Maybe I'm over reading the emotion (though certainly there are others here who show it), but why get so angry about it?

Do people feel left out of society because they can't access content that others are experiencing? I truly don't understand the direct vitriol of "having" to subscribe to multiple services.

Personally, I hated bundled cable, and I like the choices of services now.

This is one of the best cases that I see for a Universal Basic Income (UBI). Although most on the right think recipients of 'free' money wouldn't work, we don't have the data to support that supposition. Sure some people wouldn't work, but some would contribute their time to things like OSS without needing to worry about working a 'real' job for basic survival.

If anyone wants to read more about this, the book "Trekonomics" has made a good case for how a society could be built with this in mind using some relevent examples of things like Reddit and Youtube.

I'm not familure with Asimov's works, but I have to say that in this instance The Matrix is a bad thing to look at. In the Matrix, the world is so totally experienced by its participants that it !IS! real. If you experience any environment with all your senses in crisp detail then its real to you. If two people experience the same reality then that reality is real.

I am actually believe that when the graphics of games improve, they will eventually become more than real. Its an odd concept, but our reality is limited to what our eyes can see, our ears can hear, and our skin can feel. In a virtual reality connected directly to the brain, we can experience the virtual reality without being encombered by our human limitations.

As an example of this, in TES4:Oblivion I've been able to see Vistas that are impossible to see in reality. This isn't really due to enhanced graphics, but is because of an art style that isn't possible with real world physics.
  which I guess brings up the point that we are also limited to what we can experience in reality by the laws of physics.

Anyway, as in the Matrix, if we could breed through some automated system, then we wouldn't have to even worry about phsyical contact.

He does have a very good point that there should be no reason why we can't transfer our license to another person. Xest is correct that it is illegal (or dodgy at best) to make it illegal to sell your license.

If I buy a copy of software, you don't own the software, but you do own a license of it in the same way that you own a book. It is legal for me to transfer my license to another person (either as a gift or as a sale or even temporarily) as long as I uninstall the software completely there is nothing illegal about it.

It should be trivial for Valve to setup a sharing system on Steam. If I get done playing Bioshock and want my friend to be able to play it, normally I would uninstall it from my computer, hand him the CD, then he would install it and play it. When he was done, he would uninstall it and give it back. On Steam I should be able to right click the game, say "trade" or "give", then enter their SteamID, and it removes my ability to play the game and gives it to them. The beauty of this system is that I don't even have to uninstall the game because it prevents me from even playing it until I have the License back.

I don't think anyone's ignoring the DRM nature of Steam, we're just saying that its a compromise between us and the publishers. They want some control and we want some features and playability. I can't speak for everyone, but I've come to accept Steam as the best DRM. For the reasons that Shrike82 stated above and I've decided that the reasons that you've mentioned aren't important to me.

Usually I buy games from Steam on the 'rotten rack' (eg for half the normal price or less). I've actually been introduced to lots of Indy games that I would never had considered getting until they were 5$ and easy to download and play right away. So its easy marketing for companies too.

The games that I've bought at full price are Steam games anyway so they're required to use Steam to activate. The Spore DRM was the same way though, so I'm really incapable of avoiding DRM if I ever want to play games again. (well I didn't buy or play Spore because of the DRM so I'm going to say voice your opinion with your money.)

Does this mean that you wouldn't buy games thru XBox Live either?

Summary: Compromise is the key to every relationship. If you don't want to compromise on a point, then don't buy and tell them. Thats what I do and I'm happy.

Except that the 3 places that I've worked, there were plenty of people that were given AMAZING references with the hopes that they would be hired somewhere else and finally leave.