There's probably some draconian EU law that says modifying Amazon's presentation of pages violates their copyright. That means my "image zoom" tool would also be illegal, but amazon doesn't care about that. They only care about attacking pirates.
Well whatever. My first stop is ALWAYS isohunt.com and demonoid.com - I only use amazon as a last resort and/or if it's something I really want to buy (like Stargate SG1). I like to try things before I buy them.
For those of us who had Ataris and Commodores, that day happened around twenty-five years ago.
- Pirated versions load faster. - Pirates versions customize the game (skipping levels, unlimited lives). - Pirated versions don't pound your 1541 drive's head to pieces and incur a $500 repair to fix it!!! - Pirated versions can be backed-up whereas the original can not; the disk dies and you're out $30. The game company won't send you a new one.
Yep. I've been preferring pirated versions since circa 1985.
Everyone always gets hyped around November 4th and other election days, but they forget that EVERY DAY is an election day. Your ballots are your dollars, and by not handing those dollars to companies like EA Thailand or EA-EU or EA-USA, you are slowly but surely driving that company into bankruptcy.
But if you go ahead and "vote" for them, then all you've done is said, "I support you; keep up the good work." You never should have bought that Thai-only game if you wanted an English language version. You should have withheld your "ballots" and kept your money in your wallet, or given it to another company.
Casting votes for or against corporations is the most-direct form of democracy we have.
Same thing that happened to the "Final Fantasy 7" PS3 demo of around the same time.
It was just a graphical mockup, not the actual game. I think it's about time that politicians crack-down on advertisers using CGI-enhanced videos or CGI-enhanced photos to push products (modify the existing false-advertising laws). They should be required to show ACTUAL videos/photos without retouching, and that includes models in magazine ads.
Fortunately credit card laws are written to protect the consumer, so there are ways to get around that policy. Here's my favorite method:
- Buy something. It's junk. - Return the item to the company using tracking or delivery confirmation. - Wait a month. - Call you credit company and ask to do a chargeback. Provide the DC number as proof the item was returned. - Get money refunded to your card.
>>>want to see what a game is worth before buying!
I just got into a debate on a forum about this very subject. Unfortunately the Moderator is pro-copyright, and I earned myself a one-week banning.:-( My argument was: "I downloaded Galactica 1980 to see if it was worth buying, and it was worthless trash, so I saved myself from wasting ~$50." I was amazed at how many people rushed in to call me scum, part of the entitlement generation who steals instead of pays, and that I should have supported that show by buying the DVD.
RIAA's propaganda campaign seems to be working. They even have customers claiming I should buy ____ like Galactica 1980!!!
Here's another page likely to be blacklisted. Why? It shows a topless girl ages 11-13... not for mere gratuity, but to educate young women about the medical process of puberty. A worthwhile site but likely to be called "pornography" by the closeminded assholes known as Christians. http://www.007b.com/breast_development.php
I have a question for Christians, Muslims, Jews, and other religious types
- If all things that come from God are "good" then how can the masterpiece created by God, aka the human body, be considered sinful when without clothing??? The answer of course: It is not sinful. The human body is a miraculous work of art and its appearance glorifies God's majesty.
The 15-year-old Ohio girl was arrested, but found "not guilty" because transmission of nude photos is not illegal. It's protected by the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.
There was another case where a 16 and 17 year old were arrested, but their photos included sexual activity, which IS illegal in the U.S. and therefore they were found "guilty" and sent to jail. IMHO this was wrong-headed because the photos never left their privately-owned homes. You should be able to photograph yourself in the privacy of your own home, for God's sake.
Hmmm. I figured the PS3 and X360 versions were similar but written by different teams of programmers, each team tasked to target each console's unique hardware.
So,
if porting is such an easy task, what is Your explanation for why the PC version was so buggy, when the PS3/X360 versions ran flawlessly?
Audiophiles will argue strenuously that phonographs have more "warmth" by which they actually mean "analog distorton" and "epak rolloff". I think it's funny how people will so easily embrace a flawed sound and call it superior. Sound is not supposed to be distorted - just go listen to a live orchestra sometime. It's crisp and clear.
Do they have any other choice but to push the Extended Warranty/Protection Agreement? I don't about Best Buy but when I worked at Sears if you didn't hit 30% sales of the EW/PA, the managers would give you a stern talking and make you sit in a room for a day doing nothing (read: boring as hell). It's negative reinforcement: "Sell the PAs or go to jail for a day."
I got out of Sears as fast as I could. I like selling but I don't like pushing people to buy extended warranties. It's a waste of money.
I collected almost $5000 this year, and $3000 last year,off Amazon.com and ebay sales. For most people that's equivalent to 4 months worth of work! It would be silly to just toss four months worth of work into the trash or the Goodwill bin.
The only reason you lost money is because you were stupid & didn't know the law. I'm sorry to be so blunt, but sometime the truth is painful. Had I been in your shoes, here's how I would have recovered the money from the broken microphone:
- File a complaint with paypal. - Paypal would direct you to return the microphone. - Since that is too expensive (~$20), instead just return an empty envelope for $1 postage + 25 cents tracking. - Wait. - When the tracking shows the envelope was delivered, Paypal will refund your money. Your loss is only $1.25.
You could also do the same thing using your credit card instead of paypal. Now some may object that it's deceitful to keep the microphone but IMHO it was deceitful for the seller to send me a known-broke microphone in the first place, so I don't think I owe the scamming seller anything.
As for negative feedback, you should keep two IDs - one for selling and one for buying. The selling ID you keep as close to 100% as possible, and the buying ID you treat as disposable. If a seller (like your dishonest scamming seller) negs your buying ID, then you close it and open a new one. Easy.
The solution is to track you Lousy buyer and then buy something from him. Then treat him the same way he treated you (i.e. leave a negative; file a complaint with paypal, et cetera).
As for the idea of "holding" feedback, all that does is make it easier for a scammer. For example I could buy a bunch of stuff, then reverse my payments so my sellers don't get paid. These actions would earn me a bunch of negative feedback, but because the feedback is being "held in limbo" nobody ever sees it, which just makes it easier for me to scam more sellers.
It's amazing how many idiots there are like Jemmy Erwin.
Over-the-air television is NOT "disappearing" in 2009. Where the frak do you people get the idea that it's disappearing??? Broadcast television will continue as its always been, but in digital format. As for my signature, it's self-explanatory to anyone with an IQ above 100.
Most of Italy's problems predate 1900, and prior to 1916 the U.S. minded its own fucking business* so no you can't blame the U.S. in this case.
* * I wish the U.S. would learn to do that now. I'm tired of involving myself in foreign wars. We have two natural barriers - the Atlantic and the Pacific - they will provide plenty of protection from Chinese or European invasion.
Keep going. I know where there's an empty building in Fells Point, Baltimore that would be perfect for a 1920s-era Speakeasy. "Jus' mind your manners and treat the flappers wit' some respect. And 'member to tip 'Gent O'Donnell; he's the copper who provided the hooch!";-)
Well the university pays the journal fees so they can stock their library with magazines for the benefit of the students and professors to do *research*.
This RIAA music fee is not about stocking the library, but about letting the kids hear Britney and Jonas Brothers in their bedrooms, "or else get sued" by the record companies. That's why it's objectionable. It's (1) a pointless expense that universities can ill afford, and (2) blackmail.
"If you didn't want your kids to see HamstersGoneWild.com or the Cable Playboy channel, then you should have SAID so. The blame for not telling me what restrictions you have for YOUR children is your own fault. Not mine." Of course they'll get angry, but I don't care. Whatever.
Slashdot Mirror
Crap. I just downloaded that Amazon/piratebay malware. I thought I could trust slashdot authors to not post links to dangerous code but I guess not.
There's probably some draconian EU law that says modifying Amazon's presentation of pages violates their copyright. That means my "image zoom" tool would also be illegal, but amazon doesn't care about that. They only care about attacking pirates.
Well whatever. My first stop is ALWAYS isohunt.com and demonoid.com - I only use amazon as a last resort and/or if it's something I really want to buy (like Stargate SG1). I like to try things before I buy them.
For those of us who had Ataris and Commodores, that day happened around twenty-five years ago.
- Pirated versions load faster.
- Pirates versions customize the game (skipping levels, unlimited lives).
- Pirated versions don't pound your 1541 drive's head to pieces and incur a $500 repair to fix it!!!
- Pirated versions can be backed-up whereas the original can not; the disk dies and you're out $30. The game company won't send you a new one.
Yep. I've been preferring pirated versions since circa 1985.
Precisely.
Everyone always gets hyped around November 4th and other election days, but they forget that EVERY DAY is an election day. Your ballots are your dollars, and by not handing those dollars to companies like EA Thailand or EA-EU or EA-USA, you are slowly but surely driving that company into bankruptcy.
But if you go ahead and "vote" for them, then all you've done is said, "I support you; keep up the good work." You never should have bought that Thai-only game if you wanted an English language version. You should have withheld your "ballots" and kept your money in your wallet, or given it to another company.
Casting votes for or against corporations is the most-direct form of democracy we have.
Same thing that happened to the "Final Fantasy 7" PS3 demo of around the same time.
It was just a graphical mockup, not the actual game. I think it's about time that politicians crack-down on advertisers using CGI-enhanced videos or CGI-enhanced photos to push products (modify the existing false-advertising laws). They should be required to show ACTUAL videos/photos without retouching, and that includes models in magazine ads.
Fortunately credit card laws are written to protect the consumer, so there are ways to get around that policy. Here's my favorite method:
- Buy something. It's junk.
- Return the item to the company using tracking or delivery confirmation.
- Wait a month.
- Call you credit company and ask to do a chargeback. Provide the DC number as proof the item was returned.
- Get money refunded to your card.
Easy.
>>>want to see what a game is worth before buying!
I just got into a debate on a forum about this very subject. Unfortunately the Moderator is pro-copyright, and I earned myself a one-week banning. :-( My argument was: "I downloaded Galactica 1980 to see if it was worth buying, and it was worthless trash, so I saved myself from wasting ~$50." I was amazed at how many people rushed in to call me scum, part of the entitlement generation who steals instead of pays, and that I should have supported that show by buying the DVD.
RIAA's propaganda campaign seems to be working. They even have customers claiming I should buy ____ like Galactica 1980!!!
Nope.
Here's another page likely to be blacklisted. Why? It shows a topless girl ages 11-13... not for mere gratuity, but to educate young women about the medical process of puberty. A worthwhile site but likely to be called "pornography" by the closeminded assholes known as Christians. http://www.007b.com/breast_development.php
I have a question for Christians, Muslims, Jews, and other religious types
- If all things that come from God are "good" then how can the masterpiece created by God, aka the human body, be considered sinful when without clothing??? The answer of course: It is not sinful. The human body is a miraculous work of art and its appearance glorifies God's majesty.
Sorry I can't see that wiki link.
It appears to be filtered.
The 15-year-old Ohio girl was arrested, but found "not guilty" because transmission of nude photos is not illegal. It's protected by the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.
There was another case where a 16 and 17 year old were arrested, but their photos included sexual activity, which IS illegal in the U.S. and therefore they were found "guilty" and sent to jail. IMHO this was wrong-headed because the photos never left their privately-owned homes. You should be able to photograph yourself in the privacy of your own home, for God's sake.
Hmmm. I figured the PS3 and X360 versions were similar but written by different teams of programmers, each team tasked to target each console's unique hardware.
So,
if porting is such an easy task, what is Your explanation for why the PC version was so buggy, when the PS3/X360 versions ran flawlessly?
Writers deprived me of my freedom?
Not really. Politicians did that with their over-reaching and anti-liberty laws, starting with FDR in 1933.
Like phonographs.
Audiophiles will argue strenuously that phonographs have more "warmth" by which they actually mean "analog distorton" and "epak rolloff". I think it's funny how people will so easily embrace a flawed sound and call it superior. Sound is not supposed to be distorted - just go listen to a live orchestra sometime. It's crisp and clear.
Do they have any other choice but to push the Extended Warranty/Protection Agreement? I don't about Best Buy but when I worked at Sears if you didn't hit 30% sales of the EW/PA, the managers would give you a stern talking and make you sit in a room for a day doing nothing (read: boring as hell). It's negative reinforcement: "Sell the PAs or go to jail for a day."
I got out of Sears as fast as I could. I like selling but I don't like pushing people to buy extended warranties. It's a waste of money.
I collected almost $5000 this year, and $3000 last year,off Amazon.com and ebay sales. For most people that's equivalent to 4 months worth of work! It would be silly to just toss four months worth of work into the trash or the Goodwill bin.
The only reason you lost money is because you were stupid & didn't know the law. I'm sorry to be so blunt, but sometime the truth is painful. Had I been in your shoes, here's how I would have recovered the money from the broken microphone:
- File a complaint with paypal.
- Paypal would direct you to return the microphone.
- Since that is too expensive (~$20), instead just return an empty envelope for $1 postage + 25 cents tracking.
- Wait.
- When the tracking shows the envelope was delivered, Paypal will refund your money. Your loss is only $1.25.
You could also do the same thing using your credit card instead of paypal. Now some may object that it's deceitful to keep the microphone but IMHO it was deceitful for the seller to send me a known-broke microphone in the first place, so I don't think I owe the scamming seller anything.
As for negative feedback, you should keep two IDs - one for selling and one for buying. The selling ID you keep as close to 100% as possible, and the buying ID you treat as disposable. If a seller (like your dishonest scamming seller) negs your buying ID, then you close it and open a new one. Easy.
The solution is to track you Lousy buyer and then buy something from him. Then treat him the same way he treated you (i.e. leave a negative; file a complaint with paypal, et cetera).
As for the idea of "holding" feedback, all that does is make it easier for a scammer. For example I could buy a bunch of stuff, then reverse my payments so my sellers don't get paid. These actions would earn me a bunch of negative feedback, but because the feedback is being "held in limbo" nobody ever sees it, which just makes it easier for me to scam more sellers.
>>>Once I give a seller my money, they have everything they need to give me feedback,
Not really. I've had buyers UNpay me 1-2 weeks later (via chargeback). So simply paying is not enough; there are too many scamming buyers on ebay
It's amazing how many idiots there are like Jemmy Erwin.
Over-the-air television is NOT "disappearing" in 2009. Where the frak do you people get the idea that it's disappearing??? Broadcast television will continue as its always been, but in digital format. As for my signature, it's self-explanatory to anyone with an IQ above 100.
Well said.
And thank you.
Most of Italy's problems predate 1900, and prior to 1916 the U.S. minded its own fucking business* so no you can't blame the U.S. in this case.
*
* I wish the U.S. would learn to do that now. I'm tired of involving myself in foreign wars. We have two natural barriers - the Atlantic and the Pacific - they will provide plenty of protection from Chinese or European invasion.
Ye are giving me some wonderful ideas!
Keep going. I know where there's an empty building in Fells Point, Baltimore that would be perfect for a 1920s-era Speakeasy. "Jus' mind your manners and treat the flappers wit' some respect. And 'member to tip 'Gent O'Donnell; he's the copper who provided the hooch!" ;-)
So someone who "publishes true facts" can no longer be called a blogger?
Bassbackwards.
Well the university pays the journal fees so they can stock their library with magazines for the benefit of the students and professors to do *research*.
This RIAA music fee is not about stocking the library, but about letting the kids hear Britney and Jonas Brothers in their bedrooms, "or else get sued" by the record companies. That's why it's objectionable. It's (1) a pointless expense that universities can ill afford, and (2) blackmail.
(shrug)
"If you didn't want your kids to see HamstersGoneWild.com or the Cable Playboy channel, then you should have SAID so. The blame for not telling me what restrictions you have for YOUR children is your own fault. Not mine." Of course they'll get angry, but I don't care. Whatever.