I see that you're saying in theory, other forms of economic distribution other that capitalism might produce the same or better results. But you fail to give concrete examples of this, or any quantitative measures for your claims.
Well, the Index of Economic Freedom claims that a nation's level of "economic freedom" (factors generally regarded as defining capitalism) correlates positively and strongly with a nation's wealth. I'm sure you'll find reasons to take issue with this, but please provide some facts and figures of your own to rebut those presented by the index.
Non-compete agreements are collusionary and immoral. As all companies include non-competes in their employment agreements, they are colluding to keep salaries down by preventing workers from leaving their current employer for a better offer elsewhere. It makes all employees the equivalent of an H1B immigrant. This practice should be illegal the same way it's illegal for an employer to prevent employees from collective bargaining, for example.
That doesn't negate the pragmatism of your arguments, but this case reveals the inherently corrupt nature of the current system.
I make a distinction between "culture" and "popular culture", because American culture is incredibly rich and rewarding (Aaron Copland, George Gerswhin, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, and to a lesser degree, Lovecraft, King, on and on)
Most of us are so used to all the things we need to know by now but many people out there, my parents for example, are afraid of ATM machines, TiVo, computers, cell phones, fax machines, digital answering machines, call waiting, cd players, DVD players...
Or maybe they just honestly have no need for all that crap?
My great grandmother used her microwave as a bread box. She lived just nigh a 100 years just fine that way, and seemed quite joyful for most of those years, too.
For 90% of websites out there... Linux is the better alternative.
Textbook Innovator's Dilemma. Continually chase the high end, while a new product eats your market out from underneath you, and "the high end" becomes a smaller and smaller and smaller niche.
Please, US, please, stop crying about "The state of broadband".
You don't understand the American psyche. The idea that we're behind any nation in anything is deeply disconcerting to us. So it's not so much "crying" per se, it's more about not wanting to lose at anything to anybody at any time.
Just keep this in mind, and you'll better understand pretty much everything you read about the U.S., especially foreign relations.
Federal EEO laws prohibit an employer from discriminating against persons in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, selection, evaluation, promotion, training, compensation, discipline, retention and working conditions, because of their protected status.
Actually, Federal law REQUIRES discrimination based on race and sex. It's called Affirmative Action.
Let's see, $1B or so to AOL for damages to Netscape. About.5B for another recent patent suit. There was a CA consumer class action they tried to settle by "donating" software to schools.
They seem to be on a real losing streak, legally. What am I missing? What's the total for legal damages in court cases to date?
But with $50B in the bank, losing law suits seems just a minor cost of doing business.
Right now, I'm reading a series about newspaper food critics, who always end up challenging someone who considers himself an expert to some sort of culinary duel.
So, yes, I think they really do have everything covered.
Lee is special because of the sheer volume of his material. Kane created Batman, Siegel and Shuster created Superman, but Lee seemed to create distinctive, memorable characters every week. Not just major characters, like Spiderman, FF, Hulk, Avengers, but all the villains and side characters that were always popping up, teaming up, regrouping, book hopping, etc.
Now, Kirby drew a good portion of all those, but Stan seemed to write EVERY SINGLE BOOK Marvel was putting out for a while. In fact, that's where the method came from to give the artist so much discretion in plotting and laying out the story. Stan just didn't have time to do it any other way!
So if you have to pick ONE GUY to represent American comics, that guy would undoubtedly be Stan the Man Lee.
Frankly, we need more boundry-breaking artists than Stan Lee, who keeps rehashing the same old archetypes.
The problem is, Stan was boundry-breaking 40 years ago! It's not his fault no one's broken any boundaries in the main stream since then. Time for someone else to take charge.
As for the creators you mention, I'm sure they're great, but someone needs to figure out how to expand the genre and pull people into the medium at the same time. Shakespeare wouldn't be remembered today if he hadn't written plays that were popular while he was alive.
It just means he's been taking writing lessons from Stan Lee. In one Fantastic Four, Lee's front cover blurb proclaims "This issue will be considered for the Pulitzer!" or somesuch. Every issue was "Most dramatic ever!" this or "Another Masterpiece!" that.
Check out Marvel's "Essentials" series. They reprint about 20 issues of the classic early issues of Fantastic Four, Spiderman, etc. in black and white on about-newsprint-quality paper for less than 20 bucks. Lots of reading for your buck, and they're arguably the best superhero comics ever written.
I'm going through Fantastic Four Essentials #3 right now. I like the little details, like Sue nagging read about working too late. Don't see much of that in superhero stories anymore:).
McBride proudly dumped two phone-book-sized binders of press clippings on the stage during his SCO Forum keynote on Monday as proof that his company had become more relevant in the high technology industry.
I imagine OJ could have shown a lot of press clippings after the Nicole thing, or Clinton after Monica. I wonder why they didn't?
The questions weren't immature at all. You were able to give a reasonably well thought out answer to each question, but, instead the MS rep just lied through her teeth. I believe that kind of response is quite revealing of MS's soul, such as it is.
The attitude that all questions to MS should simply be opportunities for MS to spew forth more marketing speak is far more immature than the first poster's attitude.
I believe that a patent application must include a WORKING implementation of the patented idea. So no, you can't just come up with the idea and patent it without an implementation.
Isn't it also true that you can patent an enhancement to an existing patent? I'm not as sure about this one.
Or maybe the wheels of Slashdot justice just turn slowly? It now looks like some of the replies have been further modded up, while the original inaccurate post has been modded down. Whatever your personal views, it's good to see accuracy rewarded.
"never support any form of government to the extreme that you impose it on others."
This statement is nonsense. The defining nature of many government systems is that they are imposed without the consent of the governed.
So how do you "impose" democracy on a people? Democracy means that, one way or another, they get a say in how they are governed. Does it make any sense to say allowing someone to make their own decisions is imposing a system on them?
It's also racist to say that democracy isn't right for some people, because they're not smart enough to make decisions for themselves, or because they're women, or whatever.
And that's the problem in general with relativism. It always comes out to something meaningless.
Slashdot Mirror
I see that you're saying in theory, other forms of economic distribution other that capitalism might produce the same or better results. But you fail to give concrete examples of this, or any quantitative measures for your claims.
Well, the Index of Economic Freedom claims that a nation's level of "economic freedom" (factors generally regarded as defining capitalism) correlates positively and strongly with a nation's wealth. I'm sure you'll find reasons to take issue with this, but please provide some facts and figures of your own to rebut those presented by the index.
Peace be with you,
-jimbo
ps More data can be found here.
Non-compete agreements are collusionary and immoral. As all companies include non-competes in their employment agreements, they are colluding to keep salaries down by preventing workers from leaving their current employer for a better offer elsewhere. It makes all employees the equivalent of an H1B immigrant. This practice should be illegal the same way it's illegal for an employer to prevent employees from collective bargaining, for example.
That doesn't negate the pragmatism of your arguments, but this case reveals the inherently corrupt nature of the current system.
Peace be with you,
-jimbo
I make a distinction between "culture" and "popular culture", because American culture is incredibly rich and rewarding (Aaron Copland, George Gerswhin, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, and to a lesser degree, Lovecraft, King, on and on)
Don't forget Lee and Kirby! :)
Peace be with you,
-jimbo
Most of us are so used to all the things we need to know by now but many people out there, my parents for example, are afraid of ATM machines, TiVo, computers, cell phones, fax machines, digital answering machines, call waiting, cd players, DVD players...
Or maybe they just honestly have no need for all that crap?
My great grandmother used her microwave as a bread box. She lived just nigh a 100 years just fine that way, and seemed quite joyful for most of those years, too.
Peace be with you,
-jimbo
For 90% of websites out there... Linux is the better alternative.
Textbook Innovator's Dilemma. Continually chase the high end, while a new product eats your market out from underneath you, and "the high end" becomes a smaller and smaller and smaller niche.
Best,
-jimbo
Please, US, please, stop crying about "The state of broadband".
You don't understand the American psyche. The idea that we're behind any nation in anything is deeply disconcerting to us. So it's not so much "crying" per se, it's more about not wanting to lose at anything to anybody at any time.
Just keep this in mind, and you'll better understand pretty much everything you read about the U.S., especially foreign relations.
Peace be with you,
-jimbo
Federal EEO laws prohibit an employer from discriminating against persons in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, selection, evaluation, promotion, training, compensation, discipline, retention and working conditions, because of their protected status.
Actually, Federal law REQUIRES discrimination based on race and sex. It's called Affirmative Action.
Best,
-jimbo
Let's see, $1B or so to AOL for damages to Netscape. About .5B for another recent patent suit. There was a CA consumer class action they tried to settle by "donating" software to schools.
They seem to be on a real losing streak, legally. What am I missing? What's the total for legal damages in court cases to date?
But with $50B in the bank, losing law suits seems just a minor cost of doing business.
Best,
-jimbo
In Japan they've got everything covered.
Right now, I'm reading a series about newspaper food critics, who always end up challenging someone who considers himself an expert to some sort of culinary duel.
So, yes, I think they really do have everything covered.
Yoroshiku,
-jimbo
ps It's called Oishinbo (The Gourmet)
He's ALWAYS sporting a stiffy.
Excelsior!
-jimbo
Lee is special because of the sheer volume of his material. Kane created Batman, Siegel and Shuster created Superman, but Lee seemed to create distinctive, memorable characters every week. Not just major characters, like Spiderman, FF, Hulk, Avengers, but all the villains and side characters that were always popping up, teaming up, regrouping, book hopping, etc.
Now, Kirby drew a good portion of all those, but Stan seemed to write EVERY SINGLE BOOK Marvel was putting out for a while. In fact, that's where the method came from to give the artist so much discretion in plotting and laying out the story. Stan just didn't have time to do it any other way!
So if you have to pick ONE GUY to represent American comics, that guy would undoubtedly be Stan the Man Lee.
Excelsior!
-jimbo
Frankly, we need more boundry-breaking artists than Stan Lee, who keeps rehashing the same old archetypes.
The problem is, Stan was boundry-breaking 40 years ago! It's not his fault no one's broken any boundaries in the main stream since then. Time for someone else to take charge.
As for the creators you mention, I'm sure they're great, but someone needs to figure out how to expand the genre and pull people into the medium at the same time. Shakespeare wouldn't be remembered today if he hadn't written plays that were popular while he was alive.
Excelsior!
-jimbo
It just means he's been taking writing lessons from Stan Lee. In one Fantastic Four, Lee's front cover blurb proclaims "This issue will be considered for the Pulitzer!" or somesuch. Every issue was "Most dramatic ever!" this or "Another Masterpiece!" that.
Excelsior!
-jimbo
Check out Marvel's "Essentials" series. They reprint about 20 issues of the classic early issues of Fantastic Four, Spiderman, etc. in black and white on about-newsprint-quality paper for less than 20 bucks. Lots of reading for your buck, and they're arguably the best superhero comics ever written.
I'm going through Fantastic Four Essentials #3 right now. I like the little details, like Sue nagging read about working too late. Don't see much of that in superhero stories anymore :).
Excelsior!
-jimbo
McBride proudly dumped two phone-book-sized binders of press clippings on the stage during his SCO Forum keynote on Monday as proof that his company had become more relevant in the high technology industry.
I imagine OJ could have shown a lot of press clippings after the Nicole thing, or Clinton after Monica. I wonder why they didn't?
Best,
-jimbo
They make everyone look slightly green
Actually, the people around you ARE slightly green, but the incandescent lights mask this with their more yellow-y light.
Best,
-jimbo
Stan Lee is a pure story-teller. The Marvel universe reflects his disinterest with technobobbles.
Check out this to get Stan Lee's take on science.
Excelsior!
-jimbo
(avoid gruntling your employees! :) )
Actually, as you want to avoid DISgruntled employees, you should do all in your power to gruntle them.
Peace,
-jimbo
The questions weren't immature at all. You were able to give a reasonably well thought out answer to each question, but, instead the MS rep just lied through her teeth. I believe that kind of response is quite revealing of MS's soul, such as it is.
The attitude that all questions to MS should simply be opportunities for MS to spew forth more marketing speak is far more immature than the first poster's attitude.
Best,
-jimbo
Trust me, if there was a recall provision for NYC mayors, New Yorkers would use it on Bloomberg in a heart beat.
God bless and keep you,
-jimbo
I believe that a patent application must include a WORKING implementation of the patented idea. So no, you can't just come up with the idea and patent it without an implementation.
Isn't it also true that you can patent an enhancement to an existing patent? I'm not as sure about this one.
Best,
-jimbo
Or maybe the wheels of Slashdot justice just turn slowly? It now looks like some of the replies have been further modded up, while the original inaccurate post has been modded down. Whatever your personal views, it's good to see accuracy rewarded.
Good job, moderators!
-jimbo
"never support any form of government to the extreme that you impose it on others."
This statement is nonsense. The defining nature of many government systems is that they are imposed without the consent of the governed.
So how do you "impose" democracy on a people? Democracy means that, one way or another, they get a say in how they are governed. Does it make any sense to say allowing someone to make their own decisions is imposing a system on them?
It's also racist to say that democracy isn't right for some people, because they're not smart enough to make decisions for themselves, or because they're women, or whatever.
And that's the problem in general with relativism. It always comes out to something meaningless.
Peace be with you,
-jimbo
Hey! What do you think you're doing here?
Injecting facts into a Slashdot Hate-America fest? Are you new here? Don't you know that's against the rules?
Sigh. Newbies.
-jimbo
OOOOkay. Someone says he was treated badly by Americans, and he is an upstanding figure of unimpeachable integrity.
Someone says Americans were nice to him, and he is a scurrilous troll.
Slashdot politics in a nutshell!
-jimbo