Facebook recently acquired exclusive rights to broadcast ESL Dota 2 and the reaction has been mostly negative [1]. Players and fans are accustomed to watching professional games on Twitch or using the game client, both of which provide a better experience. Twitch has a very good streaming interface, chat with Dota 2 related emotes, and easy clipping of highlights. The game client lets you view via broadcaster's perspective, any player's perspective (great for learning from the pros) or free cam.
It has turned into a PR nightmare for ESL. They shot themselves in the foot by throwing fits on Twitter and DMCA'ing (in bad faith) other prominent Twitch streamers who broadcast the matches directly from the game client, which is explicitly allowed by Valve.
The whole ordeal seems like a land grab by Facebook. Why would anyone want their friends / family to know they're watching people play video games for hours? Why put up with a terrible streaming interface when Twitch and Youtube are well-known and proven? No one wanted this except Facebook; buying up users to track and monetize them is just what they do best.
> recently acquired exclusive rights to broadcast ESL Dota 2
Yup I heard this as well.
I was just saying that it's not a question of if/when Facebook is making said land-grab into the content space. They're already on the move.
This concept of human augmentation controlled by several large corporations was very well explored in the Deus Ex series. Consider watching the DE:HR cutscene compilation [1] to get a sense of the atmosphere.
In all of the games, the medication for preventing implant rejection is extremely expensive and strictly controlled by the manufacturer. Those who can no longer acquire it suffer a painful death brought on by the implant rejection.
While high class society members can pick and choose what augmentations they desire, low class workers are pressed into getting enhancements to improve work efficiency. Construction tools are melded to arms, and military personnel are subjected to experimental tech. One ex-mil NPC was forced to get an implant to wipe memories, so that their team could be used for inhumane purposes and have no recollection.
The protagonist in Human Revolution is head of security for a biotech giant who becomes augmented after a corporate espionage attack. The attack is part of a larger attempt by a Chinese company to monopolize the market, under the direction of external forces. To avoid ruining the ending I will just say, you really don't want a tech company pushing bad updates to hardware your life depends on.
People say this about the police frequently, but seemingly just as frequently forget the tail end of the saying!
This confuses me because it is used in defense of the police. With the full expression in mind, the saying perfectly describes the situation we are in (in America) today. We should be very concerned about the "bad apples", due to the strength of police unions, friendships with DA's, the "Thin Blue Line" etc.
Much like RMS, I use a friend's discount card (and pay in cash) at the grocery store for this reason. Will a purchase of soda and cookies be linked to me and impact my health insurance cost down the road? Will targeted Mountain Dew ads make their way into every website I visit? Probably not, but I'd rather be sure.
The self-checkout machines only ask for the phone number, with no id challenge. I get the discounts + no tracking, my friend gets more gas points, and the store is left wondering why he buys so much toilet paper.
I wonder how long it will be before they start cracking down on this somehow, and how far they'll take it.
>but what does that concern have to do with the risk of introducing genes to grow larger fruits?
Off the top of my head, there are several consequences that fall into the realm of possibility. Larger fruits will require more resources from the host plant, which could alter its development in unpredictable ways. More nutrients could be taken from the soil in order to make larger fruits, leading to earlier depletion and requiring more crop rotation (a process many farmers put off due to profits). Larger fruits will attract larger animals to graze (just look at what happens when hikers throw apple cores / other compost into the woods, it alters the movement patterns of multiple species).
I understand these examples sound hyperbolic, and I think GMO's are definitely beneficial in some situations. However, introducing changes to the very genetics of our ecosystem faster than they would naturally occur has definite effects. To think that we can adequately anticipate, react, and solve issues caused by these effects seems a bit hopeful, at least until we have a very advanced computational model simulation of our ecosystem.
"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should."
- Ian, Jurassic Park
The issue is private security can be a large liability, since they do not have the same legal protection as police. At the wages Wal-Mart pays, you would have poor training, and all the police academy dropouts who still want to have some authority. Should they offer better wages? Probably, but it won't happen.
It seems like paying off-duty cops would be the best solution. Lots of businesses with security gates already do this.
Errr, they did, back in January, at some majors costs in hours people are allowed to work, their bottom line, but not their absolute stock price (weasel words because I didn't check to see how they're doing compared to the general market).
We can be sure this also came at a cost in their anti-shrinkage and general anti-crime efforts.
I work at a small manufacturing facility, while living in a relatively low COL area. The pay is not exceptional, but enough to clear all expenses, have some fun and save 15%. I am given the choice almost every week (crunch periods and other workers plans sometimes take priority) of working either 4 ~10 hour shifts or 5 ~8's. I find it extremely useful and pleasant, and would gladly keep my current job (6:30-2:30|4:30) over one that paid $4-5 more per hour that had a fixed 9-5 M-F schedule.
Having an optional 3 day weekend allows a lot of possibility for longer recreational trips, large projects, dedicating one day to errands and totally freeing the other two, etc. On the other side of the equation, having a wide open afternoon + evening every weekday is great too.
It may seem like I'm just preaching to the choir on this one, but I'm also trying to simply raise awareness of what an excellent benefit it is. Realistically, could businesses in other fields adopt this? It's a great way to keep employees happy (saving turnover expenses) and doesn't alter their paycheck.
[edit]
Since you are working less in exchange for the 20% cut, I realize not every business can do this since paying more people for fewer hours has diminishing returns. Giving the option of 4 10's or 5 8's, though, is still the same hours + work done. Why do we not see this offered more?
― Sathya Sai Baba