Seriously. I believe I have heard every single argument from either side about a thousand times, and that was just this morning. Agree to disagree already. Maybe find another hobby that isn't a complete waste of time. If I did happen to have an interest in someone's belief one way or the other, I would ask about it.

Time is relative too. If you and I are in the same room we appear to be in the same "time" the same way that the Earth appears to be flat, because the difference is too small to notice. But the "time" of you or I or any given particle is as distinct as its space. Of course, the ramifications are not quite that simple (because of time's arrow, etc), but it seems well within accepted theories.

At least, that is my take. I am a physics hobbyist, so it is entirely possible that I have completely misinterpreted the underlying theory. If I did, uh, well, sorry, and best of luck with all that photon stuff!

It should be a fine, like $100, that can be charged to the owner of the IP, a lot like automated speeding tickets. Enough to be a deterrent, but not enough to ruin anyone's life. Like speeding, we know that it is technically wrong, but sometimes we want to do it anyway and run the risk of getting caught. And like speeding, piracy will never be eliminated.

The other thing it would do is eliminate these type of shakedowns. Because there is the risk that one day it is a not so sensible judge, and people's lives are ruined because one time they downloaded a Steven Seagal movie or Paul Blart Mall Cop.

No matter what your situation, there will always be obstacles. It will never be ideal. So if you like it and are motivated, go for it. Enough motivation will get you anywhere.

The greedy approach has gotten us to this point. I'm not saying it is bulletproof, but it has done all right by us as a species. Of course, given the ability we should expand ourselves as far as possible. Why not? But let's keep things in context. All life and the universe itself are likely doomed to extinction, if the most popular theoretical models of the universe are accurate. There is nothing we can do, under such a model, to extend our species indefinitely.

Spot on. Worst list ever.

I am probably the lone wolf (in particular on slashdot) when it comes to being apathetic towards this sort of thing, but I don't see the point in being alarmist without documenting something specific. Near as I can tell it is a sophisticated way to to online advertising, not profiling for the KGB. This whole "tracking is Orwellian" thing, well please, what specifically are they doing with this information that is Orwellian? If they are tracking me for advertising purposes (which they most certainly are) what could possibly be more pedestrian and less alarming than that?. All it means is that there are occasionally ads that I care about (though still remarkably few at that).

And yes, there is potential to do something evil, but potential is not the same as doing. If it was we would all be in jail.

From the article:

"Police say up to 18,000 vehicles a day drive through the village, which links some big employers with I-75."

The population of the town is somewhat immaterial. Also as someone noted earlier they are speed cameras, not red light cameras. To be honest, the article does not mention why they are considered a scam, although it gives some (in my opinion weak) arguments against them. I think their biggest concern is the impact on the local businesses from the people who drive through.

I was thinking armageddon, but I am open to other disaster theories as well. Perhaps one of the meteors will bring down the space radiation that raises zombies from the dead. I am currently scouting stores that carry crossbows just in case.

The entrance bar is lower I think, probably to do with money, but there are still challenging classes if you are selective about what you take. Overall I think the quality of education you receive has a lot to do with the quality of education you strive for. Pick a quality program and choose challenging classes and choose challenging work within that class. In a lot of instances the bar tends to be where you put it.

Exactly. I hear they will be extracting a patent toll from paper boys (and girls) everywhere.

Time to write letters that border on being impolite!

You are equating one aspect of the freedom of our system with the entire free market. Freedom requires a cost in vigilance. Artificial scarcity is a reprehensible practice, but to say the entire system is broken is overkill. There will always be better and worse parts of any market, and consumer vigilance is a necessary part of our system, as is bringing corrupt practices like this to light.

Out of curiosity, do you have a source on that Inuit custom?

Am I the only one who read it that way?