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see also: code 46

Why are the Russians wasting their time to come up with a solution for this problem?! The United States Air Force already has something in place to take care of Apophis.

It's called SG-1. It's a four-man special operations unit, working out of the top secret Stargate Command, located under Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team consists of Colonel Jack O'Neill, Maj. Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson, and former first prime of Apophis and a member for the Jaffa alien species, Teal'c.

Just give Lt. Gen. Hammond a ring and he'll send them in. SG-1 will have this taken care of by tomorrow. No problem!!

comment form: http://www.mgm.com/help.do

Sheep mate too... and I bet they could keep my lawn trimmed... and in my neighborhood, I could pimp them out as well!

Then you get sheep boys, but wait I digress. Didn't we decide that self replicating robots were bad?

soundtrack to What's The Worst That Could Happen?
soundtrack to Josie & The Pussycats
soundtrack to Rollerball

Need I go on? Ok, I will:

Other releases include the soundtracks to the upcoming films A Guy Thing, Bulletproof Monk, The Tree, Pumpkin, Assassination Tango, and City of Ghosts.

Try researching your statements a bit further next time, buster :)

MGM Music

Ethical or not there is a technical problem. Recall, if you will, the problem of the Betazoids. They can read anyone's mind so they don't even bother to hide their thoughts.

Word of advice: allow someone the chance to change his/her mind. If someone says their decision is not in effect until such time, what you see on the Internet may not really make sense until the particular threshold time has passed. Who knows what the information on the Internet really means? It may be just test data or intermediate data that is inadvertently visible.

Where there's smoke, there's fire. If you interact with a computer and you get a clue how the computer will respond, even if you don't have 100% confidence in your prediction, you still should be able to tweak your input to the computer to gain the most favorable response. The ethics as I see it:
- We are humans and are masters of computers.
- Life isn't a chess game where each side takes turns. We're allowed to probe and experiment. Clicking Submit does not mean one is submissive. Even on the grounds that one has made a simple mistake one may re-submit with something different.
- Speaking of trust, we don't trust computers that much when our future is at stake. Would you be operated on by a robot? Would you let a robot drive your car? Eventually, but not all at once.

BTW, what is Harvard about? See Legally Blonde!

Then Showgirls VIP Edition DVD got robbed. What a DVD!

So they based it on stuff like picture and sound quality,...

You haven't experienced DVD technology until you hear lines like this is spectacular 5.1 surround:

Crystal Conner: I like nice tits. I always have, how about you?
Nomi Malone: I like having nice tits.

Special features of Showgirls VIP edition DVD:

• Trivia Track-Includes revealing information about the film
• Lap-Dance Tutorial Featuring the World-Famous Girls of Scores
• Audio Commentary by David Schmader (Showgirls Aficionado)
• A Showgirls Diary
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Set of Showgirls Shot Glasses
• "Pin The Pasties on the Showgirl" Game With Pasties and Blindfold
• Deck of Showgirls Cards
• Showgirls Party Games
• Elizabeth Berkley Photo Series

Just look at that AWESOME BOX!

Then Showgirls VIP Edition DVD got robbed. What a DVD!

So they based it on stuff like picture and sound quality,...

You haven't experienced DVD technology until you hear lines like this is spectacular 5.1 surround:

Crystal Conner: I like nice tits. I always have, how about you?
Nomi Malone: I like having nice tits.

Special features of Showgirls VIP edition DVD:

• Trivia Track-Includes revealing information about the film
• Lap-Dance Tutorial Featuring the World-Famous Girls of Scores
• Audio Commentary by David Schmader (Showgirls Aficionado)
• A Showgirls Diary
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Set of Showgirls Shot Glasses
• "Pin The Pasties on the Showgirl" Game With Pasties and Blindfold
• Deck of Showgirls Cards
• Showgirls Party Games
• Elizabeth Berkley Photo Series

Just look at that AWESOME BOX!

Hell, I'd be afraid too if the Hollywood movie Antitrust has much truth behind it.... watch out for the little geek people bigtime Hollywood types.

ps..I have a Dell

With movies such as: this being released every year, it could hardly be said that Killer Robot is the first 'all artificial movie'.

I think you've watched Antitrust a few too many times... ;)

A real woman would run over that POS with a tank!

Why does the film Legally Blonde seem ironic here? :)

Ok, Darl's not blonde, but with a bit of work....

the most realistic portrayal i've even seen was in a movie called Anti Trust

lots of gnome screens with real shell commands. it also includes a quick cameo by Miguel De Icaza.

a must see for linux heads...

And MALP? never mind, found it.

They already have.

People who are born with visual impairments that can be corrected with technology (i.e. not visual cortex failure) have very low chances of worthwhile results.

When the brain never receives stimulus in a cortex, it never forms any pathways. That portion of the brain, while functional, makes no connections with anything else. A person with visual implants might be able to see as well (maybe better) than you and I, but they wouldn't understand what they saw. They would have technical function but no visual acuity.

This same issue has been demonstrated in people who grew up deaf. They may obtain the ability to hear, but understanding is something they can most likely never acheive. The new sense has missed the "formative" years of the brain, and the individual will never be able to use the sense as others do.

For those who have a hard time comprehending this concept (which is completely understandable), liken it to suddenly having wings surgically attached. Sure, you may have wings, and it's physically possible to fly, but you've never had wings before. They don't work like arms or legs, and you'll probably never learn to control them well enough to fly.

If you still aren't sure, watch At First Sight. It shows quite well the problems a person would face were they to regain sight. And keep in mind, he once could see.

I'm sorry, I meant At First Sight.

Strange I got a blind man's story mixed up with a bank robber story...

I once heard Oliver Sacks talk about somebody who had been blind their whole life (due to completely opaque cataracts, I believe). A new surgery technique restored the fellow's sight. But when he woke up from surgery, all he could see was an overwhelming mass of incomprehensible color. He couldn't distinguish faces, object, or even simple shapes.

His eyes, it turned out, were functioning perfectly. But because he has been blind during infancy, the visual parts of his brain had never developed -- he had never learned to see.

The movie Out of Sight is based on Sack's story. I highly recommend watching the film.

The movie was pretty interesting, it was hard for the man, because he can't identify what he sees and can't distinguish between real objects and pictures of them.

Yeah!

The advocates of DRM refuse to realise that what they call piracy cannot be stopped and is going to be a frictional force that they must accept as competition. Fighting it on legal grounds or paying huge R&D costs to develop new, pointless encryption techniques can only help in squeezing their profits more.

You only need one person to legally pay to view the plaintext, even if it is only once. After, that, I can't see a way to stop somebody from copying the decrypted output bit stream/continuous signal. Just intercept and copy bit by bit the input to the DAC in a CD player, or bribe the staff in a cinema in Malaysia and walk in with a digital videocamera. Then make the film available on a peer-to-peer network and stand in front of your mirror laughing satanically, while Hollywood loses revenue desperately needed in funding cocaine habits and shit like Legally Blonde .

There are some very clever people out there with a lot of free time who really, really like the idea of free stuff and enjoy spending a few nights finding exploits in "secret" protocols conceived by dark-suited schmucks with degrees in media studies or marketing dreaming of the perfect cash cow. In addition to these people, there are the pros out there, and they've got perfectly rational financial motives. Pirates make millions, which explains why no encryption has stopped them in the past. All you need is someone with the brains, free time and capital to play around with a soldering iron, some code in C and, voila, mass production.

Let's face it. The chances of any method of DRM eliminating "piracy" are very slim. Free content, in its many forms, is here to stay.

One thing that interests me, however, is that KaZaA is much more than audio file sharing. You can download audio, video, software, images and documents, and only one of those categories applies to the RIAA. I suppose it only takes one category, but it's interesting that no other companies or industry representives have become involved (yet, to my knowledge). I wouldn't be too amazed if the MPAA joined the fray, not to mention numerous software companies.

The thing is...how long can this go on for? Someone sets up a filesharing network. The RIAA sues them, bringing their vast financial resources to bear, which means that any other resources they require can be bought. They close-mindedly bring about the destruction or complete alteration of the network, not taking into account many technicalities like the way that Napster was demonstrated to actually boost CD sales, and that the server owners should not be held responsible for the traffic on their network, just as ISPs cannot. But in this time, another network has popped up in its place. In fact, several networks.

How long can this continue? Surely the RIAA must realise that it is a futile proposition (at present) to attempt to take down every filesharing network that may allow access to copyrighted material? I suppose that's why they are attempting to pass more and more fascist laws, and are encouraging other countries to do the same, in order to maintain their somewhat archaically-based real-world manopoly. Surely there must be an easier way for record companies etc to protect their copyrights, within reason, but to allow filesharing like this within reason as well (and I'm not specifically thinking of subscription). It seems that the RIAA, MPAA et al, rather than go with the flow and try new avenues of profit on the net, are attempting to stand firm in a present system that is rapidly becoming a part of the past. I am reminded of the SG-1 Archive, which was recently featured in Showtime's magazine (since Showtime produces Stargate SG-1), where the site was apparently hailed as a source of information on the series, and yet a couple of weeks later the webmaster received a CAD letter from the MPAA and was forced to remove the episodes available for download. This would not be a problem, legally speaking, if Showtime had objected to the site; but they hadn't. They had praised it. Apparently the MPAA is simply doing the rounds, attempting to scare everyone into submission, and sue those who are brazen enough to resist, despite the wishes of the people producing the actual material (who the Stargate SG-1 copyrights actually belong to I am not entirely certain, but I believe it is MGM/Showtime).

Having said that, I fearlessly and without disclaimer (partly because slashdot thinks my IP is a 203.97 subnet, which it's not) acknowledge that all the software and mp3s on my computer are pirated, and that I feel little remorse. Being what I hope is a morally upright person, this disturbs me somewhat, but when I see the sort of things that Microsoft, the RIAA, the MPAA etc do, and the tactics they resort to, I seem to feel a lot better. As a writer, I put a certain value on intellectual property, and I also accept that people will copy and distribute my work illegally. This doesn't bug me particularly, partly because I'd be a hypocrite if it did, and partly because people will still buy my work, despite those who pirate it. When I look at how bloated with money MS, RIAA etc are, I hardly feel sympathic.

disclaimer My ideas and arguments are subject to minor alteration depending on circumstances, and are probably slightly bigoted and not as balanced as those that I normally produce. Taken completely objectively, you may well be able to tear holes in them. If you feel the inclination to do this I would be appreciative, as I am still formulating my own opinions in this matter; however, I ask that you don't flame simply for the sake of flaming...it doesn't tend to be conducive to constructive conversation.

Yes, I keep reading about Ruby taking over from Perl "in Japan", and Ruby taking over from Python "in Japan", so what? Remember, Spinal Tap was big "in Japan". What makes the Japanese better arbiters of programming languages than anyone else? I certainly don't see heaps of mind-blowing software coming out of Japan (except perhaps for Metal Gear Solid 2, but that's another story...)

I saw Antitrust yesterday and of course I went to check out skullbocks.com, skullbocks.net, and skullbocks.org when I got home. It looks like MGM hasn't thought of a good idea for what to host there. (At the time of this posting they have a generic "under construction" page posted at all sites)

Then I had an idea... I wondered what would happen if somebody like Jon Katz posted an open email to MGM with some of the following ideas:

• Use the skullbocks.* sites to promote open source by open sourcing the code to be used behind their "Innovative Digital Media Distribution Website".
• Take some proceeds from ticket sales from Antitrust and donate some to EFF to help support the DVD Case.
• Take some proceeds from ticket sales from Antitrust and donate some to Project Mayo (DivX).
• Post the source code to DeCSS on the skullbocks.* sites.
• Create and seed fund the cerebellum-project. The cerebellum-project would be an open source project to build a server to archive and search digital video. A joint search engine and archive. MGM should also seed the archive by releasing old movies under some audio/video GPL.

Just an open idea. What else can you think to add?

thanx, chaim

I saw Antitrust yesterday and of course I went to check out skullbocks.com, skullbocks.net, and skullbocks.org when I got home. It looks like MGM hasn't thought of a good idea for what to host there. (At the time of this posting they have a generic "under construction" page posted at all sites)

Then I had an idea... I wondered what would happen if somebody like Jon Katz posted an open email to MGM with some of the following ideas:

• Use the skullbocks.* sites to promote open source by open sourcing the code to be used behind their "Innovative Digital Media Distribution Website".
• Take some proceeds from ticket sales from Antitrust and donate some to EFF to help support the DVD Case.
• Take some proceeds from ticket sales from Antitrust and donate some to Project Mayo (DivX).
• Post the source code to DeCSS on the skullbocks.* sites.
• Create and seed fund the cerebellum-project. The cerebellum-project would be an open source project to build a server to archive and search digital video. A joint search engine and archive. MGM should also seed the archive by releasing old movies under some audio/video GPL.

Just an open idea. What else can you think to add?

thanx, chaim

I saw Antitrust yesterday and of course I went to check out skullbocks.com, skullbocks.net, and skullbocks.org when I got home. It looks like MGM hasn't thought of a good idea for what to host there. (At the time of this posting they have a generic "under construction" page posted at all sites)

Then I had an idea... I wondered what would happen if somebody like Jon Katz posted an open email to MGM with some of the following ideas:

• Use the skullbocks.* sites to promote open source by open sourcing the code to be used behind their "Innovative Digital Media Distribution Website".
• Take some proceeds from ticket sales from Antitrust and donate some to EFF to help support the DVD Case.
• Take some proceeds from ticket sales from Antitrust and donate some to Project Mayo (DivX).
• Post the source code to DeCSS on the skullbocks.* sites.
• Create and seed fund the cerebellum-project. The cerebellum-project would be an open source project to build a server to archive and search digital video. A joint search engine and archive. MGM should also seed the archive by releasing old movies under some audio/video GPL.

Just an open idea. What else can you think to add?

thanx, chaim

I saw the trailer for Antitrust the last time I was in the theater, and I immediately noticed the telltale Gnome foot in the bottom left screen. After going to the website and seeing the bio on John Hall, I realized that this had the potential to be a halfway decent geek movie like Sneakers, and not total crap like The Net or Hackers. The trailer can be viewed (Quicktime, high-speed connection needed) here

But he lost. I should be surprised, but I am not.

OK gang, so we're talking boycots and we're talking about how MPAA et al are bastards. Great - even if all of us just boycot, I'm sure we're not going to impact that much (unless we buy lots of DVD's on a daily basis :)

So, why not take the time & effort to email/contact them? Tell them that you're boycotting, that you're telling your friends and that you're supporting the DeCSS/LiViD folks.

Now, I'm going to go out on a limb here and make a statement that could be wrong: I'd say most of us on /. are fairly typical in one respect. We'll bitch, we'll moan, we'll talk it up - but when it comes to the crunch, we never quite get around to doing something about it.

Don't you just hate that? This is why governments/corporations take notice if 1% of a target demographic respond. For every person who does do something, there are at least 10 who want to but don't get around to it. Thus that 1% represents about 10% and that's enough to count as a vocal majority.

This is also why highly organised groups/cults/sects/religious organisations/etc get the ear of politics/corporates. They manage to influence/order a lot of their consituents to do something, thus inflating the numbers and throwing out the "Total Number x 10 = % population who are annoyed/concerned" :)

Anyhow, to help you folks tell these people what you think, here's some handy info:

MPAA
Their web site has no "contact us" that I could find. How convenient, no? :)

If you want to get physical, try their snail mail address:

15503 Ventura Blvd.
Encino, California 91436
USA

Or phone on: (818) 995-6600

Otherwise, email to WareNet (the guys who made their site) and ask why no online "Contact Us" was supplied.

Disney
The investor relations feedback form at http://disney.go.com/mail/investorinfo/ would be a good place to hassle them.

Sony
Go to http://www.world.sony.com/Feedback/in dex.html, select the part of the world you're in and tell them you're so annoyed, you're not going to buy any more PlayStation stuff and you've kicked your AIBO out in the snow :)

MGM
Fill in the form at http://www.mgm.com/corporate/email/in dex.html and let them know.

Paramount
Send an email to info@pde.paramount.com and ask for information about their logic behind this as you're sure it's not what's being said in public :)

Fox
Send an email to askfox@foxinc.com and ask them why they're doing this. You might also want to mention the fact that their Simpson's splash page is seriously lame :)

Universal
Go to http://www.mca.com/fp/contact_form.html and fill in the form.

Warner
No "contact us" in an obvious location, so I gave up - there must be one somewhere here but it's very well hidden :)


Now, much in all as I'd love to say "Wild, uncontrolled bursts - we do more damage that way" - the reality is that a reasoned, controlled message stating that you disagree with their actions and have commenced boycotting their products will have much more impact than a flame or mail bombing.

Do it right and we get respect. Do it in classic "Script Kiddy, 31337 Wanker Fuckwit Mode" and we're doomed :)

I wrote this little blurb and have sent it to Sony Entertainment, MGM, and Universal (couldn't find an email for WB). I know it's not much, but if the slashdot masses can get off our asses for something, let's do it already. Do us all a favor, don't flame the big nasty companies, just write to them, all of you, please.

(the websites for feedback are below the letter, have fun.)

"To whom it may concern,

This is in regards to the suit brought by {bignastycompany}, among others, against Jon Johansen, the author of the DeCSS program. The fact that your proprietary material is threatened by this software is of understandable concern, but arresting Mr. Johansen for simply writing it is absolutely ludicrous. Using such software to break copyrights should be punished, but simply creating it is no crime. This young man's arrest is nothing but a shameless scam to protect the wealth of a few greedy executives. As a consumer who votes with his dollars, I would urge you to withdraw yourselves from this lawsuit before the {bignastycompany} name becomes as despised as Microsoft. Big Brother at his finest, indeed.

Sincerely,
{younamehere}"

MGM, Sony Entertainment, and Universal Pictures.

• Universial Studios
• Paramount Pictures Corporation
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc
• Sony Pictures Entertainment (owner of Tristar and Columbia)
• New Line Cinema (owned by Time-Warner)
• Disney Enterprises, Inc
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.