Because of this, good writers probably don't want to associate themselves in the genre. Even if they wanted to do a fantasy-themed movie, they would choose to go after Lord of the Rings before Final Fantasy since the former has literary merit.
Most writers, even the good ones, don't make much money from writing.
So, throw a LOT of money at one of the good writers and allow him/her to write under a nom de plume.
Let the writer talk to some of the fans of the game to see what aspects resonate with them. Show them a walk through with all the dialog so they can get a feel for the game's universe and history.
Then turn them lose.
But it all starts with BUYING a good writer for the project.:)
Well, really GOOD writers could still come up with a good movie. But these people aren't looking to make a good movie.
They're looking to cash in on the name. They're hoping that enough Diablo players will want to see the movie that they'll turn a profit NO MATTER HOW BAD IT IS.
Otherwise they'd be mining the hundreds of years of literature for books that have not been made into movies yet.
If you push them hard enough, they will end up making the whole process a lot more intrusive than WGA already is. After all, they don't have to give you free updates at all and, if they care enough about this, they'll start charging you monthly fees for your Windows Update account.
And what would happen then?
It's already difficult to get Windows users to patch their systems. Which is ONE of the reasons why so many Windows machines are zombies.
Making it more difficult would only mean that FEWER people patched their systems.
Which would NOT look good for Microsoft's "security" process. Showing that 99.99% of the zombies out there are Windows machines... well, you get the idea. Bringing it up to 99.999% would be even worse.
And it would give alternative OS's even more publicity. Use Ubuntu! You get FREE PATCHES.
There's no "sneaking" involved. It's clearly stated. EVERY machine you have MUST be counted when calculating the license fee.
No matter what runs on that machine.
Or how old it is.
Or what it does.
If you do not want to go with the Microsoft contract, you may purchase retail versions of Windows for each machine. And hope that you're fully compliant. Because the fines for piracy are far more than the cost of just paying Microsoft for every single box you have no matter what.
There is no way to protect these people and still have their computers be useful/enjoyable for them.
You don't need to.
As long as the protections cause the rate of infection to drop below the rate of disinfection, the threat will fade.
Social engineering will always be an issue. Even intelligent people can make mistakes.
The idea is to make it as obvious as possible that this is a DANGEROUS activity...and then... Make it as easy as possible to clean up the mess.
#1. Any time an application is launched by clicking on a file INSTEAD of going through the menu bar throw up a warning.
#2. No email program should EVER run ANY executable.
That is the primary reason that so few "viruses" exist in the wild... for Linux. Running Ubuntu in the default configuration means that you have to:
#1. Save the attachment to your personal directory.
#2. Change the permissions on the file to be executable.
#3. Run the file.
And even with all of that the only thing in danger are your personal files (you do back them up of course). To do anything more you'd have to...
#4. Suppy it with your sudo password.
The reason this is so successful is that the possibility of FAILING to run the "virus" goes UP with each step that is required. Say that each step only has a 50% possibility of being run by the average user. The other 50% of the time they realize that they're doing something dangerous and they stop.
A. Old Windows example: #1. Double-clicking on "sex.gif" in an old version of Outlook is a single step and will succeed with 50% of the people.
B. Linux example: #1. Saving the file to your personal directory will work with 50% of the people.
#2. Changing the permissions on the file will work with 50% of the people from step 1 (25% of the total).
#3. Clicking on the file will work on 50% of the people from step 2 (12.5% of the total)
#4. Supplying the sudo password will work on 50% of the people from step 3 (6.25% of the total).
So, 50% infection rate vs a 93.75% NON-infection rate.
But if he's going through therapy to control his alcoholism, then you need to make reasonable allowances for that (attending meetings, counseling and such). Until he fails his therapy and shows up drunk again.
The problem is, there'll probably be too many jurisdictions involved.
And... ?
There isn't any way to shut down all of the zombies. But our government CAN act to shut down the zombies here.
What happens when the controlling computer is in China, Russia, etc. Even if you do get the foreign government to cooperate and the controlling ISP, how do you know when it ends?
First off, there is NOTHING stopping our FBI from contacting law enforcement agencies in Russia or China. They may not help, but then again, they may help.
Then, you track the traffic back from that machine. And from the next machine. And from the next machine.
How do you really know that computer isn't compromised and being controlled from elsewhere.
Simple. The commands have to come from somewhere. You can monitor all inbound and outbound connections. That will tell you what machines that machine is communicating with. You just keep checking each of those to see whether the trail continues or ends.
And even if you do finally nail one guy running a botnet, how many others will take his place?
A lot. So?
Do we stop arresting criminals just because other criminals will perform the same crimes?
Its not like they'll be arresting guys day after day... this would take months or even years of investigation to properly prosecute a person.
Not really. There's no reason why it would take more than a week. If the zombies are not receiving commands, then they're not sending spam or doing DDoS attacks. In which case, the problem is already solved.
If they are receiving commands, then you've just gotten another link. Maybe more than one link.
In the meantime, the ISP's are limiting the damage caused by those zombies.
Yep, they're probably not that good when they first start.
But remember that F/OSS is developed in the open. They'll have some of the best minds critiquing their patches. And they'll be able to see how a project evolves, in real time.
That kind of interaction with skilled programmers on an evolving project just can't be had at most colleges.
But they'll get it just because their school system was smart enough to invest in F/OSS for their students.
However, if your argument is going to be "if they've got nothing to hide, they shouldn't mind", then you cannot complain when the police themselves turn that argument around on you.
:) What was that about warrantless wiretaps?
There's a bit of a difference between a citizen NOT empowered to drag anyone off to jail for 24 hours and a cop. It's about the potential for abuse of authority.
After all, wasn't this the exact same issue that kept folks from adopting Linux when the whole SCO thing was just getting started because they were afraid, and rightfully so, that SCO would come after them?
No. Ever since SCO first started talking, Linux has never stopped gaining market share.
He was being asked about an entirely consensual (by all accounts) sexual act, to try to establish that he was a harasser? Can you really not see the flaw in the logic there?
Imagine that it was about stealing person A's car.
Would it be appropriate to ask if he had ever driven person B's car WITH HER PERMISSION? Yes/No
And, if you actually take the time to look into the entire program, I think you'll find that these alleged wiretaps are NOT occuring on domestic phone calls between American citizens. They are happening between people residing in this country (not necessarily citizens) and another party typically in al Queda-linked countries.
And since NONE of the facts have been released, exactly HOW is it that YOU know who has and has not been tapped?
IF that was the case, THEN it would be EXACTLY the kind of situation that FISA was supposed to handle.
So, pay someone a bunch of money, give them a promise of lawsuit protection and voila, watch a small portion of the community shut that vendor out.
It seems that they'd do it even without the lawsuit protection.
Microsoft seems to just want that bit in there so they can spread FUD.
So, for some money (small change to Microsoft, big bucks to Novell, no idea about Xandros), Microsoft purchases the assistance of a Linux distributor for spreading FUD.
In which case, it is understandable that the rest of the community will reduce their associations with that company. Why waste efforts on a company that is going to help spread FUD about you, your products and your customers?
Slashdot Mirror
will there be any issues with patches submitted by the pro-Microsoft segment with regard to copyrights or patents or such?
Will the pro-Linux segment refuse such?
Well, that's part of what the GPL v3 is supposed to address. Just in case.
Most writers, even the good ones, don't make much money from writing.
So, throw a LOT of money at one of the good writers and allow him/her to write under a nom de plume.
Let the writer talk to some of the fans of the game to see what aspects resonate with them. Show them a walk through with all the dialog so they can get a feel for the game's universe and history.
Then turn them lose.
But it all starts with BUYING a good writer for the project.
Don't risk YOUR dollars going to a terrorist organization!
Buy gold from certified free range, organic gold farmers.
Look for the Union Label.
Okay, now someone else come up with the cute union name for gold farmers. Extra points if the acronym is equally amusing.
When you're basing it upon a game ...
Well, really GOOD writers could still come up with a good movie. But these people aren't looking to make a good movie.
They're looking to cash in on the name. They're hoping that enough Diablo players will want to see the movie that they'll turn a profit NO MATTER HOW BAD IT IS.
Otherwise they'd be mining the hundreds of years of literature for books that have not been made into movies yet.
Actually, no. But imagine how much better they'll be now with Wolverine and Captain America teamup!
Which will be 100x BETTER when Wolverine joins the team!
Mostly featuring Wolverine!
http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=070407
And what would happen then?
It's already difficult to get Windows users to patch their systems. Which is ONE of the reasons why so many Windows machines are zombies.
Making it more difficult would only mean that FEWER people patched their systems.
Which would NOT look good for Microsoft's "security" process. Showing that 99.99% of the zombies out there are Windows machines
And it would give alternative OS's even more publicity. Use Ubuntu! You get FREE PATCHES.
There's no "sneaking" involved. It's clearly stated. EVERY machine you have MUST be counted when calculating the license fee.
No matter what runs on that machine.
Or how old it is.
Or what it does.
If you do not want to go with the Microsoft contract, you may purchase retail versions of Windows for each machine. And hope that you're fully compliant. Because the fines for piracy are far more than the cost of just paying Microsoft for every single box you have no matter what.
You don't need to.
As long as the protections cause the rate of infection to drop below the rate of disinfection, the threat will fade.
Social engineering will always be an issue. Even intelligent people can make mistakes.
The idea is to make it as obvious as possible that this is a DANGEROUS activity
Make it as easy as possible to clean up the mess.
#1. Any time an application is launched by clicking on a file INSTEAD of going through the menu bar throw up a warning.
#2. No email program should EVER run ANY executable.
That is the primary reason that so few "viruses" exist in the wild
#1. Save the attachment to your personal directory.
#2. Change the permissions on the file to be executable.
#3. Run the file.
And even with all of that the only thing in danger are your personal files (you do back them up of course). To do anything more you'd have to...
#4. Suppy it with your sudo password.
The reason this is so successful is that the possibility of FAILING to run the "virus" goes UP with each step that is required. Say that each step only has a 50% possibility of being run by the average user. The other 50% of the time they realize that they're doing something dangerous and they stop.
A. Old Windows example:
#1. Double-clicking on "sex.gif" in an old version of Outlook is a single step and will succeed with 50% of the people.
B. Linux example:
#1. Saving the file to your personal directory will work with 50% of the people.
#2. Changing the permissions on the file will work with 50% of the people from step 1 (25% of the total).
#3. Clicking on the file will work on 50% of the people from step 2 (12.5% of the total)
#4. Supplying the sudo password will work on 50% of the people from step 3 (6.25% of the total).
So, 50% infection rate vs a 93.75% NON-infection rate.
They have to justify their existence SOMEHOW!
And what Congress does is pass laws. So, to justify their existence, they pass MORE laws.
From Congress' viewpoint, the only stupid law is the one you didn't pass that causes you to lose the next election.
What we need is a citizen's uprising and make ALL laws expire after 5 years (or 10 years or whatever).
That way Congress can happily pass laws that they've already passed (thereby justifying their existence) and the rest of us can get on with our lives.
Multiple reasons:
#1. To get an "earmark" (aka "pork") passed because it attached to a bill that will be sure to be passed.
#2. To force an opponent to vote AGAINST it because of their stance on a particular issue.
#3. To get an opponent to vote FOR it because it includes on of their pet projects.
You are not forced to keep a drunk on the job.
But if he's going through therapy to control his alcoholism, then you need to make reasonable allowances for that (attending meetings, counseling and such). Until he fails his therapy and shows up drunk again.
...of people sucking the dick of the kid working the local game outlet in exchange for the latest expansion pack.
Heroin is addictive. Are we seeing similar behaviour? No? Not at all? Hmmmmm.....
This is nothing more than further abuse of the "addiction" crap. Everything is "addictive".
And
There isn't any way to shut down all of the zombies. But our government CAN act to shut down the zombies here.
First off, there is NOTHING stopping our FBI from contacting law enforcement agencies in Russia or China. They may not help, but then again, they may help.
Then, you track the traffic back from that machine. And from the next machine. And from the next machine.
Simple. The commands have to come from somewhere. You can monitor all inbound and outbound connections. That will tell you what machines that machine is communicating with. You just keep checking each of those to see whether the trail continues or ends.
A lot. So?
Do we stop arresting criminals just because other criminals will perform the same crimes?
Not really. There's no reason why it would take more than a week. If the zombies are not receiving commands, then they're not sending spam or doing DDoS attacks. In which case, the problem is already solved.
If they are receiving commands, then you've just gotten another link. Maybe more than one link.
In the meantime, the ISP's are limiting the damage caused by those zombies.
Since the FBI can identify the machines to the ISP, it should be simple for the ISP and FBI to work together to track traffic to/from those machines.
First off, put them on their own network. Sure, this might clue the Zombie Master that something's happening, but maybe not.
Then, monitor the inbound/outbound traffic. If they're doing things like sending spam, block it. A DDoS attack? Block it.
Then work backwards to find the sites controlling the zombies.
It would probably be a LOT cheaper to do it that way than to try to get a MILLION people to clean their machines AND maintain them in the future.
Every IP address belongs to a block that has been assigned to some ISP.
Simply find the block containing that IP address and then find the ISP controlling that block.
Now, whether the ISP is going to spend any time (time == money) on dealing with the problem is the next issue.
Yep, you are correct about the spam issue.
But the larger issue is whether your ISP can or should be filtering your email (or prioritizing it).
I have no problem with INDIVIDUAL users signing up for such a service.
But when ISP's start signing up, it breeds abuse.
Yep, they're probably not that good when they first start.
But remember that F/OSS is developed in the open. They'll have some of the best minds critiquing their patches. And they'll be able to see how a project evolves, in real time.
That kind of interaction with skilled programmers on an evolving project just can't be had at most colleges.
But they'll get it just because their school system was smart enough to invest in F/OSS for their students.
If the students are using F/OSS throughout the K-12 years, some of the students will go on to college to study programming.
What better projects for them than enhancing / bug-fixes for the software they've been using for so long?
In essence, the educational system ends up teaching students to write software for the educational system. So it just keeps evolving and improving.
What was that about warrantless wiretaps?
There's a bit of a difference between a citizen NOT empowered to drag anyone off to jail for 24 hours and a cop. It's about the potential for abuse of authority.
What's wrong with filming the cops?
Isn't that the only REAL way to watch the watchmen?
No. Ever since SCO first started talking, Linux has never stopped gaining market share.
So make it a pattern of thefts.
Someone being charged with a pattern of car thefts is asked whether he ever drove someone else's car with her permission.
Would that be an appropriate question? Yes/No
Imagine that it was about stealing person A's car.
Would it be appropriate to ask if he had ever driven person B's car WITH HER PERMISSION? Yes/No
And since NONE of the facts have been released, exactly HOW is it that YOU know who has and has not been tapped?
IF that was the case, THEN it would be EXACTLY the kind of situation that FISA was supposed to handle.
It seems that they'd do it even without the lawsuit protection.
Microsoft seems to just want that bit in there so they can spread FUD.
So, for some money (small change to Microsoft, big bucks to Novell, no idea about Xandros), Microsoft purchases the assistance of a Linux distributor for spreading FUD.
In which case, it is understandable that the rest of the community will reduce their associations with that company. Why waste efforts on a company that is going to help spread FUD about you, your products and your customers?