How are you going to legitimize taxing games on top of the normal taxes associated with a consumer product?
If you begin taxing a media type explicitly you will have lobbyists from the other media types rushing in to defend them becuase it will establish a precedent that will ultimately affect them and their bottom line.
Regulation is NOT for the benefit of the people. It may have been a long time ago, but that intent has been bastardized into a way for lobbyists to exert financial leverage against the government and to allow an easier creation of revenue generating mechanisms for the government. The government (read politicians) is not going to go out and begin to regulate something if it cannot either:
Get votes from doing so by creating "make work" jobs
Generate revenue from the regulation process
The possibility for games to be uniquely taxed does exist in a conceptual manner, but the reality of implementing such regulations with a Government body prevents it from actually happening.
How exactly would you regulate religion without leverage? How would one go and regulate a tax exempt organization? At most you can remove the tax exempt status, which will ultimately end in the organization incorporating itself. And we've done so well with regulating the behavior of corporations in the US. Ultimately, it would fail - and perhaps may even strengthen the position of the religous organization in the US.
As for Video Games, what do you regulate? The businesses that create them already self regulate content. The vehicles for their distro media has been standardized. The outlets for their sale have already been forced to impose taxes on the final product. The hardware it runs on meets FCC standards and most likely has an import tax applied to it.
Alcohol, gambling, and firearms can all be justified in their regulation because their is compelling studies that justify the reasoning behind it. Alcohol will hinder the development of children if introduced into their system too early. Gambling is associated with money, a resource most children don't have the skills or tools to generate. Also, gambling outlets most often serve controlled substances (alcohol) for free. Firearms carry a consequence with them so ultimate, that the ability to use them is regulated to keep them out of the hands of people who do not exhibit the skills necessary to make decisions regarding their use.
There is no overwhelming evidence that opens up the avenue to regulating video games or religion in this manner. While studies do exist, they are hard pressed to find physical evidence in abundance to make thier case. Hence, the process of regulating these things has not yet become worth the effort.
Because the first three can be taxed uniquely. Religious organizations in the US usually have a tax exempt status, no money to be made by regulating that. Video games are already taxed on a state level with sales tax.
I completely agree with keeping governemt regulationa out of certain businesses. A company can break a law, they cannot however spend a dollar that the consumer did not give to them.
No redirects, cloaking, link spamming, or hijacking for starters.
The white hat reference alludes to SEO people who do not try to stretch the definition of the product or servce they are optimizing a search for. White hats would rather have your site show up for relative terms that result in a conversion without employing techniques from the list above.
Black hats may or may not do this, but they also incorporate slimey practices from the list above.
The biggest problm with SEO is that people serch in many different manners. As a result what may seem like relevant content to one may seem like trash to another. This tool allows people to attach attributes to their content. I am just making an assumption here, but I believe that Google then applies a ontology algorithm to these attributes so that related data will be easier to find.
It's also possible that these attributes are directly mapped to common keywords in the main google index. This could facilitate an automated process of introducing new content to the main index with greater accuracy than allowing the spiders to do it. Currently things such as the "sand box" and link exchanges dirty the index in very subtle yet significant ways.
For example, I support the rights of Neo-Nazis, KKK, and other racists and sexists to speak their views. Doesn't mean that I'm pro-Nazi, KKK, Black Panther, Communist, etc... Matter of fact I disapprove of their beliefs to the point that if they ever attempt to impose their wanted order by anything other than speaking, writing, and voting, I'm fully prepared to lay my life down in opposition to them.
It does mean that I'm Pro-Free Speech.
I can't tell you how many times I have had to argue for free speech, free market, and personal liberties only to have my arguments twisted in an attempt to categorize me with the extreme viewpoints and actions associated with such things.
This seems to happen quite alot on/. too. The jumps in logic some people are willing to make just so they can "be right" are truly astounding.
To tie this back to GP post, the term pro-choice is an aggregate term. The word choice lends itself to many different scenarios and perspectives that could be had on the issue, their unifying concept being that the ability to chose should exist. A term like pro-turkey can really only be viewed as being for Turkey, whether that is the Nation or the Food.
The original idea that started this all was the term "market anarchism", which I agree is a really bad term in the marketing sense. To get more people behind the idea you should use a term with a more diverse meaning that would appeal to people with the same ideals and those with a more discerning vocabulary. Something like "market royal rumble" or "China" should do the trick.
Granted they're still very much a niche technology, but there are those of us who use them then regularly.
I use a laptop with a swivel touch screen, basically the same thing but I don't need the external keyboard. It enables me to do web work away from my office at home due to the different input. I used to use a regular laptop, but the smaller screen, the need for an external mouse, and the form factor were driving me nuts. I'm beginning to like it more than my Wacom tablet at home.
If anybody knows a resource showing how to set up a swivel screen laptop or Tablet PC for use as an input device to a workstation, I would greatly appreciate it. Basically so I can use it like my wacom tablet but with the image underneath it.
OT: Also in ATL. Roswell Rd and 285 - right behind Frankie's.
No, you miss the poiint. I understand that those groups can and should find those terms offensive. And at no point did I say the Irish are the only ones who are treated this way.
My point is that no other term on that list directly relates an ethnicity to a criminal, except paddywagon. That is my problem. It is so ingrained in American culture to equate the Irish with criminals nobody gives a shit. My original post still stands. If the term was "niggerwagon" or "chinkwagon" or "wopwagon" or "Japwagon" or "Wetbackwagon" there would be fucking riots. Quit attempting to shoehorn my complaint into a category it does not fit into. I am tired of being associated with criminals just as any other ethnicity who is unjustly associated is. I'm just not allowed to say it without having someone like you attempt to discredit my argument.
The big difference is you put criminals (more accurately suspects) into a paddywagon. The connotation is the problem.
Those lists, while amusing, do not deal directly with what ticks me off. It is generally ok in ALL circles in America to call that vehicle a paddywagon. No one even thinks it's offensive, just see your previous post if you disagree. I have to somehow prove that I have the right to be offended, and even then it's marginalized because I happen to be white. I must have oppressed a minority somewhere, so I get what I deserve.
My people's history never enters into the equation. I can make a pretty decent argument paralleling the oppresion in my family's history with that of any other oppressed peoples. Why am I not allowed to feel angry because my national identity is associated with criminals so casually that everyone thinks it's no big deal.
I'm going to do something that doesn't happen alot on/. - I'm going to say that I don't really understand how this affects me. I have a crappy little website where I do the typical rant and rave thing on any subject that I fancy to. During election times I like to call all of the canidates idiots and such and point out their shortcomings. You know, real mature stuff.
How does this affect me? Will I be told to stop if some political group decides that I have been funded to say such things? Will someone attempt to have my host locked down the domain during elections?
I am truly ignorant here and would like to know if I need to start saving money for a lawyer or not.
Is it because he has a copyright attributed to software released under the GNU GPL?
Or because he uses #999999 as his grey text copy on a black background instead of the prefered #CCCCCC which is alot easier to read?
Or perhaps because he's a spelling Nazi who has no concept of "culteral connotation" and wants to bitch about Americans speak, the whole while he uses a mainly British spelling of the word Peddler in his title. Talk about being a hippocrite.
Most people have a strong drive to conform to the standard. The reasons are too many to list. This will initially drive some people who had no opinion on the XBOX 360 to suddenly think it's cool, and desire one.
Also, when the mainstream media begins to run stories on XBOX 360's selling out everywhere, you will get nervous parents attempting to secure one in case their child wants it for christmas. Parents do not raise their kids these days, they appease them. All large companies selling to that target know this, and take advantage of it.
What's to be gained from "selling out" if the actual numbers are low? While MS can say they sold out at launch, they'd just be opening themselves up to a lot of headlines lambasting them. More than usual
This may be true in certain tech media, but probably not in the local news arena. These big conglomerate types do not like to pick fights with each other, as there are very serious long term consequences to such actions. That may also account for a significant number of stories being "squashed" by editors.
I really hate to say it, but gamer bloggers may be the biggest asset when it comes to outing Microsoft on this crap.
Sorry, defending your stance by saying your argument is less dilusional than mine is probably the biggest hint that it's worthless. Please stop responding with this tripe.
If you can point me to ONE case of this in the animal kingdom except for our species, rather than simply declaring that my logic is circular without demonstrating how, I'll gladly concede and go home with my tail between my legs.
I haven't been part of this debate, and I am not interested in making anyone go home with their tail between their legs. I would like some feedback on Army Ants. I certainly don't know if they try to exterminate species, but they do use sophisticated attack paterns to clear out whole areas for resources and food. They form "ant bridges" to make large distances easier to navigate. I'm interested in your feedback.
well if you've said that God setup the course and sent the ball rolling then there is everything deterministic about evolution or how else could God have designed us using evolution.
You infering things I never said. I never said that God set up the course, but I do believe that a divine entity may have gotten things started and left it from there.
Also, if god interferes with the daily lives, you do not as a result have intelligent design. You really have no idea what you are arguing against do you You have this idea in your head about what is and isn't and keep attempting to force outside factors to conform to it. That's not what science is about....there is also no evidence what so ever that God interferes with anything if so point me to a single, peer reviewed study that show the opposite.
Uhh, said this in my last post buddy, way to reiterate my point back to me as if it was your own argument.
Science is God, religion is fudd, because of my first and second points.
Wow, you sound like someone using the Bible to prove that the Bible is true. Bring a reference and we'll talk.
You seem to be picking random ideas and joining them together in a way that can only be done if something 'super natural' is happening even though they can be joined together in a way where nothing 'super natural' is required, you may as well make up anything you want and say it's true. You are not making a leap of faith you are accepting something that is completely irrational.
Please tell me where I am doing that. In my original post I offerd multiple different explanaitions that were not covered by the ID concept, nor were they dealt with by evolution. I am pointing out that both sides have huge gaps that fail to explain fundamentals of what they are arguing. Quite often zealots take this as a bashing of their viewpoint, which it is. Your persistence in proving me wrong when I have taken no real stance on the subject alludes to you being one of the people who just want to be right instead if uncovering the truth. I am not claiming to know the truth, but I am smart enough to realize that neither of these theories has it quite right yet.
Thank you for the references, they are quite informative.
The differing bottletypes would most definitely be my explaination to our differing opinion on plastics. Cultural and localized differences will always cause a problem if not disclosed beforehand, I probably should have stated those things before - I apologize if they drew out the topic uneccessarily.
Slashdot Mirror
... violent games 'have no place in Germany's bedrooms.
Yeah, cause thats where we tape people shitting on each other during sex.
If you begin taxing a media type explicitly you will have lobbyists from the other media types rushing in to defend them becuase it will establish a precedent that will ultimately affect them and their bottom line.
Regulation is NOT for the benefit of the people. It may have been a long time ago, but that intent has been bastardized into a way for lobbyists to exert financial leverage against the government and to allow an easier creation of revenue generating mechanisms for the government. The government (read politicians) is not going to go out and begin to regulate something if it cannot either:
The possibility for games to be uniquely taxed does exist in a conceptual manner, but the reality of implementing such regulations with a Government body prevents it from actually happening.
How exactly would you regulate religion without leverage? How would one go and regulate a tax exempt organization? At most you can remove the tax exempt status, which will ultimately end in the organization incorporating itself. And we've done so well with regulating the behavior of corporations in the US. Ultimately, it would fail - and perhaps may even strengthen the position of the religous organization in the US.
As for Video Games, what do you regulate? The businesses that create them already self regulate content. The vehicles for their distro media has been standardized. The outlets for their sale have already been forced to impose taxes on the final product. The hardware it runs on meets FCC standards and most likely has an import tax applied to it.
Alcohol, gambling, and firearms can all be justified in their regulation because their is compelling studies that justify the reasoning behind it. Alcohol will hinder the development of children if introduced into their system too early. Gambling is associated with money, a resource most children don't have the skills or tools to generate. Also, gambling outlets most often serve controlled substances (alcohol) for free. Firearms carry a consequence with them so ultimate, that the ability to use them is regulated to keep them out of the hands of people who do not exhibit the skills necessary to make decisions regarding their use.
There is no overwhelming evidence that opens up the avenue to regulating video games or religion in this manner. While studies do exist, they are hard pressed to find physical evidence in abundance to make thier case. Hence, the process of regulating these things has not yet become worth the effort.
Because the first three can be taxed uniquely. Religious organizations in the US usually have a tax exempt status, no money to be made by regulating that. Video games are already taxed on a state level with sales tax.
NdISaMur?
The names were a joke.
I completely agree with keeping governemt regulationa out of certain businesses. A company can break a law, they cannot however spend a dollar that the consumer did not give to them.
No redirects, cloaking, link spamming, or hijacking for starters.
The white hat reference alludes to SEO people who do not try to stretch the definition of the product or servce they are optimizing a search for. White hats would rather have your site show up for relative terms that result in a conversion without employing techniques from the list above.
Black hats may or may not do this, but they also incorporate slimey practices from the list above.
The biggest problm with SEO is that people serch in many different manners. As a result what may seem like relevant content to one may seem like trash to another. This tool allows people to attach attributes to their content. I am just making an assumption here, but I believe that Google then applies a ontology algorithm to these attributes so that related data will be easier to find.
It's also possible that these attributes are directly mapped to common keywords in the main google index. This could facilitate an automated process of introducing new content to the main index with greater accuracy than allowing the spiders to do it. Currently things such as the "sand box" and link exchanges dirty the index in very subtle yet significant ways.
For example, I support the rights of Neo-Nazis, KKK, and other racists and sexists to speak their views. Doesn't mean that I'm pro-Nazi, KKK, Black Panther, Communist, etc... Matter of fact I disapprove of their beliefs to the point that if they ever attempt to impose their wanted order by anything other than speaking, writing, and voting, I'm fully prepared to lay my life down in opposition to them.
/. too. The jumps in logic some people are willing to make just so they can "be right" are truly astounding.
It does mean that I'm Pro-Free Speech.
I can't tell you how many times I have had to argue for free speech, free market, and personal liberties only to have my arguments twisted in an attempt to categorize me with the extreme viewpoints and actions associated with such things.
This seems to happen quite alot on
To tie this back to GP post, the term pro-choice is an aggregate term. The word choice lends itself to many different scenarios and perspectives that could be had on the issue, their unifying concept being that the ability to chose should exist. A term like pro-turkey can really only be viewed as being for Turkey, whether that is the Nation or the Food.
The original idea that started this all was the term "market anarchism", which I agree is a really bad term in the marketing sense. To get more people behind the idea you should use a term with a more diverse meaning that would appeal to people with the same ideals and those with a more discerning vocabulary. Something like "market royal rumble" or "China" should do the trick.
"Hey Rodney, what's the name of that restraunt you like to go to all the time? You know, the one with all the goofy shit hanging on the walls?"
First, rise from the dead.
Damn, with an ID that low you must be Methusela or something.
Granted they're still very much a niche technology, but there are those of us who use them then regularly.
I use a laptop with a swivel touch screen, basically the same thing but I don't need the external keyboard. It enables me to do web work away from my office at home due to the different input. I used to use a regular laptop, but the smaller screen, the need for an external mouse, and the form factor were driving me nuts. I'm beginning to like it more than my Wacom tablet at home.
If anybody knows a resource showing how to set up a swivel screen laptop or Tablet PC for use as an input device to a workstation, I would greatly appreciate it. Basically so I can use it like my wacom tablet but with the image underneath it.
OT: Also in ATL. Roswell Rd and 285 - right behind Frankie's.
No, you miss the poiint. I understand that those groups can and should find those terms offensive. And at no point did I say the Irish are the only ones who are treated this way.
My point is that no other term on that list directly relates an ethnicity to a criminal, except paddywagon. That is my problem. It is so ingrained in American culture to equate the Irish with criminals nobody gives a shit. My original post still stands. If the term was "niggerwagon" or "chinkwagon" or "wopwagon" or "Japwagon" or "Wetbackwagon" there would be fucking riots. Quit attempting to shoehorn my complaint into a category it does not fit into. I am tired of being associated with criminals just as any other ethnicity who is unjustly associated is. I'm just not allowed to say it without having someone like you attempt to discredit my argument.
Sorry, but that's not the only reason.
The big difference is you put criminals (more accurately suspects) into a paddywagon. The connotation is the problem.
Those lists, while amusing, do not deal directly with what ticks me off. It is generally ok in ALL circles in America to call that vehicle a paddywagon. No one even thinks it's offensive, just see your previous post if you disagree. I have to somehow prove that I have the right to be offended, and even then it's marginalized because I happen to be white. I must have oppressed a minority somewhere, so I get what I deserve.
My people's history never enters into the equation. I can make a pretty decent argument paralleling the oppresion in my family's history with that of any other oppressed peoples. Why am I not allowed to feel angry because my national identity is associated with criminals so casually that everyone thinks it's no big deal.
Does living the first third of your life there count?
Yeah, what the hell is that?
Everyone hates us Irish until it comes time to pretend your Irish and drink green beer on St. Patrick's day, especially here in America.
Want proof?
"Paddywagon", hows that. If any other nationality or group was inserted into that term there would be a fucking riot.
Totally OT, but I hate this type of shit.
Thanks.
Off to waste the potential of my useless corner of the internet.
I'm going to do something that doesn't happen alot on /. - I'm going to say that I don't really understand how this affects me. I have a crappy little website where I do the typical rant and rave thing on any subject that I fancy to. During election times I like to call all of the canidates idiots and such and point out their shortcomings. You know, real mature stuff.
How does this affect me? Will I be told to stop if some political group decides that I have been funded to say such things? Will someone attempt to have my host locked down the domain during elections?
I am truly ignorant here and would like to know if I need to start saving money for a lawyer or not.
Is it because he has a copyright attributed to software released under the GNU GPL?
Or because he uses #999999 as his grey text copy on a black background instead of the prefered #CCCCCC which is alot easier to read?
Or perhaps because he's a spelling Nazi who has no concept of "culteral connotation" and wants to bitch about Americans speak, the whole while he uses a mainly British spelling of the word Peddler in his title. Talk about being a hippocrite.
Gimmie my prize!
Most people have a strong drive to conform to the standard. The reasons are too many to list. This will initially drive some people who had no opinion on the XBOX 360 to suddenly think it's cool, and desire one.
Also, when the mainstream media begins to run stories on XBOX 360's selling out everywhere, you will get nervous parents attempting to secure one in case their child wants it for christmas. Parents do not raise their kids these days, they appease them. All large companies selling to that target know this, and take advantage of it.
What's to be gained from "selling out" if the actual numbers are low? While MS can say they sold out at launch, they'd just be opening themselves up to a lot of headlines lambasting them. More than usual
This may be true in certain tech media, but probably not in the local news arena. These big conglomerate types do not like to pick fights with each other, as there are very serious long term consequences to such actions. That may also account for a significant number of stories being "squashed" by editors.
I really hate to say it, but gamer bloggers may be the biggest asset when it comes to outing Microsoft on this crap.
No, but higher property taxes tend to equate better schools.
Sorry, defending your stance by saying your argument is less dilusional than mine is probably the biggest hint that it's worthless. Please stop responding with this tripe.
If you can point me to ONE case of this in the animal kingdom except for our species, rather than simply declaring that my logic is circular without demonstrating how, I'll gladly concede and go home with my tail between my legs.
I haven't been part of this debate, and I am not interested in making anyone go home with their tail between their legs. I would like some feedback on Army Ants. I certainly don't know if they try to exterminate species, but they do use sophisticated attack paterns to clear out whole areas for resources and food. They form "ant bridges" to make large distances easier to navigate. I'm interested in your feedback.
Thanks.
well if you've said that God setup the course and sent the ball rolling then there is everything deterministic about evolution or how else could God have designed us using evolution.
...there is also no evidence what so ever that God interferes with anything if so point me to a single, peer reviewed study that show the opposite.
You infering things I never said. I never said that God set up the course, but I do believe that a divine entity may have gotten things started and left it from there.
Also, if god interferes with the daily lives, you do not as a result have intelligent design. You really have no idea what you are arguing against do you You have this idea in your head about what is and isn't and keep attempting to force outside factors to conform to it. That's not what science is about.
Uhh, said this in my last post buddy, way to reiterate my point back to me as if it was your own argument.
Science is God, religion is fudd, because of my first and second points.
Wow, you sound like someone using the Bible to prove that the Bible is true. Bring a reference and we'll talk.
You seem to be picking random ideas and joining them together in a way that can only be done if something 'super natural' is happening even though they can be joined together in a way where nothing 'super natural' is required, you may as well make up anything you want and say it's true. You are not making a leap of faith you are accepting something that is completely irrational.
Please tell me where I am doing that. In my original post I offerd multiple different explanaitions that were not covered by the ID concept, nor were they dealt with by evolution. I am pointing out that both sides have huge gaps that fail to explain fundamentals of what they are arguing. Quite often zealots take this as a bashing of their viewpoint, which it is. Your persistence in proving me wrong when I have taken no real stance on the subject alludes to you being one of the people who just want to be right instead if uncovering the truth. I am not claiming to know the truth, but I am smart enough to realize that neither of these theories has it quite right yet.
Thank you for the references, they are quite informative.
The differing bottletypes would most definitely be my explaination to our differing opinion on plastics. Cultural and localized differences will always cause a problem if not disclosed beforehand, I probably should have stated those things before - I apologize if they drew out the topic uneccessarily.