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Other people have told our Homeland Defenders lots of things but they don't seem to listen. Here is a good write up about the impracticality of binary liquids. Here is a story about stealing food from babies at the airport. Of course, arrest without charges, torture, baby killing, censorship and deploying foreign mercenaries against civilians is all bad, OK? It's not about defense it's about control and you, citizen, are the enemy.

What happened to Microsoft working on interoperability?

Where has Microsoft improved Linux & Windows working together since their actions with Corel many years ago when Corel still worked on WINE, the dumping of Corel Linux only to become Xandros and the patent agreement signed with Microsoft and the EEE Pc (extend, embrace, extinguish?) with Xandros?

In the year 2000:

Interview: Corel's Linux VP on the Microsoft deal

"LinuxWorld: Will you continue to work with and support the Wine project, and will you continue to use Wine to bring your traditionally Windows applications to Linux?

Rene Schmidt: Yeah, currently we have WordPerfect and CorelDraw, we've done those two main suites. Where we are right now is that those are two main investments at this point, and what we are doing is we are looking at the desktop market on Linux and trying to expand it as well.

It will be based really on customer demand; that is what is going to drive us in terms of what we do next on applications for Linux. In terms of Wine itself, we still support it; we have been working with the community to come up with a 1.0 version of Wine and we are hoping that that is going to allow a lot of other ISVs to move their applications more rapidly over to Linux."

"Rene Schmidt: Essentially, with Linux, we are very committed to it. And the agreement, or partnership, or alliance, whatever you want to call it, with Microsoft is not anti-Linux or anything. It is really about .Net."

Very committed you say? Microsoft not anti-Linux? What happened to all the work on Wine and 1.0? All those Corel apps on Linux? Visit Corel's site now and you see nothing of the sort, but you do see Microsoft related content, banners, and stuff about Vista. Alliance, indeed.

Why can't we use DirectX from Microsoft on Linux completely without problems and without using WINE, Cedega or some other alternative?

Google "They said it couldn't be done" regarding Novell and Microsoft.

It can be done, Microsoft, but apparently not by you. Thank you to the wine developers and companies like Google who are doing something positive for interoperability.

Offtopic but on the subject of Microsoft's continued monopoly and power connections:
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/02/20/library-of-congress-1.html
"Library of Congress sells itself out to Microsoft for a mere $3 mil"

Silverlight and DirectX in a tree, k i s s i n g

And have there been any studies to the effectiveness of warning stickers? I'm sure there is some element of daring to do the dangerous deeds, and some addictive items are rather good at helping you bypass the inhibition you would have for otherwise dangerous activities. Example: cigarettes. Basic warning labels (warning: blinding Web 1.0 design) are just words. And as a man, why do I care about pregnancy complications? I'm a man! But I guess the more gruesome depictions might give me a moment's pause before buying and inhaling.

As a matter of fact, it is on Prince Street ... http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2007/12/13/billboard-inserts-au.html

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/09/13/trent-reznor-to-chin.html

I'm not really sure why you included Trent Reznor in there, but just for the record, he's actually been pretty vocal about endorsing downloading of music in some cases. I'd be very surprised if he turned around and sued people over it.

Reznor also openly admitted to being pretty active on the bittorrent site Oink before it got shutdown.

http://blog.wired.com/music/2007/10/trent-reznor-on.html

His article was posted two weeks ago on boingboing and discussed quite a bit. I have to admit to being one of the detractors of his idea (which I think reduces artists and creators to beggars trying to eek out a living). I also think he talks too much in generalities, and that makes his ideas seem more persuasive. The minute you think about specific things (how does his ideas apply to X), his ideas often don't apply at all, or reduces the income from digital creations to pennies on the dollar.
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/02/02/kevin-kelly-better-t.html

Sony has a long history of behaving badly.

Um, I believe that MacOS X dropped the use of TPM-chip copy protection soon after it was introduced, and only a few notebook motherboards ever had TPM chips on them. In fact, I'm not sure if any retail versions of OS X nor any publicly-available Apple motherboards actually had TPM support.

I like this one more:
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/01/08/video-of-yapmm-yet-a.html

The new Windows implementation of Passport is now called CardSpace, which is built into Vista. This is a system that attempts to move web logins out of the web browser and into the OS, and uses Active Directory for authentication.

If Microsoft is able to pull something where its monopoly of desktop systems and growing web properties in MSN, Facebook and Yahoo! don't login smoothly with non-Microsoft systems then Active Directory could conceivably become necessary to operate a successful website... even a Unix or Linux site.

One of Microsoft's system architects, Kim Cameron, is spreading erroneous and misleading FUD (see comment #7).

As I point out elsewhere, jesus claimed equivalence to god - "I and the father are one" - and also claimed that what we know as the old testament was totally god's will. Kind of makes jeebus a wack-pack too, no? - That the church claims that the whole bible is god's word, complete with all its contradictions, also gives a LOT of material to bible-bash.

I'm still waiting for someone to to try to collect the $1,000,000 reward:

We are willing to pay any individual *$250,000 if they can produce empirical evidence which proves that Jesus is not the son of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

...

Challenge Grant Update: Recently converted Pastafarians are adding matching reward funds to the Boing Boing Intelligent Design Challenge. Jason Kottke of kottke.org (Link) and Sean Bonner of metblogs (Link) have each offered an additional $250,000. We've been flooded with still more donations, and have decided to cap the purse at $1 million -- in part because the number contains a lot of pretty, round zeroes that resemble holy meatballs. But also because many of you offered sums payable in "whisky and wenches," or "ho's 'n' blow," neither of which really count. Thanks all the same.

The bible is as ridiculous as the flying spaghetti monster - but at least the FSM never told people to go forth and wage any sort of holy war.

Oh, I hope you get modded up. Very insightful, and all good suggestions.

You may be interested in Chile's early 70s project, Cyberyn. It was a central nervous system for a planned economy. (I know you, not your favorite concept, but keep an open mind ;-) More info here and here. Unfortunately, I can't find the article on it I was specifically looking for, describing a pilot program to extend it to several small villages and use the system for day to day direct democracy. Or I may be confusing Cyberyn with another South American direct democracy project of the early 70s, I first read about it a long time ago.

Does anyone else know more about this project, or other direct democracy projects in other countries?

OK here is Cory Doctorow discussing it.

Oh, Really?

...are you sure?

I mean, seriously - you're sure about that?

Idiot.

/P

I thought you'd get modded down - I'm glad it's not so. The overwhelming reaction of the online community over the Warner announcement made me very angry as it was clear it was the phraseology of the news titles, fueling the fanboys, that was causing significantly more damage than the announcement itself.

This alone gave the fanboys more reason to troll 'the war is over' in such force and with such conviction as never before.

Why was this so out of place with fanboys, nearly the ultimate of online extremists? Well, it's flat out counter their interests and even starkly in contrast with the overwhelming opinion of Sony after the rootkit scenario. With still plenty of support behind HD-DVD, the cheaper technology, the more consumer friendly technology (both now and including any fears for the future - got to love a company that wants to stop you lending or selling on your property, right?) and HD-DVD AACS and region encoding being optional, more dedicated players in peoples homes made it the true consumer choice (the PS3 isn't dedicated Blu-Ray - it's a games console, however I view the 360 add on as a dedicated player as it has NO other function and is a full optional purchase, not bundled with the console. Finally a lot of people have bought them as they also work on PCs), by far the most logical choice for the majority of online enthusiasts was HD-DVD. So what if per-layer Blu-Ray held more? Most of us are unlikely to afford a burner in the next 15 years.

The only thing Blu-Ray had going for it was the pushiest marketing scheme ever. I'm disappointed in HD-DVD on that front but never thought it would take in so many online. A carefully orchestrated viral campaign from a Sony backed product would not surprise me in the SLIGHTEST, considering their consistent history of such. The only surprise would be that they pulled it off so subtly compared to their previous attempts. I guess one of the other Blu-Ray backers would have stepped in and overseen its careful deployment, though I'm still surprised at the total lack of tact when someone from the Blu-Ray camp was very publicly quoted as saying "they knew what they were getting into" about early adopters when people started to complain about the redundancy of all the very expensive first (and second?) generation players other than the PS3. I'm also surprised about the small scale of the backlash from that comment alone currently. I mean: what more proof did people need of Blu-Ray's total lack of regard for their customers, even those so loyal they'd spend so much on the earliest systems?

I own neither HD-DVD or Blu-Ray systems, or a 360 - I wouldn't have minded a PS3 IF they'd maintained backward compatibility (I admit I love my mini PS2, ironically rubbish DVD player that it is - GREEN screen if you want RGB out? hah) but I would never have bought one as I couldn't bring myself to support a format that was so likely to attempt to trample over and even strip yet more consumer rights in the future.

Right, good call.

Still, I like the idea of people hitting the "reload" button when they see the painting.

It reminds me of:

http://www.boingboing.net/2006/07/24/cursor-kite.html

That's because the CEO of Apple wrote and published an open letter on their website expressing his desire to rid their music store of DRM, and the CEO of Microsoft has done no such thing,

And, as pointed out by others; Jobs/iTunes insists on DRM on tracks even if the labels (like indi labels) don't want it.. And, compared to other music download stores, many of the MS based ones have had less restrictive DRM than iTunes (more copies on more machines, redownloads, etc.)

And the big "iTunes" launch of EMI DRM free music was an EMI lead initiative for all download stores -- iTunes had the choice to make the most of it, or see it go only to competitors. So I wouldn't fully buy all the PR grandstanding from Apple in this area.

Cory Doctorow was been over this a couple of years ago when Sun came up with the (I'm guessing abandoned) idea of an Open Source DRM. Here, go read why it's oxymoronic: DRM != SSL

Any protection scheme where your customer and your attacker are the same party, doomed to failure, IMO.

Do not buy any DRM-encumbered products. Make a statement about this by not participating.

Um, yes.

I think you and I have no disagreement on substance. I was not responding to the whole of the story. I was responding to one part of the letter. That's why I quoted a particular part of the letter. The letter (according to this boing boing postsaid:

"Even with the best of intentions, unauthorized use of another company's trademark is against the law."

"Ford" is a trademark. I have just used it (with the best of intentions) without authorization. I did so legally. Therefore the sentence is bullshit.

Sometimes I do things which deserve snide responses. This was not one of those times.

I'm thinking more... Antigua.

Why experiment when you have congressmen in your pocket? Hell, Universal's CEO is so fucking incompetent that he can't even keep up with being the leader of a business that might possibly change. That's your reason right now... I don't find it incredible. I find it sickening.

This actually happened to Mike Figgis.

It's a case of a mistaken identity for a 5-year-old boy from Normandy Park. He had trouble boarding a plane because someone with the same name is wanted by the federal government.

"When his mother went to pick him up and hug him and comfort him during the proceedings, she was told not to touch him because he was a national security risk. They also had to frisk her again to make sure the little Dillinger hadn't passed anything dangerous weapons or materials to his mother when she hugged him."

Cory Doctrow adds: "if you wanted to systematically discredit the idea of a Department of Homeland Security, if you wanted to make an utter mockery of aviation safety, you could not do a better job than this."

This begins to remind one of the Good Germans.

since the linked article doesn't have one... here

Here's the article from BoingBoing, which has been up a day or so. It's got a different quote and a bunch of comments. Unfortunately, the full story is in my cache at home and I'm at work.

Yes, this was discussed in an earlier Slashdot story, " RIAA Argues That MP3s From CDs Are Unauthorized", and in a bunch of other places:

* Boing Boing p2pnet reddit Heise Online (German) Truemors BlogRunner/Digital Rights Hugh Casey IDG (Polish) Geek News Central CE Pro Gizmodo TechDirt Read/Write Web Thomas Hawk's Digital Connection TDPRI WhatReallyHappened.com Slyck Root.cz (Czech) Craigslist Forums Hard OCP Wired.com Uneasy Silence Overclock.net Wake World SpaceBattles.com Hydrogen Audio BrickFilms.com Hockey Zombie iLounge Zune Scene AllmanBrothersBand.com Golem (German) PC Magazin (German) Tweakers (Dutch) Mackauf (German) Wake Space Kino-eye.com Digital Copyright Canada Northwest Progressive Institute Louisville Music News Frant

Well, I don't know about other people, but to me, it's not really a question of the reader quality. It's just that there are so many reasons to boycott the entire Sony brand, and maybe just one reason to not like Amazon.

In fact, I might even say that with the exception of RIAA and MPAA, whenever any Sony product is compared with a competitor, Sony always loses because it's a brand that needs to be boycotted, with no regard to any technical merits whatsoever.

I know I might buy Kindle if it were a little cheaper (borderline at $200, definitely at $100). I know I will never use anything with "Sony" in its name, even if I was getting paid to use it.

Well, I don't know about other people, but to me, it's not really a question of the reader quality. It's just that there are so many reasons to boycott the entire Sony brand, and maybe just one reason to not like Amazon.

In fact, I might even say that with the exception of RIAA and MPAA, whenever any Sony product is compared with a competitor, Sony always loses because it's a brand that needs to be boycotted, with no regard to any technical merits whatsoever.

I know I might buy Kindle if it were a little cheaper (borderline at $200, definitely at $100). I know I will never use anything with "Sony" in its name, even if I was getting paid to use it.

Well, I don't know about other people, but to me, it's not really a question of the reader quality. It's just that there are so many reasons to boycott the entire Sony brand, and maybe just one reason to not like Amazon.

In fact, I might even say that with the exception of RIAA and MPAA, whenever any Sony product is compared with a competitor, Sony always loses because it's a brand that needs to be boycotted, with no regard to any technical merits whatsoever.

I know I might buy Kindle if it were a little cheaper (borderline at $200, definitely at $100). I know I will never use anything with "Sony" in its name, even if I was getting paid to use it.

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/11/21/top-ten-most-viewed.html

Wikipedia is "The Free Encyclopedia." What's on the mind of Wikipedia its readers? Here are the top ten most viewed pages on Wikipedia:

1. Main Page [30,090,900]
2. Wiki [904,800]
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows [413,400]
4. Naruto [401,400]
5. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock [396,000]
6. United States [330,000]
7. Wikipedia [329,400]
8. Deaths in 2007 [321,300]
9. Heroes (TV series) [307,500]
10. Transformers (film) [303,600]

Conservapedia is "The Trustworthy Encyclopedia." What's on the mind of its readers? Here are the top ten most viewed pages on Conservapedia:

1. Main Page [1,906,729]
2. Homosexuality [1,572,713]
3. Homosexuality and Hepatitis [517,086]
4. Homosexuality and Promiscuity [420,687]
5. Gay Bowel Syndrome [389,052]
6. Homosexuality and Parasites [388,123]
7. Homosexuality and Domestic Violence [365,888]
8. Homosexuality and Gonorrhea [331,553]
9. Homosexuality and Mental Health [291,179]
10. Homosexuality and Syphilis [265,322

so Coldie, Gay Bowel Syndrome? is that painful?

Your doing a heck of a job Coldie

Sometimes, it seems, there are no new ideas. As others have said, what we have here is a glorified sail. Nothing wrong with that, but as fossil fuels become more expensive, we'll find more and more "old tech" make a comeback.

The biggest deal in alternative energy right now is the windmill, which have been used for what, 1,200 years? Now we have a (gasp!) sailing ship! Pretty soon we'll go back to using the electric car which was very popular in the early days of the automobile.

No, basic technologies are not new - what's new are refinements. For example, Linux is a re-implementation of a 35 year old Operating System having the chief innovation of a license change. I'm not knocking the quality that Linus has put into the Linux kernel, but Linux is written to be POSIX compliant, so while drivers are nice, Linux is basically no different than any other UNIX but for the license difference.

Innovation can come from some incredibly low-tech, unlikely places. For example, this guy has won numerous awards for sticking a pot inside a pot and filling the middle with wet sand - managing to solve a serious problem in Africa for low-cost refrigeration.

I guess what it comes down to is this: Technology is valuable when it works, not when it's complex. There's lots of very, very, very simple technology that nonetheless works very, very, very well.

"Ok, I spell it out simple for the stupid:"

OK, where is the 'followup/correction/retraction', apart from a mention on the boingboing site I can't find any original source.

There was a student, and he was using Firefox, and he did get a detention.

However, the student wasn't supposed to be using IE, he was supposed to be using Word. He should have been working on a resume (his assignment) instead of browsing the web, but that was not what he got detention for.

He got detention for mouthing off at the teacher.

The student photoshopped the detention letter to remove the real reason, and posted it on the web (I assume he knew it would get a reaction).

The student is probably in a lot more trouble now than if he just shut up and took the detention. Even if the letter was genuine, it just showed that he was being insubordinate by repeatedly refusing to do what the teacher asked. Not the best 'hoax'.

"Second, the teacher was right in assigning detention. "

Yeah, because the kid could have been jailed for using the wrong browser like this dude.

I just spoke to the principal of the high-school -- nice enough fellow. According to him:
* The kid altered the document after scanning it
* The kid was punished for mouthing off to the teacher, not for using Firefox
* The kid had been asked to work in Word on a resume (the assignment) and kept looking at the Web instead (and this was a recurring problem)
* The kid has admitted this and will be posting a followup/correction/retraction today

A better idea:

1. Jack up the statutory damages for copyright infringement as much as possible.
2. Hire an good attorney.
3. Profit!

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/13/sonys-rootkit-infrin.html
Close examination of the rootkit that Sony's audio CDs attack their customers' PCs with has revealed that their malicious software is built on code that infringes on copyright. Indications are that Sony has included the LAME music encoder, which is licensed under the Lesser General Public License (LGPL), which requires that those who use it attribute the original software and publish some of the code they write to use the library. Sony has done none of this.

So, based on the proposed bill - how much of Sony would have been auctioned of I wonder...

So that means in light of last weeks MPAA violation of Xubuntu in their "University Toolkit" they can have all their computers confiscated and auctioned. Cool. Seriously though, do corporations get the same penalties applied, they violate IP all the time...

MPAA violation, see: http://www.boingboing.net/2007/12/03/mpaas-university-wir.html

Pffft. Lots of luck with government enforcement, especially when just about everyone is doing it. Don't they get it?

Besides, I'll bet the federal courts strike this law down as being unconstitutional.

That video will probably be one of the first exhibits in the Case for the Robot Uprising.

Another exhibit would probably have to be this Pleo torture video. It's actually pretty disturbing, as the little robot dinosaur seems to make whimpering noises if you dangle it by its tail, and choking noises if you grab its neck.

big problem. Forget that, the US is obviously bleeding dry financially from the ungrateful copyright infringers who can't even be considerate enough to log who downloaded files from their computer. No wonder congress won't fund the war in Iraq anymore, this is obviously an imminent danger to all of the world's economies. (end sarcasm) So each song that might have been downloaded has obviously been downloaded 9250 times? I wonder how much it would cost to hire hackers to find kazaa software installed on **AA servers? Perhaps they might find some seditious reading material to help us in the US all decide who to vote for in the coming presidential election. The MPAA's ISP was just served DMCA takedown notice because of their University Toolkit being in violation of the GPL http://www.boingboing.net/2007/12/03/mpaas-university-wir.html I seriously wonder what else can be found to be wrong with the **AA's internet infrastructure.

You might want to talk to Cory Doctorow about abuses.