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Comment Re:You did change the world for the better! (Score 2) 496

Giving any credit to WikiLeaks for their "offer" or laying blame on the Government is either incredibly naive or extremely partisan, for it doesn't stand up to the most cursory scrutiny. Do you really think the Government could accept such an offer? Let me paraphrase the offer so you understand. WikiLeaks: " We have this pile of information, most of it is unbearably mundane and of no interest to anyone; we have no interest in releasing it as it will put our audience to sleep; some of it is really juicy and embarrassing to you and could be used to blackmail you, some of it could be worth millions of dollars to your enemies. Would you help me categorize it so we can do with it what we please?

Comment Re:Universe 25 (Score 1) 770

The problems surfaced after only five generations. With four breeding pairs initially, inbreeding would not have been a problem at that point. The real issue, and the one which modern man faces, is lack of external forces selecting against those who are not fulfilling their genetic and social roles. The name he chose for the enclosure, "Mortality-Inhibiting Environment for Mice" should be the obvious clue to the root of the problem. A couple of cats, or other form of selection, would have kept the mouse population healthy for many, many generations.

Comment Re:Then stop breaking the terms of service. (Score 1) 381

You do not recognize the world of hurt you have potentially exposed yourself to as a result of making a copy and putting it on your storage device? The law IS crystal clear on that one too. You must have a mechanism for dealing with claimed copyright infringement. Not every video YouTube sends is sent legally, but by agreeing to quickly remove videos that are claimed to be in violation, they are acting in good faith under the DMCA. If you're making copies, and you do not have a mechanism for determining whether something has, in fact, come legally to your device and for deleting copyrighted materials, you may get the opportunity to contribute to bottom line revenue of the RIAA or MPAA. Pointing to YouTube and saying you thought the copy was transmitted to you legally is unlikely to carry much weight.

Comment Re:News Flash! (Score 1) 315

You used the word nothing. A large capital expenditure, a large infrastructure, a questionable business plan, and the EC itself (a barrier which prevents Amazon from operating there) are not nothing, and they are not minor, and they are not irrelevant. While you may find lots of information about revenue per user at Amazon, you probably can't find anything that says they've actually turned a profit - until that is answered in the affirmative, it is by no means "beyond question". There are seventeen complainants represented, and many are much smaller than Amazon.

Google has threatened phone manufacturers over forks of the code. Amazon doesn't use Android to describe Kindle's OS, though it is a fork, because Google won't allow it. Google has consistently favored specific hardware manufacturers with preferential access to the code. If I contribute changes to the code you won't see my code unless it is incorporated in the release version. Those are all issues which are contrary to "open."

Google's behavior is a major reason no one chooses to compete. The complaint according to fairsearch.org's release includes accusations of "anti-competitive strategy", "deceptive conduct to lockout competition", "predatory distribution", and that “Google is using its Android mobile operating system as a ‘Trojan Horse’ to deceive partners, monopolize the mobile marketplace, and control consumer data,” Those are anti-trust issues.

Comment Re:News Flash! (Score 1) 315

There is nothing stopping competitors from creating their own implementation of Google Play, with accompanying services, and eating Google's lunch. They just haven't chosen to do it.

Nothing except a huge barrier cost of entry, which is a consideration in anti-trust cases. Few companies have the capital (intellectual and monetary) to succeed (make a profit) in such a venture. Most are either competitors or partners with Google. The competitors have no interest in making the Android customer experience better, and the partners have an implicit agreement not to compete. As for a startup, tell potential investors that you plan to beat Google on their playing field, with their ball, and be careful of the scramble as they rush to fund you /sarcasm. Amazon is the one true exception, and they do not offer such a service in many countries, in part because of EC activism/intervention such as is being requested in this case.

Comment Re:Why are we blaming smart phones? (Score 1) 215

You keep the person on the line until you reach the old style phone in the other room, pick up its receiver, hang up the cordless phone and slam down the receiver of the old style phone. You do realize that the value of a land line is reliability, and that a cordless phone is the weak link in the chain? A phone that requires no power other than what it draws from the phone company is needed for real emergencies, and most landline users have at least one in their homes.

Comment Re:No more horse shoe'n for me. (Score 1) 215

A cow with a full udder is very uncomfortable; if you delay milking her, her body will reduce her milk production. Chickens start feeding as soon as the sky brightens before sunrise, if you don't feed them when they are ready, they won't eat as much and their egg production may suffer. You feed pigs before the heat of the day because they eat less when they are hot. The time of day for shoeing a horse has little impact on one's daily food production, so it waits.

Comment Re:Shocking? (Score 1) 436

You are an unrepentant APOLOGIST. The criticism you would (rightly) voice against a Republican President for signing it is the only legitimate response to Mr Obama signing it. Signing it is endorsing it. Voting for it in Congress is endorsing it. Not voting against it is chicken shit endorsing it. Our country is being ruined by voters ignoring what politicians do and believing what they say.

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