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I get that #OWS could use some work on the message. But isn't their whole point to be outside traditional systems of capitalism and structure? It's like saying

by cienrak 15y ago

I get that #OWS could use some work on the message. But isn't their whole point to be outside traditional systems of capitalism and structure? It's like saying, this anarchist mob isn't very organized. Well, yeah. That being said, I agree with Meetup guy that sites like Kickstarter are exactly the kind of peer-2-peer marketplace that could help reshape our economy and empower the 99%.

Vivtek 15y ago
Ironic, then, that Kickstarter is fending off a patent suit.
- cienrak 15y ago
  Not ironic. Sad. Pathetic that our patent system is so broken and abused by folks in the software space. As per usual, these companies don't share a single line of code, and Kickstarter was in business for years before this guy's patent was even approved. But somehow, he can claim to have invented crowdfunding for creative projects -- USING A COMPUTER. BS.
  - Vivtek 15y ago
    Quite ironic, in my view - because it's that singleminded pursuit of maximum profit in all situations that leads the corporate mind to consider the current patent system a Good Thing. Not because it furthers society or any such weakminded claptrap, but because it affords one more place where rent-seeking behavior is not only condoned but explicitly encouraged. It's my fervent opinion that rent-seeking behavior and similar economic dysfunction is one of chief underlying problems with economy and with society as a whole. OWS isn't objecting to rich people in general - just to rich people whose modus operandi is to drain resources from everybody while never giving any back. There's no thought for the larger consequences, and the law permits it only because most people have so far been more or less well enough off that they don't need to bother with it. It's all coming to a head now, though. Or so I damn well hope. I agree wholeheartedly with your bitterness here; this is precisely my beef with the patent system as misapplied to software - but the truth of the matter is that mechanisms like Kickstarter would be a great way out of our societal bind, while their actual success makes them a target for leeches.

by cienrak 15y ago

Vivtek 15y ago

Ironic, then, that Kickstarter is fending off a patent suit.

cienrak 15y ago
Not ironic. Sad. Pathetic that our patent system is so broken and abused by folks in the software space. As per usual, these companies don't share a single line of code, and Kickstarter was in business for years before this guy's patent was even approved. But somehow, he can claim to have invented crowdfunding for creative projects -- USING A COMPUTER. BS.
- Vivtek 15y ago
  Quite ironic, in my view - because it's that singleminded pursuit of maximum profit in all situations that leads the corporate mind to consider the current patent system a Good Thing. Not because it furthers society or any such weakminded claptrap, but because it affords one more place where rent-seeking behavior is not only condoned but explicitly encouraged. It's my fervent opinion that rent-seeking behavior and similar economic dysfunction is one of chief underlying problems with economy and with society as a whole. OWS isn't objecting to rich people in general - just to rich people whose modus operandi is to drain resources from everybody while never giving any back. There's no thought for the larger consequences, and the law permits it only because most people have so far been more or less well enough off that they don't need to bother with it. It's all coming to a head now, though. Or so I damn well hope. I agree wholeheartedly with your bitterness here; this is precisely my beef with the patent system as misapplied to software - but the truth of the matter is that mechanisms like Kickstarter would be a great way out of our societal bind, while their actual success makes them a target for leeches.