I can tell you 100% this is true. I received a DUI for drinking 3 coronas in January in Washington state. I passed my field sobriety test with good marks, yet being a dumbass I volunterred to take a portable breathalyzer test yielding a.085% BAC.
When I got back to the station to take the real breathalyzer, I brought to the attention of the police officer that the breathalyzer I was being tested on had a 2 year old calibration sticker. He said, and I quote "oh don't worry these machines are accurate to 10%!". Long story short, it said my BAC was.089% which was complete bullshit. How does 3 beers in 3 hours get someone to 0.089%!?!
The police will lie to your face so you think you're going home, write down what is necessary to create probable cause(1) and screw you while you smile. What do you expect from a state that pulls in $800k a month from DUI fees and I'm sure many times more than that in corrections fees?
1) I was pulled over for having a cracked tail light. I volunteered to do a field sobriety test including walk & turn, 1 leg stand, HGN. Walk & turn, I did flawlessy, state patrolmen even admitted it. One-leg stand, I made it to 45 seconds and only put my foot down once. The policeman wrote in his checksheet that I used my arms to balance myself and in the notes field wrote that I also kept my hands in my pockets because it was cold....? HGN is supposed to last 20 seconds max as outlined in NHTSA recommendations. The patrolmen kept the HGN test going for over 60 seconds, then wrote that I was showing signs of attention deficit due to intoxication because I took my eyes off the pen to look at him in bewilderment and ask if we were done yet. Judge says state patrolmen don't have to follow NHTSA recommended practices for administering field sobriety tests and the WSP are trained to administer the tests as best they see fit.
Long story short... If you get pulled over and you have had even 1 drink, say these works: "I respectfully decline to provide any type of field sobriety test to you at this time. If you desire, I can accompany you to the nearest station for a breathalyzer as agreed when I received my drivers license."
At that point, they must decide if their probable cause is worth the pain in the ass you are being. Although another recent story on/. seems to imply it doesn't even matter if you're right, you might get arrested anyway. WSP sucks, WA state corrections sucks, District of Clark County sucks. Disclaimers of course, IANAL, ymmv, don't drink & drive, bury the lawyers, etc.
So it is incumbent on us to set the terms and the debate so we have a shaped tax policy toward virtual worlds and virtual economies in a favorable way.
Translation: We don't want to get left out of this valuable market that needs taxation.
Doesn't look like much has changed since Reagan was around.
This depends on how much the economies of scale affects your industry. With software distributed electronically, this is especially true. The first one may cost $10M to develop, but every copy after that is effectively free, thus reducing price to encourage sales can make a huge difference in profits.
If you make a one-off embedded controller for a particular purpose and you expect to sell 10 annually, reducing your price will definitely reduce your profits.
Inability to set up Sendmail properly is in and of itself a security risk. You may quib that any admin who cannot set up Sendmail properly shouldn't be an admin, but this elitist attitude is counterintuitive.
The variety of responsibility is different within any organization, from 10 employees to 10,000, there is a huge variability of skillsets required. Do you think a small home business grossing $10,000 monthly can afford to hire an admin who would take at least half of that? Like it or not, open source software is a huge boon to small businesses and we should strive to empower them with easy to use software, not bash them for not hiring better administrators.
Wow, you got me. Oh wait, you don't know a fucking thing about me.
I'm not a democrat or partisan, but I am anti-bush. If it makes you feel any better, I'm actually anti-US-political-system. The democrats and republicans don't give a shit who wins so long as a third party never gets a foot in the door. BOTH sides polarize every issue to be sure there is no room for anyone in the middle.
Face it, the partisan bullshit is so extreme that if the republicans said the sky is blue during election year, the democrats would counter that it's teal JUST TO BE DIFFERENT.
The system we have now encourages only the power hungry to seek office, and only the corrupt can win. By the time they get into a position of power where they could actually do some good, they've made so many deals with the devil that they're hands are tied and the only thing left to do is cash the checks.
Between the extremism, finger pointing, poor fiscal management on both sides(they both want your money, but for different purposes), gerrymandering(whoever thought it was a good idea to let politicians set/move voting boundaries is retarded) and non-binding resolution bullshit, I've just about had it with politicians. I want someone in the middle and this apparently makes me unique. I can accept politicians who don't represent my beliefs perfectly, but what we have right now is two parties who push to separate america, not bring it together.
US politics is one big fucking circle-jerk. America needs healing, not politicians making everyone hate their neighbors.
The real question here is why was he being asked under oath about something that isn't even illegal? He may have broken the law by lying about getting a blowjob, but the inference here shouldn't have been that Clinton lies, it should have been congress was inappropriately overreaching deep into a the personal life of our president.
What bush has done to freedom, to fiscal security, and to the world is deserving of far worse than impeachment.
I think while we're at it we should outlaw sporks since I might gouge my eyes out in a senseless act of violence. In fact, maybe we should just outlaw all computers, that'd stop copyright infringement right?
If you can stop the cynicysm for just a moment, try to look at this from the plaintiffs perspective. Microsoft is increasingly moving the Windows platform into a black-box media center type application for consumer use. The point of convergence between entertainment mediums is becoming fuzzier as interactive entertainment is pushed through cable, satellite and over-the-air broadcast, a traditionally gaming console or computer-only proposition in the past. This situation will be further exacerbated in the future as the content makers begin to distribute their static content such as movies, music and radio over the internet in a more consumer-friendly way.
Trademarks are limited to a specific product type or service and the legal protection a trademark holder has is meant to be used to prevent confusion between products from two separate companies. Is it conceivable a consumer could be confused between the difference of Microsoft Vista and a television channel? It's hard to say, but given the recent trend of Microsoft to push computers into media center roles doesn't bode well for their defense against trademark infringement.
Translation: "Joe smoked a doobie this morning.. he's two steps short of a murderer and heroin addict!"
This is called a slippery slope argument and is often invalid. In most states, misdemeanor drug use is a relatively minor offense and carries very short jail time or small fines - especially in the case of marijuana.
You can't always extrapolate the future actions of your employees by relying on subjective assumptions about their extracarricular activities. It's more likely a greatly indebted middle-aged gambling addict will steal money from your company than a pot smoker.
Actually, when I moved into my roommates house we had two refrigerators. Instead of keggerizing the stainless fridge(mine), we drilled a hole in his. 1" hole on the side, slap a 10lb. CO2 tank, pressure regulator set to about.7 bar, some hose and a keg inside and voila!
The CO2 tank really is the only reason I can keep the beer fresh for so long and retain the crisp flavor. As an aside, I've begun purchasing my kegs from a distributor instead of the brewery direct - the distributors love giving out free tap handles:)
I also buy beer by the keg now and really love it. My cost is about $125 at most for a full keg, which takes me and my roommate as much as 3 months to drink. The only reason we can drink this much beer is every couple of weekends we have friends over to play pool and drink some beers.
That comes out to be roughly $1.30 per *pint*, not bottle for the finest microbrew available(typically I get something from portland brewing, a great company:) in the great northwest. If I lower the bar and get Coors Light, the cost per pint can be as low as 64c per pint.
Adobe's CEO brought up what should be the single most important point everyone who is considering a switch to MS products - Microsoft doesn't maintain anything cross-platform.
They may start out cross-platform, but eventually the mac version will fall behind on patches and then get EOL'd.<br><br>
For any broadcaster that relies on compatibility and reaching the widest market possible, MS would be a bad choice.
Do what I did. Grind to 70 avoiding all questing in Netherstorm or Blades Edge mountain. Once you're 70, you get dramatically more gold per quest. Then do your questing and you'll find yourself making 50g-100g per hour, not to mention all the quests are easier than they would have been if you did them at their prescribed level.
I think I was the only person in Outland riding a 60% horse at 70, but I farmed my epic and flying mounts fairly quickly after hitting 70.
I've got a Treo 650P(almost identical software, no EVDO) and I love the UI. You just have to get used to it. When I first got my Treo, which I bought on the first day it was available in my area, it was my first palm device since the M100.
Yet, I have learn to appreciate, nay love my treo! When I first got it, I almost chucked it out of my car while driving down the road.
However, I've now become extremely proficient at using most of it's features, including the calendar, bluetooth, web browser, phone, camera/vieo, etc. I will most likely not switch a different phone manufacturer for a while. I'm looking at getting a 680P or 700P soon for the EVDO; slow net access just sucks.
I've got it on Verizon which is totally the best, so being on Sprint I could see why you don't like your phone. In my area anyway, Sprint is about the worst carrier around for dropped calls and voice quality.
Anyhow, I can see why the Palm UI might not be for everyone. But for those who do, the Treo is an awesome phone.
I doubt Apple will complain if you purchase a new $500 phone instead of a lower margin shuffle. First, because the phone is newer, Apple needs to amortize the development cost over a large number of models. Also, the iPhone is just naturally more profitable due to it's higher price, despite it's much higher development and manufacturing cost.
Really, I doubt Apple cares so long as you buy Apple. I also think the story is bunk. There's a lot of downsides to integrating your MP3 player and cell phone. Just to name a few issues, I see:
1) Battery life. Most MP3 playing phones to date have shown an inherent battery life issue when playing music. While not a great example(but valid none the less), my Treo 650P can play Realmedia and MP3's but gets poor battery life when playing either.
2) Size, weight and ease of use. Cell phones, particularly new smart phones are larger than the typical MP3 player or normal cell phones. Nobody wants a giant Treo, Blackberry or iPhone strapped to their arm when they're at the gym or running.
3) Many people listen to music to silence other distractions while doing homework, work work, or play time. The very idea of having your phone in front of you while listening to music is an oxymoron to many people.
Ourselves. We, as a nation, continue to elect the people who least want to protect us. When will people wake up?
It is difficult to narrow down exactly when we began to lose significant rights. I can identify a specific moment in history when a large right was stripped away and you didn't even notice. June 28, 2006 - The United States Supreme Court decided in a 7-2 vote that politicians can redistrict at their every whim with almost no restrictions. The term is called gerrymandering, and by this process, the politicans can decide who will win most elections without your participation. Simply not voting does nothing but strengthen their grip. Vote for anybody OTHER than blue or red.
The reds and blues create dramatic legal, moral and fiscal dilemmas that are emotionally charged at every election; hot-button issues to keep your mind occupied and focused on why the other side is Evil. Yet, most americans do not realize the entire purpose of this electoral process is to REMOVE you from the voting process. The ability to keep the entire population as polarized as possible creates a system in which neither side really cares who wins because there is always next time.
Solution? Stop voting Democratic or Republic. They both want all your money(albeit for different uses), to trash your rights and prevent you from effecting their power. You can't even get the federal voting system changed to an internationally recognized representational system without stripping the current power holders of their right. No group of politicians will voluntarily participate in the destruction of their own power.
Prior art already covers this, just not using the exact same terminology. That's why the patent examiner didn't recognize it when s/he found it. The patent examiners notes show 2 cases of prior art were found, but rejected as not covering the same claims.
In this case, that's preposterous considering one of the prior art cases was a patent issued in 1987 that was an extension of the ideas in this patent. The 1987 patent didn't reference any other patents as prior art because it was generally considered that multiple-linked lists were obvious. They've been the topic of a thousand high school programming classes, including my own high school programming class in 1997.
This patent should be withdrawn and the PTO office sanctioned by the US federal GAO for not complying with Congress' wishes.
I wish I had mod points. I think too often the open source crowds forget that the same laws that protect Microsoft and empower the BSA are the same ones that protect open source software.
I'm still waiting for the day when the BSA picks up their feet and actually cracks down on a company that's illegally using F/OSS source code though. Why doesn't the BSA enforce copyrights for OSS like it does for closed source?
I'm left with no other option than to believe the BSA really is a shill for Microsoft and they will never be out to protect any open source vendors. Only time will tell.
I work for a global company of about 6,000 employees. We retain all incoming and outgoing e-mails(excluding those designated as spam) for a period of 1 year.
This is a very simple process with Lotus Domino. How many e-mails is that? About 9 million.
That's why I prefaced my assertion with "As far as I am concerned". I am neither a lawmaker nor a lawyer and anybody who consults slashdot or any other internet forum composed of geeks for legal advice is most assuredly insane.
I am however a sentient being and have an internal sense of fairness. For the same reason we let jurors decide the guilt and fate of criminal defendants, I am equally qualified to hold an opinion on this matter.
By the way, your door-lock analogy faulty. In many states, merely possessing tools to pick a lock without a license is illegal. This is despite the fact that lock picking tools provide the same function as an original key; both are equally capable of opening the lock. My understanding of the AACS decryption utility lead me to believe that it extracts the encrypted data without any keys at all. That still doesn't mean the device doesn't duplicate a patented action. Is this correct?
This is yet another reason why software shouldn't qualify as a patentable device.
Slashdot Mirror
I can tell you 100% this is true. I received a DUI for drinking 3 coronas in January in Washington state. I passed my field sobriety test with good marks, yet being a dumbass I volunterred to take a portable breathalyzer test yielding a .085% BAC.
.089% which was complete bullshit. How does 3 beers in 3 hours get someone to 0.089%!?!
...? HGN is supposed to last 20 seconds max as outlined in NHTSA recommendations. The patrolmen kept the HGN test going for over 60 seconds, then wrote that I was showing signs of attention deficit due to intoxication because I took my eyes off the pen to look at him in bewilderment and ask if we were done yet. Judge says state patrolmen don't have to follow NHTSA recommended practices for administering field sobriety tests and the WSP are trained to administer the tests as best they see fit.
/. seems to imply it doesn't even matter if you're right, you might get arrested anyway. WSP sucks, WA state corrections sucks, District of Clark County sucks. Disclaimers of course, IANAL, ymmv, don't drink & drive, bury the lawyers, etc.
When I got back to the station to take the real breathalyzer, I brought to the attention of the police officer that the breathalyzer I was being tested on had a 2 year old calibration sticker. He said, and I quote "oh don't worry these machines are accurate to 10%!". Long story short, it said my BAC was
The police will lie to your face so you think you're going home, write down what is necessary to create probable cause(1) and screw you while you smile. What do you expect from a state that pulls in $800k a month from DUI fees and I'm sure many times more than that in corrections fees?
1) I was pulled over for having a cracked tail light. I volunteered to do a field sobriety test including walk & turn, 1 leg stand, HGN. Walk & turn, I did flawlessy, state patrolmen even admitted it. One-leg stand, I made it to 45 seconds and only put my foot down once. The policeman wrote in his checksheet that I used my arms to balance myself and in the notes field wrote that I also kept my hands in my pockets because it was cold.
Long story short... If you get pulled over and you have had even 1 drink, say these works: "I respectfully decline to provide any type of field sobriety test to you at this time. If you desire, I can accompany you to the nearest station for a breathalyzer as agreed when I received my drivers license."
At that point, they must decide if their probable cause is worth the pain in the ass you are being. Although another recent story on
Brilliant! Why not just scrap DNS and go back to static host files...
So it is incumbent on us to set the terms and the debate so we have a shaped tax policy toward virtual worlds and virtual economies in a favorable way.
Translation: We don't want to get left out of this valuable market that needs taxation.
Doesn't look like much has changed since Reagan was around.
This depends on how much the economies of scale affects your industry. With software distributed electronically, this is especially true. The first one may cost $10M to develop, but every copy after that is effectively free, thus reducing price to encourage sales can make a huge difference in profits.
If you make a one-off embedded controller for a particular purpose and you expect to sell 10 annually, reducing your price will definitely reduce your profits.
Inability to set up Sendmail properly is in and of itself a security risk. You may quib that any admin who cannot set up Sendmail properly shouldn't be an admin, but this elitist attitude is counterintuitive.
The variety of responsibility is different within any organization, from 10 employees to 10,000, there is a huge variability of skillsets required. Do you think a small home business grossing $10,000 monthly can afford to hire an admin who would take at least half of that? Like it or not, open source software is a huge boon to small businesses and we should strive to empower them with easy to use software, not bash them for not hiring better administrators.
Wow, you got me. Oh wait, you don't know a fucking thing about me.
I'm not a democrat or partisan, but I am anti-bush. If it makes you feel any better, I'm actually anti-US-political-system. The democrats and republicans don't give a shit who wins so long as a third party never gets a foot in the door. BOTH sides polarize every issue to be sure there is no room for anyone in the middle.
Face it, the partisan bullshit is so extreme that if the republicans said the sky is blue during election year, the democrats would counter that it's teal JUST TO BE DIFFERENT.
The system we have now encourages only the power hungry to seek office, and only the corrupt can win. By the time they get into a position of power where they could actually do some good, they've made so many deals with the devil that they're hands are tied and the only thing left to do is cash the checks.
Between the extremism, finger pointing, poor fiscal management on both sides(they both want your money, but for different purposes), gerrymandering(whoever thought it was a good idea to let politicians set/move voting boundaries is retarded) and non-binding resolution bullshit, I've just about had it with politicians. I want someone in the middle and this apparently makes me unique. I can accept politicians who don't represent my beliefs perfectly, but what we have right now is two parties who push to separate america, not bring it together.
US politics is one big fucking circle-jerk. America needs healing, not politicians making everyone hate their neighbors.
The real question here is why was he being asked under oath about something that isn't even illegal? He may have broken the law by lying about getting a blowjob, but the inference here shouldn't have been that Clinton lies, it should have been congress was inappropriately overreaching deep into a the personal life of our president.
What bush has done to freedom, to fiscal security, and to the world is deserving of far worse than impeachment.
I think while we're at it we should outlaw sporks since I might gouge my eyes out in a senseless act of violence. In fact, maybe we should just outlaw all computers, that'd stop copyright infringement right?
If you can stop the cynicysm for just a moment, try to look at this from the plaintiffs perspective. Microsoft is increasingly moving the Windows platform into a black-box media center type application for consumer use. The point of convergence between entertainment mediums is becoming fuzzier as interactive entertainment is pushed through cable, satellite and over-the-air broadcast, a traditionally gaming console or computer-only proposition in the past. This situation will be further exacerbated in the future as the content makers begin to distribute their static content such as movies, music and radio over the internet in a more consumer-friendly way.
Trademarks are limited to a specific product type or service and the legal protection a trademark holder has is meant to be used to prevent confusion between products from two separate companies. Is it conceivable a consumer could be confused between the difference of Microsoft Vista and a television channel? It's hard to say, but given the recent trend of Microsoft to push computers into media center roles doesn't bode well for their defense against trademark infringement.
I lol'd and my cube-neighbor is looking at me funny. Thanks, ass.
Translation: "Joe smoked a doobie this morning.. he's two steps short of a murderer and heroin addict!"
This is called a slippery slope argument and is often invalid. In most states, misdemeanor drug use is a relatively minor offense and carries very short jail time or small fines - especially in the case of marijuana.
You can't always extrapolate the future actions of your employees by relying on subjective assumptions about their extracarricular activities. It's more likely a greatly indebted middle-aged gambling addict will steal money from your company than a pot smoker.
Actually, when I moved into my roommates house we had two refrigerators. Instead of keggerizing the stainless fridge(mine), we drilled a hole in his. 1" hole on the side, slap a 10lb. CO2 tank, pressure regulator set to about .7 bar, some hose and a keg inside and voila!
:)
The CO2 tank really is the only reason I can keep the beer fresh for so long and retain the crisp flavor. As an aside, I've begun purchasing my kegs from a distributor instead of the brewery direct - the distributors love giving out free tap handles
I also buy beer by the keg now and really love it. My cost is about $125 at most for a full keg, which takes me and my roommate as much as 3 months to drink. The only reason we can drink this much beer is every couple of weekends we have friends over to play pool and drink some beers.
That comes out to be roughly $1.30 per *pint*, not bottle for the finest microbrew available(typically I get something from portland brewing, a great company:) in the great northwest. If I lower the bar and get Coors Light, the cost per pint can be as low as 64c per pint.
I hope so, my doctor is very beautiful.
But alas, she still says "roll up your sleeve"...
Adobe's CEO brought up what should be the single most important point everyone who is considering a switch to MS products - Microsoft doesn't maintain anything cross-platform.
They may start out cross-platform, but eventually the mac version will fall behind on patches and then get EOL'd.<br><br>
For any broadcaster that relies on compatibility and reaching the widest market possible, MS would be a bad choice.
Do what I did. Grind to 70 avoiding all questing in Netherstorm or Blades Edge mountain. Once you're 70, you get dramatically more gold per quest. Then do your questing and you'll find yourself making 50g-100g per hour, not to mention all the quests are easier than they would have been if you did them at their prescribed level.
I think I was the only person in Outland riding a 60% horse at 70, but I farmed my epic and flying mounts fairly quickly after hitting 70.
I've got a Treo 650P(almost identical software, no EVDO) and I love the UI. You just have to get used to it. When I first got my Treo, which I bought on the first day it was available in my area, it was my first palm device since the M100.
Yet, I have learn to appreciate, nay love my treo! When I first got it, I almost chucked it out of my car while driving down the road.
However, I've now become extremely proficient at using most of it's features, including the calendar, bluetooth, web browser, phone, camera/vieo, etc. I will most likely not switch a different phone manufacturer for a while. I'm looking at getting a 680P or 700P soon for the EVDO; slow net access just sucks.
I've got it on Verizon which is totally the best, so being on Sprint I could see why you don't like your phone. In my area anyway, Sprint is about the worst carrier around for dropped calls and voice quality.
Anyhow, I can see why the Palm UI might not be for everyone. But for those who do, the Treo is an awesome phone.
I doubt Apple will complain if you purchase a new $500 phone instead of a lower margin shuffle. First, because the phone is newer, Apple needs to amortize the development cost over a large number of models. Also, the iPhone is just naturally more profitable due to it's higher price, despite it's much higher development and manufacturing cost.
Really, I doubt Apple cares so long as you buy Apple. I also think the story is bunk. There's a lot of downsides to integrating your MP3 player and cell phone. Just to name a few issues, I see:
1) Battery life. Most MP3 playing phones to date have shown an inherent battery life issue when playing music. While not a great example(but valid none the less), my Treo 650P can play Realmedia and MP3's but gets poor battery life when playing either.
2) Size, weight and ease of use. Cell phones, particularly new smart phones are larger than the typical MP3 player or normal cell phones. Nobody wants a giant Treo, Blackberry or iPhone strapped to their arm when they're at the gym or running.
3) Many people listen to music to silence other distractions while doing homework, work work, or play time. The very idea of having your phone in front of you while listening to music is an oxymoron to many people.
Absolutely. If you don't believe people are willing and happy to spam their friends, look no further than chain letters.
People will forward these to everyone they know, all the while thinking they have done their part to protect themselves from some superstitious event.
So, who do we hold responsible?
Ourselves. We, as a nation, continue to elect the people who least want to protect us. When will people wake up?
It is difficult to narrow down exactly when we began to lose significant rights. I can identify a specific moment in history when a large right was stripped away and you didn't even notice. June 28, 2006 - The United States Supreme Court decided in a 7-2 vote that politicians can redistrict at their every whim with almost no restrictions. The term is called gerrymandering, and by this process, the politicans can decide who will win most elections without your participation. Simply not voting does nothing but strengthen their grip. Vote for anybody OTHER than blue or red.
The reds and blues create dramatic legal, moral and fiscal dilemmas that are emotionally charged at every election; hot-button issues to keep your mind occupied and focused on why the other side is Evil. Yet, most americans do not realize the entire purpose of this electoral process is to REMOVE you from the voting process. The ability to keep the entire population as polarized as possible creates a system in which neither side really cares who wins because there is always next time.
Solution? Stop voting Democratic or Republic. They both want all your money(albeit for different uses), to trash your rights and prevent you from effecting their power. You can't even get the federal voting system changed to an internationally recognized representational system without stripping the current power holders of their right. No group of politicians will voluntarily participate in the destruction of their own power.
I can feel the tension rising; a storm is coming.
Prior art already covers this, just not using the exact same terminology. That's why the patent examiner didn't recognize it when s/he found it. The patent examiners notes show 2 cases of prior art were found, but rejected as not covering the same claims.
In this case, that's preposterous considering one of the prior art cases was a patent issued in 1987 that was an extension of the ideas in this patent. The 1987 patent didn't reference any other patents as prior art because it was generally considered that multiple-linked lists were obvious. They've been the topic of a thousand high school programming classes, including my own high school programming class in 1997.
This patent should be withdrawn and the PTO office sanctioned by the US federal GAO for not complying with Congress' wishes.
I wish I had mod points. I think too often the open source crowds forget that the same laws that protect Microsoft and empower the BSA are the same ones that protect open source software.
I'm still waiting for the day when the BSA picks up their feet and actually cracks down on a company that's illegally using F/OSS source code though. Why doesn't the BSA enforce copyrights for OSS like it does for closed source?
I'm left with no other option than to believe the BSA really is a shill for Microsoft and they will never be out to protect any open source vendors. Only time will tell.
I work for a global company of about 6,000 employees. We retain all incoming and outgoing e-mails(excluding those designated as spam) for a period of 1 year.
This is a very simple process with Lotus Domino. How many e-mails is that? About 9 million.
Don't tell me it can't be done, I've seen it.
I'll use short, simple words then.
If you can understand the content of my message by the context of my writing, then shut the fuck up.
Take your grammar books and be useless elsewhere.
That's why I prefaced my assertion with "As far as I am concerned". I am neither a lawmaker nor a lawyer and anybody who consults slashdot or any other internet forum composed of geeks for legal advice is most assuredly insane.
I am however a sentient being and have an internal sense of fairness. For the same reason we let jurors decide the guilt and fate of criminal defendants, I am equally qualified to hold an opinion on this matter.
By the way, your door-lock analogy faulty. In many states, merely possessing tools to pick a lock without a license is illegal. This is despite the fact that lock picking tools provide the same function as an original key; both are equally capable of opening the lock. My understanding of the AACS decryption utility lead me to believe that it extracts the encrypted data without any keys at all. That still doesn't mean the device doesn't duplicate a patented action. Is this correct?
This is yet another reason why software shouldn't qualify as a patentable device.