If you're so concerned with illegality, why not focus on those corporations who directly or indirectly benefit from illegal labor (and associated working conditions)? The prime reason we have illegal immigration (instead of simple and straightforward work visas) is because the 0.1% love having a pool of labor available who don't have to be treated lawfully. I have nothing but sympathy for undocumented/illegal workers, and nothing but loathing for the corporations and the wealthy who abuse them and who use their existance as leverage against citizens lawfully in the labor force.
I didn't say "pay TV monopoly". I said "local (monopoly) cable provider". I live in the Rockies, and there is a mountain between me and geosync, so no, I cannot watch GoT on Dish or DirecTV. My local cable provider, which most definitely has a monopoly on local cable, requires a 2-year commitment to get their discounted price on their basic package.
My point is that I would love to be able to call them up, say "I want to buy four months of HBO", give them my credit card #, and be able to view GoT as soon as it airs, which was what the story (incorrectly) implied I (or anyone) could do.
Where!?! I'll move! (And I'm only half-kidding.) Right now, to watch GoT when it airs, I'd have to subscribe to my local (monopoly) cable provider at their full rate (or agree to a contract for 2 years to get the service I only want 4 months out of the year), pay all their installation and equipment fees, pay an additional fee to upgrade my package, and then I can pay yet more in order to get the one channel I want. I would cheerfully pay HBO a good $25 or $50 a month while GoT is on to stream it on my media center PC, rather than facing the choice between torrenting it or having to dodge spoilers at work and from scattered family members for months until the DVD set comes out (and then having no one to talk to about it).
So, apparently shadowruns are a real thing now? I already knew William Gibson was just writing plain old fiction, but it still causes cognitive dissonance to realize I'm actually living in the dystopian future I read about back in the '80s.
His Imperious Majesty, Obama I, Jiber of Clingers, Giver of Phones, Closer of the Ocean, et cetera, et cetera has stated his preference for Black berries from the barbarian country to our north. He has no need for phones from the Orient, and thus neither do his subjects.
Oh, bullshit. In any "lightly regulated market" that has enough total cash flow to make skimming worthwhile, a few big players will band together to exploit their customers by any means possible. The only demonstrated historical countermeasures the public can take are 1) government regulation (of varying effectiveness) and 2) lynch the bastards. Since option number two is basically anarchy, which has other unpleasant consequences, humanity usually opts for some flavor of option number one. The American flavor of Libertarians consists entirely of idiots who can't understand this simple truth, or near-sociopaths who are convinced they'd come out on top.
One thing the Clinton Administration doesn't get nearly enough credit for - they put in some solid work helping to keep formerly-Soviet nuclear arms controlled.
Don't worry, this outbreak of sanity is only a temporary measure in response to Team Obama's abject failure to successfully market the Syrian Strike (tm) to anyone except the French government and Al-Qaeda. I'm confident that within a year, Team Obama will be back on the market with a whole new war. (Or maybe the same war with a different advertising campaign.) After all, what good is a former Presidential Administration without a small country's head on its trophy wall?
There ought to be other choices, but it's becoming that the only choices the corporations will allow are their complete mastery over the human race, or their destruction.
I've seen Southern Comfort in duty-free shops (100 proof, iirc). And I know from experience that the 80-proof vodka and gin they sell burn reasonably well.
They're awarded to the people who are still going to be destroyed for what they've done for humanity while the monsters perpetrating the obscenities against us all are going completely fucking unscathed. The villains are allowed to continue their gross abuses while we give the human equivalent of a gold star sticker to the guy who couldn't not scream.
Unfortunately, you cannot rely on the TSA to be reasonable. Try that same approach today and you will most likely end up missing your flight and loosing your gag-gift, assuming you don't end up jailed and charged.
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If you're so concerned with illegality, why not focus on those corporations who directly or indirectly benefit from illegal labor (and associated working conditions)? The prime reason we have illegal immigration (instead of simple and straightforward work visas) is because the 0.1% love having a pool of labor available who don't have to be treated lawfully. I have nothing but sympathy for undocumented/illegal workers, and nothing but loathing for the corporations and the wealthy who abuse them and who use their existance as leverage against citizens lawfully in the labor force.
As far at the Tea Party is concerned, this is doubtless a feature of their political tantrum, not a bug.
My point is that I would love to be able to call them up, say "I want to buy four months of HBO", give them my credit card #, and be able to view GoT as soon as it airs, which was what the story (incorrectly) implied I (or anyone) could do.
Where!?! I'll move! (And I'm only half-kidding.) Right now, to watch GoT when it airs, I'd have to subscribe to my local (monopoly) cable provider at their full rate (or agree to a contract for 2 years to get the service I only want 4 months out of the year), pay all their installation and equipment fees, pay an additional fee to upgrade my package, and then I can pay yet more in order to get the one channel I want. I would cheerfully pay HBO a good $25 or $50 a month while GoT is on to stream it on my media center PC, rather than facing the choice between torrenting it or having to dodge spoilers at work and from scattered family members for months until the DVD set comes out (and then having no one to talk to about it).
Jamie Dimon is Greek.
It's ironic because of Apple's long history of mocking Microsoft. C:\ongratulations Apple!
So, apparently shadowruns are a real thing now? I already knew William Gibson was just writing plain old fiction, but it still causes cognitive dissonance to realize I'm actually living in the dystopian future I read about back in the '80s.
Out of curiosity, anyone know how the U.S. adults who don't vote for a major party score?
His Imperious Majesty, Obama I, Jiber of Clingers, Giver of Phones, Closer of the Ocean, et cetera, et cetera has stated his preference for Black berries from the barbarian country to our north. He has no need for phones from the Orient, and thus neither do his subjects.
Ok, that made me giggle. Thanks :-)
Ignore billions in mortgage and other bank fraud, then go after the little people trying to make ends meet.
Yeah, they've been breaking badly lately.
Though somehow, I doubt Dread Pirate Roberts is about to become more powerful than the FBI could possibly imagine.
Who's 'we'? Big Pharma and Big Brother have indeed won the War on Some Drugs, while the American public have lost it.
Why was he even in the U.S. at all?
Yep. Unity pushed me (and every other Ubuntu user I support) right over to Mint.
Oh, bullshit. In any "lightly regulated market" that has enough total cash flow to make skimming worthwhile, a few big players will band together to exploit their customers by any means possible. The only demonstrated historical countermeasures the public can take are 1) government regulation (of varying effectiveness) and 2) lynch the bastards. Since option number two is basically anarchy, which has other unpleasant consequences, humanity usually opts for some flavor of option number one. The American flavor of Libertarians consists entirely of idiots who can't understand this simple truth, or near-sociopaths who are convinced they'd come out on top.
In the USA, your crypto software doesn't trust you.
Ah, that explains TPM.
Ah, but what if the NSA is just spending a few million(?) to make you think that?
Maintaining government power and authority is far more important (to the government) than getting things done or helping the citizenry.
One thing the Clinton Administration doesn't get nearly enough credit for - they put in some solid work helping to keep formerly-Soviet nuclear arms controlled.
Don't worry, this outbreak of sanity is only a temporary measure in response to Team Obama's abject failure to successfully market the Syrian Strike (tm) to anyone except the French government and Al-Qaeda. I'm confident that within a year, Team Obama will be back on the market with a whole new war. (Or maybe the same war with a different advertising campaign.) After all, what good is a former Presidential Administration without a small country's head on its trophy wall?
There ought to be other choices, but it's becoming that the only choices the corporations will allow are their complete mastery over the human race, or their destruction.
I've seen Southern Comfort in duty-free shops (100 proof, iirc). And I know from experience that the 80-proof vodka and gin they sell burn reasonably well.
Something about the irony of these prizes:
They're awarded to the people who are still going to be destroyed for what they've done for humanity while the monsters perpetrating the obscenities against us all are going completely fucking unscathed. The villains are allowed to continue their gross abuses while we give the human equivalent of a gold star sticker to the guy who couldn't not scream.
I'd mod parent up if I had points.
Unfortunately, you cannot rely on the TSA to be reasonable. Try that same approach today and you will most likely end up missing your flight and loosing your gag-gift, assuming you don't end up jailed and charged.