Give a computer certain patterns of notes and tell it "patterns in this range are emotionally stimulating; now generate some new emotionally stimulating patterns that fall in this range", it will do just that.
Yes, a human would have to define what is and isn't good music, but once it's defined, a programmer can just give a computer a set of rules to follow and it will crank out one Kilomozart per minute.
Maybe every court should use this as a precedent. Four hundred forty one thousand times the actual damages should be the statutory award. That makes total sense.
In ten to twenty years, when we're playing these games on emulators and reminiscing about the good old days, when these activation servers are dead and gone, we will be thankful that someone took the time to remove these checks from our games so that we could play them in the future.
And I wonder, in this never ending holy war against pirates, what they think that Pyrrhic victory after Pyrrhic victory will earn them? Countless fortunes? Unending wealth? Do they think that making your game difficult to play will somehow make it sell billions of copies?
If the result of Apple's release strategy is that their customers destroy their phones, perhaps they should give customers what they want in the first place.
This is getting very frightening; corporations are now able to use anti-piracy laws to decide what people can and can't communicate. It's not so much a slippery slope as it is a free fall from the edge of the mountain.
What's next, banning google because you can add the word "torrent" to a search?
My employer hasn't switched from IE6. Does anyone have tips on how to convince them to move to IE8? We have exactly zero software which requires IE6; in fact, some of our software doesn't work properly with it.
ATI already has high-powered GPUs like the 5870 that drop to 27-35W when not gaming (which is probably not too far off the power consumption of these GPUs) without having to switch to another GPU. I guess this switching thing is probably designed to compete power-wise with ATI.
Ugh...I work for a credit card issuer. I guess it may roll in more revenue for us, but before the ban, the majority of these transactions were fraudulent anyway
The more serious gambling addicts will stop at nothing to get their fix, including stealing card info from family members, friends, and strangers. If this law passes, get ready for a flurry of chargebacks, followed by charge-offs, followed by increased rates and fees on cash advances since they will be such high-risk transactions.
Tell the lawmakers that someone's rights are bound to be infringed. Ask those lawmakers in open forums (news shows, interviews, press conferences) if it is worse for a multimillion dollar corporation to lose some sales or for the entire populace to lose their rights as citizens.
Wait for squirming. If they try to dodge the question, ask it again.
This is the best thing I've read all week. If I went to someone and said "You have wronged me so pay me money or I'll report you to the cops", I could be reported and sent to jail. Maybe if I had a lawyer write my threat up, my demand would magically be non-extortionate.
Give them three weeks to discuss and pass laws, and also limit terms of both the congress and the senate to a total of six years.
Perhaps then they won't have as much time to warm up the graft machine. If you keep changing the lawmakers, lobbyists have to hit a moving target and the "will of the people" has a slightly better chance of competing with the "will of the stockholders".
I feel MORE secure when people are required to learn rules before they drive. I feel LESS secure when the government decides who can and can't communicate.
I can understand a license to drive, but a license to communicate is stupid...no...it's scary.
Always a horrifying thought, being reported by your neighbors.
I work with an elderly West German lady. She was telling me that her East German friends had grown a lifetime of distrust for just about everyone. Some East Germans that grew up steeped in this mindset still keep new friends at arm's length, even today.
Also, the story reminded me of this gem: There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Facts-Are-Stubborn-Things/
Developers have to strike a balance between what makes you go "f- this game" and "YES! I CAN'T BELIEVE I FINALLY DID IT!".
Another problem they face is the fickleness of the community. For example, the Ninja Gaiden games on the NES would not fly in today's gaming community, except among a small, masochistic market segment.
What the hell? I LOVE my life and I do all the activities described in the summary. Maybe I'm an anomaly, or just a satisfied underachiever. But I think I'm better off than those super-driven guys who almost never achieve happiness.
You're absolutely right here. It's sad that the legal system has an avenue to allow a private company commit extortion, though. The law should change if it has such a glaring flaw.
Slashdot Mirror
Give a computer certain patterns of notes and tell it "patterns in this range are emotionally stimulating; now generate some new emotionally stimulating patterns that fall in this range", it will do just that.
Yes, a human would have to define what is and isn't good music, but once it's defined, a programmer can just give a computer a set of rules to follow and it will crank out one Kilomozart per minute.
Make laws that prefer the rights of corporations over the rights of actual human beings. I don't see how this could possibly go wrong.
In fact, plenty of phone emulators and games have on-screen controllers that do this already.
Maybe every court should use this as a precedent. Four hundred forty one thousand times the actual damages should be the statutory award. That makes total sense.
Some people don't pirate because they haven't been bothered enough by DRM to seek out DRM-free copies.
Ubisoft is creating a new round of pirates from formerly legitimate customers.
In ten to twenty years, when we're playing these games on emulators and reminiscing about the good old days, when these activation servers are dead and gone, we will be thankful that someone took the time to remove these checks from our games so that we could play them in the future.
And I wonder, in this never ending holy war against pirates, what they think that Pyrrhic victory after Pyrrhic victory will earn them? Countless fortunes? Unending wealth? Do they think that making your game difficult to play will somehow make it sell billions of copies?
If the result of Apple's release strategy is that their customers destroy their phones, perhaps they should give customers what they want in the first place.
This is getting very frightening; corporations are now able to use anti-piracy laws to decide what people can and can't communicate. It's not so much a slippery slope as it is a free fall from the edge of the mountain. What's next, banning google because you can add the word "torrent" to a search?
My employer hasn't switched from IE6. Does anyone have tips on how to convince them to move to IE8? We have exactly zero software which requires IE6; in fact, some of our software doesn't work properly with it.
ATI already has high-powered GPUs like the 5870 that drop to 27-35W when not gaming (which is probably not too far off the power consumption of these GPUs) without having to switch to another GPU. I guess this switching thing is probably designed to compete power-wise with ATI.
Ugh...I work for a credit card issuer. I guess it may roll in more revenue for us, but before the ban, the majority of these transactions were fraudulent anyway
The more serious gambling addicts will stop at nothing to get their fix, including stealing card info from family members, friends, and strangers. If this law passes, get ready for a flurry of chargebacks, followed by charge-offs, followed by increased rates and fees on cash advances since they will be such high-risk transactions.
Tell the lawmakers that someone's rights are bound to be infringed. Ask those lawmakers in open forums (news shows, interviews, press conferences) if it is worse for a multimillion dollar corporation to lose some sales or for the entire populace to lose their rights as citizens.
Wait for squirming. If they try to dodge the question, ask it again.
I do believe that it is its own game.
This is the best thing I've read all week. If I went to someone and said "You have wronged me so pay me money or I'll report you to the cops", I could be reported and sent to jail. Maybe if I had a lawyer write my threat up, my demand would magically be non-extortionate.
Well, poo! I'm still excited, though.
Information has artificially inflated in value. The prices coming down are a natural result of people realizing this.
We have been paying too much for books, films, and music for years. Party's over. They still get to make profit, just not obscene profit.
Give them three weeks to discuss and pass laws, and also limit terms of both the congress and the senate to a total of six years.
Perhaps then they won't have as much time to warm up the graft machine. If you keep changing the lawmakers, lobbyists have to hit a moving target and the "will of the people" has a slightly better chance of competing with the "will of the stockholders".
Five more years until we have a GOOD picture of Pluto. July 14, 2015...can't wait!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons
I feel MORE secure when people are required to learn rules before they drive. I feel LESS secure when the government decides who can and can't communicate.
I can understand a license to drive, but a license to communicate is stupid...no...it's scary.
Always a horrifying thought, being reported by your neighbors.
I work with an elderly West German lady. She was telling me that her East German friends had grown a lifetime of distrust for just about everyone. Some East Germans that grew up steeped in this mindset still keep new friends at arm's length, even today.
Also, the story reminded me of this gem:
There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Facts-Are-Stubborn-Things/
Lol...if you like that one, take a look at Syobon Action. There's a hilarious youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLrWwmnt2po
Developers have to strike a balance between what makes you go "f- this game" and "YES! I CAN'T BELIEVE I FINALLY DID IT!".
Another problem they face is the fickleness of the community. For example, the Ninja Gaiden games on the NES would not fly in today's gaming community, except among a small, masochistic market segment.
What the hell? I LOVE my life and I do all the activities described in the summary. Maybe I'm an anomaly, or just a satisfied underachiever. But I think I'm better off than those super-driven guys who almost never achieve happiness.
You're absolutely right here. It's sad that the legal system has an avenue to allow a private company commit extortion, though. The law should change if it has such a glaring flaw.
I constantly wondered to myself "isn't threatening to report criminal activity if someone doesn't give you money extortion?" Glad to see it confirmed.
Now we need to start moving to prosecute the RIAA. They either need to report every copyright violation to the police, or quit extorting people.