Marsden is Here

a) I just wrote a very long reply to meataxe basically agreeing with him, so I won't repeat it here

b) todays luxuries can become tomorrows 'things everyone should have', if we as a country are improving our standard of living. Fridges, washing machines, telephones ... not truly necessities by any means, but once they were luxuries and in many parts of the world still are.

The internet is one of those things. Entertainment in some form is one of those things. 'Art' is not, and that's really the closest analogue to most content which gets pirated.

Artists have always had a hard time getting paid. It used to be because only a few people could afford them, now it's because it's so easy to copy them.

c)
>Ok, so it means that I have nothing to talk to them about, but I didn't have an awful lot in the first place.

[gets out zimmer-frame] I remember when conversations around KAOS included philosophy and serious discussion of current events. Then the internet happened, and now it all seems to be about computers and the latest cool tv series.