Not necessarily. If that were the case, then why would certain people only buy American cars? Or choose to support eco-friendly companies? Or a company with a better pricing structure or better customer support? Price isn't the only consideration in choosing a product or company to buy (from).
If there are market pressures that favor self-regulation, it isn't naive to think that they will. For example, Mattel and the recent lead-painted toys scandal: would you be willing to buy a toy for your child from them until they start testing their stuff? If they don't start regulating their assembly lines they're going to be looking at red numbers for quite some time. This scenario can't quite be transfered to the nuclear power situation, but if anything that is because there isn't exactly a capitalist system in place in regard to energy (that is, most consumers can't choose which power company to buy from thanks to barriers to entry or government intervention), but even so, the fault isn't necessarily with capitalism itself but poor business practices on behalf of the company.
You mention some very interesting facts, yet don't really link them at all to evolution.
The fact that we do have life even in these very "fragile" conditions as you put it, is a testament to the theory of evolution. Because nature is so harsh, it forces us (as a planet) to adapt or die. Animals that have been able to adapt to their environments, including the temperature, thrive. Those that can't, go extinct. The fact that the "temp on this planet could be so steady for 100s of millions of years" doesn't involve evoltuion at all. Part of the reason for this trend is our orbit around the sun, and another part the effect of our atmosphere and Earth's naturally forming conditions. You seem to imply some divine intervention (although I could be reading you wrong) and, if that were the case, why aren't the dinosaurs around today? I would tend to argue that there is no master scheme behind things, that the planet is impartial (not being alive to begin with, it would of course be impartial). The stress comes from limited supplies and competition, as well as the environment and its changes.
That is the point of science: if you find something that disagrees with your theory or hypothesis, you either throw the theory out or try to make it fit with the newly found evidence. This process is reversed in the case of religion: if the evidence counters religious ideals, it must be the evidence is wrong and it is the one to be thrown out. Instead of considering that perhaps their world-view is a bit distorted, they seek to change the evidence to match what they already know is "true". Case in point: God put the dinosaur bones here to "test" us.
Wouldn't it be more useful to look at the stats for Internet Explorer than those for Firefox? I'm sure many Europeans use Opera or Safari, besides just Firefox?
Got to give props to the Firefox guys though. They're getting there:)
Networks show stuff that will strike a balance between them 1) getting new viewers and 2) not losing any of the viewers they already have (all in order to keep the advertisers in line, mind you). That's the way things work. As a consequence, many stations air programs that rile people up and convince them that The Other Side is doing something horribly immoral and Evil. And what happens? People keep watching:)
If you want facts, check the Internet. While many websites stoop to that low, low level, the ability to accrue multiple sources at once within a short span of time (and no stinkin' commercial breaks) hopefully enables one to shift through the bunk. If you want entertainment, however, flip on the telly!
Of course its a tool used because of what they wrote. You can't jail someone for failing to divulge sources of a classified government program when they didn't write anything about classified government programs:)
You might try eMusic. They offer VBR quality mp3s at a pretty low price and can be redownloaded and shared (DRM-free) to your heart's content. Mind you, they don't have the pop-hits artists of iTunes and MTV but they do have a pretty wide selection.
1) DRM to be ruled illegal 2) The RIAA and MPAA to explode
I'll take either, both would be icing:)
Re:Smoking bans: reducing freedom, or increasing i
on
2006's Bill of Wrongs
·
· Score: 1
At what expense? By imposing a ban you're limiting the freedom of a resturant owner to decide what will make him or her the most money. If some people are willing to pay a premium to eat at a resturant that allows them to smoke, or allows them to smoke in certain areas, why should a city, state, or country have any say whatsoever in the matter? A resturant is not a public place and no one is forced under the law to attend a smoking-only resturant or stay (or return ever again) should they discover that the place permits smoking.
This analogy doesn't really hold true for media besides console games. The cost to "export" a console game can be high -- buying a modchip, rom cartidge, what have you. On the other hand, with a music CD or video DVD, once you have a burner, as comes standard with most computers now-a-days, the cost to reproduce that media in a portable form (portable meaning away from your computer) is almost negligible. Blank CDs and DVDs can be bought in the range of cents per copy. So while you may be encouraged to buy a game after playing a rom, who is to say that someone listening to the latest album would buy a copy ($15) vs burning a copy ($.05)? I won't say people don't pirate music and then buy it, but it seems like it happens much less often than what happened with a DS game in your case.
I ain't gonna work on Kent's farm no more. No, I ain't gonna work on Kent's farm no more. Well, I wake in the morning, Fold my hands and pray for cores. Intel's got a head full of ideas But everyone's a bore. I ain't gonna work on Kent's farm no more.
Alhambra features players buying tiles to construct their palaces. On the main board are four slots, each with a tile randomly drawn from the bag. Players are each given money in four different curriences (colors). Each slot on the board is denoted by a certain color, displaying the currency one must use to buy that tile (ie pay the red money to buy the tile on the red spot). On a turn, one can either buy a tile or take money with the added caveat that if one buys a tile using exact change, they can go again (no change is given if you overpay!). Players want majorities in various tile colors while constructing their Alhambra effectivly so that they don't block themselves off from other tile placements down the road.
I own all three of the ones mentioned, each are pretty fun stuff:) Each, by the way, has won a Spiel des Jahres, the annual German "Game of the Year". For more info, check here.
*SPOILERS*
*
*
*
*
BOC started playing "Don't Fear the Reaper" just as the UFOs starting sucking me into their mothership:) Quite a funny moment!
*
*
*
*
*
Didn't say (or didn't mean at least) that it was. But if you're looking to rob someones car, wouldn't you go for the most obvious and expensive things? Car radio, purse, iPod, etc. Why would someone grab a bunch of computer tapes? Just seems a bit comical to me...
Slashdot Mirror
Not necessarily. If that were the case, then why would certain people only buy American cars? Or choose to support eco-friendly companies? Or a company with a better pricing structure or better customer support? Price isn't the only consideration in choosing a product or company to buy (from).
If there are market pressures that favor self-regulation, it isn't naive to think that they will. For example, Mattel and the recent lead-painted toys scandal: would you be willing to buy a toy for your child from them until they start testing their stuff? If they don't start regulating their assembly lines they're going to be looking at red numbers for quite some time. This scenario can't quite be transfered to the nuclear power situation, but if anything that is because there isn't exactly a capitalist system in place in regard to energy (that is, most consumers can't choose which power company to buy from thanks to barriers to entry or government intervention), but even so, the fault isn't necessarily with capitalism itself but poor business practices on behalf of the company.
You mention some very interesting facts, yet don't really link them at all to evolution. The fact that we do have life even in these very "fragile" conditions as you put it, is a testament to the theory of evolution. Because nature is so harsh, it forces us (as a planet) to adapt or die. Animals that have been able to adapt to their environments, including the temperature, thrive. Those that can't, go extinct. The fact that the "temp on this planet could be so steady for 100s of millions of years" doesn't involve evoltuion at all. Part of the reason for this trend is our orbit around the sun, and another part the effect of our atmosphere and Earth's naturally forming conditions. You seem to imply some divine intervention (although I could be reading you wrong) and, if that were the case, why aren't the dinosaurs around today? I would tend to argue that there is no master scheme behind things, that the planet is impartial (not being alive to begin with, it would of course be impartial). The stress comes from limited supplies and competition, as well as the environment and its changes.
That is the point of science: if you find something that disagrees with your theory or hypothesis, you either throw the theory out or try to make it fit with the newly found evidence. This process is reversed in the case of religion: if the evidence counters religious ideals, it must be the evidence is wrong and it is the one to be thrown out. Instead of considering that perhaps their world-view is a bit distorted, they seek to change the evidence to match what they already know is "true". Case in point: God put the dinosaur bones here to "test" us.
More like "Jose Foreigner" in this case...
Japan got nuked twice, then was occupied by the United States for about 6 years. Look where they are now...
http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2004/20040922l. jpg
PS:T is the way to be!
Wouldn't it be more useful to look at the stats for Internet Explorer than those for Firefox? I'm sure many Europeans use Opera or Safari, besides just Firefox?
:)
Got to give props to the Firefox guys though. They're getting there
Networks show stuff that will strike a balance between them 1) getting new viewers and 2) not losing any of the viewers they already have (all in order to keep the advertisers in line, mind you). That's the way things work. As a consequence, many stations air programs that rile people up and convince them that The Other Side is doing something horribly immoral and Evil. And what happens? People keep watching :)
If you want facts, check the Internet. While many websites stoop to that low, low level, the ability to accrue multiple sources at once within a short span of time (and no stinkin' commercial breaks) hopefully enables one to shift through the bunk. If you want entertainment, however, flip on the telly!
Of course its a tool used because of what they wrote. You can't jail someone for failing to divulge sources of a classified government program when they didn't write anything about classified government programs :)
You might try eMusic. They offer VBR quality mp3s at a pretty low price and can be redownloaded and shared (DRM-free) to your heart's content. Mind you, they don't have the pop-hits artists of iTunes and MTV but they do have a pretty wide selection.
Hope it helps!
GR
I would like either:
:)
1) DRM to be ruled illegal
2) The RIAA and MPAA to explode
I'll take either, both would be icing
At what expense? By imposing a ban you're limiting the freedom of a resturant owner to decide what will make him or her the most money. If some people are willing to pay a premium to eat at a resturant that allows them to smoke, or allows them to smoke in certain areas, why should a city, state, or country have any say whatsoever in the matter? A resturant is not a public place and no one is forced under the law to attend a smoking-only resturant or stay (or return ever again) should they discover that the place permits smoking.
What a Modest Proposal you have there!
Until the competition let me call a landline through their product for free, as Skype does at the moment, I won't be switching.
This analogy doesn't really hold true for media besides console games. The cost to "export" a console game can be high -- buying a modchip, rom cartidge, what have you. On the other hand, with a music CD or video DVD, once you have a burner, as comes standard with most computers now-a-days, the cost to reproduce that media in a portable form (portable meaning away from your computer) is almost negligible. Blank CDs and DVDs can be bought in the range of cents per copy. So while you may be encouraged to buy a game after playing a rom, who is to say that someone listening to the latest album would buy a copy ($15) vs burning a copy ($.05)? I won't say people don't pirate music and then buy it, but it seems like it happens much less often than what happened with a DS game in your case.
BonziBuddy is about as silly as the Spawn of Satan.
I ain't gonna work on Kent's farm no more.
No, I ain't gonna work on Kent's farm no more.
Well, I wake in the morning,
Fold my hands and pray for cores.
Intel's got a head full of ideas
But everyone's a bore.
I ain't gonna work on Kent's farm no more.
Yep, shame on them!
:) Each, by the way, has won a Spiel des Jahres, the annual German "Game of the Year". For more info, check here.
Alhambra features players buying tiles to construct their palaces. On the main board are four slots, each with a tile randomly drawn from the bag. Players are each given money in four different curriences (colors). Each slot on the board is denoted by a certain color, displaying the currency one must use to buy that tile (ie pay the red money to buy the tile on the red spot). On a turn, one can either buy a tile or take money with the added caveat that if one buys a tile using exact change, they can go again (no change is given if you overpay!). Players want majorities in various tile colors while constructing their Alhambra effectivly so that they don't block themselves off from other tile placements down the road.
I own all three of the ones mentioned, each are pretty fun stuff
*SPOILERS* * * * * BOC started playing "Don't Fear the Reaper" just as the UFOs starting sucking me into their mothership :) Quite a funny moment!
*
*
*
*
*
There's already a telecine of The Da Vinci Code out!
(yeah, $6bn in lawsui... errr... extortion)
Mr. Owl: how many licks does it take...
Didn't say (or didn't mean at least) that it was. But if you're looking to rob someones car, wouldn't you go for the most obvious and expensive things? Car radio, purse, iPod, etc. Why would someone grab a bunch of computer tapes? Just seems a bit comical to me...