Comment Re:I fail to see what is newsworthy (Score 1) 456
Let his family sell them on the free market, of course. What are you, some kind of communist?
Comment Re:yes, please. (Score 2, Interesting) 564
in truth a free market would almost never result in a monopoly.
On what do you base this conclusion? How much is "almost never"? What should we do when one does occur? Is it possible to understand the set of circumstances under which they occur? If so, should we use that understanding to try and prevent them from occurring?
Comment Re:yes, please. (Score 2, Insightful) 564
You say that the free market is the reason AIG has been able to cause all kinds of trouble and in the same breath mention the big government bailout that kept them afloat. In this case, the market gave a solution to the problem but regulators stepped in and stopped it.
I don't think the pure free market can solve all problems (no one does, that is a straw man). But your shit stinks just as much. Stop making straw men, reactionary decisions, and appeals to emotion ("rape and pillage") and start making rational arguments.
Comment Re:yes, please. (Score 1) 564
This thread is ridiculous and a borderline straw man. Anyone who has taken econ 101 knows that the pure free market can lead to monopolies and inefficiencies due to externalities (among other things).
The problem I see is that legislators cause a problem in the free market through legislation (i.e. they are largely responsible for the local monopolies now held by the telecoms), and the way they want to fix it is to push through legislation that doesn't touch the root problem. Instead they should tackle the problem of what caused these monopolies and attack that. Net neutrality is a band-aid, albeit perhaps a necessary one.
Video Game Legends To Be Inducted Into Hall of Fame 94
killdashnine writes "Last year we discussed the creation of the International Video Game Hall of Fame and Museum in Ottumwa, Iowa, and a first event in 2009 which brought 3,500 people to witness it. Since then, there's been much progress toward creation of the museum, including the upcoming 'Big Bang 2010' exhibition. Their first event kicks off with formal induction ceremonies, tournaments, record-setting attempts, and an array of concerts from 8-bit music to modern rock. This serves as the first official fundraiser for this new non-profit. Iowa is positioning itself as the Video Game Capital of the World. While some sneer and scoff at this, pointing to LA or Seattle as gaming giants and rightful heirs to the title, the real goal is not to glorify software developers but rather to memorialize the 'heroes of video games,' from the iconic Pac Man to pioneers such as Ralph Baer."
Here's a list of this year's inductees. Who gets your vote for next year?
Comment Re:Health insurance (Score 1) 637
I picked the same thing for the same reason. I always feel like I won a twisted lottery with health insurance. On the plus side, I will get way more money out of my insurance than I ever put in. On the down side, I have diabetes.
Valve's Newell Thinks PS3 Needs To Be "Open Like a Mac" 348
Eraesr writes "Apparently Valve boss Gabe Newell thinks the PS3 needs to be more of an open platform, drawing a comparison to Apple's Mac platform. In an interview with 5BY5.TV, he said he would like to see the PS3 be 'open like a Mac' instead of being 'more closed like a Gamecube.' 'Platform investments, like the Mac, are difficult because you have to be aware of what direction that platform is moving,' Newell said, referring to the firm's recent move onto Macs with its titles and distribution service Steam. 'We need to target platforms that do a better job of looking like where we want to be in a few years.'"
Comment Re:The bug (Score 4, Funny) 234
Look, we're trying to do some rabble rousing here and you are not helping.
Cassandra and Voldemort Benchmarked 45
kreide33 writes "Key/Value storage systems are gaining in popularity, much because of features such as easy scalability and automatic replication. However, there are several to choose from and performance is an important deciding factor. This article compares the performance of two of the most well-known projects, Cassandra and Voldemort, using several different mixes of access types, and compares both throughput and latency."
Comment Re:Why this is sad (Score 4, Insightful) 179
Figure 40-minute newscast, 40-minute drama/show, 40 minutes advertising
FTFY
(Your point still stands. I agree with you.)
Comment Re:They are here (Score 1) 648
...on a plate
Comment Re:Naturally... (Score 2, Informative) 196
If that isn't an instance of the Broken Window Fallacy I don't know what is.
Comment Re:Wrong (Score 1) 264
Oh, it is so simple.
*head explodes*
Comment Re:They are fighting nature (Score 1) 443
When fighting nature, either nature always wins or everyone loses. In this case, they are fighting artistic and entertainment nature. Art and entertainment need to be free and need to be shared. It is an important part of what it means to be a human being. What big media is doing is wrong in the sense that they think they can control and limit and even "bottle up" art and entertainment to maximize their profits.
This gets said a lot here. Every time, it is said without explaining why art and entertainment "need" to be free. This makes it come off like hippies raving due to a false sense of entitlement. So, please, explain why those things "need" to be free in a clear, logical statement.
Comment Re:That makes sense (Score 1) 265
The solution to the problem of the ultra-rich is not to add more taxes for the [well-off,ultra-rich] rich to then avoid. It is to make taxes flat and remove the loopholes. One could argue that the loopholes exist because the tax is so high it requires them to not hurt normal people.
I want to live in a country where I have a right to keep what I earn and decide how to spend it. I also want to aspire to become rich so my kids can have it better than I did.
I've heard the argument many times that the rich became so by standing on the backs of others. And that may be true to some extent. But you can't get rich without doing a lot of business, and that means producing a lot, paying a lot of people's salaries, etc.
Stop looking at anecdotal evidence about the extremely rich (buffet, gates, etc) and getting riled about the lifestyles they lead. They are not representative of the people being taxed. It is the successful business owners and professionals, people who have worked hard all their lives who will be hurt.
How can anyone say with a straight face that a progressive tax is more fair than a flat tax? All else being equal. (If it's not, then that is what we should focus on fixing)
