Exactly. Crack down for ten or twenty years, then hold up your end of the bargain and release it into the public domain. If you haven't made money from it in twenty years, you're not going to anyway.
Those things are important for life like us, true. But just because sci-fi has us picturing bumpy-headed humanoids doesn't mean that's what we're likely to find. Life exists in some pretty weird forms in some pretty weird places on this rock. We'll probably be amazed and confused by what we find somehere else; we might not even recognize it as life at first.
Look at how long it took to adopt fuel injection across the board. If I rememebr right, there were still carburetors on new cars into the early 90s. Electronic ignition, same deal. And how many GM engines are still overhead-valve with pushrods?
Although CDs played immediately, to play DVDs I had to locate and install some files that bypass content protection coding. The website I acquired them from, www.getautomatix.com , warned me that I might be installing something illegal, but I said, "Yarrr, matey", and clicked the install button. Automatix installed itself, then I selected what I needed. More files were downloaded and installed... really automagically! After that DVDs worked. I have no clue what it did, and that's the way I like it.
IOW, normal usage of the DVDs (not even gray-area "fair use" copying, but normal playback), on her fully-owned and legally-obtained system, was broken until she installed something that "may be illegal." This is a point we need to make noise about: DRM can make it impossible to simply watch a purchased movie.
I know, not exactly news (to readers here anyway), but it's another opportunity to point it out.
A wall of hyperlinks on two different eye-searing colors of background does not really count as "organizing the content well."
A complete lack of visual appeal is one thing if you're looking for a free sofa, but to claim that any concession to aesthetics is unneccesary and should be avoided is just plain silly.
I drove a manual transmission until I moved to Los Angeles. With as much stop-and-go traffic as there is around here, it's really hard to be smooth with one (I was making my SO seasick and wearing out my left leg). But once we get out of the automotive hell that is Southern California, I'm ditching the automatic. Real cars have three pedals.
One, they're spending a metric fuckload of money to do it. Two, they're going to charge us a lot of money per card. And three, I already waste enough time standing in enough lines so that some asshole in a suit can feel self-important.
YOU may not mind, but I sure as hell do. And it's not because of some "conspiracy;" it's because it's a fucking expensive hassle for no reason besides a bunch of politicians waving their dicks around. Fuck them.
I won't see the ads if I'm not even watching the show. My wife and I dropped down to basic cable (20 channels, $16/mo) earlier this year, and if they somehow manage to disable the FF button on our Tivo, I'll just stop watching altogether. I keep saying I should read more, anyway.
Between running from polar bears and smoke-monsters, and rescuing people kidnapped by the "others," who has time to play a game? Besides, Sawyer took all the GameBoys for himself.
$1.29 for a new song with no DRM is fine with me, as long as the price goes down with the age/popularity of the song.
I don't buy much new stuff, and it kinda annoys me to have to shell out a buck for a song by a band that doesn't even exist anymore. Make this month's flavors $1.29, this year's hot bands 99c, and older stuff between 50c and free, and I'll use the iTunes music store a hell of a lot more, and not just for freebie stuff. And if somebody uses an old song in a movie or TV show and it gets popular again, start charging for it again.
Charge for the stuff you just made to recoup your expenses. That's fair. But a 20 year old song that maybe 10 people a year search for, just let me have the damn thing.
Well, I don't know about newer laptops, but I have an ancient ThinkPad 380D running Damn Small Linux that has about twice the battery life it did in its former life as a Windows 98 machine. It seems like both the HD and the cooling fan run less often now.
If Congress is forced to "act" by re-evaluating the entire copyright system, discovering the unfairness and complete futility of the DMCA, defining fair use, and shifting the balance of power back to the citizens (not "consumers"), then that could be a good thing...
Ah, but a hammer is a gateway tool. Everyone knows that. You start out innocently, pounding a few nails, and pretty soon it isn't enough. You start in with the saws, and drills, and one day, someone offers you a pneumatic nail gun. One hit, and you're hooked. You'll spend all yur time wandering around Home Depot, looking for your next fix.
"C'mon, man, just one little Dremel tool. That's all I need. I'm good for it, I swear."
I've always hated that. Especially when it's a preview for some crap movie you'd never watch anyway. I usually hit "Mute," then use the time to go prepare a snack.
As for the topic of ad-supported downloads, well, if there's an easy way to chop the ads off it, I'd do it. But I subscribe to XM radio, watch TV through a Tivo, and use AdBlock, just to avoid as many commercials as I can. And unless I know it's going to be a packed house, I try to show up to the movies a little late, too.
They want to give me something ad-sponsored for free? Great. Still can't make me pay attention to the ads, though. Un-skippable doesn't mean un-ignorable.
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Exactly. Crack down for ten or twenty years, then hold up your end of the bargain and release it into the public domain. If you haven't made money from it in twenty years, you're not going to anyway.
You don't need cryogenic centers. Two guys with a phone booth will do just fine.
"Hello San Dimas!"
Those things are important for life like us, true. But just because sci-fi has us picturing bumpy-headed humanoids doesn't mean that's what we're likely to find. Life exists in some pretty weird forms in some pretty weird places on this rock. We'll probably be amazed and confused by what we find somehere else; we might not even recognize it as life at first.
The secret is to bang the rocks together, guys.
Look at how long it took to adopt fuel injection across the board. If I rememebr right, there were still carburetors on new cars into the early 90s. Electronic ignition, same deal. And how many GM engines are still overhead-valve with pushrods?
in light of the ongoing battle over DRM:
Although CDs played immediately, to play DVDs I had to locate and install some files that bypass content protection coding. The website I acquired them from, www.getautomatix.com , warned me that I might be installing something illegal, but I said, "Yarrr, matey", and clicked the install button. Automatix installed itself, then I selected what I needed. More files were downloaded and installedIOW, normal usage of the DVDs (not even gray-area "fair use" copying, but normal playback), on her fully-owned and legally-obtained system, was broken until she installed something that "may be illegal." This is a point we need to make noise about: DRM can make it impossible to simply watch a purchased movie.
I know, not exactly news (to readers here anyway), but it's another opportunity to point it out.
A wall of hyperlinks on two different eye-searing colors of background does not really count as "organizing the content well."
A complete lack of visual appeal is one thing if you're looking for a free sofa, but to claim that any concession to aesthetics is unneccesary and should be avoided is just plain silly.
Stop. Calling. Me. A. Fucking. CONSUMER!!!
This makes me really happy I ditched my cable TV earlier this year.
"We Didn't Start the Fire" was '89. But that Proclaimers song was like '92-93.
I could probably come up with a list of songs I'd like to see, but I'd be here all day...
I drove a manual transmission until I moved to Los Angeles. With as much stop-and-go traffic as there is around here, it's really hard to be smooth with one (I was making my SO seasick and wearing out my left leg). But once we get out of the automotive hell that is Southern California, I'm ditching the automatic. Real cars have three pedals.
One, they're spending a metric fuckload of money to do it. Two, they're going to charge us a lot of money per card. And three, I already waste enough time standing in enough lines so that some asshole in a suit can feel self-important.
YOU may not mind, but I sure as hell do. And it's not because of some "conspiracy;" it's because it's a fucking expensive hassle for no reason besides a bunch of politicians waving their dicks around. Fuck them.
I won't see the ads if I'm not even watching the show. My wife and I dropped down to basic cable (20 channels, $16/mo) earlier this year, and if they somehow manage to disable the FF button on our Tivo, I'll just stop watching altogether. I keep saying I should read more, anyway.
Between running from polar bears and smoke-monsters, and rescuing people kidnapped by the "others," who has time to play a game? Besides, Sawyer took all the GameBoys for himself.
$1.29 for a new song with no DRM is fine with me, as long as the price goes down with the age/popularity of the song.
I don't buy much new stuff, and it kinda annoys me to have to shell out a buck for a song by a band that doesn't even exist anymore. Make this month's flavors $1.29, this year's hot bands 99c, and older stuff between 50c and free, and I'll use the iTunes music store a hell of a lot more, and not just for freebie stuff. And if somebody uses an old song in a movie or TV show and it gets popular again, start charging for it again.
Charge for the stuff you just made to recoup your expenses. That's fair. But a 20 year old song that maybe 10 people a year search for, just let me have the damn thing.
Well, I don't know about newer laptops, but I have an ancient ThinkPad 380D running Damn Small Linux that has about twice the battery life it did in its former life as a Windows 98 machine. It seems like both the HD and the cooling fan run less often now.
If Congress is forced to "act" by re-evaluating the entire copyright system, discovering the unfairness and complete futility of the DMCA, defining fair use, and shifting the balance of power back to the citizens (not "consumers"), then that could be a good thing...
...but I'm not holding my breath.
Ah, but a hammer is a gateway tool. Everyone knows that. You start out innocently, pounding a few nails, and pretty soon it isn't enough. You start in with the saws, and drills, and one day, someone offers you a pneumatic nail gun. One hit, and you're hooked. You'll spend all yur time wandering around Home Depot, looking for your next fix.
"C'mon, man, just one little Dremel tool. That's all I need. I'm good for it, I swear."
So the song enters the public domain in what, another decade or so?
I've always hated that. Especially when it's a preview for some crap movie you'd never watch anyway. I usually hit "Mute," then use the time to go prepare a snack.
As for the topic of ad-supported downloads, well, if there's an easy way to chop the ads off it, I'd do it. But I subscribe to XM radio, watch TV through a Tivo, and use AdBlock, just to avoid as many commercials as I can. And unless I know it's going to be a packed house, I try to show up to the movies a little late, too.
They want to give me something ad-sponsored for free? Great. Still can't make me pay attention to the ads, though. Un-skippable doesn't mean un-ignorable.
So this song would be okay as a ringtone, then?
The only CD I've purchased recently is this one, No More Beautiful World by Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers. No RIAA involvement whatsoever.
Great band, too. Roots-rock with a touch of country. And very friendly to bootlegging/trading tapes of shows.
So the RIAA can kiss my ass. I support MUSICIANS.
"Waah! Your readers were mean to me!"
If only all the nutjobs were as easily dismissable as Jack.
I had that version of Windows ME. The bloopers weren't funny at all. Totally not worth it.
...all he ever saw him doing was typing in Word.AHA! Microsoft is to blame!
(Though, to be fair, working with Word is enough to drive anyone to violence...)