These are the arguments I hate the most from the pro-piracy camp. You obviously aren't desperate enough to give HBO your money since you have multiple options:

1. Upgrade your cable package to get HBO. Pricey, but if you're truly desperate, there you go.
2. Purchase through iTunes. You won't get it immediately as it airs, but you'll get it.
3. Buy the Blu-Rays when they come out. Same drawback as point 2, but it's an option.

I think what you mean is that you're desperate to watch the show first run for a price that you consider reasonable (I'm guessing something in the neighborhood of $10 or less). Doesn't work that way.

You have to cancel HBO with your cable company. Yes, you have to call up to cancel it, but it is by no means "nearly impossible". People do it all the time. Subscribe for the show, cancel when it's over. You may even be offered a couple extra months to not cancel.

And couldn't you buy the Blu-Rays when they come out? Sounds like you have options, you just don't want to pursue them.

When you say "selling network time" that sounds like you're saying "selling advertisements", which HBO doesn't actually do. They do create shows to entice people to subscribe, yes, but advertising is not the reason.

You can't buy GoT on Blu-Ray where you live?

OK, so you download movies for free, gotcha...

Wait, what? Doesn't pirating a movie require an internet connection? And posting on Slashdot, for that matter?

Uh yeah, I doubt that.

Only T-Mobile gives you discounts. And they have the worst coverage of the big four providers. So that's why it's not really productive to compare unsubsidized prices. Pretty much everyone gets their phone with a subsidy and two year commitment.

And yes, you have to lock yourself in for two years to get that price. But so what? There really isn't much ability to jump around from provider to provider anyway. Only T-Mobile and AT&T use GSM, so from a technological standpoint you're effectively locked in to one provider or another. So again, that's why talking about two year contracts isn't that important either...

Assuming you're on the one and only US carrier that gives you a discount for bringing your own phone, yes, the Nexus 4 is cheaper overall than a new iPhone 5S. However... if you're on AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint, your iPhone 5S costs that same $199.

Part of this has to do with the subsidies they add to tuition. I remember when I was in school, tuition was about $2000 per semester. One semester, they decided to jack up tuition by $400. Most of that $400 was earmarked for subsidies for lower-income students. I found out during a meeting where the chancellor announced the change that 40% of our overall tuition went to subsidies. 40%! At which point I asked:

"So you're increasing tuition to help students who can't afford tuition, because we keep raising tuition to help students who can't afford tuition?"

They just kind of shrugged that question off.

At least you're an honest pirate. Usually there's lots of hemming and hawing about "oh I wish there was some way I could pay for this content, but it's not available in my country/available right this instant/etc. so reluctantly I must pirate it."

Are you being serious? Being available 12 hours after the original broadcast is pretty quick, especially considering that it's the middle of the night in Finland when the show airs in the US. Don't you have to work on Mondays? You get home and the episode is available on Netflix right away.

Seriously, stop moving the goalposts.

"can't use hulu or netflix where I live"

"which costs 45 pounds"

Do you live in the UK? Netflix is not only available there, but has every episode of BB. The new ones are even being added immediately after they air in the US.

I don't think it's change for the sake of change necessarily. You've got to remember that this stuff is created by a young generation that's just entering the workforce. They see existing technologies as old and crufty. Declaring types? Get with the times grandpa!

Plus, there seems to be a fascination with making code as terse as possible...

I'd take Outlook in a second over Notes.

Because the people who bought the bundle on Linux are overpaying to send a message?