Friday, February 4, 2005

Funny Slashdot SOTU thread comment

Funny,  funny comment part way down the discussion -- just needed to save it for reference:

To make our economy stronger and more competitive, America must reward, not punish, the efforts and dreams of entrepreneurs. Small business is the path of advancement, especially for women and minorities, so we must free small businesses from needless regulation and protect honest job-creators from junk lawsuits. Justice is distorted, and our economy is held back, by irresponsible class actions and frivolous asbestos claims -- and I urge Congress to pass legal reforms this year.

I find this paragraph troubling. He starts talking about fostering small business. Fair enough. But then he somehow twists this into a gripe about asbestos lawsuits. Whaa? Now, let's see, why does Bush consider hindering asbestos lawsuits important? Let's make this one multiple choice:

Why is Bush against asbestos lawsuits?
A. Most small businesses use asbestos in their daily operations.
B. The victims knew the danger and purposefully breathed in asbestos dust anyways.
C. Halliburton paid $4.2 billion to settle such a lawsuit in 1998.
D. Asbestos is a good source of vitamin E.

I think you can guess which is the right answer.


3:50:48 PM      comment []  trackback []
AOL loses two million punters

AOL headed down the tubes...


10:53:37 AM      comment []  trackback []
SOTUPT

State of the union -- I'm really not in a place in my life right now where politics is something I pay close attention to. Plus my appetite for Bush is akin to nausea. As a result, the most useful item in my mind to appear related to the State of the Union has got to be the State of the Union Parsing Tool -- this is true politics the geek way.
9:28:06 AM      comment []  trackback []
Why Napster will be a fully-integrated flop | The Register

Comment Napster today graced the world with a "revolutionary new way to enjoy music" by starting something called the Napster To Go service. As we all know, revolutions often deliver unintended consequences. So let's have a look at where Napster's service may lead.

Great read, and dead-on analysis. Look, people will lease cars, but they're not going to lease their music. Music, like books and other small possessions are personal items that are treasured. A person will borrow a book from the library if she's not sure she'll like it but chances are if it really hits home that she'd end up buying it anyway to display on her bookshelf.


9:23:22 AM      comment []  trackback []