J. King > Recent Status Updates

“Anybody can quote the Bible to prove anything, which is why you ought to worry about being overconfident.”

“‘[Israel is] not just a desert, it’s a spiritual desert. If you haven’t been to Israel, it’s a piece of desert that’s rocky, dusty, hot, ugly, and it’s the center of three monotheistic religions that fight with each other constantly…

“‘Fundamentalist students who hear this stuff never assumed that the Bible has multiple authors, or that it’s dependent on the culture or the times or whatever.’”

So, how DO you wire a stripper? (I hope we find out.)

Like it so far. Coming across as a hard-boiled detective novel. Typo near the bottom of page 15: "HCSU"? :-)

OMG, I so LOVE this story! I might even learn to appreciate the ending of Casablanca.

Finally got some serious time to spend with this book, and found that I can't put it down. Love the humor, too. And I actually searched Google for "flamingo yo-yo fantasia."

Love the characterizations!

Different than other Holly Lisle books I've read, but just as good. Wonderful author.

Mapping his 10 drives to the 10 HG needs proves interesting. 4 of the 5 "forward drives" map to the need for spiritual purpose. And none map to physical needs (which he seems to call "needs," as distinguished from "wants") or to the need for time alone to think.

I disagree that these drives are unconnected to what we need. Rather, in western culture, we've simply been trained to pursue these needs ineffectively.

Monopolists hate competition.

To demonstrate how great innovations occur without effective IP protection (chapter 2)—and how IP laws often retard innovation—he starts by discussing software patents (which did not exist before 1982) followed by open-source software. Reading the open-source list, I'm impressed with how thoroughly Apple has benefited from open-source software in its MacBook & iMac series.

Good discussion on the difference between "intellectual monopoly"—that is, a monopoly over an idea—and other IP rights, such as the right of first sale.

Excellent explanation of why ideas cannot be owned (in the same sense that tangible property can be owned). Also excellent argument against the validity of trademark law, as it is currently implemented.

Good summary of various libertarians' arguments pro-IP. I wasn't aware of all of these. The general error behind these arguments seems to be a neglect of the fact that sharing an idea produces a replicant in the mind of the person with whom the idea is shared: I do own my own ideas, but only so long as I keep them secret. Once I share an idea with you, however, each of us owns his own replicant of the idea.