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Re:“Printcrime” by Cory Doctorow by angersock on Friday May 24, 2013 @11:03AM (#5763221)
So, one wonders--how does anyone who detests the idea of getting arrested for printing things and having printer tech confiscated simultaneously detest the idea of printing weapons with which to defend yourself and your means of production?
Re:“Printcrime” by Cory Doctorow by yk on Friday May 24, 2013 @05:14PM (#5765211)
On the risk of sounding like a libertarian, there is no scenario in which it is good idea to use violence against a government. They will win, it is their own game. The way to change a government is political action, not use of force.
Re:“Printcrime” by Cory Doctorow by anonymous on Friday May 24, 2013 @06:17PM (#5765490)
I can conceive of some edge cases where shooting at a policeman or a soldier using home-printed weapons does have positive expected value. But in general I agree with you - it's like wrestling a herd of rhinos.
Re:“Printcrime” by Cory Doctorow by klipt on Saturday May 25, 2013 @04:37AM (#5766728)
As long as policeman and soldiers are humans, especially from the same country as you, there's the hope of appealing to their humanity to stop them from committing atrocities. Unmanned drones or robot soldiers are much scarier.
Re:“Printcrime” by Cory Doctorow by AnthonyMouse on Saturday May 25, 2013 @09:54AM (#5767284)
The thing with war is that the odds can change quickly. If you don't have any weapons and the enemy soldiers have machine guns, but you can sneak up behind one of them before anyone notices, now you have a machine gun.

The thing is, drones and robots work pretty much the same way. They work much more that way, actually, because if you find a vulnerability in one, it's likely present in all of them since they all came off the same assembly line. You don't have to kill all the drones, you just have to kill the ones guarding the drone control facility, or convert the drone operators to your side.

The most dangerous thing about robot armies isn't that it will make governments too powerful, it's that a terrorist could take control of them. And the only way to prevent that is to not build them.

Re:“Printcrime” by Cory Doctorow by veidr on Saturday May 25, 2013 @10:42AM (#5767396)
It bears pointing out that the vast majority of changes to government have, historically, been brought about by violence. Only a vanishingly small minority of them have been effected through nonviolent political action.

(Once a society has achieved democracy, the equation may be different (and closer to what you are saying). However, only a small minority of human societies have achieved democracy.)

TL;DR: fuck it, print weapons

Re:“Printcrime” by Cory Doctorow by splawn on Friday May 24, 2013 @12:28PM (#5763866)
Why would one wonder that? Besides the "getting arrested" part, it seems like two pretty different concepts to me...even with the positive spin you put on weapons.
Re:“Printcrime” by Cory Doctorow by livnev on Friday May 24, 2013 @11:45AM (#5763546)
Weapons are violence. There's no room for violence in the future.
Re:“Printcrime” by Cory Doctorow by peterkelly on Friday May 24, 2013 @12:34PM (#5763902)
> There's no room for violence in the future

I'm sure humanity will find some

Re:“Printcrime” by Cory Doctorow by cobrausn on Friday May 24, 2013 @05:21PM (#5765251)
Since forcibly disarming someone is application of violence, I fail to see your end-game.
Re:“Printcrime” by Cory Doctorow by Karunamon on Friday May 24, 2013 @04:27PM (#5765033)
Even Star Trek had phasers. Weapons will exist as long as there is a need for a person to defend themselves against a foe.
Re:“Printcrime” by Cory Doctorow by Turing_Machine on Friday May 24, 2013 @05:05PM (#5765177)
How do you plan to arrange that?

Be specific.

Re:“Printcrime” by Cory Doctorow by wnight on Friday May 24, 2013 @11:48PM (#5766274)
Is a hammer a weapon or a tool?

Is a military mortar a tool when ski patrols use it to save lives by safely triggering avalanches?