martin-o

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Posts posted by martin-o


  1. Think meta level.

    I'm truly sorry for you but are you really sure you are actually losing customers and not gaining?

    The big issues is how the industry is going to catch up lost ground and how you actually create laws that work in a global environment where the technology changes so fast. Especially when so many of our leaders are so ill informed on the subject. Our former head of state just recently started to use what he called "the computer fax machine" - he was referring to emailing. The same goes for Tony Blair who, if I remember correctly, just recently learned about the glory of text messenging.

  2. I understand that this is something that you take very personal, but you really have to try not jumping to false conclusions. I didn't say that I download copyrighted material nor did I say that it's ok for anyone to do so. I simply tried present a different viewpoint and some reasons to why we are where we are today.

    As for the damage to Swedish economy I really think you are talking about something your not really that informed about, even though you have been here. Whats our "Economic director"? Trust me this is something that has been thoroughly debated over here and no it's not as crystal clear as you make it out to be.

    On a side note: I have my own business, a small media production company. Nothing that earns me a living but I can relate.

  3. Now calm down. To say that my statement is one of the stupidest ever on this site is giving me way too much credit.

    What I mean by saying that the industry is stopping development is that instead of truly dedicate itself in making the channels for selling their products better they instead until just recently made them worse.

    examples:

    Sony's attempt with viruses on their cd's (and not even their own but blatantly stolen from someone else)

    The use of encryption by many companys making it impossible to buy a CD and then using it on your MP3. This has caused lots of people to become "thieves" just for wanting to listen to the music they bought.

    Obscenely overpricing CD's. Well that might be my personal view but I have still not found anyone that really disagrees with me (maybe your the first?!?)

    This isn't a real argument, but I think that a lot of people have very litle sympathy for the people involved in the business. Which in turn makes it "feel" as less of a crime. A lot of people that I have spoken to says that they download music from bigger artists but when they want music by smaller less known bands they buy the material.

  4. Quote

    When it comes down to having their ass kicked because of that, they want to have it the 15th century way as in: "we live here, none of the global community crap, and only our local laws apply."



    And you suggest what instead? Should US laws apply in the entire world?

    And to clarify, its a torrent site. There is no actual copyright data on the Pirate Bay server. Hence they are only indicted for helping other people sharing copyrighted material. There are plenty of US torrent sites that your authorities haven't been able to shut down. Whats special with pirate bay is just that it is the biggest and most famous one.

    Sadly the entertainment business has chosen to try to stop the development instead of driving it. What we see now are the result of really really bad decisions 10-15 years ago.

  5. That was not what I tried to say. Just thought that it was funny that someone kind of threathend "the rest of the world" with brutal force because "the rest of the world didn't do as this guy wanted.

    You got to admit that in the statement I commented on, the guy seemed ok with forcing US ways on the rest of the world (in this deeply improbable scenario) ... thus making the US the Bully.

    And ... if you are really honest with yourself (as a US citizen), aren't you pretty good at getting stuff the way you want it... Sometimes at the cost of "the rest of the world"

  6. Quote

    337-40 CONTANTINE II, CONSTANTIUS & CONSTANS (sons of Constantine I)
    340 Constans defeats Constantine II and takes over the West (including Britain) as well as his own territories of Italy, Africa and Illyricum
    340-50 Constans energetic in defending the Rhine and British frontiers
    350 Constans killed by a British-born barbarian officer, Magnentius, who is proclaimed Augustus in all Constans' territories except Illyricum
    353 Magnentius committs suicide after losing Africa, Italy and Spain to Constantius
    355 Julian (cousin to the emperor) made caesar and sent to Gaul
    357-60 Julian given military command and successfully repels Alamanni, conducts successful campaigns in enemy territory and restores Rhine defenses
    359 Sapor II of Persia defeats Asiatic barbarians/nomads on northern border
    360-63 JULIAN Julian's pagan revival particularly popular in Britain Raid in Britain causes Julian to dispatch 4 regiments
    363 Julian dies in disasterous Persian campaign
    364 VALENTINIAN AND VALENS Raid in Britain
    365-75 Valentinian in Gaul to deal with constant barbarian pressure on the frontiers. Defeats Alamanni, Franks and Saxons
    367 Comes Theodosius (father of Theodosius the Great) repels Picts, Scots and other invaders from Britain with 4 regiments
    367 GRATIAN (West)
    373 Huns destroy Ostrogothic kdm in the Ukraine, then attack Visigoths on Dneister. Germans fled to the Danube and sought entry to Moesia or Thrace
    375 Valentinian dies. Comes Theodosius executed
    375 VALENTINIAN II (West)
    377 Ill treatment of Goths by Roman officials leads to war
    378 Battle of Adrianople - Emperor Valens killed
    379 THEODOSIUS THE GREAT (East)
    382 Theodosius signs foedus with Goths, who are quartered in the Balkans
    383-408 ARCADIUS (East)
    383 British general Magnus Maximus proclaimed Augustus by troops, crosses to Gaul and kills Gratian. Maximus accepted by Britain, Gaul and Spain, recognised by Theodosius
    387 Maximus appoints son Victor caesar and takes Italy from Valentinian II
    388 Theodosius defeats Maximus and Arbogast, barbarian general of Theodosius', recovers Gaul and executes Victor. Valentinian II sent to Gaul with Arbogast
    392 Arbogast murders Valentinian II and revolts, makes Eugenius Augustus
    393 Eugenius occupies Italy with senatorial support, recognised in Spain and Africa
    393-423 HONORIUS (West)
    394 Theodosius and Stilicho defeat Arbogast and Eugenius at the river Frigidus
    395 Theodosius dies Empire divided into East (Diocese of Dacia, Thrace, Macedonia, Asia, Pontus, The Orient and Egypt) under Arcadius and West (Rome, Italy, Pannonia, Africa, Spain, Seven Provinces, Gaul, Britain) under Honorius. Alaric and Visigoths revolt
    396 Stilicho defeats Alaric in Greece
    c.397 Saxon raid repulsed by Stilicho
    403 Stilicho takes troops from Britain to defend Italy from Alaric
    406 Rhine frontier over-run, 31st December
    407 CONSTANTINE III (the usurper), proclaimed by British garrison, crosses to Gaul (taking many troops with him) and drives barbarians south
    410 Alaric sacks Rome. Britons appeal to Honorius for aid against barbarians and told to look to their own defence. After this British tried to govern themselves after the Imperial pattern
    411/2 British victories over barbrians
    423-455 VALENTINNIAN III (West)
    c425-59 VORTIGERN ruler in Britain
    c428 Saxon mercanaries recruited to garrison Britain against barbarians
    433-54 Aetius, general of Valentinian III, efective ruler of Western Empire
    429 Bishop Germanus of Auxerre visits Britain to fight Pelagian heresy and leads campaign against Irish, Picts and Saxons in Wales
    c441/2 Saxon mercenaries in Britain revolt
    446 Aetius consul [British appeal to Aetius for help against Saxons]
    c.458 massacre of the British councillors by Saxons
    c.459 British migration to Gaul [12,000 fighting men plus dependents]
    460-75 AMBROSIUS AURELIANUS leads British resistance
    475-515 ARTHUR continues British resistance campaign against Saxon invaders
    495 battle of mons badonicus (Mt Badon). Partition of Britain between British and Saxons
    515 battle of Camlann [crooked vale]: death of Arthur, and Medraut [Mordred]



    Are you even remotely able to put this piece of cut-and-paste into context. I don't want to hijack this thread, but history is not about dates and battles. Trust me on this one.

  7. Dark ages is a term that no historian would use. I was referring to the population decline when I wrote "stable". The Roman empire didn't stop over night in 476, it declined contiusly long before that and continued to influence life long after that. East Rome survived until the 1400. The factor that most historian atribute to the fall of the Roman Empire was theire dependens on growing population as a result of aggressive warefare. When Rome could no longer grow in size they found it harder and harder to get a hold of slaves. Other factors that probably affected the decline in population was climate and disseases (some belive that smallpox killed large amount of Romans). At the peak of the Empire the city of Rome had an est. pop. of more than 1 million people. At the death of the last emperor their was probably less then one tenth of that.

    There was no screeching halt! the Decline begun as early as maybee 200 AD, and Roman influence kept going until at least 1400. 1200 years is not a screeching halt!

  8. Do you remember that beauty-contest-girl talking of a map shortage in America? (that was truly funny :)
    For fucks sake everyone, you can't take these kind of discussions so serious. And if you did, do you really think that the people of the US is so superior that they would win, in the long run, against an enemy consisting of 20 times the population of the US, and consisting of the entire globe.


  9. Who ever said trolling isn't fun and constructive :D.

    I have an idea for your list. If we ad illegal imigrants (in the US) to the "rest of the world" -kind of people. We would effectively stop any production, actually requiring labor, within the US.

    I must say that it really boosts my self confidence that so many uses "Europe" and "The rest of the world" as the same thing. That must mean that we still matter, maybe there is hope for us ;)


  10. As a person living in the origin country of Timbro, I would suggest taking their findings with a grain of salt. Timbro is a right wing think tank and it's official purpose is to promote political views from said direction.

    edited to delete incoherent mumbo jumbo.

  11. I know this is a bit of topic but let me ask you this question. If you were to choose three areas where you think the US is lacking, in an international comparison, which would it be? Surely you can't be good at everything.

  12. During late 19 century and early 20 century there was a horse manure crisis in Europe and America. Scientist and experts calculated that the cities wouldn't be able to grow any further because of the environmental hazards with all the manure laying around... Then came fossil fueled vehicles and everyone was delighted about the improved city environment.

    Of course the US is still, for the most part, using better techniques when producing gods and energy. But it's not always the things you see that kills you.

    And again, who is consuming the gods that comes out of India and China? Who is owning the sweatshops? Western capitalist is exploiting the cheap labor and week enforcement of work safety constantly.

    When was the last time you wore an American made piece of clothing, except your jumpsuit ;)?


  13. Quote

    Case in point. They think nothing of painting childrens toys with lead based paint, and shipping them here. Personally, I think that it's a huge conspiracy.



    Or maybe it's because you don't want to pay the actual cost of toys made in a responsible way. It's not Chines people who are consuming these gods. When you go to Wall mart and see the prices they got on some stuff, while still making a profit, don't you ever wonder why that is?