And really, other than the novelty can, Fosters isn't really that good of a beer. Somewhere between Bud and Miller, (which is pretty darn low) on my scale...
And you're probably the type of person who thinks admission to MIT constitutes certification as a national treasure, complete with entitlement to education and diplomatic-style immunity from the rules that the hoi polloi must live by.
But hey, who wants to resort to ad hominem attacks?
So the IRS's budget would get reduced, leaving them fewer resources to do their job (of which the scope won't change), so the situation gets worse... I don't see that fining the IRS would do any good.
Instead, I'd put the heat on your local Congressman, as well as write to this gang, who provides Congressional oversight to the IRS.
Dig up egregious examples of conduct (in the article, it mentions an IRS contractor digging up political info on taxpayers), and write to your local newspaper.
I mean it is possible but that'd mean that the government would have to out google Google in terms of brains and equipment not to mention the time it would take to peruse through daily traffic patterns.
Who knows to what purpose the NSA would be using this information, but there's nothing that says they're data mining it in near-real time. They could be storing it for all sorts of reasons, and digging into it as needed.
Just wait, I'm sure this will pop up in the CSI's and other law enforcement shows on TV. "Hey, dig me up all instances of someone accessing this web forum on weekdays between 8:00 and 8:30, coming in from cybercafes in such-and-such area of the city..."
BS, BS, BS. If you want to go to an expensive school, you have to come with the scratch to do that, period - whether through financial aid, work, etc. To say "I shouldn't have to pay for the consequences of my actions because I'm a struggling college student" is absurd.
Really, this all depends on the stage that the company is in. If (as it appears) that this is in the very early days and the task at hand is to take this great idea and bring it to market, then the "idea guy" (in this cash the techie) is probably the better choice. Once the flame is lit, the business grows and it's time to start focusing on day-to-day profitability, the stronger the case becomes for a "business guy" to take over, much like what's happened with Google. The two founders are still hugely important figures, but they brought in a true pro to run the operation.
Making it through college on your own is tough work - I did it myself. The worst mistake is to assume you have to go full-bore and end up drowning in debt as a result. There's nothing wrong with taking a term off to shore up finances before picking up with more.
And if you can't afford the $4000, I'd highly recommend staying away from illicit activities that would land you in such a mess. But then again, you'd think that would be common sense.
Quite the contrary, I put myself through college - it took 10 years, and at times I had to drop out and build up cash before picking up with the next term. Paying for college is just like anything else - A CHOICE. You have to balance it along with your income, assets, expenses, and sort out your own priorities.
In short, if the student in question has to drop out for 6 months or a year to work off this debt, that's their problem. It's not the end of the world to have to take a break from college.
The settlement offered in this case was under $4000, so that's hardly "hanging a jaywalker". I'm just not buying this one, I'm sorry. Quotes like this:
The Recording Industry of America would rather see America's youth deprived of higher education, forever marring their ability to contribute personally and financially to society -- including the arts -- so that they may crucify us as examples to our peers.
Are so wildly off the mark and self-serving that they're obviously the ramblings of someone who's been caught, and is simply trying to worm their way out of the consequences.
By its very nature, the RPG business cannibalizes its own downstream sales. Unlike the classic example of Gilette (sell the razor cheap and make money on the blades), RPG's have an initial upfront component (the game, analagous to the razor) which is intentionally open-ended, thus not requiring the use of the publisher's campaign material or supplements (the blades). I haven't gamed in 10+ years, but the best campaigns always used the sourcebooks as jumpoff material, with customizations managed by the GM, and the campaign itself entirely homegrown.
If I had the urge to game once again, there wouldn't be any need to buy any new material. Gimme my old AD&D books, a few days shuttered in a room to get something together, and off we go...
Slashdot Mirror
MOD PARENT UP!
That was one of the funniest things I've read in a long time...
And really, other than the novelty can, Fosters isn't really that good of a beer. Somewhere between Bud and Miller, (which is pretty darn low) on my scale...
I had that one on my fridge for a couple years in college, and it never failed to catch attention... Gotta love the Economist!
Personally, I can think of nothing that would improve newspapers more than getting rid of those idiotic puns often seen in headlines...
For further info on iPage, head here. There's a free basic subscription which gives access to over 2 million titles...
What idiot modded the parent Redundant? It's the 3rd post for the article, and is more comprehensive than the previous ones...
And you're probably the type of person who thinks admission to MIT constitutes certification as a national treasure, complete with entitlement to education and diplomatic-style immunity from the rules that the hoi polloi must live by.
But hey, who wants to resort to ad hominem attacks?
So the IRS's budget would get reduced, leaving them fewer resources to do their job (of which the scope won't change), so the situation gets worse... I don't see that fining the IRS would do any good.
Instead, I'd put the heat on your local Congressman, as well as write to this gang, who provides Congressional oversight to the IRS.
Dig up egregious examples of conduct (in the article, it mentions an IRS contractor digging up political info on taxpayers), and write to your local newspaper.
The government fining the IRS? That's a laugh...
That's basically taking a million out of one pocket and putting it in another. What's the point?
Sounds like we need a Department of Homeland Insecurity...
Wow, I didn't know David Spade posted here...
And by the way, before you get all puffed up, you've got your ratio backwards. 1 Canadian Dollar = 0.87 US Dollars.
It's only $351,000 Canadian, so what's the big fuss? I think he was just looking to complete his action figures collection...
Here's a scary thought... if you can't beat 'em, why not join 'em? The NSA could just use Google as a subcontractor.
After all, Google does have an established practice now of actively cooperating with governments to curtail human rights...
I mean it is possible but that'd mean that the government would have to out google Google in terms of brains and equipment not to mention the time it would take to peruse through daily traffic patterns.
Who knows to what purpose the NSA would be using this information, but there's nothing that says they're data mining it in near-real time. They could be storing it for all sorts of reasons, and digging into it as needed.
Just wait, I'm sure this will pop up in the CSI's and other law enforcement shows on TV. "Hey, dig me up all instances of someone accessing this web forum on weekdays between 8:00 and 8:30, coming in from cybercafes in such-and-such area of the city..."
That procedure only gives AT&T five days to make their case as to why the info shouldn't be made public. Stay tuned...
Google is going to provide an ad-based "free" option, with bandwidth constraints. So it does help address the "digital divide".
Interestingly, there is some opposition to Google's ad-supported free aspect of this service. You can't please everybody...
BS, BS, BS. If you want to go to an expensive school, you have to come with the scratch to do that, period - whether through financial aid, work, etc. To say "I shouldn't have to pay for the consequences of my actions because I'm a struggling college student" is absurd.
Heck, a lot of these geeks went blind in adolescence...
Really, this all depends on the stage that the company is in. If (as it appears) that this is in the very early days and the task at hand is to take this great idea and bring it to market, then the "idea guy" (in this cash the techie) is probably the better choice. Once the flame is lit, the business grows and it's time to start focusing on day-to-day profitability, the stronger the case becomes for a "business guy" to take over, much like what's happened with Google. The two founders are still hugely important figures, but they brought in a true pro to run the operation.
Making it through college on your own is tough work - I did it myself. The worst mistake is to assume you have to go full-bore and end up drowning in debt as a result. There's nothing wrong with taking a term off to shore up finances before picking up with more.
And if you can't afford the $4000, I'd highly recommend staying away from illicit activities that would land you in such a mess. But then again, you'd think that would be common sense.
Quite the contrary, I put myself through college - it took 10 years, and at times I had to drop out and build up cash before picking up with the next term. Paying for college is just like anything else - A CHOICE. You have to balance it along with your income, assets, expenses, and sort out your own priorities.
In short, if the student in question has to drop out for 6 months or a year to work off this debt, that's their problem. It's not the end of the world to have to take a break from college.
Are so wildly off the mark and self-serving that they're obviously the ramblings of someone who's been caught, and is simply trying to worm their way out of the consequences.
Don't forget:
Step 4. Evil!!!
By its very nature, the RPG business cannibalizes its own downstream sales. Unlike the classic example of Gilette (sell the razor cheap and make money on the blades), RPG's have an initial upfront component (the game, analagous to the razor) which is intentionally open-ended, thus not requiring the use of the publisher's campaign material or supplements (the blades). I haven't gamed in 10+ years, but the best campaigns always used the sourcebooks as jumpoff material, with customizations managed by the GM, and the campaign itself entirely homegrown.
If I had the urge to game once again, there wouldn't be any need to buy any new material. Gimme my old AD&D books, a few days shuttered in a room to get something together, and off we go...