The more people buy into companies that have a net social benefit, the more likely it is that we will get a net social benefit. Every additional conscious investors makes it just a little easier for companies to spot this trend. Once companies understand that investors are acting this way, they will start acting responsibly to capitalize on it.
Steven D. Levitt, an economist and author of Freakonomics, claims that legalizing abortion does more to cut crime rates than more/better policing. The theory is something like most women who would have abortions aren't in a good position to raise children because they are single or poor, and so their children would be likely to grow up to commit crimes.
His notion isn't popular in some circles, and there probably isn't enough evidence to say conclusively whether he is correct, but this is what I got out of it: If you want to stop crime, you don't wait until people are criminals, you improve the society so people don't want to commit crimes.
I'm going to stop with that idea before I really start to ramble.
I understand the argument - free will, eyes open, worth it to the buyer, etc.
I think the issue may be that people in our culture aren't used to bargaining- there are very few things the average American bargains for - cars and houses come to mind. People expect a price is a relatively small markup over costs- which it usually is for commodity products- I think that is where the idea of value is coming from.
I don't consider the iPhone a commodity product, but maybe that is what most Americans are used to spending their money on, so that is where they get their idea of value?
I'll take a guess there's a bigger percentage of linux users in the EU than people who speak Irish fluently. I was curious, so I took a look Here is a linux counter with some EU countries
And here is some info on Irish speakers ...approximately 1.6 million people claiming a self-reported competence in Irish...
This isn't conclusive, but your guess shows you don't mind pulling things out of your ass.
I think you should take the.NET job. You obviously have trouble making personal decisions - with the extra money you can get a personal shopper to buy stuff for you and a butler to dress you.
Just because news outlets throw out some numbers doesn't make them useful or valid. What % of the 237 million combined visitors (unique? all bots?) read and click on ads? Of the pages these "people" visit, how many have targeted ads that they can find through all of the crap? Do all of these pages being visited even have ads?
My point was that anyone can throw out numbers, you ass-munch.
If your numbers are from TFA, I can't see it because the link is giving me a Yahoo! error page, so I went to Google to find some info.
Are your numbers for unique visitors to any page owned by the companies in your list? Do those numbers even matter- aren't we talking about ads in search results?
Your views on religion are understandably biased. Protestants are at war with Catholics, Christians with Muslims, Muslims with Hindus, etc, etc.
I was going to hold Buddhism up as an exception that breaks the rule, but a quick search found Brian Victoria's Zen at War, the article has:
He chronicles in detail how prominent Zen leaders perverted the Buddhist teaching to encourage blind obedience, mindless killing, and total devotion to the emperor.
I would like to say the Wiccans and the long since exterminated Celtic Druids are above this sort of thing, but I am sure any such argument would be drowned out by the Christian Church's propaganda.
But is the issue with religion or with people? Couldn't any mindless group be convinced to do evil? Some prime non-religion based examples I can think of are the Nazis, the Republicans, and Microsoft.
...funny borg icons on Slashdot just don't do it for me as opinion shapers.
I believe the Borg icon relates to the embrace and extend villainy his company has perpetrated on the world. I would claim many trillions of dollars have been lost due to Microsoft's abusive monopoly, which is enabled by their closed formats and embrace and extend tactics. Instead of Microsoft hoarding the wealth, the world could be sharing, cooperating, and growing.
Google gets this. They are making information available to the world, which is enriching us all.
Bill Gates III started giving to charity because he was widely criticized for not doing so, not for any humanitarian reasons.
My issue with the icon is that the Borg are not hypocritical.
Open Standards + Open Source >
Open Standards + Closed Source >
Closed Standards + Closed Source
My point was that MS not supporting OpenDocument could give OpenOffice, and others (both open and closed source) traction in the office software market.
The link is for a petition for MS to support OpenDocument.
If MA does switchover, then those who have to share docs with the MA gov will have to use software that reads and writes OpenDocument. If MS Office does not support OpenDocument, then people will try other products, and MS may start to lose their stranglehold on the office software market.
Hopefully, MA is only the first of many businesses and governments that will switch to open formats. The fewer of these MS Office supports, the less useful it will be.
Embrace and Extend applies when they are playing catchup. In the office software space, MS is the dominant player. With the Massachusetts government mandating Open Document files, people would need software to exchange files with the MA gov. MS can't have people loading and trying out other software - especially free-beer software - they just may like it.
Does anyone know if Massachusetts is planning on developing for Open Office? I'm assuming they plan on using OO for their Open Documents, can people corroborate that?
It could make sense for them to - cutting some bloat could make their state employees more efficient overall.
Newsflash: Most Africans do not live in huts on the savannah.
They live in cities and towns. They have access to technology. They're just as smart as you and I.
How is where you live a measure of intelligence? It could be argued that living on the savannah is a much more natural, healthful, and relaxing place to live than the modern city. I am serious on this point - in general, people say they want to be happy, that that is what they are working 60+ hour weeks towards, but they never seem to get there.
For example, we liked Batman Begins, so why did it get hit by the slump, too?
Speak for yourself, Dink. Batman Begins was all about a kinder, gentler Batman. The Batman I like is about hurting the wicked, not helping the innocent.
The preference order for Batman movies 'we liked' is:
1, 2, 4, 3 (1 and 2, the Tim Burton versions, were almost a tie)
In general, I've stopped going to the movies because I have been disappointed too often. The disappointment comes from the general quality, the high cost, the small screens, the inconvenience, and too many distractions at the theater.
I no longer look at reviews or pay attention to the ads. There are certain directors I will go to the theater for, when I even know they have new movies, like Raimi, Burton, and Verhoeven.
Does supporting a convicted monopolist keep the US economy strong? How many truly innovative US companies has MS destroyed, through their illegal practices, because they were unable to compete on technical/creative merit? I would argue that there are fewer tech jobs in the US, and a weaker economy, because MS is still in business.
MS destroyed Netscape. Netscape popularized the internet which created new markets and new ways of doing business the world over. Once MS had dominance, all 'innovation' on their browser effectively stopped. Netscape was a truly innovative, world-changing company, and if they weren't destroyed by MS the world would be a much different place today.
Supporting MS hurts the US economy.
Slashdot Mirror
The more people buy into companies that have a net social benefit, the more likely it is that we will get a net social benefit. Every additional conscious investors makes it just a little easier for companies to spot this trend. Once companies understand that investors are acting this way, they will start acting responsibly to capitalize on it.
His notion isn't popular in some circles, and there probably isn't enough evidence to say conclusively whether he is correct, but this is what I got out of it: If you want to stop crime, you don't wait until people are criminals, you improve the society so people don't want to commit crimes.
I'm going to stop with that idea before I really start to ramble.
I think the issue may be that people in our culture aren't used to bargaining- there are very few things the average American bargains for - cars and houses come to mind. People expect a price is a relatively small markup over costs- which it usually is for commodity products- I think that is where the idea of value is coming from.
I don't consider the iPhone a commodity product, but maybe that is what most Americans are used to spending their money on, so that is where they get their idea of value?
Here is a linux counter with some EU countries
And here is some info on Irish speakers
This isn't conclusive, but your guess shows you don't mind pulling things out of your ass.
I think you should take the .NET job. You obviously have trouble making personal decisions - with the extra money you can get a personal shopper to buy stuff for you and a butler to dress you.
Could competition among sapien/neanderthal groups have selected for an already existing gene? Why must we all make love all the time?
Thanks for that link! Did you notice the naked chick in one of those windows?
Personally, I prefer the term gFanBoy.
My point was that anyone can throw out numbers, you ass-munch.
If your numbers are from TFA, I can't see it because the link is giving me a Yahoo! error page, so I went to Google to find some info.
Are your numbers for unique visitors to any page owned by the companies in your list? Do those numbers even matter- aren't we talking about ads in search results?
RTFS
Besides, mice make lousy soldiers
I was going to hold Buddhism up as an exception that breaks the rule, but a quick search found Brian Victoria's Zen at War, the article has:
I would like to say the Wiccans and the long since exterminated Celtic Druids are above this sort of thing, but I am sure any such argument would be drowned out by the Christian Church's propaganda.
But is the issue with religion or with people? Couldn't any mindless group be convinced to do evil? Some prime non-religion based examples I can think of are the Nazis, the Republicans, and Microsoft.
I am lactose-intolerant, you insensitive clod!
I believe the Borg icon relates to the embrace and extend villainy his company has perpetrated on the world. I would claim many trillions of dollars have been lost due to Microsoft's abusive monopoly, which is enabled by their closed formats and embrace and extend tactics. Instead of Microsoft hoarding the wealth, the world could be sharing, cooperating, and growing.
Google gets this. They are making information available to the world, which is enriching us all.
Bill Gates III started giving to charity because he was widely criticized for not doing so, not for any humanitarian reasons.
My issue with the icon is that the Borg are not hypocritical.
how about using it before it is "stored"
Open Standards + Closed Source >
Closed Standards + Closed Source
My point was that MS not supporting OpenDocument could give OpenOffice, and others (both open and closed source) traction in the office software market.
If MA does switchover, then those who have to share docs with the MA gov will have to use software that reads and writes OpenDocument. If MS Office does not support OpenDocument, then people will try other products, and MS may start to lose their stranglehold on the office software market.
Hopefully, MA is only the first of many businesses and governments that will switch to open formats. The fewer of these MS Office supports, the less useful it will be.
Embrace and Extend applies when they are playing catchup. In the office software space, MS is the dominant player. With the Massachusetts government mandating Open Document files, people would need software to exchange files with the MA gov. MS can't have people loading and trying out other software - especially free-beer software - they just may like it.
It could make sense for them to - cutting some bloat could make their state employees more efficient overall.
Fewer flying chairs isn't the only difference between MS and Google.
And why do you think you are as smart as I am?
Speak for yourself, Dink. Batman Begins was all about a kinder, gentler Batman. The Batman I like is about hurting the wicked, not helping the innocent.
The preference order for Batman movies 'we liked' is:
1, 2, 4, 3 (1 and 2, the Tim Burton versions, were almost a tie)
In general, I've stopped going to the movies because I have been disappointed too often. The disappointment comes from the general quality, the high cost, the small screens, the inconvenience, and too many distractions at the theater.
I no longer look at reviews or pay attention to the ads. There are certain directors I will go to the theater for, when I even know they have new movies, like Raimi, Burton, and Verhoeven.
Does supporting a convicted monopolist keep the US economy strong? How many truly innovative US companies has MS destroyed, through their illegal practices, because they were unable to compete on technical/creative merit? I would argue that there are fewer tech jobs in the US, and a weaker economy, because MS is still in business. MS destroyed Netscape. Netscape popularized the internet which created new markets and new ways of doing business the world over. Once MS had dominance, all 'innovation' on their browser effectively stopped. Netscape was a truly innovative, world-changing company, and if they weren't destroyed by MS the world would be a much different place today. Supporting MS hurts the US economy.