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Comment Bad laws are the problem (Score 2) 148

T&C's exist because bad laws exist, so we give websites the opportunity to get around them.

Maybe we could just let people learn to be responsible with their information and let the market work like it always does. If a website leaks your information, then don't use it. Why should we have the right to sue them?

...and regardless of the size, color, or style of the font, people will still ignore it.

Comment Re:Intensely idiotic (Score 2) 127

I assume you're referring to human's nature to create?

What about human nature to be selfish? Hell, what about the human nature to survive by having a profession that is actually lucrative? It's easy for us, the consumers, to demand that all creators do their work for free because we only look at the exorbitantly wealthy publishers who profit from them. Do I like copyright laws? No, I don't, but to jump blindly to the other extreme is just naive. Just my two cents.

Comment Re:Intensely idiotic (Score 3, Insightful) 127

Just a thought... what if your boss reduced your pay by 50% and told you that "if you're only doing it for money, then you're doing it for the wrong reason"?

Of course the only reason I write is because I enjoy it. And submitting any of my work for publishing would have reward in and of itself, but to do so would require that I devote an enormous amount of time that I could otherwise spend earning money and providing for my family, which, right now, I consider the more important task.

Comment Re:Intensely idiotic (Score 0, Flamebait) 127

Sorry buddy, "because FUCK the copyright holders!" is not an argument. You may be right in saying that we should have the right to do what we want with what we've purchased, but play the Devil's advocate for a moment...

The year is 2016: Every book that has ever been printed is now considered "public domain" since copyright laws have been abolished and you can find any literature you want just by googling the title and author. Sound great? Well it also turns out that books have annually been published 80% less since the copyright laws were struck down. Why is that, do you think? Perhaps it's because there's no longer any motivation for authors to publish their books since they aren't paid any money once they are published. They are made immediately available for the public's viewing. All the author gets is good feeling that people are reading their work. Reward enough? 80% of authors would say no.

Obviously it's a hypothetical argument, but I can say that as an aspiring novelist, my motivation to finish my book would be lessened if I knew that even if my work went viral, I would have nothing to show for it except for a few book readings at coffee shops.

Comment Re:Guns (Score 3, Interesting) 213

http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/138154/neil-gershenfeld/how-to-make-almost-anything?page=show

Within -- "An amateur gunsmith has already used a 3-D printer to make the lower receiver of a semiautomatic rifle, the AR-15. This heavily regulated part holds the bullets and carries the gun’s serial number. A German hacker made 3-D copies of tightly controlled police handcuff keys. Two of my own students, Will Langford and Matt Keeter, made master keys, without access to the originals, for luggage padlocks approved by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration."

The lower receiver is heavily regulated because it is the piece that can convert a semiautomatic rifle to a full automatic if you are able to manipulate it properly. A 3D printer could circumvent what was previously an extremely difficult task to convert the receiver from semi-auto to full auto.

And in the latter half of the paragraph, yet another reference to the TSA. How ironic.

Comment Re:People who predict desktop manufacturing (Score 2) 213

They can't work with metal, never mind electronics.

Not so my friend... http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/138154/neil-gershenfeld/how-to-make-almost-anything?page=show

You'll people are already making parts to guns and master keys that can unlock anything from baggage padlocks to police handcuffs. Yes, these are probably laboratory grade 3D printers, but it won't be long before the public can get their hands on something similar.

Comment Ignorant Agricultural Question (Score 1) 293

Ok, so I know there was a drought in the US for a ridiculous amount of time, but considering modern technology, I'm having a hard time understanding why this has to mean no more bacon. Why can't farmers just heavily irrigate their fields? Isn't pumping water where need it worth it to produce a good crop and, more importantly, still have bacon? It's not like we don't have water in the world. Don't we have the tech to get it where we need it to be? Or if heat is the problem, can't we cover the fields with shade sheets or something?

I live in Phoenix and we have terribly hot summers with extraordinary long droughts, but we still seem to do ok and there's never a panic among the farming community. Can't we avoid these crises with some simple planning?

Anyone who knows anything about farming, feel free to enlighten this ignorant city kid.

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