Self-censorship isn't an acceptable alternative to no censorship at all.

...to the rest of the world: we don't want your business. We don't want any tech companies to set up here. We're going to make this the most hostile nation to internet and technology start ups by bullying anyone who dares defy our notion of imaginary property.

You do own the phone. You're free to do whatever you want with it if you can figure it out. Oh, you mean you want Apple to do all the work for you, release all the documentation and provide you with the tools you need? Sorry, but they have no obligation to do that. You're still free to do it on your own, but then don't come crying for Apple to replace it for free when you void the warranty trying to hack/mod your hardware. You are free in every way to use the hardware as you wish, what you are really angry at is that Apple makes no attempts to help you in that endeavor.

We already have a great, natural, cheap (free, even!), way to sequester carbon. It's called a tree. Plant more trees, plant them everywhere. Unfortunately much of the work will need to be done in South America where their governments are even less inclined to listen to environmental arguments than the government here, but the process of natural reforestation in the rain forests is even faster than it is in the US and would happen in just 1-2 decades once human influence is removed from an area.

Finding a new livelihood for those people displaced from their slash and burn plantations and cattle ranches is the biggest problem. Although much of that activity is fueled by American over-demand for beef which is a problem we can solve with policy here at home.

The only people who have ever referred to him as "the messiah" are those on the far right. It says more about their simplistic view of the world than it does of their opponents.

I'm sure that's not even an exhaustive list of the requirements. So my question is, how did we ever find someone in the past if we've been using THAT as the bar you have to meet to be considered?

Wouldn't it be easier to take the people who are smart and have the physical qualifications (or even just the physical potential, you could train them like soldiers do and get them into better shape) enough to do the job and then train them to do it? Seems like an absurd parody of the job market at large. Entry level position available, must have at least 1 PhD and 10 years experience...

Good luck, NASA.

In many countries, the price converts to $80+ USD. Australians are routinely gouged in this way.

Because DRM et al that I mentioned reduces the value of the product. It's not worth it to me @$60, but at free it is worth it. It would be worth it at $0.99 or maybe $5-10 for a AAA title, but in the current form, it's not worth what they're asking for it. But since I have an ethical and free alternative, I turn to that.

I buy plenty of Apps and games for iOS despite the DRM and other annoyances because the price is right (usually $0.99).

And $8.00/hr is the minimum I'm *allowed* to sell my labor by for by law, but it's not the minimum I would consider selling my labor for. You'd have to pay me more than that or give some other benefit. So that screws up your oversimplified equation.

But that doesn't put pressure on the system to change.

What he says is spot on, but I think pricing is still a problem. $60-80 for a game is simply too much. I won't pay that, and certainly not when I have to put up with onerous DRM, micro payments to make the game worthwhile or allow me to be competitive online, and in game advertisements. You can't have it all; I'm looking at you, EA.

So that's why I take what I want for free. It's too expensive, and there's enough of a disconnect between the legal definition of theft and copyright infringement that I feel it's an ethical choice to make to say I'm not going to support the current copyright model, I'm going to undermine it by making it less profitable.

Eventually when things change maybe I'll start participating in the market again, but copyright, patents, "IP" was meant to be a two way street. Lobbyists and interest groups have thrown up road blocks on the side of the street that flows back to the public good. So I feel no responsibility to hold up my end.