5 ms·

Nobody said anything about theft. This is just about cause and effect. If your actions will cause less of the things you like to be produced, you probably shoul

by natrius 16y ago

Nobody said anything about theft. This is just about cause and effect. If your actions will cause less of the things you like to be produced, you probably shouldn't do them. No one knows if you went to the bathroom, nor does anyone know if you're using Tivo unless you have a Nielsen box. Do whatever you want. However, if they're selling an ad-free, timeshiftable version of the show you're Tivoing, you will be better off if you make their business viable by paying for it. Product placement is making that less of an issue for television. If the entire show is a Subway advertisement, you're probably doing your part by just watching it.

tptacek 16y ago
And so TV gradually devolves to hourlong Subway ads, and the Tivoers (myself among them) have done their part to get us there.
orangecat 16y ago
If your actions will cause less of the things you like to be produced, you probably shouldn't do them. So I shouldn't pay off my credit card before it accumulates interest. However, if they're selling an ad-free, timeshiftable version of the show you're Tivoing, you will be better off if you make their business viable by paying for it. And public libraries are evil.
- natrius 16y ago
  > So I shouldn't pay off my credit card before it accumulates interest. I trust that you're aware of the absurdity of this comparison. > And public libraries are evil. That's better. If you like an author's previous works, you should probably buy her next book instead of checking it out from the library. Using libraries for discovery or reading older works won't have much of a negative effect on your own future enjoyment. Spending money for works by long-dead authors won't do much to incentivize new high-quality works, nor will purchasing books of uncertain quality.
  - CaptainZapp 16y ago
    >> So I shouldn't pay off my credit card before it accumulates interest. >I trust that you're aware of the absurdity of this comparison. You're aware what the credit card companies call card holders that pay off their invoices in full, every month? That's right: Freeloaders or Deadbeats. I don't think the analogy is really absurd, but I do think you're trying to defend a right for profit. Which, I dare say, nobody has.
    - natrius 16y ago
      Nothing I've said could be interpreted as a "right for profit". All I've said is that if you want things you like to exist in the future, it is rational to make an effort to make them profitable. The credit card comparison is absurd because people who pay off their invoices in full probably don't get much value out of the card. If they had to pay interest, they'd just stop using it. Plus, credit card companies make plenty of money from the merchants I buy things from. Again, I'm not saying there's a right to profit. I'm just saying that you should evaluate the value you get from goods and services, and take action proportional to that value in order to increase the chances of those things existing in the future.
gte910h 16y ago
> If your actions will cause less of the things you like to be produced, you probably shouldn't do them. Neither of my actions (Tivo, or Adblockers) would effect anyone's bottom line. I am a computer programmer, one of the most hard to monetize segments in the online ad space (read the industry journals about it). The entire positions "Web professionals shouldn't use ad blockers" is nullified by the fact web programmers and other computer programmers just don't click ads, and the few they do, aren't worth crap. Advertising on a programmer centric site is like trying to run fried chicken restaurant in a gym.

by natrius 16y ago

tptacek 16y ago

And so TV gradually devolves to hourlong Subway ads, and the Tivoers (myself among them) have done their part to get us there.

orangecat 16y ago

If your actions will cause less of the things you like to be produced, you probably shouldn't do them. So I shouldn't pay off my credit card before it accumulates interest. However, if they're selling an ad-free, timeshiftable version of the show you're Tivoing, you will be better off if you make their business viable by paying for it. And public libraries are evil.

natrius 16y ago
> So I shouldn't pay off my credit card before it accumulates interest. I trust that you're aware of the absurdity of this comparison. > And public libraries are evil. That's better. If you like an author's previous works, you should probably buy her next book instead of checking it out from the library. Using libraries for discovery or reading older works won't have much of a negative effect on your own future enjoyment. Spending money for works by long-dead authors won't do much to incentivize new high-quality works, nor will purchasing books of uncertain quality.
- CaptainZapp 16y ago
  >> So I shouldn't pay off my credit card before it accumulates interest. >I trust that you're aware of the absurdity of this comparison. You're aware what the credit card companies call card holders that pay off their invoices in full, every month? That's right: Freeloaders or Deadbeats. I don't think the analogy is really absurd, but I do think you're trying to defend a right for profit. Which, I dare say, nobody has.
  - natrius 16y ago
    Nothing I've said could be interpreted as a "right for profit". All I've said is that if you want things you like to exist in the future, it is rational to make an effort to make them profitable. The credit card comparison is absurd because people who pay off their invoices in full probably don't get much value out of the card. If they had to pay interest, they'd just stop using it. Plus, credit card companies make plenty of money from the merchants I buy things from. Again, I'm not saying there's a right to profit. I'm just saying that you should evaluate the value you get from goods and services, and take action proportional to that value in order to increase the chances of those things existing in the future.

gte910h 16y ago

> If your actions will cause less of the things you like to be produced, you probably shouldn't do them. Neither of my actions (Tivo, or Adblockers) would effect anyone's bottom line. I am a computer programmer, one of the most hard to monetize segments in the online ad space (read the industry journals about it). The entire positions "Web professionals shouldn't use ad blockers" is nullified by the fact web programmers and other computer programmers just don't click ads, and the few they do, aren't worth crap. Advertising on a programmer centric site is like trying to run fried chicken restaurant in a gym.