's good to seek to better yourself, to always strive towards a higher goal. Hell, it's the American Dream!;)
Bettering ourselves is not a bad thing, but we should also keep our eyes open, vigilant for abuse of new techniques.
By not engaging in it, we're cheating both ourselves and our children, depriving them of a brighter future.
A brighter future is a good thing, but there's also greater potential for parents trying to live out their own dreams through their children.
as long as the benefits are spread to all, then genetic engineering holds the promise of a freedom from the myriad of inherited diseases that kill or cripple millions each year.
Very much so... it would be very nice to see the last of terminal illnesses like Cystic Fibrosis
the human race can thrive for ever...
I'm not diagreeing with you on this, but we should put some thought into why we want ourselves as a species to thrive forever... do we really add something special to the universe?
not trying to be a wet blanket, just pointing out the flipside
trying to stifle progress is a bad thing, but when we are messing with people's lives (be it via genetics or laws or our actions), we should take the time to think of why we want to do these things, possible repurcussions and of what things we'd like to prevent and/or be prepared for
It is for this reason that I think of DNA as merely being a blueprint. Just like the blueprint to a house, you can view it and see how it is supposed to be, but the houses environment plays a large role in how it turns out (method used to prevent water from coming in the basement, type of roofing used, etc.).
And just like a house, a blueprint doesn't give you an idea of what your home will be like. There's neighbours to take into account, internal and ever-changing style, the inhabitants and events/memories... and location location location *tongue in cheek*
not sure how all of those translate to people, but hey, I took the analogy and ran with it...
whether you agree with it or not, there is certainly unusual aspects about the case
one thing though that did raise my opinion of it a little more, was searching for the case by it's court name and finding very little in online news sites that even mention the existence of this case
while the "court reformer" may be biased against judges, he has in the past been right on this count
maybe he's wrong this time, but bringing a possibly suspect case into the public spotlight can only increase accuracy in the courts
the reason is not just unions, although many third world countries do not have unions, or health standards or safety standards
in addition to all of these factors, there is also exchange rates
so while a factory where you can lose your fingers or catch dysentery is probably cheaper to produce in (none of that needless safety equipment), the exchange rate of the country itself may have more of an impact on the budget
You said: Unions are being described in this thread as a mechanism for fixing a wage independently of the value of work.
But I don't see the connection between that and the comment you replied to.
Duff said: I'm not a slave, have a great pension plan (which is guaranteed by the state constitution) and 401k-like plan and am getting a free master's degree.
Union frindly laws were promoted by feminists, maxists and other clueless loosers in New York city after a garment fire killed 100 or so hapless young women. The laws were a result of hyseria, not reason.
hysteria? 100 women died needlessly in the Triangle Factory fire because they were locked inside a fire hazard. When the fire broke out, the women had two choices, to burn alive, or jump to their deaths from the 9th floor.
the fire itself may not have happened if adequate fire protection practices were used in the first place
basic rights you take for granted in the workplace did not exist back then
I am left wondering who has the right to www.oreilly.com.... Oreilly auto parts or oreilly publishing. The
same with www.apple.com.. Apple computers or apple records..
Under Trademark law, Apple Records would get in trouble if it started making computers under it's Apple name, and Apple Computers would get in trouble if it started making records under it's Apple name.
Domain names are not directly linked to trademarks though... so depending on who registers it first, I'm guessing apple.com could have just as easily been grabbed by Apple Records.
But as the etoy case shows, you can't just have whatever name you want just by demanding it, if the previous owner has a right to it.
Hells no, you shouldn't be able to get a free ride on the reputation of another company. If you want to use fuckmsn.com to speak out against MSN, that's protected speech. If you want to use fuckmsn.com to put up a bunch of banner ads that have nothing to do with MSN, that could easily be a trademark violation (especially if any of the banners are from competitors with Microsoft).
Typo sites cause monetary damage to the trademark holders because they take away hits. They cause monetary damage to the consumers whose time and resources are wasted. They cause monetary damage to society because they increase the transaction costs required to create informed consumers.
they take hits away?
if you typed the address wrong and didn't arrive at any site, it doesn't get a hit
if you then give up because you don't notice your typo, they still don't get a hit
if you arrive at the wrong site and retype the address correctly, they still get a hit, so does the typo-site
if you arrive at the wrong site and give up because you don't notice your typo, they don't get a hit
I'm not defending typo-squatters here, but that claim is just silly. If your visitors don't type your address correctly, you don't get hits.
Of course, just because you don't get hits doesn't mean it's the fault of a typo squatter, your site could just be unpopular...
parodies are pretty obvious. The content has everything to do with the name of the web site (i.e. www.f*ckedcompany.com sp?). To say that this case is about shutting doen parody sites is pretty shortsighted. That's just my 2 cents.
f*ckedcompany.com is a pretty obvious parody, but something more likely to be in danger from precedent cases are sites like monsantos.com (a parody of monsato.com)
My concern is that now I WILL be responsible. If I don't go to the trouble of chasing off the 'squatters myself, it could be construde as lack of due diligence(?) on my part and then I'm libel. If I didn't have legal recourse, then it wouldn't be my fault. Now that I do it is my responsibility to exercise it.
If a customer goes through the phonebook and accidentally calls an escort service instead of a clothing company because they have a similar name, I would imagine this can hardly be construed as the fault of the clothing company
logic would suggest it is similar in the digital world
of course if your trademark is being violated and you do nothing to protect it, you can lose it, just ask Lycra
Certainly not fair use, certainly intented to direct traffic from one intended destination to another, certainly something that dimishes brands.
I do not support typosquatting (as opposed to parody or protest) at all, but one thing doesn't actually make sense there...
if the traffic is not arriving at the original site because the address is a typo, that traffic would not have arrived there in the first place
if a company is being blocked from owning a typo address of their own website because someone else has registered it to capture typo traffic, I guess it gets messy, but it's not actually stealing traffic in a literal sense, as the traffic never arrived in the first place
removing typo squatters won't make people type any better than they do now
diminishes brands is also a bit of a stretch, unless they imply that they are the company in question, or have an affiliation
if (of course) you are Nike and have a typo squatter who has a protest site, this could well affect your brand, but is hardly in the same field as the porn squatters
If they didn't also region-encode classic old movies and movies with limited distribution, it might be a more plausible excuse. (Are "direct-to-DVD" releases region coded? Do they even exist yet, or is it still all direct-to-video?)
Excuses seem to be all the entertainment industry can give...
Australian consumers are currently suffering from an international cartel that restricts their access to digital versatile discs (DVDs). The cartel, headed by major film studios in agreement with the manufacturers of DVD players, has divided the world into regions. This ensures that DVDs on sale in Australia will only function on a DVD
player licensed for region 4 that includes Australia. The stated aim is to protect cinema ticket sales by preventing people viewing movies on DVDs in their homes before distribution to cinemas. The Australian subsidiaries of US
film companies have been requested by the Commission to explain their actions. It will then decide what action
can be taken.
Is there really a reason we get movies released here any later than other countries? does this form of crippleware actually stop piracy?
(e-gold tipjars) can also be a solution to the "Napster problem," IMO, since if you listen to Courtney Love and other musicians, they get far less than a buck for a $15 CD.
Slashdot Mirror
Why is there this huge phobia about genetically engineering the human race? What is so wrong about seeking to be better than you are?
;)
When people talk about humanity, the natural negative traits are often overlooked. Genetic engineering has great potential, for good and bad for the human race as a whole.
After all, we go to school in order to become better than we were - to expand our horizons, to be able to accomplish and learn new things. Through life we're taught that it's good to seek to better yourself, to always strive towards a higher goal. Hell, it's the American Dream!
Bettering ourselves is not a bad thing, but we should also keep our eyes open, vigilant for abuse of new techniques.
By not engaging in it, we're cheating both ourselves and our children, depriving them of a brighter future.
A brighter future is a good thing, but there's also greater potential for parents trying to live out their own dreams through their children.
as long as the benefits are spread to all, then genetic engineering holds the promise of a freedom from the myriad of inherited diseases that kill or cripple millions each year.
Very much so... it would be very nice to see the last of terminal illnesses like Cystic Fibrosis
the human race can thrive for ever...
I'm not diagreeing with you on this, but we should put some thought into why we want ourselves as a species to thrive forever... do we really add something special to the universe?
not trying to be a wet blanket, just pointing out the flipside
trying to stifle progress is a bad thing, but when we are messing with people's lives (be it via genetics or laws or our actions), we should take the time to think of why we want to do these things, possible repurcussions and of what things we'd like to prevent and/or be prepared for
It is for this reason that I think of DNA as merely being a blueprint. Just like the blueprint to a house, you can view it and see how it is supposed to be, but the houses environment plays a large role in how it turns out (method used to prevent water from coming in the basement, type of roofing used, etc.).
And just like a house, a blueprint doesn't give you an idea of what your home will be like. There's neighbours to take into account, internal and ever-changing style, the inhabitants and events/memories... and location location location *tongue in cheek*
not sure how all of those translate to people, but hey, I took the analogy and ran with it...
you're welcome
A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices. - William James
whether you agree with it or not, there is certainly unusual aspects about the case
one thing though that did raise my opinion of it a little more, was searching for the case by it's court name and finding very little in online news sites that even mention the existence of this case
while the "court reformer" may be biased against judges, he has in the past been right on this count
maybe he's wrong this time, but bringing a possibly suspect case into the public spotlight can only increase accuracy in the courts
the reason is not just unions, although many third world countries do not have unions, or health standards or safety standards
in addition to all of these factors, there is also exchange rates
so while a factory where you can lose your fingers or catch dysentery is probably cheaper to produce in (none of that needless safety equipment), the exchange rate of the country itself may have more of an impact on the budget
hiring celebrities to do their PR instead of improving working conditions for their employees
You said: Unions are being described in this thread as a mechanism for fixing a wage independently of the value of work.
But I don't see the connection between that and the comment you replied to.
Duff said: I'm not a slave, have a great pension plan (which is guaranteed by the state constitution) and 401k-like plan and am getting a free master's degree.
these I believe are the points Duff is making.
Union frindly laws were promoted by feminists, maxists and other clueless loosers in New York city after a garment fire killed 100 or so hapless young women. The laws were a result of hyseria, not reason.
hysteria? 100 women died needlessly in the Triangle Factory fire because they were locked inside a fire hazard. When the fire broke out, the women had two choices, to burn alive, or jump to their deaths from the 9th floor.
the fire itself may not have happened if adequate fire protection practices were used in the first place
basic rights you take for granted in the workplace did not exist back then
by not stating they are not associated, there's an implication of fraud there...
would parody sites be equally exposed to this?
I am left wondering who has the right to www.oreilly.com.... Oreilly auto parts or oreilly publishing. The same with www.apple.com.. Apple computers or apple records..
Under Trademark law, Apple Records would get in trouble if it started making computers under it's Apple name, and Apple Computers would get in trouble if it started making records under it's Apple name.
Domain names are not directly linked to trademarks though... so depending on who registers it first, I'm guessing apple.com could have just as easily been grabbed by Apple Records.
But as the etoy case shows, you can't just have whatever name you want just by demanding it, if the previous owner has a right to it.
Hells no, you shouldn't be able to get a free ride on the reputation of another company. If you want to use fuckmsn.com to speak out against MSN, that's protected speech. If you want to use fuckmsn.com to put up a bunch of banner ads that have nothing to do with MSN, that could easily be a trademark violation (especially if any of the banners are from competitors with Microsoft).
Typo sites cause monetary damage to the trademark holders because they take away hits. They cause monetary damage to the consumers whose time and resources are wasted. They cause monetary damage to society because they increase the transaction costs required to create informed consumers.
they take hits away?
if you typed the address wrong and didn't arrive at any site, it doesn't get a hit
if you then give up because you don't notice your typo, they still don't get a hit
if you arrive at the wrong site and retype the address correctly, they still get a hit, so does the typo-site
if you arrive at the wrong site and give up because you don't notice your typo, they don't get a hit
I'm not defending typo-squatters here, but that claim is just silly. If your visitors don't type your address correctly, you don't get hits.
Of course, just because you don't get hits doesn't mean it's the fault of a typo squatter, your site could just be unpopular...
parodies are pretty obvious. The content has everything to do with the name of the web site (i.e. www.f*ckedcompany.com sp?). To say that this case is about shutting doen parody sites is pretty shortsighted. That's just my 2 cents.
f*ckedcompany.com is a pretty obvious parody, but something more likely to be in danger from precedent cases are sites like monsantos.com (a parody of monsato.com)
My concern is that now I WILL be responsible. If I don't go to the trouble of chasing off the 'squatters myself, it could be construde as lack of due diligence(?) on my part and then I'm libel. If I didn't have legal recourse, then it wouldn't be my fault. Now that I do it is my responsibility to exercise it.
If a customer goes through the phonebook and accidentally calls an escort service instead of a clothing company because they have a similar name, I would imagine this can hardly be construed as the fault of the clothing company
logic would suggest it is similar in the digital world
of course if your trademark is being violated and you do nothing to protect it, you can lose it, just ask Lycra
IANAL...
Next there will be a legal squabble if you are the first to register existing URLs in newly open languages like Japanese or Chinese ...
this is an interesting point... is this a violation of trademark law?
it's a protest site
Certainly not fair use, certainly intented to direct traffic from one intended destination to another, certainly something that dimishes brands.
I do not support typosquatting (as opposed to parody or protest) at all, but one thing doesn't actually make sense there...
if the traffic is not arriving at the original site because the address is a typo, that traffic would not have arrived there in the first place
if a company is being blocked from owning a typo address of their own website because someone else has registered it to capture typo traffic, I guess it gets messy, but it's not actually stealing traffic in a literal sense, as the traffic never arrived in the first place
removing typo squatters won't make people type any better than they do now
diminishes brands is also a bit of a stretch, unless they imply that they are the company in question, or have an affiliation
if (of course) you are Nike and have a typo squatter who has a protest site, this could well affect your brand, but is hardly in the same field as the porn squatters
make your own fresh human from these instructions... or visit Earth and pick yourself up a free sample...
If they didn't also region-encode classic old movies and movies with limited distribution, it might be a more plausible excuse. (Are "direct-to-DVD" releases region coded? Do they even exist yet, or is it still all direct-to-video?)
Excuses seem to be all the entertainment industry can give...
Text below is quoted from this article
Australian consumers are currently suffering from an international cartel that restricts their access to digital versatile discs (DVDs). The cartel, headed by major film studios in agreement with the manufacturers of DVD players, has divided the world into regions. This ensures that DVDs on sale in Australia will only function on a DVD player licensed for region 4 that includes Australia. The stated aim is to protect cinema ticket sales by preventing people viewing movies on DVDs in their homes before distribution to cinemas. The Australian subsidiaries of US film companies have been requested by the Commission to explain their actions. It will then decide what action can be taken.
Is there really a reason we get movies released here any later than other countries? does this form of crippleware actually stop piracy?
no and no
he'll be published unfinished, like Pushkin. All his own work, not diluted by another's.
blame Celine Dion...
Could these possibly pose problems for the program?
(e-gold tipjars) can also be a solution to the "Napster problem," IMO, since if you listen to Courtney Love and other musicians, they get far less than a buck for a $15 CD.
it's called Fairtunes.com
what happens if it's cut? anyone have any idea? just curious