While I see your point, remember that it relies on willingness of others to become smarter (learn a new language). That's a tall order.
The situation in Quebec more or less forces this and that is what tends to make people unhappy. English speakers are sort of forced to learn French to get by... And it's quite difficult in Quebec to earn any form of employment where you need to interact with people if you don't speak English. It's actually a requirement on a majority of job postings I've seen.
I think the problem is that it sets a standard that is too high for most to willingly meet.
If ever there was a company that needed regulation...
I think just applying existing laws would put them out of business. The problem isn't lack of regulation, it's lack of enforcement. The cause of such a problem usually can be summed up by this word: corruption.
And that collective will is called, you guessed it, government.
That collective is called 'the people'. Government is supposed to be of/for/by the people but it clearly isn't anymore.
I'm not really trying to defend parent even though I can find some philosophical common ground with him. I, however, do not think the solution is getting rid of all regulations, I think it would be more reasonable to actually start *applying* existing law equally to everyone first. Two things would happen then. Corporations would stop breaking them, and we'd find a whole lot of laws that are incredibly bad and should be repealed. I propose a moratorium on new laws until we've gone through the existing set and put them through a constitutional filter.
Anyway, I think it is highly idealized of you, especially given today's state of things, to think the US government and the US people are the same entity.
It is the specific intent of the constitution to limit the power of government on its people. Such is not the case in current day United States.
Dude, that sig of yours is something I wish I could unlearn... What a terrible terrible story. While I understand the need to spread awareness, I find myself wishing I hadn't clicked that link.
China actually claims to have access to such 'weapons' too:
And I believe that was an official statement on their part, not a lone Russian conspiracy theorist. Obviously, that is no proof in itself but it'd be a bit hasty to dismiss the possibility right away.
Can anybody confirm if it actually rained during the Beijing olympics? I'd like to see their bluff called.
You obviously (and from your perspective, should) feel slighted by what happens. But consider this: your business model involved selling a information and pretending that it is a good, not a service. Therefore either trusting people not to share that solution or forcing them not to share it through DRM. It's definitely easier than the alternatives but it's also pretty risky. As such, the only thing protecting your product was the actual good (hardware) attached to it. If you want to get paid for producing something that can subsequently be infinitely reproduced at no cost, I suggest you try to put yourself in a position where you are paid up front: information is a service, not a good.
This is typically the case of a programmer being hired to solve an existing problem... It's easier for customers to pay for work that isn't already done: demand money first, mow the lawn second, not the other way around.
I can sell good software and hope nobody copies it. Or I can write good software, have people use it for free and give them the option to pay me to improve it. I'd just put a price on every improvement requested (bugs/features) and let customers decide if they're willing to pay for it. That model has higher initial risk, but it's morally much more acceptable to me: I get paid to do actual work. The initial development would be what I consider to be my marketing campaign.
Well, I'm willing to admit that I'm cheap. Then again I am not enough of a gamer to even finish most of the games I've pirated... The last game I remember beating was Portal and I actually bought that one.
Here's an interesting bit though... While I have enough spare income to buy all the games I want, I just can't justify the price of most to myself considering my usage of them, especially given the DRM inconvenience parent pointed out (not saying it's my main reason, but it *is* a factor). To me, things like GoG have the most appeal. I don't mind waiting a year or two to play a game if it means the price will fit my expectations and not pollute my computer.
I guess it all boils down to the protective measures of copyright having no expiration date. I won't buy most of the stuff when it comes out, and draconinan DRM (I have no problem with serial numbers/keys) usually are a deterrent to me buying later. But offer me the same stuff with no DRM in a couple years and I'll bite. And don't underestimate just how patient cheap people can be: Those 5$ DVDs in bins at Walmart sell *quite* well.
On a side note, I buy lots of movies but here again, the DRM and added price of BR has made sure I'd skip the HD bandwagon, even though I have all the fancy hardware required to enjoy quite an HD experience. Why? My HTPC runs linux. When the great mplayer folks manage to give me hassle-free BR playing, I'll start looking for discount BR disks.
I look like I'm easy to push around. People are more likely to do "evil" things to other persons, if they think the victim won't defend him or herself.
That likely is completely true, but what you describe is a bit beyond 'getting back' at them... It's a life-destroying event. In this day and age, it might arguably be equal or worse than just putting a bullet through their head and walking away with the knowledge that you won't get caught. Not to mention the indirect consequences... What about their spouse/kids? Do they deserve their lives afflicted with that sort of ordeal?
I don't know about these specific departments, but a bit of research might yield surprising results when it comes to CPS. I remember several cases in Florida alone... Don't take my word for it though, it's more believable when you find out for yourself.
Authority likely makes one believe they are above the law... And while I wouldn't assume there are more pervs in these areas than anywhere else, those that are pervs have a tendency to think they can get away with it. Because more often than not, they can.
Remember, we don't have civil servants anymore, we have officials and authorities.
When someone hires me to do a job, they enter a contract with me to do that work. If they change their mind, it is a breach of contract (even if only a verbal) and as such, I would feel slighted and likely take action to receive payment.
Now if I write a song because I just want to express my creativity, I'm not going to expect payment up front. I'm writing it for myself. If the intent is for me to monetize it, the best I can hope for is that people appreciate the song enough to think it is worth paying for. I'm not going to have the state (or anyone else) strong-arm people into paying for it.
I would request money if people asked for me to do actual work, like asking me to perform the song for them, or to write them another song. Otherwise I would feel like I just cleaned someone's pool from my own initiative and then started harassing them to get paid. There's no way for me to morally justify something like that.
I do not believe in intellectual property and as such, I'm not going to sell any intellectual property. I'll sell intellectual skill/ability, which is mine to sell.
Their predictions were based on the fact that some teams were too big to fail and would have their government send extra players on the pitch to prevent them from loosing. In other words, they followed Keynesian economics.
I think it's the most brilliant thing Microsoft has ever come up with.
I'm sure the implementation is fairly clever... But to what end? Microsoft gets enough bashing as it is, but I find this bit of technology almost insulting. People are supposed to be too dumb to figure out what direction a battery ought to go in? Is this really going to be less expensive than the little + and - symbols we have now?
Slashdot Mirror
While I see your point, remember that it relies on willingness of others to become smarter (learn a new language). That's a tall order.
The situation in Quebec more or less forces this and that is what tends to make people unhappy. English speakers are sort of forced to learn French to get by... And it's quite difficult in Quebec to earn any form of employment where you need to interact with people if you don't speak English. It's actually a requirement on a majority of job postings I've seen.
I think the problem is that it sets a standard that is too high for most to willingly meet.
If ever there was a company that needed regulation ...
I think just applying existing laws would put them out of business. The problem isn't lack of regulation, it's lack of enforcement. The cause of such a problem usually can be summed up by this word: corruption.
unlike in the U.S., in the rest of the developed world governments protect their people.
You are so naive... People like you are a governments wet dream.
They're essentially the same thing. It's the new green religion.
Disclaimer: I'm environmentally conscious myself, but I prefer to focus on real environmental issues like GMOs, recycling and deforestation.
We could use extreme environmentalists as fuel. Since most of them are also vegetarian, they'd even be carbon-neutral!
And that collective will is called, you guessed it, government.
That collective is called 'the people'. Government is supposed to be of/for/by the people but it clearly isn't anymore.
I'm not really trying to defend parent even though I can find some philosophical common ground with him. I, however, do not think the solution is getting rid of all regulations, I think it would be more reasonable to actually start *applying* existing law equally to everyone first. Two things would happen then. Corporations would stop breaking them, and we'd find a whole lot of laws that are incredibly bad and should be repealed. I propose a moratorium on new laws until we've gone through the existing set and put them through a constitutional filter.
Anyway, I think it is highly idealized of you, especially given today's state of things, to think the US government and the US people are the same entity.
It is the specific intent of the constitution to limit the power of government on its people. Such is not the case in current day United States.
They'd have to pay me a lot more for that kind of draconian law, but I'd probably still do it.
Until it's your family...
Dude, that sig of yours is something I wish I could unlearn... What a terrible terrible story. While I understand the need to spread awareness, I find myself wishing I hadn't clicked that link.
It makes great plastic too.
So how exactly did the get-paid-for-recycling model fail?
It had a serious flaw: It was potentially profitable to you.
Why would the state let you profit from your actions when it can legitimize profiting (politically if not monetarily) from them in your stead?
China actually claims to have access to such 'weapons' too:
And I believe that was an official statement on their part, not a lone Russian conspiracy theorist. Obviously, that is no proof in itself but it'd be a bit hasty to dismiss the possibility right away.
Can anybody confirm if it actually rained during the Beijing olympics? I'd like to see their bluff called.
The thinker is *naked*! For all we know he's thinking about how best to mix kiddy porn and clubbing baby seals.
Think of the children, and baby seals...
Exactly. Digital information can be destroyed with a click of a button.
Nowadays, lives are destroyed in the exact same manner, albeit with no backup strategy.
There's a jetpack? I didn't get the memo...
You obviously (and from your perspective, should) feel slighted by what happens. But consider this: your business model involved selling a information and pretending that it is a good, not a service. Therefore either trusting people not to share that solution or forcing them not to share it through DRM. It's definitely easier than the alternatives but it's also pretty risky. As such, the only thing protecting your product was the actual good (hardware) attached to it. If you want to get paid for producing something that can subsequently be infinitely reproduced at no cost, I suggest you try to put yourself in a position where you are paid up front: information is a service, not a good.
This is typically the case of a programmer being hired to solve an existing problem... It's easier for customers to pay for work that isn't already done: demand money first, mow the lawn second, not the other way around.
I can sell good software and hope nobody copies it. Or I can write good software, have people use it for free and give them the option to pay me to improve it. I'd just put a price on every improvement requested (bugs/features) and let customers decide if they're willing to pay for it. That model has higher initial risk, but it's morally much more acceptable to me: I get paid to do actual work. The initial development would be what I consider to be my marketing campaign.
Well, I'm willing to admit that I'm cheap. Then again I am not enough of a gamer to even finish most of the games I've pirated... The last game I remember beating was Portal and I actually bought that one.
Here's an interesting bit though... While I have enough spare income to buy all the games I want, I just can't justify the price of most to myself considering my usage of them, especially given the DRM inconvenience parent pointed out (not saying it's my main reason, but it *is* a factor). To me, things like GoG have the most appeal. I don't mind waiting a year or two to play a game if it means the price will fit my expectations and not pollute my computer.
I guess it all boils down to the protective measures of copyright having no expiration date. I won't buy most of the stuff when it comes out, and draconinan DRM (I have no problem with serial numbers/keys) usually are a deterrent to me buying later. But offer me the same stuff with no DRM in a couple years and I'll bite. And don't underestimate just how patient cheap people can be: Those 5$ DVDs in bins at Walmart sell *quite* well.
On a side note, I buy lots of movies but here again, the DRM and added price of BR has made sure I'd skip the HD bandwagon, even though I have all the fancy hardware required to enjoy quite an HD experience. Why? My HTPC runs linux. When the great mplayer folks manage to give me hassle-free BR playing, I'll start looking for discount BR disks.
I look like I'm easy to push around. People are more likely to do "evil" things to other persons, if they think the victim won't defend him or herself.
That likely is completely true, but what you describe is a bit beyond 'getting back' at them... It's a life-destroying event. In this day and age, it might arguably be equal or worse than just putting a bullet through their head and walking away with the knowledge that you won't get caught. Not to mention the indirect consequences... What about their spouse/kids? Do they deserve their lives afflicted with that sort of ordeal?
I don't know about these specific departments, but a bit of research might yield surprising results when it comes to CPS. I remember several cases in Florida alone... Don't take my word for it though, it's more believable when you find out for yourself.
Authority likely makes one believe they are above the law... And while I wouldn't assume there are more pervs in these areas than anywhere else, those that are pervs have a tendency to think they can get away with it. Because more often than not, they can.
Remember, we don't have civil servants anymore, we have officials and authorities.
Will you guys stop messing with my head? Literally...
The first FlatOut still has soul. It's quite a blast to play with a steering wheel and a bunch of friends.
Torsion is what you feel when someone twists your balls.
Extorsion is that lingering pain afterward.
When someone hires me to do a job, they enter a contract with me to do that work. If they change their mind, it is a breach of contract (even if only a verbal) and as such, I would feel slighted and likely take action to receive payment.
Now if I write a song because I just want to express my creativity, I'm not going to expect payment up front. I'm writing it for myself. If the intent is for me to monetize it, the best I can hope for is that people appreciate the song enough to think it is worth paying for. I'm not going to have the state (or anyone else) strong-arm people into paying for it.
I would request money if people asked for me to do actual work, like asking me to perform the song for them, or to write them another song. Otherwise I would feel like I just cleaned someone's pool from my own initiative and then started harassing them to get paid. There's no way for me to morally justify something like that.
I do not believe in intellectual property and as such, I'm not going to sell any intellectual property. I'll sell intellectual skill/ability, which is mine to sell.
Their predictions were based on the fact that some teams were too big to fail and would have their government send extra players on the pitch to prevent them from loosing. In other words, they followed Keynesian economics.
I think it's the most brilliant thing Microsoft has ever come up with.
I'm sure the implementation is fairly clever... But to what end? Microsoft gets enough bashing as it is, but I find this bit of technology almost insulting. People are supposed to be too dumb to figure out what direction a battery ought to go in? Is this really going to be less expensive than the little + and - symbols we have now?
What I really want is a remake of the original Ford V8 which all of the gangsters and bank robbers used to drive around in.
Especially significant in this age of banksters.