Great post, and I agree it wouldn't be difficult to shut down something that enables the illegal trade to flourish, ala Silk Road.
However, I'm not looking at OpenBazaar or the others I referred to as "here is where I'm going to buy my child porn and meth" sort of sites. I'm looking at them as just another instance(and they keep piling up) of how decentralized economics is and will change the bigger picture of the future of capitalism and economics. As the guy at OpenBazaar seems to allude to, "Why let eBay/AliBaba/Amazon dictate online trade?"
The nature of careers and work are changing, the increased "production" of workers due to robots and computers, etc. "Micro jobs" and people working small hours, etc;
Combine all that with the fact that unemployment will only increase as time goes on.
I'm always disappointed and not surprised by the points taken by debaters here on slashdot.
It's the same f*CK1ng thing every time...Black and White - either/or - up or down.
There is really no such thing as:
"I'm going to volunteer EVERYTHING and firehose my datasets everywhere..."
VS
"I live in a cave in the Yukon with a picture of the unibomber on the wall"
Give me a break people, WE ALL to varying degrees share things, whether with financial, government or online entities.
We've been doing it for years, just like here on slashdot.
I really get sick of the "Oh, you want privacy, what's wrong with you? Why aren't you posting to FB every ten minutes like "normal" people"
VS
"I change my route to work every other day, only pay for food with gold bullion and hack my neighbors wifi to connect to Tor" etc;
We can pretty much assume that groups like the NSA, with their vast resources and ability to pretty much data mine whatever they want, have the goods on most Americans, and have the nefarious ability to blackmail anyone they want. Why else would they datamine? Their mandate about terrorism is really just a facade for the concentration of power through knowledge.
With that being said, I sure as f*ck don't give out my info readily to Target, FB, Wal-Mart, or the vast array of businesses trying to datamine the f*ck out of every peon they sell a widget to.
It's bad enough knowing the NSA is doing that already.
After watching the video with the guy from OpenBazaar, and from things I've read lately about where capitalism is going, I have to wonder, where is the end game in all this?
AirBnB threatens the hotel/motel paradigm, Lift and Uber threaten taxis, now OpenBazaar threatens online commerce, bitcoin, etc;
These new services appear to be starting a crack, albeit a small one, in the current model of how money is made and by who.
I don't understand lumping all three prequels into this "suck" category.
The first one was stiff and annoying, but it had some good moments. The second and third films are much better.
The first reboot that he did was a complete skullfuk, I agree.
However, "Into Darkness" was actually pretty good. I was hesitant at seeing Cumberbatch play Khan, but damn, he did a helluva job. It's good.
rely on a combination of the obsessions encouraged by the Facebook experience, and a general lack of understanding about Facebook's functionality — which, as most users know, is a constantly moving target.
The FB UI is half the reason I don't have an account. Thier UI is so CLUTTERED, so absolutely ANNOYING, with a constant FIREHOSE of SHIFTING posts, videos, content, etc, etc;
I get a headache just thinking about it...
Combine that with, as the article points out, the fact that their settings change constantly. I honestly don't have the time or inclination to become a CFE(Certified Facebook Engineer) just to watch cat videos and read nutty political rants...
I assume a large part of the increasing "tolerance"(pun intended) towards recreational Cannabis use is that people, business and governments are FINALLY understanding it is revenue generating.
People use it anyway, whether it is legal or not. They have for thousands of years. Why not make some legal money out of it instead of letting the cartels have all the fun!
The really interesting thing is that human behavior in the US is being coerced and modified, and will continue to be, via social networks. We are self censoring ourselves via what we see others do and say on social networks.
The "Zuckerberg Effect" is in full effect as people increasingly are of a like hive-mind regarding how they speak, phrases, language, opinions on hot-button issues, music, etc; I have noticed this just in the last five years or so as FB has become sort of the "party"(and I ain't talkin birthday...) that everyone must join.
Mix in the IoT devices with social media, video and audio technology, etc and you have a police state unlike anything imaginable. All spoon fed to the consumers of the world by sleek keynote events and the never ending claims of advertising and social groupthink without even a sniff of disagreement or dissent, which is quickly and easily dismissed with the usual "tinfoil hat" labeling.
You wanted privacy?!? Whats wrong with you?!?
That is what is so fascinating, that the IT world has effectively and with little dissension, enabled the powerful to have increasing control and knowledge of everything we do, say, read, watch, and ultimately think.
By the middle of this century, people living in the connected world will have no idea or concept of privacy, that there was a time when you could be alone, when there was a time when you could do, say, read, watch, and ultimately think for yourself.
With cable, it is more like you get what you negotiate for....
Yea, and I used to do that, pre-2009 when I ditched it for good.
I would call up and haggle with the customer service rep, and end up on the phone with them for way too long...
It was a tiresome experience I would go through about every two years or so to, as you say, negotiate.
I finally said to hell with it and ditched them, and am glad I did.
The problem with DVR's is that they encourage watching more and more of whatever shows you queued up.
A DVR will grab every episode of whatever, ad infinitum. Be careful because a DVR is like an excuse to never get off the couch!
I get all my viewing pleasure from either PBS or Netflix.
But yea, every once in a while when I see what cable tv is like now I'm stunned that people would pay for it.
I have to admit however to watching streamed NFL games via firstrowsports.eu (run in a vm) when I can't watch them via HD OTA channels...
I haven't had cable or satellite since 2009, and it is still a weird experience when I encounter it again.
Good lord what a load of crap on all those channels...
What I ask myself is, "why the fuck do people have cable or satellite?"
Americans in particular have been warned over and over again since the 1960's(50 years!!!) about the problems we face in the environment, and how we are degrading it.
People should be very concerned about the environment, water quality(salt water intrusion, etc) air quality(!), climate change, oceans of plastic garbage killing sea birds, the ph levels of the ocean changing and turning the seas into a pool of jelly fish, vast amounts of household and industrial waste being produced and stored in landfills, the increase of meat consumption driving the industrial meat production complex into a vast pollution and MRSA machine, etc; etc;
Oh, and the big one: Overpopulation.
Climate Change? Yea, it's a big problem, but it is sort of the cherry on top of the existing environmental issues mankind has been dealing with for the last 50 years. 50 years we have been warned over and over again, yet we ignore or deal with in a piece-meal fashion. Our reluctance to confront these problems is driven by the fact that whole industries are built upon the ease of polluting and degrading the environment, or privatizing the profits while socializing the costs. Using the watersheds and airsheds as their personal toilets.
Yes indeed, what will future historians write about how our society treated the Earth and the ecosystems we depend on?
Slashdot Mirror
Right. It appears everyone wants to instantly make the connection to illegal trade.
Great post, and I agree it wouldn't be difficult to shut down something that enables the illegal trade to flourish, ala Silk Road.
However, I'm not looking at OpenBazaar or the others I referred to as "here is where I'm going to buy my child porn and meth" sort of sites. I'm looking at them as just another instance(and they keep piling up) of how decentralized economics is and will change the bigger picture of the future of capitalism and economics. As the guy at OpenBazaar seems to allude to, "Why let eBay/AliBaba/Amazon dictate online trade?"
The nature of careers and work are changing, the increased "production" of workers due to robots and computers, etc. "Micro jobs" and people working small hours, etc;
Combine all that with the fact that unemployment will only increase as time goes on.
You are correct sir.
I'm always disappointed and not surprised by the points taken by debaters here on slashdot.
It's the same f*CK1ng thing every time...Black and White - either/or - up or down.
There is really no such thing as:
"I'm going to volunteer EVERYTHING and firehose my datasets everywhere..."
VS
"I live in a cave in the Yukon with a picture of the unibomber on the wall"
Give me a break people, WE ALL to varying degrees share things, whether with financial, government or online entities.
We've been doing it for years, just like here on slashdot.
I really get sick of the "Oh, you want privacy, what's wrong with you? Why aren't you posting to FB every ten minutes like "normal" people"
VS
"I change my route to work every other day, only pay for food with gold bullion and hack my neighbors wifi to connect to Tor" etc;
We can pretty much assume that groups like the NSA, with their vast resources and ability to pretty much data mine whatever they want, have the goods on most Americans, and have the nefarious ability to blackmail anyone they want. Why else would they datamine? Their mandate about terrorism is really just a facade for the concentration of power through knowledge.
With that being said, I sure as f*ck don't give out my info readily to Target, FB, Wal-Mart, or the vast array of businesses trying to datamine the f*ck out of every peon they sell a widget to.
It's bad enough knowing the NSA is doing that already.
After watching the video with the guy from OpenBazaar, and from things I've read lately about where capitalism is going, I have to wonder, where is the end game in all this?
AirBnB threatens the hotel/motel paradigm, Lift and Uber threaten taxis, now OpenBazaar threatens online commerce, bitcoin, etc;
These new services appear to be starting a crack, albeit a small one, in the current model of how money is made and by who.
Thats Rich!!!
Mod Points!
I don't understand lumping all three prequels into this "suck" category.
The first one was stiff and annoying, but it had some good moments. The second and third films are much better.
The first reboot that he did was a complete skullfuk, I agree.
However, "Into Darkness" was actually pretty good. I was hesitant at seeing Cumberbatch play Khan, but damn, he did a helluva job. It's good.
4.) Previously known characters acting against their established personalities, for no good reason, and against all reason in general.
This. Is. What. Will. Happen. Again. And. Again.
rely on a combination of the obsessions encouraged by the Facebook experience, and a general lack of understanding about Facebook's functionality — which, as most users know, is a constantly moving target.
The FB UI is half the reason I don't have an account.
Thier UI is so CLUTTERED, so absolutely ANNOYING, with a constant FIREHOSE of SHIFTING posts, videos, content, etc, etc;
I get a headache just thinking about it...
Combine that with, as the article points out, the fact that their settings change constantly.
I honestly don't have the time or inclination to become a CFE(Certified Facebook Engineer) just to watch cat videos and read nutty political rants...
because some executive decided there was money to be made on both ends of the pipe.
Now that executive has four more yachts and gets weekly massages and manicures from Mitch McConnell.
And you think alcohol isn't already doing that?
The republicans gerrymandered the fuck out of the country in 2010.
BINGO! We have a winner.
Or as our friends on the right would say, "States Rights Beeeeotch!"
I assume a large part of the increasing "tolerance"(pun intended) towards recreational Cannabis use is that people, business and governments are FINALLY understanding it is revenue generating.
People use it anyway, whether it is legal or not. They have for thousands of years. Why not make some legal money out of it instead of letting the cartels have all the fun!
It's fairly easy to google such things and find out for yourself...
These systems aren't being put in place by the government, they're being put in place by the corporations.
The difference between the two is becoming increasingly fuzzy and unimportant.
The really interesting thing is that human behavior in the US is being coerced and modified, and will continue to be, via social networks. We are self censoring ourselves via what we see others do and say on social networks.
The "Zuckerberg Effect" is in full effect as people increasingly are of a like hive-mind regarding how they speak, phrases, language, opinions on hot-button issues, music, etc; I have noticed this just in the last five years or so as FB has become sort of the "party"(and I ain't talkin birthday...) that everyone must join.
Mix in the IoT devices with social media, video and audio technology, etc and you have a police state unlike anything imaginable. All spoon fed to the consumers of the world by sleek keynote events and the never ending claims of advertising and social groupthink without even a sniff of disagreement or dissent, which is quickly and easily dismissed with the usual "tinfoil hat" labeling.
You wanted privacy?!? Whats wrong with you?!?
That is what is so fascinating, that the IT world has effectively and with little dissension, enabled the powerful to have increasing control and knowledge of everything we do, say, read, watch, and ultimately think.
By the middle of this century, people living in the connected world will have no idea or concept of privacy, that there was a time when you could be alone, when there was a time when you could do, say, read, watch, and ultimately think for yourself.
We are living in the sunset on individuality.
With cable, it is more like you get what you negotiate for....
Yea, and I used to do that, pre-2009 when I ditched it for good.
I would call up and haggle with the customer service rep, and end up on the phone with them for way too long...
It was a tiresome experience I would go through about every two years or so to, as you say, negotiate.
I finally said to hell with it and ditched them, and am glad I did.
The problem with DVR's is that they encourage watching more and more of whatever shows you queued up.
A DVR will grab every episode of whatever, ad infinitum. Be careful because a DVR is like an excuse to never get off the couch!
I get all my viewing pleasure from either PBS or Netflix.
But yea, every once in a while when I see what cable tv is like now I'm stunned that people would pay for it.
I have to admit however to watching streamed NFL games via firstrowsports.eu (run in a vm) when I can't watch them via HD OTA channels...
You get what you pay for...
Yep.
I haven't had cable or satellite since 2009, and it is still a weird experience when I encounter it again.
Good lord what a load of crap on all those channels...
What I ask myself is, "why the fuck do people have cable or satellite?"
Its a bit on the David Icke side of crazy, if you ask me.
BINGO!
Americans in particular have been warned over and over again since the 1960's(50 years!!!) about the problems we face in the environment, and how we are degrading it.
People should be very concerned about the environment, water quality(salt water intrusion, etc) air quality(!), climate change, oceans of plastic garbage killing sea birds, the ph levels of the ocean changing and turning the seas into a pool of jelly fish, vast amounts of household and industrial waste being produced and stored in landfills, the increase of meat consumption driving the industrial meat production complex into a vast pollution and MRSA machine, etc; etc;
Oh, and the big one: Overpopulation.
Climate Change? Yea, it's a big problem, but it is sort of the cherry on top of the existing environmental issues mankind has been dealing with for the last 50 years. 50 years we have been warned over and over again, yet we ignore or deal with in a piece-meal fashion. Our reluctance to confront these problems is driven by the fact that whole industries are built upon the ease of polluting and degrading the environment, or privatizing the profits while socializing the costs. Using the watersheds and airsheds as their personal toilets.
Yes indeed, what will future historians write about how our society treated the Earth and the ecosystems we depend on?