Really, I'm not interested in controlling a remote desktop. What I really wanted was my own private cloud to store and sync all my data to/from my various "clients".
I looked around and didn't find a solution that let me stream my media, control all of my home systems, have encrypted backups of my data distributed among the PCs of my friends and family, along with a native app & a web interface to rule it all.
Just s/friends and family/other offices/ to apply these needs to business.
VDI is not the solution I was looking for. A turn-key "local cloud" where I control all of the data is what I want. I've glued several FOSS solutions to achieve this, and am testing a new cross platform system of my own... Remote Desktop can kiss my ass, all I need is the data (processor speed & RAM are cheap; The "thin client" of today is a behemoth in yesterday's standards).
People just want to use all their data on all of their hardware. Ultimately we must either run our own servers or trust a 3rd party to "host" it for us. I opted for the former because the latter gives me the willies.
By requiring all incoming mail to be either on the user controlled white-list (ie: any user can opt to allow an address such as *@slashdot.com or joe@sixpack.net), or to be linked via our PGP chain of trust we have eliminated all spam.
Signing up for a web service that validates e-mail address? Simple: add that site to the white-list first.
In my company signing our e-mails via our PGP key is essential to prove who wrote what when.
Seriously folks, the solution to SPAM is not yet another awesome filtering algorithm, or futile and expensive legal proceedings; It's verifying the sender is who they say they are. Stop complaining about how unsecured & non-authenticated the unsecured & non-authenticated e-mail protocol is and instead, help us all work towards the solution by adopting/advocating secure & authenticated e-mail.
Why does SPAM exist? Because people are too lazy to force the authentication issue. If everyone digitally signed their e-mail we could say, "filter all mail connected by more than 6 degrees of separation into the junk folder," and the fight against SPAM would be over. IMHO, we shouldn't be fighting against SPAMers, we should be fighting for adoption of authentication.
So I call myself a software developer, but I've never worked on any group project that required builds at all. I've done java and c++ projects of my own, but any time there was more than just me, it was a web development environment where things were broken up to the script level and it was very rare that one person's work would break another's. Launching individually tested scripts was fast and asynchronous. It seems to me that is a superior model for web development. I know that the place I used to work switched over to java for a lot of stuff, and now they have build headaches and compatibility issues between the communication layers. I'm not sure what the advantage is there for web development. Isn't the whole idea of builds a pointless carryover from desktop software?
::sigh:: I do all of my coding (including web development) in a DVCS repo. A "build" is just a branch/commit that is deemed fit for production. With source control its easy to see what changes cause errors such as "compatibility issues between layers", and even roll back those changes.
IMO, SCM (esp. DVCS) is not "a pointless carryover from desktop software". It's very useful; Give it a try. If only to keep your own JavaScript or (X)HTML/CSS changes in order, "multiple branches" is powerful concept.
We've all been paying for it for years with the RIAA/MPAA hollywood accounting, price fixing and cartel-like behaviour.
Copyright infringement is just Karma on those dying lobby groups.
Not to mention the MPAA/RIAA tax on blank VHS, Cassettes, CD, DVDs, etc.
I'm an indie film buff, and bi-weekly patron and volunteer at a local indie music venue. I don't watch or listen to Hollywood crap or boring mass produced "Pop" music....
... Yet I STILL have to fund these MPAA/RIAA goons by purchasing CDs / DVDs, etc, that I use for my code backups. I sympathize with the pirates, more power to them, they're already taxing us for our blank media, why not use it to store the music and movies that they presume people are pirating?
Think about it... Every person that isn't storing pirated music and movies on CDs & DVDs is just wasting the blank-meda-tax money the MPAA/RIAA charges everyone. Would it be fair for public schools to charge for admittance fees while the government is charging you a school tax and passing laws that say your kids must go to school? I'm pissed off that everyone is paying "pirate royalties" on our blank media (not just copyright-infringers), and then people are still getting sued for copyright infringement.
Big Media instituted the blank-tax before any one was actually able to place pirated media on the CDs & DVDs, so it's not a chicken and egg problem; Big media says, "People will probably use these blanks to pirate our media, so let's take our cut at the point of sale to recoup the losses," yet they put out reports about how much $$$ they are loosing due to pirates -- wait, aren't they making money on every blank?!
I guess cheap digital distribution destroys big media market practices. I say, "Good! Down With The Middle Men!" I prefer to spend money on supporting the independent artists that are doing their own digital distribution and/or selling CDs / DVDs / other merchandise at their shows... Its a shame that these artists also have to pay the pirate tax for their blanks too.
If Viruses did not exist, it would be necessary for AV companies to create them.
The Joker exists because of Bat Man. Bat Man exists because of the crime in Gotham. Both Bat Man and The Joker can use their resources to fight or cause crime. Darth Vader exists because of the Jedi, the Jedi Order exists because of crime in the Universe. The Force can be used for good and evil.
It's a Yen & Yang sort of thing. Good and Evil are relative terms, subject to interpretation.
Crackers exist because of Hackers. AV exists because of malware in CyberSpace. The Source can be used for good or evil.
Hackers hack on the hardware / environments that they have available. Hackers can turn bad, and become Crackers, and use their but first they must have a genuine interest and exposure to a platform in order to exploit it.
Some platforms cater more to the Hackers, and they are less frustrated with the platform; Thus, less become Crackers for such platforms. Other platforms shun the Hacker, frustration fuels the desire to become a Cracker, and more malware is released which exploits such platforms...
When you are only fixing the problem at hand, there is no way you will come up with something so unique that no one else will think of it. Sorry, but if your trying to solve a problem I can guarantee you someone else out there is trying to solve the same problem and is going to come up with basically the same thing as you do.
Well, damn, that's just great. So, If I want to create innovative ideas, I have to work on stuff that doesn't fix any known problems or else others will be working on the same problem, and come up with the same obvious "inventions". Yeah, and these "innovations" are by definition not going to help our civilization in any meaningful way...
Look, with patents on the book such as "Method for swinging on a swing -- sideways", I think you totally misunderstand the patent system. It's about patenting something that hasn't been patented before (irregardless of obviousness or prior art) and then charging others to use the technology that happens to satisfy the same obvious idea.
If Microsoft is infringing on Motorola, or vise versa, it's not because they did so on purpose; Its due to the bear-trap patent system. You have to willfully make a copy in order to infringe copyright, but with patents you can accidentally stumble upon a solution someone else already came up with; If so, YOU are out the R&D $$ and License fees if you want to continue to use your solution.
We all live in the present. We are all trying to solve problems of the now, other problems are already solved. Since "new" ideas (less than ~18yrs old) are the ones patents apply to, the patent system exists to reward those that solve problems first, and stifle all others who were contributing to innovations in the field.
In 1860 Johann Philipp Reis produced a device that could transmit musical notes, indistinct speech, and occasionally distinct speech.
If the patent system worked the way it does today, back then, then someone else would have patented the idea of a telephone long before Bell did...
Two working telephone devices were submitted to the patent system within 1 hour of each-other. Bell got there first, the other guy, Elisha Gray, lost his ass. If inventors the world over have been developing rudimentary telephones, and two different inventors come up with the same working solution at essentially the exact same time how can this "idea" not be "obvious"? Also, the telephone wasn't invented in order to win a patent, the patent system created the race to win, the telephone would have been created irregardless of the race.
Hey, guess who wins a patent race? The one with the most money & resources -- NOT THE LITTLE GUY. The patent system never has worked as advertised, "to protect ideas". It has always been about enforcing a monopoly on obvious ideas. Subject to a monopoly, everyone but the monopolist suffers.
Perhaps I should just formalize and patent my "Method of anger mitigation, where said anger is caused by the interaction of an individual with one or more patent systems, and where the mitigation technique involves assaulting one or more patent examiners with a large herring."
If only demonstrations of "inventions" were still required before awarding of patents.
My girlfriend takes advantage of my morning wood, while I'm sleeping... I wake up to marvelous morning sex, not rape.
Would it have been "rape" if he was going down on her in her sleep instead?
By your logic, I should always ask first before walking up behind my girlfriend in the kitchen, groping her and making out in the breakfast nook. Sexual spontaneity is a trait that many women and men enjoy.
I assume that since we're in a sexual relationship that affection and sex is welcome. If at any point she says "stop" or terminates the relationship my sexual advances will cease.
I just can't accept the notion that when your significant other is asleep, you are no longer a couple...
I guess that's what they call it when somebody brings the state library's book back.
Hey, I live in Texas. I know for a fact we have more than just one library book. (I would give you an exact figure, but our math teachers aren't allowed to teach us numbers that big!)
1) Would it have been acceptable for the juror in question to have read that Wikipedia article prior to being selected for jury duty?
2) Had any of the other jurors ever read the same Wikipedia article prior to being selected for jury duty? If so, how is this different than what the juror did?
3) Were all of the jurors expected to be totally uneducated about 'rape trauma syndrome'?
4) Does the legal system really just desire a bunch of empty minds that they can fill and sway one way or the other, or do they want intelligent, educated, free-thinking individuals that are qualified to help pass judgment on the accused based on the arguments provided?
Note: unbiased != uneducated.
IMO, you should have to take a quick quiz on the technology and/or other subjects that a case hinges upon before serving as a Judge or Juror. Fail the test, you are not qualified to pass judgment.
If we rely on lawyers & judges to "educate" the jurors how can we actually claim that the system works in the best interest of the public, and not the best interest of the government's courts and established laws?
Note: Not all Laws are Just. Expecting those charged to enforce laws to provide unbiased information about the law is ridiculous and futile.
Commercial games are, for the most part, dead on the Linux desktop. There are some occasional exceptions but for the most part, if you want a big-name game to appear on Linux you're gonna have to go use WINE as native builds probably won't exist.
It's a third person High Fantasy RPG action game that immerses players deep into the awe inspiring fantasy world of Dilogus, allowing them to experience it from multiple perspectives of six unique characters in both single player and co-operative multiplayer mode on Linux and Windows platforms.
Yeah, Linux game development has to start somewhere.... You can't expect, EA, Epic, ID, etc. to just say, "We're now developing for $NEW_PLATFORM" without watching others first test the waters.
I think if you really want to avoid disappointment with regards to Linux gaming and want to continue enjoying gaming on Linux... get used to indy games, and forget the big-budget commercial stuff. Indy developers need all the audience they can get [...]
Big-name commercial studios like EPIC and iD have abandoned Linux (unlike his previous games John Carmack has expressed a certain doubt about supporting Linux with Rage).
To avoid disappointment with regards to Any Gaming I choose Indy games. As a developer myself, I'm excited about the state of Linux gaming; To me Linux gaming looks like a large, ripe, and untapped market.
Demand for Linux games does exist. John Carmack is purposefully misleading... He sells a Game engine that doesn't run on Linux & isn't going to advocate making games on any platform that his engine doesn't run on...
Cross Platform is the future. Mac is a Unix. Linux is a Unix. Macs & "PCs" have the same guts these days. Rage runs on Unix... Not supporting Linux is stupid. Start with cross platform code (or engine), and you don't ever have to "port". Thus, you get additional market presence for $0.00.
Carmack has invested tons of time into developing for Apple and Microsoft platforms instead of investing time in truly cross platform engine code. As a game developer, (NOT an Engine Designer) it just doesn't make sense to use an Engine that's not cross platform. Why purposefully exclude a section of the market when it's not necessary?
The big guys will let the little guys innovate first... Add small carp to a big empty pond, watch them grow... Where the big fish are absent, the little fish reign supreme (proof: iPhone/iPad & Android gaming markets). The big guys arn't stupid, just misleading. Steve Jobs said, "No one wants a tablet PC", and then develops an iPad... In the past Carmack has expressed "doubts" about games in the browser and on mobile platforms, yet now has both mobile and browser games.
Don't be fooled, he'll makes games for Linux after others have already blazed the trails and "built out" the market.
you got that right user inserts cd sees his stuff isn't working goes back to windows.
Double edged swords cut both ways...
Debian Admin searches web for hardware's compatibility; Overlooks hardware not compatible with Debian. Orders new hardware; Inserts CD into new hardware; Sees stuff is working great; Has a passing thought as to why some hardware isn't compatible with Linux; Incompatible hardware looses business.
Post Interpretation Error: Missing closing parenthesis: post #34580154: line 4: opening parenthesis marked by "<<<Here" in the following: drivers any more. (<<<Here
Understanding terminated due to compilation error(s).
What makes the Roku interesting is that although Netflix doesn't support streaming its DRM-protected movies to Linux users, the Roku itself runs Linux.
So, TFA is wrong. Supporting a Linux client apparently makes great business sense... What exactly do they need to do to get Netflix streaming on Linux? Nothing. It's done already. BSD is another story, but if the client was open sourced, they wouldn't have to "hire programmers"; Hell, I'd work on it for free.
It's the DRM and anti-OSS Hollywood studios that keep Netflix Streaming off Linux, not technical limitations or market share.
If [Netflix] made an open-source client, it would defeat the purpose of the DRM. (Yes, DRM doesn't work and blah blah blah, but this is a business requirement, not a technical requirement. If you want to get mad at them about it, get mad at Hollywood instead.)
Well, shoot, that just sucks! I was really looking forward to cracking the DRM in a Netflix Linux client and trans-coding the crappy quality, limited selection, streaming video feed into Theora files...
Oh well, guess I'll just have to keep getting the Netflix DVDs & Blu-ray Disks, breaking the DRM on those, ripping them to my digital library, and returning them before I've had a chance to watch them.
We don't call them the laws of thermodynamics because well behaved matter and energy choose to follow them. We call them laws because there doesn't seem to be a way to disobey them. In this case, if someone figured out how to break the law, we'd all be excited and pay big money to further the advance of exploiting thermodynamics to create infinite energy.
I don't call it a "speeding law" I call it a "speed regulation". Expose the bureaucracy for what it is, use accurate terms. Regulations should be regulated after all.
When someone figures out how to exploit a regulation, businesses get excited and pay consultants big money to further the application of said loophole to create infinite revenue. Hence, the current state of copyright regulations.
"I don't get paid for work I did two decades ago. Why should you?"
A possible response: "Because work that I did two decades ago is still valued and in demand, while nobody cares what you did yesterday."
Many people care if they can get to the websites they want. Yesterday I fixed a problem that if left unchecked, today would be preventing people from getting the data that they "demand".
Perhaps my employer owes me royalties for each 'user' of the newly installed hardware. Or, perhaps I don't get royalties, and instead focus on the next fire that needs putting out.
Your view about "value" is so wrong. Perhaps today you don't give a shit about the food that was prepared for you yesterday, but had you not eaten, you would care a whole lot more about the food you didn't get to eat, and you would be attempting to procure food today.
Just because something isn't currently in demand doesn't mean it still is... Just because something is still in demand, doesn't mean it's worth anything. I could care less about whether you eat or not.
However, since you want to play the demand game, lets do so.
If there is demand for an approved copy of your work then you obviously deserve to make a portion of profit from that approved & licensed purchase. Your loyal fans will ensure you have the money you deserve.
If there is demand for an unapproved digital copy of your work you obviously deserve to make a portion of profit from that unapproved copy ( hint: X% of $0.00 is $0.00 ). The less interested fans will ensure you don't get paid for things they don't think have any worth. (If you're lucky, they may be converted into genuine fans and pay to see your concert/exhibition -- where you actually are working).
Either demand does not determine value, or value is subjective. You decide.
I can top it. In Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad, 118 U.S. 394 (1886), the SCOTUS decided that corporations were people and thus entitled to 14th amendment protection.
Yes, Corporations, have all the benefits of being 'people', none of the drawbacks (such as finite life spans), and obey few of the laws that other 'people' must observe.
Corporations are free to merge with many other corporations, while polygamy is still illegal for 'people' in most states.
Corporations are allowed to have business practices such as "cutting off the competitor's air supply" while murder is still illegal for 'people'.
Corporations are allowed to be dissolved yet Suicide is illegal for 'people' to commit.
Corporations can have 'hostile takeovers' of other weaker corporations, but armed robbery, slavery, and blackmail are all still illegal for other categories of 'people'.
It would be pure anarchy and rule of the corrupt and powerful if real human 'people' were given the same rights as corporate entities have. Laws against things such as murder are in effect to help maintain order and security of society.
Feudalism, chaos and insecurity reign supreme among our most wealthiest 'people', the corporations; Some of us fight for less regulation and then wonder why the economic society is so chaotic and insecure...
I personally much prefer getting drawn into a compelling interactive story than having the story force fed to me, with no pause or rewind... esp if the story is interleaved with commercials. TV & Cinema just seem so antiquated.
I enjoy socially interacting with friends, family, and strangers online in games or forums, IRC, etc. more than I enjoy trying to get excited about someone else's sport-game, game-show, or stale "evening news" that I've already read online.
I stopped watching TV when I discovered the entertainment value of role-playing games, video games, playing sports, etc. When it comes to entertainment ( Interactive > Passive ) to me.
I refuse to re-order my life around a TV Broadcast schedule. To those that recommend I use a DVR, to "catch" the shows I may be interested in are missing the point. I don't want to pay for an over-priced service that is full of commercials -- that's what ads are for folks, to help pay for the service!
Yes, I do know that ads exist online, they are largely unobtrusive (else I hit "back"), more valuable to advertisers (track-able views), and keep me from paying extra to have access to millions of sites (AKA Info Channels) than to access just a few hundred sites. With TV via cable & satellite subscription models I have to pay much more to be able to access more channels -- I'm only watching one at channel at a time... If satellite had a low base price that includes access to all available channels, like the Internet does, I might be interested.
Shows that are available on the Internet are available to me at the moment I decide to watch them. With a DVR, I have to know I want to watch something ahead of time, or pay an exorbitant fee just to receive a limited selection of 'TV on demand' (AKA Internet Delivered TV -- else it's not truly on-demand). Obligatory Car Analogy: I would rather drive a car than wait for a buss.
For me, a 30+ age category statistic, TV has been dead for many many years. Also Note: It's much cheaper to create your own "info channel" online than it is to start your own TV station.
I would place your e-mail addresses into tier 1. If someone compromises your e-mail, they can go to your bank's (or other tier 1 site) and request a password-reset via email.
I created a Bookmarklette I call "Master PassHash". It takes the top 2 levels of the current domain, such as "it.slashdot.com" only yields "slashdot.com".
It then asks for you master password, performs a concatenation & SHA-1 hash. There's your password. Use the same "master password" on all sites, you get a different SHA-1 hash for each site. The downside is that some places have stupid limits like: Must have only 13 chars, or Must contain a symbol... (sometimes this is an indication that those sites are not hashing your password), and also: somewhere.co.uk == co.uk, (doh).
Here it is: (forgive me, those that are uninterested).
Set that as the Location / URL of a bookmark. Click the bookmark while you are on a site, or paste it into your address bar to see it in action. Note: IE has short URL limits, and so will not work with this... you can fetch it with a stub then eval() it (which is what I actually do).
You might want to change the salt too (I did before posting, but hey, it's more secure if your salt is unique. hint: s/Tastes2Salty/yourOwnSalt/)
Actually, I use a bit more complex script that performs HMAC, outputs in Base64, contains an encrypted table of domain password limits/quirks/number of levels (to avoid the co.uk thing), and can re-generate itself in a new window (+GUI to
Debit Cards Can add security, they are also not secure at all. I would like to see mobile payments (such as the Nexus S now supports) become commonplace -- it's more secure.
Until then I use a personalized rechargeable debit card I purchased at my local grocery store to make purchases in RL.
It costs $3.00 to put more money on it, I can use it at ATMs, I can use it online, I've even used it where a "only credit cards" were required.
This costs more than just using my actual debit card that is linked to my account, but if the number is stolen (e.g. by my Waiter, or from a lost wallet), they can only get the $100 or so that I have placed on the card. I throw away the card and get a new one.
For online purchases I typically use my credit card and generate a one-time-use card number.
The banks call this software by different names. Citibank calls it Virtual Account Number. Bank of America calls it ShopSafe. Discover calls it Secure Online Account Number. Under the hood, they are pretty much the same thing. The software is made by the same company: Orbiscom in Dublin, Ireland. Orbiscom is recently acquired by MasterCard for $100 million.
One day at work, I took my wallet out of my pants prior to crawling into a trash compactor... When I climbed out, my wallet had been stolen. That same day I went to my bank, Wells Fargo, and reported the incident. They told me I would have to get a new account, so I did. I closed my account, got a new account, new account numbers, purchased new checks, ordered new debit-cards.
One week later someone used my "deactivated" debit card for the closed account to charge a $515.00 room in a hotel on the other side of the country. I was irate to say the least, what was the point of getting a whole new account if my old card could still be used? Furthermore, when I refused to pay for the fraudulent fees on the closed account, why did the charge against the closed account get deducted from my new account? Clearly, the Wells Fargo employee was more concerned with the perks they get for new account sign-ups, than with canceling my old card. I immediately closed my "new" account and went to a different bank.
Moral of the story: Don't trust anyone, they are all crooks. I still "owe" Wells Fargo that $515.00 plus double overdraft fees ($0.00 balance in the first closed account, so it magically rolled over into the second closed account and created MORE overdraft fees). I refuse to pay Wells Fargo any of the fraudulent charges, luckily I signed up with a new bank before that got on my credit report; No bank will give me a new bank account until the "bad debt" against Wells Fargo is remedied.
Slashdot Mirror
Really, I'm not interested in controlling a remote desktop. What I really wanted was my own private cloud to store and sync all my data to/from my various "clients".
I looked around and didn't find a solution that let me stream my media, control all of my home systems, have encrypted backups of my data distributed among the PCs of my friends and family, along with a native app & a web interface to rule it all.
Just s/friends and family/other offices/ to apply these needs to business.
VDI is not the solution I was looking for. A turn-key "local cloud" where I control all of the data is what I want. I've glued several FOSS solutions to achieve this, and am testing a new cross platform system of my own... Remote Desktop can kiss my ass, all I need is the data (processor speed & RAM are cheap; The "thin client" of today is a behemoth in yesterday's standards).
People just want to use all their data on all of their hardware. Ultimately we must either run our own servers or trust a 3rd party to "host" it for us. I opted for the former because the latter gives me the willies.
Sometimes I think that going with "free" was a misstep on Stallman's part, but at the same time, I cannot think of a good alternative.
Freedom-ware?
Unrestricted Software?
Software of Liberty?
Free-range Software?
User-Empowering Software?
Non Captive Software?
IMO, the biggest problem is that "closed software" doesn't sound as bad as it should...
Untrustable Software
Black-Box Software
Shackle-Ware
Hood-Locked Software (a car reference).
System Enslaving Software
Freedom-Hating Software
By requiring all incoming mail to be either on the user controlled white-list (ie: any user can opt to allow an address such as *@slashdot.com or joe@sixpack.net), or to be linked via our PGP chain of trust we have eliminated all spam.
Signing up for a web service that validates e-mail address? Simple: add that site to the white-list first.
In my company signing our e-mails via our PGP key is essential to prove who wrote what when.
Seriously folks, the solution to SPAM is not yet another awesome filtering algorithm, or futile and expensive legal proceedings; It's verifying the sender is who they say they are. Stop complaining about how unsecured & non-authenticated the unsecured & non-authenticated e-mail protocol is and instead, help us all work towards the solution by adopting/advocating secure & authenticated e-mail.
Why does SPAM exist? Because people are too lazy to force the authentication issue. If everyone digitally signed their e-mail we could say, "filter all mail connected by more than 6 degrees of separation into the junk folder," and the fight against SPAM would be over. IMHO, we shouldn't be fighting against SPAMers, we should be fighting for adoption of authentication.
So I call myself a software developer, but I've never worked on any group project that required builds at all. I've done java and c++ projects of my own, but any time there was more than just me, it was a web development environment where things were broken up to the script level and it was very rare that one person's work would break another's. Launching individually tested scripts was fast and asynchronous. It seems to me that is a superior model for web development. I know that the place I used to work switched over to java for a lot of stuff, and now they have build headaches and compatibility issues between the communication layers. I'm not sure what the advantage is there for web development. Isn't the whole idea of builds a pointless carryover from desktop software?
::sigh:: I do all of my coding (including web development) in a DVCS repo. A "build" is just a branch/commit that is deemed fit for production. With source control its easy to see what changes cause errors such as "compatibility issues between layers", and even roll back those changes.
IMO, SCM (esp. DVCS) is not "a pointless carryover from desktop software". It's very useful; Give it a try. If only to keep your own JavaScript or (X)HTML/CSS changes in order, "multiple branches" is powerful concept.
Misidentification? How else would you classify Flying Objects that are Unidentified, except UFO (Unidentified Flying Objects).
Note: The term UFO is not synonymous with extra terrestrial space craft; In fact, once a UFO is identified as such it is no longer a UFO.
We've all been paying for it for years with the RIAA/MPAA hollywood accounting, price fixing and cartel-like behaviour.
Copyright infringement is just Karma on those dying lobby groups.
Not to mention the MPAA/RIAA tax on blank VHS, Cassettes, CD, DVDs, etc.
I'm an indie film buff, and bi-weekly patron and volunteer at a local indie music venue. I don't watch or listen to Hollywood crap or boring mass produced "Pop" music....
Think about it... Every person that isn't storing pirated music and movies on CDs & DVDs is just wasting the blank-meda-tax money the MPAA/RIAA charges everyone. Would it be fair for public schools to charge for admittance fees while the government is charging you a school tax and passing laws that say your kids must go to school? I'm pissed off that everyone is paying "pirate royalties" on our blank media (not just copyright-infringers), and then people are still getting sued for copyright infringement.
Big Media instituted the blank-tax before any one was actually able to place pirated media on the CDs & DVDs, so it's not a chicken and egg problem; Big media says, "People will probably use these blanks to pirate our media, so let's take our cut at the point of sale to recoup the losses," yet they put out reports about how much $$$ they are loosing due to pirates -- wait, aren't they making money on every blank?!
I guess cheap digital distribution destroys big media market practices. I say, "Good! Down With The Middle Men!" I prefer to spend money on supporting the independent artists that are doing their own digital distribution and/or selling CDs / DVDs / other merchandise at their shows... Its a shame that these artists also have to pay the pirate tax for their blanks too.
What we don't have is people focused on finding, removing, and spouting a product yet like Norton/McAffee/AVG/whatever.
Oh we don't, do we?
If Viruses did not exist, it would be necessary for AV companies to create them.
The Joker exists because of Bat Man. Bat Man exists because of the crime in Gotham. Both Bat Man and The Joker can use their resources to fight or cause crime.
Darth Vader exists because of the Jedi, the Jedi Order exists because of crime in the Universe. The Force can be used for good and evil.
It's a Yen & Yang sort of thing. Good and Evil are relative terms, subject to interpretation.
Crackers exist because of Hackers. AV exists because of malware in CyberSpace. The Source can be used for good or evil.
Hackers hack on the hardware / environments that they have available. Hackers can turn bad, and become Crackers, and use their but first they must have a genuine interest and exposure to a platform in order to exploit it.
Some platforms cater more to the Hackers, and they are less frustrated with the platform; Thus, less become Crackers for such platforms. Other platforms shun the Hacker, frustration fuels the desire to become a Cracker, and more malware is released which exploits such platforms...
When you are only fixing the problem at hand, there is no way you will come up with something so unique that no one else will think of it. Sorry, but if your trying to solve a problem I can guarantee you someone else out there is trying to solve the same problem and is going to come up with basically the same thing as you do.
Well, damn, that's just great. So, If I want to create innovative ideas, I have to work on stuff that doesn't fix any known problems or else others will be working on the same problem, and come up with the same obvious "inventions". Yeah, and these "innovations" are by definition not going to help our civilization in any meaningful way...
Look, with patents on the book such as "Method for swinging on a swing -- sideways", I think you totally misunderstand the patent system. It's about patenting something that hasn't been patented before (irregardless of obviousness or prior art) and then charging others to use the technology that happens to satisfy the same obvious idea.
If Microsoft is infringing on Motorola, or vise versa, it's not because they did so on purpose; Its due to the bear-trap patent system. You have to willfully make a copy in order to infringe copyright, but with patents you can accidentally stumble upon a solution someone else already came up with; If so, YOU are out the R&D $$ and License fees if you want to continue to use your solution.
We all live in the present. We are all trying to solve problems of the now, other problems are already solved. Since "new" ideas (less than ~18yrs old) are the ones patents apply to, the patent system exists to reward those that solve problems first, and stifle all others who were contributing to innovations in the field.
In 1860 Johann Philipp Reis produced a device that could transmit musical notes, indistinct speech, and occasionally distinct speech.
If the patent system worked the way it does today, back then, then someone else would have patented the idea of a telephone long before Bell did...
Two working telephone devices were submitted to the patent system within 1 hour of each-other. Bell got there first, the other guy, Elisha Gray, lost his ass. If inventors the world over have been developing rudimentary telephones, and two different inventors come up with the same working solution at essentially the exact same time how can this "idea" not be "obvious"? Also, the telephone wasn't invented in order to win a patent, the patent system created the race to win, the telephone would have been created irregardless of the race.
Hey, guess who wins a patent race? The one with the most money & resources -- NOT THE LITTLE GUY.
The patent system never has worked as advertised, "to protect ideas". It has always been about enforcing a monopoly on obvious ideas. Subject to a monopoly, everyone but the monopolist suffers.
Perhaps I should just formalize and patent my "Method of anger mitigation, where said anger is caused by the interaction of an individual with one or more patent systems, and where the mitigation technique involves assaulting one or more patent examiners with a large herring."
If only demonstrations of "inventions" were still required before awarding of patents.
My girlfriend takes advantage of my morning wood, while I'm sleeping... I wake up to marvelous morning sex, not rape.
Would it have been "rape" if he was going down on her in her sleep instead?
By your logic, I should always ask first before walking up behind my girlfriend in the kitchen, groping her and making out in the breakfast nook. Sexual spontaneity is a trait that many women and men enjoy.
I assume that since we're in a sexual relationship that affection and sex is welcome. If at any point she says "stop" or terminates the relationship my sexual advances will cease.
I just can't accept the notion that when your significant other is asleep, you are no longer a couple...
I guess that's what they call it when somebody brings the state library's book back.
Hey, I live in Texas. I know for a fact we have more than just one library book. (I would give you an exact figure, but our math teachers aren't allowed to teach us numbers that big!)
If I had to guess I'd say more than 665...
The real questions are:
1) Would it have been acceptable for the juror in question to have read that Wikipedia article prior to being selected for jury duty?
2) Had any of the other jurors ever read the same Wikipedia article prior to being selected for jury duty? If so, how is this different than what the juror did?
3) Were all of the jurors expected to be totally uneducated about 'rape trauma syndrome'?
4) Does the legal system really just desire a bunch of empty minds that they can fill and sway one way or the other, or do they want intelligent, educated, free-thinking individuals that are qualified to help pass judgment on the accused based on the arguments provided?
Note: unbiased != uneducated.
IMO, you should have to take a quick quiz on the technology and/or other subjects that a case hinges upon before serving as a Judge or Juror. Fail the test, you are not qualified to pass judgment.
If we rely on lawyers & judges to "educate" the jurors how can we actually claim that the system works in the best interest of the public, and not the best interest of the government's courts and established laws?
Note: Not all Laws are Just.
Expecting those charged to enforce laws to provide unbiased information about the law is ridiculous and futile.
Commercial games are, for the most part, dead on the Linux desktop. There are some occasional exceptions but for the most part, if you want a big-name game to appear on Linux you're gonna have to go use WINE as native builds probably won't exist.
Dilogus - The Winds of War
It's a third person High Fantasy RPG action game that immerses players deep into the awe inspiring fantasy world of Dilogus, allowing them to experience it from multiple perspectives of six unique characters in both single player and co-operative multiplayer mode on Linux and Windows platforms.
Yeah, Linux game development has to start somewhere.... You can't expect, EA, Epic, ID, etc. to just say, "We're now developing for $NEW_PLATFORM" without watching others first test the waters.
I think if you really want to avoid disappointment with regards to Linux gaming and want to continue enjoying gaming on Linux... get used to indy games, and forget the big-budget commercial stuff. Indy developers need all the audience they can get [...]
Big-name commercial studios like EPIC and iD have abandoned Linux (unlike his previous games John Carmack has expressed a certain doubt about supporting Linux with Rage).
To avoid disappointment with regards to Any Gaming I choose Indy games. As a developer myself, I'm excited about the state of Linux gaming; To me Linux gaming looks like a large, ripe, and untapped market.
Demand for Linux games does exist. John Carmack is purposefully misleading... He sells a Game engine that doesn't run on Linux & isn't going to advocate making games on any platform that his engine doesn't run on...
Cross Platform is the future. Mac is a Unix. Linux is a Unix. Macs & "PCs" have the same guts these days. Rage runs on Unix... Not supporting Linux is stupid. Start with cross platform code (or engine), and you don't ever have to "port". Thus, you get additional market presence for $0.00.
Carmack has invested tons of time into developing for Apple and Microsoft platforms instead of investing time in truly cross platform engine code. As a game developer, (NOT an Engine Designer) it just doesn't make sense to use an Engine that's not cross platform. Why purposefully exclude a section of the market when it's not necessary?
The big guys will let the little guys innovate first... Add small carp to a big empty pond, watch them grow... Where the big fish are absent, the little fish reign supreme (proof: iPhone/iPad & Android gaming markets). The big guys arn't stupid, just misleading. Steve Jobs said, "No one wants a tablet PC", and then develops an iPad... In the past Carmack has expressed "doubts" about games in the browser and on mobile platforms, yet now has both mobile and browser games.
Don't be fooled, he'll makes games for Linux after others have already blazed the trails and "built out" the market.
you got that right user inserts cd sees his stuff isn't working goes back to windows.
Double edged swords cut both ways...
Debian Admin searches web for hardware's compatibility; Overlooks hardware not compatible with Debian. Orders new hardware; Inserts CD into new hardware; Sees stuff is working great; Has a passing thought as to why some hardware isn't compatible with Linux; Incompatible hardware looses business.
Post Interpretation Error: Missing closing parenthesis: post #34580154: line 4: opening parenthesis marked by "<<<Here" in the following: drivers any more. (<<<Here
Understanding terminated due to compilation error(s).
From TFA:
It may not make business sense for Netflix to invest in a player for Linux, given the relatively small audience on the Linux desktop.
But if they were to use [blah blah blah], they would have [a] code base to work on BSD or Linux.
You do realize that the Roku box runs Linux, and plays streaming Netflix, right?
From Linux Journal:
What makes the Roku interesting is that although Netflix doesn't support streaming its DRM-protected movies to Linux users, the Roku itself runs Linux.
So, TFA is wrong. Supporting a Linux client apparently makes great business sense...
What exactly do they need to do to get Netflix streaming on Linux? Nothing. It's done already. BSD is another story, but if the client was open sourced, they wouldn't have to "hire programmers"; Hell, I'd work on it for free.
It's the DRM and anti-OSS Hollywood studios that keep Netflix Streaming off Linux, not technical limitations or market share.
If [Netflix] made an open-source client, it would defeat the purpose of the DRM. (Yes, DRM doesn't work and blah blah blah, but this is a business requirement, not a technical requirement. If you want to get mad at them about it, get mad at Hollywood instead.)
Well, shoot, that just sucks! I was really looking forward to cracking the DRM in a Netflix Linux client and trans-coding the crappy quality, limited selection, streaming video feed into Theora files...
Oh well, guess I'll just have to keep getting the Netflix DVDs & Blu-ray Disks, breaking the DRM on those, ripping them to my digital library, and returning them before I've had a chance to watch them.
DRM... Pffft, Doesn't Restrict Me!
Laws are legal, after all.
Laws that can be broken are not laws.
We don't call them the laws of thermodynamics because well behaved matter and energy choose to follow them.
We call them laws because there doesn't seem to be a way to disobey them. In this case, if someone figured out how to break the law, we'd all be excited and pay big money to further the advance of exploiting thermodynamics to create infinite energy.
I don't call it a "speeding law" I call it a "speed regulation". Expose the bureaucracy for what it is, use accurate terms. Regulations should be regulated after all.
When someone figures out how to exploit a regulation, businesses get excited and pay consultants big money to further the application of said loophole to create infinite revenue. Hence, the current state of copyright regulations.
A possible response: "Because work that I did two decades ago is still valued and in demand, while nobody cares what you did yesterday."
Many people care if they can get to the websites they want. Yesterday I fixed a problem that if left unchecked, today would be preventing people from getting the data that they "demand".
Perhaps my employer owes me royalties for each 'user' of the newly installed hardware. Or, perhaps I don't get royalties, and instead focus on the next fire that needs putting out.
Your view about "value" is so wrong. Perhaps today you don't give a shit about the food that was prepared for you yesterday, but had you not eaten, you would care a whole lot more about the food you didn't get to eat, and you would be attempting to procure food today.
Just because something isn't currently in demand doesn't mean it still is... Just because something is still in demand, doesn't mean it's worth anything. I could care less about whether you eat or not.
However, since you want to play the demand game, lets do so.
If there is demand for an approved copy of your work then you obviously deserve to make a portion of profit from that approved & licensed purchase. Your loyal fans will ensure you have the money you deserve.
If there is demand for an unapproved digital copy of your work you obviously deserve to make a portion of profit from that unapproved copy ( hint: X% of $0.00 is $0.00 ). The less interested fans will ensure you don't get paid for things they don't think have any worth. (If you're lucky, they may be converted into genuine fans and pay to see your concert/exhibition -- where you actually are working).
Either demand does not determine value, or value is subjective. You decide.
I can top it. In Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad, 118 U.S. 394 (1886), the SCOTUS decided that corporations were people and thus entitled to 14th amendment protection.
Yes, Corporations, have all the benefits of being 'people', none of the drawbacks (such as finite life spans), and obey few of the laws that other 'people' must observe.
Corporations are free to merge with many other corporations, while polygamy is still illegal for 'people' in most states.
Corporations are allowed to have business practices such as "cutting off the competitor's air supply" while murder is still illegal for 'people'.
Corporations are allowed to be dissolved yet Suicide is illegal for 'people' to commit.
Corporations can have 'hostile takeovers' of other weaker corporations, but armed robbery, slavery, and blackmail are all still illegal for other categories of 'people'.
It would be pure anarchy and rule of the corrupt and powerful if real human 'people' were given the same rights as corporate entities have. Laws against things such as murder are in effect to help maintain order and security of society.
Feudalism, chaos and insecurity reign supreme among our most wealthiest 'people', the corporations; Some of us fight for less regulation and then wonder why the economic society is so chaotic and insecure...
I personally much prefer getting drawn into a compelling interactive story than having the story force fed to me, with no pause or rewind... esp if the story is interleaved with commercials. TV & Cinema just seem so antiquated.
I enjoy socially interacting with friends, family, and strangers online in games or forums, IRC, etc. more than I enjoy trying to get excited about someone else's sport-game, game-show, or stale "evening news" that I've already read online.
I stopped watching TV when I discovered the entertainment value of role-playing games, video games, playing sports, etc.
When it comes to entertainment ( Interactive > Passive ) to me.
I refuse to re-order my life around a TV Broadcast schedule. To those that recommend I use a DVR, to "catch" the shows I may be interested in are missing the point. I don't want to pay for an over-priced service that is full of commercials -- that's what ads are for folks, to help pay for the service!
Yes, I do know that ads exist online, they are largely unobtrusive (else I hit "back"), more valuable to advertisers (track-able views), and keep me from paying extra to have access to millions of sites (AKA Info Channels) than to access just a few hundred sites. With TV via cable & satellite subscription models I have to pay much more to be able to access more channels -- I'm only watching one at channel at a time... If satellite had a low base price that includes access to all available channels, like the Internet does, I might be interested.
Shows that are available on the Internet are available to me at the moment I decide to watch them. With a DVR, I have to know I want to watch something ahead of time, or pay an exorbitant fee just to receive a limited selection of 'TV on demand' (AKA Internet Delivered TV -- else it's not truly on-demand). Obligatory Car Analogy: I would rather drive a car than wait for a buss.
For me, a 30+ age category statistic, TV has been dead for many many years. Also Note: It's much cheaper to create your own "info channel" online than it is to start your own TV station.
Why, yes. It's quite simple actually.
SELECT * FROM patents WHERE method LIKE '%software%'
I would place your e-mail addresses into tier 1. If someone compromises your e-mail, they can go to your bank's (or other tier 1 site) and request a password-reset via email.
I created a Bookmarklette I call "Master PassHash". It takes the top 2 levels of the current domain, such as "it.slashdot.com" only yields "slashdot.com".
It then asks for you master password, performs a concatenation & SHA-1 hash. There's your password.
Use the same "master password" on all sites, you get a different SHA-1 hash for each site. The downside is that some places have stupid limits like: Must have only 13 chars, or Must contain a symbol... (sometimes this is an indication that those sites are not hashing your password), and also: somewhere.co.uk == co.uk, (doh).
Here it is: (forgive me, those that are uninterested).
javascript:var%20hex_chr%3D%220123456789abcdef%22%3Bfunction%20hex%28num%29%7Bvar%20str%3D%22%22%3Bfor%28var%20j%3D7%3Bj%3E%3D0%3Bj--%29str+%3Dhex_chr.charAt%28%28num%3E%3E%28j*4%29%29%260x0F%29%3Breturn%20str%3B%7D%3Bfunction%20str2blks_SHA1%28str%29%7Bvar%20nblk%3D%28%28str.length+8%29%3E%3E6%29+1%3Bvar%20blks%3Dnew%20Array%28nblk*16%29%3Bfor%28var%20i%3D0%3Bi%3Cnblk*16%3Bi++%29blks%5Bi%5D%3D0%3Bfor%28i%3D0%3Bi%3Cstr.length%3Bi++%29blks%5Bi%3E%3E2%5D%7C%3Dstr.charCodeAt%28i%29%3C%3C%2824-%28i%254%29*8%29%3Bblks%5Bi%3E%3E2%5D%7C%3D0x80%3C%3C%2824-%28i%254%29*8%29%3Bblks%5Bnblk*16-1%5D%3Dstr.length*8%3Breturn%20blks%3B%7D%3B%0Afunction%20add%28x%2Cy%29%7Bvar%20lsw%3D%28x%260xFFFF%29+%28y%260xFFFF%29%3Bvar%20msw%3D%28x%3E%3E16%29+%28y%3E%3E16%29+%28lsw%3E%3E16%29%3Breturn%20%28msw%3C%3C16%29%7C%28lsw%260xFFFF%29%3B%7D%3Bfunction%20rol%28num%2C%20cnt%29%7Breturn%28num%3C%3Ccnt%29%7C%28num%3E%3E%3E%2832-cnt%29%29%3B%7D%3Bfunction%20ft%28t%2Cb%2Cc%2Cd%29%7Bif%28t%3C20%29return%28b%26c%29%7C%28%28%7Eb%29%26d%29%3Bif%28t%3C40%29return%20b%5Ec%5Ed%3Bif%28t%20%3C%2060%29return%20%28b%26c%29%7C%28b%26d%29%7C%28c%26d%29%3Breturn%20b%5Ec%5Ed%3B%7D%3Bfunction%20kt%28t%29%7Breturn%20%28t%3C20%29%3F1518500249%3A%28t%3C40%29%3F1859775393%3A%28t%20%3C%2060%29%3F-1894007588%3A-899497514%3B%7D%3Bfunction%20calcSHA1%28str%29%7Bvar%20x%3Dstr2blks_SHA1%28str%29%3Bvar%20w%3Dnew%20Array%2880%29%3Bvar%20a%3D1732584193%3Bvar%20b%3D-271733879%3Bvar%20c%3D-1732584194%3Bvar%20d%3D271733878%3Bvar%20e%3D-1009589776%3Bfor%28var%20i%3D0%3Bi%3Cx.length%3Bi+%3D16%29%7Bvar%20olda%3Da%3Bvar%20oldb%3Db%3Bvar%20oldc%3Dc%3Bvar%20oldd%3Dd%3Bvar%20olde%3De%3Bfor%28var%20j%3D0%3Bj%3C80%3Bj++%29%7Bif%28j%3C16%29w%5Bj%5D%3Dx%5Bi+j%5D%3Belse%20w%5Bj%5D%3Drol%28w%5Bj-3%5D%5Ew%5Bj-8%5D%5Ew%5Bj-14%5D%5Ew%5Bj-16%5D%2C1%29%3Bt%3Dadd%28add%28rol%28a%2C5%29%2Cft%28j%2Cb%2Cc%2Cd%29%29%2Cadd%28add%28e%2Cw%5Bj%5D%29%2Ckt%28j%29%29%29%3Be%3Dd%3Bd%3Dc%3Bc%3Drol%28b%2C30%29%3Bb%3Da%3Ba%3Dt%3B%7D%3Ba%3Dadd%28a%2Colda%29%3Bb%3Dadd%28b%2Coldb%29%3Bc%3Dadd%28c%2Coldc%29%3Bd%3Dadd%28d%2Coldd%29%3Be%3Dadd%28e%2Colde%29%3B%7D%3Breturn%20hex%28a%29+hex%28b%29+hex%28c%29+hex%28d%29+hex%28e%29%3B%7D%3Bvar%20salt%3D%27Tastes2Salty%27%3Bvar%20h%3D%27none%27%3Btry%7Bh%3Dlocation.host%3Bl%3Dh.split%28%27.%27%29%3Bwhile%28l.length%3E2%29%7Bl.splice%280%2C1%29%7D%3Bh%3Dl.join%28%27.%27%29%3B%7Dcatch%28e%29%7B%7D%3Bvar%20pw%3Dprompt%28%27Master%20Password%27%29%3Bif%28pw%29%7Balert%28%27Site%3A%20%27+h+%27%5Cn%5CnPassword%3A%5Cn%27+calcSHA1%28h+salt+pw%29%29%3B%7D%3Bvoid%280%29%3B%0A
Set that as the Location / URL of a bookmark. Click the bookmark while you are on a site, or paste it into your address bar to see it in action. Note: IE has short URL limits, and so will not work with this... you can fetch it with a stub then eval() it (which is what I actually do).
You might want to change the salt too (I did before posting, but hey, it's more secure if your salt is unique. hint: s/Tastes2Salty/yourOwnSalt/)
Actually, I use a bit more complex script that performs HMAC, outputs in Base64, contains an encrypted table of domain password limits/quirks/number of levels (to avoid the co.uk thing), and can re-generate itself in a new window (+GUI to
Watch the Geminid Meteor Shower live without even leaving the basement!
11:00pm to 5:00am (EST)
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-msfc
DSL is much slower than Cable...
Not in my neighborhood.
I pay for a 10Gb down / 1.5Gb up DSL connection.
My neighbor pays for a 15Gb down 1Gb up Cable connection.
Average speed tests during peak usage times show 9.5Gb down, 1.5Gb up for me & 7Gb down, 0.5Gb up for him.
In short: My "slow" DSL is faster when it counts: When we actually want to use the Internet. My DSL is cheaper too.
Debit Cards Can add security, they are also not secure at all. I would like to see mobile payments (such as the Nexus S now supports) become commonplace -- it's more secure.
Until then I use a personalized rechargeable debit card I purchased at my local grocery store to make purchases in RL.
It costs $3.00 to put more money on it, I can use it at ATMs, I can use it online, I've even used it where a "only credit cards" were required.
This costs more than just using my actual debit card that is linked to my account, but if the number is stolen (e.g. by my Waiter, or from a lost wallet), they can only get the $100 or so that I have placed on the card. I throw away the card and get a new one.
For online purchases I typically use my credit card and generate a one-time-use card number.
The banks call this software by different names. Citibank calls it Virtual Account Number. Bank of America calls it ShopSafe. Discover calls it Secure Online Account Number. Under the hood, they are pretty much the same thing. The software is made by the same company: Orbiscom in Dublin, Ireland. Orbiscom is recently acquired by MasterCard for $100 million.
as discussed here
One day at work, I took my wallet out of my pants prior to crawling into a trash compactor...
When I climbed out, my wallet had been stolen. That same day I went to my bank, Wells Fargo, and reported the incident. They told me I would have to get a new account, so I did. I closed my account, got a new account, new account numbers, purchased new checks, ordered new debit-cards.
One week later someone used my "deactivated" debit card for the closed account to charge a $515.00 room in a hotel on the other side of the country. I was irate to say the least, what was the point of getting a whole new account if my old card could still be used? Furthermore, when I refused to pay for the fraudulent fees on the closed account, why did the charge against the closed account get deducted from my new account? Clearly, the Wells Fargo employee was more concerned with the perks they get for new account sign-ups, than with canceling my old card. I immediately closed my "new" account and went to a different bank.
Moral of the story: Don't trust anyone, they are all crooks. I still "owe" Wells Fargo that $515.00 plus double overdraft fees ($0.00 balance in the first closed account, so it magically rolled over into the second closed account and created MORE overdraft fees). I refuse to pay Wells Fargo any of the fraudulent charges, luckily I signed up with a new bank before that got on my credit report; No bank will give me a new bank account until the "bad debt" against Wells Fargo is remedied.