Actually the surge of interest in witchcraft and the accompanying witch trials was towards the end of the Middle Ages. The peak of the European witch trials was between 1580 and 1630. The infamous Salem witch trials were in 1692-93. A long, long time after the so-called Dark Ages (which aren't generally referred to as Dark Ages any more).
I flew to the US from Australia a couple of months ago to do the New York Marathon, and I didn't really find the security too big a problem. It's there, it's a bit painful, but quickly forgotten by me. Certainly wouldn't stop me flying there again.
Been a while since I read this in my C++ days but highly recommended.
The communication medium may be the messenger. But would the rioting and looting have taken off to the same extent without Blackberries and Twitter?
They aren't culpable, but it seems reasonable to explore ways to help prevent this happening in future.
The marginal cost of copies after the first is precisely zero for software.
And the first copy sold doesn't pay for the cost of development - for the current version or any future versions.
You assume that, in the absence of piracy, that some of those people would have purchased, but there's no basis for the assumption beyond the notion that somebody likely would have paid. Maybe somebody would or maybe somebody wouldn't have, but it's completely speculative as we don't know what would have happened.
So because it is inevitably speculative, you think "oh well, piracy is ok because we can't *prove* income was definitely lost"? It's a reasonable assumption that *some* income is lost, even if it is speculative.
And ultimately, another key issue is whether it is right or wrong to appropriate someone's efforts against their wishes.
You made the mistake of using the term "stealing" instead of "infringing copyright". Those on slashdot who have probably never written a line of code in their life will latch on to this like ticks, and avoid the real issue - that infringing copyright costs software developers money. The BSA may exaggerate the amounts, many infringers may not have bought the software if they had to pay, but some sales and some income is undoubtably lost.
Of course, I'm not saying that all programmers have to become admins to remain in technical jobs, but it is a very common path and there are very few programmers who are still programming into their 40's.
Not true. I've been programming professionally for 20 years (in my 40's), I work with another programmer in his 40's, and many of my friends are in their 40's still programming.
By issuing rapid tiny orders increasing in value, traders using HFT can quickly determine the maximum price that common traders are willing to pay. Knowing the buyer's limit price gives a seller an unfair advantage.
HFT increases liquidity and narrows the bid/ask spread, which helps the common trader. But it can also be used to determine the maximum price that common traders are willing to pay, which is cheating.
I bumped into him about 5 years ago, and he was a married roofing tiler with 3 kids and his own business. A little bit of compassion and the firm guidance of a firm but fair adult can turn any juvenile delinquent around.
Nice to hear a good news story. Good for you and him.
The magic of our first love is our ignorance that it can ever end. -- Benjamin Disraeli