Comments on: MPAA’s Bogus Piracy Statistics are Bogus

By: Wildguy's Answers To Piracy, New-Gen Consoles and the Used Game Market - wildguy3922: Blog - IGN

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:02:01 +0000

[...] first of all, the statistic of the number of how much money lost to piracy is bogus. Here's a little bit of proof for those who have a hard time believing this. If you don't believe me, think about this: the people pirating these video games are obviously poor [...]

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:57:00 +0000

If the DPRK wanted to really fuck things up, they need to embrace the Internet. Become THE safe haven for all roque websites that become untouchable by the US and others. Then broaden their reach to become the counterfeit manufacturer of any and all brands. I bet this would stir the ire of the world more than their nuclear program.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:52:00 +0000

Hoarding of wealth by the wealthiest happens everywhere including western countries. The difference between us and them is we sometimes have enough wealth to live comfortably at the lower rungs. The other difference is that oppression is overt in these countries where its subversive in the West.

By: MadAsASnake

MadAsASnake — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 07:53:00 +0000

Number of “lost” sales = 0. They may have made some more CD sales had new tech not come along, but hey, that is what tech does. Interesting how the MAFIAA doesn’t complain about CD having the same effect on vinyl…

By: Erik Q.J.

Erik Q.J. — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:03:00 +0000

Exactly what relevance does it have that they’re Christians? Is it worse because of that? To think so certainly wouldn’t be a very Christian attitude.

The relevant point is that people are being imprisoned for their opinions and beliefs. That’s not good, and shouldn’t happen to anyone, regardless of their religion.

As for unjustifiable incarceration of large parts of the people, the US is certainly up there with the worst of them. Either Americans are incredibly evil and criminal people, or there’s something severely wrong with how the legal and penal systems work.

Sometimes, I feel very uncertain about what to believe about that.

By: Erik Q.J.

Erik Q.J. — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:55:00 +0000

North Korea is a horrible place to live. I know communists (journalists for a communist newspaper) who’ve returned from visiting and said as much. Undernourishment and malnourishment is endemic, and continues to cause irreparable harm to generations.

This *may* change somewhat, with the regime gaining confidence from the nuclear deterrent they’re establishing, and feel able to commit greater resources to the welfare of the population. I’m not holding my breath, though.

By: Erik Q.J.

Erik Q.J. — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:49:00 +0000

Checks and balances. Every power needs it. The US refuses to place checks and balances on itself, carefully avoiding any agreements that will limit its free use of power.

Is it good that North Korea are the ones able to scare the US? Of course not. It’s a disaster. However, there needs to be counterweights to balance power. For what it’s worth, North Korea does put a dent in US arrogance. It’s a bad thing, and it’s a good thing. Of course, mostly, it’s a scary thing…

By: Erik Q.J.

Erik Q.J. — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:37:00 +0000

Backdated warrants. Their existence and use is hard fact, and easily confirmed. The implication is this: You don’t know whether you’re on the radar. Even if you’re not on the radar right now, they’re still storing surveillance information on you. If and when they get to analyze it, they may already have enough to sink you. Because of backdated warrants, they can use what they have in court. Essentially, not only do you not know if they’ve got you cold, but even they don’t know. Yet.

Who knows, next time they upgrade their computer park, they may find some extra CPU cycles for analyzing your data traffic.

Don’t confuse the fact that it’s scary with it being a whacky conspiracy theory. There are plenty of scary things that have nothing to do with tinfoil hats, and that can’t be dismissed as crazy. Sorry to plunge you into the frightening reality, but hiding under your proverbial bed covers really wouldn’t have helped you in the long run.

By: Erik Q.J.

Erik Q.J. — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:22:00 +0000

Not quite since Hoover, but definitely for a long time. If we’re rational about it, though, we’ll realize that this doesn’t make it less alarming, but rather more so.

First of all, years worth of information is stored about people, ready to be mined when technology and budgets permit, or when the law changes.

Secondly, technology improves. The mandate that Echelon had in the beginning was designed to limit the abuse of much less powerful technology. Shrouded in mystery as it is, we have little insight into how they use their mandate and technology.

Thirdly, Echelon is a strong demonstration of the fact that once a form of surveillance has been instituted, it’s virtually impossible to get rid of, and extremely hard to keep a watch on. In fact, as you demonstrated, we gradually get the impression that it’s normal, harmless, a bit antiquated, old news, no longer relevant.

By: Mjau

Mjau — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 13:08:00 +0000

I have just one question though. Are these statistics (not the ones the MPAA goes with) accurate? I’m just little bit curious about that. Is there anyone here that could know this in the comment section?