History has taught us, the truth always comes out.
So who killed JFK? Why did the CEO of Coca-Cola change the recipe back in the 80's when he assumed control of the company? Why were there no aircraft fuselage fragments at the Pentagon "crash site" on 9/11?
History has taught us that where liability is limited there are more secrets than truths. Give a government or corporation an inch, they're take a parsec. Governments are necessary to order, and corporations are necessary to progress. The amount of consumer pressure required to keep them in check would be a full-time unpaid job for at least 1/4 of the population.
I agree we shouldn't be sitting on our hands, but people willing and able to lead such endeavors have to come forward, and that simply ain't me. Most of them waste their time on politicians that will never get elected.
There are dry counties in Alabama and probably other southern bible-thumping states.
Back in the 1950's, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario was the only seller of alcohol in the province (i.e. bars buy from the LCBO), and required its customers to sign for every alcohol purchase.
The LCBO is still the governing body and only source of alcohol for consumers or resellers, but they're quite hip with the times now, i.e. no signatures required. Their selection is excellent and they can get most anything in on order, since they're the biggest single buyer of alcohol in the world. Every alcohol producer wants the LCBO to buy their products. About 10 years ago the government was considering privatizing the LCBO, and the backlash from the public was overwhelmingly against it.
But in areas that never heard that prohibition was appealed, if things haven't changed much by now, they probably never will.
It's about the imagery of it. Suppose I doctored a picture showing your toothbrush up my ass a week ago. Supposed it actually convinced you for a second. Despite not actually suffering the implied consequences, would you appreciate it?
Posting RIAA lawyers to high government jobs makes no more sense than tobacco lawyers. Did they merely do the job put before them with due diligence? Sure. But the lawyers in the attorney general's office should have more scruples. Similarly, a lawyer defending a tobacco company should give up all hope of running for public office.
I agree they want to move forward in part to make XP obselete, but they moved too far forward with XP. They're suffering because they can't make the same leap again. XP got a lot of Mac users to switch (including myself) because Apple had their pants around their ankles from the painfully slow software implementation of AltiVec and multiple CPU support, and OS 9 being worse than OS 8.6, though to a lesser degree than Vista is worse then XP.
In 2003 I had an 800MHz G4 running at 40% efficiency because audio software did not support AltiVec, even though G4's had been out for four years. Without AltiVec it was effectively a G3, no SIMD capability and a 64-bit register instead of 128-bit - 24-bit audio samples fit 5 times into 128-bits compared to only 2 at 64-bit. I sold it for $1700 and spent $1200 on a new 2GHz Athlon that literally had 10x the effective audio processing power, never looked back.
Now those roles are reversed, OS X is well developed, and Vista/7 is circling the bowl. My next computer will probably be a Mac, but I'm squeezing every day I can get out of my XP box since my fave plugins (Voxengo) are not available for Mac.
XP ain't perfect but Microsoft will never make a better product. It made them billions, and they deserved it. Now the more they spend on advertising the more obvious it is that they no longer deserve it. They look like those Stride gum commercials, trying to get us to spit out XP and grab another piece.
Yes, there will be many that stick with MS, but one area where Windows will really suffer is task-specific machines, which are most easily switched to linux, even if custom software has to be written. I was really surprised to learn that the open source community has not addressed the ridiculous cost of point of sale terminals. Typically the software can only be bought with a "new" machine (typically built from outdated or even used parts) and can cost $10,000 or more for a crap PC and glorified cash register software.
...other studies found that of those disinterested in buying mainstream Blu-Rays, less than 50% were Dutch. These Dutch extremists must be brought to justice!
Why set up the Do-Not-Call list if it's not a criminal offense to violate the order? It's tantamount to trespassing or mail tampering. Wussy fines aren't enough to stop shady telemarketers, who already know how to make it near impossible for people to trace their number. Tracking them down requires police action, not civil complaints.
If the actual individuals placing calls and their superiors could be charged with a misdemeanor for each call, that would accomplish something. Robocalls might even warrant a felony charge, since they're especially defiant.
It would be nice if phone companies got involved, but with VOIP providers coming on the scene that are just servers in a closet, I'm not too confident on that prospect.
"Tiny rocks, paint flecks and other fragments of junk whizzing around the Earth pose the greatest threat to the shuttles and the astronauts on board, according to the preliminary results of a new NASA risk study."
I can't see solar panels of the SPS magnitude being as maintenance-free as you suggest.
So rather than gaining taxes from legitimate growers despite homegrown losses, you'd rather ensure that every dime spent on marijuana goes to criminals, and in fact turns otherwise lawful citizens into criminals?
I can appreciate that many rural areas do not have access to broadband internet, and I certainly don't prejudice rural residents, but I don't see the dire necessity of faster internet where it already exists. Is this the time to be spending $6B on supplementary services which otherwise are not economically viable?
I can tell you why previous financial incentives did not achieve the intended results - they have better things to spend the money on! So does the US government!
I have attended several meetings with RIAA executives specifically concerning tactics to prevent piracy among teenagers.
Umm, So Dante, when you left the meeting, were you advised to not look backwards so that you could escape the bowels of Hell unmolested?
No, I looked backwards, to let them know I would be back. They then torpedoed my other projects. I didn't suffer from it, but others did. I'll never make that mistake again.
There is a word that is feared by everyone in the music industry that can't live up to their promises: guarantee. Watch out for that word. It's going to pop up in weird places in the next year.
I have attended several meetings with RIAA executives specifically concerning tactics to prevent piracy among teenagers. I have proposed a marketing model that actually engages piracy in a way that benefits the musicians and labels more than simply selling the music. Nobody bought it. One particularly ignorant turd said something to the effect of "we're not turning this undustry upside-down just because some brats are stealing from us." I compared him to someone refusing to leave their home with a forest fire approaching. End of conversation.
They blame them brat kids for the industry tanking, instead of realizing that it's their fault for failing to adapt. They have been presented numerous options to address the problem, they refuse to make the necessary changes. They curse their luck as they piss into the wind.
A closer comparison would be the tobacco industry. Just be thankful that music doesn't kill anyone.
Something people don't realize - the word "advertising" means to influence people to do what they do not want to do, aka are adverse to doing. It is not merely steering them towards one of several available options, that would be "divertising". It gives me a chuckle that advertisers don't use a better term to call advertising, like "promotions". They openly declare the worst aspect of their work.
If this ID nark spent 3 years among the best identity thieves, how can you be sure he's not an identity thief undercover as an FBI agent?
I'd at least sweat the guy down with a good wholesome interrogation before letting him regain access to the secret filez! Good for a few chuckles at least!
Haven't you seen the nipple protectors for breast feeding? They attach to the nipple so that milk can flow, but the aperature is shaped like a beer bottle top, and there is a visual barrier in the form of a Marlboro ad. No need to worry about corrupting the tot's tender psyche with pornography!
Unfortunately the courts are awash with multi-million dollar suits against corporations that kill people physically instead of just emotionally. Don't worry, eventually the RIAA will resort to that too, but not just now.
Slashdot Mirror
History has taught us, the truth always comes out.
So who killed JFK? Why did the CEO of Coca-Cola change the recipe back in the 80's when he assumed control of the company? Why were there no aircraft fuselage fragments at the Pentagon "crash site" on 9/11?
History has taught us that where liability is limited there are more secrets than truths. Give a government or corporation an inch, they're take a parsec. Governments are necessary to order, and corporations are necessary to progress. The amount of consumer pressure required to keep them in check would be a full-time unpaid job for at least 1/4 of the population.
I agree we shouldn't be sitting on our hands, but people willing and able to lead such endeavors have to come forward, and that simply ain't me. Most of them waste their time on politicians that will never get elected.
There are dry counties in Alabama and probably other southern bible-thumping states.
Back in the 1950's, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario was the only seller of alcohol in the province (i.e. bars buy from the LCBO), and required its customers to sign for every alcohol purchase.
The LCBO is still the governing body and only source of alcohol for consumers or resellers, but they're quite hip with the times now, i.e. no signatures required. Their selection is excellent and they can get most anything in on order, since they're the biggest single buyer of alcohol in the world. Every alcohol producer wants the LCBO to buy their products. About 10 years ago the government was considering privatizing the LCBO, and the backlash from the public was overwhelmingly against it.
But in areas that never heard that prohibition was appealed, if things haven't changed much by now, they probably never will.
It's about the imagery of it. Suppose I doctored a picture showing your toothbrush up my ass a week ago. Supposed it actually convinced you for a second. Despite not actually suffering the implied consequences, would you appreciate it?
Now when ISP's defend their practice of throttling/blocking P2P clients, we can say "screw you, we want our CNN!"
...and our Pirate Bay...
Posting RIAA lawyers to high government jobs makes no more sense than tobacco lawyers. Did they merely do the job put before them with due diligence? Sure. But the lawyers in the attorney general's office should have more scruples. Similarly, a lawyer defending a tobacco company should give up all hope of running for public office.
This user's comment about intrusiveness has been blocked. Please hit "allow" to view it.
I agree they want to move forward in part to make XP obselete, but they moved too far forward with XP. They're suffering because they can't make the same leap again. XP got a lot of Mac users to switch (including myself) because Apple had their pants around their ankles from the painfully slow software implementation of AltiVec and multiple CPU support, and OS 9 being worse than OS 8.6, though to a lesser degree than Vista is worse then XP.
In 2003 I had an 800MHz G4 running at 40% efficiency because audio software did not support AltiVec, even though G4's had been out for four years. Without AltiVec it was effectively a G3, no SIMD capability and a 64-bit register instead of 128-bit - 24-bit audio samples fit 5 times into 128-bits compared to only 2 at 64-bit. I sold it for $1700 and spent $1200 on a new 2GHz Athlon that literally had 10x the effective audio processing power, never looked back.
Now those roles are reversed, OS X is well developed, and Vista/7 is circling the bowl. My next computer will probably be a Mac, but I'm squeezing every day I can get out of my XP box since my fave plugins (Voxengo) are not available for Mac.
XP ain't perfect but Microsoft will never make a better product. It made them billions, and they deserved it. Now the more they spend on advertising the more obvious it is that they no longer deserve it. They look like those Stride gum commercials, trying to get us to spit out XP and grab another piece.
Slashdotters don't come here for arguments, they come for abuse.
Silly git...
Yes, there will be many that stick with MS, but one area where Windows will really suffer is task-specific machines, which are most easily switched to linux, even if custom software has to be written. I was really surprised to learn that the open source community has not addressed the ridiculous cost of point of sale terminals. Typically the software can only be bought with a "new" machine (typically built from outdated or even used parts) and can cost $10,000 or more for a crap PC and glorified cash register software.
Linux == Revenge Of The Nerds
...other studies found that of those disinterested in buying mainstream Blu-Rays, less than 50% were Dutch. These Dutch extremists must be brought to justice!
Why set up the Do-Not-Call list if it's not a criminal offense to violate the order? It's tantamount to trespassing or mail tampering. Wussy fines aren't enough to stop shady telemarketers, who already know how to make it near impossible for people to trace their number. Tracking them down requires police action, not civil complaints.
If the actual individuals placing calls and their superiors could be charged with a misdemeanor for each call, that would accomplish something. Robocalls might even warrant a felony charge, since they're especially defiant.
It would be nice if phone companies got involved, but with VOIP providers coming on the scene that are just servers in a closet, I'm not too confident on that prospect.
How does a 70" Plasma TV fit into a 'Pragmatic Age'
Sideways?
Two unfortunate words: space debris.
"Tiny rocks, paint flecks and other fragments of junk whizzing around the Earth pose the greatest threat to the shuttles and the astronauts on board, according to the preliminary results of a new NASA risk study."
I can't see solar panels of the SPS magnitude being as maintenance-free as you suggest.
So rather than gaining taxes from legitimate growers despite homegrown losses, you'd rather ensure that every dime spent on marijuana goes to criminals, and in fact turns otherwise lawful citizens into criminals?
How does a question get modded informative?
I can appreciate that many rural areas do not have access to broadband internet, and I certainly don't prejudice rural residents, but I don't see the dire necessity of faster internet where it already exists. Is this the time to be spending $6B on supplementary services which otherwise are not economically viable?
I can tell you why previous financial incentives did not achieve the intended results - they have better things to spend the money on! So does the US government!
Umm, So Dante, when you left the meeting, were you advised to not look backwards so that you could escape the bowels of Hell unmolested?
No, I looked backwards, to let them know I would be back. They then torpedoed my other projects. I didn't suffer from it, but others did. I'll never make that mistake again.
There is a word that is feared by everyone in the music industry that can't live up to their promises: guarantee. Watch out for that word. It's going to pop up in weird places in the next year.
I have attended several meetings with RIAA executives specifically concerning tactics to prevent piracy among teenagers. I have proposed a marketing model that actually engages piracy in a way that benefits the musicians and labels more than simply selling the music. Nobody bought it. One particularly ignorant turd said something to the effect of "we're not turning this undustry upside-down just because some brats are stealing from us." I compared him to someone refusing to leave their home with a forest fire approaching. End of conversation.
They blame them brat kids for the industry tanking, instead of realizing that it's their fault for failing to adapt. They have been presented numerous options to address the problem, they refuse to make the necessary changes. They curse their luck as they piss into the wind.
A closer comparison would be the tobacco industry. Just be thankful that music doesn't kill anyone.
Something people don't realize - the word "advertising" means to influence people to do what they do not want to do, aka are adverse to doing. It is not merely steering them towards one of several available options, that would be "divertising". It gives me a chuckle that advertisers don't use a better term to call advertising, like "promotions". They openly declare the worst aspect of their work.
If this ID nark spent 3 years among the best identity thieves, how can you be sure he's not an identity thief undercover as an FBI agent?
I'd at least sweat the guy down with a good wholesome interrogation before letting him regain access to the secret filez! Good for a few chuckles at least!
Haven't you seen the nipple protectors for breast feeding? They attach to the nipple so that milk can flow, but the aperature is shaped like a beer bottle top, and there is a visual barrier in the form of a Marlboro ad. No need to worry about corrupting the tot's tender psyche with pornography!
Anything worth watching on TV is also on Usenet/PB etc.
Unfortunately the courts are awash with multi-million dollar suits against corporations that kill people physically instead of just emotionally. Don't worry, eventually the RIAA will resort to that too, but not just now.
Please, go back up to the beginning and read more of this thread.
It's easier to provide a link than to describe where one might find it.
.faiL