I'll bet you real money that in less than a week, there'll be news on CNN regarding "pirated DVDs being sold in Hong Kong with LOTR II", followed by the usual "This is why the internet is bad and laws should be changed blah blah blah" commentary...
They're going after everyone who *downloads* it? That's going to take some doing...
Either way, plainly put, the quality is going to suck, the movie is worth seeing no matter what, I'll just consider the alleged posting (if I find it) as an appetizer before watching it on a massive movie screen with full Dolby Digital surround...
If one followed the logic of the idiots in Hollyweird, anyone who ever read Tolkein is already in violation of their hush hush rules...
I mean come ON now, who here hasn't actually read the books by Tolkein? Bueller? Bueller? We know how the story goes, the movie is just a way to see how well the books can be fleshed out... Kind of like Cameron's Titanic (spoiler alert: The ship sinks)...
What does "CCD Bakeout" mean? Does it mean NASA is suffering the/. effect, or does it mean a flare physically cooked the CCD elements, or something simpler, related to maintenance?
Current restrictions on development of alternatives or enhancements to current DSL technologies are preventing many telcos (who otherwise couldn't care less, since they wouldn't want to lose precious business to middleman ISPs) from extending the range of their connectivity beyond 15,000 (or 2.8 miles) of their offices...
This leaves MASSIVE gaps in available service, and additionally, gives AT&T near broadband monopoly powers, because frankly, not everyone can afford to get alternative services (T3, ISDN, et al)... And of course, simply moving house to make sure you live a little closer to the phone company is ridiculously expensive (in most cases, installing the T3 may be cheaper)...
The fact that AT&T has the FCC in their pocket doesn't help anything either... I'd LOVE to have more choices, but currently am forced to subscribe to the evil empire, just to have decent bandwidth...
Based on the opinions of the broadcasting representative who claimed that the ability to block advertisements was tantamount to theft, I wonder how long it'll be til they determine that those who do not watch TV, or for that matter, are perfectly happy not owning a TV, are therefore worse thieves? After all, if they aren't paying for the broadcasts flying through the air or cable, and yet not suffering any loss of either entertainment or information, they aren't "paying" for it by watching the ads...
Therefore anyone who downloads a video from usenet with the ads already cut out are adding to the criminal element (in their view), or, as they're listening to radio, or reading a newspaper, they're gaining knowlege without paying for a TV network's budget by watching advertisements they would otherwise ignore ANYWAY... For example, I'm a guy, why oh WHY would tampax ads matter to me? Similarly, I'm not a sports fan, so why would sports ads matter to me, let alone any frigging penile extention SUV ads when I can't even afford a $500 beater Pinto?
Oh, wait, I don't FIT to their advertising demographic, I'm committing theft because I watch their ads without even being able to afford the crap they advertise!...
Does this seem even remotely moronic or outrageous to anyone besides me?
I mean in the sense of (A) Bad dubbing, (B) Deliberately sabotaging theatrical releases so exactly 5 people in the entire continental US (sorry, not in Hawaii or Alaska, or those other "freak states"), (C) Like (B), also making sure, vis a vis a halfassed and pathetic excuse for advertisements and promotions that the only people who would actually know are Roger Ebert (Like anyone actually pays attention to him anymore?), a handfull of anime fans, and/or Slashdot...
(a) A national ID card which can track their every movement...
(b) People who bitch because spam company X can trade their information with everyone willing to pay the right price...
(c) People who complain about the concept of a monitoring chip of any kind being inserted into their body/computer/property...
And YET, they're in risk of being forced to not be contacted in the same way that gives most of us reason and cause to get out of the home/office, which is to GET THE HELL OUT OF THE HOME/OFFICE!!! And STILL they bitch...
If you are THAT goddamnned stupid, then PLEASE... Continue to use your precious cellular phone, becase whatever brain tumors they could possibly give you would be a definate improvement on your collective intelligence...
And this is coming from someone who, after letting a wired line bill lapse, is forced to use one...
But seriously, if you look at it, the devices such as wireless modems, cel phones, satellite modem uplinks et al, that everyone is claiming to denote some form of freedom, the truth is, they don't... How many here have been able to relax without the phone ringing, or without an IM window popping up, or just for a day going without having SOME form of electronic communications? Without a beer ad, even? That is the electronic tether of which I speak... No matter where you are, you cannot go, cannot live, cannot think without some form of open ended communication interfering with the minute amount of freedom FROM noise or interferance that you once came to expect? Or, more appropriately, those of you with lovers, how often did you get to go without intimate interferance because someone tried asking you "R U on CS now?" while you were in the act?
Not at all, the concept is known as a zoetrope, and was in use as far back as the 1830s...
Additionally, Keith Haring did such in the NYC subway in Manhatten, on the N line at 7th Ave and 50th St, wayyyy back 1980... I heard that one was done in Soho as well, but haven't seen it...
He states right from the start that he was installing from Sony's VAIO recovery discs... 3 CDs according to the article... Basically a custom set that (apparently) includes Microsoft's setup package as part of the autoboot sequence...
However, even Windows XP takes up ONE CD on its own...
Maybe if he tried installing a base Windows OS instead of the kludged and bloated installation CDs that came with the computer, it would have installed faster?
He is, essentially, damnning an OS because of how an OEM repackaged it, NOT because of how it came from Microsoft...
Why not march on Washington? It won't make any difference other than a story on local networks if you restrict it to San Francisco, and at best a 2 second blurb on CNN, but if you march on DC then you have national news...
Considering that geeks are technically a minority in this country (and a minority that the country depends on desperately to keep it afloat nowadays), it wouldn't be unrealistic to think it could have the same impact as a million man or war vet protest...
I mean seriously, here is a government that has, for all intents and purposes, declared war on intellectuals and computer users, and they won't figure out just who they're influencing, because it's easy to ignore e-mail or snail mail when it piles up in the inbox... It isn't as easy to ignore a million geeks/nerds in front of the Jefferson monument on national TV, where they have no choice but to actually see who they're screwing...
Just watch the ad spot for AT&T digital cable, where they try to dispute the second "Digital cable is much more expensive" "rumor"... Digital cable, by their own admittance, is $69.99 per month, or over twice the price of basic...
What part of "more than twice the price" doesn't translate as "much more expensive" in any sense of the term? Sounds like fraud and false advertising to me...
They're using such a BS excuse to shut down P2P, which as far as the rest of the country is concerned, is split almost equally down the middle amongst those for or against file sharing... Wouldn't it have been easier for them to simply claim that some folks are sharing Al Qaeda messages encoded into pr0n or mp3s instead, so they could shut them down entirely?
Most likely, the sheep that over 75% of Americans are, nobody would raise a stink about it (other than slashdotters and the EFF, of course), and would even support them, possibly attacking computer geeks at random as "terrorist sympathizers"... In fact, I guarantee if they did, they'd run reports on every RIAA associated (yes it's redundant) media corporation network in existance... Of course, this is one possible scenario...
That's true as well, but you see, many of these movies were released by seperate studios as well... So did the original composer recieve anything extra, did the movie companies in question give permission for an identifiable trademark (or similarly, the fact that that the Star Wars theme isn't immediately recognizable as such due to market recognition, which partially accounts for the concept of trademark or market image, and as such cannot be used for any movie preview not associated with Star Wars as a result)...
I figure that Elfman's "The Forbidden Zone" theme was easily signed over to Dilbert though, because not many here even remotely remember that movie...
Microsoft isn't as stupid as Sony/Sega/Nintendo, realising that if they sell an import title in another country, that despite a mod chip, it still equals more $$$ in Microsoft's wallet licensing wise... That's what's always struck me as moronic in the gamin industry, that they're afraid of some guy who, paying $65 for a game from another country, that, the importer paid $30-40 USD and another $10 in taxes in...
Neither Sega, Sony, or Nintendo made ANY ADDITIONAL MONEY by putting in region blocking, since allegedly they charge the same development licensing fees for every company writing software for their systems... So what's the big deal?
Slashdot Mirror
I'll bet you real money that in less than a week, there'll be news on CNN regarding "pirated DVDs being sold in Hong Kong with LOTR II", followed by the usual "This is why the internet is bad and laws should be changed blah blah blah" commentary...
Dontcha mean MPAA?
They're going after everyone who *downloads* it? That's going to take some doing...
Either way, plainly put, the quality is going to suck, the movie is worth seeing no matter what, I'll just consider the alleged posting (if I find it) as an appetizer before watching it on a massive movie screen with full Dolby Digital surround...
If one followed the logic of the idiots in Hollyweird, anyone who ever read Tolkein is already in violation of their hush hush rules...
I mean come ON now, who here hasn't actually read the books by Tolkein? Bueller? Bueller? We know how the story goes, the movie is just a way to see how well the books can be fleshed out... Kind of like Cameron's Titanic (spoiler alert: The ship sinks)...
What does "CCD Bakeout" mean? Does it mean NASA is suffering the /. effect, or does it mean a flare physically cooked the CCD elements, or something simpler, related to maintenance?
Nonono, it's clearly "Kill, Crush, Destroy!"
Wonder how it would respond to "klaatu barata nikto", however...
Current restrictions on development of alternatives or enhancements to current DSL technologies are preventing many telcos (who otherwise couldn't care less, since they wouldn't want to lose precious business to middleman ISPs) from extending the range of their connectivity beyond 15,000 (or 2.8 miles) of their offices...
This leaves MASSIVE gaps in available service, and additionally, gives AT&T near broadband monopoly powers, because frankly, not everyone can afford to get alternative services (T3, ISDN, et al)... And of course, simply moving house to make sure you live a little closer to the phone company is ridiculously expensive (in most cases, installing the T3 may be cheaper)...
The fact that AT&T has the FCC in their pocket doesn't help anything either... I'd LOVE to have more choices, but currently am forced to subscribe to the evil empire, just to have decent bandwidth...
Now the RIAA has a basis to sue for damages, since Fraunhofer is (or at least will) obviously profiting from the piracy of their music!
Based on the opinions of the broadcasting representative who claimed that the ability to block advertisements was tantamount to theft, I wonder how long it'll be til they determine that those who do not watch TV, or for that matter, are perfectly happy not owning a TV, are therefore worse thieves? After all, if they aren't paying for the broadcasts flying through the air or cable, and yet not suffering any loss of either entertainment or information, they aren't "paying" for it by watching the ads...
Therefore anyone who downloads a video from usenet with the ads already cut out are adding to the criminal element (in their view), or, as they're listening to radio, or reading a newspaper, they're gaining knowlege without paying for a TV network's budget by watching advertisements they would otherwise ignore ANYWAY... For example, I'm a guy, why oh WHY would tampax ads matter to me? Similarly, I'm not a sports fan, so why would sports ads matter to me, let alone any frigging penile extention SUV ads when I can't even afford a $500 beater Pinto?
Oh, wait, I don't FIT to their advertising demographic, I'm committing theft because I watch their ads without even being able to afford the crap they advertise!...
Does this seem even remotely moronic or outrageous to anyone besides me?
I mean in the sense of (A) Bad dubbing, (B) Deliberately sabotaging theatrical releases so exactly 5 people in the entire continental US (sorry, not in Hawaii or Alaska, or those other "freak states"), (C) Like (B), also making sure, vis a vis a halfassed and pathetic excuse for advertisements and promotions that the only people who would actually know are Roger Ebert (Like anyone actually pays attention to him anymore?), a handfull of anime fans, and/or Slashdot...
alt.binaries.multimedia.anime
See it without excessive mouse raping (and it's subbed, sorry, some of you will have to deal with the horrors of reading)...
Or try for it on any P2P service...
Too late, I think they got it, found it as a mp3 on Gnutella...
Or as the crusty fat lumpy one said in an ancient Saturday Night Live sketch:
"Get a life!"
Need I say more?
Metal cased, with an adequate amount of cushioning foam...
Seriously, here we have people who whine about:
(a) A national ID card which can track their every movement...
(b) People who bitch because spam company X can trade their information with everyone willing to pay the right price...
(c) People who complain about the concept of a monitoring chip of any kind being inserted into their body/computer/property...
And YET, they're in risk of being forced to not be contacted in the same way that gives most of us reason and cause to get out of the home/office, which is to GET THE HELL OUT OF THE HOME/OFFICE!!! And STILL they bitch...
If you are THAT goddamnned stupid, then PLEASE... Continue to use your precious cellular phone, becase whatever brain tumors they could possibly give you would be a definate improvement on your collective intelligence...
And this is coming from someone who, after letting a wired line bill lapse, is forced to use one...
But seriously, if you look at it, the devices such as wireless modems, cel phones, satellite modem uplinks et al, that everyone is claiming to denote some form of freedom, the truth is, they don't... How many here have been able to relax without the phone ringing, or without an IM window popping up, or just for a day going without having SOME form of electronic communications? Without a beer ad, even? That is the electronic tether of which I speak... No matter where you are, you cannot go, cannot live, cannot think without some form of open ended communication interfering with the minute amount of freedom FROM noise or interferance that you once came to expect? Or, more appropriately, those of you with lovers, how often did you get to go without intimate interferance because someone tried asking you "R U on CS now?" while you were in the act?
Not very often, I bet...
Because their users will be thinking about:
Crashing (potential suicide bomber/hijacker)
Killing (playing too much Q3/UT2002)
Bad thoughts in general (Windows users at anytime the system does a random reboot)...
Aluminum foil hats reach record high in sales!
Not at all, the concept is known as a zoetrope, and was in use as far back as the 1830s...
Additionally, Keith Haring did such in the NYC subway in Manhatten, on the N line at 7th Ave and 50th St, wayyyy back 1980... I heard that one was done in Soho as well, but haven't seen it...
"How are Iceland and New Zealand?"
I dunno, lemme try suing them...
Damn, they're already broke...
He states right from the start that he was installing from Sony's VAIO recovery discs... 3 CDs according to the article... Basically a custom set that (apparently) includes Microsoft's setup package as part of the autoboot sequence...
However, even Windows XP takes up ONE CD on its own...
Maybe if he tried installing a base Windows OS instead of the kludged and bloated installation CDs that came with the computer, it would have installed faster?
He is, essentially, damnning an OS because of how an OEM repackaged it, NOT because of how it came from Microsoft...
Linux users using FUD? Whodathunkit!
Why not march on Washington? It won't make any difference other than a story on local networks if you restrict it to San Francisco, and at best a 2 second blurb on CNN, but if you march on DC then you have national news...
Considering that geeks are technically a minority in this country (and a minority that the country depends on desperately to keep it afloat nowadays), it wouldn't be unrealistic to think it could have the same impact as a million man or war vet protest...
I mean seriously, here is a government that has, for all intents and purposes, declared war on intellectuals and computer users, and they won't figure out just who they're influencing, because it's easy to ignore e-mail or snail mail when it piles up in the inbox... It isn't as easy to ignore a million geeks/nerds in front of the Jefferson monument on national TV, where they have no choice but to actually see who they're screwing...
Just watch the ad spot for AT&T digital cable, where they try to dispute the second "Digital cable is much more expensive" "rumor"... Digital cable, by their own admittance, is $69.99 per month, or over twice the price of basic...
What part of "more than twice the price" doesn't translate as "much more expensive" in any sense of the term? Sounds like fraud and false advertising to me...
They're using such a BS excuse to shut down P2P, which as far as the rest of the country is concerned, is split almost equally down the middle amongst those for or against file sharing... Wouldn't it have been easier for them to simply claim that some folks are sharing Al Qaeda messages encoded into pr0n or mp3s instead, so they could shut them down entirely?
Most likely, the sheep that over 75% of Americans are, nobody would raise a stink about it (other than slashdotters and the EFF, of course), and would even support them, possibly attacking computer geeks at random as "terrorist sympathizers"... In fact, I guarantee if they did, they'd run reports on every RIAA associated (yes it's redundant) media corporation network in existance... Of course, this is one possible scenario...
That's true as well, but you see, many of these movies were released by seperate studios as well... So did the original composer recieve anything extra, did the movie companies in question give permission for an identifiable trademark (or similarly, the fact that that the Star Wars theme isn't immediately recognizable as such due to market recognition, which partially accounts for the concept of trademark or market image, and as such cannot be used for any movie preview not associated with Star Wars as a result)...
I figure that Elfman's "The Forbidden Zone" theme was easily signed over to Dilbert though, because not many here even remotely remember that movie...
Microsoft isn't as stupid as Sony/Sega/Nintendo, realising that if they sell an import title in another country, that despite a mod chip, it still equals more $$$ in Microsoft's wallet licensing wise... That's what's always struck me as moronic in the gamin industry, that they're afraid of some guy who, paying $65 for a game from another country, that, the importer paid $30-40 USD and another $10 in taxes in...
Neither Sega, Sony, or Nintendo made ANY ADDITIONAL MONEY by putting in region blocking, since allegedly they charge the same development licensing fees for every company writing software for their systems... So what's the big deal?