I think I might have been tempted to counter-offer that if they gave me $250,000 then I'd ask the judge (with no promise of success) to vacate the decision - after all, if the RIAA can ride the gravy train, why couldn't I? Besides, that would allow me to pay the settlement, if the decision wasn't vacated...
[What other things] should you not be forced to pay for, just because you've found a way to "harmlessly" acquire them?
The fruit from the trees in my yard... I didn't pay for those apples and peaches, why should I feel entitled to eat them?
The vegetables from my garden (especially the ones I grew by planting stuff I bought from the store and didn't eat, I sure didn't pay the licensing to be growing those GM crops!)
The music I taped from the radio, and the TV shows I taped from broadcast (over the air) television.
What I've never understood is why it wasn't a flat rate (modified by the scope of the infringing activity) plus all the revenues you gained from the infringing activity.
It used to be very similar to that; "In the corporate world treble damages often arise in regard to patent infringement, willful counterfeiting and antitrust lawsuits. Damages are calculated against the financial loss incurred by the plaintiff directly resulting from the actions of the defendant."
The problem in this case, and specifically the reason the damage award keeps bouncing around so hard (gaining and losing multiple zeros on the left side of the decimal point) is that damages in IP infringement cases are difficult to quantify, especially when the "damage" may be, in actual fact, a net effect of zero... or even an increase in sales of music on physical media.
The researchers conclude that that people who download more music actually buy more CDs. They report: “We estimate that the effect of one additional P2P download per month is to increase music purchasing by 0.44 CDs per year.”
This is what should happen. Unfortunately, the media mob will never, ever, ever accept it. Their aim is complete, absolute, unchallenged control of media and distribution. To this end, they will wage war against the very foundations of the Internet and will win if unopposed. There is no hope in laws, they can buy them, and neither in politics because they have everybody on their payroll. Like with all good revolution, this must be waged with violence: MAFIAA representatives must be assassinated, their properties destroyed, their families targeted. To the little people who work for them the question is: are you ready to die for your masters' money? Is the pittance you're paid worth it? The next letter you open might well take your hands and your face off. Beware.
While I am not condoning violence, I certainly understand the vitriol that caused such a statement to be put in writing, and I respect the firmness of belief that caused it to be published under an actual username, rather than as AC. It's marked as "Troll", but seems somewhat informative and insightful to me - I see nothing in that post that is deliberately inflammatory, or ridiculously begging for a reply, and so "Flamebait" and "Troll" are not appropriate moderations, in my opinion, despite the poster's name.
Then link to techdirt, instead, like you did with the first link. This link actually came from the article you linked to first, and is at least as informative as the wikipedia article, perhaps more so.
How can there be any ambiguity about this? Either it's 4th Generation, or it's not. One of the linked articles talk about how "T-Mobile's '4G' network is based on a technology called HSPA+. For years, it has been considered more of a 3.5G technology than real 4G."
No such thing as a half-gen. A generation is simply a (hopefully improved) iteration of a specific thing. The ITU issuing a statement as to what they think 4G is becomes meaningless, if you're trying to use an inappropriate term to describe something; It would be like measuring length in "purples". I already didn't attach any significance to the term "4G", at least not pertaining to speed, because it seemed nonsensical to do so. Advertisers like to use buzzwords, sure, but if you're going to attempt to regulate that by defining the buzzwords as something that cannot etymologically be explained in that manner, then I'll start ignoring the definitions, too.
"I'm going to orange my jumping until it shifts orangutans." Stick that in your buzzword pipe and snorkel it.
If you want to get right down to it, the generations should be described as something like this:
Anything short of that won't be 4G enough. "Using 'generation' to describe speed" appears to be the issue, here, and it may be disingenuous for the advertisers to take advantage of consumers' lack of knowledge, but I can't assign blame (or responsibility) to them for their customers' ignorance.
Ok, this is the post I somehow posted as AC (despite not checking the box for "Post Anonymously"), and then I replied to it when I realized it was AC for whatever reason, but slashdot has managed to misplace my posts here and here.
Whatever. This new discussion format is apparently more screwed up than I initially thought. Anyone know how to go back to the way it used to be?
Ok, this is the post I somehow posted as AC (despite not checking the box for "Post Anonymously"), and then I replied to it when I realized it was AC for whatever reason, but slashdot has managed to misplace my posts here and here.
Whatever. This new discussion format is apparently more screwed up than I initially thought. Anyone know how to go back to the way it used to be?
... and now, I've apparently replied to a post that isn't mine, despite clicking "reply" on the correct post. It appears that my actual post is now missing. Slashdot, your site officially sucks.
This was my post, and I didn't check the box for "Post Anonymously", so I have no idea why it posted it anonymously. Between the scripting errors and the new discussion system that I can't figure out how to turn off, I'm about ready to give up on this website.
You hear me, slashdot? Stop "fixing" shit that isn't broken, you're pissing off your viewers!
The problem with this would be that the artists don't own their own music. See this link for an example of how "RIAA Accounting" manages to shaft not only the customers, but the artists, too. It would appear that the record companies make at least ten times the money they give (grudgingly) to the artists... and then follow up by charging the artist for the privilege of using their studios, their recording facilities, their duplication facilities, etc. Many times, the artist ends up owing the recording studio if their album doesn't go at least platinum.
I know someone who said, of being on trial, "I would like to think that if you have made it this far in the system, it's because you are guilty."
This is a perfect example of the difference between civil and criminal cases. In a criminal case, the suspect is supposedly presumed innocent until proven guilty. In a civil case, the defendant is the one who needs to prove their innocence. This is just another symptom, showing how the whole system is broken.
...the only exceptions are a civil judgment for damages caused by drunk driving, as far as what my attorney told me...
Yeah, because we all know about the DUI exception to the Constitution. I'm not arguing against punishing people for non-soberly operating a 2,000 pound high-speed weapon, but I do think that throwing the lawbooks out the window is foolish, no matter the charge.
On a side note (and steering this post back on topic), the very fact that the damage awards have bounced through several orders of magnitude should be enough to get this entire case dismissed. It's a court of law, not an auction house.
I personally have a problem when I live in Georgia and a California judge arbitrarily lumps me into a class action without my consent. The simple fact that Google believes they can avoid a major problem by misleading people into believing that a California judge has the power to take away your rights arbitrarily is disconcerting. No matter whether you send in your letter, if you do not live in California, you are not binded to this class action unless you specifically stated so, and even those that live in California have a right to object, because no judge can force a ruling upon subjects, no matter how many options he/she proposes to make his ruling seem legit.
Japanese characters are mostly sound-based rather than meaning-based, though a single Japanese character will generally map to two latin characters.
I assume you're referring to the katakana, here... So, yes, using a phonetic set of approximately 50 characters, your writing will be sound-based. Unfortunately, you are also underinformed, as there are actually 3 character-based written languages in use in Japanese writing. Part of the problem, here, would be that the same (spoken) word can refer to many different concepts, and the (non-phonetic) written language reflects the meanings, rather than the pronunciation. For example:
Some Japanese words are written with different kanji depending on the specific usage of the word—for instance, the word naosu (to fix, or to cure) is written as "" when it refers to curing a person, and "" when it refers to fixing an object.
Bah, slashdot apparently doesn't like my attempt to use the characters. Whatever, the quoted text is from the linked article.
I'm sorry you got your panties in a bunch because some of the groupthink coincides with some of my own thoughts.
I maintain my points, and here's another one:
The most exciting thing Microsoft has done in the past several years was to showcase "Surface" - which promptly disappeared into some back room at the R&D lab, never to be heard from again. To put it succinctly, as my wife did: "That looked like it would be fun. Where did it go?" Why did the only innovative product Microsoft has come up with in the past 10 years that didn't piss off half their userbase get stuffed into a closet to rot?
Microsoft lost touch with the consumer market a long time ago, and the stock market (and the tech sector) are finally starting to notice.
Will they be closing their doors any time soon? Probably not. Did IBM close their doors? No. They just became less relevant to the industry at large, lost their market share, and helplessly watched their profits dwindle.
As for the patents thing, I never mentioned software patents specifically, I said "patents". Microsoft is suing people in a thinly-veiled attempt to keep hold of their market share, and this is irrelevant to the discussion? Way to go, you sure dodged that groupthink, there.
In this modern era, it is now possible to copy physical objects with a minimum of time and effort investment (See the RepRap, for example), and purely digital objects can be copied with just a few clicks and/or keystrokes. In addition, with rapid physical transportation (as well as near-instantaneous information transportation), idea-flow really is practically unstoppable. This is a discussion for another thread, of course, but dismissing my point because I happen to share certain ideas with the "slashdot groupthink" is kinda like ignoring a man trying to hand you a coupon for a free cheeseburger because he's black (or atheist, or wearing a silly hat, or any other ill-informed prejudicial reason). You missed the boat because you were dodging the man carrying fishing pole.
I use the Xbox to stream Netflix for pretty much all of my TV watching, stream music from my computer while I'm playing games or just looking for some background noise.
The rest of us just use the multitasking capabilities of a *single* several-hundred-dollar appliance, but your money woes are not mine to judge...
While you've been staying away from any product Microsoft makes, you're missing out on a really nice experience.
No, I haven't missed it; I just didn't pay through the nose for the privilege.
Slashdot Mirror
I think I might have been tempted to counter-offer that if they gave me $250,000 then I'd ask the judge (with no promise of success) to vacate the decision - after all, if the RIAA can ride the gravy train, why couldn't I?
Besides, that would allow me to pay the settlement, if the decision wasn't vacated...
[What other things] should you not be forced to pay for, just because you've found a way to "harmlessly" acquire them?
The fruit from the trees in my yard... I didn't pay for those apples and peaches, why should I feel entitled to eat them?
The vegetables from my garden (especially the ones I grew by planting stuff I bought from the store and didn't eat, I sure didn't pay the licensing to be growing those GM crops!)
The music I taped from the radio, and the TV shows I taped from broadcast (over the air) television.
The list goes on and on...
You are a troll.
What I've never understood is why it wasn't a flat rate (modified by the scope of the infringing activity) plus all the revenues you gained from the infringing activity.
It used to be very similar to that; "In the corporate world treble damages often arise in regard to patent infringement, willful counterfeiting and antitrust lawsuits. Damages are calculated against the financial loss incurred by the plaintiff directly resulting from the actions of the defendant."
The problem in this case, and specifically the reason the damage award keeps bouncing around so hard (gaining and losing multiple zeros on the left side of the decimal point) is that damages in IP infringement cases are difficult to quantify, especially when the "damage" may be, in actual fact, a net effect of zero... or even an increase in sales of music on physical media.
From http://torrentfreak.com/piracy-boosts-cd-sales-071103/:
The researchers conclude that that people who download more music actually buy more CDs. They report: “We estimate that the effect of one additional P2P download per month is to increase music purchasing by 0.44 CDs per year.”
This is what should happen. Unfortunately, the media mob will never, ever, ever accept it. Their aim is complete, absolute, unchallenged control of media and distribution. To this end, they will wage war against the very foundations of the Internet and will win if unopposed.
There is no hope in laws, they can buy them, and neither in politics because they have everybody on their payroll. Like with all good revolution, this must be waged with violence: MAFIAA representatives must be assassinated, their properties destroyed, their families targeted. To the little people who work for them the question is: are you ready to die for your masters' money? Is the pittance you're paid worth it? The next letter you open might well take your hands and your face off.
Beware.
While I am not condoning violence, I certainly understand the vitriol that caused such a statement to be put in writing, and I respect the firmness of belief that caused it to be published under an actual username, rather than as AC. It's marked as "Troll", but seems somewhat informative and insightful to me - I see nothing in that post that is deliberately inflammatory, or ridiculously begging for a reply, and so "Flamebait" and "Troll" are not appropriate moderations, in my opinion, despite the poster's name.
I'm not doubting your story, and it fits pretty well with their overall behaviour, but for interest sake, do you have a citation for that?
Here ya go:
Members of the Canadian Recording Industry Association, including the Big Four (Warner Music Canada, Sony BMG Music Canada, EMI Music Canada, and Universal Music Canada), face the prospect of damages ranging from $50 million up to $6 billion due to their use of artists' music without permission.
That line is in the first paragraph of the ars technica article that explains the whole thing.
See also (though I usually hate linking to wikipoo-dia): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting
Then link to techdirt, instead, like you did with the first link. This link actually came from the article you linked to first, and is at least as informative as the wikipedia article, perhaps more so.
How can there be any ambiguity about this? Either it's 4th Generation, or it's not. One of the linked articles talk about how "T-Mobile's '4G' network is based on a technology called HSPA+. For years, it has been considered more of a 3.5G technology than real 4G."
No such thing as a half-gen. A generation is simply a (hopefully improved) iteration of a specific thing. The ITU issuing a statement as to what they think 4G is becomes meaningless, if you're trying to use an inappropriate term to describe something; It would be like measuring length in "purples". I already didn't attach any significance to the term "4G", at least not pertaining to speed, because it seemed nonsensical to do so. Advertisers like to use buzzwords, sure, but if you're going to attempt to regulate that by defining the buzzwords as something that cannot etymologically be explained in that manner, then I'll start ignoring the definitions, too.
"I'm going to orange my jumping until it shifts orangutans." Stick that in your buzzword pipe and snorkel it.
If you want to get right down to it, the generations should be described as something like this:
G1: Can-and-string voice communications
G2: Wired voice communications
G3: Wireless voice communications
G4: ??? (Cybernetically-implanted wireless voice communications, maybe?)
Anything short of that won't be 4G enough. "Using 'generation' to describe speed" appears to be the issue, here, and it may be disingenuous for the advertisers to take advantage of consumers' lack of knowledge, but I can't assign blame (or responsibility) to them for their customers' ignorance.
--
No, I didn't read the article. Did you?
Ok, this is the post I somehow posted as AC (despite not checking the box for "Post Anonymously"), and then I replied to it when I realized it was AC for whatever reason, but slashdot has managed to misplace my posts here and here.
Whatever. This new discussion format is apparently more screwed up than I initially thought. Anyone know how to go back to the way it used to be?
Ok, this is the post I somehow posted as AC (despite not checking the box for "Post Anonymously"), and then I replied to it when I realized it was AC for whatever reason, but slashdot has managed to misplace my posts here and here.
Whatever. This new discussion format is apparently more screwed up than I initially thought. Anyone know how to go back to the way it used to be?
... and now, I've apparently replied to a post that isn't mine, despite clicking "reply" on the correct post. It appears that my actual post is now missing. Slashdot, your site officially sucks.
This was my post, and I didn't check the box for "Post Anonymously", so I have no idea why it posted it anonymously.
Between the scripting errors and the new discussion system that I can't figure out how to turn off, I'm about ready to give up on this website.
You hear me, slashdot? Stop "fixing" shit that isn't broken, you're pissing off your viewers!
When offered a settlement that worked out to a few thousand dollars per song she had illegally downloaded and shared, she refused to take it
FTFY.
The problem with this would be that the artists don't own their own music. See this link for an example of how "RIAA Accounting" manages to shaft not only the customers, but the artists, too. It would appear that the record companies make at least ten times the money they give (grudgingly) to the artists... and then follow up by charging the artist for the privilege of using their studios, their recording facilities, their duplication facilities, etc. Many times, the artist ends up owing the recording studio if their album doesn't go at least platinum.
I know someone who said, of being on trial, "I would like to think that if you have made it this far in the system, it's because you are guilty."
This is a perfect example of the difference between civil and criminal cases. In a criminal case, the suspect is supposedly presumed innocent until proven guilty. In a civil case, the defendant is the one who needs to prove their innocence.
This is just another symptom, showing how the whole system is broken.
...the only exceptions are a civil judgment for damages caused by drunk driving, as far as what my attorney told me...
Yeah, because we all know about the DUI exception to the Constitution. I'm not arguing against punishing people for non-soberly operating a 2,000 pound high-speed weapon, but I do think that throwing the lawbooks out the window is foolish, no matter the charge.
On a side note (and steering this post back on topic), the very fact that the damage awards have bounced through several orders of magnitude should be enough to get this entire case dismissed. It's a court of law, not an auction house.
I personally have a problem when I live in Georgia and a California judge arbitrarily lumps me into a class action without my consent. The simple fact that Google believes they can avoid a major problem by misleading people into believing that a California judge has the power to take away your rights arbitrarily is disconcerting. No matter whether you send in your letter, if you do not live in California, you are not binded to this class action unless you specifically stated so, and even those that live in California have a right to object, because no judge can force a ruling upon subjects, no matter how many options he/she proposes to make his ruling seem legit.
[citation needed]
So tell me, how many days of you get at google per year? :)
Uhm... what?
-1, Unintelligible.
...if Microsoft were to cease to exist tomorrow, you could continue to install Windows on new hardware...
The fundamental logical flaw in your argument would be that if Microsoft ceased to exist, you could not legally authenticate your Windows license.
Here's yer citation. Sorry you're too lazy to use a search engine.
Japanese characters are mostly sound-based rather than meaning-based, though a single Japanese character will generally map to two latin characters.
I assume you're referring to the katakana, here... So, yes, using a phonetic set of approximately 50 characters, your writing will be sound-based.
Unfortunately, you are also underinformed, as there are actually 3 character-based written languages in use in Japanese writing.
Part of the problem, here, would be that the same (spoken) word can refer to many different concepts, and the (non-phonetic) written language reflects the meanings, rather than the pronunciation. For example:
Some Japanese words are written with different kanji depending on the specific usage of the word—for instance, the word naosu (to fix, or to cure) is written as "" when it refers to curing a person, and "" when it refers to fixing an object.
Bah, slashdot apparently doesn't like my attempt to use the characters. Whatever, the quoted text is from the linked article.
Will it embrace IDIC?
Looks more like E.D.O.C...
Go ahead, say it out loud.
But...
Apparently, we are running out of rocks...
4) She's talking to a hologram of a man from her own time that only she can see and hear, as she puts right what once went wrong.
Oh boy.
I'm sorry you got your panties in a bunch because some of the groupthink coincides with some of my own thoughts.
I maintain my points, and here's another one:
The most exciting thing Microsoft has done in the past several years was to showcase "Surface" - which promptly disappeared into some back room at the R&D lab, never to be heard from again. To put it succinctly, as my wife did: "That looked like it would be fun. Where did it go?" Why did the only innovative product Microsoft has come up with in the past 10 years that didn't piss off half their userbase get stuffed into a closet to rot?
Microsoft lost touch with the consumer market a long time ago, and the stock market (and the tech sector) are finally starting to notice.
Will they be closing their doors any time soon? Probably not. Did IBM close their doors? No. They just became less relevant to the industry at large, lost their market share, and helplessly watched their profits dwindle.
As for the patents thing, I never mentioned software patents specifically, I said "patents". Microsoft is suing people in a thinly-veiled attempt to keep hold of their market share, and this is irrelevant to the discussion? Way to go, you sure dodged that groupthink, there.
In this modern era, it is now possible to copy physical objects with a minimum of time and effort investment (See the RepRap, for example), and purely digital objects can be copied with just a few clicks and/or keystrokes. In addition, with rapid physical transportation (as well as near-instantaneous information transportation), idea-flow really is practically unstoppable. This is a discussion for another thread, of course, but dismissing my point because I happen to share certain ideas with the "slashdot groupthink" is kinda like ignoring a man trying to hand you a coupon for a free cheeseburger because he's black (or atheist, or wearing a silly hat, or any other ill-informed prejudicial reason). You missed the boat because you were dodging the man carrying fishing pole.
I use the Xbox to stream Netflix for pretty much all of my TV watching, stream music from my computer while I'm playing games or just looking for some background noise.
The rest of us just use the multitasking capabilities of a *single* several-hundred-dollar appliance, but your money woes are not mine to judge...
While you've been staying away from any product Microsoft makes, you're missing out on a really nice experience.
No, I haven't missed it; I just didn't pay through the nose for the privilege.