These idiots (and just about every other major provider) has taken incentives from the government to grow their broadband networks. What've we gotten out of it?
Higher bills. Bandwidth caps. If we're lucky, single-digit megabit (or less) connections being defined as "broadband". The connectivity providers trying to shake down content providers. And a bunch of cock-mongering suits voting themselves massive bonuses and pay raises with the money that was supposed to be used to build/expand/improve their network infrastructure.
And how many thousands or millions of subscribers are paying these people how many millions a year for this shoddy, ass-tastic service? And they can't even do it right.
It's not as if Netflix is bombarding their network with spam or other unwanted traffic. ALL traffic from Netflix is at the request of the conectivity providers' customers.
So why the hell are they willingly trying to cripple or shake down these content providers? THAT IS NOT WHAT WE ARE PAYING THEM FOR!
And a ponzi scheme always needs an increasing amount of money to keep going (ie next year more $$ needs to go in than last year). That doesn't seem to be a feature of the Bitcoin ecosystem.
Really? Currently you have a virtually generated currency system that hasn't reached it's maximum number of coins generated.
So yes, you have an increasing number of BTC coming into the system.
You also have all these sucker^H^H^H^interested individuals helping to bloat the "value" of BTC in the short term.
Plus sideline of space heater (BTC mining rig) sales.
And remember that ponzi schemes always, eventually, crash. As they eventually run into a situation where people inevitably want to cash out faster than there is new money coming in.
The same thing will (and it could be successfully argued, IS) happen here as well.
Yet you can go to your bank any time and be guaranteed payout in real dollars. And you have near-zero chance of being screwed over the way these people are by collapsing exchanges. How likely is it that the US (and thus FDIC) are going to collapse tomorrow, or next week, or a year from now? Maybe there's a chance of it happening, but your chance of getting hit by lightning while simultaneously winning the lottery is better. How likely is it that one or more of these exchanges is going to fold up and disappear with any funds you may have invested (dollars or BTC). Judging on recent trends, the probability is a HELL of a lot closer to One than it is to Zero.
BTC itself is a Ponzi scheme. Exchanges are confidence scams.
Can people make money in both situations? SURE! Just don't fool yourself as to what you're doing.
Yes, the US controls ICANN. I can think of a lot of organizations that'd handle it a LOT worse!
The UN? Pfft. PLEASE. Probably the most spineless, useless organization extant (aside from various RIAA and MPAA type entities). The Federal Dictatorship of Bumfuckistan demands that all sites containing mentions of *INSERT HERE* be taken down! They infringe upon our national and religious beliefs and are an insult! *UN stops slurping cock for half a second* Okay!
Could you imagine some jackass kleptocrats like Nicolas Maduro, Putin or Cristina Kirchner calling the shots? Or worse. China and North Korea?
I may not trust my government (and anyone who does, nowadays, is an idiot), but I HONESTLY don't see a better candidate out there.
I have both (and am sneaking in at the end of the month at the current $79 price for my renewal). The Netflix streaming player is much more mature than the Amazon streaming player (Amazon's is basically a half-step up from YouTube). Netflix will save my spot and I can get miniscreen previews as I'm selecting where I want to be in a film. But Netflix can be tetchy at times. Trying to manually pick a time point in a film in short succession usually winds up leading to an endlessly pre-buffering scenario until I refresh the tab.
The shipping is nice though, for when I order things.
With Netflix, if they don't stream what I want, I have to waste time with shipping a DVD. With Amazon, they have a decent amount of content available for free, and if I want more, I can purchase (or in some cases rent).
NCSoft has a nasty habit of killing off properties on short notice and then squatting the IP pretty much forever.
Now, I'm realistic enough to understand that all these games are going to close at some point. It doesn't change the fact that NCSoft killed the game that kept their US division afloat, then reformulated the division after stripping the coffers bare.
And there WERE efforts made to purchase the game outright. NCSoft didn't meet with them and decide the deal wouldn't work. They just ignored it. Flat out.
A company that tone-deaf to their player base is a company I simply refuse to give my money to. Sure, it sucks for the studios that built these other games. But they're the ones who sold their souls to this publisher.
I still think that NCSoft is somehow convinced that a bunch of ex-WoW guys are going to build a WoW-killer. If so, they're nuts.
Are we supposed to feel bad that Apple only made X-Billion instead of (X+Y)-Billion?
They took tech that existed well before their implementation and jumped out front. Should they be allowed to tell the rest of the market that they simply can't do the same obvious thing because they did it first?
Touchscreen technology was only just at the point where this stuff was feasible for such applications. Again, most of the tech was already there, it was waiting for a key piece (which wasn't Apple's) to catch up.
Ok... Karma to burn. The design overall was sufficiently unique to the market; it may not have been *patent worthy*, but is it deserving of some level of protection?
Maybe. Maybe the people writing the white paper don't understand what "cash" is and how it's used and processed in practice.
In actual use, BTC functions as a commodity rather than a currency. Value of BTC isn't intrinsic to BTC. It's valuation emerges only during conversion to standard currencies.
That's the thing, the design was NOT unique. It was an obvious modification of an existing paradigm brought about by the touch interface itself. The iOS interface isn't a revolution. It's an evolution with sexy window dressings and a bunch of self-important turtleneckers crowing about how INVENTIVE they are.
I really REALLY wish people would stop saying this. They're not. The way the Bitcoin system works, they're more like commodities. Granted, some businesses have allowed you to pay for things with said fractional commodities, but still. At some point, an actual cash value has to be determined before you can actually SPEND them.
They had half a billion dollars worth of bitcoins, a "currency" which is extremely hard to track and ridiculously easy to steal if you have the keys to the city. Stealing half a billion dollars (without being a bank) requires a truck and some heavy lifting.
Oh come on. Here is a story about a single person stealing about 7billions worth without Bitcoins, trucks and heavy lifting.
You apparently missed his "without being a bank" qualifier.
Baiscally the phone companies seem to want one's cellular bill to hover around the "magical" $100/month.
You can get 2, 3 , even 4 lines for $100/month.
But try to get a $25-35 plan for a single line? Pfft. Yeah, right. Like that was going to happen.
And Sprint is trying to upsell my company. We're grandfathered into a plan with no data caps. They keep trying to sell us a plan that's just SLIGHTLY above our current data usage (and we know our data usage is only increasing). The grand total savings? $7/month. They've been told in polite, but no uncertain terms that we'll be keeping our current plan.
Was at a client's site last week. She got a bill for $380 for two "business phone lines"! Two frickin' lines!
She called AT&T and they "generously" offered to bring it down to $150/month if she bundled in DSL. For two freaking POTS lines!
She's already on Comcast and already has a phone line through them. I told her to contact Comcast and have them tack on two phone lines. Total price increase. $-310 a month.
Slashdot Mirror
So we can pay even MORE to be glassholes?
Pass.
These idiots (and just about every other major provider) has taken incentives from the government to grow their broadband networks.
What've we gotten out of it?
Higher bills.
Bandwidth caps.
If we're lucky, single-digit megabit (or less) connections being defined as "broadband".
The connectivity providers trying to shake down content providers.
And a bunch of cock-mongering suits voting themselves massive bonuses and pay raises with the money that was supposed to be used to build/expand/improve their network infrastructure.
And how many thousands or millions of subscribers are paying these people how many millions a year for this shoddy, ass-tastic service?
And they can't even do it right.
It's not as if Netflix is bombarding their network with spam or other unwanted traffic.
ALL traffic from Netflix is at the request of the conectivity providers' customers.
So why the hell are they willingly trying to cripple or shake down these content providers? THAT IS NOT WHAT WE ARE PAYING THEM FOR!
The exchanges dying is good for bitcoin, because the bad ones will be replaced by more solid and upright entities.
Your "faith" is admirable.
Reality seldom works this way in an unregulated market though.
And a ponzi scheme always needs an increasing amount of money to keep going (ie next year more $$ needs to go in than last year). That doesn't seem to be a feature of the Bitcoin ecosystem.
Really? Currently you have a virtually generated currency system that hasn't reached it's maximum number of coins generated.
So yes, you have an increasing number of BTC coming into the system.
You also have all these sucker^H^H^H^interested individuals helping to bloat the "value" of BTC in the short term.
Plus sideline of space heater (BTC mining rig) sales.
And remember that ponzi schemes always, eventually, crash. As they eventually run into a situation where people inevitably want to cash out faster than there is new money coming in.
The same thing will (and it could be successfully argued, IS) happen here as well.
Sorry, but if you want to spread idiocy, spread it on your own time and your own dime. If you can't hack that, don't whine about "equal time".
No. Seriously?
I can see 20-40 tabs. But 150?
Yet you can go to your bank any time and be guaranteed payout in real dollars.
And you have near-zero chance of being screwed over the way these people are by collapsing exchanges.
How likely is it that the US (and thus FDIC) are going to collapse tomorrow, or next week, or a year from now? Maybe there's a chance of it happening, but your chance of getting hit by lightning while simultaneously winning the lottery is better.
How likely is it that one or more of these exchanges is going to fold up and disappear with any funds you may have invested (dollars or BTC). Judging on recent trends, the probability is a HELL of a lot closer to One than it is to Zero.
BTC itself is a Ponzi scheme.
Exchanges are confidence scams.
Can people make money in both situations? SURE!
Just don't fool yourself as to what you're doing.
Yes, the US controls ICANN. I can think of a lot of organizations that'd handle it a LOT worse!
The UN? Pfft. PLEASE. Probably the most spineless, useless organization extant (aside from various RIAA and MPAA type entities).
The Federal Dictatorship of Bumfuckistan demands that all sites containing mentions of *INSERT HERE* be taken down! They infringe upon our national and religious beliefs and are an insult!
*UN stops slurping cock for half a second* Okay!
Could you imagine some jackass kleptocrats like Nicolas Maduro, Putin or Cristina Kirchner calling the shots?
Or worse. China and North Korea?
I may not trust my government (and anyone who does, nowadays, is an idiot), but I HONESTLY don't see a better candidate out there.
The Hippocratic Oath pretty much forbids this sort of thing.
And it's something that could get one's medical license revoked.
It's also part of belonging to a society.
Things are never perfect. ALL the weak get culled, not just the dumb ones.
Thank you for endorsing the fundamental principal of eugenics!
You've just graduated callous motherfucker 101!
I have both (and am sneaking in at the end of the month at the current $79 price for my renewal).
The Netflix streaming player is much more mature than the Amazon streaming player (Amazon's is basically a half-step up from YouTube).
Netflix will save my spot and I can get miniscreen previews as I'm selecting where I want to be in a film.
But Netflix can be tetchy at times. Trying to manually pick a time point in a film in short succession usually winds up leading to an endlessly pre-buffering scenario until I refresh the tab.
The shipping is nice though, for when I order things.
With Netflix, if they don't stream what I want, I have to waste time with shipping a DVD.
With Amazon, they have a decent amount of content available for free, and if I want more, I can purchase (or in some cases rent).
I'm in this camp as well.
NCSoft has a nasty habit of killing off properties on short notice and then squatting the IP pretty much forever.
Now, I'm realistic enough to understand that all these games are going to close at some point. It doesn't change the fact that NCSoft killed the game that kept their US division afloat, then reformulated the division after stripping the coffers bare.
And there WERE efforts made to purchase the game outright. NCSoft didn't meet with them and decide the deal wouldn't work. They just ignored it. Flat out.
A company that tone-deaf to their player base is a company I simply refuse to give my money to. Sure, it sucks for the studios that built these other games. But they're the ones who sold their souls to this publisher.
I still think that NCSoft is somehow convinced that a bunch of ex-WoW guys are going to build a WoW-killer.
If so, they're nuts.
So we're going to have astronomers shuffling around humming "Found a peanut"?
Gah! Shoot me now!
Exactly.
Are we supposed to feel bad that Apple only made X-Billion instead of (X+Y)-Billion?
They took tech that existed well before their implementation and jumped out front. Should they be allowed to tell the rest of the market that they simply can't do the same obvious thing because they did it first?
Again,
Touchscreen technology was only just at the point where this stuff was feasible for such applications.
Again, most of the tech was already there, it was waiting for a key piece (which wasn't Apple's) to catch up.
Ok... Karma to burn.
The design overall was sufficiently unique to the market; it may not have been *patent worthy*, but is it deserving of some level of protection?
For making obvious UI choices? No.
Maybe. Maybe the people writing the white paper don't understand what "cash" is and how it's used and processed in practice.
In actual use, BTC functions as a commodity rather than a currency. Value of BTC isn't intrinsic to BTC. It's valuation emerges only during conversion to standard currencies.
That's the thing, the design was NOT unique.
It was an obvious modification of an existing paradigm brought about by the touch interface itself.
The iOS interface isn't a revolution. It's an evolution with sexy window dressings and a bunch of self-important turtleneckers crowing about how INVENTIVE they are.
Of course the shills are going to say anything to keep their scheme going.
I'm sure it cures cancer, regrows lost hair and even gets you laid too.
Okay, I challenge you to go pay DIRECTLY with a bitcoin (or millibitcoin) WITHOUT getting some sort of conversion service involved at some point.
"Bitcoins are like cash."
I really REALLY wish people would stop saying this.
They're not. The way the Bitcoin system works, they're more like commodities.
Granted, some businesses have allowed you to pay for things with said fractional commodities, but still. At some point, an actual cash value has to be determined before you can actually SPEND them.
Oh come on. Here is a story about a single person stealing about 7billions worth without Bitcoins, trucks and heavy lifting.
You apparently missed his "without being a bank" qualifier.
Do not pass go. Do not collect your 200 francs.
Baiscally the phone companies seem to want one's cellular bill to hover around the "magical" $100/month.
You can get 2, 3 , even 4 lines for $100/month.
But try to get a $25-35 plan for a single line?
Pfft. Yeah, right. Like that was going to happen.
And Sprint is trying to upsell my company. We're grandfathered into a plan with no data caps. They keep trying to sell us a plan that's just SLIGHTLY above our current data usage (and we know our data usage is only increasing). The grand total savings? $7/month. They've been told in polite, but no uncertain terms that we'll be keeping our current plan.
Was at a client's site last week. She got a bill for $380 for two "business phone lines"!
Two frickin' lines!
She called AT&T and they "generously" offered to bring it down to $150/month if she bundled in DSL.
For two freaking POTS lines!
She's already on Comcast and already has a phone line through them. I told her to contact Comcast and have them tack on two phone lines. Total price increase. $-310 a month.
Yeah, they went someplace else STILL ON EARTH.