1984 has arrived. Actually, it arrived years ago but this administration has decided not to hide it. Instead of denying that they spy on their own people, they bring it out in the open and give it a soothing name (Homeland Security) (Total Information Awareness)(Privacy Czar). They populate these departments with the dregs of society, people you wouldn't allow in your house. None of this gets discussed openly though because the average American cannot be distracted by reality as they are too engrossed in reality TV! More people know the first and last names of the finalists on Joe Millionaire than know the Secretary General of the United Nations. One word describes this...pathetic.
Sure, there are many out there who use file swapping to "stick it to the man" or swap files out of some misguided sense of political activism. If you want to send a message to the RIAA and MPAA, leave their stuff alone completely...don't buy it and don't swap it. Just let others know that there are other artists out there who are not corporate slaves and who will not sue you if you make a copy of their CD (just buy a T-Shirt;-) I do know that I personally would never have found the Afro-Celt Sound System, Wasis Diop, Baaba Maal, Garmarna, Joi, Udit Narayan and many others if it had not been for Napster. I now have a very nice (legal) collection of CDs I've purchased because I first got curious and downloaded some music by some groups I'd never heard of. If you feel strongly enough about it, spend your hard earned cash on entertainment that does not have that RIAA/MPAA stench attached to it. The only thing these people understand is money. If they see they are losing revenue to legitimate competition because the competition does not have excessive fair use restrictions, maybe they will rethink their own stand...or maybe they will just continue to sue everyone on earth a handfull of people at a time.
Anon coward, if you are representative of the masses, we are screwed. I prefer to believe you are an anomaly, a mutation and that your genetic code will not be passed on to another generation. If you can't comprehend what is being debated, shut up, listen, and learn.
Better to be silent and let people think you're an idiot , than open your mouth and remove all doubt.
I'm so tired of listening to lawyers (and their b**ches) whining about how the poor recording industry is being robbed. This whole situation was created by lawyers to make money for lawyers. This country is run by pathetic dim-bulbs who would rather live in a court room debating meaningless, worthless crap, than actually doing something benefitial. This country sucks.
I do believe the idea that Jackson tried to circumvent the law is quite unrealistic to say the least. The case has been under the media microscope for two years, every gesture, every word, and every possibility has been discussed, and second guessed. The possibility that Judge Jackson, or anyone else related to this case has circumvented anything is quite improbable. So far the only unlawful behaviour has come from Microsoft.
The ISP was wrong. People who side with censorship should not be in the position to stop internet access to anyone. The internet is about freedom of expression, and those who would stifle that (both the attackers and the ISP) should be spanked - literally.
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1984 has arrived. Actually, it arrived years ago but this administration has decided not to hide it. Instead of denying that they spy on their own people, they bring it out in the open and give it a soothing name (Homeland Security) (Total Information Awareness)(Privacy Czar). They populate these departments with the dregs of society, people you wouldn't allow in your house. None of this gets discussed openly though because the average American cannot be distracted by reality as they are too engrossed in reality TV! More people know the first and last names of the finalists on Joe Millionaire than know the Secretary General of the United Nations. One word describes this...pathetic.
Sure, there are many out there who use file swapping to "stick it to the man" or swap files out of some misguided sense of political activism. If you want to send a message to the RIAA and MPAA, leave their stuff alone completely...don't buy it and don't swap it. Just let others know that there are other artists out there who are not corporate slaves and who will not sue you if you make a copy of their CD (just buy a T-Shirt ;-) I do know that I personally would never have found the Afro-Celt Sound System, Wasis Diop, Baaba Maal, Garmarna, Joi, Udit Narayan and many others if it had not been for Napster. I now have a very nice (legal) collection of CDs I've purchased because I first got curious and downloaded some music by some groups I'd never heard of. If you feel strongly enough about it, spend your hard earned cash on entertainment that does not have that RIAA/MPAA stench attached to it. The only thing these people understand is money. If they see they are losing revenue to legitimate competition because the competition does not have excessive fair use restrictions, maybe they will rethink their own stand...or maybe they will just continue to sue everyone on earth a handfull of people at a time.
Anon coward, if you are representative of the masses, we are screwed. I prefer to believe you are an anomaly, a mutation and that your genetic code will not be passed on to another generation. If you can't comprehend what is being debated, shut up, listen, and learn. Better to be silent and let people think you're an idiot , than open your mouth and remove all doubt.
I'm so tired of listening to lawyers (and their b**ches) whining about how the poor recording industry is being robbed. This whole situation was created by lawyers to make money for lawyers. This country is run by pathetic dim-bulbs who would rather live in a court room debating meaningless, worthless crap, than actually doing something benefitial. This country sucks.
I do believe the idea that Jackson tried to circumvent the law is quite unrealistic to say the least. The case has been under the media microscope for two years, every gesture, every word, and every possibility has been discussed, and second guessed. The possibility that Judge Jackson, or anyone else related to this case has circumvented anything is quite improbable. So far the only unlawful behaviour has come from Microsoft.
The ISP was wrong. People who side with censorship should not be in the position to stop internet access to anyone. The internet is about freedom of expression, and those who would stifle that (both the attackers and the ISP) should be spanked - literally.