I too used to use Morpheus. But, I kept getting the error that my client was outdated and I needed to download the new one. I did -- but, I still couldn't connect. So, I finally said "fuck it" and installed KaZaa instead.
As you install KaZaa there is a wizard that asks which components you want to install. I keep hearing about "spyware" built into KaZaa. But, I don't believe it. All the programs that come BUNDLED with KaZaa are spyware (New.Net, Offer Companion, Gator, etc..). But, if you uncheck all the boxes for these programs they won't be installed on your computer! The only time these spyware programs get installed is if you're a lazy bastard who just clicks the "NEXT" and "OK" buttons all the way through the wizard.
However.... after I installed KaZaa I ran Lavasoft's AdAware (www.lavasoft.de) to search for any remaining spyware. It did detect a software plugin which displayed KaZaa's ads. I used AdAware to remove it. But, then KaZaa stopped working and I had to reinstall it.
For the most part -- I haven't been as happy with KaZaa. The search takes forever! In one case I was searching for a piece of software. I tried the search once with no results. I waited 2 minutes and tried again. This time I found some results (but, not what I was looking for). I think a majority of people are using KaZaa for MP3s which is fine. But, I always liked the selection of movies, apps, and other things available on Morpheus. It's a shame to see such a good tool go down the shitter.
Speaking of good tools going down the shitter -- has anyone else notice that "MailExpire" disappeared? It used to be at www.mailexpire.com but they are gone now. It was a cool service run by an Irish company for creating expiring email addresses to avoid spam.
I think this would be a good thing. But, the question would be -- if I live in Wisconsin and I don't like the version of Windows being sold... can I buy a "Massachusetts Version" of Windows?
For what it's worth: Uneccessary and illegal DRM hardware Could ruin computing as we know it Keep out of areas that You don't belong in Otherwise you could be Underestimating the power of the geeks
If the users aren't committing any crime what is there to blame them for? This whole thing goes under the premise that filesharing is a crime. I don't make any money sharing my files. For non commercial use I should be able to share whatever I want. It's not like I stop buying CDs, or going to concerts, or buying T-shirts and posters. Bands still get money from me.
I love being able to think about any song, any time, anywhere and within 10 minutes be able to download and listen to it! Maybe the record companies should give the songs away for free but develop value-added services. There are tons of things that people will pay for. They should work on finding these services instead of blowing billions of dollars on an army of lawyers.
But, this sucks because if my name is on 300 lists than I have to opt-out of each one individually. Why should I have to go through all this hassle to prevent someome from sending me something that I never asked for to begin with!?!?
We should right to our leaders and representatives to ask them to pass laws against this kind of thing. Double Click should work on the "Opt In" principle instead. Don't send a goddam thing unless I specifically request it!
When they offered to let the public participate they didn't think anyone would actually do it. Now they want to remove the "unknown" element of the process. Thanks for all the work that you do for us Karl. ICANN / VeriSign have been planning the hijack for quite some time. The question is: what can we do to try to stop them?
This is EXACTLY why I've avoided buying an HDTV. They are expensive, nobody is broadcasting in HDTV yet, and political stuggles over format were bound to happen. I wouldn't go so far as proclaiming the death of DVRs. People like them. And, as long as there is a a demand some one will come up with a supply. I'm just sick of hearing about groups like the RIAA and MPAA using our Constitution like a roll of toilet paper. When is someone going to stand up for the individual?
I think I'll make a special effort to rip and share another gig of my music. All of us reading Slashdot should make a special effort to share MORE music and movies!
"The more you tighten your grip, Hilary, the more music will slip through your fingers."
Another interesting side note: Chuck Jones Dr. Seuss (Ted Geisel) worked together during WWII to create "Private Snafu". They were propoganda films made by the US Gov't which were intended as an off-center guide to military regulations for enlisted men.
Chuck also produced the animated special: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" His legacy spans from the 1930's -- 1990's. Here is the full listing of everything he worked on: Internet Movie Database.
Chuck Jones, Mel Blanc, Robert McKimson, Friz Freleng, Tex Avery and Charles M. Jones where the masters of animation. These guys produced the best cartoons that America (or the world) has ever seen. They were young, crazy and living in a world where anything was possible. They had total freedom to do what they wanted and the result was the Golden Age of Animation in America. Modern cartoons are funny -- but, these guys defined cartoons! They layed all the groundwork for the modern animation industry. In the 2002 Academy Awards they have added a new category: "ANIMATED FEATURE FILM". Would this have even been possible without the work of Chuck Jones et al? I have a collection of over 200 Merry Melodies/Looney Tunes cartoon on VHS tape. One of these days I'm going to digitize them all so that future generations of Internet users will not forget the legacy that Chuck Jones helped to produce.
Because the RIAA and the record companies use "payola" to get music played on commercial radio. They get to pick what you listen to. Why not just go back to live performances?? (like the days before recorded music)
So, how much would it cost to build and launch a satellite to function as an "off planet data haven"? You know -- a few hundred thousand terabytes of storage orbiting Earth! We could store MP3s, pr0n, DivX, and offer thousands of steams!!! Figure 500,000 users who chip in $100 each? That's $50,000,000 right there.
I searched the entire US Customs web site and Google but, I could not find ANY mention of a ruling from Dec. 20th. You are exactly right! This might have been a case of Nintendo approaching the US Customs service and asking for a ban rather than a judicial proceeding. According to the US Customs site there are two types of piracy violations:
"Clearly Piratical" and "Possibly Piratical"
Which are defined as so: "Clearly Piratical" is defined as overwhelming and substantial similarity between the copyrighted elements of the protected work and the imported item so as to clearly indicate that one work was based upon the other. The second, "Possibly Piratical" encompasses those situations in which articles are suspected of constituting piratical copies, but are not clearly deemed to be such at the time of presentment.
I would like to see when EXACTLY did the US Customs service say that: "the Flash Advance Linker violates the DMCA and is subject to confiscation." This sounds like a bunch of bullshit from NOA's lawyers.
But, what if NOA does file, and does take the "little guy" to court? True NOA is "on the hook for their own legal fees" but, so is Mr. Michaels. If this works its way up the legal ladder through various appeals how much is it going to cost? Mr. Michaels could be taking out loans and getting a second mortgage to pay for it all. If he wins --- he might recoup some of his costs. But, if he doesn't -- he gets to be a street person living in a box. That is why the DMCA has never been challenged successfully. It takes a shitload of money! Money that none of us "little guys" have.
Be careful what you ask for... you just might get it. Most likely the legal system would favor the big companies and they would pass a law that would make us outlaws with our "illegal" CD duplication devices. Big media companies are waiting for the day when they can not only control the software, and the media... but the hardware too. Give them half a chance and they would try to make this a law.
Way to go Rob! Contratulations on your wedding! I wish you both the best! You should set up a gift registry online and provide your address so we can send cards or gifts!
Why not go for a world record? Have the reception outdoors in a stadium and invite 250,000 of your closest friends over for a toast!
So, when you rip these DVDs to convert them to AVIs or DivX files... you have to get it right on the first try! You open the package, pop in the DVD, fire up DeCSS and make a copy of the DVD on the first play. Toss the DVD in the trash and continue to watch the movie again and again after you convert it to a viewable format.
Copyrights were originally created to balance the needs of the artist and the consumer. Today the scale is heavily weighted in the direction of the corporation (who represents the artist). They have tons of "rights" while the only "right" that the consumer has is to use their product.
Piracy is nothing but a natural backlash against a system that doesn't work. Everyone is trying to hammer a square peg through a round hole. The whole "copyright" system worked well 100 years ago. But, the whole system is antiquated and does not solve the needs of the modern world.
I think this will be great! Nothing like a complex puzzle to solve! It will be a good challenge for everyone involved. There is no such thing as "perfect encryption". If I can view it or hear it.... it CAN be cracked somehow!
I wonder if they have been watching Oracle and Larry Ellison? "Unbreakable" HA! There is no such thing. How long before we're swapping DivX and MP3s for free via our 3G phones??
Slashdot Mirror
I too used to use Morpheus. But, I kept getting the error that my client was outdated and I needed to download the new one. I did -- but, I still couldn't connect. So, I finally said "fuck it" and installed KaZaa instead.
As you install KaZaa there is a wizard that asks which components you want to install. I keep hearing about "spyware" built into KaZaa. But, I don't believe it. All the programs that come BUNDLED with KaZaa are spyware (New.Net, Offer Companion, Gator, etc..). But, if you uncheck all the boxes for these programs they won't be installed on your computer! The only time these spyware programs get installed is if you're a lazy bastard who just clicks the "NEXT" and "OK" buttons all the way through the wizard.
However.... after I installed KaZaa I ran Lavasoft's AdAware (www.lavasoft.de) to search for any remaining spyware. It did detect a software plugin which displayed KaZaa's ads. I used AdAware to remove it. But, then KaZaa stopped working and I had to reinstall it.
For the most part -- I haven't been as happy with KaZaa. The search takes forever! In one case I was searching for a piece of software. I tried the search once with no results. I waited 2 minutes and tried again. This time I found some results (but, not what I was looking for). I think a majority of people are using KaZaa for MP3s which is fine. But, I always liked the selection of movies, apps, and other things available on Morpheus. It's a shame to see such a good tool go down the shitter.
Speaking of good tools going down the shitter -- has anyone else notice that "MailExpire" disappeared? It used to be at www.mailexpire.com but they are gone now. It was a cool service run by an Irish company for creating expiring email addresses to avoid spam.
I think this would be a good thing. But, the question would be -- if I live in Wisconsin and I don't like the version of Windows being sold... can I buy a "Massachusetts Version" of Windows?
That is the whole point now isn't it? Not that they would go away (think: Mac OS)... they just wouldn't have a deathgrip on the market anymore.
For what it's worth:
Uneccessary and illegal DRM hardware
Could ruin computing as we know it
Keep out of areas that
You don't belong in
Otherwise you could be
Underestimating the power of the geeks
If the users aren't committing any crime what is there to blame them for? This whole thing goes under the premise that filesharing is a crime. I don't make any money sharing my files. For non commercial use I should be able to share whatever I want. It's not like I stop buying CDs, or going to concerts, or buying T-shirts and posters. Bands still get money from me.
I love being able to think about any song, any time, anywhere and within 10 minutes be able to download and listen to it! Maybe the record companies should give the songs away for free but develop value-added services. There are tons of things that people will pay for. They should work on finding these services instead of blowing billions of dollars on an army of lawyers.
But, this sucks because if my name is on 300 lists than I have to opt-out of each one individually. Why should I have to go through all this hassle to prevent someome from sending me something that I never asked for to begin with!?!?
We should right to our leaders and representatives to ask them to pass laws against this kind of thing. Double Click should work on the "Opt In" principle instead. Don't send a goddam thing unless I specifically request it!
When they offered to let the public participate they didn't think anyone would actually do it. Now they want to remove the "unknown" element of the process. Thanks for all the work that you do for us Karl. ICANN / VeriSign have been planning the hijack for quite some time. The question is: what can we do to try to stop them?
Or better yet... create false readings to send back to them. Use coordinates in the middle of Romania just to fsck with their heads!
This is EXACTLY why I've avoided buying an HDTV. They are expensive, nobody is broadcasting in HDTV yet, and political stuggles over format were bound to happen. I wouldn't go so far as proclaiming the death of DVRs. People like them. And, as long as there is a a demand some one will come up with a supply. I'm just sick of hearing about groups like the RIAA and MPAA using our Constitution like a roll of toilet paper. When is someone going to stand up for the individual?
I think I'll make a special effort to rip and share another gig of my music. All of us reading Slashdot should make a special effort to share MORE music and movies!
"The more you tighten your grip, Hilary, the more music will slip through your fingers."
8===o O - : ----- Hilary sucking my cock
Another interesting side note: Chuck Jones Dr. Seuss (Ted Geisel) worked together during WWII to create "Private Snafu". They were propoganda films made by the US Gov't which were intended as an off-center guide to military regulations for enlisted men.
Chuck also produced the animated special: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" His legacy spans from the 1930's -- 1990's. Here is the full listing of everything he worked on: Internet Movie Database.
Chuck Jones, Mel Blanc, Robert McKimson, Friz Freleng, Tex Avery and Charles M. Jones where the masters of animation. These guys produced the best cartoons that America (or the world) has ever seen. They were young, crazy and living in a world where anything was possible. They had total freedom to do what they wanted and the result was the Golden Age of Animation in America. Modern cartoons are funny -- but, these guys defined cartoons! They layed all the groundwork for the modern animation industry. In the 2002 Academy Awards they have added a new category: "ANIMATED FEATURE FILM". Would this have even been possible without the work of Chuck Jones et al? I have a collection of over 200 Merry Melodies/Looney Tunes cartoon on VHS tape. One of these days I'm going to digitize them all so that future generations of Internet users will not forget the legacy that Chuck Jones helped to produce.
Because the RIAA and the record companies use "payola" to get music played on commercial radio. They get to pick what you listen to. Why not just go back to live performances?? (like the days before recorded music)
So, how much would it cost to build and launch a satellite to function as an "off planet data haven"? You know -- a few hundred thousand terabytes of storage orbiting Earth! We could store MP3s, pr0n, DivX, and offer thousands of steams!!! Figure 500,000 users who chip in $100 each? That's $50,000,000 right there.
The Russians could help us launch it!
"Clearly Piratical" and "Possibly Piratical"
Which are defined as so: "Clearly Piratical" is defined as overwhelming and substantial similarity between the copyrighted elements of the protected work and the imported item so as to clearly indicate that one work was based upon the other. The second, "Possibly Piratical" encompasses those situations in which articles are suspected of constituting piratical copies, but are not clearly deemed to be such at the time of presentment.
I would like to see when EXACTLY did the US Customs service say that: "the Flash Advance Linker violates the DMCA and is subject to confiscation." This sounds like a bunch of bullshit from NOA's lawyers.
Just playing devil's advocate ---
But, what if NOA does file, and does take the "little guy" to court? True NOA is "on the hook for their own legal fees" but, so is Mr. Michaels. If this works its way up the legal ladder through various appeals how much is it going to cost? Mr. Michaels could be taking out loans and getting a second mortgage to pay for it all. If he wins --- he might recoup some of his costs. But, if he doesn't -- he gets to be a street person living in a box. That is why the DMCA has never been challenged successfully. It takes a shitload of money! Money that none of us "little guys" have.
Be careful what you ask for... you just might get it. Most likely the legal system would favor the big companies and they would pass a law that would make us outlaws with our "illegal" CD duplication devices . Big media companies are waiting for the day when they can not only control the software, and the media... but the hardware too. Give them half a chance and they would try to make this a law.
Way to go Rob! Contratulations on your wedding! I wish you both the best! You should set up a gift registry online and provide your address so we can send cards or gifts!
Why not go for a world record? Have the reception outdoors in a stadium and invite 250,000 of your closest friends over for a toast!
Low-paid Radio Shack Manager: "So, did you destroy all those CueCats like I asked?:
Anonymous Radio Shack Employee: "Yes sir!"
Cha-Ching! $$$$$$$$$$$$
How many geeks you know that have girlfriends/wives? I can count the ones I know on one hand. Just remember: "Chicks dig UNIX!"
So, when you rip these DVDs to convert them to AVIs or DivX files... you have to get it right on the first try! You open the package, pop in the DVD, fire up DeCSS and make a copy of the DVD on the first play. Toss the DVD in the trash and continue to watch the movie again and again after you convert it to a viewable format.
Can you imagine a Beowulf Cluster of these babies?
Sorry.... it had to be done.
;)
Copyrights were originally created to balance the needs of the artist and the consumer. Today the scale is heavily weighted in the direction of the corporation (who represents the artist). They have tons of "rights" while the only "right" that the consumer has is to use their product.
Piracy is nothing but a natural backlash against a system that doesn't work. Everyone is trying to hammer a square peg through a round hole. The whole "copyright" system worked well 100 years ago. But, the whole system is antiquated and does not solve the needs of the modern world.
I think this will be great! Nothing like a complex puzzle to solve! It will be a good challenge for everyone involved. There is no such thing as "perfect encryption". If I can view it or hear it.... it CAN be cracked somehow!
I wonder if they have been watching Oracle and Larry Ellison? "Unbreakable" HA! There is no such thing. How long before we're swapping DivX and MP3s for free via our 3G phones??