PatentTroll

12 ms·

1.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
This. The problem is that the costs of transportation are externalized to a shipper, and the environmental costs the shipper incurs are externalized to ... future generations? And the cost of the eventual replacement is externalized to the
2.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
Why didn't he make it himself?
3.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
It is factually true that capital gains is taxed lower than income in the US.
4.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
And being "capable" in the first place is largely due to luck also. What is being "capable?" Intelligence, education, discipline, motivation? Intelligence is largely genetics and your socioeconomic status as a child. Edu
5.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
I think you just invented the dirigible?
6.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
I remember when we used to call them model airplanes.
7.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
And what is the value created by labor? Let's split the discussion into service jobs and non-service jobs, as we all know most of these minimum wage positions are service jobs. So, what is the value of one hour of service labor? Whatev
8.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
Or will the prices just increase to account for the higher wage? Isn't that easier?
9.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
Your conclusion lies on the assumption that rational economists must oppose any measure which decreases demand.
10.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
Or, if no company is willing to pay a living wage to accomplish a task, does it need to be done?
11.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
And to the free marketers who point out that companies could voluntarily pay a living wage, you're not wrong! But it exposes the fault in the free market religion. The market, on a whole, will gladly enslave and abuse a small minority
12.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
No, you're telling the customers that their food is subsidized by ultra cheap labor. Of course, higher prices will decrease the number of goods sold, which the free marketers regard as a deadly sin. Rather, when costs are fully interna
13.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
Also, as an Amazon shopper, their fulfillment is a known quantity to me. If I buy from your shop with your shipping, I am taking on the risk of potentially longer shipping. And I also have an increased suspicion of fake or knock off goods.
14.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
Dude, that's exactly what taxi commissions are! They certify that taxis conform to some basic standards. I'm not trying to be nice to you because the ideas you are espousing are corrosive and dangerous. I oppose your false ideolog
15.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
Well I guess that's my point, let's have a conversation about inequality and discuss how much is too much. It's a reasonable thing to debate. Your post seemed to imply that railing against the 1% was inappropriate in some way
16.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
Yeah, that's fucking terrible
17.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
Ok, so taxis. If it is going to be a voluntary transaction, I need to know 1) the drivers background check to make sure he isn't a murderer or rapist, 2) has a clean driving record, 3) has a license, 4) carries insurance that covers me
18.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
What you fail to grasp is that your rights end where others begin, and there's more people in the world who aren't you than who are you. Grow up. Let's get rid of doctor licensing then? The free market will separate the good
19.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
And what about AirBnb? Or any of the many 'gig economy' startups that flaunt labor laws? I agree with the article. Let's not punish innovation, but let's make sure we don't get a new normal of startups making money
20.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
Disagree. There certainly are large genetic and huge environmental factors in raw intelligence, and then a whole raft of environmental and cultural factors in how a person with that intelligence is able to use it. I'm a privileged, int
21.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
This. There is no maxim that this is the only way to increase living standards, or a good way, or a just or moral way. It benefits large corporations in the US, though, and consumers through the availability of underpriced goods, all on the
22.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
OP sets up the straw man of "anybody against any inequality must be advocating perfect equality" - which is hogwash. By OP's logic, feudalism is perfectly fine because it accentuates the differences between serfs and kings. O
23.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
Not to mention a new population of knowledge workers will produce their own demand, so it's not a zero sum game by any means.
24.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
The article says Amazon 'won' the patent or alternatively the patent was 'awarded' to Amazon. The USPTO only "grants" patents. It may seem like nit picking semantics but it presents an incorrect image of the US
25.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
Yes
26.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
As little as possible. Software is a cost center to law firms.
27.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
I don't think much legal cost is in research, industry-wide. Most lawyers specialize in one niche and already know all the relevant big cases in their field. More nuanced research isn't all that time consuming really. And a whole
28.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
Lowering prices on mid-top tier legal work won't attract more customers, demand is largely inelastic. And their customers, who are fortune X00 types, don't really care about the cost. Oh, sure, they bitch and moan about bills and
29.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
I'm actually working on this! Would love to hear your thougts
30.
by PatentTroll 9y ago
And lawyers are still ethically expected (by many state bars) to measure and log hours worked, even under fixed fees. Same with contingency fees. So let's say that a client is paying a fixed fee for work, then discovers that it's

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