The trouble with using the word "theft" while making an argument about unauthorized copying is that it never holds water - does the popular singer lose their ability to sing? If not then the closest you can really get and still come across as genuine is to say they "stole" the uniqueness of their talent, rather than their unique talent itself

One time a woman stole my heart. Luckily I was able to get a transplant in time. Words can sometimes have multiple meanings.

Not legally

The above comment wasn't a passage in a legal document, it's a comment on a discussion site. "IP theft" is a colloquial, non-legal term generally referring to violations to copyright law. Neither the RIAA's complaint nor the DMCA contain the word 'theft'.

Well sometimes though. In the case of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act the word “unauthorized” can mean basically anything the DOJ wants to pull out of their asses and prosecute. Fortunately we have courts to remove ambiguity.

The idea of copying as theft isn’t new but I agree it’s not really the same.

yes, legally

approve them on your behalf? theyd still be paired to your device

What's legitimate about that? That it saves the inefficiency of leaving an empty slot? I'd have thought a system that offers both the same legitimacy and more fairness too would have test bookings arranged in a stack, where cancelled slots get offered to whoever is booked into the proceeding one should they wish to move it forward, or if they don't, then whoever had the next slot booked after that, and so on. So any holes that come up in the schedule get closed pretty quickly, and nobody gets preferential treatment simply because their driving school happened to own the other slots

that's a start but you might need to impound their money too if they keep using it to buy replacements

sounds like you might be referring to this paper published by the st louis fed https://s3.amazonaws.com/real.stlouisfed.org/wp/2012/2012-03... - i'll be honest and admit i haven't read through it but i do see it mentioned on here a lot so it's been sitting in my bookmarks untouched for a while, just thought i'd link it for anyone curious

definitely that's the one, thanks

I think this is a very appropriate argument when it comes to offensive physical weapons, like if cops with tasers are in a shootout with a gang strapped up with (illegal) AKs it's easy to see an undesirable outcome from that situation for just about everyone except the gang members - but does this same logic really hold when it comes to spy tech? Is the only way to stop a bad guy with remote access to your machine a good guy with the same?

But isn't your example demonstrating a tradeoff between freedom and quick painless death, whereas an octopus that lives its life in captivity only to also be eaten alive has to suffer the worst of both worlds?

probably much better actually, since you're not exerting yourself physically

A lack of physical exertion is a large cause of obesity and depression. Human innovation tends towards us making our lives easier (so: less physical exercise). Quite the dilemma!

And some people are physically impaired and cannot walk or bike. The able world would love to forget about them or force them into 3 hour long bus routes, but besides that being incredibly unfair, it's just not necessary if there is alternative transportation.

I’ve actually seen some really impressive scooters that take care of this actually.

The issue I’ve seen (can only speak for a large city in the US) is still accessibility. Like entrances, finding elevators, ramps, etc. especially in older buildings.

For the record I got to experience this first hand when I hung out with an old colleague who was injured in a car crash. And this was at the DC convention center, a relatively new building. Finding elevators and navigating around took way longer, especially when you were lost. But I will say that it was amazing how everyone around him was willing to help in any way they could.

Yeah in Finland you see people in effectively single-seat L-class vehicles all the time. It's the vehicle they use to get around, but that's an exception that should probably be left to them. There's far too many bent road signs around here because of the myriad of road safety issues these things pose. In the US, they don't drive golf carts on roads, and in the EU you sometimes start to get why.

My folks run into similar issues with small children in strollers, and I myself run into similar issues with moving lots of stuff (or really big stuff) with a hand truck. The curb-cut effect is real, people!

Were they as able bodied as they were aged 20-25 though? If 80 years is the cutoff at which we get bored with staying alive, would you rather spend those 80 years in a "biologically" 20-year-old body then make the conscious choice for "something new" or gradually deteriorate for about half of those 80 years then die without the choice not to?

I feel like a lot of the underlying biases behind ageism come from its association with age related health issues though. The only "justifications" for ageism that'd be left once it becomes sensible to assume the average 95 year old has the same cognitive ability as the average 30 year old would be related to expectations of upcoming parental leave and maybe the idea that for two candidates with the same CV, the younger one has accomplished as much in a shorter timeframe and is therefore a better bet. I don't know if there's a solution to these two issues but I doubt ageism would have more of an impact on a person's employability after a hypothetical cure for aging than before. Not to mention the fact that you can always selectively disclose info to potential employers to conceal your age, to some extent.