Its hard not to be cynical when this is how the wealthy use their influence in a society that actively caters to them. I'm glad Slashdot keeps reporting on these issues, and I hope we will support and punish as appropriate candidates who oppose H1B. I hope we will have our own movement and do our own work in as many different social avenues as we can to defeat attempts to make things harder for us for the sole reason of lining the pockets of the wealthy more than they already are.

Oh great internet warrior who doesn't know how to reply directly to a comment: Well done! Yes I and the AC are the same person! Your brilliance tricked me into replying to a comment thread and thus revealing my identity! Your valid arguments have further convinced me everything I have said simply must be mistaken. Retire your keyboard oh great one you can do no better than this glorious victory.

What did the AC make up, specifically? Can you point anything out? As for "looking up the quote", it's a total straw man argument. But I guess have fun arguing with each other over that :)

Domestic violence is under reported in general, but indeed it is more so for men. I didn't mean to imply they are not also victims of abuse. Simply that your statement that men who engage in an aggressive sport are less likely to commit domestic violence. That is bullshit. All you are offering is anecdotal evidence

You're putting words in my mouth, I did not say men are pigs. I also didn't say you said it is nonexistent. You did however HEAVILY imply it is rare BECAUSE of how aggressive ice hockey is. Which is silliness.

Some developers do get all their money from ads, (and some school districts do as well) but thankfully they are far from the majority. Ads are awful, but in criticizing them we will win more allies if we also think of ways to support the people attempting to make a living in the work they do. Journalism, art, etc are important things for a society to have. Taking a confrontational attitude towards those people is counter productive.

This line of logic is awful. I love free content as much as the next guy, but would you say that fire fighters, teachers, or software developers ought to forgo salaries entirely? I mean, according to your logic they would produce better work if they did it for free.

A hockey player that abuses his wife is pretty rare.

That's nonsense. You can have a violent sport like boxing and still have the players be abusers. Plus read this.

Even bigger problem though is that is a misunderstanding of domestic violence and why it happens. It isn't "men have aggression and need to get it out". More like a mix of cultural (shitty views of women as "less than" men, toxic attitudes towards relationships especially marriage, etc) and individual factors. Why not read up on it a bit?

Unfortunately they already do this: http://reason.com/blog/2015/05/06/ancestrycom-hands-over-client-dna-test-r.

They give a shit if their stupid Samsung version of Android is buggy, filled with crapware, and slow. They don't care WHY it is shitty, but they care that it is. Whether the culprit is Samsung or Verizon, part of the blame will fall on "my stupid Android phone that doesn't work right anymore".

The truth is that programming isn't a passion or a talent, says Edge, it is just a bunch of skills that can be learned.

Lost me here. Programming can definitely be a passion, and it can also be a talent. One might have a natural aptitude at programming. That doesn't mean one cannot learn the skill of programming, or that someone who finds it difficult in the beginning will not become an expert.

In my career I've noticed that there are developers who are brilliant, and developers who struggle. The ones who struggle can succeed through mentoring and training.

There are also developers who are kind and have great social skills, as well as those who do not. This is true of any employee at a company, including managers. Social skills can also be a passion, a talent, and a skill. That is also something that can be improved through mentoring and training.

The primary reasons we don't see this happen for social skills are office politics and the false view that personalities and behaviors are fixed.

If you are reading this and your programming skills or social skills are lacking - invest in yourself and work on them. It will pay off handsomely.

Read the article: "Anyway, I thought, 'AHA! I'll just set up a filter and screen all "@jobdivabk.com" '. No luck. Gmail only lets you screen on certain headers and jobdiva's emails were being relayed "via" on gmail."

Why should we compete with people from countries with a drastically lower standard of living? We rant and rage when companies use their wealth and power to get away with shit - which can include gouging customers. Wanting to be paid market rate in your country for a job you do isn't some sin.

In terms of what can we do - support politicians like Bernie Sanders when they support fighting back against H1B. If you are fortunate enough to choose between working for a company that supports H1B and one that doesn't - go to the one that doesn't. Form a startup if you are in a position to do so. Do anything you can to bring pressure to companies that abuse H1B.

In the end though companies have so much power that to really make a dent, we must pass laws to protect workers in the US.

Are there any good alternatives for musical artists who want to make money off their work, want to embrace technology (vs fight it) and don't already have a massive audience like Radiohead? If you have that audience, asking people to "pay what you want" seems to work (and really well). But it seems like an entire revenue stream (music sales) is drying up in favor of tours. That doesn't bode well for artists, or for fans who want to see affordable live music. But it seems like the demand is there, and people will buy music if there is any easy way to do so. So is there a middleman who doesn't suck up most of the profit?

Its both, and it is crucial to understand that. It is also "pay workers a living wage" or "run out of consumers to buy your products".

The problem is the people with money are only concerned with making more money and having more power. Jobs will go away, and rather than innovate we'll have a very painful growth period in which some people will fall through the massive cracks in the system and be left there.

If we actually care about one another (or more cynically want to avoid the potentially violent unrest that can accompany mass unemployment) we need to do at a minimum make sure everyone is taken care of. I'd say we need to find a way to make everyone feel useful and productive. To do that, we need to rethink how we spend human effort and to what end. If we evolve technologically to the point that jobs aren't about catering the whims of the wealthy or subsistence - why not explore creating an economy of exploration and human evolution? Why not pour our wealth into educating people and increase the number of people who can play a part in helping us live longer, explore the universe, and enjoy life more? Let's replace menial jobs with scientists and artists.

Because left to their own devices, the kings of capital will let the workers replaced by robots starve and rot.