The article doesn't get into technical details, but it is stated that it was the specific Website that cause the criminal probe and prosecution. Using Web proxies as a "hacking" tool is a dubious legal claim. But yes, almost anything seems possible in the judicial system (and I specifically won't single out the US here).
I think also, it's probably a matter of a supervisor just being an Authority figure (an Authoritarian figure; i.e. using and abusing his Authority just because he thinks he can). Sorta like some security guards and police officers can be overly enthusiastic in telling people what they can't do. I think the wrong person got punished here.
I remember writing up an assignment in a "business" class once where I recommended that a hypothetical character in the assigned problem be given counseling and a second chance. The teacher asked if she could share this assignment with the class and it received a standing ovation after she finished reading my paper. Other similar experiences like this happened to me (and not anybody else in the school that I am aware of) in other business classes with other teachers. In the real world I end up being put on the shortlist for layoffs and, in at least one situation, somebody noticed suggestions in the suggestion box sitting unanswered and unread for many months. I guess that's why they refer to school as "the ivory tower". I've even had one (workplace) supervisor say that I have poor English skills. (I've been ranked as having a near perfect IQ in the communications section on IQ tests... and I've had many, from schools, companies and the military). Go figure. I'll take my Mod points when I can get them -:)
Generally, pertaining to the whole thread, it appears to me that you made a weak argument and you are trying to defend a losing battle. NoScript, at the least, made a very poor decision from a marketing and public relations point of view. That's NoScripts' fault. Whatever their intentions they were in the wrong, if only because they alienated so many faithful users (like myself) and put their very own product line at risk.
If a company does something sleazy and thoughtless like this then they will get rightly lambasted for this. I remember reading there (unsolicited(?) front page apology about the matter before this became a Slashdot story. They still have me as a "customer", and I have less to worry about because of their retraction.
The case began when Larry Wise, the Superintendent of the Shelby City Wastewater Treatment Plant, where Wolf was employed, was deleting old files from a work computer and found a nude photograph of Wolf.
and
Initially he was suspended while police investigated the case, but was promoted after he returned to work. He lost his job, however, when he was convicted of the charges.
The important question would be why his employer even phoned the police in the first place. This is one of those bizarre situations where it is obvious that the person was persecuted for a lifestyle choice and not for what he did or didn't do at work. As stated in the article, he would not have been prosecuted if he would have looked at horticultural Web sites [and uploaded pictures of flowers].
Personally I don't mind ads on sites if they are non-intrusive
As long as advertisements provide free porn samples I don't mind looking at ads. I hope there is a tag that can be used to white list porn ads. Even if they are selling something like Charmin toilet paper, or even paint remover, I will watch the ad as long as there are naked woman in it.
To me at least this is common sense stupid, but I am often myself told I am stupid. So I guess either everybody else is crazy or it's me that is crazy. I'm hoping it is everybody else.
CATHARSIS INCREASES RATHER THAN DECREASES ANGER AND AGGRESSION, ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY
Yeah. So those people who like to yell and scream and make the excuse that it is healthy to "let go", "cathart" (sic), and be irrational; well they will likely (as experience has demonstrated to me) just call it "social" science (as opposed to real science).
This is more than a software issue though, when it gets to services such as newspapers, this is where more problems come into play. Lots of people losing jobs at newspapers and whole businesses going under because of the flux of online news sites, many of which just repost stories written by newspapers and sometimes have conflicting information. What can you do about this though? Nobody wants the government to regulate all of this, but what can be done without it?
"What can you do about this though?" In regards to IP theft the RIAA et al have already figured this out. Sue the shit out of people. With software there is the Business Software Alliance, some similar type of corporation (like the FSF) can be utilized or created to work with enforcing open source ("Free") software. The "market" will take care of the weak who don't adapt or find other employment opportunities. In "socialist" countries there are welfare and unemployment safety nets to help with transitioning economies and companies.
"Nobody wants the government to regulate all of this, but what can be done without it?" If by "nobody" you mean nobody on Slashdot then you may have a point. Regulation, when you are talking about regulating businesses, is designed by and for the business lobbyists. Most other people don't give a shit unless there happens to be an election issue about "free markets" or some such thing. Regulation isn't always a bad thing. Trying to make it fair for everybody is the tricky part. There is no such thing as Utopia, despite those pretenders out there who charter towns.
What's funny is that somebody down-modded my post (It quickly went back up to 5 again). I'm assuming the down-modder was one of those happily married people that you hear about on TV.
There are some people who are addicted to sobriety. They can't seem to be able to live a normal life without being sobre, and can't imagine another way of living. Adolf Hitler was one of those people who suffered from compulsive sobriety. Sobriety is one of the hidden mental illnesses, and AFAIK is not even recognized as a mental illness by the World Health Organization et al.
This is the wrong place to be asking questions like that. You'd get better answers at your local sports bar. Oh, by the way, don't ask people who climb mountains why they studied mountain climbing in school.
The first group, "day labororers", tend to send emails throughout the normal working day between 0900 and 1800... "emailaholics" tend to send emails throughout the waking hours from 0900 to 0100....the technique can also be used to spot spambots which do not fit into either group
That means that I am a spam bot. I've always hated being labeled.
If you are into status symbols then get a Masters Degree. If you are into education then home schooling is more efficient (assuming you have the discipline) than a traditional classroom university education and saves you money and opportunity costs.
In terms of HR hiring departments (I would think) a Masters Degree gives you a slight edge over people who don't have one, but the intelligent recruiters would be more interested in knowing what you can do, and not what degrees you have earned.
Converting a DVD to another format (ripping) means that you are removing the DRM (which violates the DMCA)
My understanding is that if the License allows you to rip the disk then the person is not violating the DMCA, and that if the disk has no DRM associated with it then it is not against the DMCA to rip the disk. As well, you said that "Converting a DVD to another format (ripping) means that you are removing the DRM" which is not always the case, like when the disk does not have any DRM attached to it.
Seriously, this is possibly the most ridiculous thing I've ever read. If anyone really needed proof that the MPAA doesn't care about consumers in any way, look no further.
If the MPAA didn't care about consumers then they wouldn't have given us Borat or Charlies Angels or Super Fly or Reefer Madness. Clearly, the MPAA just wants to protect the cultural IP of the United States from being exploited by criminals and teachers.
No, "backup" is to create a second copy for use in case the original is altered or destroyed.
You aren't making sense here (where you say "no") because you are obviously agreeing with me when you state that
"backup" is to create a second copy for use in case the original is altered or destroyed.
To elaborate I will give a quote from the Microsoft help file of Windows Media Player 11:
You can rip (or copy) tracks from your audio CDs onto your computer with Windows Media Player, after which the songs that you rip become files on your computer.
And from Wikipedia (the American version):
Ripping is the process of copying audio or video content to a hard disk, typically from removable media or media streams. Originally, the term is an acronym for "Raster Image Processing"[citation needed] and referred specifically to image scanning. The word is now used to refer to all forms of media.
Strictly speaking, at least in the US, there is a significant difference between a "rip" and a "backup".
I don't think so. Even Microsoft's Windows Media Player has a large "Rip" button in the middle of its menu, right beside the "Backup" button. "Rip" is to extract audio and/or video (to a hard drive). "Backup" is to burn it. I checked the Wikipedia also, which seems to agree with me.
Teachers may also make partial copies of a CD for education purposes by recording to a vinyl record and playing it back on a phonograph.
It appears that part of the rationale behind the MPAA doing this is: 1) To keep any copies (copied fair-use clips, no less) of marginal quality so as to increase the (theoretical) value of an actual DVD. Dubious logic here, if that is part of the reasoning. If that were the case they could more logically argue to keep low quality copies (in general) of MPAA IP legal for educational purposes, no matter how it is derived (from ripping software or through cam-cording). 2) Try and prevent the spread of DVD-circumvention devices. Dubious logic again since it would probably be more efficient to by an extra DVD (or use the original if possible) and just bookmark the appropriate scenes for classroom viewing rather than to buy blank tape and maintain video equipment. Of course you can't un-invent DeCSS, nor can the MPAA go back in time and assassinate DVD Jon or people like him, so trying to stop DVD copying is fruitless and will only punish people and hinder schools, etc from making back-ups, fair-use clips, etc. The logic here is as senseless as the people who want to fight the War on Drugs. 3) They've already argued against cam-cording in non-educational settings (like movie-theaters), so it seems like they just have too much time and money on there hands and just want to be difficult. These are people who have power, and want to get as much out of it as they can. They seem to be enjoying themselves. My two cents here.
The MPAA is in just about every country in the world. It merely gives itself different names. I.e., in Canada the MPAA calls itself the CMPDA (Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association).
It is the Canadian counterpart of the MPAA with effectively identical membership and a derivative logo.
Taking that attitude sets you on the path toward being a dick.
Trying to frame a perceptive observation into an "attitude" makes you a typical Manager or Manager-type personality. As all Managers will inevitably make excuses for the status quo. Generally people tend to dismiss things they don't like to hear, and so mediocrity and folklore take precedence over honesty, diligence and thoughtfulness.
Keep in mind that you have made dumb mistakes in your life and that you need to forgive other people because the day will come when you will be asking to be forgiven.
If you have the capability, stand up and be the person that the people around you need to be. Do this, and you'll end up achieving your own goals without even trying.
You are preaching to the wrong person here. The people who need to abide by this advice are usually, almost always, the people who give this type of advice.
You don't even have to know that AIG isn't a bank!
True. Just like most of the politicians who bailed out AIG probably don't realize it is not a bank. If they would read the legislation they sign into law that would be impressive. I know two year-olds who can vote for things they don't understand. Unfortunately two year-olds aren't allowed to do much except have tantrums.
Slashdot Mirror
The article doesn't get into technical details, but it is stated that it was the specific Website that cause the criminal probe and prosecution. Using Web proxies as a "hacking" tool is a dubious legal claim. But yes, almost anything seems possible in the judicial system (and I specifically won't single out the US here).
I think also, it's probably a matter of a supervisor just being an Authority figure (an Authoritarian figure; i.e. using and abusing his Authority just because he thinks he can). Sorta like some security guards and police officers can be overly enthusiastic in telling people what they can't do. I think the wrong person got punished here.
I remember writing up an assignment in a "business" class once where I recommended that a hypothetical character in the assigned problem be given counseling and a second chance. The teacher asked if she could share this assignment with the class and it received a standing ovation after she finished reading my paper. Other similar experiences like this happened to me (and not anybody else in the school that I am aware of) in other business classes with other teachers. In the real world I end up being put on the shortlist for layoffs and, in at least one situation, somebody noticed suggestions in the suggestion box sitting unanswered and unread for many months. I guess that's why they refer to school as "the ivory tower". I've even had one (workplace) supervisor say that I have poor English skills. (I've been ranked as having a near perfect IQ in the communications section on IQ tests... and I've had many, from schools, companies and the military). Go figure. I'll take my Mod points when I can get them -:)
Generally, pertaining to the whole thread, it appears to me that you made a weak argument and you are trying to defend a losing battle. NoScript, at the least, made a very poor decision from a marketing and public relations point of view. That's NoScripts' fault. Whatever their intentions they were in the wrong, if only because they alienated so many faithful users (like myself) and put their very own product line at risk.
If a company does something sleazy and thoughtless like this then they will get rightly lambasted for this. I remember reading there (unsolicited(?) front page apology about the matter before this became a Slashdot story. They still have me as a "customer", and I have less to worry about because of their retraction.
The case began when Larry Wise, the Superintendent of the Shelby City Wastewater Treatment Plant, where Wolf was employed, was deleting old files from a work computer and found a nude photograph of Wolf.
and
Initially he was suspended while police investigated the case, but was promoted after he returned to work. He lost his job, however, when he was convicted of the charges.
The important question would be why his employer even phoned the police in the first place. This is one of those bizarre situations where it is obvious that the person was persecuted for a lifestyle choice and not for what he did or didn't do at work. As stated in the article, he would not have been prosecuted if he would have looked at horticultural Web sites [and uploaded pictures of flowers].
Personally I don't mind ads on sites if they are non-intrusive
As long as advertisements provide free porn samples I don't mind looking at ads. I hope there is a tag that can be used to white list porn ads. Even if they are selling something like Charmin toilet paper, or even paint remover, I will watch the ad as long as there are naked woman in it.
It's pretty clear from the History section of the linked Wikipedia page that the MPAA did not bring us that movie.
Yeah I know, the Christians are to blame. I was hoping you guys would give me a little bit of rhetorical license here.
To me at least this is common sense stupid, but I am often myself told I am stupid. So I guess either everybody else is crazy or it's me that is crazy. I'm hoping it is everybody else.
CATHARSIS INCREASES RATHER THAN DECREASES ANGER AND AGGRESSION, ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY
Ref. http://www.apa.org/releases/catharsis.html
Yeah. So those people who like to yell and scream and make the excuse that it is healthy to "let go", "cathart" (sic), and be irrational; well they will likely (as experience has demonstrated to me) just call it "social" science (as opposed to real science).
This is more than a software issue though, when it gets to services such as newspapers, this is where more problems come into play. Lots of people losing jobs at newspapers and whole businesses going under because of the flux of online news sites, many of which just repost stories written by newspapers and sometimes have conflicting information. What can you do about this though? Nobody wants the government to regulate all of this, but what can be done without it?
"What can you do about this though?" In regards to IP theft the RIAA et al have already figured this out. Sue the shit out of people. With software there is the Business Software Alliance, some similar type of corporation (like the FSF) can be utilized or created to work with enforcing open source ("Free") software. The "market" will take care of the weak who don't adapt or find other employment opportunities. In "socialist" countries there are welfare and unemployment safety nets to help with transitioning economies and companies.
"Nobody wants the government to regulate all of this, but what can be done without it?" If by "nobody" you mean nobody on Slashdot then you may have a point. Regulation, when you are talking about regulating businesses, is designed by and for the business lobbyists. Most other people don't give a shit unless there happens to be an election issue about "free markets" or some such thing. Regulation isn't always a bad thing. Trying to make it fair for everybody is the tricky part. There is no such thing as Utopia, despite those pretenders out there who charter towns.
What's funny is that somebody down-modded my post (It quickly went back up to 5 again). I'm assuming the down-modder was one of those happily married people that you hear about on TV.
It's not "free as in beer." It's "free as in drugs" as in "the first hit is always free."
Yeah it's the same with sex, and then you get married.
How long until someone crackfixes this?
You mean, when will a third party patch be released to fix this behavior?
There are some people who are addicted to sobriety. They can't seem to be able to live a normal life without being sobre, and can't imagine another way of living. Adolf Hitler was one of those people who suffered from compulsive sobriety. Sobriety is one of the hidden mental illnesses, and AFAIK is not even recognized as a mental illness by the World Health Organization et al.
Why do people study "math" in college?
This is the wrong place to be asking questions like that. You'd get better answers at your local sports bar. Oh, by the way, don't ask people who climb mountains why they studied mountain climbing in school.
Is the "aholic" suffix really any worse than "-gate" for any scandal?
You sound like another email abuser who is in denial about your habit. You are in stage 3 of your addiction (Ref. Addictions Anonymous, 12: The Stages of Addiction and Recovery).
The first group, "day labororers", tend to send emails throughout the normal working day between 0900 and 1800... "emailaholics" tend to send emails throughout the waking hours from 0900 to 0100....the technique can also be used to spot spambots which do not fit into either group
That means that I am a spam bot. I've always hated being labeled.
If you are into status symbols then get a Masters Degree. If you are into education then home schooling is more efficient (assuming you have the discipline) than a traditional classroom university education and saves you money and opportunity costs.
In terms of HR hiring departments (I would think) a Masters Degree gives you a slight edge over people who don't have one, but the intelligent recruiters would be more interested in knowing what you can do, and not what degrees you have earned.
Converting a DVD to another format (ripping) means that you are removing the DRM (which violates the DMCA)
My understanding is that if the License allows you to rip the disk then the person is not violating the DMCA, and that if the disk has no DRM associated with it then it is not against the DMCA to rip the disk. As well, you said that "Converting a DVD to another format (ripping) means that you are removing the DRM" which is not always the case, like when the disk does not have any DRM attached to it.
Seriously, this is possibly the most ridiculous thing I've ever read. If anyone really needed proof that the MPAA doesn't care about consumers in any way, look no further.
If the MPAA didn't care about consumers then they wouldn't have given us Borat or Charlies Angels or Super Fly or Reefer Madness. Clearly, the MPAA just wants to protect the cultural IP of the United States from being exploited by criminals and teachers.
No, "backup" is to create a second copy for use in case the original is altered or destroyed.
You aren't making sense here (where you say "no") because you are obviously agreeing with me when you state that
"backup" is to create a second copy for use in case the original is altered or destroyed.
To elaborate I will give a quote from the Microsoft help file of Windows Media Player 11:
You can rip (or copy) tracks from your audio CDs onto your computer with Windows Media Player, after which the songs that you rip become files on your computer.
And from Wikipedia (the American version):
Ripping is the process of copying audio or video content to a hard disk, typically from removable media or media streams. Originally, the term is an acronym for "Raster Image Processing"[citation needed] and referred specifically to image scanning. The word is now used to refer to all forms of media.
- Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripping
In no way does Microsoft break the DMCA as the original posters' definition of the word "rip" would have people believe.
Strictly speaking, at least in the US, there is a significant difference between a "rip" and a "backup".
I don't think so. Even Microsoft's Windows Media Player has a large "Rip" button in the middle of its menu, right beside the "Backup" button. "Rip" is to extract audio and/or video (to a hard drive). "Backup" is to burn it. I checked the Wikipedia also, which seems to agree with me.
Teachers may also make partial copies of a CD for education purposes by recording to a vinyl record and playing it back on a phonograph.
It appears that part of the rationale behind the MPAA doing this is:
1) To keep any copies (copied fair-use clips, no less) of marginal quality so as to increase the (theoretical) value of an actual DVD. Dubious logic here, if that is part of the reasoning. If that were the case they could more logically argue to keep low quality copies (in general) of MPAA IP legal for educational purposes, no matter how it is derived (from ripping software or through cam-cording).
2) Try and prevent the spread of DVD-circumvention devices. Dubious logic again since it would probably be more efficient to by an extra DVD (or use the original if possible) and just bookmark the appropriate scenes for classroom viewing rather than to buy blank tape and maintain video equipment. Of course you can't un-invent DeCSS, nor can the MPAA go back in time and assassinate DVD Jon or people like him, so trying to stop DVD copying is fruitless and will only punish people and hinder schools, etc from making back-ups, fair-use clips, etc. The logic here is as senseless as the people who want to fight the War on Drugs.
3) They've already argued against cam-cording in non-educational settings (like movie-theaters), so it seems like they just have too much time and money on there hands and just want to be difficult. These are people who have power, and want to get as much out of it as they can. They seem to be enjoying themselves. My two cents here.
only in america...
The MPAA is in just about every country in the world. It merely gives itself different names. I.e., in Canada the MPAA calls itself the CMPDA (Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association).
It is the Canadian counterpart of the MPAA with effectively identical membership and a derivative logo.
- Ref. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMPDA
The MPAA is as widespread around the world as the Swine Flu.
Taking that attitude sets you on the path toward being a dick.
Trying to frame a perceptive observation into an "attitude" makes you a typical Manager or Manager-type personality. As all Managers will inevitably make excuses for the status quo. Generally people tend to dismiss things they don't like to hear, and so mediocrity and folklore take precedence over honesty, diligence and thoughtfulness.
Keep in mind that you have made dumb mistakes in your life and that you need to forgive other people because the day will come when you will be asking to be forgiven.
If you have the capability, stand up and be the person that the people around you need to be. Do this, and you'll end up achieving your own goals without even trying.
You are preaching to the wrong person here. The people who need to abide by this advice are usually, almost always, the people who give this type of advice.
You don't even have to know that AIG isn't a bank!
True. Just like most of the politicians who bailed out AIG probably don't realize it is not a bank. If they would read the legislation they sign into law that would be impressive. I know two year-olds who can vote for things they don't understand. Unfortunately two year-olds aren't allowed to do much except have tantrums.
So far you seem to be the first person here who replied to me that really seems to "get it".