http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130617/11500923509/its-come-to-this-commentators-arguing-that-press-commits-crime-exposing-nsa-surveillance.shtml#c808 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:02:07 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130617/11500923509/its-come-to-this-commentators-arguing-that-press-commits-crime-exposing-nsa-surveillance.shtml#c808 The immorality of the health care situation is staggering.

Fortunately if you have good insurance you can see a doctor about your staggering problem.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/01121423439/hollywood-studios-keep-saying-its-employees-must-get-paid-now-may-be-forced-to-pay-its-interns.shtml#c1331 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:59:51 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/01121423439/hollywood-studios-keep-saying-its-employees-must-get-paid-now-may-be-forced-to-pay-its-interns.shtml#c1331
I wasn't talking off the cuff, I was using US Census figures: the median individual income in the US last census was around $44,000/year. You are using figures specific to commercial writing (which I think is a bit misleading, but that's a different discussion), I was using exactly what I said: median income.

Your expectation for an experienced writer was $76,800/yr. That's pretty close to twice the median. Even if we accept your BLS statistics, you're still inflating the value considerably.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/18243923466/hollywoods-new-talking-point-gatekeepers-are-awesome.shtml#c462 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:59:14 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/18243923466/hollywoods-new-talking-point-gatekeepers-are-awesome.shtml#c462
A perfect description of what Pandora does and why it is an enabler rather than a gatekeeper.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130619/10395523531/next-time-someone-says-twitter-is-killing-deep-thinking-with-short-quick-messages-show-them-this.shtml#c70 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:58:25 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130619/10395523531/next-time-someone-says-twitter-is-killing-deep-thinking-with-short-quick-messages-show-them-this.shtml#c70 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c164 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:56:50 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c164
I've learned long ago not to trust ads on the internet. They are a security problem and I will do everything in my power to prevent them from occurring on my machine. I know of several instances where others got malware through infected iFrames I didn't because I don't allow them to run.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/01121423439/hollywood-studios-keep-saying-its-employees-must-get-paid-now-may-be-forced-to-pay-its-interns.shtml#c1326 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:55:01 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/01121423439/hollywood-studios-keep-saying-its-employees-must-get-paid-now-may-be-forced-to-pay-its-interns.shtml#c1326
So what you are saying is that you are making about $1250/mo. for (hopefully) no more than 80 hours. That's about $15.62 an hour, with no benefits and you paying both the employer and employee share of payroll taxes. From money.cnn.com: The survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers showed the average salary of new grads at $44,455.

So considering the saved costs of payroll taxes and benefits you cost Masnick half of the average cost a 2013 college grad. But hey, as long as you're happy...]]> http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130619/10395523531/next-time-someone-says-twitter-is-killing-deep-thinking-with-short-quick-messages-show-them-this.shtml#c54 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:52:11 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130619/10395523531/next-time-someone-says-twitter-is-killing-deep-thinking-with-short-quick-messages-show-them-this.shtml#c54
I think s/can't/won't there is more accurate.

I have plenty of "get off my lawn" moments as well - but at least I recognize them. I at least keep up with technology and modern culture, even if I don't always enjoy it.

I also take time to educate my children on how things used to be done, so they don't just take for granted what they have now.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130619/10395523531/next-time-someone-says-twitter-is-killing-deep-thinking-with-short-quick-messages-show-them-this.shtml#c29 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:52:02 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130619/10395523531/next-time-someone-says-twitter-is-killing-deep-thinking-with-short-quick-messages-show-them-this.shtml#c29 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/18243923466/hollywoods-new-talking-point-gatekeepers-are-awesome.shtml#c454 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:50:10 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/18243923466/hollywoods-new-talking-point-gatekeepers-are-awesome.shtml#c454 one possibility, though it would seem the more likely(and logical) reason for an essay like that to be gone through point-by-point, showing where it was grossly inaccurate, could be due to the fact that it is mock-worthy.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/18243923466/hollywoods-new-talking-point-gatekeepers-are-awesome.shtml#c437 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:47:40 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/18243923466/hollywoods-new-talking-point-gatekeepers-are-awesome.shtml#c437 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c159 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:47:37 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c159 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c549 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:47:14 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c549 http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130619/10395523531/next-time-someone-says-twitter-is-killing-deep-thinking-with-short-quick-messages-show-them-this.shtml#c27 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:45:28 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130619/10395523531/next-time-someone-says-twitter-is-killing-deep-thinking-with-short-quick-messages-show-them-this.shtml#c27
I've never forgotten it because every single thing he said was precisely what people say now, right down to "it wasn't like this when I was young" and "society is doomed".

Later, I learned that it has always been so: every generation thinks both that they invented sex and that society is about to collapse.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c531 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:43:25 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c531 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c529 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:42:22 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c529 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/07515923527/leaseweb-deletes-megauploads-servers-without-warning-destroying-key-evidence.shtml#c970 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:40:45 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/07515923527/leaseweb-deletes-megauploads-servers-without-warning-destroying-key-evidence.shtml#c970 Now what?

Now I suggest you brush up on some legal text because you have no idea what you are talking about.

First and foremost, the government didn't seize anything. If they had seized the servers then they would be in the governments custody, not LeaseWebs.

In this case the government is attempting to destroy evidence by preventing a defendant from maintaining said evidence. If this goes to trial I presume the DOJ will try to use an argument along the lines of "we never seized their equipment and therefore had no obligation to preserve it for trial" they would then try to pull out copies of some of the data and say "we were able to secure THIS evidence before the defendant destroyed the originals."

Personally I find it very unlikely that any judge will allow that evidence to be used at trial as the government does not have the originals and will have no way to prove that the copy wasn't tampered with.

It seems the DOJ has no interest in actually bringing this to trial. Instead they are using the legal system to administer the punishment without the conviction.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130619/10395523531/next-time-someone-says-twitter-is-killing-deep-thinking-with-short-quick-messages-show-them-this.shtml#c19 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:40:38 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130619/10395523531/next-time-someone-says-twitter-is-killing-deep-thinking-with-short-quick-messages-show-them-this.shtml#c19 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/01121423439/hollywood-studios-keep-saying-its-employees-must-get-paid-now-may-be-forced-to-pay-its-interns.shtml#c1313 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:40:11 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/01121423439/hollywood-studios-keep-saying-its-employees-must-get-paid-now-may-be-forced-to-pay-its-interns.shtml#c1313

So, you think that writers here should make more than twice the average income in the US? You aren't even on the same continent as reasonableness

Unlike you, I don't simply talk out of my ass. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

2010 Median Pay $55,420 per year
$26.64 per hour
Entry-Level Education Bachelor]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130617/11500923509/its-come-to-this-commentators-arguing-that-press-commits-crime-exposing-nsa-surveillance.shtml#c806 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:37:10 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130617/11500923509/its-come-to-this-commentators-arguing-that-press-commits-crime-exposing-nsa-surveillance.shtml#c806 You mean Mao?

Mow is the absolute dictator of my yard on Saturday mornings, so.....]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/01121423439/hollywood-studios-keep-saying-its-employees-must-get-paid-now-may-be-forced-to-pay-its-interns.shtml#c1312 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:33:48 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/01121423439/hollywood-studios-keep-saying-its-employees-must-get-paid-now-may-be-forced-to-pay-its-interns.shtml#c1312
If you're full time, in-house employee, perhaps. I'm neither. Nor are most of the other writers here. Could we agree that for part timey work, that number should be about half?

"Then most companies contribute modestly toward health insurance, so call that $4,000."

You said you assumed I'm independent, which I am. Therefore benefits aren't included and I wouldn't need them even if they were, so I'm glad they aren't.

" Assuming the writer worked 40 hours per week to produce those articles, I'd say a minimum of $3200/moth for an inexperienced writer and double that for an experienced one."

You're not very good at math. You started at $30k/year, or $2500/month. Benefits are moot since I'm an independent contractor and we can cut your expectations in half since I'm part time, not full time. Payroll taxes are meaningless as well, since the only thing that matters is gross salary (for the purposes of payment discussions, I mean). What you arrive at is your suggestion, essentially, that a writer like me should make roughly $1250/month here.

Let me assure you, my payment meets your expectations. Glad you agree I'm compensated appropriately. Can we move on now?]]>