Part two in a series of two or more of topics relevant to the Network Neutrality debate

I’m shocked that I need to explain this, but prices are determined by supply, demand, and sellers’ decisions about the best ways to optimize supply and demand. Over time they are determined by nothing more than these.

Part one in a series of two or more of topics relevant to the Network Neutrality debate

Imagine a pizzeria. Let’s call it Monochromatic Pizza because that’s a terrible name for a pizza joint¹ and with luck I won’t anger the proprietors of any actual pizza places. Let’s say Monochromatic Pizza makes pretty good pizza. Maybe it isn’t the best in town, but you’ve been there before and you like their pizza.

Recently I finished reading a book and went to put the book in my blog. I don’t have the book report written but wanted to at least get a placeholder in the database with the vital statistics: title, author, word count, my rating, and so on. After entering the information, I hit submit and was greeted with the less-than-useful message, The website encountered an unexpected error. Please try again later.

I posted a write-up of my Infrared Inhaler project over at Positronic Works.

Pop quiz for self-described Republicans, Libertarians, Conservatives, and Classic Liberals.¹ What is your first thought when you see this headline from an article in today’s Wall Street Journal?

PayPal Cancels Plan for Facility in North Carolina, Citing Transgender Law

The headline is misleading, inasmuch as it is difficult to believe that this was either accidental or an attempt to serve users. «Sneakily» is sort of misleading too. «Brilliantly deceptive» fits better. Makes for a really awkward headline, though.

I’ve seen some interesting kickstarter-style campaigns; it’s always nice to see what kinds of goodies someone will come up with to enroll people in their projects. These kinds of pre-funding drives are an opportunity to get people excited about a project and put on display one’s passion. A dry investment prospectus might get the big backing, but one really has to have a compelling and accessible idea in order to get a lot of people to throw in $10 or $20.

I like Omnifocus¹ a lot. I can’t say that I’ve mastered it to the point where it has fully become a trusted repository for my tasks, but it is useful for keeping track of the things I have to do. The new version looks great. I got the demo version to test out before buying the upgrade and it is a big improvement. The price tag is somewhat high but in my opinion it’s a worthwhile upgrade.

So why wouldn’t I buy the upgrade?

I’ve been wanting RonPaulCoin(RPC) for some time. I’m not bullish on the currency, in fact, I think it’s a bad idea. Naming a currency after a personality, especially a living one (Teslacoin could be kind of cool) is a terrible idea. But especially because Ron Paul is such an anti-fiat-currency goldbug, I thought it would be funny to have one RonPaulCoin.

I recall reading even before I had any interest in Bitcoin or Bitcoin mining that the cost of electricity was probably higher than the yield one could get by mining. So I never expected to set up a mining operation on my personal computer and get rich quick. I did what I recommend anyone do if they are interested in getting to know how Bitcoin works: I set up a mining operation to learn.