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Comment: News Writing vs. Reporting (Score 1) 75

by jbarr (#38122924) Attached to: The Convoluted Life Cycle of a News Story

To me, the biggest problem is that most news outlets are "writing" news instead of "reporting" news. Today, it's all about spin and market share. OK, so this is certainly nothing new. Heck, the "Oh the humanity!" reporting at the Hindenburg disaster was probably nothing new at its time. Maybe I'm just Old School, but when I see a newscaster reading a story on the 11:00 news, I have an expectation that what he is saying is as factual as the reporters were able to determine, and that opinion and editorial are left out. Unfortunately, that's an expectation of the past.

Comment: Re:Why spread the vile? (Score 1) 699

by jbarr (#37629590) Attached to: Phelps Clan Tweets Intent To Picket Jobs Funeral Via iPhone

Don't dismiss "free press" so quickly. I personally do not agree with their message or method of delivering their message, but they have a Constitutional right to speak their message, just as you or I have the Constitutional right to voice our disagreement with it. Liberty and freedom don't come cheaply.

Comment: So what? (Score 1) 699

by jbarr (#37628790) Attached to: Phelps Clan Tweets Intent To Picket Jobs Funeral Via iPhone

Do Westboro's actions in any way diminish the innovation that Steve Jobs contributed to the technology industry?

Any answer other than "No!" should be considered very naive.

Let Westboro have their day of protest--which will be very short-lived. Conversely, Steve Job's legacy will live on far longer than theirs ever will.

Besides, it is their Constitutional right to protest, just as it is mine to disagree with them.

Comment: Um, maybe it's the laws that are flawed. (Score 0) 315

by jbarr (#37628540) Attached to: Can Relativity Explain Faster Than Light Particles?

I'm certainly not disputing the legitimacy of science, but in this current age of misinformation, people need to realize that science is a discipline in constant flux. Nature and the Universe tend to stay constant, following their own laws--it's Man's perceptions and understanding that are continually changing. As we learn more and more, we tune our theories, hypotheses, and laws to better understand nature's hidden mysteries.

That the observation of a sub-atomic particle appears to confound or violate established scientific law really only means that it science has yet another mystery of nature that it does not yet fully understand. Maybe the methodology is flawed. Maybe the law is flawed. But that it happens at all should certainly not surprise any scientist--it should motivate to gain a better understanding.

Comment: Wrong f*cking problem! (Score 1) 349

by jbarr (#37420136) Attached to: Netflix To Lose 1 Million Subscribers

I'm a streaming-only customer with no intention of subscribing to Netflix's DVD service. My prices have not changed, yet because of the small percentage of whining customers who will need to incur a $6 per month price hike, I get screwed because investors now see all this whining and media hype as a major problem. But it's the wrong problem that the media and all these whining customers have been focusing on.

Prices go up, and as DVD subscribers goes down, costs to manage the remaining DVD subscribers will go up. Postal rates will go up. Studios charge more for DVDs. It's how things work. But that's NOT the problem.

The real problem is that Netflix used to have a great deal going, then the studios finally realized that they should get their cut, and they aren't happy with a small cut. So they in turn screw Netflix by either hiking their rates, or not renewing contracts because they can go elsewhere. Meanwhile, the media and "oh so pained" customers get the attention, but this real issue gets brushed aside.

He who lives without folly is less wise than he believes.

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