This is really more about the difference between law and ethics. Ethically, I would agree with you that the employer is stealing from you. Legally, however, the two are different. If your employer does not pay you, you can sue your (now former) employer for your pay. It is a civil and not a criminal matter. If your employer, however, breaks into your house and robs you of an equal amount of money, it is now a criminal matter and he can spend a considerable time as a guest of the state. I would see copyright in the same light. From a moral standpoint, you could argue that it is stealing, but not from a legal standpoint. (oh, and I am not a lawyer, it's just my 2 cents).
It seems to me like the RIAA is stabbing blindly in the dark.
Well, you have to give them somewhat of a break. After all, they are still just now recovering from near total bankruptcy after all the money lost from people copying tapes and LPs onto duplicate tapes. How they even survived such a horrific onslaught from the evil pirates is beyond me. Occasionally, the music executives became so broke that they would have to eat one or two of their hired minstrels (and there was much rejoicing).
So when society goes to hell because the children of today, just remember it's your fault for doing a shitty job of raising them and have no one else to blame but yourselves.
Hmmm.... Perhaps now is the time for me to invest in a diverse portfolio of handbasket companies. I have a feeling lots of people will be needing them soon...
This is why, when you are giving statistics in a scientific or engineering paper (though it is ignored in the popular media), you need to give both average and standard deviation (or variance) to give a real statistical picture. Even if the average temperature were to stay the same, if the standard deviation is rapidly increasing, we are still screwed. Basically, we can average 20 degrees for the year every year, but there is a world of difference between a temperature range of -10 degrees to 40 degrees (with an yearly average of 20 degrees) (for example) and -100 degrees to 100 degrees (also with an yearly average of 20 degrees).
If that were true, I can just imagine what would happen if the employees get bonuses for each new patent they submit. "Woo-hoo! I'm going back to my office and program myself a new mini-van!"
Sad, but very true. I remember the principal in my middle school who tried to convince those of us who were going to take algebra in the seventh grade to *not* take algebra. Her reason: we may actually have to take calculus before we graduated from high school (oh, the horror!). I guess she figured that if she was too stupid to understand calculus, everyone else should be.
Um, the Chinese are busy learning things like "physics" and "chemistry" and "biology". Perhaps you've heard of them? If not, then kindly step away from your computer and try to read something that doesn't have to do with programming for a change.
Now, if we can just convince the MPAA and RIAA that a whole planet of beings are infringing their copyrights, maybe we can get them to invest in a large spaceship and travel there. Perhaps we can call their spaceship, for lack of a better name, the "B" ark.
Well, not to nit-pick, but you are all referring to a greater number of chromosomes not genes. An addition, deletion or mutation of a single gene usually has no immediately appreciable effect (though obviously over time it does). Perhaps the mutation allows a better or worse (in a particular environment of course) breakdown of a particular enzyme that helps or hinders the affected organism. Statistically speaking, the mean rate of mutation in a human being is 1.1 genes/person (IIRC). I'm not sure what the standard deviation is, though.
As a side note, it always annoyed me that, when statistics are given in newspaper articles or even science magazine articles, they almost never give the standard deviation. Without both the standard deviation (or variance at least) and mean, the figures are not very useful.
I think your high school physics teacher must have read too much Stanislaw Lem. This sounds similar to the plot of His Master's Voice, though there is nothing specific about God in it. Basically, neutrino emissions were detected and were believed to contain a message from a higher intelligence, along with helping to generate life.
Simply believing that hundreds or thousands of people can keep a secret for so long is ridicoulus.
Especially people like the Soviets who had a vested interest in exposing any kind of fraud. Between that and all the gradual technical accomplishments that were produced to (1) get someone into space in the first place, and (2) dock ships, deal with EVA and other problems that one would need to deal with to get to the moon; and along with (3) all the film from places like Grumman Engineering that details every tiny bit of the production of the lunar modules, and (4) etc. etc., you clearly need the biggest cluestick in the world to hit these people with. Even then, it might not work.
Oh, I'm not arguing with you. The reason I specifically pointed out Windoze ME is that so many software vendors can get their software working on any platform (other Windoze, Linux, etc.) except for Windoze ME. When the software is installed on Windoze ME, stuff keeps breaking all the time for no adequately explained reason.
Probably the same reason you have the user name Flying Purple Wombat and the sig "If God had meant for man to see the sunrise, He would have scheduled it later in the day."
Basically, you have the same twisted sense of humor that me and a lot my friends have:-)
Actually (and I hope I'm not getting too off topic), the elevators where I work sound a lot like this. I've found myself quoting the same line from time to time.
Sigh... First Heinlein, then Asimov, then DeForest Kelley, now Doohan...
Well, here is a link to the Wikipedia entry. Good luck. I can't make heads or tails of the entry myself. They use all these bizarre terms like "sexual relationship", "romantic" and "courtship". Perhaps we should get the/. philologists researching it.
Slashdot Mirror
My task is now clear. I will have to assimilate them! Their resistance is futile!
So what you are saying is that we can get through rush hour traffic faster with an elephant? Sounds like a great idea to me! :-p
This is really more about the difference between law and ethics. Ethically, I would agree with you that the employer is stealing from you. Legally, however, the two are different. If your employer does not pay you, you can sue your (now former) employer for your pay. It is a civil and not a criminal matter. If your employer, however, breaks into your house and robs you of an equal amount of money, it is now a criminal matter and he can spend a considerable time as a guest of the state. I would see copyright in the same light. From a moral standpoint, you could argue that it is stealing, but not from a legal standpoint. (oh, and I am not a lawyer, it's just my 2 cents).
Well, you have to give them somewhat of a break. After all, they are still just now recovering from near total bankruptcy after all the money lost from people copying tapes and LPs onto duplicate tapes. How they even survived such a horrific onslaught from the evil pirates is beyond me. Occasionally, the music executives became so broke that they would have to eat one or two of their hired minstrels (and there was much rejoicing).
Hmmm.... Perhaps now is the time for me to invest in a diverse portfolio of handbasket companies. I have a feeling lots of people will be needing them soon...
This is why, when you are giving statistics in a scientific or engineering paper (though it is ignored in the popular media), you need to give both average and standard deviation (or variance) to give a real statistical picture. Even if the average temperature were to stay the same, if the standard deviation is rapidly increasing, we are still screwed. Basically, we can average 20 degrees for the year every year, but there is a world of difference between a temperature range of -10 degrees to 40 degrees (with an yearly average of 20 degrees) (for example) and -100 degrees to 100 degrees (also with an yearly average of 20 degrees).
Please, there are still those of us who are trying to forget Windows ME!
A few years after we first go to Mars, Fox will probably cite this report in their special "Did We Really Land on Mars?"
If that were true, I can just imagine what would happen if the employees get bonuses for each new patent they submit. "Woo-hoo! I'm going back to my office and program myself a new mini-van!"
Why is it that, whenever I read arguments about "real" Democrats and "real" Republicans, I hear bagpipes in the background?
Johnson: "Was it them. Was it their German scientists?"
Rocket scientist guy: "No it was not, Senator. Our Germans are better than their Germans."
Sad, but very true. I remember the principal in my middle school who tried to convince those of us who were going to take algebra in the seventh grade to *not* take algebra. Her reason: we may actually have to take calculus before we graduated from high school (oh, the horror!). I guess she figured that if she was too stupid to understand calculus, everyone else should be.
Um, the Chinese are busy learning things like "physics" and "chemistry" and "biology". Perhaps you've heard of them? If not, then kindly step away from your computer and try to read something that doesn't have to do with programming for a change.
In Soviet Russia, old unfunny jokes post YOU!
Okay, I could't resist. You may flame me now.
Now, if we can just convince the MPAA and RIAA that a whole planet of beings are infringing their copyrights, maybe we can get them to invest in a large spaceship and travel there. Perhaps we can call their spaceship, for lack of a better name, the "B" ark.
As a side note, it always annoyed me that, when statistics are given in newspaper articles or even science magazine articles, they almost never give the standard deviation. Without both the standard deviation (or variance at least) and mean, the figures are not very useful.
I think your high school physics teacher must have read too much Stanislaw Lem. This sounds similar to the plot of His Master's Voice, though there is nothing specific about God in it. Basically, neutrino emissions were detected and were believed to contain a message from a higher intelligence, along with helping to generate life.
Especially people like the Soviets who had a vested interest in exposing any kind of fraud. Between that and all the gradual technical accomplishments that were produced to (1) get someone into space in the first place, and (2) dock ships, deal with EVA and other problems that one would need to deal with to get to the moon; and along with (3) all the film from places like Grumman Engineering that details every tiny bit of the production of the lunar modules, and (4) etc. etc., you clearly need the biggest cluestick in the world to hit these people with. Even then, it might not work.
Oh, I'm not arguing with you. The reason I specifically pointed out Windoze ME is that so many software vendors can get their software working on any platform (other Windoze, Linux, etc.) except for Windoze ME. When the software is installed on Windoze ME, stuff keeps breaking all the time for no adequately explained reason.
They've already done that. It's called Windows ME.
Basically, you have the same twisted sense of humor that me and a lot my friends have :-)
Explain HowTF even a eulogy for James Doohan can turn into a Conservative vs. Liberal ranting thread. WTF is wrong with you people???
I'm sure he was able to apply a some linguistic ledgerdemain and a bit of interpidity.
Sigh... First Heinlein, then Asimov, then DeForest Kelley, now Doohan...
Well, here is a link to the Wikipedia entry. Good luck. I can't make heads or tails of the entry myself. They use all these bizarre terms like "sexual relationship", "romantic" and "courtship". Perhaps we should get the /. philologists researching it.