"tax all trades by a miniscule percentage..."
For a libertarian minded site, I am not sure how #2 can be offered with a straight face. I suppose there are people out there who always want to give the government more money for whatever their "cause of the week" is. However, the vast majority of people feel they give the government plenty of money and have no desire to arbitrarily give them more.
That this was a) suggested and b) modded up shows a painful misunderstanding of the capital markets and how they work. You can agree or disagree with HFT but regardless, the introduction of an arbitrary tax is NOT the correct way to address the problem.
Hint: a transaction tax is a tax on ALL players in the market, not just the "bad" HFT actors you seek to punish. In other words, like other taxes, it will be passed through and ultimately paid by you, I, and the rest of us on this site.
Good! Maybe they'll quit bugging me for help and asking stupid questions about "apps". For them to think I know nothing about computers is not the world's worst outcome....
One additional point of note: This works great for latitude but do not apply this same principle to longitude. Longitude is NOT an equal distance as it depends where you are on the earth. If you are near the poles, a degree of longitude is much shorter than a degree of longitude at the equator.
What you describe is not a pyramid scheme, it is a run on the bank. That is precisely what Bitcoin is going through.
I am not saying it's good or bad. I am merely pointing out that this is nothing new for any type of currency. Liquidity is always a consideration and every currency; past, present, and future has had to deal with runs on the bank at various times.
The real "tell" will be if Bitcoin survives the run.
County records, county tax appraisals, property records, court records, etc have always been public information. That precedent goes back hundreds of years so you should not be surprised people mine that information and use it for all kinds of purposes, including marketing.
Wait a minute. If "earning your keep" (for lack of a better term) while incarcerated is slavery, then why don't we treat the fact that you are incarcerated as slavery? In other words, being incarcerated is just fine by you, but the minute an inmate is forced to do ANY non-voluntary work, all of a sudden it's slavery? That defies my common sense.
Isn't there a middle ground? When you are incarcerated, you no longer have the right to the "liberty" part of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness and it seems reasonable to expect convicts to "chip in".
To your point: it's needs to be monitored very closely because a work system is obviously ripe for abuse. However, that does not mean it can't and shouldn't be done.
A typical power plant in the US is anywhere from 500MW up to 1800MW, regardless of technology used. This doesn't include the smaller co-gen's but is representative of what the layperson would call a "power plant". There are hundreds of power plants throughout the US (nuke, coal, combined cycle, and even hydro)
This one solar plant can generate 110MW. That is a pittance compared to what is needed and hardly registers on the usage meter. Think of it this way: for every combined cycle plant (there are hundreds), we'd need to build (5) of these solar plants.
Worse, this one solar plant couldn't even get off the ground without federal loan guarantees.
If the technology scaled up to 500-600MW, all us engineers would be singing a different tune. Furthermore, if it scaled up that high, funding would become a non-issue and government loans would not be needed. In short, it would be a GREAT solution and my guess is that the wind energy business would have more funding and investment than it could handle.
But it is not that way....
Why? Because of scale. Wind and solar aren't even close to ready for prime-time unless you completely ignore the economics of it.
Where is the "before" data on all of the wells? To date, nobody has compared "before fracking" and "after fracking" data. There are plenty of claims about well problems after the fact (Gasland) but there has not been a single study of any kind that compares drinking water pre-fracking and post-fracking. Some of that is because the data may not be available. However, basic scientific method requires a control. Where is the control in all of this? I've seen someone on this thread spout claims something along the lines of "we've had these wells for 100's of years and they've always produced clean water". Great -- show us the data and let's study before and after.
Without that basic comparison, it is difficult to determine culpability. The fact that there is methane in the water is not an indication that fracking is responsible. There are other possible explanations that need consideration.
It may very well end up that fracking is a problem. I am simply saying the data is not there to say that yet. There are some indications, yes....but we've been wrong about "obvious" things before.
344 ft^2 really isn't small at all
Yes, yes it is. By any measure, that is a small living space. I suppose you could argue a cost/benefit ratio if it was on the moon or something but here on earth, it's small.
No, it's not a lot of electricity. That is, literally, a drop in the bucket compared to what we actually need, use, and presently produce. That's my point.
So, 13,000 gallons per second of fresh water flow and we can get around 100MW. Let's go on a math exercise, shall we?
The average combined cycle plant is (at a minimum) around 400MW. Not including co-gens, etc. Just normal power plants sitting out in the middle of nowhere. Fukishima is around 4900MW. Fukishima isn't really fair because it is, by any measure, a large nuke plant. But, 400-1200MW is not an unreasonable range for "typical" power plants in the US, regardless of the technology used (coal, nuke, combined cycle, direct fire, etc)
At 400MW, you are talking 52,000 gallons PER SECOND of water flow. That, by any measure, is a shitload of flow. At 1200MW, we are talking 156,000 gallons per second.
For comparison, I just looked up the flow rate of the Mississippi river at the high water dam near Lake Itasca. Going thru the Upper St Anthony's falls lock and dam, the flow rate is around 90,000 gal/sec.
So for ONE reasonably sized power plant, you would need fresh water flow that is the equivalent of the Mississippi River.
In the US, the very fact that they are "in the home" means they are secure enough. Having them under lock and key is not a requirement of the law, nor will it ever be. A victim of gun theft is not guilty of negligence if the gun is later used in a crime.
You have a seriously fucked up moral compass if you are equating Bin Laden with America. You may disagree or even hate America. That's fine. But don't think for a second they are moral equivalents.
You have lots of blame to go around but I don't see you blaming the people who were actually responsible for the act.
And that, sir, is the reason your moral compass is totally fucked.
You can think whatever you want. However, my description matches what actually happened.
Isn't it obvious that if these projects were "valuable", they would be pursued by many parties who want to develop them? Why do you think the project is valuable when, presumably, it has not gathered enough support to acquire funding?
Do you think reasonable people look at opportunities and just turn away when they are good opportunities? Maybe in the fairy-tale land that many/.'ers live in that is the case. However, in real life....people take advantage of good opportunities if they recognize them for what they are. There is always a possibility of not recognizing the opportunity but that's when you get into "one man's trash is another man's treasure".
And to the other posters point: agreed that it is not the final arbiter. But it is the primary arbiter.
I work in a tough industry. My day starts off with a fire alarm at 8am and doesn't stop until I stop. I thrive in this world because I love what I do. I don't mind the non-stop work or pressure and I am definitely in the extrovert camp.
However, I need break from time to time and lunch is it for me. It's a time that I can let my mind wander and recharge my batteries for the afternoon's activities. Not that I don't go to lunch with co-workers. I do. I just can't imagine doing it every single day and I really can't imagine doing more work over lunch.
For me, it is no more complicated than "leave me alone for a few minutes and if you do, we will surely get more done later". I just need a break.
Very interesting comment. It's interesting to me because there are many "alternative" finance markets out in the world from micro-loans to setups like this.
The simple fact is this: if things like this had any merit, they would have already gotten funding from traditional channels. That they don't is an indication of the lack of value. It's not some grand conspiracy to "keep artists down". It is simply reflective of the value artists are perceived to bring to the table. If these projects were viable, then *ANY* charity would want to embrace and extend a project like that. Again, since they aren't doing that.....what does that tell us?
Sometimes it works out but like you say, most of the time it doesn't and the reason is obvious: the loaners of the money do not see the same value in the projects as the people working on them and desiring funding.
It doesn't work that way because you are completely and totally unqualified to be CEO of Goldman Sachs. That, not your ruling class diatribe, is why you will not ever be considered for that 8 figure salary, despite your willingness to take a lower salary. It has nothing to do with the ruling class or workers of the world unit or any other such nonsense you espouse.
Believe it or not Slashdot, the guys at the top are usually there for very good reasons. They are not stupid, they are not idiots, and most of them are pretty damn good at what they do.
Now please return to your normally schedule mental masturbation about greedy fat cat overlord managers and their ilk.
Ha! You might as well go fight a war on jealousy. Destroy the financial services industry? Is this supposed to be serious? This isn't Fight Club and you aren't Tyler Durden.
Ok, I'll play along just for fun....
1. What financial services would you destroy first?
2. What financial services would you leave intact?
3. Are there any necessary financial services according to your model of "how things work"?
4. What would you replace this system with that would work better?
I am no lawyer but this is only a problem once he is convicted. Or did I miss the fact that he is being deprived of a chance to defend himself in court?
In all seriousness, I get your point. But there is a major difference between "arrested" and "convicted". Arrested just means "you'll have your day in court". So this fight is far from over and any bad smells you are smelling will most likely be eliminated by the time this is all over.
Slashdot Mirror
Great post. I am not a contractor but I am an S-Corp owner and what you say is right on about pay vs. distribution (aka: dividends).
Again, great reply.
Actually, what it tells me is that being a CEO is very difficult. Creating "shareholder value" is much easier said than done.
So go ahead and land that first CEO job. I hope you do. Really, I hope you do and are amazingly successful.
Just please don't pretend that it's easy. It isn't.
"tax all trades by a miniscule percentage..."
For a libertarian minded site, I am not sure how #2 can be offered with a straight face. I suppose there are people out there who always want to give the government more money for whatever their "cause of the week" is. However, the vast majority of people feel they give the government plenty of money and have no desire to arbitrarily give them more.
That this was a) suggested and b) modded up shows a painful misunderstanding of the capital markets and how they work. You can agree or disagree with HFT but regardless, the introduction of an arbitrary tax is NOT the correct way to address the problem.
Hint: a transaction tax is a tax on ALL players in the market, not just the "bad" HFT actors you seek to punish. In other words, like other taxes, it will be passed through and ultimately paid by you, I, and the rest of us on this site.
Good! Maybe they'll quit bugging me for help and asking stupid questions about "apps". For them to think I know nothing about computers is not the world's worst outcome....
One additional point of note: This works great for latitude but do not apply this same principle to longitude. Longitude is NOT an equal distance as it depends where you are on the earth. If you are near the poles, a degree of longitude is much shorter than a degree of longitude at the equator.
What you describe is not a pyramid scheme, it is a run on the bank. That is precisely what Bitcoin is going through.
I am not saying it's good or bad. I am merely pointing out that this is nothing new for any type of currency. Liquidity is always a consideration and every currency; past, present, and future has had to deal with runs on the bank at various times.
The real "tell" will be if Bitcoin survives the run.
County records, county tax appraisals, property records, court records, etc have always been public information. That precedent goes back hundreds of years so you should not be surprised people mine that information and use it for all kinds of purposes, including marketing.
Wait a minute. If "earning your keep" (for lack of a better term) while incarcerated is slavery, then why don't we treat the fact that you are incarcerated as slavery? In other words, being incarcerated is just fine by you, but the minute an inmate is forced to do ANY non-voluntary work, all of a sudden it's slavery? That defies my common sense.
Isn't there a middle ground? When you are incarcerated, you no longer have the right to the "liberty" part of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness and it seems reasonable to expect convicts to "chip in".
To your point: it's needs to be monitored very closely because a work system is obviously ripe for abuse. However, that does not mean it can't and shouldn't be done.
A typical power plant in the US is anywhere from 500MW up to 1800MW, regardless of technology used. This doesn't include the smaller co-gen's but is representative of what the layperson would call a "power plant". There are hundreds of power plants throughout the US (nuke, coal, combined cycle, and even hydro)
This one solar plant can generate 110MW. That is a pittance compared to what is needed and hardly registers on the usage meter. Think of it this way: for every combined cycle plant (there are hundreds), we'd need to build (5) of these solar plants.
Worse, this one solar plant couldn't even get off the ground without federal loan guarantees.
If the technology scaled up to 500-600MW, all us engineers would be singing a different tune. Furthermore, if it scaled up that high, funding would become a non-issue and government loans would not be needed. In short, it would be a GREAT solution and my guess is that the wind energy business would have more funding and investment than it could handle.
But it is not that way....
Why? Because of scale. Wind and solar aren't even close to ready for prime-time unless you completely ignore the economics of it.
Where is the "before" data on all of the wells? To date, nobody has compared "before fracking" and "after fracking" data. There are plenty of claims about well problems after the fact (Gasland) but there has not been a single study of any kind that compares drinking water pre-fracking and post-fracking. Some of that is because the data may not be available. However, basic scientific method requires a control. Where is the control in all of this? I've seen someone on this thread spout claims something along the lines of "we've had these wells for 100's of years and they've always produced clean water". Great -- show us the data and let's study before and after.
Without that basic comparison, it is difficult to determine culpability. The fact that there is methane in the water is not an indication that fracking is responsible. There are other possible explanations that need consideration.
It may very well end up that fracking is a problem. I am simply saying the data is not there to say that yet. There are some indications, yes....but we've been wrong about "obvious" things before.
344 ft^2 really isn't small at all
Yes, yes it is. By any measure, that is a small living space. I suppose you could argue a cost/benefit ratio if it was on the moon or something but here on earth, it's small.
No, it's not a lot of electricity. That is, literally, a drop in the bucket compared to what we actually need, use, and presently produce. That's my point.
So, 13,000 gallons per second of fresh water flow and we can get around 100MW. Let's go on a math exercise, shall we?
The average combined cycle plant is (at a minimum) around 400MW. Not including co-gens, etc. Just normal power plants sitting out in the middle of nowhere. Fukishima is around 4900MW. Fukishima isn't really fair because it is, by any measure, a large nuke plant. But, 400-1200MW is not an unreasonable range for "typical" power plants in the US, regardless of the technology used (coal, nuke, combined cycle, direct fire, etc)
At 400MW, you are talking 52,000 gallons PER SECOND of water flow. That, by any measure, is a shitload of flow. At 1200MW, we are talking 156,000 gallons per second.
For comparison, I just looked up the flow rate of the Mississippi river at the high water dam near Lake Itasca. Going thru the Upper St Anthony's falls lock and dam, the flow rate is around 90,000 gal/sec.
So for ONE reasonably sized power plant, you would need fresh water flow that is the equivalent of the Mississippi River.
As I said, it's a scale problem.
In the US, the very fact that they are "in the home" means they are secure enough. Having them under lock and key is not a requirement of the law, nor will it ever be. A victim of gun theft is not guilty of negligence if the gun is later used in a crime.
What you claim simply isn't true.
You have a seriously fucked up moral compass if you are equating Bin Laden with America. You may disagree or even hate America. That's fine. But don't think for a second they are moral equivalents.
You have lots of blame to go around but I don't see you blaming the people who were actually responsible for the act.
And that, sir, is the reason your moral compass is totally fucked.
You can think whatever you want. However, my description matches what actually happened.
/.'ers live in that is the case. However, in real life....people take advantage of good opportunities if they recognize them for what they are. There is always a possibility of not recognizing the opportunity but that's when you get into "one man's trash is another man's treasure".
Isn't it obvious that if these projects were "valuable", they would be pursued by many parties who want to develop them? Why do you think the project is valuable when, presumably, it has not gathered enough support to acquire funding?
Do you think reasonable people look at opportunities and just turn away when they are good opportunities? Maybe in the fairy-tale land that many
And to the other posters point: agreed that it is not the final arbiter. But it is the primary arbiter.
I work in a tough industry. My day starts off with a fire alarm at 8am and doesn't stop until I stop. I thrive in this world because I love what I do. I don't mind the non-stop work or pressure and I am definitely in the extrovert camp.
However, I need break from time to time and lunch is it for me. It's a time that I can let my mind wander and recharge my batteries for the afternoon's activities. Not that I don't go to lunch with co-workers. I do. I just can't imagine doing it every single day and I really can't imagine doing more work over lunch.
For me, it is no more complicated than "leave me alone for a few minutes and if you do, we will surely get more done later". I just need a break.
....and that woman was Ann Druryan. You might know her as the widow of one Carl Sagan.
Very interesting comment. It's interesting to me because there are many "alternative" finance markets out in the world from micro-loans to setups like this.
The simple fact is this: if things like this had any merit, they would have already gotten funding from traditional channels. That they don't is an indication of the lack of value. It's not some grand conspiracy to "keep artists down". It is simply reflective of the value artists are perceived to bring to the table. If these projects were viable, then *ANY* charity would want to embrace and extend a project like that. Again, since they aren't doing that.....what does that tell us?
Sometimes it works out but like you say, most of the time it doesn't and the reason is obvious: the loaners of the money do not see the same value in the projects as the people working on them and desiring funding.
It doesn't work that way because you are completely and totally unqualified to be CEO of Goldman Sachs. That, not your ruling class diatribe, is why you will not ever be considered for that 8 figure salary, despite your willingness to take a lower salary. It has nothing to do with the ruling class or workers of the world unit or any other such nonsense you espouse.
Believe it or not Slashdot, the guys at the top are usually there for very good reasons. They are not stupid, they are not idiots, and most of them are pretty damn good at what they do.
Now please return to your normally schedule mental masturbation about greedy fat cat overlord managers and their ilk.
Ha! You might as well go fight a war on jealousy. Destroy the financial services industry? Is this supposed to be serious? This isn't Fight Club and you aren't Tyler Durden.
Ok, I'll play along just for fun....
1. What financial services would you destroy first?
2. What financial services would you leave intact?
3. Are there any necessary financial services according to your model of "how things work"?
4. What would you replace this system with that would work better?
....but they never, and I mean never generalize.
I am no lawyer but this is only a problem once he is convicted. Or did I miss the fact that he is being deprived of a chance to defend himself in court?
In all seriousness, I get your point. But there is a major difference between "arrested" and "convicted". Arrested just means "you'll have your day in court". So this fight is far from over and any bad smells you are smelling will most likely be eliminated by the time this is all over.
Good luck getting past the Rat Things.....
ABB also makes DCS systems and they are a swiss company (ie: speak German).
Another poster already pointed out Siemens as well.