I think that product placement in Bladerunner was done artfully and tastefully without the least bit distraction to the movie.
However, times are changing. Some product placements are so glaring that I pause to myself and think "hey, wait, they are trying to sell me something here." I'm quite sure that the line will be crossed increasingly more.
For a telling perspective on this see the Frontline show The Persuaders.
Extremely revealing, I came away with a sense of hopelessness about where we are headed.
Because it has nothing to do with patents, and everything to do with trademark.
Which part of my post did you not understand??
The magic cube guys had/have a valid trademark for the "magic cube" (what the agents told the toy store to take off the shelf) given to them by the trademark office.
Ser no. 76351080/reg no.2671747 look it up here or just stick in "magic cube."
You know how to use the internets, don't you? Stop being a tool/troll or fool.
It's in fact their job to prevent bootlegged products from hitting American markets, so quit trying to spin this story as some kind of ridiculous "war on terror gone crazy" horseshit.
You know what the real horseshit here is?
Being told that the Dept. of Homeland Sercurity was formed to "improve communications between agencies."
So why didn't they go to the freakin' uspto website and spend 30 seconds there to see that the rubik's cube patent had expired, and the trademark office had granted the magic cube guys a valid "magic cube" trademark??? (like I did)
Rather than sending some agents to shakedown a toy shop??
It is in fact "war on terror gone crazy"
Somebody needs to lose their job on this one. In fact, why don't they do away with that monkey-ass color thing that flips between orange and yellow all the time and no other colors???
I say if they can't ever give us a green (aka peace) or at least a blue, they should fold the whole damm "homeland security" department and save us the tax money and stupid stories of agents looking to use the company card on a vacation to a toy shop.
The problem with your theory is that corporations see employees as an "expense" that needs to be minimized, rather than a resource to enhance. People by nature are selfish, and that goes for corporations that are run by people. This has been the same since the beginning of time.
So, if a corporation was not taxed, would that money go to the employee or getting more employees?? Of course not.
Your theory would work if there was such a thing as "corporate morality," but sadly as we see everyday this is not the case (Enron and Worldcomm come to mind).
Which really goes to prove that those who buy the Libertarian philosophy are truly blithering idiots.
"We here at Microsoft will protect you from the raving lunatic Darl McBride, and if he comes anywhere near our Redmond campus we have permission from the Dept. of Homeland Security to shoot^H^H^H^H terminate his license."
Yes, he would. Hatch might do it though because he is 70 years old. This way he avoids having to go through a re-election campaign in 2006 and remains in the beltway for at least four more years. Add on top of that he is no longer chair of the judiciary (as he has reached the six year term limit), so this might seem like a significant step up. He has always looked for some sort of career advancement i.g. his run for president in 2000.
He has always won elections handily though here in Utah. Part of the reason is that everybody knows a Hatch and they are considered family in a state that has copious amounts of large extended mormon familes. The other reason is everyone here knows that you cannot be a mormon and vote for a democrat (I quote an republican office holder), so no one does. When election day comes it's always a republican that gets the vote. There are occasional exceptions to this rule, like a recent republican mayor wackjob that got involved in a pretty bad scandal right before the election, the majority saw a change of party blood a good thing (the republican alternative also seemed a bit hokey with the way he got on the ballot). But this is more of an exception. We do have a democrat representative in the House of Representatives (Matheson) that managed to win partly because his father was an extremely well respected democrat govenor, back in the day when we still could vote for a democrat. He has stayed in office despite the republican's best effort (including a really weird redistricting scheme ala Texas style to yank more voting republicans over for his seat). Anyway I digress.
Hatch might also be tempted by this offer as he might see it as a stepping stone to something bigger. Who knows what, maybe the presidency again or supreme court justice. The latter would be an extremely bad turn of events, as if any challenge to the DMCA were to make it to the high court, he would naturally deep six them, as you may or may not know he was coauthor of the DMCA. Not to mention the countless other anti-freedom things he has stood for. He loves the patriot act and would be a principal backer of patriot II, III, and IV.
Even though he is seventy, don't think that he wouldn't scramble for anything offered to him (Reagan was 73 when elected for a second term).
There is no other single thing that would go further to promoting freedoms, civil rights, online and digital rights, copyright reform than Orrin Hatch leaving polictical life.
I do not say this lightly. He's like a one man constitutional train wreck.
Voip calls aren't free, someone has to pay for the networks thats running the IP traffic. Then there's a cost for your internet connection.
Which both is paid by the buyer of the internet connection.
When the consumer subscribes to the internet connection, it allows the ISP and upstream providers finance the network.
I have often thought that most of the taxes and fees on a POTS were ridiculous. One tax was put on POTS to pay for the Spanish-American war (1898), and has been used to pay for every war since then. Then there is the nebulous Universal Service fund. Doesn't everyone have a phone by now? Add onto that POTS prices (at least in my area) has never gone DOWN, but has continually gone UP.
It's about time POTS gets some real competition. If they start taxing VOIP, I'll give it up. I wouldn't be surprised if an email tax eventully gets proposed -- after all we are in the era of trillion dollar deficit spending.
These terms are not interchangeable. The article clearly says this is a trademark issue.
So, that means that customs is tracking down all the toy stores that have puzzle cubes, as "cube" might be a trademark, as we know that "Magic" is not the same as "Rubik's."
But even this still doesn't pass the bullshit test, as is it not only not infringing, but they were granted a trademark for the name "magic cube" according to USPTO.GOV
The USPTO would not have granted a trademark to the "magic cube" if it was infringing.
I thought that the Dept. of Homeland Security was all about "communication" between different government agencies.
Why could they not perform a simple websearch that took me all of 30 seconds rather than spend days hassling a toy store.
Or are they at the bid and call of anyone who makes any accusation thrown into the wind?
Truly pathetic. Somebody needs to lose their job over this.
Hell, why don't they dismantle the whole "Dept. of Homeland Security."
I do not feel any safer, and I thought the "color coded" threat system was nothing more than a joke, always flipping between orange and yellow.
While we are at it, if we do not have administration that can give us a "green" (or at least a "blue") on that system, their ass needs to be kicked out too.
By your logic, oil means there is a group of arabs there waiting to fill your tank.
Seriously, oil can form from the complex hydrocarbons present, not just dinosaurs. While controversial, it is though that if this is correct, earth's oil reserves might be larger (and deeper) than previously thought, having come from cosmic sources.
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Well, you can tell what they might do from previous behavior
Evidently the cybercafe license is $3k (somebody who knows correct me). One of the things they advertise is "support" for cybercafes.
If you read the support forums over at valve you see that support is mostly, if not completely nonexistant.
It seems that valve would rather spend money on attorneys than supporting a product.
So, my guess is they would not appreciate the gesture and probably shake you down for having warez.
Hear, Hear!
It would be like buying a book only to find that it was locked and they have to send you a key in the mail before you could read it.
The software industry as a whole is arrogant and fancy themselves in an ivory tower.
I'm another person who would be filing in small claims if this had happen to me.
I think that product placement in Bladerunner was done artfully and tastefully without the least bit distraction to the movie.
However, times are changing. Some product placements are so glaring that I pause to myself and think "hey, wait, they are trying to sell me something here." I'm quite sure that the line will be crossed increasingly more.
For a telling perspective on this see the Frontline show The Persuaders.
Extremely revealing, I came away with a sense of hopelessness about where we are headed.
Because it has nothing to do with patents, and everything to do with trademark.
Which part of my post did you not understand??
The magic cube guys had/have a valid trademark for the "magic cube" (what the agents told the toy store to take off the shelf) given to them by the trademark office.
Ser no. 76351080/reg no.2671747 look it up here or just stick in "magic cube."
You know how to use the internets, don't you? Stop being a tool/troll or fool.
Enough of those already work for the government.
Now whether a minimum wage increase is a good thing or not is not
Too bad that all those people who voted for moral/values are not going to be able to eat them at the dinner table.
BTW, I wonder how Bush's lying is not a moral/values issue??
It's in fact their job to prevent bootlegged products from hitting American markets, so quit trying to spin this story as some kind of ridiculous "war on terror gone crazy" horseshit.
You know what the real horseshit here is?
Being told that the Dept. of Homeland Sercurity was formed to "improve communications between agencies."
So why didn't they go to the freakin' uspto website and spend 30 seconds there to see that the rubik's cube patent had expired, and the trademark office had granted the magic cube guys a valid "magic cube" trademark??? (like I did)
Rather than sending some agents to shakedown a toy shop??
It is in fact "war on terror gone crazy"
Somebody needs to lose their job on this one. In fact, why don't they do away with that monkey-ass color thing that flips between orange and yellow all the time and no other colors???
I say if they can't ever give us a green (aka peace) or at least a blue, they should fold the whole damm "homeland security" department and save us the tax money and stupid stories of agents looking to use the company card on a vacation to a toy shop.
Oh, and mom hates it when you use "begs the question" on Slashdot.
I suggest that it might be time to move out mom's basement when mom starts caring about what's on slashdot.
I thought the japanese had the highest life expectancy
What he meant to say is "work like the Japanese and never get any sleep."
I would submit that life expectancy does in fact decrease rather dramaticlly when you fall asleep in the road
The problem with your theory is that corporations see employees as an "expense" that needs to be minimized, rather than a resource to enhance. People by nature are selfish, and that goes for corporations that are run by people. This has been the same since the beginning of time.
So, if a corporation was not taxed, would that money go to the employee or getting more employees?? Of course not.
Your theory would work if there was such a thing as "corporate morality," but sadly as we see everyday this is not the case (Enron and Worldcomm come to mind).
Which really goes to prove that those who buy the Libertarian philosophy are truly blithering idiots.
Actually that has changed, copyright infringement is now a criminal offense, and you will probably be labelled as a terrorist for doing so.
Unfortunately, when everybody was voting for "morals" and "values" this last election, they forgot that "lying" is a moral/value issue.
Actually you forgot one;
"We here at Microsoft will protect you from the raving lunatic Darl McBride, and if he comes anywhere near our Redmond campus we have permission from the Dept. of Homeland Security to shoot^H^H^H^H terminate his license."
Yes, he would. Hatch might do it though because he is 70 years old. This way he avoids having to go through a re-election campaign in 2006 and remains in the beltway for at least four more years. Add on top of that he is no longer chair of the judiciary (as he has reached the six year term limit), so this might seem like a significant step up. He has always looked for some sort of career advancement i.g. his run for president in 2000.
He has always won elections handily though here in Utah. Part of the reason is that everybody knows a Hatch and they are considered family in a state that has copious amounts of large extended mormon familes. The other reason is everyone here knows that you cannot be a mormon and vote for a democrat (I quote an republican office holder), so no one does. When election day comes it's always a republican that gets the vote. There are occasional exceptions to this rule, like a recent republican mayor wackjob that got involved in a pretty bad scandal right before the election, the majority saw a change of party blood a good thing (the republican alternative also seemed a bit hokey with the way he got on the ballot). But this is more of an exception. We do have a democrat representative in the House of Representatives (Matheson) that managed to win partly because his father was an extremely well respected democrat govenor, back in the day when we still could vote for a democrat. He has stayed in office despite the republican's best effort (including a really weird redistricting scheme ala Texas style to yank more voting republicans over for his seat). Anyway I digress.
Hatch might also be tempted by this offer as he might see it as a stepping stone to something bigger. Who knows what, maybe the presidency again or supreme court justice. The latter would be an extremely bad turn of events, as if any challenge to the DMCA were to make it to the high court, he would naturally deep six them, as you may or may not know he was coauthor of the DMCA. Not to mention the countless other anti-freedom things he has stood for. He loves the patriot act and would be a principal backer of patriot II, III, and IV.
Even though he is seventy, don't think that he wouldn't scramble for anything offered to him (Reagan was 73 when elected for a second term).
There is no other single thing that would go further to promoting freedoms, civil rights, online and digital rights, copyright reform than Orrin Hatch leaving polictical life.
I do not say this lightly. He's like a one man constitutional train wreck.
Excuse my ignorance, but what are extremely large primes used for?
Obviously to get a date with a hot chic so you can impress her with the math you know.
This article will be a prime target for bad jokes
It's true. Good jokes come alomg only so often, and we don't know when.
Actually it's five pages because he had to use a crayon.
Does that mean the Patriot Act can be repealed now?
It means that the black helicopters are ready to come to your house now.
Is Mr. DMCA himself, Orrin Hatch.
You will long for the days of Ashcroft.
Voip calls aren't free, someone has to pay for the networks thats running the IP traffic. Then there's a cost for your internet connection.
Which both is paid by the buyer of the internet connection.
When the consumer subscribes to the internet connection, it allows the ISP and upstream providers finance the network.
I have often thought that most of the taxes and fees on a POTS were ridiculous. One tax was put on POTS to pay for the Spanish-American war (1898), and has been used to pay for every war since then. Then there is the nebulous Universal Service fund. Doesn't everyone have a phone by now? Add onto that POTS prices (at least in my area) has never gone DOWN, but has continually gone UP.
It's about time POTS gets some real competition. If they start taxing VOIP, I'll give it up. I wouldn't be surprised if an email tax eventully gets proposed -- after all we are in the era of trillion dollar deficit spending.
Do the crew members have to be alive, or can you use corpses with a computer for guidance?
Easier to find volunteers that way.
Some guys dressed as the Mario Brothers come to fix the pipes.
Let the blaming begin.
They do have the plans archived somewhere though.
But even if they could restart production, the question is if they should. The reason being that new technology supplants the old eventually.
But there is a beauty to the tried and true that works.
Seriously. They should just go non-tld and be done with it.
Yes, but then ICANN would have no way to support their crack habits.
These terms are not interchangeable. The article clearly says this is a trademark issue.
So, that means that customs is tracking down all the toy stores that have puzzle cubes, as "cube" might be a trademark, as we know that "Magic" is not the same as "Rubik's."
But even this still doesn't pass the bullshit test, as is it not only not infringing, but they were granted a trademark for the name "magic cube" according to USPTO.GOV
The USPTO would not have granted a trademark to the "magic cube" if it was infringing.
I thought that the Dept. of Homeland Security was all about "communication" between different government agencies.
Why could they not perform a simple websearch that took me all of 30 seconds rather than spend days hassling a toy store.
Or are they at the bid and call of anyone who makes any accusation thrown into the wind?
Truly pathetic. Somebody needs to lose their job over this.
Hell, why don't they dismantle the whole "Dept. of Homeland Security."
I do not feel any safer, and I thought the "color coded" threat system was nothing more than a joke, always flipping between orange and yellow.
While we are at it, if we do not have administration that can give us a "green" (or at least a "blue") on that system, their ass needs to be kicked out too.
Yes, and the resultant device would have a battery life of about 15 minutes.
Maybe apple could make extremely long extension cords fashionable.
It might work.
By your logic, oil means there is a group of arabs there waiting to fill your tank.
Seriously, oil can form from the complex hydrocarbons present, not just dinosaurs. While controversial, it is though that if this is correct, earth's oil reserves might be larger (and deeper) than previously thought, having come from cosmic sources.