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Comment: Re:Fantastic. (Score 2) 261

by Zephyn (#43424201) Attached to: Microsoft Game Director Adam Orth Resigns Following Xbox Comments

Sometimes a person can be both gracious and just. Nobody is perfect and will make mistakes in their career. So if we would not like to be publically humiliated, why call on Microsoft to publically humiliate Orth? So what if it's a PR disaster. Things happen.

If you're just upset about Microsoft's always on DRM, then buy a Wii U or PS4.

Therein lies the reason for the firing. Consider the timing here: It begins with a great deal of uncertainty and rumors regarding a possible 'always online' requirement for the upcoming generation of consoles. Sony comes out and states that they won't be implementing it, which turns all the speculation squarely at Microsoft. Microsoft remains silent on the subject, and then all of a sudden one of their employees shoots his mouth off with some highly scornful Twitter posts about gamers that are concerned about this issue.

The next thing you hear is the sound of thousands of pencils crossing "XBOX 720" off the list of desired consoles for this generation. And Microsoft knows this. That's why he got canned.

Microsoft's problem now is that they're still remaining silent on the issue even after the firing. That makes it look like they're firing him not because they disagree with what he said, but instead because he revealed/confirmed something that Microsoft would much rather keep under wraps. With all the negative PR that this whole mess is generating, wouldn't Microsoft want to publicly contradict what he said if it wasn't true?

Comment: Re:Greedy Upper Management. (Score 1) 617

by Zephyn (#42955899) Attached to: Large Corporations Displacing Aging IT Workers With H-1B Visa Workers

We see this everywhere, it's not about salaries as much as it's about the need for corporate prices to come down. Lower salaries are a byproduct of having to sell to cash poor customers.

And cash poor customers are a byproduct of lower salaries. Does the phrase "downward spiral" mean anything to you?

Comment: Re:Sooo.. this is a comeback, how? (Score 1) 93

by Zephyn (#42955845) Attached to: Internet Poker Could Make a Comeback By Going Brick-and-Mortar

Of course, the big question, is why is America so against the notion of gambling? Is this just another morality issue, or because they're not getting taxes?

It's more due to lobbying by existing brick and mortar casinos. The law was passed in 2006 just before congressional adjournment, tacked onto a bill that otherwise dealt with shipping and port security. It specifically prohibits things like internet poker while still allowing long distance transactions on other forms of gambling that the brick and mortars had already established, such as horse racing. So it's about as moral as any other business that uses its lobbyists to legislate away its competition.

Comment: Re:negatory, cut them back, hard (Score 1) 605

by Zephyn (#42693533) Attached to: Senators Seek H-1B Cap That Can Reach 300,000

Why on earth would we want to do that? Historically our technological innovation has been driven domestically in part because we have such an open policy to immigrants. The space program was dramatically accelerated by accepting German immigrants. The Manhattan Project owes a lot to immigrants. Let's get our collective nationalist heads out of our asses and acknowledge that there are people around the world who are smarter than most unemployed Americans.

And such people with exceptional abilities are granted O-1A visas, not H1-Bs.

Comment: Re:Payment processors (Score 4, Informative) 377

by Zephyn (#42684975) Attached to: Responding to US Gambling Law, Antigua Set To Launch "Pirate" Site

But that's the same situation with the gambling website. Antigua can run a gambling website and the entire rest of the world can frequent it.

Antigua is arguing that they should be able to have a business that caters to US customers with no afford to US law.

I have no moral problem with gambling myself, but I don't see how this will help Antigua's case. They still won't get US money and reselling digital goods that you don't own is just going to cost them the support they currently have from the WTO.

Recheck the last sentence from the summary. Specifically the "WTO-approved" bit.

Since the WTO doesn't have the authority to directly countermand the trade laws of its member nations, the way it deals with nations that defy its rulings is by permitting the injured party to retaliate with its own trade laws. In this case, the WTO ruled in 2007 that Antigua could retaliate against US trademarks and copyrights. So no... Antigua isn't going to suffer any sanction from the WTO for doing this.... in fact, it technically is a WTO sanction against the US.

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