How about the Old West justice bad analogy? These people were sending out billions of unsolicited emails. (Possibly pr0n to minors.) Why do they deserve any protection or courtesy?
Ooh! The Open Source bad analogy! Publishing the spammer's email allows a distributed analysis by spam-fighters world-wide. Possibly someone has information about these criminal activities that wouldn't be connected without access to the emails.
I hope that they checked the legality under Dutch law first, so it's probably/hopefully legal. As to if it was morally wrong or not, I'm still undecided. (Not that I'm not laughing my ass off over it.:^)
There a number of people who dislike the actions of Co$ and can't stand spammers either. I'll tell you, after being threatened by Co$, the threats of a punk spammer seem pretty lame.
The BBC
discovered that Superzonda, a South American spam gang which may have used the Sobig virus to install open proxies on end-users machines, hijacked British Airways' computers without its knowledge to advertise a website called beautifulwomentodate.com (offering Russian brides).
I recall getting Sobig a few times. Nice people that he hangs with. (Oh if only it were literally true eh?:^)
They own the domain. There is possibly an analogy with getting smail for the previous occupant, but it's a very bad analogy. The Post is prepaid and government regulated.
If they wanted their email, why did they suddenly drop the domain and run?
that they are getting many eCards of sympathy from other spammers? In that business, I would be surprised if they didn't try to sabotage each other now and then.
Re:Some perspective on SARS.
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SARS Contained
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· Score: 3, Interesting
Also most of those people were in voluntary quarantine (stay home) for two weeks because they might have come in contact with someone who might have SARS.
The number of people in real quarantine was much less.
Some people pooh-pooh the RIAA's technical skills. Perhaps true, but they can afford to hire talent. I'm not sure if this made it to Slashdot, but here's an AP news article about the sort of people that they are hiring. "MediaDefender's engineers - previously in the business of foiling radar systems for the Pentagon". Hmm.
which may well be beyond the ability of the RIAA...
But not beyond their bank accounts to hire. Here's a news article on some of the type of companies being hired. (Note this: "MediaDefender's engineers - previously in the business of foiling radar systems for the Pentagon" Hmm.)
Big blocks of IP addresses. Like AOL?:^P The RIAA is hiring independent companies who are going to going to use dial-ups and whatnot on scores of ISPs. They'll look like normal users (and maybe not even leeches if they share legit stuff). "Are you sure?" "I would."
And what is a known offender? When someone gets hit with a lawsuit, it's not going to say "IP x.x.x.x sends his regards". Somewhere in the log of people that downloaded the offending file(s) is the IP they used, and are now using something completely different.
Blocklists might lock out file hogs, but they'll be useless against the RIAA's collectinators.
Hmm, and how is this going to detect and add to the enemies list a RIAA Collectinator using a dynamic IP address? It's not like they're going to have a big sign on their packets. By the time the law suits start landing, it's too late to look for shelter.
I can see a small whitelist circle of trust system working, but I can't see a wide system with blacklists managing to fly under RIAA's radar.
didn't mention those needleless injection thingies...sold by a variety of companies (Star Trek)
As I recall, NASA already had a needle-less injector, (How do you inject someone in a spacesuit and you can't get to their arm?) and that's where the Trek people got the idea. Of course, taking a recent development and extrapolating future common use is good SF too.
Re:Especially as movies are 30 years behind...
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Science Faction
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· Score: 1
Authors.. Must be aware of scientific developments of the past 40 years, especially if the author specializes in "Hard SF"
Since there are relatively few Big Name authors who make a full-time living writing SF, frequently hard SF writers work in a scientific field.
Don't seem to want to admit their relationship with / dependancy on the SF literature
It's sad, but there are really good legal reasons for them to have as little contact with SF literature as possible. If it can be shown that they had any contact with a really cool idea in a story, and they later use something like it in a movie, they're toast. Case in point: Terminator. It now has Harlan Ellison's name in the credits and a lot of money changed hands.
It's the same reason they rarely read unsolicited scripts. If they do something similar later, and can't prove that they didn't read it, they're probably fscked.
Slashdot Mirror
Ooh! The Open Source bad analogy! Publishing the spammer's email allows a distributed analysis by spam-fighters world-wide. Possibly someone has information about these criminal activities that wouldn't be connected without access to the emails.
I hope that they checked the legality under Dutch law first, so it's probably/hopefully legal. As to if it was morally wrong or not, I'm still undecided. (Not that I'm not laughing my ass off over it. :^)
Hurt by your loss
Softly crying wet tears
Of ophidian origin.
Make Money Fast!
There a number of people who dislike the actions of Co$ and can't stand spammers either. I'll tell you, after being threatened by Co$, the threats of a punk spammer seem pretty lame.
And think about the origin of the word sabotage. This is a Dutch story too.
The people on the Net who really know how to fight back now 0W3NZ his domain. :^P
Here's a story in The Register about Martijn Bevelander and this turn of events.
If they wanted their email, why did they suddenly drop the domain and run?
that they are getting many eCards of sympathy from other spammers? In that business, I would be surprised if they didn't try to sabotage each other now and then.
The number of people in real quarantine was much less.
D'OH! CP not AP news article.
Some people pooh-pooh the RIAA's technical skills. Perhaps true, but they can afford to hire talent. I'm not sure if this made it to Slashdot, but here's an AP news article about the sort of people that they are hiring. "MediaDefender's engineers - previously in the business of foiling radar systems for the Pentagon". Hmm.
But not beyond their bank accounts to hire. Here's a news article on some of the type of companies being hired. (Note this: "MediaDefender's engineers - previously in the business of foiling radar systems for the Pentagon" Hmm.)
Isn't Comcast one of those zombie ISPs? (Bankrupt, but still shambling around looking for brains?)
Just how many CD-ROM burners does this one count for?
And what is a known offender? When someone gets hit with a lawsuit, it's not going to say "IP x.x.x.x sends his regards". Somewhere in the log of people that downloaded the offending file(s) is the IP they used, and are now using something completely different.
Blocklists might lock out file hogs, but they'll be useless against the RIAA's collectinators.
I'm still amazed that someone was dumb enough to Godwin themselves by comparing this mess with genocide.
Small closed trusted groups would work, barring a turncoat. Perhaps some sort of friend of a friend trust validation might slow them down.
I can see a small whitelist circle of trust system working, but I can't see a wide system with blacklists managing to fly under RIAA's radar.
If #1, then you're already dead and an evil android is perfectly imitating your typing style. (Fiendishly clever, these evil androids!)
Okay, so he's installed Bearshare, he's downloading all the songs he wanted. Let us know when he finally uninstalls it, m'kay?
Mmmm, all that glass with months (years) of sunlight stored in it. One brick would end civilization in a chain-reaction explosion.
If operating a Segway isn't always safe a flying car seems chancy.
As I recall, NASA already had a needle-less injector, (How do you inject someone in a spacesuit and you can't get to their arm?) and that's where the Trek people got the idea. Of course, taking a recent development and extrapolating future common use is good SF too.
Since there are relatively few Big Name authors who make a full-time living writing SF, frequently hard SF writers work in a scientific field.
Don't seem to want to admit their relationship with / dependancy on the SF literature
It's sad, but there are really good legal reasons for them to have as little contact with SF literature as possible. If it can be shown that they had any contact with a really cool idea in a story, and they later use something like it in a movie, they're toast. Case in point: Terminator. It now has Harlan Ellison's name in the credits and a lot of money changed hands.
It's the same reason they rarely read unsolicited scripts. If they do something similar later, and can't prove that they didn't read it, they're probably fscked.
Stupid, but that's Hollywoodland for you...