Phone companies have you sign adhesion contracts when you sign up for their services. In other words, "take it or leave it" contracts. These contracts are incredibly one-sided.
If the full extent of the agreement is laid out in the contract and the contract is not "unconscionable," the contract will be enforced.
I suspect that terms of a contract that allow a telephone provider to negligently harm a phone user in ways no phone user could reasonably anticipate would be considered an unconscionable contract.
That could open the door for money damages.
The phone companies work hard to get legislation to slam shut your right of access to the courts.
By reading this comment, you agree to be bound by the terms listed herein; If you are a member, employee, associate, business partner, or affiliate of the RIAA or MPAA, you owe me one million ($1,000,000.00) USD, payable in full immediately. Thanks to your f*cked up interpretation of the law, this is, in fact, perfectly legal. Any attempt to evade this legally binding contract will be grounds for me to sue you at three times the requested amount, waive your right to a trial, and hold me utterly and totally immune to any form of legal challenge by you and/or your employer, until at least 150 years after my timely and natural death. Everybody else... I love 'ya. Stay awesome.
Incantations don't work too well for witches. I doubt they'll work well for you.
Why do we care whether global warming is human-caused, or not? Are we all Catholics trying to assess guilt? What does it matter whether or not global warming is human caused or not? Global warming is here and it is happening. The cow is already out of the barn.
What's relevant is whether or not humans can alter the course of global warming.
If you want to assert a patent or copyright, your software has to work flawlessly. If it doesn't, then you can't assert a software patent or copyright.
We are going to see political campaigns that are precisely targeted down to individual voters.
The next time you respond to a political pollster, you need to wonder whether or not the information it is seeking is individually targeted at you in an attempt to refine their database pertaining to you. Commercial and social data is just one more source of political information. The more detail the number-crunchers get, the more they will be able to predict your vote.
The candidates will then model their behavior on the data model that gets them sufficient votes to win.
The HP board of directors would never stand for the short term instability that such a dramatic move would generate. They're too focused on the immediate share value to even begin to think about the long-term health of the company.
This kind of decision would turn every (former) Border's customer into a potential creditor in the bankruptcy proceeding, since it becomes a cost and damage to that customer if the privacy terms already agreed to are changed. Imagine if even 1 person of Border's (former) customer were to file a petition with the bankruptcy court to enter as a creditor.
First, you would be an unsecured creditor. Second, you'd have to address the valuation of your claim. Third Litigation of that claim would be expensive. Fourth, You would get no money.
HP (not Hewlett-Packard anymore) needs an inspired engineer or two--with dominant shareholdings--to run the company. They will never get that. They will die. RIP HP.
A company populated with brilliant hardware engineers would be well-positioned to make a fortune as the robotic age dawns. That kind of HP is dead.
Their leadership is dead. Their board is just a bunch of greedheads looking ahead only as far as the next quarter's stock price.
Assange has lost much of the support that brought him into prominence. His horrible treatment of Bradley Manning has doubtless eroded the confidence of future potential major leakers.
If I was a publisher, I'd be worrying that Assange's days as a household (?) name are numbered and I'd be trying to get my money while he was still somewhat "hot."
These systems are expensive. Contractors want to be paid to (try) to build them. They forge political networks to facilitate this using lots of money derived from weapons sales.
Listen to the Republican debaters falling all over themselves arguing for "defense." What do you think they really mean?
What are the more interesting ways you have seen prosecutors prove that the person sitting at the defendant's chair was the person committing the cybercrime at the keyboard.
Mighty Martian: I think World War II changed Jimmy Stewart from his various shades of nice guy into "great psychologically damaged anti heroes in the history of film" more than Hitchcock did. He flew combat bombing missions. That would tend to change a man.
There is an even better counterpoint. I would argue that the Anthony Mann westerns, more than the Hitchcock films, exposed Stewart's diversity before the Hitchcock films. Look at films like Winchester '73, for example.
I would argue that Hitchcock was at his best when he worked with a star whom he couldn't totally control. Hitchcock films were not as good when Hitchcock was a puppetmaster--and he was a puppetmaster way too much. Compare him to Billy Wilder, who was also really tight on the written word but who was much more of a collaborative artist.
But as to your main point: Comparing Lucas with Hitchcock? The two are not even in the same league. I totally agree with you.
They don't know what happened to the data that they lost. They don't know how that will be used to harm other people. They are trying to protect themselves from a very big lawsuit.
Slashdot Mirror
Phone companies have you sign adhesion contracts when you sign up for their services. In other words, "take it or leave it" contracts. These contracts are incredibly one-sided.
If the full extent of the agreement is laid out in the contract and the contract is not "unconscionable," the contract will be enforced.
I suspect that terms of a contract that allow a telephone provider to negligently harm a phone user in ways no phone user could reasonably anticipate would be considered an unconscionable contract.
That could open the door for money damages.
The phone companies work hard to get legislation to slam shut your right of access to the courts.
Incantations don't work too well for witches. I doubt they'll work well for you.
Comparing Microsoft vs. Oracle to Nazi Germany is an interesting comparison--if you follow through with it.
If both sides exhaust themselves, who is going to take their place? A peace and love cooperative or just another corporate predator?
Global warming is happening.
Why do we care whether global warming is human-caused, or not? Are we all Catholics trying to assess guilt? What does it matter whether or not global warming is human caused or not? Global warming is here and it is happening. The cow is already out of the barn.
What's relevant is whether or not humans can alter the course of global warming.
If you want to assert a patent or copyright, your software has to work flawlessly. If it doesn't, then you can't assert a software patent or copyright.
Seems fair to me.
We are going to see political campaigns that are precisely targeted down to individual voters.
The next time you respond to a political pollster, you need to wonder whether or not the information it is seeking is individually targeted at you in an attempt to refine their database pertaining to you. Commercial and social data is just one more source of political information. The more detail the number-crunchers get, the more they will be able to predict your vote.
The candidates will then model their behavior on the data model that gets them sufficient votes to win.
Investors have become educated?
If only that were true. History shows that investors can't wait to participate in the next bubble.
They canned Apotheker just after he announced something really dramatic.
The HP board of directors would never stand for the short term instability that such a dramatic move would generate. They're too focused on the immediate share value to even begin to think about the long-term health of the company.
First, you would be an unsecured creditor. Second, you'd have to address the valuation of your claim. Third Litigation of that claim would be expensive. Fourth, You would get no money.
HP (not Hewlett-Packard anymore) needs an inspired engineer or two--with dominant shareholdings--to run the company. They will never get that. They will die. RIP HP.
A company populated with brilliant hardware engineers would be well-positioned to make a fortune as the robotic age dawns. That kind of HP is dead.
Their leadership is dead. Their board is just a bunch of greedheads looking ahead only as far as the next quarter's stock price.
Assange has lost much of the support that brought him into prominence. His horrible treatment of Bradley Manning has doubtless eroded the confidence of future potential major leakers.
If I was a publisher, I'd be worrying that Assange's days as a household (?) name are numbered and I'd be trying to get my money while he was still somewhat "hot."
Support governmental cable. When Comcast has the monopoly, you pay!
These systems are expensive. Contractors want to be paid to (try) to build them. They forge political networks to facilitate this using lots of money derived from weapons sales.
Listen to the Republican debaters falling all over themselves arguing for "defense." What do you think they really mean?
What are the more interesting ways you have seen prosecutors prove that the person sitting at the defendant's chair was the person committing the cybercrime at the keyboard.
It doesn't say anything more than the Slashdot topic.
I think Vertigo is, and always will be, a perfect movie.
George Lucas has a way to go before he gets there!
Mighty Martian: I think World War II changed Jimmy Stewart from his various shades of nice guy into "great psychologically damaged anti heroes in the history of film" more than Hitchcock did. He flew combat bombing missions. That would tend to change a man.
There is an even better counterpoint. I would argue that the Anthony Mann westerns, more than the Hitchcock films, exposed Stewart's diversity before the Hitchcock films. Look at films like Winchester '73, for example.
I would argue that Hitchcock was at his best when he worked with a star whom he couldn't totally control. Hitchcock films were not as good when Hitchcock was a puppetmaster--and he was a puppetmaster way too much. Compare him to Billy Wilder, who was also really tight on the written word but who was much more of a collaborative artist.
But as to your main point: Comparing Lucas with Hitchcock? The two are not even in the same league. I totally agree with you.
The big corporation that major fucks the environment gets remittitur. The college kid who small-scale copyright cheats does not.
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL.
I hate filesharing thieves, but I hate laws that blatantly favor the rich more.
The majority of the population don't care about people who are violating other people's copyright. That's just the way it is.
Things may very well change in twenty years, when the kids who file shared have grown up and compose a majority of the electorate, but I doubt it.
Crimes get defined by the majority. Deal with it.
They don't know what happened to the data that they lost. They don't know how that will be used to harm other people. They are trying to protect themselves from a very big lawsuit.
Money is needed to fight Anonymous. Give us money. More news at eleven.
Are any rewarding alternative choices available today to a kid inclined to use his skill to crack into other people's systems?
Multiplayer would make this very interesting.
Consider this scenario. Your friend illegally downloads copyrighted material--and you have full knowledge. Your friend is sued.
You are subpoenaed.
Are you going to lie for his ass?
Are you going to tell the truth and burn your friendship?
Add a complicator: You are sued also (but you are innocent).
Ask the two questions again. Further ask yourself: How are you going to defend yourself without fucking your friend over?
Present this scenario to your friend. Maybe it will wake his selfish sorry ass up.