It's funny how many people I have heard, here and elsewhere, go on and on about distributing wealth! Spread the success! All workers of the world unite!
Funny things is, the world is not equal. Ethics are simply...different in many part of the world. In many countries (and yes I have specific cases, including a certain oil company and Italy...), bribes are more or less standard practice, and you will get nowhere without knowing which palms to grease for permits, licenses, etc.
I'm amazed that anybody is even surprised that this is happening.
There will come a time when U.S. companies wake up and realize that 90% of their intellectual property and 'superiority', trade secrets, proprietary information, and perhaps even personnel and medical data has been shipped overseas for the low, low prices of $3.50 a day.
But the dialogue is strangely out of sync with the actor's lip movements. Also, here is how mine started:
Gollum: Frodo-san, please to give me ring. Frodo: I am not liking tone you are! Be soap. Gollum: Can you not see my fervor? Frodo: All your ring are belong to us! Gollum: EKEKEKEKEK
I didn't hear the rest because of the overdubbed techno-music.
Re:Creator's rights and copying technologies
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Ask Neil Gaiman
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I think you kind of answered your own question with "Do you feel that this might change in the future as people become more accustomed to getting their information on a screen?"
The transfer of Internet music versus buying a cd is nearly transparent. Going from cd to mp3s doesn't require a radical change in the way people use the media. Basically they are getting the same thing as they had before, but now it's free.
Books, however, have not found much success in the e-format. People are still preferring to curl up with a paper book than any e-gadget. It may change eventually, and probably will once someone comes up with a format that is easy on the eyes and provides the same enjoyment as a normal book.
When that time comes, I have no doubt book wills be pirated and traded just like music is now.
...to do more than just learn a little bit about computers. So you're saying Army Basic Training/AIT is not all fun and games? There's hardly any TV?!?
OH GOD WHAT IS THIS COUNTRY COMING TO?
1. You mean in civilized countries, 12 year-olds don't know that stealing is wrong? 2. You mean you never read anywhere in the Kazaa pages that they don't condone swapping copyrighted material?
Paying for kazaa service is just that; paying for the service, not for the content.
That's like taking four boxes of copyrighted papers to Kinko's, paying your 3 cents a copied page, then saying, "But I paid for the service!" (Then blaming Kinko's, even though there's disclosure there saying, 'don't copy copyrighted material.')
I think it's pretty obvious to anyone with half-a-brain that downloading music is cheating the system. I'm not saying I don't do it...I do lots of bad things. But let's not spit on a donut and call it frosting.
1. Authors tend to think that if they come up with some nifty idea, that is enough. The characters are one-dimensional, plot is secondary, everything takes a back seat to the 'cool idea.' 2. Most of the interesting ideas have been hashed over a million times. 3. Authors tend to gravitate to where the cash is. I.e., fantasy.
That said, there's some real crap out there sold under the fantasy label, and I know there are plenty of sci-fi writers who should get more attention. Just look at the Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Lots of the latter, very little of the former. And what sci-fi there is in there, is usually pretty poor.
A great sci-fi book I recently read is Warchild by Karin Lowachee. Great, fresh new writer. Check it.
There's a sci-fi short story in which two opposing nations have become 'civilized' to the point where there is no more war. Whenever there is a dispute, the leaders play a game. The losing nation then sends 100 of their citizens to an incinerator as part of the price. The idea is that if things become to 'easy' or fast...the loss of life becomes far too acceptable.
I feel for your father's situation, but I think you are too emotional over this. The auto situation is simply a matter of survival of the fittest. Doesn't it seem silly to keep people employed JUST for the sake of keeping them employed?
There is a huge thread on losing IT jobs overseas. As an IT worker, yes, I don't like the idea of losing my job. But as a realist, I know that I'll have to adapt and overcome. That's the nature of economies, and life in general.
I don't see any sense in keeping a bloated out-dated system just for the sake of keeping it. No offense to your father, but if unions hadn't gone overboard on their demands, ($55k a year for plugging x into y?) IT is seeing the same equilibrium. Other markets will as well as this technology progresses. I don't see it as a end-of-world scenario as much as natural progression.
This article is absolutely rediculous. How do you make a connection between a kiosk where you can order food at McDonalds and robots taking over every job in the United States? First of all, I don't think a fast food resteraunt could be completely automated. Machines are good at things like accounting, but when it comes to human interaction there is a lot of room for improvement.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Why is it so hard to picture an automated McDonald's? A person pulls up to the drivethrough, orders their food via touchscreens, and pays via cash/credit card. The food, which was shipped in bar-coded containers, is prepared precisely to specifications. Nothing get burned, dropped, forgotten, spat in, or confused. What "Interaction" do you need by saying, "Fries and a coke?" Once automated shipping (robot-driven trucks for instance) are more common, I don't see why there needs to be a human involved at all.
This is horseshit. First of all it is impossible, if most people in the economy were on welfare they would be no economy. Where would these companies get money to build and maintain the robots? I don't disagree that there will probably be a lot of automated systems in the near future, but this article is just stupid.
And machines need an economy why? Assume technology gets to the point where everything is automated; from the mining of ore, to the manufacture of metals and other components, to the assembly and maintenance of machines. Most of this can be done via machines. Assume a company has figured out a way to automate every facet of their business...is the CEO going to be thinking of the economy, or the fact that he can save billions in workforce costs? Suppose it is SO automated that the CEO dies, and things run just as smoothly as ever?
How likely is it that we'll lose every job? I don't know...but I for one can imagine a future where a vast majority of our jobs are automated.
I'm SO glad you all are so willing to globalize, really. Yes, let's send our tech jobs overseas, and take 40% cuts (like I've done) so we can be thankful to have a job. It only makes sense! It will 'even things out' globally.
But fair is fair. Allow me to buy those 4$ sneakers made by 9 year old Indonesians kids. Let me buy that authentic imitation Gucci wallet for $.50 made by some 80 year-old Laotian under gunpoint.
Fair is fair, right? American companies have no problem screaming about how they need to compete with all these cheaply made products, as they're gleefully outsourcing everything they can. Then the government and these same companies do everything they can to restrict what can be sold to us.
I'm starting to laugh when I hear people still saying "Buy from US companies!" If we're going global, go global all the way. Open up the floodgates, baby. If I'm going to have to downgrade my entire lift because some guy is willing to do it for $3 an hour, fine. But give me the option to buy whatever the hell I want, from wherever I want.
I think the thing to go into now is import/export. Specifically, import, as there is nothing left to export (except jobs.). I'll be damned if I buy a razor now from an "American" company that just outsourced my job to India. I think as the government and US companies show how disloyal they are to us, they'll find that the tables can turn. No more bailing how failing companies (Airlines anyone?) who fail to compete because of their incredible bloat, and try to find inane things to blame their shortcomings on (RIAA anyone?)
Slashdot Mirror
It's funny how many people I have heard, here and elsewhere, go on and on about distributing wealth! Spread the success! All workers of the world unite!
Funny things is, the world is not equal. Ethics are simply...different in many part of the world. In many countries (and yes I have specific cases, including a certain oil company and Italy...), bribes are more or less standard practice, and you will get nowhere without knowing which palms to grease for permits, licenses, etc.
I'm amazed that anybody is even surprised that this is happening.
There will come a time when U.S. companies wake up and realize that 90% of their intellectual property and 'superiority', trade secrets, proprietary information, and perhaps even personnel and medical data has been shipped overseas for the low, low prices of $3.50 a day.
But the dialogue is strangely out of sync with the actor's lip movements. Also, here is how mine started:
Gollum: Frodo-san, please to give me ring.
Frodo: I am not liking tone you are! Be soap.
Gollum: Can you not see my fervor?
Frodo: All your ring are belong to us!
Gollum: EKEKEKEKEK
I didn't hear the rest because of the overdubbed techno-music.
I think you kind of answered your own question with "Do you feel that this might change in the future as people become more accustomed to getting their information on a screen?" The transfer of Internet music versus buying a cd is nearly transparent. Going from cd to mp3s doesn't require a radical change in the way people use the media. Basically they are getting the same thing as they had before, but now it's free. Books, however, have not found much success in the e-format. People are still preferring to curl up with a paper book than any e-gadget. It may change eventually, and probably will once someone comes up with a format that is easy on the eyes and provides the same enjoyment as a normal book. When that time comes, I have no doubt book wills be pirated and traded just like music is now.
...to do more than just learn a little bit about computers. So you're saying Army Basic Training/AIT is not all fun and games? There's hardly any TV?!? OH GOD WHAT IS THIS COUNTRY COMING TO?
Now, because of the slashdot effect, there's going to be a bunch of poor, pathetic little bees trying to fly with only one wing.
I hope you're happy.
1. You mean in civilized countries, 12 year-olds don't know that stealing is wrong?
2. You mean you never read anywhere in the Kazaa pages that they don't condone swapping copyrighted material?
Paying for kazaa service is just that; paying for the service, not for the content.
That's like taking four boxes of copyrighted papers to Kinko's, paying your 3 cents a copied page, then saying, "But I paid for the service!" (Then blaming Kinko's, even though there's disclosure there saying, 'don't copy copyrighted material.')
I think it's pretty obvious to anyone with half-a-brain that downloading music is cheating the system. I'm not saying I don't do it...I do lots of bad things. But let's not spit on a donut and call it frosting.
It's always easier to blame someone else.
1. Authors tend to think that if they come up with some nifty idea, that is enough. The characters are one-dimensional, plot is secondary, everything takes a back seat to the 'cool idea.'
2. Most of the interesting ideas have been hashed over a million times.
3. Authors tend to gravitate to where the cash is. I.e., fantasy.
That said, there's some real crap out there sold under the fantasy label, and I know there are plenty of sci-fi writers who should get more attention. Just look at the Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Lots of the latter, very little of the former. And what sci-fi there is in there, is usually pretty poor.
A great sci-fi book I recently read is Warchild by Karin Lowachee. Great, fresh new writer. Check it.
It's one of those campy 70's throwbacks that appeals to Generation-X'ers. We need another Vietnam to thin out their ranks a little.
There's a sci-fi short story in which two opposing nations have become 'civilized' to the point where there is no more war. Whenever there is a dispute, the leaders play a game. The losing nation then sends 100 of their citizens to an incinerator as part of the price. The idea is that if things become to 'easy' or fast...the loss of life becomes far too acceptable.
I feel for your father's situation, but I think you are too emotional over this. The auto situation is simply a matter of survival of the fittest. Doesn't it seem silly to keep people employed JUST for the sake of keeping them employed?
There is a huge thread on losing IT jobs overseas. As an IT worker, yes, I don't like the idea of losing my job. But as a realist, I know that I'll have to adapt and overcome. That's the nature of economies, and life in general.
I don't see any sense in keeping a bloated out-dated system just for the sake of keeping it. No offense to your father, but if unions hadn't gone overboard on their demands, ($55k a year for plugging x into y?) IT is seeing the same equilibrium. Other markets will as well as this technology progresses. I don't see it as a end-of-world scenario as much as natural progression.
This article is absolutely rediculous. How do you make a connection between a kiosk where you can order food at McDonalds and robots taking over every job in the United States? First of all, I don't think a fast food resteraunt could be completely automated. Machines are good at things like accounting, but when it comes to human interaction there is a lot of room for improvement.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Why is it so hard to picture an automated McDonald's? A person pulls up to the drivethrough, orders their food via touchscreens, and pays via cash/credit card. The food, which was shipped in bar-coded containers, is prepared precisely to specifications. Nothing get burned, dropped, forgotten, spat in, or confused. What "Interaction" do you need by saying, "Fries and a coke?" Once automated shipping (robot-driven trucks for instance) are more common, I don't see why there needs to be a human involved at all.
This is horseshit. First of all it is impossible, if most people in the economy were on welfare they would be no economy. Where would these companies get money to build and maintain the robots? I don't disagree that there will probably be a lot of automated systems in the near future, but this article is just stupid.
And machines need an economy why? Assume technology gets to the point where everything is automated; from the mining of ore, to the manufacture of metals and other components, to the assembly and maintenance of machines. Most of this can be done via machines. Assume a company has figured out a way to automate every facet of their business...is the CEO going to be thinking of the economy, or the fact that he can save billions in workforce costs? Suppose it is SO automated that the CEO dies, and things run just as smoothly as ever?
How likely is it that we'll lose every job? I don't know...but I for one can imagine a future where a vast majority of our jobs are automated.
But fair is fair. Allow me to buy those 4$ sneakers made by 9 year old Indonesians kids. Let me buy that authentic imitation Gucci wallet for $.50 made by some 80 year-old Laotian under gunpoint.
Fair is fair, right? American companies have no problem screaming about how they need to compete with all these cheaply made products, as they're gleefully outsourcing everything they can. Then the government and these same companies do everything they can to restrict what can be sold to us.
I'm starting to laugh when I hear people still saying "Buy from US companies!" If we're going global, go global all the way. Open up the floodgates, baby. If I'm going to have to downgrade my entire lift because some guy is willing to do it for $3 an hour, fine. But give me the option to buy whatever the hell I want, from wherever I want.
I think the thing to go into now is import/export. Specifically, import, as there is nothing left to export (except jobs.). I'll be damned if I buy a razor now from an "American" company that just outsourced my job to India. I think as the government and US companies show how disloyal they are to us, they'll find that the tables can turn. No more bailing how failing companies (Airlines anyone?) who fail to compete because of their incredible bloat, and try to find inane things to blame their shortcomings on (RIAA anyone?)
Payback is hell.