^Mod this guy up^, then wake the hell up.

Yes... and that they are (excuse the tinfoil) in it together to move this country further and further right should concern every citizen of this land, including those on the right. Facism is but the end result of a continual spiral away from center.

...on a tech rag no less. I wonder why? Is it really so difficult to understand that specialists can manage a network system better than a couple Bob's from the local community college?

If you have a web-based app stack and offer that to your employees, what is the difference between your company having a bunch of techies trying to run a shop like Google would, or actually letting Google run it for you?

I can see some reluctance from non-US companies, but for any U.S. based company, what is the difference?

There are also intrinsic, undeniable benefits for the user, should they CHOOSE to capitalize on them. Tarketed marketing allows a much more direct, personalized experience between a corporation and an individual. Individuals can leverage that relationship for personal benefit. Discount pricing, deal of the week, competitive pricing, all come into play here.

The shills yelling about "ma priviiccyy izz beein loootted, an ma data is beein stollen" fail to recognize the reciprocal relationship between a marketer and a consumer.

And BTW... the decision to buy rests ALWAYS with the consumer. Influence, recommendation, suggestion, etc... on the part of a marketer... yes that is real, but NOT predeterminate of buyer behavior.

Buy a book on marketing and try to understand what you are talking about. I would suggest this one.

I'm waiting for the AAA to sue TurboTax and their ilk. The tipping point is nearly here... Prepare yourself!!

OP said "real friends". Real friends don't operate the way you describe. They look forward to any opportune moments to interact with their "real friends".

How is CS, true CS, any less of a science than Biology, Chemistry, Anthropology, or any other "ogy" you want to throw out there? Yes, there are many who end up working in the private sector, working for financial services firms developing apps, but how is that any different from the chemist working on drug manufacturing?

Much ground-breaking research has come out of the CS community. What IS science by your definition? Do not be so dismissive of the "science" in CS.

... can be achieved by predictive analytics software already available. Someone just needs to pipe the tax data into the system. Its really quite trivial to accomplish from a technological perspective. Its the political perspective that stops any such endeavors from happening.

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Opinion:=TMyOpinion.Create(Me);

wrong thread... ignore.

... can be achieved by predictive analytics software already available. Someone just needs to pipe the tax data into the system. Its really quite trivial to accomplish from a technological perspective. Its the political perspective that stops any such endeavors from happening.

The primary problem with the logic of your position is it is in essense a "horse has left the barn" approach to holding business accountable. What good is suing a business if you're dead? Or if you're homestead is no longer habitable? The business can declare bankruptcy, and any chance of recovering damages is gone. How does your philosophy deal with that? The truth is it does not.

You may not like regulation, and it is certainly not perfect, but in reality it is the ONLY means by which a population can protect itself from the abuses of the snake oil salesman. The REAL problem we have today is exemptions in statute, and the involvement of industry (without oversight!) in crafting legislation alongside either corruptable or incompetent politicians.

I have yet to read any serious idea as to how to realistically combat this problem.

Part of the problem here is EOL and the concept of Planned Obsolescence.

Maybe once there are enough demands on manufactures to keep them solvent regardless of the peaks and valleys of demand cycles they can revisit this couterproductive concept and start extending the EOL on much of the core durable goods, thereby reducing (or maintaining) current levels of energy comsumption.

Then again, that would mean essentially stopping growth, which would have a negative consequence for everyone. What a tangled web indeed!!!

Great idea!! Maybe the government can first get back the BILLIONS it gave Verizon and AT&T to lay all that infrastructure in the first place?!?

Go back to the capitalism alter and pray for intervention from the Koch brothers.

"Natalie Portman hot grits T-shirt eventually."

Before, after, or during the pregnancy? It matters...

just curious...