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?'"

6 of 82 comments (clear)

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!
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 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.
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.
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.

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One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.