Well, Spain is always different. What happens here is that a company will pay the tax on domestic blanks no matter what, but not on ones bought abroad as long they can indeed show that they are used for anything other than music or video).
Predictably, the last domestic manufacturer is about to go bust.
Equally predictably, ~60% of the blanks on the market are fraudulent when it comes to having cleared the tax.
they won't have to pay the tax on the CD they burn
*Everybody* has to pay the tax, period. That is why it is completely outrageous.
Also, fair use and public domain DO NOT come with a price attached. In fact, they are the price society used to charge distributors (not creators) for doing business.
Let me first start by pointing out that BOTH the US and the EU subsidize their agricultural sector. This is indeed highly unfair to the Third World countries, has been recognized as such a while back by the WTO and those subsidies are in the process of being phased out.
In any event, there is a key difference: the EU subsidizes its citizen farmers, while the US subsidizes agribusiness corporations (which have taken over the "traditional American farmer families" a looooooong time ago).
Sentimental? I don't think so.
As for using GM crops in the Third World, first of all it's kind of the same ticket. The biggest benficiaries of that would be... the corporations that not only make the GM seeds, but have come up with a business model so airtight that in fact it allows them to successfully sue a farmer whose land is accidentally cross-pollinated by the wind.
Even if that wasn't the (extremely bizarre) case, I don't see why any country should be forced to accept imports of staple foodstuffs that have NOT BEEN TESTED in the long term. And even if it were forced to do it, I don't see why those foodstuffs shouldn't be labelled as such (which is a current fight going on between in the EU).
But even if all of this didn't matter, I still don't understand why I should get a clue about what I eat from a citizen of a country whose life expectancy is lower than mine's.
I am an adult Lego fan with quite an inventory of the stuff. This parent is right on the quality issue (and others on the thread pointing to low margins are also there).
Lego keeps on selling 1949 designs (basic lego bricks with ~11-year industrial patents) because nobody can beat them at their prices. Lego invests quite a bit in product design... but also in manufacturing design. Their systems are partly secret (and the company is 100% privately-owned).
There are clones that can *potentially* be attached to regular Lego, but their quality is glaringly inferior... although some are put to good use in "realistic" castle walls, depicting stones of different hues and textures. There are also extremely high quality non-official Lego-compatible components for Mindstoms, but those are another story altogether.
---
Want to buy cheap Lego? Try searching ebay for bulk lego (which can be washed with lukewarm water and soap). Keep an eye out for the (regular) Lego sales at toy stores, including the official online Lego store (which also offers bulk sales). Or use the new pick-a-brick Lego outlets. For specialized/hard to find parts Bricklink and Pitsco are your friends.
Option A: You leave the keys in the door and a friendly neighbor picks them up, snoops around and tells you about it when you come back.
Option B: You leave the keys in the door and the house gets robbed, vandalized and/or burned.
Option C: You do not leave the keys in the front door.
If you're not smart enough to go for C in the first place, you better be thankful to get A and not B. And if you're not, B might be just waiting to happen.
This is a widely available freeware version of the "Settlers of Catan" (Kolonisten) board. It is a network game with no A.I., but otherwise it is an incredibly adictive game (in any form, virtual or not). Simple rules, complex strategy, no violence.
The way this article explains the Yahoo Nazi auctions issue makes me very suspicious of the rest of the content.
Once again, let's explain that the judge in France reasoned that since Yahoo was serving ads targeted to French customers, it could also block those identified as French customers from accessing nazi sites that are against French law. It is not a case of censorship, but rather a case where the judge is saying: "if you are able to follow the law, then do it". Up until then, Yahoo had claimed it was impossible to figure out which of their customers were French. The judge consulted a panel of experts and they gave him the targeted ad clue. The judge never asked for an impossibility: to block all potential French customers from the Nazi sites, but rather block the ones you know or assume are French. Great spin action from Yahoo, but theirs was a very dubious ethical position.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, Spain is always different. What happens here is that a company will pay the tax on domestic blanks no matter what, but not on ones bought abroad as long they can indeed show that they are used for anything other than music or video).
... now wait a minute ...
Predictably, the last domestic manufacturer is about to go bust.
Equally predictably, ~60% of the blanks on the market are fraudulent when it comes to having cleared the tax.
So, yeah, everybody wins
they won't have to pay the tax on the CD they burn
*Everybody* has to pay the tax, period. That is why it is completely outrageous.
Also, fair use and public domain DO NOT come with a price attached. In fact, they are the price society used to charge distributors (not creators) for doing business.
Oh well, I guess I am old-school.
Actually, business runs on taking the upper hand, but whatever ...
If only *YOU* would get a clue ...
... the corporations that not only make the GM seeds, but have come up with a business model so airtight that in fact it allows them to successfully sue a farmer whose land is accidentally cross-pollinated by the wind.
Let me first start by pointing out that BOTH the US and the EU subsidize their agricultural sector. This is indeed highly unfair to the Third World countries, has been recognized as such a while back by the WTO and those subsidies are in the process of being phased out.
In any event, there is a key difference: the EU subsidizes its citizen farmers, while the US subsidizes agribusiness corporations (which have taken over the "traditional American farmer families" a looooooong time ago).
Sentimental? I don't think so.
As for using GM crops in the Third World, first of all it's kind of the same ticket. The biggest benficiaries of that would be
Even if that wasn't the (extremely bizarre) case, I don't see why any country should be forced to accept imports of staple foodstuffs that have NOT BEEN TESTED in the long term. And even if it were forced to do it, I don't see why those foodstuffs shouldn't be labelled as such (which is a current fight going on between in the EU).
But even if all of this didn't matter, I still don't understand why I should get a clue about what I eat from a citizen of a country whose life expectancy is lower than mine's.
I'm really excited about the future of Jashaka, but for now I stick to Wax (Win only, but more stable and usable than Jahshaka at this stage).
The empire that was Russia
I am an adult Lego fan with quite an inventory of the stuff. This parent is right on the quality issue (and others on the thread pointing to low margins are also there).
... but also in manufacturing design. Their systems are partly secret (and the company is 100% privately-owned).
... although some are put to good use in "realistic" castle walls, depicting stones of different hues and textures. There are also extremely high quality non-official Lego-compatible components for Mindstoms, but those are another story altogether.
Lego keeps on selling 1949 designs (basic lego bricks with ~11-year industrial patents) because nobody can beat them at their prices. Lego invests quite a bit in product design
There are clones that can *potentially* be attached to regular Lego, but their quality is glaringly inferior
---
Want to buy cheap Lego? Try searching ebay for bulk lego (which can be washed with lukewarm water and soap). Keep an eye out for the (regular) Lego sales at toy stores, including the official online Lego store (which also offers bulk sales). Or use the new pick-a-brick Lego outlets. For specialized/hard to find parts Bricklink and Pitsco are your friends.
>There are only 2 (serious) editing programs:
>Avid and Final Cut Pro.
I don't know about serious, but Zwei Stein is free and kicks ass.
I'll concede that it is oriented to the cheapo rather than pro market.
"On the other hand, if you share blame for it due to passivity, then you should be compensated less"
That is the point that I was trying to make. Thank you 8?)
Option A: You leave the keys in the door and a friendly neighbor picks them up, snoops around and tells you about it when you come back.
Option B: You leave the keys in the door and the house gets robbed, vandalized and/or burned.
Option C: You do not leave the keys in the front door.
If you're not smart enough to go for C in the first place, you better be thankful to get A and not B. And if you're not, B might be just waiting to happen.
Funny how insurers don't think this way.
Is this why nobody locks their front door when they leave their house / office / other type of venue?
Here's what the surface looks like
What's wrong with Lego Mindstorms (plus perhaps a miniITX to hook the Lego cam to)?
Here's an impressive machine: Eric Sophie's Jamocklaquat
And here is a fairly smart one: J.P. Brown's Rubik Cube Solver
Too time consuming? You mean as compared to reading/posting about robotic toy robots on the internet? 8?)
Well, yes
They back tracked
Not anymore
Why dont *you* read the thread?
there is enormusly huge difference between a movie and music cd
Not when it comes to exaggerating piracy figures nor when trampling all over fair use nor when lobbying for outrageous measures.
This is a widely available freeware version of the "Settlers of Catan" (Kolonisten) board. It is a network game with no A.I., but otherwise it is an incredibly adictive game (in any form, virtual or not). Simple rules, complex strategy, no violence.
Once again, let's explain that the judge in France reasoned that since Yahoo was serving ads targeted to French customers, it could also block those identified as French customers from accessing nazi sites that are against French law. It is not a case of censorship, but rather a case where the judge is saying: "if you are able to follow the law, then do it". Up until then, Yahoo had claimed it was impossible to figure out which of their customers were French. The judge consulted a panel of experts and they gave him the targeted ad clue. The judge never asked for an impossibility: to block all potential French customers from the Nazi sites, but rather block the ones you know or assume are French. Great spin action from Yahoo, but theirs was a very dubious ethical position.