I use the pyrfeed Google Reader API to aggregate categories of other sites' RSS/Atom feeds to my personal website. Basically, Google Reader is a aggregator, feed subscriber, database, and single API/XML for my website.
I use the pyrfeed Google Reader API to aggregate categories of other sites' RSS/Atom feeds to my personal website. Basically, Google Reader is a aggregator, feed subscriber, database, and single API/XML for my website.
One of the big questions I would have is, which of the following P2P apps on CleanSoftware.org's website is the safest against tracking by the RIAA/MCAA bloodhounds: Azureus, BitTorrent, DC++, eMule, Gnucleus, Shareaza, Soulseek, or WinMX?
In other words, which app(s) can I use without fear that I'll be subpoenaed for music piracy?
Also, is it the GUI app or the networks you share on that are most important to the above question?
own a copy of every song ever recorded
on
The Music Man
·
· Score: 1
Here's my problem with that goal... independent releases. I have excellent local rock and metal music on cassette that was never released on CD. Imagine all the independent or limited print music that is sitting in basements and attics across the country. Some of it crap, some of it a mystery that the artist was never signed to a major label.
But yes, as a CD collector myself, it's the journey, not the goal that matters. I have never sat and thought it would be great to own everything I might like to listen to. I'd rather happen upon a CD on sale at the store or for sale at the pawn or used CD shop.
So, if you figure 1 MB per minute of music for a standard 128 MP3, that means this guy needs 900 GB of harddrive and/or CD-R or DVD-R space currently. That actually would not be difficult or too expensive. But I wonder what his internet provider thinks of all the bandwidth he's soaking up?!
Dell had to "exchange" the Dell 8400 they sent me for an entirely new CPU. My first day on my brand new computer, I decided, before doing anything else, I'd install SP2 and get it over with. Mistake!
My XP Pro never fully installed SP2 properly, and after many blue screens of death and hours on the phone with both Dell and Microsoft SP2 support, Windows was so corrupt that it would no longer start and my RAID drives were no longer recognized!
Needless to say, I have not and will not install SP2 on my new CPU. What implications I'll have from that, I don't know.
I have to say this though: Microsoft's SP2 support line was helpful and friendly. Truly professional and knowledgeable folks.
As for Dell support, it depended on who you got. And I talked to many people that day! I was very discouraged by the fact that when you call Dell support, an American "support manager" answers at first to register the customer call, but then transfers you to somebody in India.
I work with folks from and in India at my day job, so I have the upmost respect for their incredible talents and dedication, but...
I can only imagine "Billy-Bob" from the American South being transferred to some person in India whose name is 20 characters long and whose accent is more than evident.
So, by not installing SP2, what am I risking? What am I missing out on? And will I be able to install any other Windows Updates if I continue to ignore SP2?
This is just another case of a business using the courts to cover up the fact that their business plan sucked. This is just like the RIAA and MPAA. If you offer a product that the consumer thinks is worth paying for, then you'll make money. In Rambus' case, if they offered a product that memory makers felt was worth the royalty payments, they would make money. But instead, the market told Rambus "NO!" and now the courts are allowing Rambus to sue. Does the U.S. need to overhaul it's judicial system? Hell yeah!
Funny that Anonymous Coward says, "WS FTP LE is a distant memory but Winamp is still my player of choice." I will never stop using WSFTP_LE! Why mess with perfect simplicity? As for Winamp, I still use v2.87 because it's absolutely free and it works perfectly.
As for my first MP3 download, I'd have to say it was 1999 (yeah, I was a late one!) when I was working at www.tteam.com and I used my WSFTP_LE to log onto my friend's WAR_FTP server and brought down album upon album of import metal albums that he talked endlessly about.
These days though, I'm over it. I download an album from that same friend every now and then to burn a copy, but I stopped using any P2P program because of spyware, adware, and fear of RIAA subpeonas.
All the RIAA has accomplished by their legal mess is alienate consumers of all ages, bankrupt some poor kids and families, and force MP3 swapping back into the underground of FTP, IM, and even snail-mail!
Through my very small network of online friends, I can get a copy of just about any album I'm interested in hearing, and many Slashdot readers probably feel the same way!
I own over 2,000 music CDs, and to store them all, I use these metal media drawers shipped from Canada: http://www.can-am.ca/...yes, they are pricey, but they are huge space savers and great for organization. They are built like no other product, are stackable, and come in many colors. If you have the cash (or credit!), I can recommend no other media storage product.
Well, as soon as you remove the rod from your anonymous a**, you can step back and see that this question was not about seeking legal advice from/.ers... instead, it was about sparking a conversation among web developers, programmers and consultants, and more importantly, pointing out to our community how ridiculous access, authorization, copyright and licensing statutes have become and how they threaten consumer rights and innovation.
If the copyright infringement "warning" e-mail doesn't have a lawyer's name (or firm name) and doesn't have a legit phone number, delete the e-mail 'cause it is not real.
Depends on the type of music. Imported classical and jazz are easy to find in any large classical section; it's the stores with a large classical section that are oft hard to find. For pop, rock and world-music releases, obviously stores like Tower Records can order you import titles, and most of the big-name online music shops offer solid selections of imported music; but the prices are often in the $20 range. eBay can prove lucky. I found an out-of-print Japan-only release on CD (perfect condition Winter Rose's only album, featuring James LaBrie pre-Dream Theater) for less than $15 when I would have had to shell out $30 thru a retail import dealer. Along the lines of eBay though, I do 90% of my CD shopping in used shops, even pawn shops. And it is there that you find the craziest surprises for $5. One man's junk is another's treasure. Now, some would debate whether buying used CDs, DVDs, software and books is truly "rewarding the artist," but I don't see ANY wrong in doing so. If someone else wants to shell out the full-price royalties for an entertainment item that they didn't end up keeping, that ONE copy deserves to be OWNED by somebody who would listen to it.
Fish tank would be nice in my computer room. You know, one like the psycho had in "Duece Bigilo: The Male Gigilo" (damn funny movie)!
My computer room is actually "Wes' room," according to my wife. And according to me, it's "my only room." So without having to resort to what the husband on "Yes, Dear" resorted to this past season (his character rents a storage unit to store "his" stuff in, but he also hangs out there with the other "closet" husbands, including a vinyl collector and a Star Wars fanatic/freak)... I took over what would typically be the formal living room (although, these days, these mini family rooms towards the front of a traditional home are being more often used as kiddie play rooms, offices, or if you have the money, formal libraries).
So, my office/computer room is painted dark orange (yes, crazy and retro, but works) with two bookcases (loaded mostly with Star Wars books and music boxed-sets) painted the same color; a black metal, Can-Am CD/DVD file-drawer cabinet; a black-painted, wood file-cabinet (for paper files); a fake pine computer desk on wheels (from Best Buy, holds printer/monitor/books also); a two-setting (bright during the day, dim at night) hallugen floor lamp (you know, the kind that stands 6-7 feet tall and projects light off the ceiling); a stereo cabinet (got to have the tunes blasting at 100 watts per corner!); and the walls covered with SW, Trek, X-Files, and other posters (dry-mounted and framed in black-metal frames).
Luckily, I have two windows looking out to the street with indoor shutters installed on the bottom half. But I have these ugly, cheap navy-blue curtains up to keep out the blinding, hot sun in the afternoon and insulate the room in the winter. If I had the money, I'd replace those Wal-Mart curtains. And if I had the money, I'd add French doors to the entrance to the room (white framed with fogged glass).
I think I'm pretty lucky to have such a room that has all my favorite guy/geek things in it (currently working on displaying my die-cast car collection). And my wife spent her time and sweat decorating the room despite her disdain for sci-fi and being a slave to the computer, so I appreciate it.
As for what everybody else's computer area should be like, I'd simply suggest making it comfortable to the user(s). Put things on the walls and shelves that represent you. If your eyes need a break from the computer monitor, a flat colored wall could actually be more painful to your already sore eyes, IMO. Put some pictures/posters up. Add a chair for a "visitor" to sit down. Think about playing music on a regular stereo instead of thru the computer. But most importantly, make the room look clean and nice, not dull and dusty like a storage unit filled with boxes and no color (you know, kinda like the cubicles we're forced to endure at work!). I find that a clean work area promotes self-esteem, and therefore, happiness, efficiency and a better attitude.
I often find myself pondering the "what-if"s of my life. What if I hadn't passed out drunk after senior prom? What if I took Beth Horais to the prom instead of Mandy, which would have been the proper thing to do? And what if I hadn't been such a bitter jerk to Beth prior to graduation? What if I had told Kelly what was really on my mind? What if I never smoked cigarettes? What if I had bought a different first car? What if I had been more aggressive with that cheesy high-school basement band? What if I had moved with my parents and finished my Masters instead of staying in DC and getting married? What if my wife and I had never left the DC area?
But while we all do this (granted, some much more than others) and it's merely a reminder that we learn from our past mistakes, thinking too much, too often about it can lead to serious bouts of depression, as happened to myself. I learned to start thinking and dreaming about my future.
But to answer the "Advice You Would Give to Your 12 Year-Old Self?" question, I'd drop the following hints to my geeky young self: cut your hair, get better-looking glasses, forget graphics and learn to hack instead, read more sci-fi and news, write more pros, take guitar lessons for at least one year, make martial arts a newfound dedication, tell your (my?) seventh-grade (Mrs. Keenan) math teacher that you KNOW you can take algebra in eighth grade, ask Beth Shelton out instead of Lara Brady (what the hell was I thinking?), do your best in school now (then, whatever!), and ignore Missy Easter instead of missing out of a couple extra months with Stacey Brittain because Stacey's sister Jessica busted me at the mall with Missy while Stacey was in Arizona for a month! Damn, I have a good memory of my youth!
Now, if the question was "Advice You Would Give to Your High-School Self?"... the list would be way, way, way too long, and I'd probably break down upon remembering what a lazy, lying nitwit and smart-ass jerk I was.
I'd have to say that I had two real turn-around points in my life: senior year of high-school (had the highest highs and lowest lows in just 10 months!, but it made me strong inside), and junior year of college (where I finally felt comfortable with myself and got up off my ass!).
All this does is blur the line between black-market and legal imports. Many developed countries will continue to use the old 50-year limit on copyright (a very sound and fair lenght of time, IMO). So, while no other U.S. business can mass produce Disney products without paying licensing fees and royalties, any Euro, Canadian or Aussie business can. This was brought up in a Slashdot thread two weeks ago when it was announced that early Elvis recordings (and other 1950s material) would no longer fall under copyright protection in the EU because they still use the 50-year rule. It was also mentioned in that thread that the RIAA/MPAA are trying to make any resulting imports illegal in the U.S. I have to ask, when do the artists (of any art form) finally grow balls and fight for the arts, not the business, and tell the RIAA/MPAA to screw off?!
"The real question is: can the fragile internet economy really help local tax economies now?" I don't think so. In fact, I think that the additional resources needed in each state to regulate such taxing would prove too high a cost to justify starting such a new taxing program. But the bigger question may be: What about eBay sales, and the like? How will eBay and Paypal, and then their customers, be affective, if at all, if 'Net taxation becomes reality? Thoughts?
Remember C|Net, on your television. I forget what channel(s) aired it and have no idea when it went off the air. But their was a block of shows with C|Net being the flagship. "The Edge" I think was one of the baby C|Net shows. I remember the hosts being outstanding: energetic, intelligent, perfect for the audience. I remember a good-looking blonde as well! I don't get this TechTV channel I keep hearing about, and I don't think I have BBC; both channels are probably premium channels thru Cox. Are there any other decent technology shows on standard cable television?
"The good folks at the RIAA are trying to establish stricter customs controls." ?!?!?! The fact that the CD/DVD is a LEGAL "bootleg" in all other countries should not prevent me from having it shipped to my home in the United States. Hello, world market! The RIAA needs to stop making its money off recycled music and focus on new artists and new pricing schedules that the consumers are willing to embrace. And politicians need to stop making policy and law that benefits only the top 5 companies, is based on corporate gifting, and actually harms the majority public. "diluted pool of products?" It already is, so why fight more dilution if it means lower prices.
timothy brings up a big concern for people like myself that buy primarily used CDs. I own over 2,000 CDs for two reasons: I review music and I have bought used CDs since highschool. But the RIAA will never be able to stop the sale of used CDs and the MPAA of used DVDs. Even if they succeeded in closing Used CD stores and preventing new CD retailers from selling used CDs alongside the new CDs, pawn shops and eBay/Half.com would still be a huge challenge. What about yard sales? Truth be told, almost all the used CD stores I used to frequent have gone out of business because the web and pawn shops have done such a good job of taking over this micro consumer market. Plus, it's hard to keep a brick-n-mortar Used CD store open when chains like Djangos and Tower Records sell new AND used via their websites, giving them the ability to consollodate inventory across physical stores. My point in this post though is this: just like file-swapping, the RIAA will never be able to prevent libraries from stocking music and never be able to stop the resale of CDs/DVDs without the RIAA's dream of double-taxing royalties.
I would try finding other customers at that theater who have experienced the exact same problem. Find out if the show sold out, but the theater was half empty because of the confusion. Gather as many defrauded customers as possible and approach the manager as a mob. That would probably get that software "glitch" fixed. I bet anything there is no glitch and that is how the theater sells "extra" tickets for the noontime show. Dirty bastard!
Guessing that "justzisguy" is a fairly smart, head-on-the-shoulders consumer (hey, he's smart enough to use Slashdot and know that LotR is THE movie), I would have to say that the theater's disclaimer sign about "12am being really 12pm" is not good enough of a warning to their consumers. He didn't see it, did he? Nor did the cashier "warn" him about the time misprint. Tickets are a receipt of service to be honored on the day and time printed on said tickets. If the theater's ticketing software cannot keep track of and print AM vs. PM properly, I'd say it's time for a software update and/or firing somebody for being a complete bonehead. What if some innocent Mom bought the advance tickets as a gift and didn't see the sign, wasn't warned by the cashier, and upon reading the print on the tickets confirmed that she had the right day and time? Then the kids get there and the tickets aren't honored because the tickets are fraudulent and the sign is obviously not visible enough to all ticket buyers? What a load of horse poopy!
what is reviving those microbes is a BAAAAADDD ide
on
3000-year-old Microbes
·
· Score: 1
Anybody else here worried about what those crazy scientists might be reviving. I'm thinking X-Files becomes reality. You never know how "contained" some of these transporting methods and research labs truly are.
Slashdot Mirror
"combine multiple feeds into a bundle - which then has its own RSS feed that can be displayed on web pages."
This is the the most important feature to me. Any of these alternatives do this?
Also important to me is the speed at which Google Reader does keyword searches across all my subscribed feeds.
I use the pyrfeed Google Reader API to aggregate categories of other sites' RSS/Atom feeds to my personal website. Basically, Google Reader is a aggregator, feed subscriber, database, and single API/XML for my website.
https://code.google.com/p/pyrfeed/wiki/GoogleReaderAPI
Do any of the web-based aggregators people are suggesting here offer a similar API?
I use the pyrfeed Google Reader API to aggregate categories of other sites' RSS/Atom feeds to my personal website. Basically, Google Reader is a aggregator, feed subscriber, database, and single API/XML for my website.
https://code.google.com/p/pyrfeed/wiki/GoogleReaderAPI
Do any of the web-based aggregators people are suggesting here offer a similar API?
I would love to get my company to work with these outstanding overseas developers. Who are they and where from?
One of the big questions I would have is, which of the following P2P apps on CleanSoftware.org's website is the safest against tracking by the RIAA/MCAA bloodhounds: Azureus, BitTorrent, DC++, eMule, Gnucleus, Shareaza, Soulseek, or WinMX?
In other words, which app(s) can I use without fear that I'll be subpoenaed for music piracy?
Also, is it the GUI app or the networks you share on that are most important to the above question?
Here's my problem with that goal... independent releases. I have excellent local rock and metal music on cassette that was never released on CD. Imagine all the independent or limited print music that is sitting in basements and attics across the country. Some of it crap, some of it a mystery that the artist was never signed to a major label.
But yes, as a CD collector myself, it's the journey, not the goal that matters. I have never sat and thought it would be great to own everything I might like to listen to. I'd rather happen upon a CD on sale at the store or for sale at the pawn or used CD shop.
So, if you figure 1 MB per minute of music for a standard 128 MP3, that means this guy needs 900 GB of harddrive and/or CD-R or DVD-R space currently. That actually would not be difficult or too expensive. But I wonder what his internet provider thinks of all the bandwidth he's soaking up?!
Dell had to "exchange" the Dell 8400 they sent me for an entirely new CPU. My first day on my brand new computer, I decided, before doing anything else, I'd install SP2 and get it over with. Mistake!
My XP Pro never fully installed SP2 properly, and after many blue screens of death and hours on the phone with both Dell and Microsoft SP2 support, Windows was so corrupt that it would no longer start and my RAID drives were no longer recognized!
Needless to say, I have not and will not install SP2 on my new CPU. What implications I'll have from that, I don't know.
I have to say this though: Microsoft's SP2 support line was helpful and friendly. Truly professional and knowledgeable folks.
As for Dell support, it depended on who you got. And I talked to many people that day! I was very discouraged by the fact that when you call Dell support, an American "support manager" answers at first to register the customer call, but then transfers you to somebody in India.
I work with folks from and in India at my day job, so I have the upmost respect for their incredible talents and dedication, but...
I can only imagine "Billy-Bob" from the American South being transferred to some person in India whose name is 20 characters long and whose accent is more than evident.
So, by not installing SP2, what am I risking? What am I missing out on? And will I be able to install any other Windows Updates if I continue to ignore SP2?
This is just another case of a business using the courts to cover up the fact that their business plan sucked. This is just like the RIAA and MPAA. If you offer a product that the consumer thinks is worth paying for, then you'll make money. In Rambus' case, if they offered a product that memory makers felt was worth the royalty payments, they would make money. But instead, the market told Rambus "NO!" and now the courts are allowing Rambus to sue. Does the U.S. need to overhaul it's judicial system? Hell yeah!
Does anybody know where I can get a downloadable copy of the Windows 98SE upgrade?
Funny that Anonymous Coward says, "WS FTP LE is a distant memory but Winamp is still my player of choice." I will never stop using WSFTP_LE! Why mess with perfect simplicity? As for Winamp, I still use v2.87 because it's absolutely free and it works perfectly.
As for my first MP3 download, I'd have to say it was 1999 (yeah, I was a late one!) when I was working at www.tteam.com and I used my WSFTP_LE to log onto my friend's WAR_FTP server and brought down album upon album of import metal albums that he talked endlessly about.
These days though, I'm over it. I download an album from that same friend every now and then to burn a copy, but I stopped using any P2P program because of spyware, adware, and fear of RIAA subpeonas.
All the RIAA has accomplished by their legal mess is alienate consumers of all ages, bankrupt some poor kids and families, and force MP3 swapping back into the underground of FTP, IM, and even snail-mail!
Through my very small network of online friends, I can get a copy of just about any album I'm interested in hearing, and many Slashdot readers probably feel the same way!
I own over 2,000 music CDs, and to store them all, I use these metal media drawers shipped from Canada: http://www.can-am.ca/ ...yes, they are pricey, but they are huge space savers and great for organization. They are built like no other product, are stackable, and come in many colors. If you have the cash (or credit!), I can recommend no other media storage product.
Well, as soon as you remove the rod from your anonymous a**, you can step back and see that this question was not about seeking legal advice from /.ers ... instead, it was about sparking a conversation among web developers, programmers and consultants, and more importantly, pointing out to our community how ridiculous access, authorization, copyright and licensing statutes have become and how they threaten consumer rights and innovation.
If the copyright infringement "warning" e-mail doesn't have a lawyer's name (or firm name) and doesn't have a legit phone number, delete the e-mail 'cause it is not real.
Depends on the type of music. Imported classical and jazz are easy to find in any large classical section; it's the stores with a large classical section that are oft hard to find. For pop, rock and world-music releases, obviously stores like Tower Records can order you import titles, and most of the big-name online music shops offer solid selections of imported music; but the prices are often in the $20 range. eBay can prove lucky. I found an out-of-print Japan-only release on CD (perfect condition Winter Rose's only album, featuring James LaBrie pre-Dream Theater) for less than $15 when I would have had to shell out $30 thru a retail import dealer. Along the lines of eBay though, I do 90% of my CD shopping in used shops, even pawn shops. And it is there that you find the craziest surprises for $5. One man's junk is another's treasure. Now, some would debate whether buying used CDs, DVDs, software and books is truly "rewarding the artist," but I don't see ANY wrong in doing so. If someone else wants to shell out the full-price royalties for an entertainment item that they didn't end up keeping, that ONE copy deserves to be OWNED by somebody who would listen to it.
Fish tank would be nice in my computer room. You know, one like the psycho had in "Duece Bigilo: The Male Gigilo" (damn funny movie)!
... I took over what would typically be the formal living room (although, these days, these mini family rooms towards the front of a traditional home are being more often used as kiddie play rooms, offices, or if you have the money, formal libraries).
My computer room is actually "Wes' room," according to my wife. And according to me, it's "my only room." So without having to resort to what the husband on "Yes, Dear" resorted to this past season (his character rents a storage unit to store "his" stuff in, but he also hangs out there with the other "closet" husbands, including a vinyl collector and a Star Wars fanatic/freak)
So, my office/computer room is painted dark orange (yes, crazy and retro, but works) with two bookcases (loaded mostly with Star Wars books and music boxed-sets) painted the same color; a black metal, Can-Am CD/DVD file-drawer cabinet; a black-painted, wood file-cabinet (for paper files); a fake pine computer desk on wheels (from Best Buy, holds printer/monitor/books also); a two-setting (bright during the day, dim at night) hallugen floor lamp (you know, the kind that stands 6-7 feet tall and projects light off the ceiling); a stereo cabinet (got to have the tunes blasting at 100 watts per corner!); and the walls covered with SW, Trek, X-Files, and other posters (dry-mounted and framed in black-metal frames).
Luckily, I have two windows looking out to the street with indoor shutters installed on the bottom half. But I have these ugly, cheap navy-blue curtains up to keep out the blinding, hot sun in the afternoon and insulate the room in the winter. If I had the money, I'd replace those Wal-Mart curtains. And if I had the money, I'd add French doors to the entrance to the room (white framed with fogged glass).
I think I'm pretty lucky to have such a room that has all my favorite guy/geek things in it (currently working on displaying my die-cast car collection). And my wife spent her time and sweat decorating the room despite her disdain for sci-fi and being a slave to the computer, so I appreciate it.
As for what everybody else's computer area should be like, I'd simply suggest making it comfortable to the user(s). Put things on the walls and shelves that represent you. If your eyes need a break from the computer monitor, a flat colored wall could actually be more painful to your already sore eyes, IMO. Put some pictures/posters up. Add a chair for a "visitor" to sit down. Think about playing music on a regular stereo instead of thru the computer. But most importantly, make the room look clean and nice, not dull and dusty like a storage unit filled with boxes and no color (you know, kinda like the cubicles we're forced to endure at work!). I find that a clean work area promotes self-esteem, and therefore, happiness, efficiency and a better attitude.
I often find myself pondering the "what-if"s of my life. What if I hadn't passed out drunk after senior prom? What if I took Beth Horais to the prom instead of Mandy, which would have been the proper thing to do? And what if I hadn't been such a bitter jerk to Beth prior to graduation? What if I had told Kelly what was really on my mind? What if I never smoked cigarettes? What if I had bought a different first car? What if I had been more aggressive with that cheesy high-school basement band? What if I had moved with my parents and finished my Masters instead of staying in DC and getting married? What if my wife and I had never left the DC area?
... the list would be way, way, way too long, and I'd probably break down upon remembering what a lazy, lying nitwit and smart-ass jerk I was.
But while we all do this (granted, some much more than others) and it's merely a reminder that we learn from our past mistakes, thinking too much, too often about it can lead to serious bouts of depression, as happened to myself. I learned to start thinking and dreaming about my future.
But to answer the "Advice You Would Give to Your 12 Year-Old Self?" question, I'd drop the following hints to my geeky young self: cut your hair, get better-looking glasses, forget graphics and learn to hack instead, read more sci-fi and news, write more pros, take guitar lessons for at least one year, make martial arts a newfound dedication, tell your (my?) seventh-grade (Mrs. Keenan) math teacher that you KNOW you can take algebra in eighth grade, ask Beth Shelton out instead of Lara Brady (what the hell was I thinking?), do your best in school now (then, whatever!), and ignore Missy Easter instead of missing out of a couple extra months with Stacey Brittain because Stacey's sister Jessica busted me at the mall with Missy while Stacey was in Arizona for a month! Damn, I have a good memory of my youth!
Now, if the question was "Advice You Would Give to Your High-School Self?"
I'd have to say that I had two real turn-around points in my life: senior year of high-school (had the highest highs and lowest lows in just 10 months!, but it made me strong inside), and junior year of college (where I finally felt comfortable with myself and got up off my ass!).
I completely agree with ninejaguar's statement here.
All this does is blur the line between black-market and legal imports. Many developed countries will continue to use the old 50-year limit on copyright (a very sound and fair lenght of time, IMO). So, while no other U.S. business can mass produce Disney products without paying licensing fees and royalties, any Euro, Canadian or Aussie business can. This was brought up in a Slashdot thread two weeks ago when it was announced that early Elvis recordings (and other 1950s material) would no longer fall under copyright protection in the EU because they still use the 50-year rule. It was also mentioned in that thread that the RIAA/MPAA are trying to make any resulting imports illegal in the U.S. I have to ask, when do the artists (of any art form) finally grow balls and fight for the arts, not the business, and tell the RIAA/MPAA to screw off?!
"The real question is: can the fragile internet economy really help local tax economies now?" I don't think so. In fact, I think that the additional resources needed in each state to regulate such taxing would prove too high a cost to justify starting such a new taxing program. But the bigger question may be: What about eBay sales, and the like? How will eBay and Paypal, and then their customers, be affective, if at all, if 'Net taxation becomes reality? Thoughts?
Remember C|Net, on your television. I forget what channel(s) aired it and have no idea when it went off the air. But their was a block of shows with C|Net being the flagship. "The Edge" I think was one of the baby C|Net shows. I remember the hosts being outstanding: energetic, intelligent, perfect for the audience. I remember a good-looking blonde as well! I don't get this TechTV channel I keep hearing about, and I don't think I have BBC; both channels are probably premium channels thru Cox. Are there any other decent technology shows on standard cable television?
"The good folks at the RIAA are trying to establish stricter customs controls." ?!?!?! The fact that the CD/DVD is a LEGAL "bootleg" in all other countries should not prevent me from having it shipped to my home in the United States. Hello, world market! The RIAA needs to stop making its money off recycled music and focus on new artists and new pricing schedules that the consumers are willing to embrace. And politicians need to stop making policy and law that benefits only the top 5 companies, is based on corporate gifting, and actually harms the majority public. "diluted pool of products?" It already is, so why fight more dilution if it means lower prices.
timothy brings up a big concern for people like myself that buy primarily used CDs. I own over 2,000 CDs for two reasons: I review music and I have bought used CDs since highschool. But the RIAA will never be able to stop the sale of used CDs and the MPAA of used DVDs. Even if they succeeded in closing Used CD stores and preventing new CD retailers from selling used CDs alongside the new CDs, pawn shops and eBay/Half.com would still be a huge challenge. What about yard sales? Truth be told, almost all the used CD stores I used to frequent have gone out of business because the web and pawn shops have done such a good job of taking over this micro consumer market. Plus, it's hard to keep a brick-n-mortar Used CD store open when chains like Djangos and Tower Records sell new AND used via their websites, giving them the ability to consollodate inventory across physical stores. My point in this post though is this: just like file-swapping, the RIAA will never be able to prevent libraries from stocking music and never be able to stop the resale of CDs/DVDs without the RIAA's dream of double-taxing royalties.
I would try finding other customers at that theater who have experienced the exact same problem. Find out if the show sold out, but the theater was half empty because of the confusion. Gather as many defrauded customers as possible and approach the manager as a mob. That would probably get that software "glitch" fixed. I bet anything there is no glitch and that is how the theater sells "extra" tickets for the noontime show. Dirty bastard!
Guessing that "justzisguy" is a fairly smart, head-on-the-shoulders consumer (hey, he's smart enough to use Slashdot and know that LotR is THE movie), I would have to say that the theater's disclaimer sign about "12am being really 12pm" is not good enough of a warning to their consumers. He didn't see it, did he? Nor did the cashier "warn" him about the time misprint. Tickets are a receipt of service to be honored on the day and time printed on said tickets. If the theater's ticketing software cannot keep track of and print AM vs. PM properly, I'd say it's time for a software update and/or firing somebody for being a complete bonehead. What if some innocent Mom bought the advance tickets as a gift and didn't see the sign, wasn't warned by the cashier, and upon reading the print on the tickets confirmed that she had the right day and time? Then the kids get there and the tickets aren't honored because the tickets are fraudulent and the sign is obviously not visible enough to all ticket buyers? What a load of horse poopy!
Anybody else here worried about what those crazy scientists might be reviving. I'm thinking X-Files becomes reality. You never know how "contained" some of these transporting methods and research labs truly are.