This video is lame. What did these guys accomplish? It is kind of hard to tell. 10 projectors + smoke. A guy claims there is a sphere -- well I do not see it. Now he says he is walking inside the sphere. Still do not see it.
What the hell is this?
Okay, so everyone thinks the cost is directly financial. What about the cost in PR?
This company just got mentioned in article after article in just about every newspaper on the globe. No pretty headlines, either. Lax security. Leaked data again? Oh.
The direct cost might be possible to calculate - but the cost of no one trusting Sony with personal data could disrupt their online business entirely.
The rootkit disaster, as often mentioned, still sits in all of our minds and everyone we talk with. Do not underestimate the badwill. Want to be a contender? Do not fuck up - this economy will not allow it.
The cloud crap gets another black eye and this one is hardly deserving, considering the immense lack of competence security-wise on Sony's part.
If you bought your computer on or after June 8th you can get Snow Leopard for 10 bucks:
Well, of course there are a range views on what sort of development folks in different parts of different metro areas want. Generally though, most folks who have actually thought about these issues (and understand that no car will actually be getting 200+ MPG even in 2015 because the numbers are based on an odd formula including battery life) will not rail against verdant suburbs.
The changes, we need are quite specific:
1)Less Exurban development
2)Making suburbs more walkable and bikeable
3)Connecting suburbs to real cities with real transit
Of course, other folks might take a harder line, but real cities that have proper development will fair best in the long term both economically and quality of life.
Your question is interesting and one which many people ask themselves. I think it's more like people have one wallet to use and instead of spending money on music they kind of like they spend it on other things - just because they can get it by downloading. The total economic output is however more or less constant. I can only refer to my own spending statistics so feel free to contradict me. I don't put that same money in my savings account! I use it to go to the movies (5 of them past 6 months), fuel my car, go on vacation.
So the recent legislations in e.g. Sweden and the rest of Europe has nothing to do with economics, but rather only distribution of money and "fairness" to the companies. Of course, to succeed they must squash many citizen rights and deploy surveillance to keep citizens in check. One could argue that the win from such legislation really is nothing in comparison of how trampled the citizens become. Of course, the new legislation opens up a can of worms to further reduction of rights sort of like Pandora's box. We end up moving in the wrong direction if what we want is democracy.
This sort of obvious bullshit trials, bad defense lawyers withstanding, topped with ridiculous legislation really pushes the younger part of society, not yet indoctrinated, into anarchism. I usually state that I'm Swedish - we recently saw a "spectrial" (as The Pirate Bay called it) unfold, too.
Combine this with deaf politicians who refuse to listen to the (quite large) opposition and what do you have? You've got people contempt of law. I realize you need to build your own case and defend yourself, but even if you do, the playing field is uneven. I personally question the correctness of being able to monetize an idea/creative work for a life time. Most people outside of showbiz offers hard working labor - be it welding or consulting - for clients. We cannot profit from our monday 12'o'clock service for the rest of our lives. What's so got damn special with music or film?
I think, imagine at least, that people are growing more and more contemptuous to the powers that be. This is one failed business model - people recognize the absurdity of the situation. But when will this bullshit stop?
I'd had wished it'd be just like with SCO - touch and hard spirit then die a slow death in the media. Unfortunately, they have support from the government, who refuses to see the illogical conclusion that they need to work for their money (not just sell copies).
I think the primary concern is the different views on society that citizens, politicians and corporations have. A report that says that something is good for society isn't so clear cut as you'd like.
For corporations, long copyrights are good for society - they couldn't make quality music otherwise and people want quality music!
Lobbyists persuading politicians means that long copyrights are beneficial for society as well. After all, how would artists make a living otherwise? Very common argument these days and more or less what the common man is thinking, too.
Apparently the balloons need to be taken down daily to have their batteries recharched. I wonder, wouldn't 80,000-100,000 feet be mostly above cloud level and be an excellent opportunity to use solar cells?
The balloons come down every 24 hours due to the limitations of battery life -- and to keep them from floating into territories that don't subscribe to the service.
The drifting might be a tougher nut to crack though. Rather interesting idea for rural areas actually.
A morsel of genuine history is a thing so rare as to be always valuable. -- Thomas Jefferson
