md_

17 ms·

121.
by md_ 4y ago
It seems like crocodile tears to express such concern about the civilians in Crimea only in response to a successful counterattack by the defending party in an unprovoked, illegal war. The culpability for the many civilian deaths in this wa
122.
by md_ 4y ago
Sure. I was also saying the solution is not regulatory. But, look at that: the federal government already provides the homeless with cell phones. Yet instead of arguing that the government should also provide free email—which of course cost
123.
by md_ 4y ago
Sure. My point was indeed to suggest we rethink what government can do. Can governments (not necessarily the federal government) run a public service internet system? Sure, and probably more easily than we can, as another poster suggested
124.
by md_ 4y ago
That's fair that I shouldn't make such an unqualified statement. While public spending as a % of GDP has indeed increased, that's primarily driven by two things: increased defence (and related) spending, and increased spendin
125.
by md_ 4y ago
My point was that this is a dumb argument. If email is a societal requirement--and maybe it is, or should be--public utilities should provide it. It's easy to build an email provider. Why shouldn't your state or local government p
126.
by md_ 4y ago
Oddly, I suspect if Google provided no free accounts at all--if you had to give a credit card and pay $5 to sign up--nobody would be complaining about this. Which leads me back to the point made elsewhere in this thread: we have too high an
127.
by md_ 4y ago
I think this is a better answer than it first appears. Initiatives at for profit corporations will always exist within some business constraints, shareholder obligations, and so forth. It would be very reasonable for governments to provide
128.
by md_ 4y ago
> If they at least would allow for a sufficient number of options. Like paper-tan (even self printed), yubikey or similar, second email address, an authenticator, ... but even big companies often only require a phone number. Google seems
129.
by md_ 4y ago
I think the "resource curse" hypothesis is interesting, but there's also a simpler explanation: social networking is an _extremely_ sticky, winner-take-all market. Google+ isn't the only competitor to fail to unseat Face
130.
by md_ 4y ago
Very much what you said. I'd love an explanation of what technical delivery failures--not the right functionality, or delivered too late--the author thinks led to G+ not beating Facebook.
131.
by md_ 4y ago
What if you were the CEO of a tear gas company?
132.
by md_ 4y ago
This is a pretty widely discussed question, and while I think the empirical evidence is so far unclear, there are some obvious theoretical models where costs for large institutional investors (like pension funds) go up. E.g. https:/&#
133.
by md_ 4y ago
Right. I think we're saying the same thing?
134.
by md_ 4y ago
Hmm, I don't think that answers the question. See https://www.nyujlb.org/single-post/2017/11/27/high-frequency... (which is EU-specific). I think https://www.cnbc.com/2014/04&#x
135.
by md_ 4y ago
Wouldn't electronic front running take money from regular folks? Perhaps not from retail trades, but from mutual/index funds, pension funds, etc.
136.
by md_ 4y ago
Fifteen years ago I had a job offer from Jane St sitting in my inbox, and I turned it down to work in tech. Could I have made more money at Jane St? No idea. Probably? But money isn't exactly holding me back right now. Would I have fel
137.
by md_ 4y ago
Agreed! Plenty of blame to go around. When I was younger, I held a lot of anger at Bush, Cheney, and other ideologues whose belief in the righteousness of their cause allowed them to ignore the evidence (no WMDs, no terrorist links), logic
138.
by md_ 4y ago
I think that describes the actions of someone who was in the military and went into Iraq following orders. It does not describe the actions of someone who started a private mercenary company in order to make money. Which is a generous inter
139.
by md_ 4y ago
The irony of that quote is that there’s no evidence Mark Twain ever said it. ;) https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/books/famous-misquotation...
140.
by md_ 4y ago
Yeah, that.
141.
by md_ 4y ago
The Erik Prince? Mercenary and alleged-murderer Erik Prince? https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/blackwater-founder... Now selling a low-end "secure" smartphone? Weird change of business, right?
142.
by md_ 4y ago
What’s your issue with the “richest person in history” claim? I was just reading “Fistful of Shells”, which is written by a reasonably serious historian. He repeats this claim, but sources it to this somewhat silly Time Magazine article: h
143.
by md_ 4y ago
Well, I think the clarification is important. It's not like you just go for a vote, and if there's no consensus outcome, boom, mistrial. Judges aim for consensus, and juries are intended to debate/discuss until they can reach
144.
by md_ 4y ago
> Standing up for rights means standing up for bastards. Always has, always will, because that's when rights get tested. What right of his do you think was violated?
145.
by md_ 4y ago
He had a lawyer in his first trial. Race is, of course, relevant, since case outcomes dramatically differ by race.
146.
by md_ 4y ago
Of course. I should have said "acquitted", as opposed to a hung jury.
147.
by md_ 4y ago
Sure, maybe. I guess you can argue two things: 1. That outcomes should be binary, i.e. "guilty" or "innocent" with no mistrials. 2. That outcomes should be decided by unanimous, supermajority, majority, or some other ar
148.
by md_ 4y ago
Hah. I was deeply struck by how immature the whole thing sounds. Nobody here looks good, of course. But even top flight tech companies have this sort of time-wasting, so it's not exactly a surprise you'd find it at a TLA as well.
149.
by md_ 4y ago
Sounds like exactly the kind of password an emotionally immature junior employee subject to poor judgment would pick, though. Whether that's a fair description here, I can't say--but the New Yorker story is certainly internally
150.
by md_ 4y ago
I mean, there are a ton of problems with the criminal justice system, but white, well-off defendants who can afford non-court-appointed lawyers getting convicted after a single mistrial isn't really top of the list, is it? I read ht

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