Pens have quite a few other uses than stabbing you in the eye. What other uses for guns besides firing a high speed projectile with the intent to kill/maim/destroy something are there? Poison, explosives, sure. Why do you need cyanide? Why do you need a brick of C4?
Should you be allowed to possess the chemical formula on how to manufacture cyanide? Should you only be prevented from actually making and storing cyanide? That is my question. Surely knowledge of these things is a far different act than possesing them.
On a related note, since you brought it up. How many of those 60% of murders would have been murders had the killer not possesed a firearm? The effort and thought behind pulling a trigger is far easier than driving a pen through someones temple ( and far more easily avoidable by the target ).
Opening a can of worms and kissing my ass^Wkarma goodbye:
You mean like 'guns'? Oh, but those are self-defense tools. Right. Let's take the NRA stance 'Homebuilt Cruise Missles don't kill people, people with homebuilt cruise missles kill people!'.
Guns exist to kill/maim/destroy things ( be they other people, animals, or else ). Should they be likewise prohibited from possesion? ( Note there is a distinction between having the plans for how a gun works and possessing a gun ).
RSA and other OneTimeKey based systems look better and better everyday. If you really need security, use a OTK system, among other steps of course. Users will always pick an easy password ( or if you force them to use a hard one, will write it down so as not to forget it ), so don't allow that password to be reused. This also works against sniffed passwords, or keyloggers, or...
This article misses the point, and attempts to cast the FSF as villans bent on forcing all code to be "open source". That is not the case, and the author is disingenious on several points.
The Linksys/Broadcom/Cisco code in question is software that was written not by Cisco or Linksys or Broadcom, but by the multitude of contributors to the GNU/Linux software projects, which are released to the world under the provisions of the GPL. It does not belong to anyone but those who created it, and those owners get to decide how it can be used. This is the same way that Microsoft controls how you can use/re-use/modify the software that it develops via their License.
Had Cisco/Linksys/Broadcom used Microsoft's code in violation of Microsoft's license, this article would not have been written to cast Microsoft as a villan trying to piggy-back on the success of Cisco et al.
That Cisco et al are using the GNU/Linux code speaks volumes for the robustness of the code that has been developed and released under the GPL. I would posit that by using this existing code, they gained a significant developmental savings, in not having to create it from scratch. The GPL certainly allows and encourages this ( unlike the very restrictive "commercial" software licenses of say Microsoft ). The price it asks in return is that any improvements/modifications/additions made to GPL code be given back to the community that developed the code in the first place.
Is this a communist ideal as insinuated by the closing "comrade" remark? I think not. It is a capitalistic request to receive an equitable return on the use of the developer's software. You can "pay" the cost to use it in terms of money ( by using a closed, proprietary software system ), or you can "pay" the cost in terms of the societal benefits of continuous software improvement by using GPL software and respecting the provisions of the GPL.
If the software is made available, will it give competitors an inside track to compete? I would argue not, as the Linksys products are a combination of hardware and software. Does the fact that GNU/Linux runs on Intel hardware and the GNU/Linux source code is available give AMD an advantage? I do not think so.
The fact is that this code is being used in violation of the License it was published under. The fact that the author of this article does not understand that the software developers feel that the social benefits of making their code available outweigh the potential financial gain by keeping it restricted, does not excuse this attack on the FSF and all of the contributors to the GNU/Linux software projects. The project is obviously a resounding success if companies such as these are turning to GPL code as a superior alternative to their own internally developed software. Rather than being put down as rampant communists, the FSF and the GNU/Linux developers should be encouraged to continue their work, and to stand up for thier rights as copyright holders, just as we would expect the Microsofts of the world.
Don't forget that even if you don't break something to gain access, if you aren't supposed to be there, it is called 'Trespassing' and you can be charged with 'Criminal Trespass'. The door being/open unlocked has not a whole lot to do with you knowing that it is not your house and that you don't have permission to be there.
Copyright is not what they were charged with violating, it was the anit-circumvention provisions of the DMCA. The judge instructed the jurors that in order to be found guilty, Elcomsoft had to be found to knowingly and wilfully produce a product that violated the DMCA.
Elcomsoft was not on trial for copying eBooks, but for creating software that could be used to circumvent the eBook encryption.
This is not a win in the fight against the DMCA. Elcomsoft was found not guilty, because:
Alexander Katalov testified that they did not think their software was illicit and did not intend for it to be used on books that had not been legally purchased
If you are aware the DMCA says that you can't create circumvention tools, and you knowingly build and release such a tool, then you are stuck. The important part of Elcomsoft's claim above was that they didn't think their software was illicit, not whether they intended it to be used to illegally copy or legally copy eBooks. So the reason they were found not guilty had nothing to do with what they intended people to do with their program, but with their claim they didn't know it was in violation of the DMCA.
In this article, here's another stunning example of how the DMCA doesn't bring anything new to the table in terms of preventing piracy/copyright abuse.
The man in question, pleading guilty under both Copyright law and the DMCA for illegally copying video tapes, faces the following sentances:
Copyright law: 60 years imprisonment and $3,000,000 fine.
DMCA: 5 year imprisonment and $500,000 fine.
What was so lacking in the punishment for violating the copyright laws that the DMCA was needed?
This and the Blizzard BNETD case show, IMHO, that the DMCA is nothing more than a legal weapon paid for the entertainment industry to chill any speech or action that they feel cuts into their profits. It does not impact the 'for-profit' pirates that actually cost the industry revenue, it tramples on the average consumer.
Copying copyrighted video tapes was illegal before the DMCA. There is no need for an additional law like the DMCA to put "fear" into the pirates like this guy. They face stricter punishments for violating copyright laws than they do the DMCA. The DMCA just broadens the scope to include that so-called gray area that is the average consumer wanting to time-shift/space-shift their belongings, which happens to cut into the entertainment industries profits.
I received a commercial solicitation for Verisign Services ( internet domain registration ) that was not clearly indicated as such. It was disguised to look like an annual renewl notice for internet domain registration services from a competitor. The cost charged by Verisign for these services is 3x higher than the competitor I currently use. This is vis-a-vis comparable to the practice of "slamming" in the telephone industry. The letter prominantly features the words "Expiration Notice" and asks for my credit card information in order to "renew my services".
I feel this to be deceptive as the services through their competitor are *not* expired and I would not be "renewing" services with Verisign, as I have not conducted business with them regarding the services provided by their competitor.
I urge you to investigate this to determine if Verisign is illegally using deceptive advertising and misleading consumers into purchasing services from them that are not needed and more costly than their competitors.
If you feel the same, perhaps you should complain as well. I suspect the USPS may be more responsive than ICANN ( but that's just a hunch ).
No, you missed the point. Google is *not* required or obligate to remove any links pointing to DeCSS unless they are served with notification to do so. Which so far they haven't. The CoS ( Cocks of Scientology ) have decided that this wonderful new law lets them harrass third parties, and because the law is so horribly vague, it does let them get away with it.
This is not self censorship, this is Google acting in accordance with the DMCA upon receiving notification of the alleged violation.
To: umg@umusic.com
To: webmaster@friendsoflive.com
To Whom It May Concern,
Hoping that you are motivated by more than sheer greed, I'd like to
voice a complaint regarding the Live - V CD that I received as gift
at Christmas this year.
I work as a computer programmer, and as such spend a lot of time at
work, using a computer. I have a collection of about 300 CD's at my
desk at work, that I listen using the CD-ROM drive of one of my computers.
I run several operating systems, including Linux, Solaris,
FreeBSD on my Intel PC's. I also have several Sun SPARC workstations.
When trying to play the Live - V CD, I receive an error message upon
inserting the CD that says 'Cannot run 16-bit application'. I have
serveral other 'media players' including WinAMP, Musicmatch Jukebox,
etc. These attempt to play the CD, and do play the first half of the
CD fairly well. However, the latter tracks on the CD hiss, pop, and
crackle to point that the music is no longer enjoyable.
I've been a fan of Live for many years now ( since Mental Jewelry
came out ), and have purchased all of the other albums, as well as
gone to several concerts featuring Live.
As a consumer who pays for his music, I feely completely shafted and
disenfranchised by Universal's decisions to "Copy Protect" their CD's.
I do not know for certain whether any copy protection was used on the
Live - V albumn, as there is nothing on the CD artwork, jewel-case,
or packaging to indicate such.
I do know that I will be throwing away the albumn as useless, and
will no longer purchase any further Live cd's that come out on the
Universal label.
So, you win. I can't copy the CD so that I can listen to it in my
car on the way to and from work. I can't "burn" it to MP3 format
to listen to on my MP3 player. Nor can I listen to it on my preferred
CD-Player ( which happens to be a PC ).
I will be fucked if I'm going to go buy a standalone CD-Player for
my office, just to listen to music.
You choose to cripple your CD's. I choose not to buy them.
Reference the Universal Music website regarding this at:
http://www.musichelponline.com/TechSupport.asp
I will still pay money to see Live in concert, but I will no longer
pay for Live CD's published under the Universal label. ( Or any
other music I like that comes our on Universal ).
Sorry guys from the band. It's nothing personal against you, and I
am not trying to "steal" your work from you without compensation.
Universal has chosen to make it personal against me.
I wish you all the best of luck. Keep making great music, and visit
Chicago on tour often so I can hear your new stuff ( since I cannot
listen to it on CD ).
If "leaders" of an organization holds particular views, then a reasonable conclusion is that those who "follow" these "leaders" hold similar opinions.
The "leaders" unfortunately are not elected or able to be chosen by those for whom the program exists in the BSA. There is no way to "vote them out of office", as they are mainly self-appointed. I know a great number of scouts and scouters ( actually, all of those I know, in the Chicago area ) disagree with "National" and simply ignore them on this issue and others.
You are free to reply to this
Yup, that's the nature of a public forum.:)
I don't see how you are standing behind your views more than I do when you are not using your real name anyhow
Did my mother name me CoreDump? Nope, it's a pseudonym. But, my email address and website are listed there. Feel free to send me an email to talk about this further, if you are not comfortable doing so in a public forum. Is 'CmdrTaco' not standing behind his posts, because he doesn't use 'Rob Malda'? Everytime I post, it'll be from CoreDump. You can see my posting history, go to my personal website, or contact me outside of this forum, so yes, I *am* putting my name behind my posts.
I'm sorry, I don't see any suggestions to throw people out of the country in my message. A tad sensitive are we? I chose those two topics as they are fairly controversial and current, not because I happen to agree or disagree with our current president's position. It's quite a leap from saying that not everyone in the U.S. agrees with the President's position to advocating tossing people out of the country.
Btw, have you stopped beating your wife yet?
Re:Yeah but B.S.of A. hates gays. Just proves...
on
Fast Track to a CS Degree?
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
No, it only proves the BSA national executives in Texas are narrow-minded assholes. I'm an Eagle Scout, I support my local Boy Scout Troop. Their views ( those national retards in Texas ) are *not* the views of all Scouts, anymore than Bush's views on stem-cell research and abortion are representative of all Americans.
Thanks for jumping to conclusions, and helping to re-inforce negative stereotypes.
Note that I'm *not* an Anonymous Coward, so feel free to reply to that. I'm willing to put my name behind my views. Glad to see that you're able to keep thinking independantly yourself. Way to keep an open mind.
I'm in a similar situation, though perhaps a bit easier for me, than for you. I was recruited out of college after my Junior year to work for the company I'm with now. ( They made an offer I couldn't refuse, what can I say? ). I'm glad I took it, as even though I'm still lacking my degree, the industry experience I've gained is not something I could have *ever* learned in school.
It's been about 6 years now, and I'm starting to get the itch to finish my last year of school, but due to still needing/wanting to work, it's not possible for me to go back to the original school. ( I went to RPI in New York, and currently work in Chicago area, so the commute would be hell ).
I started looking into local schools that I could attend to finish up. Most wanted me to attend them for at least 4 semesters before they'd grant a degree, and then there's the problem of transferring credits from one school to another, etc. I finally found a school that would let me finish the way I wanted. DePaul University ( a respected institution ) has a School for New Learning. That allows adults who previously skipped or ( like me ) never completed college to apply whatever previous college credit they have, along with taking into account your work experience, towards a BA degree. You can also continue on in the same manner towards an MA as well.
DePaul is located in the Chicago area, but it is quite possible that similar programs exist near you. If you haven't finished a degree yet, but have several years of experience in your industry, this type of program definitely seems the way to go.
They would know because right now I *am* buying CD's. If I stop ( and many others stop ) they will notice that suddenly they are no longer selling as many.
The other part of the boycott ( besides not buying the product ) is letting the company know *why* you are not buying the product. This can be done individually ( via email, postal letter, phone call ) or publically ( via various news media, such as this, and other news sites ).
Simple solution to this. Since they only seem to understand money, stop buying "protected" cd's ( I think the term "crippled" is more appropriate though ).
I don't have a standard CD Player. I buy CD's to play in my computer to listen to while I'm at work. As manager of the Development Engineering department at national dialup/wireless ISP ( StarNet and StarNet WX ) I work long hours. I spend more time at work than I do at home, so I keep nearly my entire music collection at work. If I can no longer play my CD's on my computer then they just lost a sale.
Of course, they'll proabably use the declining sales statistics to shout that more protection is needed as people are obviously copying the CD's somehow and hence making fewer legitimate CD purchases. Someday, they'll wake up, and realize they've been left behind by the masses. I only hope that day comes sooner, rather than later.
I'd think that this type of behavious by the government is more akin to that of Orwell's _1984_ than to Huxley's _Brave_New_World_.
Now, if they ( the ever ubiquitous "they" ) were putting drugs ( got soma? ) into the water, then it'd be more similar to BNW, but instead it's the Government furthering it's ability to monitor the activities of it's citizen's, which strikes me as much more Orewllian.
Okay, back to your regulary scheduled MS sucks/Linux rules/I hate Katz ranting.
You can even check its weathermap ! Well, obviously backbone links are still unused... but that shouldn't last long, once people notice the sheer amount of bandwidth.
You want to see some b/w suckage? Just have all the students fire up Gnutella/Morpheus and you'll hear a really loud slurping sound.:)
Seriously though, this has ( as the US based Education networks and the like do ) the capability to further increase benefits for all of the students and researchers at the connected institutions. One of the things that Internet2 doesn't have in quite as much abundance is overwhelming raw bandwidth availability. Can't find the time to visit another school to attend a lecture? A course you want to take isn't offered at your school, but is at another one?
Realtime video and remote tele-presence applications will easily consume this bandwidth and more ( assuming they aren't drowned out by DIVX and MP3s flying around. ).
The La Batille project was definitely cool, but this implementation definitely blows the Tech House away in terms of sheer coolness, because it's open to anyone to submit to and play with.
Another cool thing is that they also distributed some programs to help you visualize the movies here.
And to think that I thought putting my xmas lights up and controllng them with X10 modules was pretty nifty. Oh well, time to start thinking bigger for next year!
Slashdot Mirror
Should you be allowed to possess the chemical formula on how to manufacture cyanide? Should you only be prevented from actually making and storing cyanide? That is my question. Surely knowledge of these things is a far different act than possesing them.
On a related note, since you brought it up. How many of those 60% of murders would have been murders had the killer not possesed a firearm? The effort and thought behind pulling a trigger is far easier than driving a pen through someones temple ( and far more easily avoidable by the target ).
You mean like 'guns'? Oh, but those are self-defense tools. Right. Let's take the NRA stance 'Homebuilt Cruise Missles don't kill people, people with homebuilt cruise missles kill people!'. Guns exist to kill/maim/destroy things ( be they other people, animals, or else ). Should they be likewise prohibited from possesion? ( Note there is a distinction between having the plans for how a gun works and possessing a gun ).
RSA and other OneTimeKey based systems look better and better everyday. If you really need security, use a OTK system, among other steps of course. Users will always pick an easy password ( or if you force them to use a hard one, will write it down so as not to forget it ), so don't allow that password to be reused. This also works against sniffed passwords, or keyloggers, or ...
Yeah, I got Windows XP after I saw the ads on TV. Imagine my dissapointment when I found it it wouldn't actually allow me to fly around. :(
This article misses the point, and attempts to cast the FSF as villans bent on forcing all code to be "open source". That is not the case, and the author is disingenious on several points.
The Linksys/Broadcom/Cisco code in question is software that was written not by Cisco or Linksys or Broadcom, but by the multitude of contributors to the GNU/Linux software projects, which are released to the world under the provisions of the GPL. It does not belong to anyone but those who created it, and those owners get to decide how it can be used. This is the same way that Microsoft controls how you can use/re-use/modify the software that it develops via their License.
Had Cisco/Linksys/Broadcom used Microsoft's code in violation of Microsoft's license, this article would not have been written to cast Microsoft as a villan trying to piggy-back on the success of Cisco et al.
That Cisco et al are using the GNU/Linux code speaks volumes for the robustness of the code that has been developed and released under the GPL. I would posit that by using this existing code, they gained a significant developmental savings, in not having to create it from scratch. The GPL certainly allows and encourages this ( unlike the very restrictive "commercial" software licenses of say Microsoft ). The price it asks in return is that any improvements/modifications/additions made to GPL code be given back to the community that developed the code in the first place.
Is this a communist ideal as insinuated by the closing "comrade" remark? I think not. It is a capitalistic request to receive an equitable return on the use of the developer's software. You can "pay" the cost to use it in terms of money ( by using a closed, proprietary software system ), or you can "pay" the cost in terms of the societal benefits of continuous software improvement by using GPL software and respecting the provisions of the GPL.
If the software is made available, will it give competitors an inside track to compete? I would argue not, as the Linksys products are a combination of hardware and software. Does the fact that GNU/Linux runs on Intel hardware and the GNU/Linux source code is available give AMD an advantage? I do not think so.
The fact is that this code is being used in violation of the License it was published under. The fact that the author of this article does not understand that the software developers feel that the social benefits of making their code available outweigh the potential financial gain by keeping it restricted, does not excuse this attack on the FSF and all of the contributors to the GNU/Linux software projects. The project is obviously
a resounding success if companies such as these are turning to GPL code as a superior alternative to their own internally developed software. Rather than being put down as rampant communists, the FSF and the GNU/Linux developers should be encouraged to continue their work, and to stand up for thier rights as copyright holders, just as we would expect the Microsofts of the world.
Don't forget that even if you don't break something to gain access, if you aren't supposed to be there, it is called 'Trespassing' and you can be charged with 'Criminal Trespass'. The door being/open unlocked has not a whole lot to do with you knowing that it is not your house and that you don't have permission to be there.
Copyright is not what they were charged with violating, it was the anit-circumvention provisions of the DMCA. The judge instructed the jurors that in order to be found guilty, Elcomsoft had to be found to knowingly and wilfully produce a product that violated the DMCA.
Elcomsoft was not on trial for copying eBooks, but for creating software that could be used to circumvent the eBook encryption.
This is not a win in the fight against the DMCA. Elcomsoft was found not guilty, because:
If you are aware the DMCA says that you can't create circumvention tools, and you knowingly build and release such a tool, then you are stuck. The important part of Elcomsoft's claim above was that they didn't think their software was illicit, not whether they intended it to be used to illegally copy or legally copy eBooks. So the reason they were found not guilty had nothing to do with what they intended people to do with their program, but with their claim they didn't know it was in violation of the DMCA.
You can license this technology from me for the equitable and extremly fair fee of 1 meeeelion dollars. Muahahahahahahahahaha! It's cheaper than JPEG!
The man in question, pleading guilty under both Copyright law and the DMCA for illegally copying video tapes, faces the following sentances:
What was so lacking in the punishment for violating the copyright laws that the DMCA was needed?
This and the Blizzard BNETD case show, IMHO, that the DMCA is nothing more than a legal weapon paid for the entertainment industry to chill any speech or action that they feel cuts into their profits. It does not impact the 'for-profit' pirates that actually cost the industry revenue, it tramples on the average consumer.
Copying copyrighted video tapes was illegal before the DMCA. There is no need for an additional law like the DMCA to put "fear" into the pirates like this guy. They face stricter punishments for violating copyright laws than they do the DMCA. The DMCA just broadens the scope to include that so-called gray area that is the average consumer wanting to time-shift/space-shift their belongings, which happens to cut into the entertainment industries profits.
Fuck the DMCA and Jack Valenti and Hillary Rosen.
Because this was sent by US Postal Main, I complained to the USPS at: http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/fraud/MailFra udComplaint.htm
The text of my complaint:
If you feel the same, perhaps you should complain as well. I suspect the USPS may be more responsive than ICANN ( but that's just a hunch ).
If Google's policy is in conflict with Federal Law ( IE, the DMCA ), guess which one will be upheld?
This is not self censorship, this is Google acting in accordance with the DMCA upon receiving notification of the alleged violation.
To: umg@umusic.com
To: webmaster@friendsoflive.com
To Whom It May Concern,
Hoping that you are motivated by more than sheer greed, I'd like to
voice a complaint regarding the Live - V CD that I received as gift
at Christmas this year.
I work as a computer programmer, and as such spend a lot of time at
work, using a computer. I have a collection of about 300 CD's at my
desk at work, that I listen using the CD-ROM drive of one of my computers.
I run several operating systems, including Linux, Solaris,
FreeBSD on my Intel PC's. I also have several Sun SPARC workstations.
When trying to play the Live - V CD, I receive an error message upon
inserting the CD that says 'Cannot run 16-bit application'. I have
serveral other 'media players' including WinAMP, Musicmatch Jukebox,
etc. These attempt to play the CD, and do play the first half of the
CD fairly well. However, the latter tracks on the CD hiss, pop, and
crackle to point that the music is no longer enjoyable.
I've been a fan of Live for many years now ( since Mental Jewelry
came out ), and have purchased all of the other albums, as well as
gone to several concerts featuring Live.
As a consumer who pays for his music, I feely completely shafted and
disenfranchised by Universal's decisions to "Copy Protect" their CD's.
I do not know for certain whether any copy protection was used on the
Live - V albumn, as there is nothing on the CD artwork, jewel-case,
or packaging to indicate such.
I do know that I will be throwing away the albumn as useless, and
will no longer purchase any further Live cd's that come out on the
Universal label.
So, you win. I can't copy the CD so that I can listen to it in my
car on the way to and from work. I can't "burn" it to MP3 format
to listen to on my MP3 player. Nor can I listen to it on my preferred
CD-Player ( which happens to be a PC ).
I will be fucked if I'm going to go buy a standalone CD-Player for
my office, just to listen to music.
You choose to cripple your CD's. I choose not to buy them.
Reference the Universal Music website regarding this at:
http://www.musichelponline.com/TechSupport.asp
I will still pay money to see Live in concert, but I will no longer
pay for Live CD's published under the Universal label. ( Or any
other music I like that comes our on Universal ).
Sorry guys from the band. It's nothing personal against you, and I
am not trying to "steal" your work from you without compensation.
Universal has chosen to make it personal against me.
I wish you all the best of luck. Keep making great music, and visit
Chicago on tour often so I can hear your new stuff ( since I cannot
listen to it on CD ).
Respectfully,
Croc Hunter Drinking Game
Supplies:
- A lot of Smirnoff Ice
- Some friends ( inflatable ones if naught else )
- Crocodile Hunter Marathon on AP ( check local listings )
Rules (Everyone drinks when):- Someone gets bit.
- The phrase "Croikey!" is uttered.
- ( add your own! )
This should have you good and fuzzy by the time Midnight rolls around. But don't worry, you've got all day tomorrow to sleep it off!Happy New Year to all!
The "leaders" unfortunately are not elected or able to be chosen by those for whom the program exists in the BSA. There is no way to "vote them out of office", as they are mainly self-appointed. I know a great number of scouts and scouters ( actually, all of those I know, in the Chicago area ) disagree with "National" and simply ignore them on this issue and others.
You are free to reply to this
Yup, that's the nature of a public forum. :)
I don't see how you are standing behind your views more than I do when you are not using your real name anyhow
Did my mother name me CoreDump? Nope, it's a pseudonym. But, my email address and website are listed there. Feel free to send me an email to talk about this further, if you are not comfortable doing so in a public forum. Is 'CmdrTaco' not standing behind his posts, because he doesn't use 'Rob Malda'? Everytime I post, it'll be from CoreDump. You can see my posting history, go to my personal website, or contact me outside of this forum, so yes, I *am* putting my name behind my posts.
Or Hemos...
Or Cowboy Neal, oh wait, just proved myself wrong there... damn!
Btw, have you stopped beating your wife yet?
Thanks for jumping to conclusions, and helping to re-inforce negative stereotypes.
Note that I'm *not* an Anonymous Coward, so feel free to reply to that. I'm willing to put my name behind my views. Glad to see that you're able to keep thinking independantly yourself. Way to keep an open mind.
It's been about 6 years now, and I'm starting to get the itch to finish my last year of school, but due to still needing/wanting to work, it's not possible for me to go back to the original school. ( I went to RPI in New York, and currently work in Chicago area, so the commute would be hell ).
I started looking into local schools that I could attend to finish up. Most wanted me to attend them for at least 4 semesters before they'd grant a degree, and then there's the problem of transferring credits from one school to another, etc. I finally found a school that would let me finish the way I wanted. DePaul University ( a respected institution ) has a School for New Learning. That allows adults who previously skipped or ( like me ) never completed college to apply whatever previous college credit they have, along with taking into account your work experience, towards a BA degree. You can also continue on in the same manner towards an MA as well.
DePaul is located in the Chicago area, but it is quite possible that similar programs exist near you. If you haven't finished a degree yet, but have several years of experience in your industry, this type of program definitely seems the way to go.
Is that a keychain in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
The other part of the boycott ( besides not buying the product ) is letting the company know *why* you are not buying the product. This can be done individually ( via email, postal letter, phone call ) or publically ( via various news media, such as this, and other news sites ).
I don't have a standard CD Player. I buy CD's to play in my computer to listen to while I'm at work. As manager of the Development Engineering department at national dialup/wireless ISP ( StarNet and StarNet WX ) I work long hours. I spend more time at work than I do at home, so I keep nearly my entire music collection at work. If I can no longer play my CD's on my computer then they just lost a sale.
Of course, they'll proabably use the declining sales statistics to shout that more protection is needed as people are obviously copying the CD's somehow and hence making fewer legitimate CD purchases. Someday, they'll wake up, and realize they've been left behind by the masses. I only hope that day comes sooner, rather than later.
Now, if they ( the ever ubiquitous "they" ) were putting drugs ( got soma? ) into the water, then it'd be more similar to BNW, but instead it's the Government furthering it's ability to monitor the activities of it's citizen's, which strikes me as much more Orewllian.
Okay, back to your regulary scheduled MS sucks/Linux rules/I hate Katz ranting.
Remember, "a gramme is better than a damn!" :)
Seriously though, this has ( as the US based Education networks and the like do ) the capability to further increase benefits for all of the students and researchers at the connected institutions. One of the things that Internet2 doesn't have in quite as much abundance is overwhelming raw bandwidth availability. Can't find the time to visit another school to attend a lecture? A course you want to take isn't offered at your school, but is at another one?
Realtime video and remote tele-presence applications will easily consume this bandwidth and more ( assuming they aren't drowned out by DIVX and MP3s flying around. ).
Another cool thing is that they also distributed some programs to help you visualize the movies here.
And to think that I thought putting my xmas lights up and controllng them with X10 modules was pretty nifty. Oh well, time to start thinking bigger for next year!