The last time I tried stepping out of my own perspective, the men in the white coats came after me.
Furthermore, I thought it was implicit that I was stating my opinion (although with the case of Zug Island sucking, that is a fact).
Next, one of the local radio stations does this thing every night where they "face off" two songs being considered to add into the station rotation, and listeners get to call in to vote. When most nights go by with several dozen people saying "My god, that song sucks." (or words to that effect), and these are only the people able to get through (when I get a busy signal to the radio station at 10 p.m. at night, there are a lot of people calling), then it's not just me saying these songs are crap.
When several of the DJs say, on the air, that they will never play songs by several artists, and it's not just because it doesn't fit the station format, and people call them to thank them for not playing anything by those artists (Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, Zug Island, several others), then it's not just me.
I'm sorry, but have you listened to some of the crap that is getting a lot of airplay? I mean, a week ago, one of the record stations played the first single off of some blonde pop-tart's new album, and it was a cover song. (What does it say about the rest of the album if the first single pushed is a cover? To me it says the rest of the album reaks.)
Quite frankly, after hearing Hoobastank's "The Reason" for the 157th time in a week, I am tired of hearing it. Or any of the other "we must play this song every couple of hours" hits.
And if there's one good song on an album, and the rest of it sucks liquid monkey ass through a straw, then there is damn little reason to buy the entire CD. And unless that one good song is available through iTunes or any of the other legitimate music download services, I don't honestly expect most people to pony up $17-$20 for one song.
Just because he hates it doesn't mean it's bad music. But it doesn't make it good music either.
Kierthos
Re:A musician is making sense about DRM?
on
TMBG on DRM
·
· Score: 4, Funny
Musicians are occassionally allowed to make sense about DRM, much as politicians are occassionally allowed to make sense about legislature.
Now, if it was a major record executive making sense about DRM, then my head would 'a-splode' too.
Well, if you're downloading things that you know are freeware but are just not available from the original site (for any number of reasons), then it's not infringing.
Just because a large number of people use P2P services to download movies or music does not mean that everything that gets downloaded is copyrighted or infringing. (I know of at least one person who used KaZaa to find an old video card driver he needed.)
Tell me about it. My bank is pretty much the same way, but I get around it by not even using their website. I walk the five blocks to the bank or ues the ATM around the corner, rather then deal with the cludgy interface that someone's nephew made for them. (Of course, I also get charged $5.95 a month for not using direct deposit, but that's a small price to pay...)
Look, I could understand if I went to one TRU and they were out of the latest Shiny Toy(tm), because then, I could always try Wal-Mart or whatever. But it's not like Amazon was solely getting the toys from a single TRU location. Ostensibly, they had access to the goods at the warehouses or shipping centers or whatnot.
Now, does that or should that make it easier for Amazon to win? Beats me. It's just something to consider.
The problem is the use of the word 'paradigm' or the phrase 'paradigm shift' when it is obviously out of place. (I seem to recall at least one Dilbert strip on the subject.)
Furthermore, I recall, with horror, having to sit through several pointless meetings in Senior Design (for Mechanical Engineering), listen to one of the larval marketing jackholes say how his project was a new paradigm about forty times per meeting. It gets old.
Finally, if I am extremely lucky, I will never have to communicate anything to the suits other then the occassional grunt, glare, or "out of the way, you're between me and the coffee pot." I have no desire to learn their bizarre moon-language.
True. I know from experience that theater employees will play the movies a day or two before the release date, if for no other reason then to make sure there are no obvious defects on their copy. It would be relatively simple for a trusted employee or a theater manager to make dupes, especially when they are the only one in the theater.
Hey, if the theater owners/managers are smart, they'll treat customers politely, and either allocate a small room towards storing camcorders for people (like a coat check room), or ask them to leave them in their vehicles.
Most people who are not planning on pirating movies will respond favourably to the above cases. Most movie pirates... well, odds are once a couple of them get busted, the rest will figure it's not really worth the effort to sneak one in.
Of course, at the rate technology seems to be going, it shouldn't be too long before someone manages to build a recorder into a pair of glasses and records the movie that way.
Basically, in the final episode, it got revealed to Sam by another Leaper that he had a choice: He could go home (finally) but he'd never be able to help people in the same way again, or he could keep leaping, forever.
I'd say less time then that, actually. Until a change earlier today, SCO was going to announce their Q2 earnings on the 3rd of this month. They've just moved that to the 10th of this month.
Now, it really doesn't matter if they are making or losing money at this point. All that matters is if they are making more money then predicted, or losing less money then predicted. In either case, their stock may rise.
However, if their Q2 earnings are below market predictions, (or their losses are greater then market predictions), then their stock will likely drop a bit more.
And considering that it dropped in value 7.3% today (-0.38 to 4.81), it wouldn't take much for it to drop to a point where it could be delisted.
Some of the songs they banned aren't really all that surprising given that they're going for the pap pop market....
However, this one got me:
All Rage Against the Machine songs
Damn.... I mean, yeah, most Rage songs aren't what I expect to hear on Clear Channel stations (not that I listen to their stations), but "St. Elmo's Fire"? Beatles songs on the list? And why is the Alien Ant Farm version of "Smooth Criminal" on the list, but not the Michael Jackson version?
I mean, I thought they made no sense before, but this is a new one....
As far as I know, there aren't. And I just completed a bunch of coursework for FedEx, so....
The way it works is like this: You pay an amount of money based on what shipping method (Express, Priority, 2 Day Delivery, etc.), and on how much the package weighs. (There are extra fees like Saturday delivery, residential shipping, etc.)
If you declare the value of the package to be $100, there isn't any extra charge. (If you leave that area blank, it's assumed to be $100.) Anything over a declared value of $100 has an extra charge, depending on how much you're declaring it to be worth.
Now, in this case, the sender of the p-p-p-powerbook had to spend the money to FedEx it to England. As long as it doesn't violate FedEx's rules or regulations on package contents, and it's legal to ship to England, then FedEx really doesn't care what it is. And I'll tell you right now, the tax collectors in England won't care either. They've been paid the VAT (or whatever), and it doesn't matter to them that it's a three-ring binder with Sharpie artwork and broken keyboard keys.
The person who needed to get slammed got slammed, and numerous other people got a laugh and a bit of education about it.
Yeah, eBay does have their rating system, but the problem is, it can be so easily abused that it's not even funny. There are a number of sellers there who sell absolute crap, but are such consummate bullshit artists that they can convince people to buy this stuff and give them positive comments on their purchases.
That being said, there are far and away many more eBay users who are honest in all of their dealings, and will make every effort to get every transaction resolved properly.
Yeah, but if you check, they're not even at the level of their 52-week low. (Closer to it then their 52-week high, however.) What would break them would be a dismissal of their suit against IBM, because if that one goes, then the ones against AutoZone, etc. might as well be dismissed as well.
Depends on when you look at it. A lot of free-access stock quotes are 15-30 minutes old. Plus, it was going better earlier in the day. As of this posting (approx. 2:50 pm, EST), it's at 6.25, but the daily high was 6.50.
Given that Ahhhnold became the Governator because of (in part) the shitty budget of California, it's always possible that Diebold has a bigger legal fund.:P
Actually, if they can prove (and it could be very easy to do so) that Diebold knew about the problems with their machines, then it's practically an open and shut case. Sooo... anyone want to help California out on this? No, no, a nice orderly line please. You'll all have a chance to help.
And just speaking hypothetically, just how secure are those passwords. I mean, come on, really. Odds are there is at least one person in each class besides the teacher who can log in as anyone they want. It's hardly conclusive, especially on a grade school level, to say "Jimmy Smith was logged in at the time, it absolutely 100% must be him!".
Of course, I have to wonder just how happy the Feds feel about this, considering most of the agents would probably rather be dealing with real criminals, as opposed to some kids who are sharing copies of the latest Britney/Christina/blonde bimbo single.
And if you don't take it out of your backpack while you're in the theatre, you have nothing to worry about. It's only if the night-vision-using-employee catches you filming the movie with it that you're going to be in trouble.
As for criminalizing mobile phones... fine by me. Which politician do I buy^H^H^Htalk to about that?
Slashdot Mirror
The last time I tried stepping out of my own perspective, the men in the white coats came after me.
Furthermore, I thought it was implicit that I was stating my opinion (although with the case of Zug Island sucking, that is a fact).
Next, one of the local radio stations does this thing every night where they "face off" two songs being considered to add into the station rotation, and listeners get to call in to vote. When most nights go by with several dozen people saying "My god, that song sucks." (or words to that effect), and these are only the people able to get through (when I get a busy signal to the radio station at 10 p.m. at night, there are a lot of people calling), then it's not just me saying these songs are crap.
When several of the DJs say, on the air, that they will never play songs by several artists, and it's not just because it doesn't fit the station format, and people call them to thank them for not playing anything by those artists (Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, Zug Island, several others), then it's not just me.
Kierthos
I'm sorry, but have you listened to some of the crap that is getting a lot of airplay? I mean, a week ago, one of the record stations played the first single off of some blonde pop-tart's new album, and it was a cover song. (What does it say about the rest of the album if the first single pushed is a cover? To me it says the rest of the album reaks.)
Quite frankly, after hearing Hoobastank's "The Reason" for the 157th time in a week, I am tired of hearing it. Or any of the other "we must play this song every couple of hours" hits.
And if there's one good song on an album, and the rest of it sucks liquid monkey ass through a straw, then there is damn little reason to buy the entire CD. And unless that one good song is available through iTunes or any of the other legitimate music download services, I don't honestly expect most people to pony up $17-$20 for one song.
Just because he hates it doesn't mean it's bad music. But it doesn't make it good music either.
Kierthos
Musicians are occassionally allowed to make sense about DRM, much as politicians are occassionally allowed to make sense about legislature.
Now, if it was a major record executive making sense about DRM, then my head would 'a-splode' too.
Kierthos
Well, if you're downloading things that you know are freeware but are just not available from the original site (for any number of reasons), then it's not infringing.
Just because a large number of people use P2P services to download movies or music does not mean that everything that gets downloaded is copyrighted or infringing. (I know of at least one person who used KaZaa to find an old video card driver he needed.)
Kierthos
Tell me about it. My bank is pretty much the same way, but I get around it by not even using their website. I walk the five blocks to the bank or ues the ATM around the corner, rather then deal with the cludgy interface that someone's nephew made for them. (Of course, I also get charged $5.95 a month for not using direct deposit, but that's a small price to pay...)
Kierthos
Look, I could understand if I went to one TRU and they were out of the latest Shiny Toy(tm), because then, I could always try Wal-Mart or whatever. But it's not like Amazon was solely getting the toys from a single TRU location. Ostensibly, they had access to the goods at the warehouses or shipping centers or whatnot.
Now, does that or should that make it easier for Amazon to win? Beats me. It's just something to consider.
Kierthos
The problem is the use of the word 'paradigm' or the phrase 'paradigm shift' when it is obviously out of place. (I seem to recall at least one Dilbert strip on the subject.)
Furthermore, I recall, with horror, having to sit through several pointless meetings in Senior Design (for Mechanical Engineering), listen to one of the larval marketing jackholes say how his project was a new paradigm about forty times per meeting. It gets old.
Finally, if I am extremely lucky, I will never have to communicate anything to the suits other then the occassional grunt, glare, or "out of the way, you're between me and the coffee pot." I have no desire to learn their bizarre moon-language.
Kierthos
True. I know from experience that theater employees will play the movies a day or two before the release date, if for no other reason then to make sure there are no obvious defects on their copy. It would be relatively simple for a trusted employee or a theater manager to make dupes, especially when they are the only one in the theater.
Kierthos
Hey, if the theater owners/managers are smart, they'll treat customers politely, and either allocate a small room towards storing camcorders for people (like a coat check room), or ask them to leave them in their vehicles.
Most people who are not planning on pirating movies will respond favourably to the above cases. Most movie pirates... well, odds are once a couple of them get busted, the rest will figure it's not really worth the effort to sneak one in.
Of course, at the rate technology seems to be going, it shouldn't be too long before someone manages to build a recorder into a pair of glasses and records the movie that way.
Kierthos
Damn, I must be the only /.er who liked Creed's music... how odd is that?
Kierthos
Basically, in the final episode, it got revealed to Sam by another Leaper that he had a choice: He could go home (finally) but he'd never be able to help people in the same way again, or he could keep leaping, forever.
He choose to keep leaping.
Could have been worse... I'm still waiting to see a dupe on the front page where both stories were approved by the same editor.
Kierthos
I'd say less time then that, actually. Until a change earlier today, SCO was going to announce their Q2 earnings on the 3rd of this month. They've just moved that to the 10th of this month.
Now, it really doesn't matter if they are making or losing money at this point. All that matters is if they are making more money then predicted, or losing less money then predicted. In either case, their stock may rise.
However, if their Q2 earnings are below market predictions, (or their losses are greater then market predictions), then their stock will likely drop a bit more.
And considering that it dropped in value 7.3% today (-0.38 to 4.81), it wouldn't take much for it to drop to a point where it could be delisted.
Kierthos
Damnit, that will teach me to preview. Sorry, the bold should have ended after the "All" in the third line.
Kierthos
Some of the songs they banned aren't really all that surprising given that they're going for the pap pop market....
However, this one got me:
All Rage Against the Machine songs
Damn.... I mean, yeah, most Rage songs aren't what I expect to hear on Clear Channel stations (not that I listen to their stations), but "St. Elmo's Fire"? Beatles songs on the list? And why is the Alien Ant Farm version of "Smooth Criminal" on the list, but not the Michael Jackson version?
I mean, I thought they made no sense before, but this is a new one....
Kierthos
Oh joy. I can probably look forward to them replacing the nice ATM around the corner then, with a poorly working piece of shit.
And what's my other nearby choice for banking? Wachovia. Enough said.
Kierthos
Sure you can. I pick Evian, for instance.
Kierthos
As far as I know, there aren't. And I just completed a bunch of coursework for FedEx, so....
The way it works is like this: You pay an amount of money based on what shipping method (Express, Priority, 2 Day Delivery, etc.), and on how much the package weighs. (There are extra fees like Saturday delivery, residential shipping, etc.)
If you declare the value of the package to be $100, there isn't any extra charge. (If you leave that area blank, it's assumed to be $100.) Anything over a declared value of $100 has an extra charge, depending on how much you're declaring it to be worth.
Now, in this case, the sender of the p-p-p-powerbook had to spend the money to FedEx it to England. As long as it doesn't violate FedEx's rules or regulations on package contents, and it's legal to ship to England, then FedEx really doesn't care what it is. And I'll tell you right now, the tax collectors in England won't care either. They've been paid the VAT (or whatever), and it doesn't matter to them that it's a three-ring binder with Sharpie artwork and broken keyboard keys.
The person who needed to get slammed got slammed, and numerous other people got a laugh and a bit of education about it.
Kierthos
Yeah, eBay does have their rating system, but the problem is, it can be so easily abused that it's not even funny. There are a number of sellers there who sell absolute crap, but are such consummate bullshit artists that they can convince people to buy this stuff and give them positive comments on their purchases.
That being said, there are far and away many more eBay users who are honest in all of their dealings, and will make every effort to get every transaction resolved properly.
Kierthos
Child safe scissors, meet a child and any important documents you have lying around the house.
Kierthos
Yeah, but if you check, they're not even at the level of their 52-week low. (Closer to it then their 52-week high, however.) What would break them would be a dismissal of their suit against IBM, because if that one goes, then the ones against AutoZone, etc. might as well be dismissed as well.
Kierthos
Depends on when you look at it. A lot of free-access stock quotes are 15-30 minutes old. Plus, it was going better earlier in the day. As of this posting (approx. 2:50 pm, EST), it's at 6.25, but the daily high was 6.50.
Kierthos
Given that Ahhhnold became the Governator because of (in part) the shitty budget of California, it's always possible that Diebold has a bigger legal fund. :P
Actually, if they can prove (and it could be very easy to do so) that Diebold knew about the problems with their machines, then it's practically an open and shut case. Sooo... anyone want to help California out on this? No, no, a nice orderly line please. You'll all have a chance to help.
Kierthos
And just speaking hypothetically, just how secure are those passwords. I mean, come on, really. Odds are there is at least one person in each class besides the teacher who can log in as anyone they want. It's hardly conclusive, especially on a grade school level, to say "Jimmy Smith was logged in at the time, it absolutely 100% must be him!".
Of course, I have to wonder just how happy the Feds feel about this, considering most of the agents would probably rather be dealing with real criminals, as opposed to some kids who are sharing copies of the latest Britney/Christina/blonde bimbo single.
Kierthos
And if you don't take it out of your backpack while you're in the theatre, you have nothing to worry about. It's only if the night-vision-using-employee catches you filming the movie with it that you're going to be in trouble.
As for criminalizing mobile phones... fine by me. Which politician do I buy^H^H^Htalk to about that?
Kierthos