The thing that I liked most about the Silmarillion was that it gave such a depth to Lord of the Rings. Firsly, the tale weaves into the fabric that Elrond is actually the Great^1000 Uncle of Aragorn, and that his own family was also rocked by the whole Human/Elf tradgedy (His own father was human) and that while he chose the elven path, his brother Elross chose the human, becoming the first king of the Numenoreans.
Reading stuff like this really makes the tale so incredibly rich with the characters not disparate people but throughout the history of Middle-Earth, the charaters are rich, complex and intertwined through more than just events.
While I think Peter Jackson hinted at the Elrond/Aragorn connection through the way that Elrond tried to spare his daughter the pain of the Human/Elf tradgedy (whom he experienced personally). Though in the book, not much was made of this tradgedy (correct me if I am wrong) in the way that it was in the Silmarillion.
The silmarillion also paints the pictures of the Mia (angel-like creatures) and that Gandalf, Saruman, Sauron and even Blarogs are all forms of Mia. The book resonates with the choices of the characters. Even Balrogs (Morgoth's captains) have "good" equivalents that are beings of fire (I think in one passage one being volunteered to pull to sun and/or a star). The difference between the Balrog and this being of fire was essentially their choices.
Very cool stuff, very detailed story. And I expect that the Children of Hurin will only add to the tapestry of Middle Eath in subtle and wonderful ways bringing colour to areas we had not even considered before. I think also that the 30 years of "seasoning" that Christopher Tolkien has brought to the story will do justice to his Father's legacy.
Heh, parent gets a +1 from me:) That pretty much sums us up (with or without the beer). If you ever get the chance, I'd recommend trying to find an Australian film called "The Castle" (Eric Bana has a minor role in it btw).
Australians either love or hate this film for the same reason: Everyone has a friend/relative exactly like one of the characters (I have an entire extended family of them). As odd as some of them can be, they're Rough diamonds & would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it. Love them to bits.
A Friend of mine is living in the UK atm sums it up nicely. It's funny to hear his analysis of Australians that arrive there.
He came out and said "I didn't realise it but, we ARE like that!"
-- Dan =)
Re:I'm surprisingly upset
on
Steve Irwin Dead
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
I think every Australian cringes to a point with Steve (usually because he reminds us of how we really are), before they find out about the man behind the Crocodile Hunter. A few things that I found out from a mate that works at Australia Zoo changed my opinion of him: Firstly, he is genuinely like that - in front of the screen and in everyday life: a larger than life character that is always enthusiastic about wildlife. You can only respect genuiness of spirit. Something I think a lot of us miss today.
Secondly, he spends all the money he gets reinvesting into australian wildlife in one form or another. Hearing that he buys up huge tracts of land just so the animals living there could just do their thing really got my respect.
I think it's appropriate that he died doing the things that he loved, but my condolences go to his family, who more than anyone else will fell the loss of a husband, father and decent bloke.
The two primary "unofficial" ways to get rid of cane toads in Australia:
1. Cricket Bat 2. 9 Iron
And if you're in the car at night - the headlights dazzle the little buggers and they pop their heads up to see what's coming: when you run over them they make a very satisfying *pop* sound.
Cane Toads are a very very major problem for places infested with them - by a strange irony, people are even suggesting that the Cane Toad should be an official symbol for Queensland. Our state football team (Rugby League) are known as the Cane Toads.
While Australia is known as being one of the few countries that will eat its coat of arms (Kangaroo, don't know of anyone eating emu). I think Queensland would be the only state in the world where (if the Toad became an official emblem) it's considered quite fair and proper to kill a state symbol on sight...
It's about time that we said: 1. No, I don't want to watch (insert whatever "decent" show you want to watch) at 1am in the morning 2. No, I actually don't want the TV that I watch to to the Timeslot Dance - BSG died on channel 10 this way going from 8:30 (for about three eps), then some "time off" or week skipping then moved later to about 10:30. I think they even changed the day! (Way to go channel 10 - you actually made the biggest sci-fi hit in the last 5 years flop!) I'm not even sure if they will show season 2 now...
Frankly, I'm willing to pay to get the TV I want to watch, when I want to watch it. Television companies in Australia *should* be scared - because they've been dicking us around for so long...
On another note: Does anyone know if Apple is suppling thier download information to show the true "ratings" for shows? Will these affect ratings in general just like when music downloads started contributing to the the top 40 ratings?
Hmm, All of these editions - won't this cause fragmentation of the userbase as consumers ponder which OS to choose. With seven editions of the CLIENT OS (how many ruddy server editions will there be!?) I'm starting to think this is going to be a mess...
It's also going to be interesting when people "upgrade" from the home edition to say Vista "starter Edition" - Hmm, where did all my functionality go???
I say keep it simple. You don't see a Home/Pro editions of OSX - you have one for clients, and one for servers.... Add to this the whole HDTV and no LCDs in the market currently supporting the new DRM for HDTV playback from Blue-ray and HD-DVD and I think that 12-18 months from now things are going to be messy...... Let's not even touch on support:
Tech: What edition are you running Caller: Windows
I agree with you, however It should also be noted that it is his business address on the trademark, which would mean (at least in some way) that there is approval by the business itself for this action.
If this was done off his own bat then I would want to know why he has used the business address rather than his own...
Having the business address there basically tells the rest of us that he is acting on behalf of the company in question.
I think that basing your model on purely technological mindset is not really the way to go - sure, technology drives the computer industry, however I believe we're moving to a more fundamental factor in choosing Information Technology:- Lifestyle.
This is what Apple has moved to as their model - sure they provide technological goodies, but the aim is improving lifestyle, not technology for the sake of technology/innovation.
Consider the strategy of providing Music/Movie/Image/Organiser products - Lifestyle products.
Consumers have been fed a steady diet of new gizmo's and gadgets but it takes many years for them to actually *GET* what they can do with them.
Bluetooth is such an example - been around for years, but only now am I using it (the technology) because I need to synchronise my Address Book and Calendar (Lifestyle).
I believe that the industry will gain momentum over the next few years by not plugging a particula technology but marketing Lifestyle Devices/Software using new technology in innovative ways...
Heh, I used to play footy at high school (Rugby League, not that girly US stuff where they wear body armour).
I decided that being an Athlete wasn't the best career choice when the captain of my footy team asked me how to spell "WHAT"...;)
I guess at my High School though, (Kedron State High - A public school that thought it was private) - Academic and creative talents were held in the same regard as sports (heck, most of the sports people were into the creative/academic programmes too).
For all those guys that have been given a hard time by those 'Jocks' - just remember that you're going to be at your peak when it really counts - Adulthood. You'll be the guys making the world happen =)
-- Dan =) P.S. If there's any locker stuffing - don't remind them about how you'll be driving the European Sports car, Have an amazing Wife/Husband/Partner and live in Beautiful House... Wait until the 10 year reunion;)
We ditched our paper currency quite a number of years ago, now we have bills made from a pseudo-plastic compound. Sure our currency is coloured but the best anti-couterfeit measures are:
1) it's not paper 2) items such as transparent sections of the note
If the US go throug with this change it will be great! Even if they don't bother with a colour change, they should at least look at making the notes out of a meterial other than paper.
Trust me:- No more accidentally leaving a 10er in the pocket of your pants and discovering it a mushy ball after they go through the wash...
I think it all depends on how you set up the group work...
When I did my course, the core programming/technical subjects were individual - these subjects give you the basic skills you will need to build on later...
More higher level subjects mixed in team work as well as individual tasks and this develops your ability to interact as a team...
We then did a full-year industry project (our course actually does two, bust the std IT course does one) which was totally team based...
The risk with team tasks is that you can coast on through if you want to. I believe that technical subjects should be individual tasks because this lays the foundation upon which everything else is built. Teamwork is good, but it should be brought in after the basics are covered...
I definitely agree that this dilutes the competency of grads coming into industry - we had one noteable case recently who began work where I do and it turned out he went through a 3 year IT degree with virtually zero programming skills. We didn't expect the earth - but we did expect the Basics - he didn't last long.
I'm sorry, but I feel that unis are just trying to fill spaces (to get cash) and create warm-fuzzy degrees that don't prepare students at a foundation level.
I think Enough of the warm-fuzzy because it damages the prospects of those grads that actually *did* the work because an employer goes "don't hire grads from X - they're all under-equipped" (over exaggerated, but I will say in the context of my work, it did damage the reputation of grads from that uni - people hiring are now much more cautious about taking grads from there...)
I was also reading on spymac.com that you can get around this with a nikko pen, but what I really want to say is what a precedent this sets for corporations:
We will intentionally cause damage to your property because you did not try to play this in an authorised CD player
I think all those affected now (and more probably in the future with CDs other than Celine) should send a nice happy bill to the corporations that produce these CDs...
Not being a legal person, how can a disclaimer cover something designed to intentionally cripple hardware? Sure you can say in a disclaimer that "it *may* do blah blah blah" but that's a whole lot different to "If you have X this CD is designed to damage this hardware"
... And I also doubt that the disclaimer is in a very prominent position either...
As someone who buys CDs and owns an iBook, I'm not looking forward to the day I pop in a decent CD I've just bought (sorry, Celine fans) I don't want to discover that I can't get the damn thing out of my lappy easily...
Lawrence B Lockwood is a name that appears on the patents... note this summary from http://www.law.emory.edu/fedcircuit/mar97/96-1168. html
Lawrence B. Lockwood appeals from the final judgment of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, Lockwood v. American Airlines, Inc., No. 91-1640E (CM) (S.D. Cal. Dec. 19, 1995), granting summary judgment in favor of American Airlines, Inc. In that summary judgment, the court held that (1) U.S. Patent Re. 32,115, U.S. Patent 4,567,359, and U.S. Patent 5,309,355 were not infringed by American's SABREvision reservation system, and that (2) the '355 patent and the asserted claims of the '359 patent were invalid under 35 U.S.C. 102 and 35 U.S.C. 103, respectively. Lockwood v. American Airlines, Inc., 834 F. Supp. 1246, 28 USPQ2d 1114 (S.D. Cal. 1993), req. for reconsideration denied, 847 F. Supp. 777 (S.D. Cal. 1994) (holding the '115 and '359 patents not infringed); Lockwood v. American Airlines, Inc., 877 F. Supp. 500, 34 USPQ2d 1290 (S.D. Cal. 1994) (holding the asserted claims of the '355 patent invalid and not infringed); Lockwood v. American Airlines, Inc., 37 USPQ2d 1534 (S.D. Cal. 1995) (holding the '359 patent invalid). Because the district court correctly determined that there were no genuine issues of material fact in dispute and that American was entitled to judgment as a matter of law, we affirm.
so there you go: already after a few searches I've found out that 3 patents are already not wirth anything: http://www.panip.com/patents.htm ('115, '359, '355)
-- Dan "who has limited knowledge of law, but can surf the web" =)
Their website looks very crummy too - are you *sure* they are a legitimate business? I mean it's *very* hard to escape google's search with *zero results*.
You might just scare them off if you go "see you in court".
-- Dan "who is off to look up USPTO on PanIPs patents now..." =)
Good thing no one ripped that bonus CD and posted it on the Internet.
I've no doubt it's prolly already been ripped. Like you said, anythng that's a value add can be ripped. but I think there's a bit more psychology there too:
Person A: has a burned CD of Band X
Person B: Has the limited edition Super CD of Band X.
I guess it depends on the person but I think you'll find many people will want to be in Person B territory, especially if they think in term of collectability etc.
I'll ask another question: Who do you think will get more value out of a game: Person A who has a rip & plays single player or LAN, or Person B who paid AUD$80 for a game where they have access to the online communities etc...
Sure you can circumvent it, but why would you? I guess my attitude changed the day I got to talk shop with some game developers (Pandemic DR2), also the fact that local developer AURAN is just down the road (and I might add, going through tough times atm laying off ppl from what I hear...)
I guess it all depends on perspective. I don't have too much love for the large top 40 manufactured artists etc. But I'd look like a hyporcrite if I bought locals/bands that I like and ripped the rest (not that I'd listen to their music anyway...), but it's a principle thing...
-- Dan "Who really should stop posting on this topic and work on his paper" Thomas =)
My entire music collection is mostly indie artists that I've gone to see in concert anyways, so I've paid my dues.
Even though more than 75% of my collection is std. commercial (tho not top 40). The main reason I really started buying CDs was the local scene. I live in Brisbane, and it was always awesome seeing the guys from my town doing great now. I've always made a point of buying the Guys' CDs at the concerts becaue I figure I'm showing support. Last time I did this I bought 3 CDs and T Shirts from bands that are just a bunch of young blokes giving it a go...
Good to hear that you support your locals - on my website I publish local bands discographies etc. Tho I haven't in ages (lousy stupid scanner)...
When I was a student I shared and swapped a LOT of MP3s... Since I started full-time work last year, I buy all my music mainly because:
a) I get the original CD b) I can play the music on the way to work in my car
I still rip CDs into MP3 so I can just use iTunes rather than cart around umpteen hundred CDs... But it's kinda satisfying knowing that most of your MP3s are from your own collection...
I think what the record companies need to do is no discourage music sharing by rather value add the CDs that they sell. I recently bought "Faithless - Special Edition" and the added value was a bonus CD.
If they value add their CDs along the same lines as the difference between buying video or a DVD - think they they won't have a problem.
Personally, I don't think they have a problem now.
Apple should begin a general phase-out of Microsoft apps......
You have to be a little careful (especially when considering businesses) - there are very few that don't use Microsoft Office. Office:mac is actually a very important selling point for people moving to mac because once they get there: "Hey, I still have Word, Excel Powerpoint etc... I feel at home"
Of course there are alternatives, but Office is very very pervasive in businesses accross the globe.
I mean, they DO have the superior computer.... Yes, but Apple won't emphasise this. Because noone sells product being "Better" the sell product by being "different". Apple's excellent industrial design is probably the biggest factor in buying a mac when you're "Joe Average".
To us, the innards are what we look for, but to the standard consumer - all they're seeing is perty lines and good looks.
Enough of my ranting - suffice to say that this isn't a simple problem. I think more than anything, it's gonna be the politics (rather than tech issues) that will define the direction the mac platform will take with regards to Microsoft. Both groups will rattle thier sabres at each other for a while, but I think that for quite a while yet you will see IE and Office:mac versions...
-- Dan =) (Firewall: Debain PC, Main PC: Athlon (using XP), Lappy: iBook 14" OSX)
I think you've really said it all: that this is a whole lotta fuss by the Authors Guild about something that I belive actually helps Authors...
You really can't underestimate the value that one small book can do to you (and your wallet):
- "Red Mars" by Kim Stanley Robinson - "Empyrion" by Stephen Lawhead - "Magician" by Raymond E Fiest - "Wizard's First Rule" by Terry Goodkind - "Battleaxe" by Sara Douglass
Once you get a taste, you want more. By discouraging the sale of 2nd hand books I think that you can lose out on follow up sales. Even the small list of Authors above can easily fill a bookshelf.
I really think they should not be worried about 2nd hand books (even close to the release date) as the books will (along with the reputation of the Author) will be transfered to someone who will buy the next umpteen bagillion books by that Author...
-5- You know, I think you'd find them giving their work away if no one was buying them.
-4- What's next? the Authors Guild going after libraries because "Anyone can come and get a book without paying for it!". The Guild could invent paper that spontaneously combusted after you read the last page - try to read it again and you're toast!
-3- An Authors reputation sells a lot of books and makes their name even more well-known (thus selling more books) and I doubt a move like this by the Authors Guild is going to endear a lot of authors to J Q Public.
-2- I'm a hoarder, so if I like a book I keep it. One day, I'll have enough books so I can say "let's have some brandy in the library and the professor will tell us about his latest adventure"
And the number one thought that popped into my mind when I read the post:
-1- I promise I won't buy 2nd-hand books as long as the Authors promise to give me back all the late nights where I couldn't put the books down:P
Slashdot Mirror
*spoiler warning for parent*
The thing that I liked most about the Silmarillion was that it gave such a depth to Lord of the Rings. Firsly, the tale weaves into the fabric that Elrond is actually the Great^1000 Uncle of Aragorn, and that his own family was also rocked by the whole Human/Elf tradgedy (His own father was human) and that while he chose the elven path, his brother Elross chose the human, becoming the first king of the Numenoreans.
Reading stuff like this really makes the tale so incredibly rich with the characters not disparate people but throughout the history of Middle-Earth, the charaters are rich, complex and intertwined through more than just events.
While I think Peter Jackson hinted at the Elrond/Aragorn connection through the way that Elrond tried to spare his daughter the pain of the Human/Elf tradgedy (whom he experienced personally). Though in the book, not much was made of this tradgedy (correct me if I am wrong) in the way that it was in the Silmarillion.
The silmarillion also paints the pictures of the Mia (angel-like creatures) and that Gandalf, Saruman, Sauron and even Blarogs are all forms of Mia. The book resonates with the choices of the characters. Even Balrogs (Morgoth's captains) have "good" equivalents that are beings of fire (I think in one passage one being volunteered to pull to sun and/or a star). The difference between the Balrog and this being of fire was essentially their choices.
Very cool stuff, very detailed story. And I expect that the Children of Hurin will only add to the tapestry of Middle Eath in subtle and wonderful ways bringing colour to areas we had not even considered before. I think also that the 30 years of "seasoning" that Christopher Tolkien has brought to the story will do justice to his Father's legacy.
-- Dan =)
Heh, parent gets a +1 from me :) That pretty much sums us up (with or without the beer). If you ever get the chance, I'd recommend trying to find an Australian film called "The Castle" (Eric Bana has a minor role in it btw).
Australians either love or hate this film for the same reason: Everyone has a friend/relative exactly like one of the characters (I have an entire extended family of them). As odd as some of them can be, they're Rough diamonds & would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it. Love them to bits.
A Friend of mine is living in the UK atm sums it up nicely. It's funny to hear his analysis of Australians that arrive there.
He came out and said "I didn't realise it but, we ARE like that!"
-- Dan =)
I think every Australian cringes to a point with Steve (usually because he reminds us of how we really are), before they find out about the man behind the Crocodile Hunter. A few things that I found out from a mate that works at Australia Zoo changed my opinion of him: Firstly, he is genuinely like that - in front of the screen and in everyday life: a larger than life character that is always enthusiastic about wildlife. You can only respect genuiness of spirit. Something I think a lot of us miss today.
Secondly, he spends all the money he gets reinvesting into australian wildlife in one form or another. Hearing that he buys up huge tracts of land just so the animals living there could just do their thing really got my respect.
I think it's appropriate that he died doing the things that he loved, but my condolences go to his family, who more than anyone else will fell the loss of a husband, father and decent bloke.
-- Dan =(
The two primary "unofficial" ways to get rid of cane toads in Australia:
1. Cricket Bat
2. 9 Iron
And if you're in the car at night - the headlights dazzle the little buggers and they pop their heads up to see what's coming: when you run over them they make a very satisfying *pop* sound.
Cane Toads are a very very major problem for places infested with them - by a strange irony, people are even suggesting that the Cane Toad should be an official symbol for Queensland. Our state football team (Rugby League) are known as the Cane Toads.
While Australia is known as being one of the few countries that will eat its coat of arms (Kangaroo, don't know of anyone eating emu). I think Queensland would be the only state in the world where (if the Toad became an official emblem) it's considered quite fair and proper to kill a state symbol on sight...
-- Dan =)
Here Here!
It's about time that we said:
1. No, I don't want to watch (insert whatever "decent" show you want to watch) at 1am in the morning
2. No, I actually don't want the TV that I watch to to the Timeslot Dance - BSG died on channel 10 this way going from 8:30 (for about three eps), then some "time off" or week skipping then moved later to about 10:30. I think they even changed the day! (Way to go channel 10 - you actually made the biggest sci-fi hit in the last 5 years flop!) I'm not even sure if they will show season 2 now...
Frankly, I'm willing to pay to get the TV I want to watch, when I want to watch it. Television companies in Australia *should* be scared - because they've been dicking us around for so long...
On another note: Does anyone know if Apple is suppling thier download information to show the true "ratings" for shows? Will these affect ratings in general just like when music downloads started contributing to the the top 40 ratings?
-- Dan
Must... Not... Give... In...
Bah! Sod It:
In depths of ocean, calamari eats you!
-- Dan =)
Hmm, All of these editions - won't this cause fragmentation of the userbase as consumers ponder which OS to choose. With seven editions of the CLIENT OS (how many ruddy server editions will there be!?) I'm starting to think this is going to be a mess...
... Add to this the whole HDTV and no LCDs in the market currently supporting the new DRM for HDTV playback from Blue-ray and HD-DVD and I think that 12-18 months from now things are going to be messy... ... Let's not even touch on support:
It's also going to be interesting when people "upgrade" from the home edition to say Vista "starter Edition" - Hmm, where did all my functionality go???
I say keep it simple. You don't see a Home/Pro editions of OSX - you have one for clients, and one for servers.
Tech: What edition are you running
Caller: Windows
Hmm, good times to be had...
-- Dan
I agree with you, however It should also be noted that it is his business address on the trademark, which would mean (at least in some way) that there is approval by the business itself for this action.
If this was done off his own bat then I would want to know why he has used the business address rather than his own...
Having the business address there basically tells the rest of us that he is acting on behalf of the company in question.
I'm sure if anyone has any queries about who this gentlemen is, the Us Patent Office has the relevant details:
1. Foley, David R.
Address:
Foley, David R.
1281 Wayne Avenue
San Jose, CA 95131
United States
Legal Entity Type: Individual
Country of Citizenship: United States
This guy didn't previously work at SCO by any chance?
I think that basing your model on purely technological mindset is not really the way to go - sure, technology drives the computer industry, however I believe we're moving to a more fundamental factor in choosing Information Technology:- Lifestyle.
This is what Apple has moved to as their model - sure they provide technological goodies, but the aim is improving lifestyle, not technology for the sake of technology/innovation.
Consider the strategy of providing Music/Movie/Image/Organiser products - Lifestyle products.
Consumers have been fed a steady diet of new gizmo's and gadgets but it takes many years for them to actually *GET* what they can do with them.
Bluetooth is such an example - been around for years, but only now am I using it (the technology) because I need to synchronise my Address Book and Calendar (Lifestyle).
I believe that the industry will gain momentum over the next few years by not plugging a particula technology but marketing Lifestyle Devices/Software using new technology in innovative ways...
-- Dan =)
Heh, I used to play footy at high school (Rugby League, not that girly US stuff where they wear body armour).
;)
;)
I decided that being an Athlete wasn't the best career choice when the captain of my footy team asked me how to spell "WHAT"...
I guess at my High School though, (Kedron State High - A public school that thought it was private) - Academic and creative talents were held in the same regard as sports (heck, most of the sports people were into the creative/academic programmes too).
For all those guys that have been given a hard time by those 'Jocks' - just remember that you're going to be at your peak when it really counts - Adulthood. You'll be the guys making the world happen =)
-- Dan =)
P.S. If there's any locker stuffing - don't remind them about how you'll be driving the European Sports car, Have an amazing Wife/Husband/Partner and live in Beautiful House... Wait until the 10 year reunion
This is a giant step backward in technology, designed to make people go out an buy yet more useless crap for their computers.
I remember a motto from years ago by the Pompey Pirates (gotta love the Atari ST):
"Dongles won't beat us!"
-- Dan =)
We ditched our paper currency quite a number of years ago, now we have bills made from a pseudo-plastic compound. Sure our currency is coloured but the best anti-couterfeit measures are:
1) it's not paper
2) items such as transparent sections of the note
If the US go throug with this change it will be great! Even if they don't bother with a colour change, they should at least look at making the notes out of a meterial other than paper.
Trust me:- No more accidentally leaving a 10er in the pocket of your pants and discovering it a mushy ball after they go through the wash...
-- Dan =)
I think it all depends on how you set up the group work...
When I did my course, the core programming/technical subjects were individual - these subjects give you the basic skills you will need to build on later...
More higher level subjects mixed in team work as well as individual tasks and this develops your ability to interact as a team...
We then did a full-year industry project (our course actually does two, bust the std IT course does one) which was totally team based...
The risk with team tasks is that you can coast on through if you want to. I believe that technical subjects should be individual tasks because this lays the foundation upon which everything else is built. Teamwork is good, but it should be brought in after the basics are covered...
I definitely agree that this dilutes the competency of grads coming into industry - we had one noteable case recently who began work where I do and it turned out he went through a 3 year IT degree with virtually zero programming skills. We didn't expect the earth - but we did expect the Basics - he didn't last long.
I'm sorry, but I feel that unis are just trying to fill spaces (to get cash) and create warm-fuzzy degrees that don't prepare students at a foundation level.
I think Enough of the warm-fuzzy because it damages the prospects of those grads that actually *did* the work because an employer goes "don't hire grads from X - they're all under-equipped" (over exaggerated, but I will say in the context of my work, it did damage the reputation of grads from that uni - people hiring are now much more cautious about taking grads from there...)
-- Dan,
I was also reading on spymac.com that you can get around this with a nikko pen, but what I really want to say is what a precedent this sets for corporations:
We will intentionally cause damage to your property because you did not try to play this in an authorised CD player
I think all those affected now (and more probably in the future with CDs other than Celine) should send a nice happy bill to the corporations that produce these CDs...
Not being a legal person, how can a disclaimer cover something designed to intentionally cripple hardware? Sure you can say in a disclaimer that "it *may* do blah blah blah" but that's a whole lot different to "If you have X this CD is designed to damage this hardware"
... And I also doubt that the disclaimer is in a very prominent position either...
As someone who buys CDs and owns an iBook, I'm not looking forward to the day I pop in a decent CD I've just bought (sorry, Celine fans) I don't want to discover that I can't get the damn thing out of my lappy easily...
-- Dan >:(
Lawrence B Lockwood is a name that appears on the patents... note this summary from http://www.law.emory.edu/fedcircuit/mar97/96-1168. html
Lawrence B. Lockwood appeals from the final judgment of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, Lockwood v. American Airlines, Inc., No. 91-1640E (CM) (S.D. Cal. Dec. 19, 1995), granting summary judgment in favor of American Airlines, Inc. In that summary judgment, the court held that (1) U.S. Patent Re. 32,115, U.S. Patent 4,567,359, and U.S. Patent 5,309,355 were not infringed by American's SABREvision reservation system, and that (2) the '355 patent and the asserted claims of the '359 patent were invalid under 35 U.S.C. 102 and 35 U.S.C. 103, respectively. Lockwood v. American Airlines, Inc., 834 F. Supp. 1246, 28 USPQ2d 1114 (S.D. Cal. 1993), req. for reconsideration denied, 847 F. Supp. 777 (S.D. Cal. 1994) (holding the '115 and '359 patents not infringed); Lockwood v. American Airlines, Inc., 877 F. Supp. 500, 34 USPQ2d 1290 (S.D. Cal. 1994) (holding the asserted claims of the '355 patent invalid and not infringed); Lockwood v. American Airlines, Inc., 37 USPQ2d 1534 (S.D. Cal. 1995) (holding the '359 patent invalid). Because the district court correctly determined that there were no genuine issues of material fact in dispute and that American was entitled to judgment as a matter of law, we affirm.
so there you go: already after a few searches I've found out that 3 patents are already not wirth anything: http://www.panip.com/patents.htm ('115, '359, '355)
-- Dan "who has limited knowledge of law, but can surf the web" =)
Google search for 'PanIP' and 'Patents'
n ts
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=PanIP+pate
results in zero returned results...
Their website looks very crummy too - are you *sure* they are a legitimate business? I mean it's *very* hard to escape google's search with *zero results*.
You might just scare them off if you go "see you in court".
-- Dan "who is off to look up USPTO on PanIPs patents now..." =)
Good thing no one ripped that bonus CD and posted it on the Internet.
I've no doubt it's prolly already been ripped. Like you said, anythng that's a value add can be ripped. but I think there's a bit more psychology there too:
Person A: has a burned CD of Band X
Person B: Has the limited edition Super CD of Band X.
I guess it depends on the person but I think you'll find many people will want to be in Person B territory, especially if they think in term of collectability etc.
I'll ask another question: Who do you think will get more value out of a game: Person A who has a rip & plays single player or LAN, or Person B who paid AUD$80 for a game where they have access to the online communities etc...
Sure you can circumvent it, but why would you? I guess my attitude changed the day I got to talk shop with some game developers (Pandemic DR2), also the fact that local developer AURAN is just down the road (and I might add, going through tough times atm laying off ppl from what I hear...)
I guess it all depends on perspective. I don't have too much love for the large top 40 manufactured artists etc. But I'd look like a hyporcrite if I bought locals/bands that I like and ripped the rest (not that I'd listen to their music anyway...), but it's a principle thing...
-- Dan "Who really should stop posting on this topic and work on his paper" Thomas =)
My entire music collection is mostly indie artists that I've gone to see in concert anyways, so I've paid my dues.
Even though more than 75% of my collection is std. commercial (tho not top 40). The main reason I really started buying CDs was the local scene. I live in Brisbane, and it was always awesome seeing the guys from my town doing great now. I've always made a point of buying the Guys' CDs at the concerts becaue I figure I'm showing support. Last time I did this I bought 3 CDs and T Shirts from bands that are just a bunch of young blokes giving it a go...
Good to hear that you support your locals - on my website I publish local bands discographies etc. Tho I haven't in ages (lousy stupid scanner)...
-- Dan =)
True,
When I was a student I shared and swapped a LOT of MP3s... Since I started full-time work last year, I buy all my music mainly because:
a) I get the original CD
b) I can play the music on the way to work in my car
I still rip CDs into MP3 so I can just use iTunes rather than cart around umpteen hundred CDs... But it's kinda satisfying knowing that most of your MP3s are from your own collection...
I think what the record companies need to do is no discourage music sharing by rather value add the CDs that they sell. I recently bought "Faithless - Special Edition" and the added value was a bonus CD.
If they value add their CDs along the same lines as the difference between buying video or a DVD - think they they won't have a problem.
Personally, I don't think they have a problem now.
-- Dan =)
Apple should begin a general phase-out of Microsoft apps......
You have to be a little careful (especially when considering businesses) - there are very few that don't use Microsoft Office. Office:mac is actually a very important selling point for people moving to mac because once they get there: "Hey, I still have Word, Excel Powerpoint etc... I feel at home"
Of course there are alternatives, but Office is very very pervasive in businesses accross the globe.
I mean, they DO have the superior computer....
Yes, but Apple won't emphasise this. Because noone sells product being "Better" the sell product by being "different". Apple's excellent industrial design is probably the biggest factor in buying a mac when you're "Joe Average".
To us, the innards are what we look for, but to the standard consumer - all they're seeing is perty lines and good looks.
Enough of my ranting - suffice to say that this isn't a simple problem. I think more than anything, it's gonna be the politics (rather than tech issues) that will define the direction the mac platform will take with regards to Microsoft. Both groups will rattle thier sabres at each other for a while, but I think that for quite a while yet you will see IE and Office:mac versions...
-- Dan =)
(Firewall: Debain PC, Main PC: Athlon (using XP), Lappy: iBook 14" OSX)
"Didn't Garth Brooks have a fit a few years ago about used CDs? Didn't they try to outlaw the used CD business?"
Ok mod me down for this one but I couldn't help it:
Why didn't they try to outlaw Garth Brooks???
-- Dan, This should so be -1 sorry guys!
I think you've really said it all: that this is a whole lotta fuss by the Authors Guild about something that I belive actually helps Authors...
You really can't underestimate the value that one small book can do to you (and your wallet):
- "Red Mars" by Kim Stanley Robinson
- "Empyrion" by Stephen Lawhead
- "Magician" by Raymond E Fiest
- "Wizard's First Rule" by Terry Goodkind
- "Battleaxe" by Sara Douglass
Once you get a taste, you want more. By discouraging the sale of 2nd hand books I think that you can lose out on follow up sales. Even the small list of Authors above can easily fill a bookshelf.
I really think they should not be worried about 2nd hand books (even close to the release date) as the books will (along with the reputation of the Author) will be transfered to someone who will buy the next umpteen bagillion books by that Author...
... or is that just me?
-- Dan =)
-5- You know, I think you'd find them giving their work away if no one was buying them.
:P
-4- What's next? the Authors Guild going after libraries because "Anyone can come and get a book without paying for it!". The Guild could invent paper that spontaneously combusted after you read the last page - try to read it again and you're toast!
-3- An Authors reputation sells a lot of books and makes their name even more well-known (thus selling more books) and I doubt a move like this by the Authors Guild is going to endear a lot of authors to J Q Public.
-2- I'm a hoarder, so if I like a book I keep it. One day, I'll have enough books so I can say "let's have some brandy in the library and the professor will tell us about his latest adventure"
And the number one thought that popped into my mind when I read the post:
-1- I promise I won't buy 2nd-hand books as long as the Authors promise to give me back all the late nights where I couldn't put the books down
-- Dan =)