Posts by ClassicalD

Swiss insist file-sharers don't hurt copyright holders

Intuitively there is an impact

Despite bigweeal's post being a minority opinion, it is correct. Nobody can be intellectually honest and believe that unfettered copying of media, games, music, etc. doesn't affect the sales. No way is it the 1-to-1 sale loss that software/media people claim...that's retarded. But it isn't zero, either.

Autodesk doesn't loose $7,000 when some high schooler copies Maya. But some percentage of high schoolers would have purchased a CD or rented a movie had the copy not been available.

We can talk about "how big of an impact", but to say "there isn't any" puts you in the same lying sack-o-#### camp as the media weasels.

When geeks turn Green: Performance tune your energy bills

Interesting exercise. But economically worth it?

Asked, but unanswered, was the cost of this stuff. Can the cost ever be recouped by lower energy bills? I doubt it. And if it takes longer to recoup the cost than the serviceable lifespan of the product then it would have been better for the environment not to consume the rare-earths (and facilitate China's mining of them) and the other resources needed for the upgrades.

"but, it's a net positive", you say? We have this wonderful mechanism called prices that, when they're correct (which, I grant you, is sometimes difficult), help us gauge the resources being used. That's why a recycled can costs more than one made from scratch. The price signal tells you that it takes more resources, uses more energy, burns for fuel, etc. (i.e. is less "green") to recycle than to make one from bauxite.

Punters hate copyright, says Steelie Neelie

Why are there laws?

"If the amount of copyright abuse is so high, is it a valid law any more?" Seriously? Seriously?

When the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were burning down the barns of Quebec separatists, the prime minister responded that, "if people were so bothered by illegal barn burning by the Mounties, perhaps he would make it legal". A contemporary writer (Jonas somebody) pointed out that "burning barns isn’t wrong because it’s illegal, it’s illegal because it’s wrong."

Regardless of the amount of thefts (or burglaries, car jacking, muggings, or public urination)... it doesn't make it right.