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Fritz's Hit List
wwwssabbsdotcom was one of several to submit news stories about Ed Felten's latest venture: Fritz's Hit List, a list of electronic devices with some sort of digital storage and processing capabilities sufficient to qualify them "digital media devices" under Sen. Hollings' CBDTPA bill.
Today on Fritz's Hit List: Big Mouth Billy Bass.
That's right, your favorite wall-hanging, singing, dancing, animatronic fish qualifies for regulation as a "digital media device" under the Hollings CBDTPA. If the CBDTPA passes, any new Billy Bass will have to incorporate government-approved copy protection technology.
Fight piracy -- regulate singing fish novelties!
I thought the CDBPABST was supposed to be a bad law. How can anything that aims to regulate the proliferation of Singing Billy Bass be evil?
I love you, Fritz Hollings!
The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
Fritz Hit List #8
Those voice-boxes for throat-cancer patients that enable them to speak with a deep voice will now need to protected with government approved anti-copright protection.
Fight Piracy = Regulate deep throating devices!
Tournament Management Online &
You're right. They forgot the gigantic dollar sign in the middle.
(Note to mods: Yes I know that it's supposed to start with a red stripe at the top.)
Makes sense, if not in this light.
After all, imported robot pets are finding employment without green cards and taking rewarding pet jobs away from more expensive to maintain domestic alternatives.
You laugh now, but when that little robotic R2-D2 takes your waitressing job because he's willing to work for less than minimum wage, you'll change your tunes!
I'm sure there's a Slashdot article around here somewhere about hacking your "Billy Bass" to record and playback MP3s. You should try it. The sound quality is incredible.
I looked at the RIAA's web site, and listened to all the soundbites from Jack Valenti, Sen. Hollings and Hilary Rosen, and I agree.
"Piracy is theft"
Downloading a song from the internet is every bit as bad as stealing a CD from a shop. I didn't realise this. I was stealing music all this time
Now then, if I had come across several CDs that I didn't own, and I knew who their owner was, I would take some efforts to return them.
Now, I have several gigabytes of stolen mp3s. I think I should return them to their rightful owner. To whom do I email them?
I'll bet you were. That's a pretty small icon to notice it, but there it is. There's not 50 stars on it. I'll be damned. ;)
Just kidding, I know you're talking about the stripes.
I wonder if this would make the list?
Creationists are a lot like zombies. Slow, but powerful and numerous. And they all want to eat our brains.
Machine: You had 3 messages. 1 Message deleted automatically since it has copyrighted material.
User: Oh no, Grandma again left a message with her radio on in the background.
That's right, your favorite wall-hanging, singing, dancing, animatronic fish qualifies for regulation as a "digital media device" under the Hollings CBDTPA. If the CBDTPA passes, any new Billy Bass will have to incorporate government-approved copy protection technology.
Well this just goes to prove that there's a bright side to every dark law.
I have no special gift, I am only passionately curious. --Albert Einstein
When they came for Talking Barbies, I was quiet because I owned only GI Joes.
When they came for the singing trout, I was quiet because I hated singing trout.
When they came for the answering machines, I was quiet because I had a cell phone.
When they came for the AIBOs, there was no one left to speak...
Josh Winslow
Ok, so many of these items seem ridiculous when you consider them to be potential "digital piracy" devices. But what if the CBDPBPDBPPTA (whatever) does pass?
Can't you imagine the Slashdot headlines?
Store audio files with Barbie
from the we're-very-desperate-now dept.
Digital Music Lover writes: "Now that the CPTBPTPBTPBA has passed, mainstream digital music recording has come to a complete halt. Music lovers now have to pay every time they want to listen to a recording on their Fritz/Palladium enabled PC's, and they can't record that music for later use. However, some clever hackers in Germany figured out a way around this problem. They modified a 'Barbie talking cash register' with some custom DSP chips and an Ethernet interface. Now instead of ringing up the price of a loaf of bread, Barbie plays the latest Metallica recording instead!
It is my hope and prayer that we never get to this point. But if the Pigopolists do prevail, I can definitely see the hacker community desperately trying to store digital music any way they can.
Tired of FB/Google censorship? Visit UNCENSORED!
First they first came for the Billy Bass and I didn't speak up because I hated Billy Bass.
Then they came for the Spam and I didn't speak up because I hated Spam.
They came for the browser mods that pop up ads depending on my site visits, and I didn't speak up because I hated Gator.
Then they came for my TiVo, and they had to pry it out of my cold, dead hand.
[With apologies to Pastor Martin Niemoller]
Actually, I think this hit list is totally stupid. Half the things on that list wouldn't fall under the law.
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
They aren't being banned, they're just going to have copy protection technology built in. Which means they will be more expensive. Which means instead of getting some socks, a drill, some books and a Billy Bass for Christmas, you're just going to get a Billy Bass.
-aiabx
Just this guy, you know?
notice how almost every message moderated above 3 in this thread is "Funny" - that probably says something... I'm too lazy to figure out what, though.
sic transit gloria mundi
I hear that you can't overclock 'em unless they're water-cooled :)
Your right to not believe: Americans United for Separation of Church and
Next from apple:
iAnal, the legal advice firm that gets so hung up on details it never gets it right.
I live in a giant bucket.
2) stick tongue out
3) close lips lightly over tongue
4) exhale
Eternity: will that be smoking, or non-smoking? I Corinthians 6:9-10