NASA's budget is actually still higher than even this new, massively increased level of Russian spending. Depending on whether the 2013-2020 period Putin mentions is inclusive (8 years) or not (7 years), $51.8 billion is around $6-8 billion/year. NASA's budget, meanwhile, is around $18 billion/year.
It did do a lot of licensing, but they also had an in-house development division, which is the ~130 people who were laid off today. The last game I can think of that game from them was Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (2008), which didn't do that well, though. They were also in the process of developing two new in-house titles, Star Wars 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault, both of which are presumably now cancelled (unless they shovel the in-progress work over to a licensee).
Limor "Ladyada" Fried. She tends to be in most of their things. Somewhat like Jobs-led Apple or Musk-led Tesla, the company's public image is pretty heavily centered around the main person. In fact the company's "About" page isn't actually about anything else.
Yes, I think the objection is not that you can't install a text editor on an iPad, but that the ecosystem is mainly aimed at one-way retrieval of content via Apple. As Kay notes, it's not just that you can't get your content into the App Store easily, but by default you can't even install something your friend made who's sitting right next to you— there's no way to install apps from your friend unless either you jailbreak your device, or your friend gets it into the App Store.
Just and fair trials are actually exceptionally rare, in part because actual trials are quite rare. The system is entirely based on pressuring defendants into plea-bargains, regardless of their innocence.
In 1990, around 85% of federal prosecutions resulted in a plea-bargain, while 15% went to trial. Today, about 97% of federal prosecutions result in a plea-bargain, and only 3% go to trial. It's not because 97% of people charged are guilty, but because prosecutors make it abundantly clear that you had better take their plea-bargain if you know what's good for you.
Good point on Jobs; he is indeed on a number of patents. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of places like IBM or Intel, where it's quite rare for anyone from management (certainly not the CEO) to have their name on a patent. Instead patents tend to be filed by the technical staff.
It's more common at large tech companies to claim that one of your engineers invented something after careful study in the lab etc etc. Then you have them file a patent, but with assignment to the company. You don't typically put the CEO's name on the patent, because it's not so plausible that random things the CEO sketches out are properly patentable inventions that have had real technical work go into them.
I don't think failing to bail out banks is much of an intrusion on civil liberties. Cyprus was not "forced" into accepting anything. They were merely offered a deal with some terms. They could've refused it and let the banks fold.
I believe, contrary to your prediction, that we'll find libertarian shitholes to correspond strongly with weaker protections for civil liberties. If the government isn't providing basic infrastructure, the country will suck. The U.S. is going that way already, which is why I got out. Fuck the rich people and their anti-tax, anti-society bullshit; they can live in their walled gardens and ruin their country, but I'm not having a part in it.
So you don't think this legislation has anything to do with the copyright lobby, which taken in aggregate is larger than the entire U.S. government?
It's funny that you talk about "above 20% of GDP" as if it's high, when countries with stronger protections for civil liberties, like Denmark, have a government sized at 50% of GDP. Seems like smaller, US-style government doesn't produce any benefits.
That's what makes it it not interesting that someone can 3d-print it, because it's been easy to manufacture for a long time. It also means it's total crap to claim that 3d-printing this piece is equivalent to a "3d-printed gun", as the charlatans do.
There is no actual 3d-printing of guns, yet. What people are doing is 3d-printing one part of the gun (the receiver) whose serial number is tracked for gun-registration purposes. For the purposes of those laws, the receiver "is" the gun: ordering a receiver is controlled, but ordering any combination of parts without a receiver is not. But that is pretty obviously a legal fiction (perhaps an unwise legal fiction): it is, by far, not the hardest part of the gun to manufacture. In fact, 3d printing hasn't really changed the game here, because CNC machines have been able to fabricate that part for years already. Sure, now it can also be done on a 3d printer, which just adds one more way to manufacture it.
From a technological perspective, what would be impressive is if a complete gun could be 3d printed, including the critical parts involved in actual firing. Then you could legitimately say you have "3d printed a gun".
Between 435 representatives and 100 senators, that's about $1 billion/yr. That's getting into real-money territory! For example, it represents about 15% of the entire National Science Foundation budget.
In what sense has U.S. currency been devalued? Its real purchasing power has remained quite strong over the past few decades; there hasn't been a significant erosion of real purchasing power (i.e. high inflation) since the late-70s/early-80s period of inflation.
1. They can't make any significant decisions themselves. All actual power in the FCC is held by the 5-member FCC board, which is required to have at least 2 members from each of the major parties.
2. Most of the ridiculous things about telecom law are passed by Congress, not decided by the FCC itself (and certainly not individually by the FCC chairman). And if Congress wanted to fix any of them, they could pass better laws: even for the things the FCC does have the authority to make decisions on, it's precisely because Congress punted on making a decision, and delegated the authority.
One justification for Congressional salaries is that they have to pay for a 2nd home in D.C. They also get taxpayer-funded travel between their home districts at DC, averaging >$2m per member of Congress. Are these expenses going to actually be cut if they move towards telecommuting?
It's actually harder to start a business in the USA than in Denmark, even though Denmark has better protections for employees. It's called flexicurity.
Slashdot Mirror
So you think it should be legal to shoot down a civilian airliner that's overflying your property at 30,000 ft?
NASA's budget is actually still higher than even this new, massively increased level of Russian spending. Depending on whether the 2013-2020 period Putin mentions is inclusive (8 years) or not (7 years), $51.8 billion is around $6-8 billion/year. NASA's budget, meanwhile, is around $18 billion/year.
In countries with functioning union systems, there is no working class that isn't represented by their own union.
Big meteors only explode over Russia, if I'm extrapolating correctly from n=2. Therefore they should pay for it.
It did do a lot of licensing, but they also had an in-house development division, which is the ~130 people who were laid off today. The last game I can think of that game from them was Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (2008), which didn't do that well, though. They were also in the process of developing two new in-house titles, Star Wars 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault, both of which are presumably now cancelled (unless they shovel the in-progress work over to a licensee).
Limor "Ladyada" Fried. She tends to be in most of their things. Somewhat like Jobs-led Apple or Musk-led Tesla, the company's public image is pretty heavily centered around the main person. In fact the company's "About" page isn't actually about anything else.
And also a regular computer!
Yes, I think the objection is not that you can't install a text editor on an iPad, but that the ecosystem is mainly aimed at one-way retrieval of content via Apple. As Kay notes, it's not just that you can't get your content into the App Store easily, but by default you can't even install something your friend made who's sitting right next to you— there's no way to install apps from your friend unless either you jailbreak your device, or your friend gets it into the App Store.
Not ignoring hard enough!
Just and fair trials are actually exceptionally rare, in part because actual trials are quite rare. The system is entirely based on pressuring defendants into plea-bargains, regardless of their innocence.
In 1990, around 85% of federal prosecutions resulted in a plea-bargain, while 15% went to trial. Today, about 97% of federal prosecutions result in a plea-bargain, and only 3% go to trial. It's not because 97% of people charged are guilty, but because prosecutors make it abundantly clear that you had better take their plea-bargain if you know what's good for you.
Good point on Jobs; he is indeed on a number of patents. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of places like IBM or Intel, where it's quite rare for anyone from management (certainly not the CEO) to have their name on a patent. Instead patents tend to be filed by the technical staff.
It's more common at large tech companies to claim that one of your engineers invented something after careful study in the lab etc etc. Then you have them file a patent, but with assignment to the company. You don't typically put the CEO's name on the patent, because it's not so plausible that random things the CEO sketches out are properly patentable inventions that have had real technical work go into them.
I don't think failing to bail out banks is much of an intrusion on civil liberties. Cyprus was not "forced" into accepting anything. They were merely offered a deal with some terms. They could've refused it and let the banks fold.
I believe, contrary to your prediction, that we'll find libertarian shitholes to correspond strongly with weaker protections for civil liberties. If the government isn't providing basic infrastructure, the country will suck. The U.S. is going that way already, which is why I got out. Fuck the rich people and their anti-tax, anti-society bullshit; they can live in their walled gardens and ruin their country, but I'm not having a part in it.
So you don't think this legislation has anything to do with the copyright lobby, which taken in aggregate is larger than the entire U.S. government?
It's funny that you talk about "above 20% of GDP" as if it's high, when countries with stronger protections for civil liberties, like Denmark, have a government sized at 50% of GDP. Seems like smaller, US-style government doesn't produce any benefits.
That's what makes it it not interesting that someone can 3d-print it, because it's been easy to manufacture for a long time. It also means it's total crap to claim that 3d-printing this piece is equivalent to a "3d-printed gun", as the charlatans do.
There is no actual 3d-printing of guns, yet. What people are doing is 3d-printing one part of the gun (the receiver) whose serial number is tracked for gun-registration purposes. For the purposes of those laws, the receiver "is" the gun: ordering a receiver is controlled, but ordering any combination of parts without a receiver is not. But that is pretty obviously a legal fiction (perhaps an unwise legal fiction): it is, by far, not the hardest part of the gun to manufacture. In fact, 3d printing hasn't really changed the game here, because CNC machines have been able to fabricate that part for years already. Sure, now it can also be done on a 3d printer, which just adds one more way to manufacture it.
From a technological perspective, what would be impressive is if a complete gun could be 3d printed, including the critical parts involved in actual firing. Then you could legitimately say you have "3d printed a gun".
If you're saving your money in your mattress under your bed, perhaps.
Between 435 representatives and 100 senators, that's about $1 billion/yr. That's getting into real-money territory! For example, it represents about 15% of the entire National Science Foundation budget.
In what sense has U.S. currency been devalued? Its real purchasing power has remained quite strong over the past few decades; there hasn't been a significant erosion of real purchasing power (i.e. high inflation) since the late-70s/early-80s period of inflation.
When apostrophe's are outlawed, only outlaw's will have apostrophe's.
If anything, they should be forced to live in close quarters and deal with each other until they can learn to get along like adults.
Perhaps a budget conclave? Two votes a day, and send black or white smoke up the Capitol chimney to communicate whether we have a budget yet or not.
Does the FCC chairman actually have much power?
As far as I can tell:
1. They can't make any significant decisions themselves. All actual power in the FCC is held by the 5-member FCC board, which is required to have at least 2 members from each of the major parties.
2. Most of the ridiculous things about telecom law are passed by Congress, not decided by the FCC itself (and certainly not individually by the FCC chairman). And if Congress wanted to fix any of them, they could pass better laws: even for the things the FCC does have the authority to make decisions on, it's precisely because Congress punted on making a decision, and delegated the authority.
One justification for Congressional salaries is that they have to pay for a 2nd home in D.C. They also get taxpayer-funded travel between their home districts at DC, averaging >$2m per member of Congress. Are these expenses going to actually be cut if they move towards telecommuting?
Could be quite bad if they do. Nokia's set of patents is a lot larger than SCO's was, and covers more recent things.
It's actually harder to start a business in the USA than in Denmark, even though Denmark has better protections for employees. It's called flexicurity.