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Comment Re:Expensive drugs? (Score 5, Informative) 542

DINGDINGDINGDING

Most brand-name antipsychotics can go WHOLESALE for 400-500/month, some are even more than that. Most cholesterol drugs are now on the $4 list, or have a $4 equivalent, except for lipitor (debateable whether or not it could be substituted for another statin because of all the studies..) which will be generic soon. Acid-reflux drug sales bottomed out as omeprazole (Prilosec) went generic and over the counter - the PPI class used to be the big money maker here because there were no generic alternatives. The new generation of antipsychotics are ALL still on patent except for Risperidone.

Also of note: "antipsychotics" are used to treat more than psychosis. They have been shown to be very helpful in several other psychiatric illnesses.. although I must say there are a *LOT* of cheaper/better alternatives for insomnia. These are not "off label" uses, by the way - many antipsychotics have been researched and gained FDA approval for more than one disease/condition. The class name is being substituted for the indication here to cause a stir.. "if you are on an 'antipsychotic,' then you must be psychotic!" A better name would be "selective d-2 receptor blockers with varying serotonin and anticholinergic receptor activity" but its a bit lengthy ;)

The real headline here should be "PPI and Statin drug sales wiped out by generic replacements, antipsychotics still under patent. Also, some people havent heard about ambien yet."

Comment Re:Taxation Without Representation (Score 1) 164

I have read your "reply" with "things in quotation marks" and have "evaluated its merits." Here is my "reply:"

For starters- the cost of doing business is calculated and accounted for in all successful business models. Cashiers (like in the grocery store) are paid to handle cash transactions. Companies all over the country are paid to secure cash and transport it from place to place. This affects the prices that you pay for things in cash, although it is not always immediately apparent. These costs are passed on to you indirectly with absolute inevitability. While legal tender may be used for "all debts public and private," there is no guarantee of a cost-free transaction. You also currently have the option of paying for things via credit card or debit card, which you are confusing with some mythical form of electronic currency. Using these cards costs money, as it is a SERVICE which serves in the place of a cash transaction.

In your third paragraph, you are failing to account for the many moving parts which make the simple entry of your debit or credit card number into a website and instantly allow you to distribute your income to any number of places world-wide. These also must be paid for, just as cashiers and cash transport services. They are often less expensive. Note that it is not mandatory to use this system, just very very very convenient - to the point where other systems seem ridiculous (ie flying to Sweden to use cash, in my previous post.)

The cost to provide this service includes several things, such as insurance against theft, asset protection, fraud detection, datacenters, phone banks staffed with customer service reps, etc. Just because you can use a debit card online or in person which takes a cash value out of your bank account and distributes it to someone else does not make it equivalent to cash. Credit and debit card companies charge businesses to use their services because it is value-added. It is not a tax on cash because it is not a cash transaction, and despite its ubiquitous nature, debit and credit transactions are not mandatory. The words you are looking for are "fee for service." You do have the option to use cash at the place of business from which you wish to purchase, as defined by legal tender.

Finally, if a business such as Visa or Paypal makes you mad with their decisions to cease doing business with a person or organization, you may feel free not to bless them with your business. I do not disagree that the decisions regarding Wikileaks were likely politically motivated. Personally, I don't agree with many things that Paypal does/has done, so I don't give them any of my money if I can help it. However, these businesses are not constitutionally bound in any sense to provide their service to anyone. Visa/PayPal voluntarily bound themselves with an agreement called their Terms of Service, which is up to their interpretation. They do not have to support free speech (especially not of a foreign national?) if they choose not to.

The representation you seek is your choice to do business with them - vote with your wallet!

Comment Re:Taxation Without Representation (Score 4, Informative) 164

I also think they should give out free puppies because one if by day, two if by night! Or Four Score and Seven Years Ago or something.

Co-opting historically patriotic catchphrases does not prove your point, it only underlines your lack of understanding about free economy and government. The fact that you dont like paying surcharges does not make this a constitutional matter.

Paypal is a value-added service (many would argue against this, though), and it costs money to run it. If you dont like it, mail a check, or fly over to sweden or wherever wikileaks is now and pay them cash. By the way, checks cost you money. As do plane tickets. And ATM charges.

Comment Not gonna be enough.. (Score 5, Interesting) 212

I don't see how this even begins to approach the amount they are in for.. they are going about it the wrong way. In signing up to pay home/ home office users, they are automatically assuming guilt for themselves (as if anyone wasn't sure that they were guilty in the first place?)

First off, they are starting with home / home office users. This population will incur the highest cost per computer to fix - i.e. instead of paying 1 IT guy 30/hr to fix a bunch of computers in one place, this is one-at-a-time visits to Geek Squad (ugh) or whatever which will run 50+ per computer..

This is just opening the door for future corporate lawsuits - i.e. "Clearly they have said that they were the cause of this issue and are willing to refund some of their users to the tune of X for just ONE computer. My company lost 1000 computers, I want 1000x dollars, plus lost productivity."

Comment "other people are probably already doing it" (Score 1) 221

"It wasn't technically complicated and the fact that I can do it in three days means that other people are probably already doing it and probably taking advantage of it"

Is it just me, or is this like a nationally publicized "Hey guys, try this!" The article lacks the detail to replicate this guy's code, but the other methods he used are all there. Would it have been better to have a system with a few hackers taking advantage and skipping some parking fees, versus a now-comprimised system (or one that begs to be comprimised by publicity and the copy-cat nature of hackers and hacker upstarts) that may be rendered useless? Now there are 23000 meters in San Fran that may need to get new software..

Comment Re:Silk Purse (Score 5, Interesting) 582

Your frame of reference is obviously that of a "normal video game player." You are not the Wii's target market, and thus you feel understandably disenfranchised. I just cannot manage to see how appealing to the "mainstream market" ie normal, everyday people, reflects a failure in development. I also think that you drastically underestimate the number of shitty games for the PS2. There were close to 2500 games made for that console, and if you think the average quality was that great, then you have never been in a gamestop bargain bin.

In writing this comment, I am aware of the fact that there are not as many top-quality wii games as I would have hoped or expected at this stage of development. However, I think that the games designed specifically for the wii are fantastic, and I blame the deficit partially on poor ports and the cost barriers involved when companies decide to develop a title. After all, if you were a developer, would it appear to be more cost effective to program for joysticks and buttons than a novel motion-capture interface? Of course, because the title can be sold to PS3 and Xbox and PC users alike, and your staff likely has more experience in programing for these interfaces.

Comment Re:Smell of blood/books in the morning, etc. (Score 1) 356

Go ahead and mod this down, Im submitting this in anger. I am sick and tired of these BS blanket paypal statements - I would like to see statistics on all these direct payments to authors/musicians/game developers that slashdotters say they donate to after pirating stuff. I hear a lot about them, but after looking hard I can't find a paypal account to donate to anyone currently being published by another company. I know that there are certain cases, including radiohead's paypal album a year or so ago, where your model makes sense. However, note that before this album came out, they were already world-renowned musicians. Their popularity and recognition which makes this system work for them hinged on radio hits distributed by.. publishers. Also, the ability to independently record and produce their own album was likely due to the massive royalties and ticket sales secondary to this distribution.

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