aka block them if theyâ(TM)ve been downloaded for free from KaZaa
You know, even bring up Kazaa and the like only hurts the cause because (and I don't think anyone will dispute this) the vast majority of the files available on Kazaa and the like are copyrighted.
The better tact would be to say "even if they've been downloaded from any of the hundreds of free (or pay) and legal sources of.mp3's all over net" or "if they've been ripped from CDs that you bought."
This isn't about being able to share content downloaded from Kazaa. Oh boo-hoo, you can't play the copyrighted song that you didn't buy. The much bigger problem is the content that I paid for, was actually free, or that I have fair use rights to play. If DRM gets in the way of that, then's when I get angry.
I'm having pretty good success with POPFile. I've got two buckets (spam and not_spam) and it correctly identifies which bucket the message should go into 99.1% of the time. I find that to be quite good because I get a lot of varied "non_spam" email... business messages, personal messages, mass e-mail that I've actually signed up for, etc.
The biggest problem, as the greylisting paper correctly points out is the false positive. It's only happened a few times, but I have had fairly important emails end up in the POPFile spam bucket. I'd much rather have a way for it to err on the side of caution and let a few more spam through if it means almost never getting a false positive.
I basically gave up on SpamCop and the like. Most of the spammers send from off-shore and the ISPs don't care.
In case you were not aware, there are already laws against copyright infringement and penalties in place for the violation of said laws. Your remarks during a hearing on copyright abuses are downright frightening. What you are suggesting is a complete disregard for due process. Why not just enforce the existing laws?
You said, "If that's the only way, then I'm all for destroying their machines." If someone has been prosecuted for copyright violation thorugh the due process of law, then there is no need to remotely destroy computers. The only reason anyone would need to invoke such technology would be if due process of law were being ignored.
The Founding Fathers would find you a disgrace to their vision of American government. When you became a Senator, you took an oath to uphold the Constitution. I believe that you are in material breach of that oath, particularly the 5th Ammendment.
So what he's suggesting is that copyright holders should be able to take the law into their own hands. Copy one of my works and I get to become judge, jury, and executioner. Great.
The more I think about it, I can't possibly think of anything more un-american. What happened to due process?
Toss in a bit of the Chewbacca defense and they should be all set...
Cross-Examining Lawyer: It does not make sense. Look at me. I'm a lawyer defending a Conan the Barbarian and I'm talkin' about Chewbacca. Does that make sense? Ladies and Gentlemen I'm am not making any sense. None of this makes sense. And so you have to remember when you're in that jury room deliberating and conjugating the Emancipation Proclamation, does it make sense? No. Ladies and Gentlemen of this deposed jury it does not make sense. If Chewbacca lives on Endor you must acquit. The defense rests.
If anyone is reading an article on Slashdot about The Matrix without having seen the movie gets what they deserve. If they don't want to be spoiled, they should avoid reading these articles. I'd rather people be responsible for their own actions.
-S
X10 != X10.com, the annoying pop-up company
on
Cheap Video Sniffing
·
· Score: 4, Informative
It's important to note that X10 is NOT the same thing as that annoying popup company, X10.com (and no, I won't even link to them). X10 is a low speed communication standard that has been around for a long time.
Do not dismiss X10 (the technology) just because some lame company has hijacked it and promotes the use of the products for illegal surveillance (yes, making a recording of you trying to boink your drunk and ugly date without her knowing is indeed illegal).
There are plenty of good companies to get X10 products from without going through X10.com. Smarthome and Radio Shack are a couple.
It's a shame X10.com chose the sleasy marking route because it really has tainted a pretty decent and useful technology.
Alsihad: A recording platform that is used to destroy music in general. It makes musicians lazy and sounds like crap too. Some express their unabashed love for Alsihad, these are typically Alsihah (ones who operate Alsihad). Those that express a lack of enjoyment for Alsihad are typically Luddites (those that shun the forward advancement of technology). While Luddites and Alsihah can be best of friends, the more vocal ones are typically at odds with each other, and can't understand what the hell the other is thinking about.
Alsihah: One who operates Alsihad.
It's apparantly called that because if you don't have anything better to record with, it's "All's I Had".
The result is an album that feels wonderfully alive, is unbelievably re-listenable, and has really good dynamics. Recording using old analog equipment captures their groove far better than any high-tech digital whiz-bang system could even dream of.
Thank goodness not every band is falling into the trap of "perfect pitch" and metronome steady beats. Just play your songs and record them. If you can't sound good that way, then, well, you're not really a worthwhile band, are you?
While I support the idea that people should have the right to do what they want with equipment they own, this guy made a living selling the copyrighted work of others... namely the programing in those chips (ie, the original MS BIOS which has been modified).
Now, if he wanted to rewrite the bios, fine... but he didn't. He copied the MS Bios code, modified it, and sold it. It would be no different if I bought myself a copy of MS Windows, made some modifications to it, burned it to CD, and started selling it as my own.
Or you can download the open source GPL'd DScaler and use (according to the FAQ) "Almost any card (and that means A LOT) based of former Brooktree (now Conexant) chips including bt848/878/879".
There is also a section in the FAQ called "Can I use any vga card as a display device?" which answers the other half of the question.
I do this in my computer room and it works quite nicely...
I've been working on capturing my laserdiscs to put them on SVCD (and eventually DVD). It's a royal pain to get it even close to right using those methods. It is the method that will allow you the best quality though.
BUT, the MUCH easier way is to use a device with a built in MPEG2 encoder chip. Plug in analog and it spits out an MPEG2 file. As mentioned previously, the Dazzle Hollywood DV-Bridge. The Hauppauge WinTV PVR-350 is another product with a hardware MPEG2 encoder.
My story from just last week...
on
Family Tech Support
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
Mom (on phone): My computer stopped working. Me: What are you doing? Mom: Writing a letter. I tried to check the grammar and it just stopped. Me: Did you save it first? Mom: What? Me: Save it. Save the file. You're in Microsoft Word, right? Mom: Yes Me: How long is the letter? Mom: About 10 pages. Me: And you didn't save it along the way? Mom: No, I just type it, print it, and then shut off the computer when I'm done. Me: Sigh...
The rest involved a late night dash to my folks house. Turns out that indeed MS Word had crashed when trying to grammar check (surprise), but luckily Word was smart enough to recover the document following a reboot.
It's impossible to explain the concept of a "file" to my parents. If they "save", this cryptic box comes up in front of them asking for a file name, file type, location, etc. If you don't understand the basics, understanding that box might as well be like understanding greek.
The other thing is general technology. I KNOW I'm going to be called upon for tech support on any technology item in their house (TV, DVD player, computer, programable thermostat, etc.). And usually I don't mind helping at all, but if I'm going to be doing tech support, I want to be involved in the purchase decision. It's gotten to the point where I've had to tell them that they're on their own if they make an impulse buy of some piece of technology without talking to me first...
The design is very much the same as it was 100 years ago and, with the exception of fuel injection and emissions "add-ons", has changed very little in the last 50 years. With some of the V8 engines, manufacturers have been using the same block design for decades.
The article makes a critical mistake in its assumptions. The analysis is based on the premise that all of the cars behave the same and that the drivers, making and breaking alliances, control the fate.
The simple fact is that some cars are faster and some are slower from a combination of engine power, aerodynics, and suspension/handling. The slower cars can hang onto the draft, but even if they make the right alliances, they can not work their way to the front. Whereas other cars, and in this year's Daytona 500 particularly the cars of Dale Earnhardt Inc., have an advantage and can work their way to the front more or less at will.
I don't deny that choosing who to align yourself with and deciding when to leave them high and dry is an important part of the game, but the article makes it seem as if its the only part when in reality it's only a very small part. The performance of the car controls who gets to write the rules in the drafting pack.
Slashdot Mirror
You know, even bring up Kazaa and the like only hurts the cause because (and I don't think anyone will dispute this) the vast majority of the files available on Kazaa and the like are copyrighted.
The better tact would be to say "even if they've been downloaded from any of the hundreds of free (or pay) and legal sources of .mp3's all over net" or "if they've been ripped from CDs that you bought."
This isn't about being able to share content downloaded from Kazaa. Oh boo-hoo, you can't play the copyrighted song that you didn't buy. The much bigger problem is the content that I paid for, was actually free, or that I have fair use rights to play. If DRM gets in the way of that, then's when I get angry.
-S
You are aware that NDA stands for "Non-Disclosure Agreement", right?
It doesn't stand for "Now Divulge All".
-S
The biggest problem, as the greylisting paper correctly points out is the false positive. It's only happened a few times, but I have had fairly important emails end up in the POPFile spam bucket. I'd much rather have a way for it to err on the side of caution and let a few more spam through if it means almost never getting a false positive.
I basically gave up on SpamCop and the like. Most of the spammers send from off-shore and the ISPs don't care.
-S
Dear Senator Hatch,
...
In case you were not aware, there are already laws against copyright infringement and penalties in place for the violation of said laws. Your remarks during a hearing on copyright abuses are downright frightening. What you are suggesting is a complete disregard for due process. Why not just enforce the existing laws?
You said, "If that's the only way, then I'm all for destroying their machines." If someone has been prosecuted for copyright violation thorugh the due process of law, then there is no need to remotely destroy computers. The only reason anyone would need to invoke such technology would be if due process of law were being ignored.
The Founding Fathers would find you a disgrace to their vision of American government. When you became a Senator, you took an oath to uphold the Constitution. I believe that you are in material breach of that oath, particularly the 5th Ammendment.
Regards,
So what he's suggesting is that copyright holders should be able to take the law into their own hands. Copy one of my works and I get to become judge, jury, and executioner. Great.
The more I think about it, I can't possibly think of anything more un-american. What happened to due process?
-S
Cross-Examining Lawyer: It does not make sense. Look at me. I'm a lawyer defending a Conan the Barbarian and I'm talkin' about Chewbacca. Does that make sense? Ladies and Gentlemen I'm am not making any sense. None of this makes sense. And so you have to remember when you're in that jury room deliberating and conjugating the Emancipation Proclamation, does it make sense? No. Ladies and Gentlemen of this deposed jury it does not make sense. If Chewbacca lives on Endor you must acquit. The defense rests.
-S
If anyone is reading an article on Slashdot about The Matrix without having seen the movie gets what they deserve. If they don't want to be spoiled, they should avoid reading these articles. I'd rather people be responsible for their own actions.
-S
Do not dismiss X10 (the technology) just because some lame company has hijacked it and promotes the use of the products for illegal surveillance (yes, making a recording of you trying to boink your drunk and ugly date without her knowing is indeed illegal).
There are plenty of good companies to get X10 products from without going through X10.com. Smarthome and Radio Shack are a couple.
It's a shame X10.com chose the sleasy marking route because it really has tainted a pretty decent and useful technology.
-S
Their glossary of terms has the full definition:
Alsihad: A recording platform that is used to destroy music in general. It makes musicians lazy and sounds like crap too. Some express their unabashed love for Alsihad, these are typically Alsihah (ones who operate Alsihad). Those that express a lack of enjoyment for Alsihad are typically Luddites (those that shun the forward advancement of technology). While Luddites and Alsihah can be best of friends, the more vocal ones are typically at odds with each other, and can't understand what the hell the other is thinking about.
Alsihah: One who operates Alsihad.
It's apparantly called that because if you don't have anything better to record with, it's "All's I Had".
-S
The result is an album that feels wonderfully alive, is unbelievably re-listenable, and has really good dynamics. Recording using old analog equipment captures their groove far better than any high-tech digital whiz-bang system could even dream of.
Thank goodness not every band is falling into the trap of "perfect pitch" and metronome steady beats. Just play your songs and record them. If you can't sound good that way, then, well, you're not really a worthwhile band, are you?
-S
If they bring it to show their friends at class, they'll probably be suspended for bringing a weapon to school.
Sorry to rain on the funniest damn comment I've read in months... but that's the sad fact of "zero tolerance".
-S
Sorry... copy and pasted the wrong link.
Write to your elected representatives. Do it now.
-S
While I support the idea that people should have the right to do what they want with equipment they own, this guy made a living selling the copyrighted work of others... namely the programing in those chips (ie, the original MS BIOS which has been modified).
Now, if he wanted to rewrite the bios, fine... but he didn't. He copied the MS Bios code, modified it, and sold it. It would be no different if I bought myself a copy of MS Windows, made some modifications to it, burned it to CD, and started selling it as my own.
-S
... Poetic Justice.
-S
How many of you grabbed a floppy and ripped it apart within 1 minute of reading that page? Admit it. You know you did.
-S
Shouldn't this have been posted two days ago...?
How many 1024x768 projectors don't already have inputs for composite, s-video, and probably component?
I think this thing would be redundant for just about all projectors.
-S
There is also a section in the FAQ called "Can I use any vga card as a display device?" which answers the other half of the question.
I do this in my computer room and it works quite nicely...
-S
BUT, the MUCH easier way is to use a device with a built in MPEG2 encoder chip. Plug in analog and it spits out an MPEG2 file. As mentioned previously, the Dazzle Hollywood DV-Bridge. The Hauppauge WinTV PVR-350 is another product with a hardware MPEG2 encoder.
But probably the easiest way to do this is to just go buy a Standalone DVD recorder.
-S
Mom (on phone): My computer stopped working.
Me: What are you doing?
Mom: Writing a letter. I tried to check the grammar and it just stopped.
Me: Did you save it first?
Mom: What?
Me: Save it. Save the file. You're in Microsoft Word, right?
Mom: Yes
Me: How long is the letter?
Mom: About 10 pages.
Me: And you didn't save it along the way?
Mom: No, I just type it, print it, and then shut off the computer when I'm done.
Me: Sigh...
The rest involved a late night dash to my folks house. Turns out that indeed MS Word had crashed when trying to grammar check (surprise), but luckily Word was smart enough to recover the document following a reboot.
It's impossible to explain the concept of a "file" to my parents. If they "save", this cryptic box comes up in front of them asking for a file name, file type, location, etc. If you don't understand the basics, understanding that box might as well be like understanding greek.
The other thing is general technology. I KNOW I'm going to be called upon for tech support on any technology item in their house (TV, DVD player, computer, programable thermostat, etc.). And usually I don't mind helping at all, but if I'm going to be doing tech support, I want to be involved in the purchase decision. It's gotten to the point where I've had to tell them that they're on their own if they make an impulse buy of some piece of technology without talking to me first...
-S
The design is very much the same as it was 100 years ago and, with the exception of fuel injection and emissions "add-ons", has changed very little in the last 50 years. With some of the V8 engines, manufacturers have been using the same block design for decades.
-S
So the subscribers get to sort through the junk while the non-subscribers get the beneft of that effort? Doesn't sound like a good plan.
-S
8.5M copies. That means a fairly large percentage of the population has played this game.
So if the "fake violence breeds real violence" crowd is right, we should be seeing a fairly significant spike in violent crime, right?
No? That's what I thought.
-S
The article makes a critical mistake in its assumptions. The analysis is based on the premise that all of the cars behave the same and that the drivers, making and breaking alliances, control the fate.
The simple fact is that some cars are faster and some are slower from a combination of engine power, aerodynics, and suspension/handling. The slower cars can hang onto the draft, but even if they make the right alliances, they can not work their way to the front. Whereas other cars, and in this year's Daytona 500 particularly the cars of Dale Earnhardt Inc., have an advantage and can work their way to the front more or less at will.
I don't deny that choosing who to align yourself with and deciding when to leave them high and dry is an important part of the game, but the article makes it seem as if its the only part when in reality it's only a very small part. The performance of the car controls who gets to write the rules in the drafting pack.
-S