>>>the bluetooth earpiece is against the law under the language of the headphone ban. I won a bet with a cop over this - she didn't believe me until she pulled out her book, read the older law, and said:oops -you're right." The law still hasn't been fixed, and it probably never will be. >>>
I consider this a good law. AAA and other organizations have shown that even hands-free cellphone usage reduces reaction time, such that you are a worse driver than an alcoholic. People shouldn't be using cellphones in cars except for emergencies.
How about a lock-smithing analogy? Back in the 1970s my father learned to break-open locks and safes as part of a side business. After all from time-to-time people DO need lock-crackers if they lost their keys.
One could argue that learning to hack a modem or computer is merely a modern form of lock-smithing. However it seems current laws forbid electronic lock-cracking (unless of course you did it under Bush or Obama - then the General Attorney will protect you).
Al Gore is already campaigning to stop this change to earth's structure, and will soon be releasing his new documentary "An Inconvenient Rift" to educate people and gather support.
Scientists tried to explain to Mr. Gore that it's a natural event, not man-made, but he isn't listening.
>>>Read up on how the EU works, and read some of the decisions of the Court of Human Rights, before you spout off, okay?
No need to be rude.
And as for Directives versus Laws, I honestly don't see the difference. If the EU "directs" that all internet users are allowed three strikes, and then lose internet access, it has the same power as law. It's not as if a state like the UK or France or Germany can ignore that directive and refuse to enforce it.
>>>Would you have advised that we ignored Pearl Harbor?
Pearl Harbor was the collective act of million of Japanese declaring war against Americans. 9/11 was the act of less then ten men. Our response should be equally proportional. Japan v. U.S. was reasonable. War against millions of Iraqis and Afghanis just because of ten men was not.
Ten criminals attacked on 9/11. We killed 100,000 Iraqis. Proportional response? No.
It would be equivalent to if someone killed my wife, and my response was to start burning-down everyone's house until I found the murderer. Even if I did eventually find the murderer, the number of dead neighbors I left behind would make ME a murderer as well.
Spying on our own citizens is not a door. Erecting a wall along Mexico and Canada to keep people out except those we specifically invite to enter - that's the equivalent of a door.
The only reason Bin Laden was able to do what he did, was because we have NO door. Anybody can just walk in, learn to fly an airplane, and then strike a building. If we had closed the borders, then Bin Laden's plan would have been blocked, since his people would not have been able to enter.
Movements come and go. Does anyone still dress like hippies? No. Likewise Bin Laden's movement would eventually die-out via its own volition. It might take 20 years but eventually it would die, and the problem simply disappear.
Instead we've gone over there, and effectively acted to strengthen Bin Laden's position. We've killed moms/dads of today's kids who will grow-up filled with American hate and become a new generation of terrorists. Hate breeds more hate. It would have been wiser not to do that.
>>>Face it, it is a choice you make. If you don't have a job making enough money for house, kids and family AND the fun things in life, well...life is full of choices, each with its consequences. Choose, and live with the choice and quit bitching. >>>
Fuck you. Playing with kids is a hell of a lot more fun that playing with a PS3, Xbox360 or your Wii Wii. It's also nice to have a life partner, rather than live by yourself.
You people sure do twist things. My point was merely this - Most of us aren't Newton or Buddha or anyone else of importance. Like the typical Roman citizen who died 2000 years ago, we will be forgotten, with no record that we ever existed.
The difference is that the typical Roman citizen had 4 or 5 children, and his/her genes still live-on today. That will not be true of us who never had children. Our death will quite literally be the end of the line.
My secondary goal was to slam the guy who was slamming another person who had a family.
The M-M Act prevents dealers or carmakers from locking you into a specific brand of part. i.e. If you need a new oil filter for your GM car, you must have the option to use generic brands, not just a GM brand.
In evolutionary terms that makes you a failure. It's as if your genes never existed, since they stop here and go no further. But even if we ignore that.....
There's a difference between charging for a song, and extortion. $1 per song isn't too bad if the song was CD-quality and had no time limit on usage (i.e. rest of my life). But to charge $1 for a poor-quality lossy-compressed song whose license-of-use can be revoked any time "they" feel like it is pure theft in my opinion.
>>>Piracy is only a problem for people whose real business is designing stuff but who are afraid to embrace a business model in which they get paid for designing stuff. >>>
So you're saying writers and singers should get paid by the hour, just like engineers and programmers. That's fine but if people copy the books and songs, rather than pay for them, how will the corporation pay those wages?
That's not going to work. I propose an alternative: - Revert back to the 1790 copyright act where people have a *reasonable* time to earn money (14 years), so those like me who are simply too cheap to buy, can wait for a public domain alternative.
- Stop treating the customers like thieves. Allow returns of media like CDs or DVDs if a buyer is dissatisfied. That too will lower the need for piracy, since people will know they are not stuck.
I also see your ads online, like later tonight when I sit down to watch Stargate Universe. Just one request - Can you stop playing the same damn ad 5 times in the same hour? Give me some variety
Nielsen tracks the data the same way they've always tracked it - 4000 homes are selected in 210 different cities/towns, and their viewing habits tracked. The only difference is instead of saying the television was "tuned to NBC" or "tuned to FOX", it will say "tuned to DVR" and which program was being watched.
>>>I switched from myth to a commercial DVR because there isn't a cheap/easy way to do encrypted HD
What is this "encrypted HD" of which you speak? I don't think we have encryption on U.S. broadcast television. It's all broadcast in the clear. (For that matter what's HD and DVR?) (shrug). (reaches over to press pay on Super VHS). My CRT has never looked so good
This is why most networks *don't* consider DVR viewers to be real viewers.
Well that's quite right. The networks are willing to count DVR viewers, but the advertisers are not. The advertisers claim these DVR numbers are worthless to them since DVR viewers don't see the commercials. I don't want to give-up my DVR (actually VCR), but I think they have a valid point.
The advertisers are paying to be SEEN, not skipped.
>>>Anyone found thinking supportive thoughts about criminals are criminals themselves.
If and only if the "supporter" is also the criminal's boss. IMHO the boss is complicit, because he should have stopped the criminal's acts once he became aware of them. (i.e. Obama is the AG's boss and he is complicit with the AG's unconstitutional acts.) The legal term is "accessory to the crime" but I think it's just good'ole common sense.
Slashdot Mirror
>>>the bluetooth earpiece is against the law under the language of the headphone ban. I won a bet with a cop over this - she didn't believe me until she pulled out her book, read the older law, and said :oops -you're right." The law still hasn't been fixed, and it probably never will be.
>>>
I consider this a good law. AAA and other organizations have shown that even hands-free cellphone usage reduces reaction time, such that you are a worse driver than an alcoholic. People shouldn't be using cellphones in cars except for emergencies.
How about a lock-smithing analogy? Back in the 1970s my father learned to break-open locks and safes as part of a side business. After all from time-to-time people DO need lock-crackers if they lost their keys.
One could argue that learning to hack a modem or computer is merely a modern form of lock-smithing. However it seems current laws forbid electronic lock-cracking (unless of course you did it under Bush or Obama - then the General Attorney will protect you).
Why don't we just build a time viewer, then we don't have to keep guessing.
We can just peer through something like a tv and see what happened.
Al Gore is already campaigning to stop this change to earth's structure, and will soon be releasing his new documentary "An Inconvenient Rift" to educate people and gather support.
Scientists tried to explain to Mr. Gore that it's a natural event, not man-made, but he isn't listening.
>>>Read up on how the EU works, and read some of the decisions of the Court of Human Rights, before you spout off, okay?
No need to be rude.
And as for Directives versus Laws, I honestly don't see the difference. If the EU "directs" that all internet users are allowed three strikes, and then lose internet access, it has the same power as law. It's not as if a state like the UK or France or Germany can ignore that directive and refuse to enforce it.
Hmmm. You may be right. And the European Union's parliamentary coalitions don't seem any less authoritarian than the U.S.
Perhaps all parties should be banned. Representatives are listed on ballots by name only - no other affiliations.
>>>Would you have advised that we ignored Pearl Harbor?
Pearl Harbor was the collective act of million of Japanese declaring war against Americans. 9/11 was the act of less then ten men. Our response should be equally proportional. Japan v. U.S. was reasonable. War against millions of Iraqis and Afghanis just because of ten men was not.
Ten criminals attacked on 9/11.
We killed 100,000 Iraqis.
Proportional response? No.
It would be equivalent to if someone killed my wife, and my response was to start burning-down everyone's house until I found the murderer. Even if I did eventually find the murderer, the number of dead neighbors I left behind would make ME a murderer as well.
Spying on our own citizens is not a door. Erecting a wall along Mexico and Canada to keep people out except those we specifically invite to enter - that's the equivalent of a door.
The only reason Bin Laden was able to do what he did, was because we have NO door. Anybody can just walk in, learn to fly an airplane, and then strike a building. If we had closed the borders, then Bin Laden's plan would have been blocked, since his people would not have been able to enter.
Movements come and go. Does anyone still dress like hippies? No. Likewise Bin Laden's movement would eventually die-out via its own volition. It might take 20 years but eventually it would die, and the problem simply disappear.
Instead we've gone over there, and effectively acted to strengthen Bin Laden's position. We've killed moms/dads of today's kids who will grow-up filled with American hate and become a new generation of terrorists. Hate breeds more hate. It would have been wiser not to do that.
I don't think a Tivo has an over-the-air ATSC tuner inside it. Right now the DTVpal is the cheapest ATSC-capable DVR.
>>>Face it, it is a choice you make. If you don't have a job making enough money for house, kids and family AND the fun things in life, well...life is full of choices, each with its consequences. Choose, and live with the choice and quit bitching.
>>>
Fuck you.
Playing with kids is a hell of a lot more fun that playing with a PS3, Xbox360 or your Wii Wii. It's also nice to have a life partner, rather than live by yourself.
You people sure do twist things. My point was merely this - Most of us aren't Newton or Buddha or anyone else of importance. Like the typical Roman citizen who died 2000 years ago, we will be forgotten, with no record that we ever existed.
The difference is that the typical Roman citizen had 4 or 5 children, and his/her genes still live-on today. That will not be true of us who never had children. Our death will quite literally be the end of the line.
My secondary goal was to slam the guy who was slamming another person who had a family.
The M-M Act prevents dealers or carmakers from locking you into a specific brand of part. i.e. If you need a new oil filter for your GM car, you must have the option to use generic brands, not just a GM brand.
You can't. That would be illegal under the Moss-Magnuson Act.
Wesa got a grand army. That's why you no liking us meesa thinks. \
>>>people who are sharing cultural works with others for free
Where? Certainly not the RIAA or MPAA
>>>I've never really wanted kids...
In evolutionary terms that makes you a failure. It's as if your genes never existed, since they stop here and go no further. But even if we ignore that.....
There's a difference between charging for a song, and extortion. $1 per song isn't too bad if the song was CD-quality and had no time limit on usage (i.e. rest of my life). But to charge $1 for a poor-quality lossy-compressed song whose license-of-use can be revoked any time "they" feel like it is pure theft in my opinion.
>>>Piracy is only a problem for people whose real business is designing stuff but who are afraid to embrace a business model in which they get paid for designing stuff.
>>>
So you're saying writers and singers should get paid by the hour, just like engineers and programmers. That's fine but if people copy the books and songs, rather than pay for them, how will the corporation pay those wages?
That's not going to work. I propose an alternative:
- Revert back to the 1790 copyright act where people have a *reasonable* time to earn money (14 years), so those like me who are simply too cheap to buy, can wait for a public domain alternative.
- Stop treating the customers like thieves. Allow returns of media like CDs or DVDs if a buyer is dissatisfied. That too will lower the need for piracy, since people will know they are not stuck.
Here's a cheap DVR: $300 or ~$250 on ebay - It lets you record two different programs at the same time, while watching a third program off the hard drive: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/ProductDisplay?partNumber=05757709000P&storeId=10153&catalogId=12605
Or just get one of these and use your old DVR or VCR - http://www.dishnetwork.com/dtvpal/plus.shtml
P.S.
I also see your ads online, like later tonight when I sit down to watch Stargate Universe. Just one request - Can you stop playing the same damn ad 5 times in the same hour? Give me some variety
If you want me to watch your advertising, just add topless actors.
'k thanks.
Actually I do see a lot of your ads, like now when I'm surfing the net and the TV is playing live. I cannot skip live video.
Nielsen tracks the data the same way they've always tracked it - 4000 homes are selected in 210 different cities/towns, and their viewing habits tracked. The only difference is instead of saying the television was "tuned to NBC" or "tuned to FOX", it will say "tuned to DVR" and which program was being watched.
>>>I switched from myth to a commercial DVR because there isn't a cheap/easy way to do encrypted HD
What is this "encrypted HD" of which you speak? I don't think we have encryption on U.S. broadcast television. It's all broadcast in the clear. (For that matter what's HD and DVR?) (shrug). (reaches over to press pay on Super VHS). My CRT has never looked so good
This is why most networks *don't* consider DVR viewers to be real viewers.
Well that's quite right. The networks are willing to count DVR viewers, but the advertisers are not. The advertisers claim these DVR numbers are worthless to them since DVR viewers don't see the commercials. I don't want to give-up my DVR (actually VCR), but I think they have a valid point.
The advertisers are paying to be SEEN, not skipped.
>>>Anyone found thinking supportive thoughts about criminals are criminals themselves.
If and only if the "supporter" is also the criminal's boss. IMHO the boss is complicit, because he should have stopped the criminal's acts once he became aware of them. (i.e. Obama is the AG's boss and he is complicit with the AG's unconstitutional acts.) The legal term is "accessory to the crime" but I think it's just good'ole common sense.