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This will always be a problem as long as humans control the justice system for their government.

So we'll just have to wait until the computers can deal out justice.

I'd probably lend my time to The JusTeX Foundation, an OSS group building automated judging software called JusTeX (which uses the TeX engine for all the legal documents). Such software would be a little harder to operate, but it would be fair to everyone and very stable. With our luck, though, 95% of courtrooms would be using MS Justice, which would have slick graphics and commercial tie-ins, but would crash regularly and set you free only if you gave it a big bag of cash.

I am not a native speaker, you insensitive clod!!!
I live in the jungle and the monkey problem here is even worse now.

The writers of NBC's "Scrubs" thank you for using their (unattributed) quote.

Does this remind anybody of Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

what about Ripper???
but "Faith" would be so much cooler
or "willow", if u insist. or "dawn", "andrew" "anya" (so, shes dead, has that stopped anyone?) or "xander". why not just spin off a whole network giving everyone theyre own show?

"The record industry has become a huge drag on creativity..."

There is a difference between creativity and interpretation. The Grey Album may be creative interpretation, but it's still an interpretation. Should such works be halted? I'd say no, but if you're using someone else's intellectual property (music, painting, source code, video, whatever) then you should at least have the decency to not take sole credit (and reward) for the work. That is what is really at stake, not just an industry recklessly stomping on "artists".

"If Danger Mouse had requested permission and offered to pay royalties, EMI still would have said no and the public would never have been able to enjoy this critically acclaimed work."

To record and issue a recording with someone else's song no permission is required, but full royalties would have to be paid. Typically there is contact beforehand because royalties are often negotiated between artist and songwriter to come to a win-win situation - the writer gets their work on the rack and the radio, and the performer isn't selling the farm to get a decent song (and please remember, the big money in the music industry is copyright royalties - don't let anyone try and tell you otherwise).

The point to this is that nobody could have stopped the DJ whatsisface from putting together the recording, but he could still expect to fork over some hefty royalty payments after the fact.

"Artists are being forced to break the law to innovate."

I think those who speak out against the big bad recording industry may be their own greatest enemy, offering quotes like this. We're talking about a DJ (a person who plays other people's music) coming up with a novel way of presenting other people's music. If the DJ were a visual artist who used other people's visual works and simply offered unique ways of viewing the same identifiable work, then I don't think anyone would be calling this person an "innovative artist". It's like the difference between Sealab 2020 and Sealab 2021; is Sealab 2021 a creative take on the original work? Maybe, but's it's just an interpretation and still the work of the original artist.

"The record industry has become a huge drag on creativity..."

There is a difference between creativity and interpretation. The Grey Album may be creative interpretation, but it's still an interpretation. Should such works be halted? I'd say no, but if you're using someone else's intellectual property (music, painting, source code, video, whatever) then you should at least have the decency to not take sole credit (and reward) for the work. That is what is really at stake, not just an industry recklessly stomping on "artists".

"If Danger Mouse had requested permission and offered to pay royalties, EMI still would have said no and the public would never have been able to enjoy this critically acclaimed work."

To record and issue a recording with someone else's song no permission is required, but full royalties would have to be paid. Typically there is contact beforehand because royalties are often negotiated between artist and songwriter to come to a win-win situation - the writer gets their work on the rack and the radio, and the performer isn't selling the farm to get a decent song (and please remember, the big money in the music industry is copyright royalties - don't let anyone try and tell you otherwise).

The point to this is that nobody could have stopped the DJ whatsisface from putting together the recording, but he could still expect to fork over some hefty royalty payments after the fact.

"Artists are being forced to break the law to innovate."

I think those who speak out against the big bad recording industry may be their own greatest enemy, offering quotes like this. We're talking about a DJ (a person who plays other people's music) coming up with a novel way of presenting other people's music. If the DJ were a visual artist who used other people's visual works and simply offered unique ways of viewing the same identifiable work, then I don't think anyone would be calling this person an "innovative artist". It's like the difference between Sealab 2020 and Sealab 2021; is Sealab 2021 a creative take on the original work? Maybe, but's it's just an interpretation and still the work of the original artist.

I'm losing faith in the Sci-Fi Channel.

They cancel Farscape and then go with the NEW Battlestar Galactica.

What a waste.

Why can't they pick up shows that other irresponsible networks have canceled, like Firefly?

Cartoon Network at least picked up the Family Guy, and the Sci-Fi channel should be doing similar. ...and what about Dead Last.

That was a clip show called "Gump Roast" (DABF12 / SI-1312). The still image was from the "We didn't start the fire" satire song.


Right, thanks!

overall, you're right, but s15e09 (FABF04) was a great one. its the one with snowball... havent seen that kind of humor for a while in the simpsons.

for the ones that missed it, get it here as vcd or avi

The Martyr Award or the like.

Oh, they already did that. Too bad it hasn't been hip since the sixties, but hey, retro is in these days.

* At least, everyone who watches Nickelodeon.

that life imitates The Simpsons

So you're saying this "mud" may actually just be Martian rat urine?

Of course. Haven't you heard of the Biker Mice From Mars?

(Homer imagines Tetris and puts in all the garage sale items a la it, but screws up, leaving no room for him)

Homer: Done and done.

Marge: But there's no room for you!

Homer: D'oh!

I doubt that tech support call centers in Bangalore are being run by SS officers.

Ok, so explain to me why when I get transferred to a manager I get the same answer as the noted Nazi Sgt. Schultz(1): "I know NOTHING!"

1) Hogan's Heroes

They were able to compromise one of Ayyash's fellow Hamas members, who gave him a cell phone full of explosives. When they confirmed Ayyash was using it, the Shin Bet detonated it, killing him instantly.

http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServl et/showid-428/

Wake me when it looks like Pam Gidley looked in 1987. Thanks.

Who's got a patent on the "bro"?

HOLY CRAP! I just bought the game yesterday for my nephew, who plays these games religiously. I hope he doesn't play it too long or I'm going to have to get his mother to tell him his Chinpokomon won't work!

Rest In Peace, MTV's Downtown. We hardly knew ye. The 5th episode took place at a Sci-Fi/Horror/Gaming con, and got everything right. A classic. Shouts out to my homie Chris Prynoski..

Rest In Peace, MTV's Downtown. We hardly knew ye. The 5th episode took place at a Sci-Fi/Horror/Gaming con, and got everything right. A classic. Shouts out to my homie Chris Prynoski..

first thought it be a crypto article?

and of the new drug, let the stimutacs jokes roll! sealab kicks ass!

The 'blood' will slowly appear to spill out on the streets and drip onto the pavements.

What happense if if someone gets this on their pantlegs or shoes?
But really....I think one of the advertisers was watching simpsons and saw the episode with the itchy scratchy: the movie billboard which poured blood onto the newlyweds below.

I hope Major Nelson got one too.

You're thinking of Sam Raimi.

> I don't get why all you geeks ejaculate for Firefly.

I'll give you one reason:

Jewel Staite

Ahem. That's Vic Tayback .

How about FreeHat?

It was one of the funniest cartoons ever, and they dicked it around. Cancelled it, brought it back. Now its on tuesdays, no now its wednesdays. You could barely catch an episode. And then they wouldnt air When You Wish Upon a Weinstein season finale because it was too offensive. Cartoon Network aired it though. Screw Fox. Bring the new episodes right to Cartoon Network where they belong. The only downside is people without cable will miss out. But I still think its the right thing to do.

I remember this lovely episode of Millenium, "Somehow Satan Got Behind Me", on of the too-few works of Darin Morgan. There's a segment in it about a Broadcast Standards and Practices censor driven mad by a little dancing devil. The guy's a hoot.

Censor: Unacceptable. If you are going to show a pile of dung, it must be dried dung, not moist.

Censor: No, it doesn't matter that aliens from out of space have no genitalia---they still have groins, and they shouldn't be kicked there. It is unacceptable, revise for cut!

Censor: You will not get away with this! The final scene is gratuitously violent! Aliens would not carry an Uzi! They are a superior race and they would not carry or utilize automatic weapons! I will not approve this! I am Broadcast Standards and Practices!

Heck, you can even get the episode off ed2k. (The show doesn't air much anymore; most of it was apparently crap.)

--grendel drago

It's TWIKI, not twiggy. You gotta be careful in this crowd. We take our obscure science fiction references very seriously.

Vicky from Small Wonder.

Here's a thread discussing the ep on bad astronomy.com

I'm afraid that South Park beat you to it, in the episode The Entity, when Mr Garrison invents a transportation device even more advanced than the Segway... the only downside is that you have to steer it with a lever that's inserted into your anus. Well, *I* consider it a downside...

His other series are no slouch either.

His other series are no slouch either.

The moon is just itching for a theme park.

I want my Tomeato.

Hold on..

So we are now forbidden to write anything thats ever been used before?

Thats really going to screw up a lot of society.

That reminds me of the South Park episode Simpsons Already Did It where basically the conclusion was that anything you can think of doing has already been done, probably on the Simpsons.

I'm constantly fighting against end users that install spy/adware. I'm losing the battle and re-imaging machines on a daily basis... I'm looking for tips on reducing downtime due to this junk being installed. Any tips would be appreciated.

Courtesy of the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock:

Every time they download spy/adware, they lose a finger.

Watch compliance go up drastically.

Didn't this remind anyone of the Seinfeld episode with the famous Fisher Pen ?

Does anyone know if Lucas and Spielberg were on the petition? Or were they too busy to sign it?

hip or flippant? I remember watching Izzard on a parky interview with Nigella Lawson. Izzard came across as an ill educated tosser. He strikes me as being the *least intelligent* of the *doctors*. I don't know but I just can't get my head around a *dress wearing* doctor ... he's not even scottish.

I guess the best thing to do is wait for his performance. If he is any good I'll eat my words. Interesting that Tom Baker has a positive spin on Izzard as a choice.

hip or flippant? I remember watching Izzard on a parky interview with Nigella Lawson. Izzard came across as an ill educated tosser. He strikes me as being the *least intelligent* of the *doctors*. I don't know but I just can't get my head around a *dress wearing* doctor ... he's not even scottish.

I guess the best thing to do is wait for his performance. If he is any good I'll eat my words. Interesting that Tom Baker has a positive spin on Izzard as a choice.

hip or flippant? I remember watching Izzard on a parky interview with Nigella Lawson. Izzard came across as an ill educated tosser. He strikes me as being the *least intelligent* of the *doctors*. I don't know but I just can't get my head around a *dress wearing* doctor ... he's not even scottish.

I guess the best thing to do is wait for his performance. If he is any good I'll eat my words. Interesting that Tom Baker has a positive spin on Izzard as a choice.

For some reason all of this reminds me of SouthPark: 105

"This is perhaps Nokia's first attempt to marry mobile phone and PDA in a lightweight and thin formfactor."

"The elephant is much too much big for Kyle to keep in the house, so he tries to bring it to school. Cartman mentions that he got a pot-bellied pig which is small enough to keep in the house" ... "Kyle plans to cross breed his elephant with Cartman's pig" ... "Terrence presents a five-assed monkey and Cartman's pig gives birth. Only the result looks nothing like a elephant-pig combination..."


Why oh why are 3G phones so ugly...

Did anyone else read this and "hear" the name of this material as
BUBBLE BOY ???

(Episode 47): Jerry is spotted at a restaurant and asked to visit a boy who lives inside a plastic bubble. Jerry, Elaine, George, and his girlfriend, Susan, are supposed to spend the weekend at Susan's father's cabin. Since the cabin is near the boy's home, Jerry agrees to stop by. Arriving early, George quarrels with the bubbleboy while playing Trivia Pursuit, almost killing him. Kramer and Jerry's girlfriend go swimming near the cabin while they wait for the others. He leaves a cigar burning that sets the cabin on fire. Air Date: 10/7/92

I guess I spend too much time playing with this stuff...