http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c437 Sat, 18 May 2013 11:14:11 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c437 RadioLab did a story about machines that learn. An example was that by watching a pendulum, it figured out f=ma. Elementary, sure, but it's something that took people a while to figure out.

However it was set up to figure out pendulum equations so its achievement is no greater than that of the chess playing computers.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c421 Sat, 18 May 2013 11:06:48 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c421 and people used to be getting no nearer to heavier-than-air flight until, suddenly, they were nearer.
You mean Stringfellow?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/15445423110/framework-copyright-reform.shtml#c1624 Sat, 18 May 2013 11:01:06 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/15445423110/framework-copyright-reform.shtml#c1624 Anyone else get the impression that this is exactly how average_joe would function in court? Neener neener neener and all that?

The main difference is that in court, unlike here, he can't just disappear once he's been caught in an obvious error.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/15445423110/framework-copyright-reform.shtml#c1601 Sat, 18 May 2013 10:54:02 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/15445423110/framework-copyright-reform.shtml#c1601 Do you think it is fair that an artist who paints a picture can sell the picture (or charge admission to see it, if they want), but a musician, computer programmer, movie actor, or writer should somehow be denied that right because their works are more easily put in a digital format?

Um, what? That makes zero sense.

It's just as easy for a painter to put their work into a digital format as a musician. And it's just as easy for a musician to charge admission or sell a song by not putting it out there in a digital format.

I'm all for the system you describe: if you want control over your work, you must control every copy personally, as property. But if you put your work into an infinitely copiable digital format and release it to the public, you shouldn't whine and complain when people help themselves to copies.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c415 Sat, 18 May 2013 10:53:39 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c415 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/15445423110/framework-copyright-reform.shtml#c1593 Sat, 18 May 2013 10:37:33 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/15445423110/framework-copyright-reform.shtml#c1593 That's kind of the problem.... the 'whatever that means' part.


Are you seriously saying that someone should declare what the best path is before exploring ALL the paths? That's just crazy.

If you seriously think that our current copyright system is the best way, then you have no reason to be afraid of exploring different means to achieve the same goals.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c391 Sat, 18 May 2013 10:30:22 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c391 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c369 Sat, 18 May 2013 10:27:48 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c369
RadioLab did a story about machines that learn. An example was that by watching a pendulum, it figured out f=ma. Elementary, sure, but it's something that took people a while to figure out.

It's been a while since I listened to it, but I think the machine also figured out equations for multi-part pendulums and it took people a long time to figure out that what the machine theorized was in fact correct.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130426/03510222844/has-russias-vkontakte-social-network-betrayed-its-users-is-it-under-attack-defending-them.shtml#c98 Sat, 18 May 2013 10:08:20 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130426/03510222844/has-russias-vkontakte-social-network-betrayed-its-users-is-it-under-attack-defending-them.shtml#c98 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c362 Sat, 18 May 2013 09:59:05 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c362 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c351 Sat, 18 May 2013 09:40:00 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c351
What about the robot slaves, don't they count as "real people"?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/15445423110/framework-copyright-reform.shtml#c1490 Sat, 18 May 2013 09:38:12 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/15445423110/framework-copyright-reform.shtml#c1490
In one of their recent reports "Consumer Expenditures in 2011 (annual report)" 2008 to 2011 figures for average spending on entertainment are thus:

2008 = $2,835
2009 = $2,693
2010 = $2,504
2011 = $2,572

Which is a slight decline, though more recent results may differ.

http://www.bls.gov/cex/#news]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c346 Sat, 18 May 2013 09:35:20 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c346
Yeah, there will be new jobs open up, they just won't be in the volume of the jobs before. It's not just one class or one particular job. It's the mass of jobs lost nearly all at once as a series of employers one after another retool to remove human for machine cheap labor.

I sort of saw some of this as one major employer retooled and laid off. The lay-offs didn't come all at once. First it was the contract, third party crew. For our particular group that was around 30 people, while the company hands kept their jobs. Then came the company hands getting laid off. 10% a year. When the dust cleared and it was over, the crew went from 130 people to 28. There was lots of reshuffling of job responsibility but little pay increase for the increase in work load. The new jobs created came out to be maybe 3 for working on the automation side. This happened company wide of which we saw only a very small smidgeon.

Basically those jobs left and didn't come back and didn't get shipped elsewhere. Automation got them.

While you lay out a case of the rich will always like the personal touch, by itself that's not enough to hold an economy together with everyone working.

As commenter #18 mentioned, it's not just one job, it's every job. All at once.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/17254423102/eric-holder-claims-terrorists-are-involved-ip-theft.shtml#c1527 Sat, 18 May 2013 09:25:47 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/17254423102/eric-holder-claims-terrorists-are-involved-ip-theft.shtml#c1527 Does this mean his training as a lawyer is complete?

He did say he just got his JD...]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/17254423102/eric-holder-claims-terrorists-are-involved-ip-theft.shtml#c1503 Sat, 18 May 2013 09:22:39 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/17254423102/eric-holder-claims-terrorists-are-involved-ip-theft.shtml#c1503 Wow. So it's reasonable to think that the only reason rape is not OK is because it goes against the victim's will? That strikes me as very controversial. What about the fact that it causes harm to the victim? What about the interests of society?

We're off topic here, but I'll bite.

If an act "causes harm to the victim," but is genuinely consensual, then it's not unreasonable to think it's OK. Or, at the very least, not outright immoral. Obviously, I don't know (or care about) Mike's stance on this issue, but as far as I'm concerned, consensual acts between adults are nobody's business but theirs.

As far as the "interests to society" - again, if the acts are consensual, then what business is it of society's? How are the "interests to society" harmed by consensual acts between adults?

In fact, those who tout the "interests to society" line tend to be those whose not-so-subtle goal is to outlaw pornography. People like the religious right, or mid-80's anti-porn feminists. I'm a fan of neither group, to put it mildly.

But, getting back on track, this doesn't apply to copyright infringement. You have said that it is wrong even if it does not do any harm to the copyright holder, and even if society's interests are harmed in enforcing those rights. You are concerned solely with persecuting infringers, regardless of whether that helps society or not, regardless of whether that helps creative artists or not. So, obviously, you don't care about those things.

In fact, between you and Mike, it is Mike who is much more concerned about "harm to the victim" - since he, and not you, is the one who examines practical means to minimize the harm from infringement (or even to turn it into an benefit). It is he, and not you, who is concerned with "the interests of society" - since he has made it abundantly clear that copyright laws are supposed to serve the public first and foremost. (Something you continuously deny.)

Face it, Mike is far more moral than you are when it comes to copyright. I believe you already know this. It's why you lash out at him so much.

It's one thing to disagree with me, but you needn't call me names like this.

Those are the exact names that you call Mike all the time. I think you've even called me that once or twice, long ago.

I guess I should try to avoid sinking to your level. It requires an immense amount of restraint, and sometimes I slip up.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/14465423109/aps-attempt-drming-news-shuts-down.shtml#c157 Sat, 18 May 2013 09:22:21 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/14465423109/aps-attempt-drming-news-shuts-down.shtml#c157 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c345 Sat, 18 May 2013 09:22:14 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/06185923116/rice-university-professor-skynets-gonna-take-ur-jerbs.shtml#c345 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110808/02404115428/how-to-make-mockery-your-own-law-school-sue-your-critics.shtml#c432 Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:36 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110808/02404115428/how-to-make-mockery-your-own-law-school-sue-your-critics.shtml#c432 http://www.superlawyers.com/lawschool/The-Thomas-M-Cooley-Law-School/fad6dc18-84c4-102c-aca4-000e0c6dcf76.html]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110808/02404115428/how-to-make-mockery-your-own-law-school-sue-your-critics.shtml#c418 Sat, 18 May 2013 09:10:05 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110808/02404115428/how-to-make-mockery-your-own-law-school-sue-your-critics.shtml#c418 http://www.superlawyers.com/lawschool/The-Thomas-M-Cooley-Law-School/fad6dc18-84c4-102c-aca4-000e0c6 dcf76.html

In addition, Thomas M. Cooley Law School is one of the larger law schools in the U.S. meaning that a graduate of the school has a larger network of alumni to refer work to and from.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08111723117/want-to-destroy-any-hope-serious-cybersecurity-give-doj-its-desired-backdoor-wiretaps-all-communications.shtml#c184 Sat, 18 May 2013 09:08:29 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08111723117/want-to-destroy-any-hope-serious-cybersecurity-give-doj-its-desired-backdoor-wiretaps-all-communications.shtml#c184