AS soon as consumers get the option to "Pay less in cash" -- because "pay more with credit" is more emotionally troubling, then the real cost of Credit Cards can be visible.
They don't really pay anything, just the difference between accounts from other banks - -but they charge a hefty fee on retailers and charge interest (compounded) on consumers.
There are new options that charge less, and they will get more prevalent if REAL COSTS are factored in. Not allowing retailers the option to pass on costs was only a benefit to the credit card companies -- it doesn't really save you money over time.
We value your opinion about our Petition, but we cannot respond to it because it does not meet our threshold for action; 1) Petitions in the past that didn't involve emotional please like "save puppies from beatings" have been largely ignored. 2) Unless the petition is attached to a check from a major corporation, it is ignored. 3) You lack credibility. Everyone but the media and your press agent know you are owned. 4) We've already conducted a useless exercise in our civic obligations, responding to your empty response would be redundant. 5) The only point of this petition in the first place was more as a manifesto, to explain our actions when one of us goes on a killing spree one day.
Sure, there are a lot of gun crimes in heavily regulated states like New York. Have you heard of this thing called a car? Some people cleverly use them to drive down to another state, say Georgia, and then buy some weapons at a gun show, or out the back of a truck.
I'm sure a lot of guns are sold and reported stolen -- it's a business model.
So it isn't that NY is having more crime because of their tougher laws -- they have more gun issues because GA has lax ones. It's about the weakest link.
I'm glad you are having a good day with this whole thing, but you could have spent 30 more seconds analyzing this big flaw in your argument.
It's a pretty sad comment when you leave an opening and make a person from the Tea Party look good.
I'm just wondering how many shovel ready jobs would be required to pay off a Trillion Dollars. The idea of growing a market based economy with austerity is about like putting larger holes in a bucket if you have trouble moving water.
The Tea Party was designed as a distraction for the press and as apologists for Robber Barons. Then people just gravitated towards it because they thought they'd get a chance to beat up hippies.
This conundrum seems to be pretty simple if you think about "evidence" versus "a business model."
If the government tells you NOT to delete infringing content -- that doesn't mean you have to MAKE IT AVAILABLE. So it really isn't a contradiction for the government is they go after files that got a DMCA take down notice but were still available for download.
If they made the issue about "don't delete" and then penalize them for not deleting -- that's pretty stupid, and they've killed their case.
It seems strange that someone is actually getting paid to enforce laws and yet makes such really obvious mistakes. Such incompetence will probably embolden copyright violators.
Reminds me of the scene from Raising Arizona; "You just told me to Freeze, if'n I raise my hands, I'll be moving, and if I freeze, I can't raise my hands..."
When I read; large mining trucks I immediately thought how awesome it would be for geeks to take them over via SCADA devices.
Wow, the large dirt hill fights you could have. The swimming pools of snobby rich people, mysteriously filled in. Monster truck rallies interrupted by attacks of 7 story Mega Monster Trucks. The sheer coolness of surrounding WalMarts with huge walls of landfill waste.
"I'm down here at city hall, and it's absolute mayhem. A large truck, bigger than the building in front of me, is now rolling over all the toll booths, after dumping a huge pile of what must be a mouton of coal on the doorstep of Matty Moroun's estate."
I think the big problem with Libertarianism is that deep inside, they all feel exceptional. It's a young healthy fools philosophy. If they watch an apocalyptic future movie -- they know that they'd be the one heroic survivor.
Society and success in a post apocalyptic future would ACTUALLY demand cooperation. No single individual is as good as a team. A civilization like ours couldn't last by hunting the woods. Someone has to guard at night, someone has to grow something, and if someone can hook up solar panels and lights -- that society will have better chances.
We have it pretty good right now compared to "surviving" and that's because people specialize. We aren't all great at fixing a car or welding on steel bars to the "death machine".
Libertarianism has to be a byproduct of our own hubris -- the end result of lucky bastards who were born in a country that was founded by some of the greatest philosophers of their age -- against all odds or reason. Fortunate to be born into such an improbable and wonderful civilization, they quickly began to think God chose them as better than all the rest, and set about to undo all the good things that made us great. We only had about a 40 or 50 year period of widespread prosperity from this grand experiment, completely due to Socialism.
So a bunch of Straussians (Ayn Randians), stuck their heads up and realized since they were a tiny bit smarter, or healthier or a bit more of something, then they didn't owe anything to anyone else. Is this really a philosophy, or a support group for the ethically impaired?
So how do the roads get built through "voluntary" contributions? Bake sales?
There is a way to have a monetary system, pay for things, and have no taxes -- it would mean that Big Government prints money into existence based on some measure of growth, and hands it to people who invent and copyright -- supporting a free model for using intellectual property and a way to promote the creation of it.
However, the society would have to be Socialist, because the only way for such a system NOT to be abused, is direct voting and representation, and the elimination of capitalist cartels. But I don't see Libertarians ever suggesting any way to DEAL with a Libertarian society. The only reason this philosophy has been dallied with so long is we had enough infrastructure to cost on for a few decades.
Do I need to mention the power grid, the internet and plumbing? Or the need to re-balance Capitalism because it always ends up pooling money and collapsing?
There has to be OTHER kinds of Libertarians, ones that make sense.
Gold's value is only a reflection of the watering down of the dollar.
If the value of Gold goes down -- the stock market probably thinks a Democrat is going to get in office and pay off debts, maybe raise taxes. That increases the value of the dollar and thus gold falls.
Gold is a hedge -- and it's only a good investment if your currency is losing value. It gained the most while Bush was ruining the economy.
Your investment advice requires "market timing" and not needing the money when times are tough -- because that's when the buying opportunities are best; just after the suckers got fleeced. YOUR 401K will rarely do much better than an index fund -- and that's if your lucky.
What you just wrote about investments should be required reading for ANYONE thinking about "investing."
It's a rigged game. I also need to mention that FINRA is now a "joint venture" -- meaning the previous government regulatory body that did a piss-poor job but managed to capture Martha Stewart for insider trading while waiting for a decade for a token arrest of Maddoff, is now OWNED by the financial institutions. How do you think that is going to work out?
Just because someone has a marble entrance, and isn't on the FBI's most wanted list, doesn't mean they aren't a crook and you should steer clear. Wall Street is a racket and there are honest people working hard for very, very dishonest people who will earnestly tell you otherwise. Do your homework. Note that there isn't a 16 year period without a "bubble pop" that almost every singe institution involved (e.g., LIBOR, Fed, Ratings agencies, international banks, etc.) have been caught abusing their positions of power for personal gain and no real punishment has ever been meted out. It's like the Mob, but without the jail time or integrity.
A lot of slashdot people seem to leave their brains at the door when it comes to Apple. Just really irrational hatred going on.
Google was already dumbing down their Map app on the iPhone before Apple got into the mapping business. They wanted to charge for "turn by turn" -- which makes business sense for Google. However -- it's a big feature for people with smart phones, so Apple had to do something.
Just from a business standpoint, why would Apple let someone do the "Microsoft thing" to them again? MS had a sub-par Office app experience on the Mac and Apple had to beg for that.
Apple probably will approve the Google App -- but only after they've established their own a bit more. Having users become dependent on an app that is a strategic trojan horse for the competitor is never a smart move. They've spent billions acquiring and developing their own mapping solution and it's REALLY UNLIKELY they'll even break even on that investment.
If any competitor makes the major app and features on your platform -- you become vulnerable.
I think a lot of these comments about Apple -- on so many topics, ignore normal business practices. It's as if they invented Lawsuits, using Chinese manufacturing plants, and defensive policies towards major competitors. Grow up Slashdot, and stop talking like the ignoramuses you like to make fun of.
I think a lot of judges need this 8th amendment tattooed on their foreheads.
The Courts are NOT a method for guaranteeing a company profit, or "setting an example" the punishment for anyone convicted should be based solely on THEIR crime and the damages they've caused.
But Hell, this country is fascist in all but name and admission -- so let's quit pretending the courts care about doing anything but paying lip-service to our constitution. A few more years of electronic voting machines and putting in Corporate-friendly politicos, and they'll have enough stooges to amend this piece of paper.
Here's the best analogy I've seen to explain this Global Warming "input" and not necessarily "causation" in a way that even the deniers can understand it;
Do Steroids make home runs for Barry Bonds? No. But do Steroids help that single run turn into a homer? Yes.
Global Warming doesn't necessarily MAKE all the hurricanes dangerous. But higher ocean levels, warmer surface temps, disruption of weather patterns and more water vapor in the atmosphere intensify it and make extremes more likely.
Global Warming is like steroids; if your summer breeze is just chilling on the sofa; no home runs.
Other than Edison, who approached discovery like a factory and employed many people to whack away at the best filament for a lightbulb, I don't know off the top of my head any great geniuses that would fit this description of "sociopath".
I look at people like Einstein, Feinman, Jobs, Richard Branson, to name a few -- there are so many "genius" people in the arts, creative endeavors, science. It seems to me that Creativity and dreaming are #1. They also are a horny lot and even when they are single-minded, or very poor socially, they do have a huge compassionate streak.
I've always had the create part myself -- but not the discipline. Einstein was just really lucky he had any ability to function in a "daily routine" at all. His head was truly in the clouds. It was exceptional that he was able to describe his visions with math -- otherwise, he would have been just another dreamer.
But it doesn't matter how calculating or "smart" you are -- unless you have a mind that can visualize and perhaps look at things in a way nobody has before, the rest doesn't matter. I'm guessing compassionate people who've been isolated are going to develop the "discipline."
It sickens me to hear Psychopaths described as "mentally tough" -- not, they are basically brain damaged and are missing things that other people have. While it can help you in business -- it's only a screwed up system that allows this to take place. There's no "cheating" in science. The Universe doesn't care that you will walk over other people to find an answer -- you first have to have a clue.
Sounds like the author describing Genius is more a fan of fascists than humanitarians -- but I doubt one group has a monopoly on Genius.
I'm thinking they'd just show that "this device has not borrowed at all from Apple's market leading iPad, note the now standard icons, finger swiping and usability -- so unique!"
"Oh wait, no, we just showed you the iPad, here's the Galaxy tab, we're sorry we got confused ant thought they ripped us off." Then you show the exact same features, interaction and design.
If the Commercial were longer you could show the dreck Samsung was about to ship before they got Apple's stuff in their factory to reverse engineer.
Yeah, it was very likely to me that someone had this lady killed. There isn't much risk of criminal court going after the rich and powerful, but sex scandals seem to know no boundaries in our society.
I'm amazed by the alleged intelligent people here not getting how amazing such a device would be. How else are you going to play a game like Japan's; "Bedtime Hide and Seek Tentacle Hentai Sexy Robot Extreme"?
" You are getting warmer,... tee, hee. No, no, now you are getting colder. My robo-nipples cannot wait. tee hee."
There's a real problem with Godwin's Law when you are ACTUALLY dealing with fascism.
Did the discussion REALLY end because someone brought up Stalinist or Nazis practices? No. Someone started making the pertinent point here; many people are harmed casually because someone MIGHT be harmed who has money and power. It's like throwing out 80,000 votes and depriving citizens of their RIGHT, because you have a suspicion, someone might be voting twice illegally.
The RIGHTS of people need to be the sacred part here. We can get to your royalties, profit margin, and all that other nice stuff after we take care of Job #1 First.
Jesus H. Christ -- what you described is PRISON for 8 hours a day!
These kids aren't being trained to become well trained adults, they are being indoctrinated into how to pay for things with cigarettes or hide a shiv from the ever present camera.
Are you making the point that the MAIN PURPOSE of the device, to prevent truancy, is an absolute failure out of the gate, because someone will appoint a "designated driver" to carry their IDs -- or are you saying that Cops really are able to figure out what 95% of anyone on SlashDot could figure out to do; "Check the Alibi"?
Other than having a useless CSI situation, which would require video tape backups and man hours to look at them, I also don't see this happening unless the charge is murder. Police have the CAPABILITY to do a lot of things, but they don't. And if someone uses Genetic evidence, they probably don't realize a false positive is really, really easy because your DNA can travel across the country on a dollar bill (or so I've read -- not an expert). There just doesn't seem to be the resources or interest to look past the most obvious suspects, and after looking at the error rate on convictions with Barry Scheck http://www.innocenceproject.org/ -- I have to say that the "Confidence" of police far outweighs their actual performance. Since it's really, really expensive to defend and a Prosecutor has a lot of power, coupled with the "Confidence" of police sometimes fudging their testimony -- poor people are pretty easy to convict of most anything. Rich people nearly impossible.
We have 2.4 million people in prison -- mostly poor. 25% of black males will go through this system and lose their right to vote. Crack cocaine now has only 18 times the severity on punishment when it used to have 100 X while being about the same thing as Cocaine.
I'm just saying I'd much prefer schools deal with the social problems of kids, and spend money to MAKE THEM WANT TO BE AT SCHOOL, or maybe, just maybe, we level the playing field and hope that more job opportunity and higher wages means that mom and dad aren't so stressed out.
This school looks like a training ground for a future in a Police State. It's a symptom of the illness and not the cure. I don't want government or private industry to EVER have 100% fool proof tracking of humans -- they don't deserve that right and it's only going to be abused.
"Real life just doesn't always fit with people's idealistic views that all cops are stupid and/or lazy and/or corrupt." That doesn't seem idealistic to me, that seems cynical. But I figure that if I were an officer, and I was serving speeding tickets that did little to actually make roads safe from the "scared slow drivers", or busted drug abusers realizing that "people in affluent homes who NEVER get busted, go on from drugs and lead productive lives". Or that a lot of truancy is about stressed out families and broken neighborhoods -- because of the fat cats and the drug laws destroying them. I'd get pretty cynical. Being less "aware" is probably useful if you are an occupying army or cracking heads for a system that wants to fill more prison cells. Heck, I worked in financial services -- being blissfully ignorant of your role as a cog in the system is endemic to being a "success" in America. If you want to make the world a better place; get ready for a pay cut.
I don't think you are stupid or corrupt -- but I've seen the video of cops in flack jackets looking like future soldiers and spraying little old ladies with tear gas while nobody arrests Bankers who "misplaced" billions. A smart, honest cop seems an awful lot like a female abortion doctor voting Republican. More and more, we all choose between making a living and being part of a system that grinds people down.
Having some bastard in Texas propose such a system doesn't surprise me, but having it functioning, without a teacher who loves students and respects dignity not sabotage it at every opportunity DOES surprise me. Tracking people is probably a worse crime than what most of these kids are doing -- I consider it on the level of Gang Rape, and I don't trust people who are OK with it as a solution.
I figure the "more powerful" the names on that list, the less likely it will to be published -- as we witnessed with the DC Madam case and her "assisted suicide" two weeks before the court order was to be lifted and right after she went on TV saying; "the bastards are going to kill me for this." And of course it was assumed that NOT pub
Internal memos at Apple show that THEY HAVE TREATED the AppleTV as kind of a hobby project -- another extension of iTunes.
They aren't dominating the TV market because they haven't decided to until now.
There are dozens of ways an iOS powered device connected with Wireless (maybe using the upcoming 50Ghz standard) could make life much easier and fun for the TV.
I also have an XBox, and we don't want to pay for XBox live just to watch netflix, and we've watched about four movies on it. The DEMO seems promising, but it really doesn't have a huge assortment of content yet.
Google's offering is geekware and not ready for prime time.
>> No, the TV market is ripe for the picking, and I think you have a limited imagination if you don't know how.The major impediment is the kind of licensing that Apple managed to swing with iTunes. It's much tougher now to consolidate content -- but there is hope because groups like NetFlix and Blockbuster know their time is limited if the service providers end "unlimited" and get into the content business at the same time with things like; "streamed content from us doesn't count towards your bandwidth cap." Great -- they meter the internet our tax dollars paid for....
Basically, the greed and the coming "cap and trade" with video content is going to make more content providers go with Apple. The major impediment is bandwidth, as the carriers are trying to pretend it's limited. The solution isn't about a better device or gimmick or marketing -- whoever solves the "Smart TV" of the future problem is going to have to create an infrastructure that gets around the gatekeepers with their hands out.
Right, you NEED to read the bible to have an antidote.
Read it when NOBODY else is telling you what it means.
You will quickly find that Religious Nuts are clearly ignorant of MOST of what the Bible actually says.
For instance, Numbers 5:16 - 5:22, a Priest administers a "morning after drug" to induce an miscarriage, and adds in a lot of guilt-producing nonsense about "unfaithfulness will cause magic punishment" just to make sure that the abortion isn't going to be fun.
It's annoying to have religious-based abortion debates when Nunneries used to be places where wealthy women waited out their pregnancy -- and since the "first breath" was when the soul entered the body. Their abortion happened AFTER conception, and the walls of some of the european nunneries have been found to hold thousands of baby skeletons. Not saying that was right -- it's just an example of the expediency of Religion and gives perspective that "old fashioned values" need only be 50 years old for someone to think that a philosophy was the unmitigated word of God.
God used to be OK with killing disobedient children. Sleeping with the daughters (see; Lott). Massacring every man, woman, child and farm animal because you were killing the non-chosen people.
>> Once you get out of the wackiness and barbarism that is the Holy Bible, you get to the New Testament, with much nicer sensibilities.
You should definitely read the bible, but you need to read something irreverent in-between doses as there could be side effects.
Slashdot Mirror
AS soon as consumers get the option to "Pay less in cash" -- because "pay more with credit" is more emotionally troubling, then the real cost of Credit Cards can be visible.
They don't really pay anything, just the difference between accounts from other banks - -but they charge a hefty fee on retailers and charge interest (compounded) on consumers.
There are new options that charge less, and they will get more prevalent if REAL COSTS are factored in. Not allowing retailers the option to pass on costs was only a benefit to the credit card companies -- it doesn't really save you money over time.
Wasn't MOST of the fixed cost for building the infrastructure part of that $500 Billion Al Gore go the government/taxpayer to pony up?
So if their business model is paying for all these fixed costs -- when do we get our check in the mail?
We value your opinion about our Petition, but we cannot respond to it because it does not meet our threshold for action;
1) Petitions in the past that didn't involve emotional please like "save puppies from beatings" have been largely ignored.
2) Unless the petition is attached to a check from a major corporation, it is ignored.
3) You lack credibility. Everyone but the media and your press agent know you are owned.
4) We've already conducted a useless exercise in our civic obligations, responding to your empty response would be redundant.
5) The only point of this petition in the first place was more as a manifesto, to explain our actions when one of us goes on a killing spree one day.
Now I understand why the NRA is so apposed to limits on "Baby Seeking Bullets" -- it's a Constitutional RIGHT, dammit, and a hobby;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osgrd1MPb7I
The Mexican cartels buy their guns in the USA.
Sure, there are a lot of gun crimes in heavily regulated states like New York. Have you heard of this thing called a car? Some people cleverly use them to drive down to another state, say Georgia, and then buy some weapons at a gun show, or out the back of a truck.
I'm sure a lot of guns are sold and reported stolen -- it's a business model.
So it isn't that NY is having more crime because of their tougher laws -- they have more gun issues because GA has lax ones. It's about the weakest link.
I'm glad you are having a good day with this whole thing, but you could have spent 30 more seconds analyzing this big flaw in your argument.
It's a pretty sad comment when you leave an opening and make a person from the Tea Party look good.
I'm just wondering how many shovel ready jobs would be required to pay off a Trillion Dollars. The idea of growing a market based economy with austerity is about like putting larger holes in a bucket if you have trouble moving water.
The Tea Party was designed as a distraction for the press and as apologists for Robber Barons. Then people just gravitated towards it because they thought they'd get a chance to beat up hippies.
This conundrum seems to be pretty simple if you think about "evidence" versus "a business model."
If the government tells you NOT to delete infringing content -- that doesn't mean you have to MAKE IT AVAILABLE. So it really isn't a contradiction for the government is they go after files that got a DMCA take down notice but were still available for download.
If they made the issue about "don't delete" and then penalize them for not deleting -- that's pretty stupid, and they've killed their case.
It seems strange that someone is actually getting paid to enforce laws and yet makes such really obvious mistakes. Such incompetence will probably embolden copyright violators.
Reminds me of the scene from Raising Arizona; "You just told me to Freeze, if'n I raise my hands, I'll be moving, and if I freeze, I can't raise my hands..."
When I read; large mining trucks I immediately thought how awesome it would be for geeks to take them over via SCADA devices.
Wow, the large dirt hill fights you could have. The swimming pools of snobby rich people, mysteriously filled in. Monster truck rallies interrupted by attacks of 7 story Mega Monster Trucks. The sheer coolness of surrounding WalMarts with huge walls of landfill waste.
"I'm down here at city hall, and it's absolute mayhem. A large truck, bigger than the building in front of me, is now rolling over all the toll booths, after dumping a huge pile of what must be a mouton of coal on the doorstep of Matty Moroun's estate."
Great comment!
I think the big problem with Libertarianism is that deep inside, they all feel exceptional. It's a young healthy fools philosophy. If they watch an apocalyptic future movie -- they know that they'd be the one heroic survivor.
Society and success in a post apocalyptic future would ACTUALLY demand cooperation. No single individual is as good as a team. A civilization like ours couldn't last by hunting the woods. Someone has to guard at night, someone has to grow something, and if someone can hook up solar panels and lights -- that society will have better chances.
We have it pretty good right now compared to "surviving" and that's because people specialize. We aren't all great at fixing a car or welding on steel bars to the "death machine".
Libertarianism has to be a byproduct of our own hubris -- the end result of lucky bastards who were born in a country that was founded by some of the greatest philosophers of their age -- against all odds or reason. Fortunate to be born into such an improbable and wonderful civilization, they quickly began to think God chose them as better than all the rest, and set about to undo all the good things that made us great. We only had about a 40 or 50 year period of widespread prosperity from this grand experiment, completely due to Socialism.
So a bunch of Straussians (Ayn Randians), stuck their heads up and realized since they were a tiny bit smarter, or healthier or a bit more of something, then they didn't owe anything to anyone else. Is this really a philosophy, or a support group for the ethically impaired?
So how do the roads get built through "voluntary" contributions? Bake sales?
There is a way to have a monetary system, pay for things, and have no taxes -- it would mean that Big Government prints money into existence based on some measure of growth, and hands it to people who invent and copyright -- supporting a free model for using intellectual property and a way to promote the creation of it.
However, the society would have to be Socialist, because the only way for such a system NOT to be abused, is direct voting and representation, and the elimination of capitalist cartels. But I don't see Libertarians ever suggesting any way to DEAL with a Libertarian society. The only reason this philosophy has been dallied with so long is we had enough infrastructure to cost on for a few decades.
Do I need to mention the power grid, the internet and plumbing? Or the need to re-balance Capitalism because it always ends up pooling money and collapsing?
There has to be OTHER kinds of Libertarians, ones that make sense.
Gold's value is only a reflection of the watering down of the dollar.
If the value of Gold goes down -- the stock market probably thinks a Democrat is going to get in office and pay off debts, maybe raise taxes. That increases the value of the dollar and thus gold falls.
Gold is a hedge -- and it's only a good investment if your currency is losing value. It gained the most while Bush was ruining the economy.
Your investment advice requires "market timing" and not needing the money when times are tough -- because that's when the buying opportunities are best; just after the suckers got fleeced. YOUR 401K will rarely do much better than an index fund -- and that's if your lucky.
What you just wrote about investments should be required reading for ANYONE thinking about "investing."
It's a rigged game. I also need to mention that FINRA is now a "joint venture" -- meaning the previous government regulatory body that did a piss-poor job but managed to capture Martha Stewart for insider trading while waiting for a decade for a token arrest of Maddoff, is now OWNED by the financial institutions. How do you think that is going to work out?
Just because someone has a marble entrance, and isn't on the FBI's most wanted list, doesn't mean they aren't a crook and you should steer clear. Wall Street is a racket and there are honest people working hard for very, very dishonest people who will earnestly tell you otherwise. Do your homework. Note that there isn't a 16 year period without a "bubble pop" that almost every singe institution involved (e.g., LIBOR, Fed, Ratings agencies, international banks, etc.) have been caught abusing their positions of power for personal gain and no real punishment has ever been meted out. It's like the Mob, but without the jail time or integrity.
A lot of slashdot people seem to leave their brains at the door when it comes to Apple. Just really irrational hatred going on.
Google was already dumbing down their Map app on the iPhone before Apple got into the mapping business. They wanted to charge for "turn by turn" -- which makes business sense for Google. However -- it's a big feature for people with smart phones, so Apple had to do something.
Just from a business standpoint, why would Apple let someone do the "Microsoft thing" to them again? MS had a sub-par Office app experience on the Mac and Apple had to beg for that.
Apple probably will approve the Google App -- but only after they've established their own a bit more. Having users become dependent on an app that is a strategic trojan horse for the competitor is never a smart move. They've spent billions acquiring and developing their own mapping solution and it's REALLY UNLIKELY they'll even break even on that investment.
If any competitor makes the major app and features on your platform -- you become vulnerable.
I think a lot of these comments about Apple -- on so many topics, ignore normal business practices. It's as if they invented Lawsuits, using Chinese manufacturing plants, and defensive policies towards major competitors. Grow up Slashdot, and stop talking like the ignoramuses you like to make fun of.
I think a lot of judges need this 8th amendment tattooed on their foreheads.
The Courts are NOT a method for guaranteeing a company profit, or "setting an example" the punishment for anyone convicted should be based solely on THEIR crime and the damages they've caused.
But Hell, this country is fascist in all but name and admission -- so let's quit pretending the courts care about doing anything but paying lip-service to our constitution. A few more years of electronic voting machines and putting in Corporate-friendly politicos, and they'll have enough stooges to amend this piece of paper.
Here's the best analogy I've seen to explain this Global Warming "input" and not necessarily "causation" in a way that even the deniers can understand it;
Do Steroids make home runs for Barry Bonds? No.
But do Steroids help that single run turn into a homer? Yes.
Global Warming doesn't necessarily MAKE all the hurricanes dangerous. But higher ocean levels, warmer surface temps, disruption of weather patterns and more water vapor in the atmosphere intensify it and make extremes more likely.
Global Warming is like steroids; if your summer breeze is just chilling on the sofa; no home runs.
Other than Edison, who approached discovery like a factory and employed many people to whack away at the best filament for a lightbulb, I don't know off the top of my head any great geniuses that would fit this description of "sociopath".
I look at people like Einstein, Feinman, Jobs, Richard Branson, to name a few -- there are so many "genius" people in the arts, creative endeavors, science. It seems to me that Creativity and dreaming are #1. They also are a horny lot and even when they are single-minded, or very poor socially, they do have a huge compassionate streak.
I've always had the create part myself -- but not the discipline. Einstein was just really lucky he had any ability to function in a "daily routine" at all. His head was truly in the clouds. It was exceptional that he was able to describe his visions with math -- otherwise, he would have been just another dreamer.
But it doesn't matter how calculating or "smart" you are -- unless you have a mind that can visualize and perhaps look at things in a way nobody has before, the rest doesn't matter. I'm guessing compassionate people who've been isolated are going to develop the "discipline."
It sickens me to hear Psychopaths described as "mentally tough" -- not, they are basically brain damaged and are missing things that other people have. While it can help you in business -- it's only a screwed up system that allows this to take place. There's no "cheating" in science. The Universe doesn't care that you will walk over other people to find an answer -- you first have to have a clue.
Sounds like the author describing Genius is more a fan of fascists than humanitarians -- but I doubt one group has a monopoly on Genius.
LOL.
I'm thinking they'd just show that "this device has not borrowed at all from Apple's market leading iPad, note the now standard icons, finger swiping and usability -- so unique!"
"Oh wait, no, we just showed you the iPad, here's the Galaxy tab, we're sorry we got confused ant thought they ripped us off." Then you show the exact same features, interaction and design.
If the Commercial were longer you could show the dreck Samsung was about to ship before they got Apple's stuff in their factory to reverse engineer.
Yeah, it was very likely to me that someone had this lady killed. There isn't much risk of criminal court going after the rich and powerful, but sex scandals seem to know no boundaries in our society.
I'm amazed by the alleged intelligent people here not getting how amazing such a device would be. How else are you going to play a game like Japan's; "Bedtime Hide and Seek Tentacle Hentai Sexy Robot Extreme"?
" You are getting warmer,... tee, hee. No, no, now you are getting colder. My robo-nipples cannot wait. tee hee."
There's a real problem with Godwin's Law when you are ACTUALLY dealing with fascism.
Did the discussion REALLY end because someone brought up Stalinist or Nazis practices? No. Someone started making the pertinent point here; many people are harmed casually because someone MIGHT be harmed who has money and power. It's like throwing out 80,000 votes and depriving citizens of their RIGHT, because you have a suspicion, someone might be voting twice illegally.
The RIGHTS of people need to be the sacred part here. We can get to your royalties, profit margin, and all that other nice stuff after we take care of Job #1 First.
Jesus H. Christ -- what you described is PRISON for 8 hours a day!
These kids aren't being trained to become well trained adults, they are being indoctrinated into how to pay for things with cigarettes or hide a shiv from the ever present camera.
Are you making the point that the MAIN PURPOSE of the device, to prevent truancy, is an absolute failure out of the gate, because someone will appoint a "designated driver" to carry their IDs -- or are you saying that Cops really are able to figure out what 95% of anyone on SlashDot could figure out to do; "Check the Alibi"?
Other than having a useless CSI situation, which would require video tape backups and man hours to look at them, I also don't see this happening unless the charge is murder. Police have the CAPABILITY to do a lot of things, but they don't. And if someone uses Genetic evidence, they probably don't realize a false positive is really, really easy because your DNA can travel across the country on a dollar bill (or so I've read -- not an expert). There just doesn't seem to be the resources or interest to look past the most obvious suspects, and after looking at the error rate on convictions with Barry Scheck http://www.innocenceproject.org/ -- I have to say that the "Confidence" of police far outweighs their actual performance. Since it's really, really expensive to defend and a Prosecutor has a lot of power, coupled with the "Confidence" of police sometimes fudging their testimony -- poor people are pretty easy to convict of most anything. Rich people nearly impossible.
We have 2.4 million people in prison -- mostly poor. 25% of black males will go through this system and lose their right to vote. Crack cocaine now has only 18 times the severity on punishment when it used to have 100 X while being about the same thing as Cocaine.
I'm just saying I'd much prefer schools deal with the social problems of kids, and spend money to MAKE THEM WANT TO BE AT SCHOOL, or maybe, just maybe, we level the playing field and hope that more job opportunity and higher wages means that mom and dad aren't so stressed out.
This school looks like a training ground for a future in a Police State. It's a symptom of the illness and not the cure. I don't want government or private industry to EVER have 100% fool proof tracking of humans -- they don't deserve that right and it's only going to be abused.
"Real life just doesn't always fit with people's idealistic views that all cops are stupid and/or lazy and/or corrupt." That doesn't seem idealistic to me, that seems cynical. But I figure that if I were an officer, and I was serving speeding tickets that did little to actually make roads safe from the "scared slow drivers", or busted drug abusers realizing that "people in affluent homes who NEVER get busted, go on from drugs and lead productive lives". Or that a lot of truancy is about stressed out families and broken neighborhoods -- because of the fat cats and the drug laws destroying them. I'd get pretty cynical. Being less "aware" is probably useful if you are an occupying army or cracking heads for a system that wants to fill more prison cells. Heck, I worked in financial services -- being blissfully ignorant of your role as a cog in the system is endemic to being a "success" in America. If you want to make the world a better place; get ready for a pay cut.
I don't think you are stupid or corrupt -- but I've seen the video of cops in flack jackets looking like future soldiers and spraying little old ladies with tear gas while nobody arrests Bankers who "misplaced" billions. A smart, honest cop seems an awful lot like a female abortion doctor voting Republican. More and more, we all choose between making a living and being part of a system that grinds people down.
Having some bastard in Texas propose such a system doesn't surprise me, but having it functioning, without a teacher who loves students and respects dignity not sabotage it at every opportunity DOES surprise me. Tracking people is probably a worse crime than what most of these kids are doing -- I consider it on the level of Gang Rape, and I don't trust people who are OK with it as a solution.
I figure the "more powerful" the names on that list, the less likely it will to be published -- as we witnessed with the DC Madam case and her "assisted suicide" two weeks before the court order was to be lifted and right after she went on TV saying; "the bastards are going to kill me for this." And of course it was assumed that NOT pub
Internal memos at Apple show that THEY HAVE TREATED the AppleTV as kind of a hobby project -- another extension of iTunes.
They aren't dominating the TV market because they haven't decided to until now.
There are dozens of ways an iOS powered device connected with Wireless (maybe using the upcoming 50Ghz standard) could make life much easier and fun for the TV.
I also have an XBox, and we don't want to pay for XBox live just to watch netflix, and we've watched about four movies on it. The DEMO seems promising, but it really doesn't have a huge assortment of content yet.
Google's offering is geekware and not ready for prime time.
>> No, the TV market is ripe for the picking, and I think you have a limited imagination if you don't know how.The major impediment is the kind of licensing that Apple managed to swing with iTunes. It's much tougher now to consolidate content -- but there is hope because groups like NetFlix and Blockbuster know their time is limited if the service providers end "unlimited" and get into the content business at the same time with things like; "streamed content from us doesn't count towards your bandwidth cap." Great -- they meter the internet our tax dollars paid for....
Basically, the greed and the coming "cap and trade" with video content is going to make more content providers go with Apple. The major impediment is bandwidth, as the carriers are trying to pretend it's limited. The solution isn't about a better device or gimmick or marketing -- whoever solves the "Smart TV" of the future problem is going to have to create an infrastructure that gets around the gatekeepers with their hands out.
Right, you NEED to read the bible to have an antidote.
Read it when NOBODY else is telling you what it means.
You will quickly find that Religious Nuts are clearly ignorant of MOST of what the Bible actually says.
For instance, Numbers 5:16 - 5:22, a Priest administers a "morning after drug" to induce an miscarriage, and adds in a lot of guilt-producing nonsense about "unfaithfulness will cause magic punishment" just to make sure that the abortion isn't going to be fun.
It's annoying to have religious-based abortion debates when Nunneries used to be places where wealthy women waited out their pregnancy -- and since the "first breath" was when the soul entered the body. Their abortion happened AFTER conception, and the walls of some of the european nunneries have been found to hold thousands of baby skeletons. Not saying that was right -- it's just an example of the expediency of Religion and gives perspective that "old fashioned values" need only be 50 years old for someone to think that a philosophy was the unmitigated word of God.
God used to be OK with killing disobedient children. Sleeping with the daughters (see; Lott). Massacring every man, woman, child and farm animal because you were killing the non-chosen people.
>> Once you get out of the wackiness and barbarism that is the Holy Bible, you get to the New Testament, with much nicer sensibilities.
You should definitely read the bible, but you need to read something irreverent in-between doses as there could be side effects.