tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post4258197389981737572..comments2024-03-28T23:20:56.388-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: THE INTERNET AS A HUMAN RIGHT?David Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-31685142571970639062011-04-06T07:49:21.946-07:002011-04-06T07:49:21.946-07:00Larry Hart said... There are ways to make a win-wi...<b>Larry Hart said...</b> <i>There are ways to make a win-win between employer and employee needs.</i><br /><br />Well, that's a problem, if some folks don't even see win-win as an option. To some, it's zero-sum game with the only way to rise is for others to sink. Makes negotiating kinda' difficult.JuhnDonnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06795417373366495092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-38335984652139818892011-04-05T19:34:33.508-07:002011-04-05T19:34:33.508-07:00The concept of distributing communications against...The concept of distributing communications against the will of the local government, as a means of subversion, has cropped up many times in SF. For just one, consider "High Yield Bondage" (1975).Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16367287655636396603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-48884570680927409812011-04-04T21:35:04.396-07:002011-04-04T21:35:04.396-07:00Tacitus, I feel obliged to point out that from the...Tacitus, I feel obliged to point out that from the perspective of the entire rest of the democratic world, [the] California and Massachusetts are pretty much the only states going along on a remotely straight and steady course, while it's the entire <i>rest</i> of the fleet that have pretty much spent the last 30-40 years veering hard to starboard. By this point, most are spinning in clock-wise circles it's become so bad.<br /><br /><br />I imagine they find <i>a lot</i> of the state of affairs here rather puzzling. The top 3% of passengers get 20% of the space on our ships, and pretty much all of the amenities. Each one can also buy time on a direct line to the captain and crew and tell <i>them</i> how to run the ship, basically holding the captain and crew hostage. The other 97% of passengers have to request changes by committee that gets passed to a public line that the top 3% can override as they please. Half the time, the 3% use their monopoly over demands of the ship crew to demand a bigger monopoly, and make sure even less attention is paid to the rest of the passengers.<br /><br /><br /><br />On our ships, you have to pay, out of pocket, just to go to sick bay. In some cases, the critically wounded can get in for free for basic treatment, but about 18,000 passengers still die every year because they can never get in to be treated.<br /><br /><br />Even the distribution of ship services leaves them scratching their head. Many passengers on the US fleet, for instance, are stuck with rooms smaller than 80 square feet, while on the HMAS Australia, for instance, the just legal minimum is about 150 (sorry, hard to work in minimum wage with the whole ship thing).<br /><br />Our ships also dump massive amounts of toxic waste into the oceans as they sail. It's quite the odd phenomenon. You see, first we request all the fuel from the Middle Eastern vessels, sometimes we even fight wars on them to get it (which we make the bottom passengers mostly fight). Then we burn it, in absurd quantities, and then we dump all the waste into the ocean. Now, most other advanced vessels have already made significant progress in using far less fuel, and even using fuel that dumps <i>no</i> waste into the ocean, but the elite 3% of passengers insist that our far more costly method of hoarding it from the Mideast ships is superior, on account of them largely making profits from using it.<br /><br /><br />We have quite the odd fleet, indeed. I'm not sure exactly how anyone could go about considering it an efficiently managed one, but the richest 3% of passenger do a good job of assuring us that we are, but only so long as they continue to be allowed to unilaterally tell the crews how to run the ships. Onboard the USS Wisconsin, it's gotten so bad, that a passenger named Koch actually FLEW OVER from the USS Kansas to make sure that the Wisconsin was running the way he wanted. He was actually the one who demanded all the Whiskey be taken from the normal passengers and given to the elite, and then demanded that the normal passengers get less attention and bargaining rights, and he's not even a passenger on that ship!<br /><br />It's no wonder the rest of the world looks at us and shakes their heads.Coreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06487646409063141004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-52378257694451346562011-04-04T21:13:17.947-07:002011-04-04T21:13:17.947-07:00onwardonwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-49540637562832591762011-04-04T19:44:48.624-07:002011-04-04T19:44:48.624-07:00Tony, I think you will find the First clas passeng...Tony, I think you will find the First clas passengers with binge-drink their added allowance and throw up on all the carpets, leaving everyone else including the good Captain(assuming there hasn't been a mutiny) to clean it up.Brendanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12290731721638936110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-52334484906290674142011-04-04T19:40:12.295-07:002011-04-04T19:40:12.295-07:00Re: Bribery vs blackmail.
It suddenly occurred to...Re: Bribery vs blackmail.<br /><br />It suddenly occurred to me that the "legalise bribery" idea has an unfortunate side-effect. If it's not illegal for the briber, only the recipient, it opens the recipient up to blackmail from the briber.Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-24518611611727273792011-04-04T19:07:16.932-07:002011-04-04T19:07:16.932-07:00Except they don't get drunk. (they hoard their...Except they don't get drunk. (they hoard their ration, or can insatiably guzzle and hold their liquor something powerful!)<br /><br />Since when are oarsmen 'doggies'?<br /><br />Metaphor stretching.<br /><br />rousnock: that terrible sound heard at 2am, usually caused by possums in jackboots!Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-78157638537775764062011-04-04T18:52:27.215-07:002011-04-04T18:52:27.215-07:00I thought one of the reasons that people were upse...I thought one of the reasons that people were upset by Captain Walker is he didn't just take the rum ration from the middle and lower decks, but he gave it to the good folks in First Class arguing that they spend more on other services when drunk.Brendanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12290731721638936110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-27896618258592659962011-04-04T18:17:42.201-07:002011-04-04T18:17:42.201-07:00By the way, the "Legalizing bribery" lin...By the way, the "Legalizing bribery" link isn't working.ZarPaulushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10923548883992534673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-60129106946659283642011-04-04T17:57:56.457-07:002011-04-04T17:57:56.457-07:00While the elite passengers no longer use any of th...While the elite passengers no longer use any of the same transportation systems as their inferiors, whether it be airlines, trains, or ocean liners. <br /><br />They have moved their flags to a nearby neutral Swiss liner, laughing as they tell the oarsmen to "mush! Mush! Goood doggies!"David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-77160140874319476382011-04-04T17:55:54.058-07:002011-04-04T17:55:54.058-07:00Nice metaphor, Tacitus. Perhaps applicable, if you...Nice metaphor, Tacitus. Perhaps applicable, if you imagine it is politics as usual... and ignore the nazi (neocon) agents who have been sabotaging the engines, punching holes in walls and egging half of the crew to refuse to cooperate or negotiate with the other half because of trumped up grievances over whether or not the other crew is left-handed or not.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-21158059958469910502011-04-04T16:03:01.294-07:002011-04-04T16:03:01.294-07:00Well, as we prepare to apply condiments to the Ric...Well, as we prepare to apply condiments to the Rich, perhaps a brief reminder of the nature of our financial challenges, especially at the state level where one cannot simply print magic unicorn dollars...<br /><br />Ships of State<br /><br />The seas are rough and icebergs abound. <br /><br />The USS Indiana is making good speed, her financial trim even and everything ship shape. Captain Daniels is said to be in the chart room, pondering a course change to the Potomac…<br /><br />Back a bit is the USS Wisconsin. She was actually holed beneath the fiscal waterline some time ago but her previous skipper maintained the illusion of stability by stealthy counter flooding below decks. Now she is low in the water, engines laboring.<br /><br />The new captain, a chap named Walker, has taken stern measures. The rum ration for the crew has been modestly reduced. And he has ordered that all non essential baggage be pitched over the side. Much grumbling ensued, as it was claimed that this was applied more vigorously to the passengers in the middle decks than to those in first class. <br /><br />The situation aboard the Wisconsin is difficult, but not past redemption, so even those who mutter mutinously and vow that they will see Walker swing from the electoral yard arm when they reach port are at least tacitly acknowledging that if they bend their backs to the pumps and work hard, safe harbor will be attained.<br /><br />No such optimism can be found on the USS California. The grandest ship in the fleet is wallowing, barely making headway. The passengers, who for years had believed that a ten degree list to port (left) was a good thing, are becoming alarmed.<br /><br />The causes of trouble are many. Who knew there were so many extra people jammed into steerage? Many lack valid tickets. And while the pump crews are large and well paid, they are hindered by strict regulations barring the actual discharge of bilge water into the sea. Civilians are advised that it is their job to fill buckets, not empty them.<br /><br />Captain Brown, a relic from the Windjammer era, paces the bridge dreamily. A multi ethnic calypso band plays a stirring version of Nearer My God to Thee. Passengers according to their inclinations pray, curse, drink up the good brandy from the First Class Saloon, or stand patiently on the Promenade deck, their aluminum foil party hats doing little to keep the driving rain off their upturned expectant faces as they await the Saucers that will bear them to safety.<br />Tacitus2<br /><a href="http://detritusofempire.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">DetritusofEmpire</a>Tacitus2noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-86035662265378691892011-04-04T14:05:27.642-07:002011-04-04T14:05:27.642-07:00On a slightly different note, the Republican Party...On a slightly different note, the Republican Party has just hit a giant <i>oops</i> in their campaign against climate science.<br /><br />Paul Krugman gives a pretty good column on it in the NYtimes<br /><br />http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/opinion/04krugman.htmlCoreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06487646409063141004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-16003022117239732312011-04-04T12:43:43.949-07:002011-04-04T12:43:43.949-07:00Here's an article on how progressives are star...Here's an article on how progressives are starting to wake up and organize in the wake of austerity cuts and the Tea Party activism. Though the title seems more cheery than the actual content from my cynical perspective.<br /><br />http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/04/04/winant_labor_new_haven<br /><br />http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/04/04/<br />winant_labor_new_haven<br /><br />Rob H.<br /><br />kalism: the philosophy of female divine destructionAcacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-6518367503104889742011-04-04T11:57:41.020-07:002011-04-04T11:57:41.020-07:00A new series in Scientific American asks science l...A new series in Scientific American asks science luminaries "Describe a hard problem that may be impossible - or almost impossible - to investigate." This initial essay deals with printing human organs. Some time later, my own contribution will be about (you guessed it) uplifting higher animals to sapience. http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=too-hard-for-science-making-astrona-2011-04-04David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-25167944577957774342011-04-04T11:00:34.064-07:002011-04-04T11:00:34.064-07:00Politico has an interesting article on how the Tea...Politico has an interesting article on how the Tea Party is threatening to destroy Republican chances of winning the White House in 2012 with a Goldwater-style defeat. (Now if only this would also hold true with Senatorial elections... I'd love to see some Republican incumbent Senators lose to Tea Party candidates and then face genuine competition from the Democrats in "Red" states.)<br /><br />http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/52442.htmlAcacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-71601433538476168542011-04-04T09:50:27.556-07:002011-04-04T09:50:27.556-07:00Except that due to the increases in wages in China...Except that due to the increases in wages in China and corruption concerns keeping non-Indian companies from investing in India, the United States is once again becoming an attractive place to stay in business.<br /><br />Africa is too unstable politically for reliable outsourcing, and has significant anti-imperialism sentiments that view foreign businesses with suspicion. Russia is wrought with corruption to a level worse than India. The other asian-pacific nations are suffering from political instability, higher costs, and the realization that it won't be cost-effective to move into the region only to have wages rise up in ten years and force them to go elsewhere.<br /><br />Heck, I have a job (and have had it for four years) because the outsourcers proved to put out a product that wasn't up to the quality standards of the company (much of the work is still outsourced, but products where quality is considered vital, the U.S. workers are picking up the slack).<br /><br />What's more, Mexico is becoming politically unstable, Latin America isn't exactly the most stable of regions, and those parts of Latin America which are... tend to have higher costs. <br /><br />While global corporations will continue to have operations in all parts of the world, it will become less for reduced cost and more because they can achieve market footholds in these emerging markets and thus not pay high import fees or the like.<br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-41154396392048399162011-04-04T09:49:21.183-07:002011-04-04T09:49:21.183-07:00Dr Brin said:
My own view is that "liberals&...Dr Brin said:<br /><i><br />My own view is that "liberals" have always been willing for competitive capitalist markets to function well... following the "first liberal" Adam Smith. Though liberals have always had trouble reconciling the uber-rich.<br /></i><br /><br />My conservative buddy won't believe me, but I have NO PROBLEM with someone being fabulously wealthy (even the Koch Brothers) as long as they help pay (through taxes) for the infrastructure of the civilization that allows them to prosper. I don't think of (reasonable) taxation as "punishing" the rich any more than I think of my grocery store as "punishing" me by charging money.<br /><br />The current incarnation of the Right deliberatly conflates EARNING money with HOARDING money, and uses arguments in favor of the former to justify the latter. <br /><br />Ayn Rand (righly) posits that Hank Rearden deserves his wealth because he acquired it by providing society with an innovation (Rearden Metal) that lifted everyone's standard of living. A win-win situation, similar to that of Bill Gates in the real world.<br /><br />However, she also argues for the gold standard, which means that (absent new finds of gold), the total amount of value that all citizens can possess is a constant. Under such a system, Hank Rearden CANNOT lift everyone's standard of living (except by providing a source of gold). The more wealth he accumulates, the less is available for everyone else.<br /><br />You can't have it both ways.LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-42382774628066694242011-04-04T09:37:46.681-07:002011-04-04T09:37:46.681-07:00Paul:
I just said to my niece, "Well, if you...Paul:<br /><i><br />I just said to my niece, "Well, if you want to help him, you could get a part-time job after school and on weekends, then send the homeless man your money." She frowned in thought for full minute, then brightened, "But why can't he get the job, and get the money for himself!?" Now it was my turn to smile and say, "Welcome to the Republican party!<br /></i><br /><br />Heh. Cute.<br /><br />But not entirely accurate. These days, the Republican party would want the guy to have to work in order to sibsist. But if he ever managed to earn enough to stop being homeless, they'd outsoruce the job to India or China. Why pay more?LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-26266542422188468002011-04-04T09:34:09.081-07:002011-04-04T09:34:09.081-07:00Robert:
(when I was younger I once thought it out...Robert:<br /><i><br />(when I was younger I once thought it out and couldn't figure out why employees should be allowed breaks or lunch periods or anything at all because it ultimately cut into corporate profits - I was like 16 at the time, which makes me think that corporate thinking is stuck in a juvenile teenage mindset).<br /></i><br /><br />Funny, when <b>I</b> was a youngster, I already knew that employees were allowed lunch breaks and bathroom breaks and vacations because hungry, tired, burned-out employees' productivity drops off. There's a point of diminishing returns past which forcing someone to keep working LOWERS productivity.<br /><br />Treating employees as human beings doesn't HAVE to be a demand that corporations need to fight tooth and nail against. There are ways to make a win-win between employer and employee needs.LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-51125928570206266902011-04-04T08:41:32.446-07:002011-04-04T08:41:32.446-07:00I bow to your superior stoicism.I bow to your superior stoicism.Tim H.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-32987149323870946832011-04-04T08:23:49.075-07:002011-04-04T08:23:49.075-07:00"A netbook? Possibly running windows? Cruel. ..."A netbook? Possibly running windows? Cruel. I thought the idea was something useable."<br /><br />It's entirely usable, as I demonstrate tomorrow by using the free wifi on QRail while finishing my readng of Elmer Gsntry.Ianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01739671401151990700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-1937019100998596262011-04-04T08:10:26.657-07:002011-04-04T08:10:26.657-07:00A netbook? Possibly running windows? Cruel. I thou...A netbook? Possibly running windows? Cruel. I thought the idea was something useable.Tim H.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-15224237588259424092011-04-04T07:50:54.757-07:002011-04-04T07:50:54.757-07:00Hackers using the Microsoft Kinect managed to crea...Hackers using the Microsoft Kinect managed to create a working version of the Gmail Motion (the motion-based April Fools Joke Google put out this year).<br /><br />http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/hackers-turn-a-gmail-april-fools-joke-into-a-reality/?src=me<br /><br />http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/hackers-turn-<br />a-gmail-april-fools-joke-into-a-reality/?src=me<br /><br />I trust Google takes this return-volley of their prank with good graces. And it was quite innovative for these "hackers" (if they honestly could be called that, I'd say they were inspired programmers seeing that Microsoft has given the green light for non-XBox use of the Kinect while laughing all the way to the bank) to pull this off. :)<br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-85141667615748953642011-04-04T06:54:11.230-07:002011-04-04T06:54:11.230-07:00Paul RE; Free-book, simplicity and affordability g...Paul RE; Free-book, simplicity and affordability go together, the function you envision and a logic board that's field repairable might not be very portable. What I'm picturing would involve, front to back, a bezel, touchscreen & backlight, logic board, power board (Because it might be stressed unusually, so a separate part makes sense.), battery pack, antennas and rear cover/PV array, secured with recessed screws. User service would be limited to parts swapping, but no spludger required.<br /> If that satellite network happens (Technically feasible, I hear, but wait 'til the telcos hear about possible free internet from the skies!), sure build that in.Tim H.noreply@blogger.com