January's Toast to Tech Evil

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Posted by ryuzaki0 on Thursday January 13, 2005 @02:05AM from the eeeeeeeevil dept.

comforteagle writes "In this month's mocking toast To Evil! Danny O'Brien laments the holiday habit of trying to hide one's evilness from Father Christmas, but finds those evil tech companies can't help being who they are. 'I'm really hoping that in their next batch of cinema adverts, the MPAA addresses this, and shows a grumbling adware developer instead of a Hollywood set-painter. The piracy issue, it affects us all: the construction guy, the lighting guy. And me, the guy who installed all that crap on your mum's computer. And also an awful lot of Los Angeles-based cocaine dealers. Why doesn't anyone think of them?'"

20 of 82 comments (clear)

Danny and Conan... by mirko · 2005-01-13 02:08 · Score: 2, Funny

this month's mocking toast To Evil! Danny O'Brien...

I understood that Conan O'Brien (not sure if it's spelled this way) had some fun about another Evil in Las Vegas last week...
Might be some family vendetta against evil.

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Trolling using another account since 2005.
the construction guy, the lighting guy... by The+Grassy+Knoll · 2005-01-13 02:13 · Score: 5, Funny

And don't forget the motorcycle cop and the red indian. They were my favourites.

.

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They will never know the simple pleasure of a monkey knife fight
Re:New /. outcry... by grasshoppa · 2005-01-13 02:17 · Score: 5, Funny

Say what you will about drug dealers, they are about the most honest "professional" people I've ever met. you tell them what you want when you want it, and they tell you whether they can do it or not. None of this, "I gotta talk to ...x" or "Let me check with my vendor" crap.

I tell ya, they are a breath of fresh air to an IT manager-type.

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Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
No icon in ther header by Airline_Sickness_Bag · 2005-01-13 02:18 · Score: 2, Funny

This thread doesn't have an icon. You need to get an "evil" icon for topics like these. Until then, just use the Microsoft or SCO icon.
1. Re:No icon in ther header by AndroidCat · 2005-01-13 02:55 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  They set the evil bit. Doesn't your software handle that? Mine plays creepy pipe organ music, which has always been an icon of evil.
  
  --
  One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
2. Re:No icon in ther header by Beyond_GoodandEvil · 2005-01-13 06:28 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Lockheed Martin not known for innovation? Perhaps you should google skunkworks.
  
  --
  I laughed at the weak who considered themselves good because they lacked claws.
Don't do drugs. by garcia · 2005-01-13 02:22 · Score: 4, Insightful

Overpeer is a company known to be paid by the MPAA and RIAA member companies to upload corrupted files onto the networks.

Now it appears to be setting up a side-line, generating ad revenue by tricking gullible users to download its faux warez.

It's like calling the cops to tell them that you were robbed while buying drugs. Yeah it sucks that you got 0wn3d while downloading warez but who the hell are you going to complain to and have anything done about it?

If you tattle you both get in trouble. You might get in more trouble than they will. Sad but true. Remember who has the better lawyers and the political backing...
1. Re:Don't do drugs. by NetNifty · 2005-01-13 02:46 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  "If you tattle you both get in trouble. You might get in more trouble than they will."
  
  Not if they infect something which is public domain (didn't some of Elvis' music just become public domain in the uk?) in another country and hence legal to download, but illegal to run unauthorised software on someone else's computer (like in the UK under the computer misuse act ?).
  
  --
  Linux Wireless Hardware in the UK
2. Re:Don't do drugs. by IndiJ · 2005-01-13 02:58 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Two wrongs do not a right make. EVERY crime has a victim - most have many. In this example:
  
  ...robbed while buying drugs...
  
  it depends on what was stolen (do insurance companies come into it? do they have to pay out?), if the buyer was hurt in the theft (health insurance now, plus one less spot available in over-busy hospitals), etc. etc.
  
  Posting corrupted/nonsense files disguised as copyrighted media wastes bandwidth that we all share, and makes it that much more difficult for the authorities to track down the real pirates. Posting spyware-infected media files does all of the above, plus provides examples of how to do it to more vicious crackers.
  
  The logic of Overpeer - "we'll hurt them cause they're hurting us, and maybe if they're hurt enough they'll stop" - is the same ass-idiot logic that justifies all retributive crimes, from the genocides in Rwanda, to the violence in Iseal, to the terrorist attacks on the US (depending on whether you believe that religion is the source of the hate or just a convenient way to recruit dumbfucks ready to kill themselves). It didn't stop the killing in Rwanda (which is now spilling into the Congo), it didn't end the violence in Isreal (which has finally petered out only because of a natural-selection "regime change"), and there are more terrorists now than ever (and the body count climbs and climbs). It will not stop pirates. Overpeer is not part of any solution, they are simply sanctioned criminals.
  
  Yeah it sucks that you got 0wn3d while downloading warez but who the hell are you going to complain to and have anything done about it?
  
  Who to complain to? Your congressman would be a nice start. The FBI would be another interesting choice. You don't need to incriminate yourself to report a crime. If the FBI asks how you got an Overpeer-infected file by doing something legal, just tell them that you were doing their damn job - as they seem too busy, you did your patriotic duty to collect evidence for them. The fifth is your friend.
  
  --
  It's hard to soar like an eagle when you're surrounded by turkeys.
Alls fair in love and... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-01-13 02:39 · Score: 2, Insightful

copywrite infringement.

I dislike huge media companies as much as the next communist, but as somebody who pays for games, films and music rather than downloading them I get a warm feeling inside from the thought of someone downloading the lastest generic R&B album only to be owned by ads. Perfectly legitimate tactic in my opinion, and the joy the company seems to take in this persuit is a pleasure to behold.

However, the statement "turning illegitimate downloads into legitimate sales" strikes me as slightly odd. Surely any ad displayed in this way is unlikely to result in a sale since the dl jockey viewing it would be immensely pissed off. Not a very positive product image.
1. Re:Alls fair in love and... by Xugumad · 2005-01-13 02:52 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  Personally, I feel like cheering. Overpeer are doing more for killing the WMA (and probably WMV) formats, and their DRM, than anyone else. Also, for a site that can be really harsh on people who get their PCs infected with viruses/adware because they did something dumb, /. seems remarkably forgiving of "I downloaded this illegal WMA file from some random guy on the Internet and played it".
Great idea by AtariAmarok · 2005-01-13 02:41 · Score: 5, Funny

"Perhaps have a Karma system for companies: Every time a positve or negative story appears add or subtract 1 point."
Great idea. The business news could give daily "Slashdaq" index reports:
"In today's Slashdaq, Microsoft fell to a record low -11,454 points. Apple's rating is still at a steady 323 despite a loss of 13 points after reports of them sueing "ThinkSecret"."

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Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
Zip it! by operagost · 2005-01-13 02:53 · Score: 2

Everyone raise your right pinky in celebration! Mu ha ha ... ha ha ha ... HA HA HA HA HA!

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Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
Re:/. special gourmet quality fodder by JonnyCalcutta · 2005-01-13 03:00 · Score: 2, Informative

Last I checked despite your opposition to a law you can't simply "ignore it" when it doesn't suit you. Otherwise I totally call dibs on everything in your home.
Of course you can. That's what freedom is all about. That's what Mel Gibson died to tell you. "You can take our lives, but you'll never take our freedom" - get it?
Naturally you have to accept the consequences of your choices; which might inlude a court date with the RIAA, having your entrails cut out or my fist in your face if you come round my house. On the other hand I might let you take some stuff I don't need anymore, you never know unless you try.
Re:Hall of Evil by AndroidCat · 2005-01-13 03:02 · Score: 2, Funny

Start a site damnedcompany.com (available) to list the companies that are completely damned by their evil actions to eternity in hell.

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One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
Re:/. special gourmet quality fodder by saintp · 2005-01-13 03:59 · Score: 2, Informative

Actually, the MPAA lawsuits weren't an example of evilness. Travis Kalanick (whose last name sounds suspiciously like "colonic") is a turncoat, and that's what was evil:
In March, Kalanick...was far more conciliatory to the competing technology.... "I don't want to fight BitTorrent," he said....
A few months on, and Kalanick's opinion has apparently modified very slightly. Choosing to speak on the MPAA's behest at the very event where they decided to take on BitTorrent, his new take appeared to be: I don't *want* to fight BitTorrent, but if publicizing my product involves cutting a deal with some guys who'd want to kill it, shave it, and parade it naked through the village - well okay then.
I'd suggest you go back and read the whole article. It mentions the MPAA lawsuit, but not as its point, rather as a supporting point about Kalanick's evilness. I know you want to see /.ers as a bunch of morons who can't see past the constant hum of anti-*AA dogma, but this is not an example of that. It's becoming instead an example of the many /.ers who, at every conceivable opportunity, uncork a trite, moderately off-topic, well-rehearsed rant about their favorite topic, be it the fabled /. hatred of Microsoft or the applicability of the law, or any other of a dozen favorite topics.

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Another one bites the dust
Re:Unfair comparison by arkanes · 2005-01-13 04:14 · Score: 2, Insightful

OSS wouldn't have fixed this, as I understand it. The 16 bit limit was a known and documented limitation of the system. There was even an upgrade path in place. It wasn't premature optimization - when written, saving those bits made a huge difference. They got bit by a combination of organizational inertia and bad luck more than anything.
Re:/. special gourmet quality fodder by clean_stoner · 2005-01-13 04:19 · Score: 2, Interesting

Yes, but when you feel that a law is not morally justified, civil disobedience is and has been in the past a legitimately recognized way of protesting it. Sure you run the risk of getting in trouble with the proper authorities if caught, but private citizens have no right attacking you. If I park my car in the middle of the road the police can arrest me or tow my car, but random guy X who's inconvenienced by being late to work doesn't have the right to get out of his car and start defacing mine. This is what Overpeer is doing with their malware bundled with the music files (I don't have a problem with bad music files, it's the malware that bothers me).

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Sigs are for the weak.
Re:/. special gourmet quality fodder by BlueCodeWarrior · 2005-01-13 06:02 · Score: 2, Insightful

Using it to exploit people is.
Original software by phorm · 2005-01-13 06:24 · Score: 2, Interesting

I download warez all the time. CD ISO's, and sometimes movies etc.

It's not illegal (not here), because I have the originals. The software I've yet to find a program for that will successfully rip an ISO mountable with daemontools (most ones I download don't work either, but eventually I usually get lucky). Movies I've just not the time to rip-and-reencode. But it's much nicer to have a bunch of 600MB DivX files so I can fit multiple movies onto a DVD (for travelling with my laptop) or CD-images so I don't need to constantly disc-swap.

And whose fault is it I'm downloading? The MPAA/Software venders, because they've installed anti-piracy measures that suck against piracy but restrict my legitimate imaging/etc. Is my downloading hurting anyone... no, but if the MPAA/RIAA seeds a network with virii it certainly could hurt my computer.