If you're actually comparing US current events with 20-30s Germany, you're stretching credibility. Provide some substantive comparisons beyond a mere assertion.
If they then found that you were bouncing those tunes up the intertubes off those CDs, you'd be right back at that 10K mark. It's the distribution, not the artifact.
This is not court. When people use the word steal here, it's common vernacular. Pedantry is unbecoming and legal pedantry the worst.
The one and only reason to proscribe the perfectly accurate use of the words theft and stealing in a common conversation about this topic is to reduce the apparent severity of the activity.
"And that's the crux of the matter. Until somebody actually shells out for a license you can't say for certain if they would."
Oh horseshit, that's not at all relevant. The true crux is the immoral and illegal decision to take something without reimbursing the owner. That they *wouldn't* have purchased it anyway doesn't mean a damn thing. Don't think it's worth purchasing? Don't rip it off.
It appears to me that your core belief resolves to this: If I don't want to pay for it, I shouldn't be punished harshly when it's found I ripped it off.
Pretty shoddy moral grounds.
"...there's no particular reason to believe that a public shaming..."
Criminals don't get to set their own punishments because they tend to prefer light slaps on the wrist.
What utter tripe. As already mentioned, decapitation is the obvious one. There are many, many more. On current topic, cancer infiltrating the heart's nerves will do it.
My younger brother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. We became much closer during.
Don't treat them like they're glass. They know what the hell is going on and it's insulting to pussy-foot around the topic like they're five.
Also, don't go maudlin. With the limited time that the both of you have left together, enjoy being with them and discussing whatever. If they want to talk about it, they *want* to talk. Do so. Don't avoid it because it upsets you.
"It's disturbing to voice out loud the certainty of death, but it's also galling to bullshit someone by saying everything's going to be ok, when it's not."
Yes, it's galling to bullshit. Not because it's death, but because they're intelligent. But, they are certain as to the certainty. My brother found out by "You have about a five percent chance of living for another six months."
By the way - he lasted another five years. It would have been a horrible shame to have avoided talking to him about things for what I thought was six months and have that drag on to five years. Five years I got to know my brother better.
People are far less prone to bullshit than most everyone believes. Being more or less technically literate at the time really has nothing to do with sensing bullshit. From the tone of his comment, I'd say the GP would spot bullshit readily.
Bullshitters misunderstand the word explain. Matters not if you have or don't have the techo-jive, that word means "Say that again so I will understand it."
An honest person will make the attempt to communicate. Even if no understanding is reached, both parties readily recognize the attempt and don't sense bullshit.
The bullshitter will simply vomit more words. Doesn't matter if those words are accurate, the bullshitter failed the request for more understandable communication.
Hence: The IT person who spews techno-babble inappropriately is (although correct) indeed bullshitting.
"....in the form of never-ending wars in the middle east..."
Oh, please. That might work if we were, you know, receiving oil from them in gratitude, but we ain't. In fact, the entire "War for Oil" slogan is shown to be farcical if you look at the countries we have military endeavors in. No return oil.
1. practice of a pirate; robbery or illegal violence at sea.
2. the unauthorized reproduction or use of a copyrighted book, recording, television program, patented invention, trademarked product, etc.: The record industry is beset with piracy.
3. Also called stream capture. Geol. diversion of the upper part of one stream by the headward growth of another.
"And also people in the U.S. have spent more and more, as frills became essentials (cable TV, cell phones, satellite TV, game consoles)..."
This is the real problem. Not one of those things is essential. I, for instance, own not one of those devices. Yet I do fine. Actually, the real answer is modern families *can* exist on one income. I know several that do. Just require less.
"...and other products have become increasingly expensive, like cars."
Same answer, buy a low end car. They're comparable to model T prices in current dollars.
From Wikipedia: "The standard 4-seat open tourer of 1909 cost $850[35] (equivalent to $20,709 today)"
I can *easily* find a good car for under 20K. Even half that. *Half* the price of a model T.
Been there. I got a call at 2AM from an operator.
To report? "It says there were 0 disc errors in the backup. What should I do?"
I very much enjoyed (in a malicious way) highlighting this occurrence with his boss Myrna, at the Thursday VP meeting.
Crap stopped when they instituted cross department billing.
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Sir! How *DAST" you compare me to a lawyer?
"In the same vain as those who used to rant..."
You could have probably stopped there and been completely accurate. Good choice of words.
"A good language will help them write good code."
No it won't. It's a nice myth, but it's not really true. Programmers will output crap at their level regardless of the environ.
"Actually PHP is pretty bad as a language."
Your only argument is it doesn't 'shepherd' the programmer enough. That's not a negative from my perspective.
"I'm sure the..."
No, you're not sure. That just sounds good.
If you're actually comparing US current events with 20-30s Germany, you're stretching credibility. Provide some substantive comparisons beyond a mere assertion.
No sir. You need a better understanding of income. Controlling interest in a corp does not translate to income to be taxed. That is straw.
"Except that for bittorrent, each person doesn't distribute one copy, they distribute a (usually small) fraction of a copy."
And even the guy driving the get-away car receives full punishment. Kind of the point. Collusion and all.
"very probable the pirates would not have bought it anyway"
Not relevant at all.
If they then found that you were bouncing those tunes up the intertubes off those CDs, you'd be right back at that 10K mark. It's the distribution, not the artifact.
This is not court. When people use the word steal here, it's common vernacular. Pedantry is unbecoming and legal pedantry the worst.
The one and only reason to proscribe the perfectly accurate use of the words theft and stealing in a common conversation about this topic is to reduce the apparent severity of the activity.
The ability to determine the distribution of their materials as they see fit - the friggin' *meaning* of copyright.
"And that's the crux of the matter. Until somebody actually shells out for a license you can't say for certain if they would."
Oh horseshit, that's not at all relevant. The true crux is the immoral and illegal decision to take something without reimbursing the owner. That they *wouldn't* have purchased it anyway doesn't mean a damn thing. Don't think it's worth purchasing? Don't rip it off.
It appears to me that your core belief resolves to this: If I don't want to pay for it, I shouldn't be punished harshly when it's found I ripped it off.
Pretty shoddy moral grounds.
"...there's no particular reason to believe that a public shaming..."
Criminals don't get to set their own punishments because they tend to prefer light slaps on the wrist.
What did you provide your customer base before the Google app tie-in? Or is your post purely hypothetical?
What utter tripe. As already mentioned, decapitation is the obvious one. There are many, many more. On current topic, cancer infiltrating the heart's nerves will do it.
My younger brother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. We became much closer during.
Don't treat them like they're glass. They know what the hell is going on and it's insulting to pussy-foot around the topic like they're five.
Also, don't go maudlin. With the limited time that the both of you have left together, enjoy being with them and discussing whatever. If they want to talk about it, they *want* to talk. Do so. Don't avoid it because it upsets you.
"It's disturbing to voice out loud the certainty of death, but it's also galling to bullshit someone by saying everything's going to be ok, when it's not."
Yes, it's galling to bullshit. Not because it's death, but because they're intelligent. But, they are certain as to the certainty. My brother found out by "You have about a five percent chance of living for another six months."
By the way - he lasted another five years. It would have been a horrible shame to have avoided talking to him about things for what I thought was six months and have that drag on to five years. Five years I got to know my brother better.
I miss him.
That was interesting as all hell. Thank you.
People are far less prone to bullshit than most everyone believes. Being more or less technically literate at the time really has nothing to do with sensing bullshit. From the tone of his comment, I'd say the GP would spot bullshit readily.
Bullshitters misunderstand the word explain. Matters not if you have or don't have the techo-jive, that word means "Say that again so I will understand it."
An honest person will make the attempt to communicate. Even if no understanding is reached, both parties readily recognize the attempt and don't sense bullshit.
The bullshitter will simply vomit more words. Doesn't matter if those words are accurate, the bullshitter failed the request for more understandable communication.
Hence: The IT person who spews techno-babble inappropriately is (although correct) indeed bullshitting.
"Don't forget the massive subsidies for oil- over a trillion dollars spent in Iraq which would not have been spent if Iraq did not have oil."
Yes, we've received so much oil in return. I also presume you believe the same about AF?
"....in the form of never-ending wars in the middle east..."
Oh, please. That might work if we were, you know, receiving oil from them in gratitude, but we ain't. In fact, the entire "War for Oil" slogan is shown to be farcical if you look at the countries we have military endeavors in. No return oil.
But for some reason, subsidies for solar and other so-called "alternative" energy sources are a bad thing.
Fossil fuels don't cost *more* than they yield.
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary:
piracy, n., pl. piracies.
1. practice of a pirate; robbery or illegal violence at sea.
2. the unauthorized reproduction or use of a copyrighted book, recording, television program, patented invention, trademarked product, etc.: The record industry is beset with piracy.
3. Also called stream capture. Geol. diversion of the upper part of one stream by the headward growth of another.
You are incorrect.
Only companies in states that allow that. States where it isn't allowed, the companies just wish.
Just don't use company time, resources or inside knowledge.
"And also people in the U.S. have spent more and more, as frills became essentials (cable TV, cell phones, satellite TV, game consoles)..."
This is the real problem. Not one of those things is essential. I, for instance, own not one of those devices. Yet I do fine. Actually, the real answer is modern families *can* exist on one income. I know several that do. Just require less.
"...and other products have become increasingly expensive, like cars."
Same answer, buy a low end car. They're comparable to model T prices in current dollars.
From Wikipedia: "The standard 4-seat open tourer of 1909 cost $850[35] (equivalent to $20,709 today)"
I can *easily* find a good car for under 20K. Even half that. *Half* the price of a model T.
It sucked for other reasons AND the use of rotoscoping.
Been there. I got a call at 2AM from an operator. To report? "It says there were 0 disc errors in the backup. What should I do?" I very much enjoyed (in a malicious way) highlighting this occurrence with his boss Myrna, at the Thursday VP meeting. Crap stopped when they instituted cross department billing.
I'm done commenting on this article. In no way can it be stated more thoroughly and convincingly than you have done.