Comments by J'

Amazon.com recently rolled out a help forum with similar effects. There are super-users who answer the majority of questions, with actual Amazon reps interjecting when needed. Though I can see why some might be skeptical, I think it is a very useful tool. I would hazard a guess that most of the time, experienced customers can respond more quickly, and as accurately, as a service rep. This leaves those reps more time to work on real issues. Win-win.

cCRaupTGdf "They also learned it's not as easy as it is on the PC."

Then why do so many gun enthusiasts object to any kind of requirement to buy and carry? I'm expected to learn to drive before being licensed to do so. Seems reasonable that a potential gun-owner should have to take shooting lessons, at the minimum, and demonstrate proficiency before buying a gun. Yet, I see immediate angry retorts about violating the second amendment when anything of this nature is proposed.

I think nine films were nominated in 2011 not because they were all contenders, but because none of them were. This was one of the worst, most unimpressive list of nominees perhaps in the entire history of the Academy Awards. The Academy has strayed so far out of touch with the public that it has become irrelevant. They seem to have embraced the bizarre notion that big hits at the box office automatically lack "artistic merit" for award season. This could not be further from how it was years ago when winners and nominees were more often box office successes than not.
"Gone with the Wind", "Ben Hur," "West Side Story," and many, many others were all big with fans and critics. I'm not saying that Spider-man deserves best picture, but Avatar - embraced by people all over the world regardless of language - was beat by a war film that was so inspiring no one saw it? Ridiculous.

Never has an article title been more apt! As long as there is a perception in the Academy that films should be "art" and not "entertainment," we'll continue to see such drivel nominated. These awards need to die - and stop taking up 3 hours of prime time television.

Even the people who just tune in to see what Hollywood is wearing are going away - they can see that on E! Online without all the commentator babble.

I'm one of those who prefer to buy films I enjoyed. However, my buying has declined because of Blu-ray, in particular the studios' heavy-handed push to make me switch by only offering extra content on Blu-Ray editions. Sadly, I foresee a similar push with UV content if it ever takes hold.

I don't want to switch, and it annoys me that I can't get the extras or special editions on regular DVD. So, I don't buy. And virtual ownership will never equal actual ownership. I need only remind myself of the debacle of Amazon removing copies of a book from customer's kindles - they couldn't have removed a physical book from my house. Same goes for movies in a "cloud."

"Older people who don't cotton to this sort of shenanigans and vote in droves" - this pretty much sums up the problem with OWS. How many of these protesters, happy to camp out and make signs, will show up in the voting booth to stick it to the 1% who have too much influence over American politics? Damn few.

I'd like to see class thrown right out the window by having a FLAT TAX of, say, 15% on everyone. No loopholes, no incentives, no creative accounting. If you made money this year, regardless of the source, you pay 15%. Though I am not an economist, I can't help but believe this would reduce or even eliminate the deficit. It would also save taxpayers money on all the BS wrangling the two parties do over corporate loopholes and tax breaks. Of course, this means the rich might actually pay taxes, and therefore it would never fly.

What annoys me about these so-called "studies" is that they only take into account behavior AT THE RESTAURANT. That is very short-sighted as to impact. I am one customer who is happy about calories on menus (and have been losing weight steadily for about 6 months, in part thanks to them). I had no idea what I was consuming before these laws. However, I adjust what I eat daily - not just at one meal. When I want to treat myself at McDonald's, I take a look at the calories and make different choices BEFORE or AFTER I go. So yep, I may well still order the same 10 piece chicken McNugget as before, only now I make damn sure not to eat 500 calories at breakfast before doing so. I wonder how many others, besides my own family, are doing the same?

"By contrast, he reckons, there are only about 3m households with broadband connections and reasonable amounts of money but no multichannel TV."

Yeah, this is me. I got tired of paying so much for so little. I buy HBO's shows on DVD. I would consider HBO Go. And, with this economy, I expect the number of those like me to rise. After all, you don't have to have cable to do Netflix, you need broadband and/or a DVD player.

Yes, the US justice system sorely needs to be fixed. We jail people for offenses like smoking marijuana (which hurts the user, but not necessarily society) in addition to mass murder. But this article is being self-righteous. "Norway has one of the world's lowest murder rates. America is worst in the developed world." Uh, comparing a country of 5 million, mostly homogeneous, people to a country with 350 million melting-pot people is ridiculous.

It is nice to read an article with a positive look at immigration. It's a difficult issue, with more than one viewpoint. I wonder if a portion of Arizona's "immigrants" moved on to other, more welcoming states, would that would alter the atmosphere there?

I came away from this article with a completely different take. I didn't care that she quit, or her opinions, or even about the author. What struck me was "one of the three judges." Three? Three whole people decided who should have this "literary award"?

Never has there been a better argument for why so many literary prizes are out of touch and completely irrelevant.

"But mainstream America may learn to get over its old and unpleasant distrust."

Hmmm, I hope no one is holding their breath on that. Yes, Kennedy was elected. The first Roman Catholic to be president. And 50 years later, still the only one.

The worst part of this is that the Oscars are not just business as usual...they are predictable. Some time ago, Hollywood decided that if a movie made big money at the box office it couldn't possibly be high quality because it appealed to the "plebeian masses." You know what, so did Shakespeare.

Just because the kilogram prototype is located in France does not mean BIPM is the only organization concerned with it. I'm surprised The Economist didn't call out the work of NIST, NMIJ and others all heavily involved in redefining the unit.

I agree that many netizens are willing to pay for content and do not because there is no simple system and it's so easy to find equivalent free content (e.g. why pay for The Washington Post site when CNN.com is free?). But, I don't think Flattr is a simple system, or a real solution.

Recently, I visited Wikipedia (as I often do) and noted a message requesting donations with a friendly reminder that the site is ad-free and cost free. I donated because I use it and want it to stay ad- and cost-free. If other sites that I use frequently for free did such a thing, I'd likely be willing to make more one-off infrequent payments. I'm happy to pay..when it is my choice and at my convenience.

I agree...finally some news that isn't depressing, violent or economy-related. Now if only The Economist were confident enough to put this on the home page...recommended or not.

I agree this is a very interesting topic - considering how material assets can be the focus of a religious issue. The RC Church faces a similar problem in the sex-abuse scandal as victims claim the Vatican should be financially accountable and not just the dioceses.

There are scientists who also advocate links to health problem from organic crops. So condemning GM crops based on some data is no better than doing so for organic. It's difficult to find truly unbiased studies of either.

A fantastic post! I think he has had a bigger impact on data visualization than even Tufte.