Thank you. As a (strictly amateur, but who cares about that:) musician, I agree 100%. (And have been happy to read some of your rants on the subject in the past as well.)
Thanks for spending the time yelling and hollering to get these points across, because it saves me (and probably many others) the time to do exactly the same, and does a much better job of it than I could do myself. (My semi-factual incoherency in response to WinXP audio stuff could be found on LT yesterday, if you wanted to see concrete proof of that fact.:)
Please keep it up... and I'm going to check out your stuff... and probably buy something if I find anything to my taste, simply because I appreciate the effort. I believe you're speaking for a lot of us here, or just me at the very least.
And the CD burning on demand... wow. That is cool as hell. You're pointing out all kinds of things I hadn't heard of. Is there a good site for keeping up on these sorts of developments?
These sort of things get knocked around alot. And durability/reliability are doubly important for the multitrack machines. Be a shame to lose a great recording session, just cuz the drummer loses a stick and it whacks the unit halfway across the table.
(Yeah, a screwy example, but you get the point...)
I understand your point... but you're missing something. Candidates DO spend time in states with less than 10 electoral votes.
I'm in Oregon. We have a piddly 7 VOTES, even less than you.
But the republicans came here over 12 times in the last month or two. 12 TIMES! They were even in eastern oregon multiple times... do you have any idea of what kind of backwater that is? But they were there, stumping their hearts out.
The dems were out here a lot too... I just don't know the numbers. And you know Nader spends a lot of time out this way. It was unreal. All of these polititians fretting over my little (well, vote-wise) state. And last I heard, along with FL, we're too close to call.
Also... we had a mail-in ballot. It was great. I actually didn't mail it, I went to the courthouse and dropped it in a ballotbox myself, since I didn't fill it out till late. (After a certain day, you aren't supposed to mail it, since it might not get in on time.)
The ballot itself is very clear, has tons of info, and almost no opportunity for mix ups. And I was able to sit in my own living room and go over the whole thing (referencing all kinds of material) and even look up some things that I'd never heard of, so that I would actually know what I was marking in.
Everything is in columns, and clearly separated. The place to mark in your vote is on the right-hand side of each column. The "vote" column has big bold arrows that have a large gap in the middle, like this:
(Oh, hell... slashdot won't give me the tags I need to draw it out... darn.)
All you do is very clearly fill in the gap in the arrow that points to your choice. It's hard to explain well, but it's so easy, and so obvious. The way things should be, regardless of method.
Anyway, I was really happy with the way the mail-in vote worked, especially considering that this was the first one. What troubles they had (like getting them all in on time, etc) Are sure to be worked out. I also liked the ballot itself, and the method for marking your vote.
On the other hand, I DIDN'T like sorting through our 3 billion #$@&*ing measures! (Or 30, or whatever. Good thing we could do it at home, or we still wouldn't be done.)
I may be wrong... but wouldn't CD's deteriorate after that long? Or at least experience a little corruption?
And where will you find a CD player that far off?
Won't we be picking up info through embedded head antennae or something by then? A spinning disk with a player may seem absurd (and a little hard to come by) by then.
Note: Those of you simply suggesting ordinary databases don't have a clue as to what is actually involved. Yes, you need a database. But that is only one of MANY pieces that make up and automated library system. Commercial software for this stuff can cost tens and tens of thousands of dollars.
Moderators, please move that comment up. (I work for a City IS dept, and the libraries are my charge...)
This is a great rebuttal of a common arguement in this sort of topic. ("Well, they don't have playboy magazines, so why should they have internet porn?")
Libraries get to pick and choose what goes on the shelves in their buildings. They don't get to pick and choose what gets posted on the internet.
They pick things that are in demand by the patrons, and there are guidelines. Playboy (etc) is not in demand by patrons.
If it were, access to it would probably still be limited for many reasons, including:
1. Local persons would probably demand that it not be accessible to minors, and there are simple, EFFECTIVE, and reasonable methods of doing exactly that. Without affecting their access to other valid materials.
2. People tend to tear out pages in materials that show nudidy in some form. Which destroys the item. Strange, but true.
With current products, there is no way to achieve the result of #1 (in regards to internet access). Plus, this is a local decision, and should not blanket rule imposed by the fed gov.
If you're skilled enough to produce the result of #2 on a web page (destruction/defacement), a filtering package isn't going to be much of an obstacle to prevent it.:)
Quite right. Turin Turumbar (Son of Hurin, Cousin of Huor). Was also known as "Mormegil" meaning "The Black-Sword. Yep, he killed Glaurung. As he passed over a ravine. (Glaurung had no wings... he was an earlier, bigger, heaver dragon. Later they were smaller and winged. Possibly to avoid getting poked in the belly by "heroes" while climbing over stuff.:)
As for the sword itself, it was originally called Anglachel, and was made of "galvorn" by Eol, who first designed that particular metal. Which was devised from the stones of meteors. I think he only actually made two swords out of it.
One was given to Thingol, king of Doriath, whom gave it Beleg (Turin's elf-friend) to go look for Turin. Who took it as own after Beleg was killed. (By Turin, no less. Mistook him for an orc while waking up, not realising he'd been rescued. Pity.) He ended up breaking it soon after sticking the dragon... but I've told enough already.
The other, Eol kept himself. His son Maeglin (who eventually betrayed Gondolin to Melkor) inherited it when he was killed. I don't know what happened to that one.
If you liked the Silmarillion, read "Unfinished Tales". The Silmarillion is pretty condensed, and the stories are more "highlights" than anything else. In Unfinished Tales some of the best of the stories in the Silmarillion are told in full, and make for even better reading. Including "Narn I Hin Hurin" (The tale of the Children of Hurin), which is the story of Turin & co.
Yes, getting things streamlined and making public services available online has been a slow process. But it's getting done.
You have to remember that most things of this sort that you have to deal with are at the local government level. And there are many other issues that have to take precedence.
Like working water/sewer systems that don't overflow into rivers during major storms. Streets that don't tear up cars. Schools and libraries. Fire trucks that aren't on their last legs. And so on. Many places have a hard enough time budget-wise keeping up with these things. Making improvements is slow. It's hard to justify major investments in computer systems (let alone keeping up the ones already there) if they will cut into any of those type of things.
The other thing is people to do it. In most places the payscale for experienced IT persons to put this stuff together doesn't compare at all to the current market. Sometimes the pay can be literally almost half of what one can get working elsewhere.
It's hard to find people willing to take that much of a cut to try to make a difference in their local community. But some do it. (There are decent benefits, and good job security. But making half of what your compadres/buddies does kind of bite sometimes.) Please keep that in mind when complaining about lack of high-speed new-age services.
Some of us would like to do that. And will, eventually. (Free OS's on commodity hardware help.:) Everyone agrees that these things are good ideas and will save money in the long run. And make people happy.
But it's not on the top of most people's priority list's. I just saw the results of a public opinion survey this morning, so I'm not just talking about the politicians. (Who often are not much help where the wheel meets the road, either.)
Unless of course, you want to help. How about some hardware? Some volunteered time and expertise? That might be welcomed more readily than you might think. (Please - no political strings attached. Most of us actually doing the work don't care about that, and don't want to. We just fix things, and try to keep our feet away from the muck as much as possible.)
Anyway... enough of my little rant. Touched a nerve, I guess.:)
That would be my concern... will hardware players (Rio, Nomad, DVD&CD players that read MP3 off of CDR, etc) easily be upgraded to be able to read this?
I'd hate to have to encode my collection twice... to accomodate older hardware players. Or wait until some support this to buy any.
I was just about ready to get an in-dash CD player that reads MP3 off CDR/RW as well as audio CDs. Now what?
----- For the curious, I've seen two players like that. One by Kenwood (expensive), one by Aiwa (a bit better, pricewise).
Crap. I forgot to put my name in the box. This post was mine, if anyone cares. (A bit rambling and incoherent too, but I'll go ahead and claim it anyway...:)
Plastic trays?! No pouches?! You've got to be kidding me. And I haven't been out all that long, either.
I actually kinda like the ham slice. And the "omelet". Call me nuts, but I do.:) (You say you want to get rid of them? I'm almost tempted to take you up on that...)
I can't argue with the MBR for the first choice. But above all, my favorite is the incredible rush provided by:
1. Find the instant coffee, sugar packet, and creamer pouch. 2. Line them all up together in one hand, and tear the top off of all three at once. 3. Dump all three in mouth simultaneously. 4. Wash down with a single gulp of water. 5. Repeat steps 1-4 for everyone you find who doesn't want the coffee. 6. Smoke 'em if you got 'em, too. 7. Try not to explode with new-found "energy". 8. Try to stay out of trouble.:)
Helluva way to start the morning!
DO NOT TRY THIS IF YOU ACTUALLY ANTICIPATE COMBAT, USE OF WEAPONS OR OTHER DANGEROUS EQUIPMENT, OR IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A REPUTATION FOR ANNOYING OTHERS BOTH ABOVE AND BELOW YOU.
You could get yourself/others killed. Or in the last case, yourself killed/others thrown in the brig.
Enjoy!
Don't assume musicians can't figure it out...
on
Jazz++ 4.0 Released!
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· Score: 2
Not implying that you are, but I am starting to get a little irked about the number of posts about the aptitude of the average musician. (Not just your post, or this article. I'm talking about the past couple of weeks.)
The majority of musicians may not be incredibly computer literate. But then again, neither are the majority of computer users.:)
Most of them (non-literates) don't tend to hang out here very much, either.
I may do computers for a living, but I've been a musician for much longer. And so has my drummer. And quite a handful of other techies I know. (If fact, I can only think of one person in our whole IS department who ISN'T a musician on the side.) Not to mention the sound-engineer types. Ever play with multitrack recording, mixers, and all of the wacky electronic gadgets around nowadays? They're not exactly "point, click, and drool" (If it is, you're doing it wrong, and it probably sounds like crap, too.)
Even if a musician doesn't start out as some form of geek, many turn into one eventually. Or at least one person in every band will. (Someone has to figure out the equipment.) Unless, of course, they do absolutely nothing but bang on instruments, and never record anything unless a pro studio is doing the work for them. Which pretty much guarantees that they won't be sitting here reading Slashdot instead of solving peoples problems. Or trying to run Jazz on any *nix (or other) system.
Besides, what is a computer? Other than a really complicated instrument to be mastered, and to do/produce wonderful things with?
Another one I looked at was Gadget Labs. Under $300 for one of their 24bit cards. (They have others, but I was checking out that one.) They're based in Portland, Or (about an hour away from me). I called them up and asked about linux drivers, and was interested in buying. Needless to say, I didn't get very far.
The one mentioned in the last story on this (Hammermill? I forget exactly what it was) asounded interesting too.
That was me. Darn that "post anonymously" button. (In mozilla it looks like it is active. Click it, then submit, only to see that the depressed button became a checkmark. Whoops. Used to netscape, I guess.)
SquidGuard user page (has some block lists/patterns for use in above programs, and links to similar projects). http://cache.univ-tlse1.fr/documentations/cache/ squidguard_en.html#contrib
I repeat... I am not not supportive of filtering. But if it came down to it, these are probably far better than commercial closed-list solutions.
"Lots of things could conceivably be added -- A password system, perhaps. Or something to take info from a library card."
That's exactly what I mean. It should have the capability to check against a user database to see how it should be set for the session. It should be able to do this independentlty, but also be able to communicate with the patron database the library will likely already have. (Where all that data on your card is actually stored. You could either put in your card number by hand, or swipe it through a bar-code or magnetic reader. Then punch in a pin # and it knows who you are, and how things should be set.)
"The point is that the technology is better off in public hands."
And I think most librarians (certainly the ones here) would agree. Prossibly even the ALA might concede that to be better than the alternative.
"May I remind you too, that not only are these lists hidden, but it may very well be illegal to even attempt to unhide them?"
Very well aware. I actually have heard of a software package like we are talking about (%100 open and user controllable lists) and some pages with list files (plain text, of course) to plug into it. I have links somewhere... grrr, I hate it when I lose important stuff...
"According to the Digital Copyright act, getting around it technologically can get you dragged into court,"
Should I print the list on the back of a T-shirt?:-) (Got my DMCA shirt last Thurs...)
"It comes down to this: If the Open Source community doesn't have something available when these laws start passing, then something awful is going to become the standard."
Dang it! I think there is one. I'm going to look for it again. If I find it, I'll post a reply to this story... later.
Many libraries have a Library Automation System of some sort, which may be on the network.
This system will have patron records, including age, and optional fields. One of those fields could be used as a flag for parental "opinion" on internet use. (They want thier kid filtered, non-filtered, or whatever.)
If the software authenticated itself against the patron database (with a user login, or card-swipe or whatever) you could use the resulting data to tailor the actions of the software to the current session.
This could help give the user the kind of access they (or their parents, in the case of children) desire.
Add privacy screens to the monitors, and you have not too bad of a deal.
Note... I am a sysadmin in a library, but not exactly a programmer. I personally am opposed to filtering, but as you can see that choice can potentially be taken totally away from the library. We need to be prepared, just in case. This sort of software project would not be a bad idea. If nothing else, parents could use it at home for their own kids, using their OWN settings. Unlike commercial package, where the parent gets no choice at all.
As a side note, there is an open-source library automation system project in the works... http://osdls.library.arizona.edu The server is being rebuilt, so it's probably not there right now. (I just checked... it's not there, but apprently they're trying out the latest Slash code. Hmmm...)
Slashdot WILL remain independent. The reason is simple...
It is above all the gathering place of a community. It will be independent as long as we're here, and as long as we write the majority of the content people come here for.
Which we do.
Slashdot is indistinguishable from any other "weblog" or other site without us and the interactions that go on. Rob & Hemos would have a hell of a time conjuring up a good "Slashdot Effect" by themselves now, wouldn't they?
What is the Slashdot owned (now) by VA? Nothing more than a collection of links to stories, usually accompanied by a short summary. Once in a while they do their own articles (features, interviews, etc) also, but these are by no means the majority of postings.
There's hundreds of sites just like that. Maybe not as good, but still the same concept. And most aren't worth a whole lot. On this level, Slashdot just happens to have a lot of hits. So what. Where is the VALUE that makes Slashdot different?
That's to be found in the community here. Every single on of us posting, ranting, theorizing, and even trolling down here in the guts of it all. And the interaction between the people running the site and the community boiling around it. They set things up, and we knock them down. It's their baby, and they give it the "feel" that it has. But we're the guts that make it work.
Now... it'd be pretty difficult to buy off the whole Slashdot community. They're welcome to try, though:)
Here are a bunch of maybe relevant (or somewhat relevant) snippets from the DMCA.
They are extremely butchered, and I apologize for that. I'm trying to catch enough of anybody's attention to get them to actually go READ IT.
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/1201.html goes to "Sec. 1201. Circumvention of copyright protection systems ". This was posted earlier by
someone else (I forget who, but my thanks and all credit should go to them. Go ahead and mark me "redundant", but only if you actually followed their
link, and read it.:)
(Sorry about the plaintext... I'm on my way somewhere, and pressed for time)
I question the constitutionality of the DMCA and hope to see it challenged, but after reading it I wonder if this holds water even WITH the DMCA. Read
some of these unorganized bits, then go read the whole section to make sure you're getting it all in proper context. I may very well be wrong, and hope
someone who can follow this better than I can gets a chance to take a good look and maybe comment on what they think of it...
(And don't give me crap about cutting and pasting. I don't give a hoot about points, never have, and haven't even ever checked. I don't care... I just hope
(C) During the 2-year period described in subparagraph (A), and during each succeeding 3-year period, the Librarian of Congress, upon the
recommendation of the Register of Copyrights, who shall consult with the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information of the Department of
Commerce and report and comment on his or her views in making such recommendation, shall make the determination in a rulemaking proceeding on the
record for purposes of subparagraph (B) of whether persons who are users of a copyrighted work are, or are likely to be in the succeeding 3-year
period, adversely affected by the prohibition under subparagraph (A) in their ability to make noninfringing uses under this title of a particular class of
copyrighted works. In conducting such rulemaking, the Librarian shall examine -
(i) the availability for use of copyrighted works; (ii) the availability for use of works for nonprofit archival, preservation, and educational purposes; (iii) the impact that the prohibition on the circumvention of technological measures applied to copyrighted works has on criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research; (iv) the effect of circumvention of technological measures on the market for or value of copyrighted works; and (v) such other factors as the Librarian considers appropriate.
(D) The Librarian shall publish any class of copyrighted works for which the Librarian has determined, pursuant to the rulemaking conducted under
subparagraph (C), that noninfringing uses by persons who are users of a copyrighted work are, or are likely to be, adversely affected, and the
prohibition contained in subparagraph (A) shall not apply to such users with respect to such class of works for the ensuing 3-year period.
(c) Other Rights, Etc., Not Affected. - (1) Nothing in this section shall affect rights, remedies, limitations, or defenses to copyright infringement, including
fair use, under this title.
(4) Nothing in this section shall enlarge or diminish any rights of free speech or the press for activities using consumer electronics, telecommunications,
or computing products.
(f) Reverse Engineering. -
(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a)(1)(A), a person who has lawfully obtained the right to use a copy of a computer program may
circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a particular portion of that program for the sole purpose of identifying and
analyzing those elements of the program that are necessary to achieve interoperability of an independently created computer program with other
programs, and that have not previously been readily available to the person engaging in the circumvention, to the extent any such acts of identification
and analysis do not constitute infringement under this title.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a)(2) and (b), a person may develop and employ technological means to circumvent a technological
measure, or to circumvent protection afforded by a technological measure, in order to enable the identification and analysis under paragraph (1), or for
the purpose of enabling interoperability of an independently created computer program with other programs, if such means are necessary to achieve
such interoperability, to the extent that doing so does not constitute infringement under this title.
(4) For purposes of this subsection, the term ''interoperability'' means the ability of computer programs to exchange information, and of such programs
mutually to use the information which has been exchanged.
(g) Encryption Research. -
(2) Permissible acts of encryption research. - Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a)(1)(A), it is not a violation of that subsection for a person to circumvent a technological measure as applied to a copy, phonorecord, performance, or display of a published work in the course of an act of good faith encryption research if - (A) the person lawfully obtained the encrypted copy, phonorecord, performance, or display of the published work; (B) such act is neccessary to conduct such encryption research;
**************That's it... now go read it in full******************
>Which is more important, freedom to own property >or freedom of expression?
I would say equal. (I thought I was seeing one put over the other, and got a bit riled.:)
>Q: If you can't have complete ownership of the >media on which your art/expression is produced, >what good is the artistic expression? If the >government says you can't own a printing press, >TV station, web server, a DVD press, or paint & >a sign, you can't very well express yourself can >you? >A: Property rights are necessary for freedom of >expression (but not vice-versa), and therefore >more fundamental.
Good point. I now see where you're coming from.
>By my claiming that freedom to own property is >more important, I'm not saying freedom of >expression isn't important--I'm an _absolute_ >supporter of the 1st amendment & believe no >exceptions should be made. Free speech is the >2nd most important freedom.
I'll concede that. It would be pretty tough to play a bass (or anything else) if I wasn't allowed to own one. Or any of the peripheral equipment. Recording media would be a moot point, since there would be nothing to record. Except possibly me screaming unintelligible tirades against those that took my equipment away. I actually had about half of it ($2000 worth) stolen about a year ago, so I can definitely relate to that idea.
>However, studios have a right to own property, >also, and to say that they can't produce >encrypted media player is to deny that right.
Of course they have that right. They can produce whatever they want. But they shouldn't be able to keep anyone from doing what they want with it once they buy it. Or from using the full technical capabilities of said device/medium. Including recording capabilities. If one doesn't require encryption for their own material, (be it copies or original material) they should not have to become a licensee for it. (Either by going through a studio, or buying incredibly expensive licenced equipment to do it with.) You can now, but is there a guarantee it won't change? (At the rate they have been going, who knows. Look at DAT. It's a horribly expensive medium, simply because of the royalties squeezed out of both the players and media by the industry. They pretty much killed it as a consumer item before it even started, which I think they intended. (By recording industry, not the manufacturers. Perfect digital copies, way before CD-R and computer-centric methods were feasible for general public. They didn't like that too much.) Now it's very slowly dying out, except in pro recording studios. (Thanks to pro-level hard disk recording, both in computers and stand-alone devices. If you want to spend 1G+ on a recording device, and don't plan on building a professional studio around it, you might as well spring for the DAW.)
>On the other hand, when I purchace a DVD player, >I own it and can & should be able to reverse >engineer it.
I think we all agree on that one.
>On another tangent, I DO think that there should >be an antitrust investigation into the >entertainment conglomerates. I think that this >is what your post was refering to--not that they >are trying to deny property or free expression, >but that they are engaging in anticompetitive >tactics.
Sort of. From the point of view of the industry, it would be anticompetitive. In the sense of not allowing artists to compete with them by cutting them out of the picture and doing what they do on their own.
Which, from the artists point of view, is equivalent to limiting freedom of expression. (You can't distribute this to people without going through us.)
Which shows a fundamental difference between the two. The industry views it as pure business, and sees it as competition. Artists (not all, but many) view it as art, and see it as a first amendment issue. Go figure.
>You'll hear no argument from me, but freedom >from monopolies is a far, far less necessary >freedom than that of property or speech. As is >evidenced here, if we are fully able to exercise >our freedom of property to RE DVD keys, and can >exercise our freedom of speech to release the >code, all the tactics of the industry are moot.
Well put.
>Other points: >* The Matrix was the example from the original >poster. I would have said Pi.
:)
>* You want to use the exact same technologies as >in a DVD? One acronym: MPEG. You can press your >own unencrypted DVDs which will play in any >player. >>>You've created your entire argument >around the incorrect assumption that you need >the keys to make a DVD, BUT YOU'RE WRONG
You've probably guessed by now that I'm no expert on either video or DVD, and come more from the audio side of things. I'm extremely grateful that CDs, CD-ROMS, CD-R, audio tape, digital workstations, file formats, and MP3 all work as freely and interchangeably as they do. I'M nervous about DVD-Audio coming down the pipe. But...
Neither I nor the original poster said that content on DVD couldn't be distributed in that fashion right now. In fact, the first actually stated that it could be done currently. I just didn't bother repeating it. But they expressed concern (and I agreed) that given the level of respect for basic freedoms being displayed in this case, that it may not always be true.
He/(She? I dunno) feared that since:
a. The majority of the "authorized" content is in encrypted form
b. The only unencrypted material would be viewed by the industry as "unauthorized copies", "pirated material" or "self-produced non-studio content"
c: That the ability to play unencrypted content in mainstream stand-alone players could be removed in the near future as another "we're going to get around protected freedoms using technology as a cover" tactic.
Whether doing so is technically viable or not, I have no clue. But I hope not. And knowing that it isn't would ease a lot of the fears of both me and the original poster. (If you know, by all means pass it on!)
>[I am the AC to which you replied, BTW. I've >been posting to/. for 3 years now as such, and >CHOOSE not to create an account. I'll thank you >not to use/. AC/account class warfare as an >argument.]
My apologies, and I'd like to state that that was not my intention. (I'm a firm believer in the existence of "AC", and do not view it as a separate class. In fact I sometimes question the automatic difference in posting level between accounts and AC's, given the fact that just as many account users are simply noise-makers as AC's, and the best comments come from either or.) I find the account convenient for keeping settings, and finding replies to my (infrequent) posts. That's about it. (BTW, I'm not exactly a newbie here either. I was AC for a long time, and switched when the "account features" became tempting enough. I'm just one of the quieter ones, I guess.)
I was trying to paint a sort of comparison between the ability to put content on a particular medium without going through an authorization (i.e. recording one's own material on DVD without studio intervention) and the ability to post anonymously on slashdot.
Mix that very clumsily-worded comparison with a bit of:
a. Typical flamer rage (At the DVD thing, not you or your post. Not something I succomb to very often. Or am proud of after the fact.) b. A real touchy button (The idea of content control, and seemingly dismissed in your first post... but very well reassured in the second) c. Being a bit irked (Well, yes, at you, for dismissing something you've never heard or seen as lame. Another button of mine. He very well could be doing some of the best stuff we've ever seen. Some of the best artists are unknown before death, everyone knows that. But then again, he could really suck rocks. We don't know. And I tend to go off when artists are put down without even seeing thier work.)
And it tainted my post pretty bad, I have to admit. I repeat the apology.
But... it did get you to answer, and IMOHO I think your second post was much more valuable (and explains what you meant more clearly) than the first, so maybe some good came out of it in the end.:)
That's what Slashdot is for, right? Hacking out not just technology, but our own ideas and opinions with the aid of/interchange with others to learn things and get a clearer view of the world around us.
(How's that for a confusing, schmoozy-assed closing!)
Slashdot Mirror
Thank you. As a (strictly amateur, but who cares about that :) musician, I agree 100%. (And have been happy to read some of your rants on the subject in the past as well.)
:)
Thanks for spending the time yelling and hollering to get these points across, because it saves me (and probably many others) the time to do exactly the same, and does a much better job of it than I could do myself. (My semi-factual incoherency in response to WinXP audio stuff could be found on LT yesterday, if you wanted to see concrete proof of that fact.
Please keep it up... and I'm going to check out your stuff... and probably buy something if I find anything to my taste, simply because I appreciate the effort. I believe you're speaking for a lot of us here, or just me at the very least.
And the CD burning on demand... wow. That is cool as hell. You're pointing out all kinds of things I hadn't heard of. Is there a good site for keeping up on these sorts of developments?
This would be very nice for dedicated machines that use hard drives...
Standalone Digital Audio Workstations:
MP3 Players:
These sort of things get knocked around alot. And durability/reliability are doubly important for the multitrack machines. Be a shame to lose a great recording session, just cuz the drummer loses a stick and it whacks the unit halfway across the table.
(Yeah, a screwy example, but you get the point...)
I understand your point... but you're missing something. Candidates DO spend time in states with less than 10 electoral votes.
I'm in Oregon. We have a piddly 7 VOTES, even less than you.
But the republicans came here over 12 times in the last month or two. 12 TIMES! They were even in eastern oregon multiple times... do you have any idea of what kind of backwater that is? But they were there, stumping their hearts out.
The dems were out here a lot too... I just don't know the numbers. And you know Nader spends a lot of time out this way. It was unreal. All of these polititians fretting over my little (well, vote-wise) state. And last I heard, along with FL, we're too close to call.
Also... we had a mail-in ballot. It was great. I actually didn't mail it, I went to the courthouse and dropped it in a ballotbox myself, since I didn't fill it out till late. (After a certain day, you aren't supposed to mail it, since it might not get in on time.)
The ballot itself is very clear, has tons of info, and almost no opportunity for mix ups. And I was able to sit in my own living room and go over the whole thing (referencing all kinds of material) and even look up some things that I'd never heard of, so that I would actually know what I was marking in.
Everything is in columns, and clearly separated. The place to mark in your vote is on the right-hand side of each column. The "vote" column has big bold arrows that have a large gap in the middle, like this:
(Oh, hell... slashdot won't give me the tags I need to draw it out... darn.)
All you do is very clearly fill in the gap in the arrow that points to your choice. It's hard to explain well, but it's so easy, and so obvious. The way things should be, regardless of method.
Anyway, I was really happy with the way the mail-in vote worked, especially considering that this was the first one. What troubles they had (like getting them all in on time, etc) Are sure to be worked out. I also liked the ballot itself, and the method for marking your vote.
On the other hand, I DIDN'T like sorting through our 3 billion #$@&*ing measures! (Or 30, or whatever. Good thing we could do it at home, or we still wouldn't be done.)
Personally, I'd add "Carrie", and "Needful Things" to that list of decent Stephen King movies. (Coming from not the biggest SK fan on earth.)
:)
Of course not as good as the books (The book Carrie rocked), but what movie is? I do think these two stood on their own as pretty good movies, though.
On all other points... wholeheartedly agreed.
Maybe too easy for them (or others) to look for. How about this...
www.domainname.com/com/domainname/www/decss.zip
or
www.domainname.com/de/domainname/css/decss.zip
Or something like that?
I may be wrong... but wouldn't CD's deteriorate after that long? Or at least experience a little corruption?
And where will you find a CD player that far off?
Won't we be picking up info through embedded head antennae or something by then? A spinning disk with a player may seem absurd (and a little hard to come by) by then.
about it... guess they better. Then again, they didn't offer much explanation. Figures.
Open Source Digital Library System
Note: Those of you simply suggesting ordinary databases don't have a clue as to what is actually involved. Yes, you need a database. But that is only one of MANY pieces that make up and automated library system. Commercial software for this stuff can cost tens and tens of thousands of dollars.
An open source system would be welcome, indeed.
Moderators, please move that comment up. (I work for a City IS dept, and the libraries are my charge...)
:)
This is a great rebuttal of a common arguement in this sort of topic. ("Well, they don't have playboy magazines, so why should they have internet porn?")
Libraries get to pick and choose what goes on the shelves in their buildings. They don't get to pick and choose what gets posted on the internet.
They pick things that are in demand by the patrons, and there are guidelines. Playboy (etc) is not in demand by patrons.
If it were, access to it would probably still be limited for many reasons, including:
1. Local persons would probably demand that it not be accessible to minors, and there are simple, EFFECTIVE, and reasonable methods of doing exactly that. Without affecting their access to other valid materials.
2. People tend to tear out pages in materials that show nudidy in some form. Which destroys the item. Strange, but true.
With current products, there is no way to achieve the result of #1 (in regards to internet access). Plus, this is a local decision, and should not blanket rule imposed by the fed gov.
If you're skilled enough to produce the result of #2 on a web page (destruction/defacement), a filtering package isn't going to be much of an obstacle to prevent it.
Quite right. Turin Turumbar (Son of Hurin, Cousin of Huor). Was also known as "Mormegil" meaning "The Black-Sword. Yep, he killed Glaurung. As he passed over a ravine. (Glaurung had no wings... he was an earlier, bigger, heaver dragon. Later they were smaller and winged. Possibly to avoid getting poked in the belly by "heroes" while climbing over stuff. :)
As for the sword itself, it was originally called Anglachel, and was made of "galvorn" by Eol, who first designed that particular metal. Which was devised from the stones of meteors. I think he only actually made two swords out of it.
One was given to Thingol, king of Doriath, whom gave it Beleg (Turin's elf-friend) to go look for Turin. Who took it as own after Beleg was killed. (By Turin, no less. Mistook him for an orc while waking up, not realising he'd been rescued. Pity.) He ended up breaking it soon after sticking the dragon... but I've told enough already.
The other, Eol kept himself. His son Maeglin (who eventually betrayed Gondolin to Melkor) inherited it when he was killed. I don't know what happened to that one.
If you liked the Silmarillion, read "Unfinished Tales". The Silmarillion is pretty condensed, and the stories are more "highlights" than anything else. In Unfinished Tales some of the best of the stories in the Silmarillion are told in full, and make for even better reading. Including "Narn I Hin Hurin" (The tale of the Children of Hurin), which is the story of Turin & co.
Yes, getting things streamlined and making public services available online has been a slow process. But it's getting done.
:) Everyone agrees that these things are good ideas and will save money in the long run. And make people happy.
:)
You have to remember that most things of this sort that you have to deal with are at the local government level. And there are many other issues that have to take precedence.
Like working water/sewer systems that don't overflow into rivers during major storms. Streets that don't tear up cars. Schools and libraries. Fire trucks that aren't on their last legs. And so on. Many places have a hard enough time budget-wise keeping up with these things. Making improvements is slow. It's hard to justify major investments in computer systems (let alone keeping up the ones already there) if they will cut into any of those type of things.
The other thing is people to do it. In most places the payscale for experienced IT persons to put this stuff together doesn't compare at all to the current market. Sometimes the pay can be literally almost half of what one can get working elsewhere.
It's hard to find people willing to take that much of a cut to try to make a difference in their local community. But some do it. (There are decent benefits, and good job security. But making half of what your compadres/buddies does kind of bite sometimes.) Please keep that in mind when complaining about lack of high-speed new-age services.
Some of us would like to do that. And will, eventually. (Free OS's on commodity hardware help.
But it's not on the top of most people's priority list's. I just saw the results of a public opinion survey this morning, so I'm not just talking about the politicians. (Who often are not much help where the wheel meets the road, either.)
Unless of course, you want to help. How about some hardware? Some volunteered time and expertise? That might be welcomed more readily than you might think. (Please - no political strings attached. Most of us actually doing the work don't care about that, and don't want to. We just fix things, and try to keep our feet away from the muck as much as possible.)
Anyway... enough of my little rant. Touched a nerve, I guess.
That would be my concern... will hardware players (Rio, Nomad, DVD&CD players that read MP3 off of CDR, etc) easily be upgraded to be able to read this?
I'd hate to have to encode my collection twice... to accomodate older hardware players. Or wait until some support this to buy any.
I was just about ready to get an in-dash CD player that reads MP3 off CDR/RW as well as audio CDs. Now what?
----- For the curious, I've seen two players like that. One by Kenwood (expensive), one by Aiwa (a bit better, pricewise).
Crap. I forgot to put my name in the box. This post was mine, if anyone cares. (A bit rambling and incoherent too, but I'll go ahead and claim it anyway... :)
Plastic trays?! No pouches?! You've got to be kidding me. And I haven't been out all that long, either.
:) (You say you want to get rid of them? I'm almost tempted to take you up on that...)
:)
I actually kinda like the ham slice. And the "omelet". Call me nuts, but I do.
I can't argue with the MBR for the first choice.
But above all, my favorite is the incredible rush provided by:
1. Find the instant coffee, sugar packet, and creamer pouch.
2. Line them all up together in one hand, and tear the top off of all three at once.
3. Dump all three in mouth simultaneously.
4. Wash down with a single gulp of water.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 for everyone you find who doesn't want the coffee.
6. Smoke 'em if you got 'em, too.
7. Try not to explode with new-found "energy".
8. Try to stay out of trouble.
Helluva way to start the morning!
DO NOT TRY THIS IF YOU ACTUALLY ANTICIPATE COMBAT, USE OF WEAPONS OR OTHER DANGEROUS EQUIPMENT, OR IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A REPUTATION FOR ANNOYING OTHERS BOTH ABOVE AND BELOW YOU.
You could get yourself/others killed. Or in the last case, yourself killed/others thrown in the brig.
Enjoy!
Not implying that you are, but I am starting to get a little irked about the number of posts about the aptitude of the average musician. (Not just your post, or this article. I'm talking about the past couple of weeks.)
:)
:)
The majority of musicians may not be incredibly computer literate. But then again, neither are the majority of computer users.
Most of them (non-literates) don't tend to hang out here very much, either.
I may do computers for a living, but I've been a musician for much longer. And so has my drummer. And quite a handful of other techies I know. (If fact, I can only think of one person in our whole IS department who ISN'T a musician on the side.) Not to mention the sound-engineer types. Ever play with multitrack recording, mixers, and all of the wacky electronic gadgets around nowadays? They're not exactly "point, click, and drool" (If it is, you're doing it wrong, and it probably sounds like crap, too.)
Even if a musician doesn't start out as some form of geek, many turn into one eventually. Or at least one person in every band will. (Someone has to figure out the equipment.) Unless, of course, they do absolutely nothing but bang on instruments, and never record anything unless a pro studio is doing the work for them. Which pretty much guarantees that they won't be sitting here reading Slashdot instead of solving peoples problems. Or trying to run Jazz on any *nix (or other) system.
Besides, what is a computer? Other than a really complicated instrument to be mastered, and to do/produce wonderful things with?
Isn't that what musicians like to do?
Isn't that what programmers/techs like to do?
You see where I'm going with this, right?
The one mentioned in the last story on this (Hammermill? I forget exactly what it was) asounded interesting too.
Active Guardian
/ squidguard_en.html#contrib
http://www.activeguardian.com
SquidGuard
http://info.ost.eltele.no/freeware/squidGuard/
SquidGuard user page (has some block lists/patterns for use in above programs, and links to similar projects).
http://cache.univ-tlse1.fr/documentations/cache
I repeat... I am not not supportive of filtering. But if it came down to it, these are probably far better than commercial closed-list solutions.
"Lots of things could conceivably be added -- A password system, perhaps. Or something to take info from a library card."
:-) (Got my DMCA shirt last Thurs...)
That's exactly what I mean. It should have the capability to check against a user database to see how it should be set for the session. It should be able to do this independentlty, but also be able to communicate with the patron database the library will likely already have. (Where all that data on your card is actually stored. You could either put in your card number by hand, or swipe it through a bar-code or magnetic reader. Then punch in a pin # and it knows who you are, and how things should be set.)
"The point is that the technology is better off in public hands."
And I think most librarians (certainly the ones here) would agree. Prossibly even the ALA might concede that to be better than the alternative.
"May I remind you too, that not only are these lists hidden, but it may very well be illegal to even attempt to unhide them?"
Very well aware. I actually have heard of a software package like we are talking about (%100 open and user controllable lists) and some pages with list files (plain text, of course) to plug into it. I have links somewhere... grrr, I hate it when I lose important stuff...
"According to the Digital Copyright act, getting around it technologically can get you dragged into court,"
Should I print the list on the back of a T-shirt?
"It comes down to this: If the Open Source community doesn't have something available when these laws start passing, then something awful is going to become the standard."
Dang it! I think there is one. I'm going to look for it again. If I find it, I'll post a reply to this story... later.
Many libraries have a Library Automation System of some sort, which may be on the network.
This system will have patron records, including age, and optional fields. One of those fields could be used as a flag for parental "opinion" on internet use. (They want thier kid filtered, non-filtered, or whatever.)
If the software authenticated itself against the patron database (with a user login, or card-swipe or whatever) you could use the resulting data to tailor the actions of the software to the current session.
This could help give the user the kind of access they (or their parents, in the case of children) desire.
Add privacy screens to the monitors, and you have not too bad of a deal.
Note... I am a sysadmin in a library, but not exactly a programmer. I personally am opposed to filtering, but as you can see that choice can potentially be taken totally away from the library. We need to be prepared, just in case. This sort of software project would not be a bad idea. If nothing else, parents could use it at home for their own kids, using their OWN settings. Unlike commercial package, where the parent gets no choice at all.
As a side note, there is an open-source library automation system project in the works...
http://osdls.library.arizona.edu
The server is being rebuilt, so it's probably not there right now. (I just checked... it's not there, but apprently they're trying out the latest Slash code. Hmmm...)
Slashdot WILL remain independent. The reason is simple...
:)
It is above all the gathering place of a community. It will be independent as long as we're here, and as long as we write the majority of the content people come here for.
Which we do.
Slashdot is indistinguishable from any other "weblog" or other site without us and the interactions that go on. Rob & Hemos would have a hell of a time conjuring up a good "Slashdot Effect" by themselves now, wouldn't they?
What is the Slashdot owned (now) by VA? Nothing more than a collection of links to stories, usually accompanied by a short summary. Once in a while they do their own articles (features, interviews, etc) also, but these are by no means the majority of postings.
There's hundreds of sites just like that. Maybe not as good, but still the same concept. And most aren't worth a whole lot. On this level, Slashdot just happens to have a lot of hits. So what. Where is the VALUE that makes Slashdot different?
That's to be found in the community here. Every single on of us posting, ranting, theorizing, and even trolling down here in the guts of it all. And the interaction between the people running the site and the community boiling around it. They set things up, and we knock them down. It's their baby, and they give it the "feel" that it has. But we're the guts that make it work.
Now... it'd be pretty difficult to buy off the whole Slashdot community. They're welcome to try, though
Here are a bunch of maybe relevant (or somewhat relevant) snippets from the DMCA.
:)
They are extremely butchered, and I apologize for that. I'm trying to catch enough of anybody's attention to get them to actually go READ IT.
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/1201.html goes to "Sec. 1201. Circumvention of copyright protection systems ". This was posted earlier by
someone else (I forget who, but my thanks and all credit should go to them. Go ahead and mark me "redundant", but only if you actually followed their
link, and read it.
(Sorry about the plaintext... I'm on my way somewhere, and pressed for time)
I question the constitutionality of the DMCA and hope to see it challenged, but after reading it I wonder if this holds water even WITH the DMCA. Read
some of these unorganized bits, then go read the whole section to make sure you're getting it all in proper context. I may very well be wrong, and hope
someone who can follow this better than I can gets a chance to take a good look and maybe comment on what they think of it...
(And don't give me crap about cutting and pasting. I don't give a hoot about points, never have, and haven't even ever checked. I don't care... I just hope
someone can see and interpret this stuff for us.)
************************************DMCA Snippets***************************
(C) During the 2-year period described in subparagraph (A), and during each succeeding 3-year period, the Librarian of Congress, upon the
recommendation of the Register of Copyrights, who shall consult with the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information of the Department of
Commerce and report and comment on his or her views in making such recommendation, shall make the determination in a rulemaking proceeding on the
record for purposes of subparagraph (B) of whether persons who are users of a copyrighted work are, or are likely to be in the succeeding 3-year
period, adversely affected by the prohibition under subparagraph (A) in their ability to make noninfringing uses under this title of a particular class of
copyrighted works. In conducting such rulemaking, the Librarian shall examine -
(i) the availability for use of copyrighted works;
(ii) the availability for use of works for nonprofit archival,
preservation, and educational purposes;
(iii) the impact that the prohibition on the circumvention of
technological measures applied to copyrighted works has on
criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or
research;
(iv) the effect of circumvention of technological measures on
the market for or value of copyrighted works; and
(v) such other factors as the Librarian considers appropriate.
(D) The Librarian shall publish any class of copyrighted works for which the Librarian has determined, pursuant to the rulemaking conducted under
subparagraph (C), that noninfringing uses by persons who are users of a copyrighted work are, or are likely to be, adversely affected, and the
prohibition contained in subparagraph (A) shall not apply to such users with respect to such class of works for the ensuing 3-year period.
(c) Other Rights, Etc., Not Affected. - (1) Nothing in this section shall affect rights, remedies, limitations, or defenses to copyright infringement, including
fair use, under this title.
(4) Nothing in this section shall enlarge or diminish any rights of free speech or the press for activities using consumer electronics, telecommunications,
or computing products.
(f) Reverse Engineering. -
(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a)(1)(A), a person who has lawfully obtained the right to use a copy of a computer program may
circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a particular portion of that program for the sole purpose of identifying and
analyzing those elements of the program that are necessary to achieve interoperability of an independently created computer program with other
programs, and that have not previously been readily available to the person engaging in the circumvention, to the extent any such acts of identification
and analysis do not constitute infringement under this title.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a)(2) and (b), a person may develop and employ technological means to circumvent a technological
measure, or to circumvent protection afforded by a technological measure, in order to enable the identification and analysis under paragraph (1), or for
the purpose of enabling interoperability of an independently created computer program with other programs, if such means are necessary to achieve
such interoperability, to the extent that doing so does not constitute infringement under this title.
(4) For purposes of this subsection, the term ''interoperability'' means the ability of computer programs to exchange information, and of such programs
mutually to use the information which has been exchanged.
(g) Encryption Research. -
(2) Permissible acts of encryption research. - Notwithstanding
the provisions of subsection (a)(1)(A), it is not a violation of
that subsection for a person to circumvent a technological
measure as applied to a copy, phonorecord, performance, or
display of a published work in the course of an act of good faith
encryption research if -
(A) the person lawfully obtained the encrypted copy,
phonorecord, performance, or display of the published work;
(B) such act is neccessary to conduct such encryption
research;
**************That's it... now go read it in full******************
As many others have. Got that nifty Copyleft T-Shirt, too.
:)
Get that shirt people. What can they do. Ask you to take it off?
(Would they really want you to?
Reading all the comments on Slashdot takes up a lot of time these days...
>Which is more important, freedom to own property >or freedom of expression?
:)
/. for 3 years now as such, and >CHOOSE not to create an account. I'll thank you >not to use /. AC/account class warfare as an >argument.]
:)
I would say equal. (I thought I was seeing one put over the other, and got a bit riled.
>Q: If you can't have complete ownership of the >media on which your art/expression is produced, >what good is the artistic expression? If the >government says you can't own a printing press, >TV station, web server, a DVD press, or paint & >a sign, you can't very well express yourself can >you?
>A: Property rights are necessary for freedom of >expression (but not vice-versa), and therefore >more fundamental.
Good point. I now see where you're coming from.
>By my claiming that freedom to own property is >more important, I'm not saying freedom of >expression isn't important--I'm an _absolute_ >supporter of the 1st amendment & believe no >exceptions should be made. Free speech is the >2nd most important freedom.
I'll concede that. It would be pretty tough to play a bass (or anything else) if I wasn't allowed to own one. Or any of the peripheral equipment. Recording media would be a moot point, since there would be nothing to record. Except possibly me screaming unintelligible tirades against those that took my equipment away. I actually had about half of it ($2000 worth) stolen about a year ago, so I can definitely relate to that idea.
>However, studios have a right to own property, >also, and to say that they can't produce >encrypted media player is to deny that right.
Of course they have that right. They can produce whatever they want. But they shouldn't be able to keep anyone from doing what they want with it once they buy it. Or from using the full technical capabilities of said device/medium. Including recording capabilities. If one doesn't require encryption for their own material, (be it copies or original material) they should not have to become a licensee for it. (Either by going through a studio, or buying incredibly expensive licenced equipment to do it with.) You can now, but is there a guarantee it won't change? (At the rate they have been going, who knows. Look at DAT. It's a horribly expensive medium, simply because of the royalties squeezed out of both the players and media by the industry. They pretty much killed it as a consumer item before it even started, which I think they intended. (By recording industry, not the manufacturers. Perfect digital copies, way before CD-R and computer-centric methods were feasible for general public. They didn't like that too much.) Now it's very slowly dying out, except in pro recording studios. (Thanks to pro-level hard disk recording, both in computers and stand-alone devices. If you want to spend 1G+ on a recording device, and don't plan on building a professional studio around it, you might as well spring for the DAW.)
>On the other hand, when I purchace a DVD player, >I own it and can & should be able to reverse >engineer it.
I think we all agree on that one.
>On another tangent, I DO think that there should >be an antitrust investigation into the >entertainment conglomerates. I think that this >is what your post was refering to--not that they >are trying to deny property or free expression, >but that they are engaging in anticompetitive >tactics.
Sort of. From the point of view of the industry, it would be anticompetitive. In the sense of not allowing artists to compete with them by cutting them out of the picture and doing what they do on their own.
Which, from the artists point of view, is equivalent to limiting freedom of expression. (You can't distribute this to people without going through us.)
Which shows a fundamental difference between the two. The industry views it as pure business, and sees it as competition. Artists (not all, but many) view it as art, and see it as a first amendment issue. Go figure.
>You'll hear no argument from me, but freedom >from monopolies is a far, far less necessary >freedom than that of property or speech. As is >evidenced here, if we are fully able to exercise >our freedom of property to RE DVD keys, and can >exercise our freedom of speech to release the >code, all the tactics of the industry are moot.
Well put.
>Other points:
>* The Matrix was the example from the original >poster. I would have said Pi.
:)
>* You want to use the exact same technologies as >in a DVD? One acronym: MPEG. You can press your >own unencrypted DVDs which will play in any >player. >>>You've created your entire argument >around the incorrect assumption that you need >the keys to make a DVD, BUT YOU'RE WRONG
You've probably guessed by now that I'm no expert on either video or DVD, and come more from the audio side of things. I'm extremely grateful that CDs, CD-ROMS, CD-R, audio tape, digital workstations, file formats, and MP3 all work as freely and interchangeably as they do. I'M nervous about DVD-Audio coming down the pipe. But...
Neither I nor the original poster said that content on DVD couldn't be distributed in that fashion right now. In fact, the first actually stated that it could be done currently. I just didn't bother repeating it. But they expressed concern (and I agreed) that given the level of respect for basic freedoms being displayed in this case, that it may not always be true.
He/(She? I dunno) feared that since:
a. The majority of the "authorized" content is in encrypted form
b. The only unencrypted material would be viewed by the industry as "unauthorized copies", "pirated material" or "self-produced non-studio content"
c: That the ability to play unencrypted content in mainstream stand-alone players could be removed in the near future as another "we're going to get around protected freedoms using technology as a cover" tactic.
Whether doing so is technically viable or not, I have no clue. But I hope not. And knowing that it isn't would ease a lot of the fears of both me and the original poster. (If you know, by all means pass it on!)
>[I am the AC to which you replied, BTW. I've >been posting to
My apologies, and I'd like to state that that was not my intention. (I'm a firm believer in the existence of "AC", and do not view it as a separate class. In fact I sometimes question the automatic difference in posting level between accounts and AC's, given the fact that just as many account users are simply noise-makers as AC's, and the best comments come from either or.) I find the account convenient for keeping settings, and finding replies to my (infrequent) posts. That's about it. (BTW, I'm not exactly a newbie here either. I was AC for a long time, and switched when the "account features" became tempting enough. I'm just one of the quieter ones, I guess.)
I was trying to paint a sort of comparison between the ability to put content on a particular medium without going through an authorization (i.e. recording one's own material on DVD without studio intervention) and the ability to post anonymously on slashdot.
Mix that very clumsily-worded comparison with a bit of:
a. Typical flamer rage (At the DVD thing, not you or your post. Not something I succomb to very often. Or am proud of after the fact.)
b. A real touchy button (The idea of content control, and seemingly dismissed in your first post... but very well reassured in the second)
c. Being a bit irked (Well, yes, at you, for dismissing something you've never heard or seen as lame. Another button of mine. He very well could be doing some of the best stuff we've ever seen. Some of the best artists are unknown before death, everyone knows that. But then again, he could really suck rocks. We don't know. And I tend to go off when artists are put down without even seeing thier work.)
And it tainted my post pretty bad, I have to admit. I repeat the apology.
But... it did get you to answer, and IMOHO I think your second post was much more valuable (and explains what you meant more clearly) than the first, so maybe some good came out of it in the end.
That's what Slashdot is for, right? Hacking out not just technology, but our own ideas and opinions with the aid of/interchange with others to learn things and get a clearer view of the world around us.
(How's that for a confusing, schmoozy-assed closing!)