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  1. Re:She's right actually on Microsoft Sued Over Vista-To-XP Downgrade Fees · · Score: 1

    This would have cost Microsoft exactly nothing. Whether it's XP on her computer or Vista, the cost involved is reflected in how Microsoft decides to do the accounting.

  2. Re:There are lots of big names... on How To Argue That Open Source Software Is Secure? · · Score: 1

    Sun, IBM, and several others are MAJOR contributors. Why would they contribute to something that's so insecure? Why would Google spend millions of dollars every year to fund Summer of Code? Why would MySQL be one of the most popular RDMBS, and Apache, THE most popular web server? The list goes on...

  3. Re:Republicans are Flat-Earth Economists on $2 Billion For Broadband Cut From Stimulus Bill · · Score: 1

    The $800b he proposed was too small to begin with, and all of these cuts make it more likely that we're not going to have enough stimulus to do anything useful.

    No, $800b is fine. It's a matter of using it wisely. The complete and utter morons in the government who believed that there shouldn't be any strings attached to government monney for bailouts/stimulus should be fired. When you give $140 billion to a few institutions and $18b of that winds up in the pockets of the people responsible for the failure, you've got more serious problems to contend with. The system is clearly broken, and it should be fixed first.

  4. Re:$9 Million? on Flash Mob Steals $9 Million From ATMs · · Score: 1

    And the $18 BILLION stolen by CEOs of said banks.

  5. Re:Real-time Auto-Tune on The Deceptive Perfection of Auto-Tune · · Score: 1

    I'm surprised to hear that it's so bad. I recently bought some software that does for rhythm tracks what might make this better. Quantization has long been a part of synthesized music, but there are also tools that "de-quantize" - that add a bit of a groove to the otherwise perfect rhythm so that it sounds more natural. It doesn't seem as though they've thought to apply this same technique to auto-tuned vocals.

  6. Re:And there's some potentially BIG repercussions on Microsoft May Be Targeting the Ubuntu Desktop · · Score: 1

    Right now Microsoft and other large companies are in bed together (think *AA). They can make all kinds of backroom deals that will ultimately result in users being required to hand over more and more control over their own PCs. Now, enter Ubuntu (or linux in general). Instead of Microsoft saying, "here you have to take this because it's what we've decided to do," *AA will have to adopt a different mindset in order to cater to this growing user base. I'm not talking about giving away the farm, but I am talking about a requirement that they either play by a reasonable set of rules, or go play somewhere else. Linux doesn't have to kowtow to them like Microsoft does.

  7. Re:revenue sharing not legal in California on Italian Red Lights Rigged With Short Yellow Light · · Score: 1

    What's particularly revealing about that second article is the emphasis not on safety, but on revenue. There were no statistics citing the number of increased accidents because of those who haven't paid their fines. There was, however, this comment: "Kasabo was most concerned that cities were missing out on the revenue from unpaid tickets and that the court and police departments were doing little to recoup the cash." Case closed.

  8. Patch it 100 times.... on Second GTA IV Patch Released, Early Look At DLC · · Score: 1

    I won't buy it until I see a patch that removes, in entirety, *any* reliance on anything to do with SecurROM.

  9. Re:Yes, it IS theft. on A Teacher Asking Students To Destroy Notes? · · Score: 1

    >> COPYING A FILE IS NOT THEFT

    If the copying is unauthorized, it's theft of VALUE. If it didn't have value, you wouldn't be copying it.

  10. Re:If it 'snot good enough for the feds... on Single Drive Wipe Protects Data · · Score: 1

    >> they get the job done quicker and better for less money

    That's a common misconception, imho. Maybe it was true at first, but only until people realized they could get away with the kind of BS as private contractors that they would have gotten away with as government employees. The use of private contractors is even worse, since it's far to easy to "steer" the process so that certain contractors are given preference over others, and there's no oversight that I'm aware of that prevents this from happening.

  11. Re:Pretty much on Report Claims 95% of Music Downloads Are Illegal · · Score: 1

    The problem is they project this image, and indeed have this mentality, that copyright infringement is theft. No it isn't.

    I have to disagree. You are not entitled in any way to someone's creation simply by virtue that it exists. When you acquire something through copyright infringement, you are acquiring something of value. Whether it's physical or not, or if it's the first or 100 millionth copy is irrelevant. Either way, you derive benefit from the infringed material, and the creator gets nothing. I'd call that a form of theft.

  12. Re:How to silence anyone on YouTube: on YouTube Muting, Removing Videos Involving Warner Music · · Score: 1

    Pro-God YT user VenomFangX made people file complaints on many anti-him (small 'h', VFX) videos, but went too far by using it as a censorship trick.

    Ah yes, VenomFangX - another certifiable zealot. I've always wondered - if his religion is so great and wonderful, why does he feel it necessary to resort to such underhanded tactics? It has been around for more than two thousand years, and will certainly survive without him.

  13. Re:Lack of imagination? on Google Challenging Proposition 8 · · Score: 1

    However, loving the sinner doesn't mean permitting their sinful ways to go unchallenged.

    But why only this sin? As others have pointed out, there is no consequence whatsoever for almost every other "detestable" behavior mentioned within the same context. The Bible isn't a "pick what's convenient for you and leave the rest" proposition, but that's the way that most modern Christians treat it.

  14. Re:you don't understand how it's bad for hiring? on Google Challenging Proposition 8 · · Score: 1

    That's the problem. It shouldn't be. It should be a civil action. This way, anyone that wants to include a religious ceremony as part of their marriage may do so, and leave everyone else the hell alone.

  15. Re:I don't get it on Google Challenging Proposition 8 · · Score: 1

    You've cited all of one such civilization.

  16. Re:It's you on Feds Plot Massive Internet Router Security Upgrade · · Score: 1

    You're failing to take into account the 2-3 times the project will be extended and the quadrupling in cost. That's just SOP for a government contract. Sad, but true.

  17. Re:Wow on Obama Proposes Digital Health Records · · Score: 1

    $150 million on 750,000 lines of code works about to about $266 per line. If anyone hears their manager complaining about the high cost of programmers, remind them that your cost is only about $5 (or whatever).

  18. Re:Why 32-bit? on Windows 7 Beta Released To Public After Delay · · Score: 1

    Would you know what the conversion factor is for a metric buttload?

  19. Re:Is an A380 big enough? on USAF Seeks Air Force One Replacement · · Score: 1

    Kudos for a well-reasoned, well-written response. My whole thing is that I think they're paid far too much as it is. However, based on your argument, even if it's only $1 million, it might still make sense to maximize the productive use of their time- which sounds very reasonable.

  20. Re:Is an A380 big enough? on USAF Seeks Air Force One Replacement · · Score: 0, Troll

    When somebody is that valuable, it makes sense. For the big three, a mid-point would have been if all three(and their assistants), had taken the same private plane.

    It think you mean, "When somebody thinks they are that valuable..." - to which I would reply, "Most likely they aren't." The egomaniacal people in these kinds of positions are leeches- they syphon the lifeblood of a company for their own personal gain, and they typically face no consequences if they screw things up (which they do quite often).

  21. Re:Nail, meet Head on A Peek At DHS's Files On You · · Score: 1

    That's it - so much of this "information" is merely digital detritus that means nothing. What they have effectively done is set up an entire agency that does exactly what the schmuck in the cube next to you does - gives people the perception he is working by pointing to the growing mound of crap on his desk, but produces absolutely nothing of value.

  22. It's about time on Tooth Regeneration Coming Soon · · Score: 4, Interesting

    One thing that has always puzzled me is that despite all the advances in technology, getting a crown is still VERY expensive. There has been no appreciable reduction in cost due to better manufacturing techniques, or better/cheaper materials. Compare this to say, lasik - when it was first introduced it cost about 4K per eye I think. Now it's a few hundred.

  23. Re:First steps towards the Militarization of NASA on Obama Moves To Link Pentagon With NASA · · Score: 0, Troll

    Stop and think for a moment, what kind of environment breeds the kind of people that you speak of. That is, if you belief that 9/11 was carried out by foreign terrorists.

  24. Re:Yes, worry! on Image of Popeye Enters Public Domain In the EU · · Score: 5, Informative

    We're not talking about "the artist" here, we're talking about a huge media conglomerate. Here's the irony with current copyright law: back when the 17-year copyright was first enacted, the means of production and distribution were far more limited than they are today. Because corporations have much easier access to potential customers, they can make far more money, far faster than they ever could in the past. And yet, there's this insane belief that the copyright needed to be extended. If anything, it should have been shortened to take into account the benefits brought by advances in technology. I dare say those who initiated the idea of copyright ever envisioned multi-billion-dollar corporations creating a stranglehold on the sale and distribution of works that define our culture.

  25. Re:Tabula Rasa on "Necessary Complexity" in Online Games · · Score: 1

    ..is free until the end of February. It's a great game.