Well, let's see if the people who decided to take the property get re-elected. Maybe they might be able to have a recall election and get the whole thing reversed.
If ad blockers keep the net from getting as bad as the TV, then that is what we must use. Ads don't fund the content as much as they fund the trashy glitz around it. It's the glitz that's eating up bandwith and requiring all the maintenance. All this PHP, CSS, flash, java, full fldged, fat databases...what a bunch of garbage. Just load the hotmail page on dial-up and you know what I mean. If using ad blockers causes everybody to go back to plain old, fast loading HTML, then I'm for it. I use ad free pages when possible. When it's not, I will block the pop-ups. Ads aren't giving us content. They're giving us "pretty".
Advertising is important - my problem is with the obtrusive ones.
I believe that's what most people here are saying. It's the obtrusive ads that created the need for ad blockers in the first place, in case you haven't noticed. That includes the huge graphics that take forever to download on dial-up. I hope you're not one of those people who think we shouldn't be allowed to go to the kitcken or bathroom during the commercial or use the fast forward button.
It's not up to every guy who runs a bakery or a stationary store or whatever to come up with entirely new business models whenever they hit hard times...
Yeah, well, if the baker starts to shout about his "special prices" into my ear every time I walk in, I'm going to wear ear plugs.
Doesn't anyone ever get tired of having to sleep with one eye open? Must we spend every waking moment looking over our shoulders? It doesn't seem we're as civilized as we'd like to think.
Well, I do have to admit that they possibly represent the voters' local interests.They(the voters) need to be aware of the consequences of their vote on the people outside their city, county, state, country. Dan Rostenkowski is a good example of this. He was loved by his constituents. They didn't care how corrupt he was. He brought in lots of money. We shouldn't give a single individual or group this kind of widespread power.
There is one thing only that I can't claim... that I took the the picture. Only because that is not possible. Oh, I can claim it, but obviously, it wouldn't be true. All other things that are phisically possible are only limited by what I feel like doing with my copy. Your claim to ownership of my copy is invalid. When the law ceases to act simply in the interests of the highest bidder, I will consider it.
I thought that's what I was saying. Hang on a sec, and let me re-read... tick...tick...tick...tick......tick......tick..... Ok, sorry I took so long. Yep, I was talking about smooth zoom.
Oh now it's my fault they started doing this before I was born?
I spent a whole five minutes looking for where I said that. I still can't find it. Can you be a bit more specific, please?
Talking about this kind of thing can make a lot of difference...
Of course it can. It can provoke action. If it doesn't, then it's just talk. So we can talk AND take action. Or we can sit here and talk, and expect somebody else to take action. Yes the Chinese need to take action if they want change. If they don't, then I going to assume that they think that any change, or attempt to change, will only make things worse. And on the short term it would. For now, I believe that their priorities are elsewhere. Since I don't believe much about what I hear about China, until I go live there and mingle for a couple of years, I'm keeping my mouth shut about how I think they should live their lives. Most of the time when I speak up about places I've never been, it's too complain about meddlesome outsiders thinking that they know what's best for the natives.
Why do you assume that human populations will grow endlessly until they hit a Malthusian limit?
Because it's natural, and so are we. If resources were truly limited, I, too, would recomend that we control our population in order to maintain adequate living standards. But I know that resources aren't limited. It's our economic systems that creates the shortages we experience. I suppose that until we fix that, we probably should control the population. But afterword, we should go nuts and infest the galaxy. With all the proper respect for other systems, of course. I am convinced that declining populations are a bad thing. To me, it's a sign of failure. It displays an inability to sustain ourselves. If that becomes a serious problem, I'm sure we'll do something about it, seeing as that making babies and taking them to Disneyland is very enjoyable.
You are obviously welcome to voice your opinion on anything you want, but if your actions are in conflict with your statements, you can't possibly expect to be taken seriously. It's a little like when Ford says, "Quality is Job One." Now, with China, if you wish to do something about it, then yes, voice your opinion and take action. You will need lots and lots of cooperation from lots of other people, but this is what is required. So, you need to get everybody together and ask them not to suuport authoritarian governments by refusing to buy their goods for a start. To have a real effect, don't buy contraband. It is the life blood of many governments, including a certain superpower's. So...when you fire up that fatty, make sure the lighter was "Made in the USA". "Look for the Union Label"
I'm sure that some of the gag orders on this side of the planet fall into the same category. In fact everything in your post can apply. "Let those who are without sin...", I think the saying goes. When we apply our judgements equally, we could say we have a point. As long they give what Walmart wants, human rights will not come up any negotiations. Except for something frivolous for the TV. It's that simple. We support those who support us, virtually unconditionally.(ie: Saddam, Manny, Auggy, and various others). Just as everybody else does. I don't complain about that specifically. It's natural. All living organisms form alliances to stay alive. But when you try to deny it and claim that you're somehow different("better"), I'll call you on it.
We will simply exand our populations until we hit a hard limit, either by nature itself or one that's manmade. I don't see an ethical problem. That's what life is supposed to do. What we can do that's a little different is that we can leave the place in pretty good condition for the next guy. We don't need to destroy everything in our path to flourish. A good parasite takes good care of its host. We need to show respect for everything, "living" or not. Like the article says, we already effect the biology of this planet. Well duh! Just by existing. So what. What should we do? Give up our fly swatters? "...From my cold dead hands!" That "biological trajectory" crap is just that. We are so intermixed. There is no independant "biological trajectory". We all came from the same cloud of dust and gas. First off, we screwed that up with Viking and the rovers. So forget it. We already contaminated the place. May as well finish them off and put some god-fearin' earth bacteria up there. We didn't call it the "Red Planet" for nothing. Actually I don't expect us to have much effect beyond our local supercluster. And there's always the Borg.
Along the way, you end up creating a whole host of custom-designed mini-worlds...
Hmmm...death stars.
...more resilient to (likely completely immune from) acts of senseless terrorism
Is it possible to find a single story without that word? This is Bush's fault:-)(That's a JOKE! Ask me if I care if you were offended by it)
Populate the rest of the Solar System -- and as much farther out as you can get -- changing planets as needed. [OK, so there's the "T" word, finally.]
Especially since he seems reluctant to use that word?
...whether upon the surface of a terraformed sphere or within an engineered one...
Personally, I like the idea of terraformed spheres. It just seems much more dependable than any man made junk. Just heat up the interior(or cool it down as the case may be), and you're off to the races. And hitting a stray asteriod in a pressurized green house, while making a VERY cool noise, is not exactly my cup of tea. If that happens, somebody damn well better have a camera running.
...God (or at least the physics of the Universe)...
by default all images are copyrighted by the photographer, anything else would be crazy.
No it wouldn't. I'm all for allowing attribution to the photog, since anything else in that respect is impossible. I am and always will be against any copyright restrictions. When I get paid for performing my work, all other payments and gains(or losses) to and by third parties is absolutely irrelevent. I got paid. I'm not going to cry over every penny someone else subsequently gains from the work. I didn't work for that money. I'm not entitled to it. Only the people who performed that subsequent work are. When they use something I made, I don't complain. I'm happy to see my work being enjoyed by others. In fact, that's how I function here, and there's always plenty of food on the table. I'm not a glutton, like those who crave exclusivity.
By your logic, Afghanistan under the Talibans was a sovereign nation...
That's precisely the logic used when the Americans are defending the dictators being propped up by them. If the Taliban wasn't interfering with American business, or if they were still "defending" American "interests", they would be allowed to carry on, unfettered, no matter how much torture they commit. Every country's sovereignty takes second place to American/UK business. That's a fact born out of their meddling in the Middle East, and other resource rich areas.
This should be fun...Let's say a 50 billion dollar company makes...uuuhh...shower heads, and a certain "socialist" country wants to buy, say 1 billion dollars worth. Would you want to be part of it? After all, you're not the one...er..."cleansing" the place, and the shareholders want the best return...Where are you going to place your loyalties now? If you help someone commit what some consider to be a crime, you might be (rightfully)considered an accomplice. I don't think the shareholders would be pleased with that.
...and how people and governments can influence China to change.
Sometimes money works. We could consider it to be economic pressure. For instance, we could stop buying Chinese made products. A boycott(shunning) can be effective. It helped India win their independance.
Really, I think a lot of people who are against copyrights are simply too lazy to make up their own original stuff.
A lot of the people who are for copyright simply too lazy to get up and perform. They expect to make a million bucks from their pet rock, or from the purchase of somebody else's IP, and feel they shouldn't have to innovate anymore. They may be the first to come up with an essential product, and try to extort extremely high prices. Another person who makes up original stuff but gets beaten to the punch and the rest us have suffer and wait until the privileges run out. IP is piracy of the worst kind. It is stolen property, but your society decided to cut you some slack.
Try Cuba...
Americans aren't allowed to. Another bizarre concept.
... and secret agents in the restaurants listening to your every move.
And you're positive that's not happening in the states? I believe the Americans are a bit better in the art of disguise. Know your waitress.
America, for all its faults, is nothing at all like a totalitarian country. Those who say it is truly have no clue of what life under tyranny is really like.
Evidently you have no clue of how tyrannies are formed. They start slowly. They use fear and hate. They spread lies in order to get the people to want tyrrany. Maybe you should check out life in one of America's "client states". Let's me know if you think life is so much better in Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti, Dominican Republic, or Guatamala than it is in Cuba. Being able to say "Bush is Hitler" when you're starving really doesn't mean squat. Most people could care less if they could say those things. And being able to say them is trivial in light of real freedoms being lost(due process and all that). So the guy rotting in jail for possession of a joint is able to say "Bush is Hitler" is a free man?
I've had long conversations right here on slashdot on this. I think the concept is silly and impossible. It implies absolutes that don't exist. A much more accurate term would be "essential liberties". It's something that everybody should respect, but that's as far as you can take it, and we should shun people and groups that don't respect those liberties.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, let's see if the people who decided to take the property get re-elected. Maybe they might be able to have a recall election and get the whole thing reversed.
If ad blockers keep the net from getting as bad as the TV, then that is what we must use. Ads don't fund the content as much as they fund the trashy glitz around it. It's the glitz that's eating up bandwith and requiring all the maintenance. All this PHP, CSS, flash, java, full fldged, fat databases...what a bunch of garbage. Just load the hotmail page on dial-up and you know what I mean. If using ad blockers causes everybody to go back to plain old, fast loading HTML, then I'm for it. I use ad free pages when possible. When it's not, I will block the pop-ups. Ads aren't giving us content. They're giving us "pretty".
Advertising is important - my problem is with the obtrusive ones.
I believe that's what most people here are saying. It's the obtrusive ads that created the need for ad blockers in the first place, in case you haven't noticed. That includes the huge graphics that take forever to download on dial-up. I hope you're not one of those people who think we shouldn't be allowed to go to the kitcken or bathroom during the commercial or use the fast forward button.
It's not up to every guy who runs a bakery or a stationary store or whatever to come up with entirely new business models whenever they hit hard times...
Yeah, well, if the baker starts to shout about his "special prices" into my ear every time I walk in, I'm going to wear ear plugs.
... if we want to make a decent amount of money...
...eternal vigilance...
Doesn't anyone ever get tired of having to sleep with one eye open? Must we spend every waking moment looking over our shoulders? It doesn't seem we're as civilized as we'd like to think.
attempted to sneak the Broadcast flag into law.
This time.
Well, I do have to admit that they possibly represent the voters' local interests.They(the voters) need to be aware of the consequences of their vote on the people outside their city, county, state, country. Dan Rostenkowski is a good example of this. He was loved by his constituents. They didn't care how corrupt he was. He brought in lots of money. We shouldn't give a single individual or group this kind of widespread power.
There is one thing only that I can't claim... that I took the the picture. Only because that is not possible. Oh, I can claim it, but obviously, it wouldn't be true. All other things that are phisically possible are only limited by what I feel like doing with my copy. Your claim to ownership of my copy is invalid. When the law ceases to act simply in the interests of the highest bidder, I will consider it.
It's painfully obvious that for any applications requiring real security, you just plain shouldn't use a PC.
Absolutely!
I thought that's what I was saying. Hang on a sec, and let me re-read... tick...tick...tick...tick......tick......tick..... Ok, sorry I took so long. Yep, I was talking about smooth zoom.
Spyware are inherently bad.
:-)
Only for people who use computers. The rest of us are just wondering why the line at the bank is so long
What? Has the Mozilla suite completely dropped off the "map" now? BTW, Mozilla suite users need not apply either.
Oh now it's my fault they started doing this before I was born?
I spent a whole five minutes looking for where I said that. I still can't find it. Can you be a bit more specific, please?
Talking about this kind of thing can make a lot of difference...
Of course it can. It can provoke action. If it doesn't, then it's just talk. So we can talk AND take action. Or we can sit here and talk, and expect somebody else to take action. Yes the Chinese need to take action if they want change. If they don't, then I going to assume that they think that any change, or attempt to change, will only make things worse. And on the short term it would. For now, I believe that their priorities are elsewhere. Since I don't believe much about what I hear about China, until I go live there and mingle for a couple of years, I'm keeping my mouth shut about how I think they should live their lives. Most of the time when I speak up about places I've never been, it's too complain about meddlesome outsiders thinking that they know what's best for the natives.
Why do you assume that human populations will grow endlessly until they hit a Malthusian limit?
Because it's natural, and so are we. If resources were truly limited, I, too, would recomend that we control our population in order to maintain adequate living standards. But I know that resources aren't limited. It's our economic systems that creates the shortages we experience. I suppose that until we fix that, we probably should control the population. But afterword, we should go nuts and infest the galaxy. With all the proper respect for other systems, of course. I am convinced that declining populations are a bad thing. To me, it's a sign of failure. It displays an inability to sustain ourselves. If that becomes a serious problem, I'm sure we'll do something about it, seeing as that making babies and taking them to Disneyland is very enjoyable.
You are obviously welcome to voice your opinion on anything you want, but if your actions are in conflict with your statements, you can't possibly expect to be taken seriously. It's a little like when Ford says, "Quality is Job One." Now, with China, if you wish to do something about it, then yes, voice your opinion and take action. You will need lots and lots of cooperation from lots of other people, but this is what is required. So, you need to get everybody together and ask them not to suuport authoritarian governments by refusing to buy their goods for a start. To have a real effect, don't buy contraband. It is the life blood of many governments, including a certain superpower's. So...when you fire up that fatty, make sure the lighter was "Made in the USA". "Look for the Union Label"
If you buy products made in China, you are supporting their gov't.
I'm sure that some of the gag orders on this side of the planet fall into the same category. In fact everything in your post can apply. "Let those who are without sin...", I think the saying goes. When we apply our judgements equally, we could say we have a point. As long they give what Walmart wants, human rights will not come up any negotiations. Except for something frivolous for the TV. It's that simple. We support those who support us, virtually unconditionally.(ie: Saddam, Manny, Auggy, and various others). Just as everybody else does. I don't complain about that specifically. It's natural. All living organisms form alliances to stay alive. But when you try to deny it and claim that you're somehow different("better"), I'll call you on it.
We will simply exand our populations until we hit a hard limit, either by nature itself or one that's manmade. I don't see an ethical problem. That's what life is supposed to do. What we can do that's a little different is that we can leave the place in pretty good condition for the next guy. We don't need to destroy everything in our path to flourish. A good parasite takes good care of its host. We need to show respect for everything, "living" or not. Like the article says, we already effect the biology of this planet. Well duh! Just by existing. So what. What should we do? Give up our fly swatters? "...From my cold dead hands!" That "biological trajectory" crap is just that. We are so intermixed. There is no independant "biological trajectory". We all came from the same cloud of dust and gas. First off, we screwed that up with Viking and the rovers. So forget it. We already contaminated the place. May as well finish them off and put some god-fearin' earth bacteria up there. We didn't call it the "Red Planet" for nothing. Actually I don't expect us to have much effect beyond our local supercluster. And there's always the Borg.
...more resilient to (likely completely immune from) acts of senseless terrorism
:-)(That's a JOKE! Ask me if I care if you were offended by it)
...whether upon the surface of a terraformed sphere or within an engineered one...
...God (or at least the physics of the Universe)...
Along the way, you end up creating a whole host of custom-designed mini-worlds...
Hmmm...death stars.
Is it possible to find a single story without that word? This is Bush's fault
Populate the rest of the Solar System -- and as much farther out as you can get -- changing planets as needed. [OK, so there's the "T" word, finally.]
Especially since he seems reluctant to use that word?
Personally, I like the idea of terraformed spheres. It just seems much more dependable than any man made junk. Just heat up the interior(or cool it down as the case may be), and you're off to the races. And hitting a stray asteriod in a pressurized green house, while making a VERY cool noise, is not exactly my cup of tea. If that happens, somebody damn well better have a camera running.
Very well put.
by default all images are copyrighted by the photographer, anything else would be crazy.
No it wouldn't. I'm all for allowing attribution to the photog, since anything else in that respect is impossible. I am and always will be against any copyright restrictions. When I get paid for performing my work, all other payments and gains(or losses) to and by third parties is absolutely irrelevent. I got paid. I'm not going to cry over every penny someone else subsequently gains from the work. I didn't work for that money. I'm not entitled to it. Only the people who performed that subsequent work are. When they use something I made, I don't complain. I'm happy to see my work being enjoyed by others. In fact, that's how I function here, and there's always plenty of food on the table. I'm not a glutton, like those who crave exclusivity.
It's a fruitless argument.
:-) But now I've come up with a nice warm, fuzzy phrase, and I want to (over)use it. I'm sure I'll get my chance...
It certainly was
By your logic, Afghanistan under the Talibans was a sovereign nation...
That's precisely the logic used when the Americans are defending the dictators being propped up by them. If the Taliban wasn't interfering with American business, or if they were still "defending" American "interests", they would be allowed to carry on, unfettered, no matter how much torture they commit. Every country's sovereignty takes second place to American/UK business. That's a fact born out of their meddling in the Middle East, and other resource rich areas.
This should be fun...Let's say a 50 billion dollar company makes...uuuhh...shower heads, and a certain "socialist" country wants to buy, say 1 billion dollars worth. Would you want to be part of it? After all, you're not the one...er..."cleansing" the place, and the shareholders want the best return...Where are you going to place your loyalties now? If you help someone commit what some consider to be a crime, you might be (rightfully)considered an accomplice. I don't think the shareholders would be pleased with that.
...and how people and governments can influence China to change.
Sometimes money works. We could consider it to be economic pressure. For instance, we could stop buying Chinese made products. A boycott(shunning) can be effective. It helped India win their independance.
Really, I think a lot of people who are against copyrights are simply too lazy to make up their own original stuff.
... and secret agents in the restaurants listening to your every move.
A lot of the people who are for copyright simply too lazy to get up and perform. They expect to make a million bucks from their pet rock, or from the purchase of somebody else's IP, and feel they shouldn't have to innovate anymore. They may be the first to come up with an essential product, and try to extort extremely high prices. Another person who makes up original stuff but gets beaten to the punch and the rest us have suffer and wait until the privileges run out. IP is piracy of the worst kind. It is stolen property, but your society decided to cut you some slack.
Try Cuba...
Americans aren't allowed to. Another bizarre concept.
And you're positive that's not happening in the states? I believe the Americans are a bit better in the art of disguise. Know your waitress.
America, for all its faults, is nothing at all like a totalitarian country. Those who say it is truly have no clue of what life under tyranny is really like.
Evidently you have no clue of how tyrannies are formed. They start slowly. They use fear and hate. They spread lies in order to get the people to want tyrrany. Maybe you should check out life in one of America's "client states". Let's me know if you think life is so much better in Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti, Dominican Republic, or Guatamala than it is in Cuba. Being able to say "Bush is Hitler" when you're starving really doesn't mean squat. Most people could care less if they could say those things. And being able to say them is trivial in light of real freedoms being lost(due process and all that). So the guy rotting in jail for possession of a joint is able to say "Bush is Hitler" is a free man?
...inalliable rights...
I've had long conversations right here on slashdot on this. I think the concept is silly and impossible. It implies absolutes that don't exist. A much more accurate term would be "essential liberties". It's something that everybody should respect, but that's as far as you can take it, and we should shun people and groups that don't respect those liberties.