Why I'm still buying a PS4

Let's go down the list of why I'm still switching to PS4.

1) trust. Microsoft has trust issues with its customer base and thought we'd be okay with losing our consumer rights. They have the software and hardware in place to do this again. Aka I still don't trust them.

2) control. The DRM issue and how they treat indies also shows a control issue. They are trying to be like apple but are ending up worse than Apple. Apple still let's developers self publish after going through a review process. Microsoft won't. Indie developers that have worked with Microsoft exclusively are now not working with Microsoft. The new raved about indie game hotline Miami 2 is coming to ps3 and vita and PC, but not Xbox 360. Sony believes in the free market and I along with trusting consumers, trusts developers.

3) vision. Microsoft had no clear vision. Cloud computing being additive? Not without a serious upgrade to the existing infrastructure. They could do what Sony is doing with gaikai and do all of the computations on the cloud. As if right now that will only be enough to power ps3 games. Also part of their vision is muddled, with the DRM crap and reversing it. Sony has had a clear vision all along. Why am I paying $100 more for a box with a kinect? Kinect sucks, why aren't they showing me how it improves the experience with halo, beyond yelling reload or grenade?

4) price. That leads me to this one. Because Microsoft is packing in the kinect it costs $100 more than the ps4. Why am I paying for something I don't want? Why hasn't Microsoft shown off why this new kinect is so awesome and worth the extra money? Honestly this could be also placed in vision.

5) focus. They are trying to make an entertainment box first that also does gaming features. Sony from the get go is making a box that does gaming and also does entertainment. I don't care about the cable TV integration. I don't care that you can Skype while playing a game. I can Skype on my phone while playing a game. Microsoft is trying to make one box to rule them all. And with the trust issues? No way I'm buying one.

6. Exclusives. I think Sony is going to lead with that again. I'm looking forward to uncharted 4 and last of us 2.

Feel Good Philosophy Of Banning Things

People, get a bug up their butt to ban something they see as detrimental to society.  It could be drugs, it could be prostitution, or it could even be something as simple as a plastic bag.  As a free market capitalist, banning these things makes absolutely zero sense to me.  There are unintended consequences that sometimes override the supposed benefits of the feel good ban.

This utopian worldview and feel good philosophy has many unintended consequences.

So what are the unintended consequences of banning plastic bags?

First, increased crime:

The plastic bag ban has caused more crime.

Second, it causes increased disease

From the Article:
“A reusable grocery bag left in a hotel bathroom caused an outbreak of norovirus-induced diarrhea and nausea that struck nine of 13 members of a girls’ soccer team in October, Oregon researchers reported Wednesday.”

The free market and reality are going to make plastic bags, irregardless of your feel good policies trying to ban them and save the world.  Just like with drugs, banning something only increases demand and lowers the supply.  Just like with other items banned the unintended consequences end up worse than the problem they were trying to fix.

The data clearly shows the plastic bag ban is killing and hurting people.

It would also be extremely educational to understand how oil is cracked.  No matter what a refinery does today, they are going to end up with the material to make plastics.  It doesn't use less oil to ban bags, that poly material will be cracked no matter what.

This one is seriously under taught to our youth and politicians.  The question is what will the oil refineries do with that material?  Now that these dystopian mindsets are trying to make the world a better place by banning something that exists naturally as part of cracking a barrel of oil.

In conclusion, we would be well served to not so quickly ban something for the sake of trying to make the world a better place.  What can you do?  Get involved in local politics.  If the city you live in proposes banning plastic bags, present the facts to them.