You omitted "comedy". I think it was clear that he is by no means the "greatest sci fi writer period", but as comedy sci fi goes, who's better? I can't think of anyone particularly. Pratchett's a better writer, but is not a sci fi writer.
At least they have some options worth exercising:-)
Re:What nintendo etc needs to do to END illegal ro
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Since when does it need to cost that ridiculous amount of money?
Re:What nintendo etc needs to do to END illegal ro
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Borrowing ROMs
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But cheap and better for some other reason will always be preferable to free.
Cheap and easy to get (instead of relying on never-reliable P2P downloads) and gathered together (instead of having to wait through the 75 people ahead of me in the P2P queue) will trump free for the majority of people who just want the damn game.
And neither has anything to do with this
particular piece of legislation.
Aside from the fact that the combination of 1) requiring watermarks and 2) making it a felony to fabricate watermarks together give a complete lock on everything to whomever actually is in charge of watermarks? The two are clearly hand and glove to each other, and there is no surprise that they'd go through in seperate legislation because if they were in the same bill, it'd be obvious on its face what was going on. This way (seperate, on their face unrelated bills), they can pretend that different ends are being served.
To bring this to it's logical end by invoking the "nazi" clause: just because the bill to gather up the jews and the bill to gas those gathered might be seperate pieces of legislation doesn't mean they aren't related.
I see. So the fact that the RIAA has been lobbying for legislation to require watermarks and other DRM restrictions is considered to be at the same level of logical reality as claims that Jesus will return? Good to see you have your head on straight.
"If you don't like the law, don't vote for it". Oh, wait. I don't get to vote for laws. And I am only one of millions of people voting for congresscritters, and most those millions don't bother to inform themselves about these issues and how corrupt their critters really are.
Same goes for being educated about consumer products. So what precisely am I going to do when the only players allowed by law are the ones with watermarks in them, eh, smart boy?
Just to restate what others have said, perhaps more clearly:
You have two ways to go here.
The watermark is cheap and easy to get. Upside, the garage band can release their music. Downside, pirates can do the same.
The watermark is expensive and hard to get. Upside, pirates can't easily watermark their warez. Downside, neither can the garage band.
Now explain to me why the RIAA should have this kind of complete control over what does and doesn't get released? (and if you don't think the RIAA will get their way with whatever actual mechanism is used to control watermarks, you haven't been paying attention).
Unfortunately, I'm not using XUL/XPCOM and really have no idea what they are:-). My app uses PHP mixed HTML primarily for the "front end", with some glue bits like the one I mentioned in Javascript, and a MySQL backend. So technically, it's the cgi-style 3-tier model you're talking about, since PHP is executing in my (apache) web server.
Just for the record, writing this app has been my own way to educate myself in the tools to do web apps, not my primary job function. Version one was really ugly CGI/flat files, Version two which I've referred to here is PHP/Javascript/MySQL, Version three which is only vaguely planned at this point will be full blown java with JDBC etc. Since I'm using these projects to teach myself the relevant technologies, I can't say that I know all the ins & outs; only that I have strong opinions about clean user interface design.
I don't know that my way is the only way to implement things, nor that the 3-tier model is required. I just know that this is what works for me, and that javascript for communication from one window to another and inter-window control are key to keeping things simple for the user with my particular implementation.
There may be ways to do it without javascript, but the interfaces all suck.
Javascript lets me, for one example, do a search for an employee's ID number (to add someone to the database so they have access) from one window and use the result to populate the form that actually adds the ID to the database.
Impossible means impossible to do elegantly with a reasonably functional interface. I could do everything with serial forms in one window, but that would suck and be confusing to most users.
I have created a web-based lab equipment reservation tool that would have been impossible without javascript. Just because most people abuse the tool doesn't mean the tool isn't any good.
And where has Sun's slogan lead them.
They're the money pit in dot.com now and many companies have figured it out.
To coin a phrase, "duh". Did you notice my OWN comment disparaging the slogan? The point is, Microsoft hardly would have tried the name.COM at the same time Sun was being "the dot in dot-com", regardless of the actual efficacy of the slogan.
The only way the Libertarian ideal can work is if you are certain to keep in mind the word "enlightened" in the phrase "enlightened self interest". If we just devolve into "self interest" we get the negative side of capitalism: monopoly, corruption, et. al. Look at our happy corporate mess in the US today for many prime examples.
The "englightened" part of all this is where you realize that there are other forms of compensation besides monetary. Having a good environment in which to make and spend your money can entail making donations to civic organizations in the form of money and/or time. It can probably entail a large number of things that I'm not thinking of at this very moment, none of which gives you direct monetary compensation.
The point is, you have to have a balance. The pure greed/self-interest/whatever you want to call it of a completely open market is, in my opinion, clearly not the optimal social environment. You have to balance some socialistic seeming institutions with some capitalistic solutions for everything to work. I think the point about voluntary vs. mandatory is really key in how you strike that balance too.
I did a google search and came up with a different review from ABCnews.com, that appeared to be a prerelease review. In one inexplicable quote, they say It's an ideal tool to have in the car....
Now, I don't know about you, but when I'm in a car, I have a battery and if the car is running an alternator that can be used to charge the phone just fine.....
Geeks are indeed often authority figures. Not frequently to "the world at large", but even that is changing, with the internet in every home etc. etc. But when it comes to technology issues, geeks are very definitely authority figures, and they act like it.
I could tell my parents that they had to stand on their heads to get their earthlink connection to work after my dad has screwed it up again, and they'd do their best to do it. Not because it makes sense, but because I'm the authority. The number of people who ask me for advice about computers (most frequently: "what should I buy for Johnny when he goes away to college") once they hear I work for a big computer company (never mind that Sun has nothing to do with the PC that Johnny would own himself) is staggering. People ask about internet, home networks, PC hardware, mac hardware, you name it, because I'm a geek and in their mind I am the authority to give them the straight scoop on these issues (because after all, I'm not only a geek, but one they know and trust).
What medcalf conveniently left out was that geeks belong on that list too. I mean that seriously--inasmuch as you can accuse all doctors of huge ego, tiny conscience, you can accuse geeks of it too. Just think back to the last IT consultant you knew for a prime example.... And of course the same bit about "most are our friends" also applies.....
I just want to point out that you CAN buy the tapes to all shows on Cooking TV. They give you the address and information to buy the tape at the end of every show.
This is false. You can buy MANY of the shows. You cannot buy EVERY episode of EVERY show, and particularly you cannot buy Iron Chef video or DVD (I've bought the Good Eats DVD's that are available already, thanks; they only have 9 episodes, and I know that Alton has done more shows than that).
How is him "having a copy of his own" any different, from the standpoint of their argument, than him watching the tape at a different time before he gives it to me?
Slashdot Mirror
Bottom line: he doesn't write sci fi. Therefore he can't be the funniest sci fi writer, leaving the post to Adams.
Which doesn't mean your NOT the best ballet dancer in Idaho. So what's the point of the argument here?
You omitted "comedy". I think it was clear that he is by no means the "greatest sci fi writer period", but as comedy sci fi goes, who's better? I can't think of anyone particularly. Pratchett's a better writer, but is not a sci fi writer.
At least they have some options worth exercising :-)
Since when does it need to cost that ridiculous amount of money?
Cheap and easy to get (instead of relying on never-reliable P2P downloads) and gathered together (instead of having to wait through the 75 people ahead of me in the P2P queue) will trump free for the majority of people who just want the damn game.
Aside from the fact that the combination of 1) requiring watermarks and 2) making it a felony to fabricate watermarks together give a complete lock on everything to whomever actually is in charge of watermarks? The two are clearly hand and glove to each other, and there is no surprise that they'd go through in seperate legislation because if they were in the same bill, it'd be obvious on its face what was going on. This way (seperate, on their face unrelated bills), they can pretend that different ends are being served.
To bring this to it's logical end by invoking the "nazi" clause: just because the bill to gather up the jews and the bill to gas those gathered might be seperate pieces of legislation doesn't mean they aren't related.
I see. So the fact that the RIAA has been lobbying for legislation to require watermarks and other DRM restrictions is considered to be at the same level of logical reality as claims that Jesus will return? Good to see you have your head on straight.
Same goes for being educated about consumer products. So what precisely am I going to do when the only players allowed by law are the ones with watermarks in them, eh, smart boy?
You have two ways to go here.
- The watermark is cheap and easy to get. Upside, the garage band can release their music. Downside, pirates can do the same.
- The watermark is expensive and hard to get. Upside, pirates can't easily watermark their warez. Downside, neither can the garage band.
Now explain to me why the RIAA should have this kind of complete control over what does and doesn't get released? (and if you don't think the RIAA will get their way with whatever actual mechanism is used to control watermarks, you haven't been paying attention).Just for the record, writing this app has been my own way to educate myself in the tools to do web apps, not my primary job function. Version one was really ugly CGI/flat files, Version two which I've referred to here is PHP/Javascript/MySQL, Version three which is only vaguely planned at this point will be full blown java with JDBC etc. Since I'm using these projects to teach myself the relevant technologies, I can't say that I know all the ins & outs; only that I have strong opinions about clean user interface design.
I don't know that my way is the only way to implement things, nor that the 3-tier model is required. I just know that this is what works for me, and that javascript for communication from one window to another and inter-window control are key to keeping things simple for the user with my particular implementation.
Javascript lets me, for one example, do a search for an employee's ID number (to add someone to the database so they have access) from one window and use the result to populate the form that actually adds the ID to the database.
Impossible means impossible to do elegantly with a reasonably functional interface. I could do everything with serial forms in one window, but that would suck and be confusing to most users.
I have created a web-based lab equipment reservation tool that would have been impossible without javascript. Just because most people abuse the tool doesn't mean the tool isn't any good.
That does more of putting a gui in front of non-gui elements that are normally interactive. Not the same as automating an existing gui.
And where has Sun's slogan lead them. They're the money pit in dot.com now and many companies have figured it out.
To coin a phrase, "duh". Did you notice my OWN comment disparaging the slogan? The point is, Microsoft hardly would have tried the name .COM at the same time Sun was being "the dot in dot-com", regardless of the actual efficacy of the slogan.
The "englightened" part of all this is where you realize that there are other forms of compensation besides monetary. Having a good environment in which to make and spend your money can entail making donations to civic organizations in the form of money and/or time. It can probably entail a large number of things that I'm not thinking of at this very moment, none of which gives you direct monetary compensation.
The point is, you have to have a balance. The pure greed/self-interest/whatever you want to call it of a completely open market is, in my opinion, clearly not the optimal social environment. You have to balance some socialistic seeming institutions with some capitalistic solutions for everything to work. I think the point about voluntary vs. mandatory is really key in how you strike that balance too.
Funny, but unlikely, due to Sun's success in identifying themselves with "the . in .com". So much good it's done after the bubble burst, of course.
That is, until you realize that public phones are getting more and more scarce because everyone these days has a cellphone...
Now, I don't know about you, but when I'm in a car, I have a battery and if the car is running an alternator that can be used to charge the phone just fine.....
I could tell my parents that they had to stand on their heads to get their earthlink connection to work after my dad has screwed it up again, and they'd do their best to do it. Not because it makes sense, but because I'm the authority. The number of people who ask me for advice about computers (most frequently: "what should I buy for Johnny when he goes away to college") once they hear I work for a big computer company (never mind that Sun has nothing to do with the PC that Johnny would own himself) is staggering. People ask about internet, home networks, PC hardware, mac hardware, you name it, because I'm a geek and in their mind I am the authority to give them the straight scoop on these issues (because after all, I'm not only a geek, but one they know and trust).
What medcalf conveniently left out was that geeks belong on that list too. I mean that seriously--inasmuch as you can accuse all doctors of huge ego, tiny conscience, you can accuse geeks of it too. Just think back to the last IT consultant you knew for a prime example.... And of course the same bit about "most are our friends" also applies.....
You've obviously not actually eaten a krispy kreme. Dolly Madison donuts are cake donuts (as are almost all prepackaged ones). KK's are not.
I just want to point out that you CAN buy the tapes to all shows on Cooking TV. They give you the address and information to buy the tape at the end of every show.
This is false. You can buy MANY of the shows. You cannot buy EVERY episode of EVERY show, and particularly you cannot buy Iron Chef video or DVD (I've bought the Good Eats DVD's that are available already, thanks; they only have 9 episodes, and I know that Alton has done more shows than that).
Dammit, I missed that one too! Could you get your brother to send me a tape too? :o)
Sadly, it was just a hypothetical. I actually taped it myself successfully, so my brother can't send you a tape :-).
How is him "having a copy of his own" any different, from the standpoint of their argument, than him watching the tape at a different time before he gives it to me?