Plead fifth amendments rights - non-incrimination, seizure of property without due process, and seizure of property without compensation (in case there was due process).
IANAL, but it appears to me the search warrant and seizure was overly broad. Being able to seize all computers, storage equipment and media, monitors, and peripherals without demonstrating proof that the device was used in the commission of a crime and/or stored data relevent to the commission of a crime should be illegal. Seizure before cause and/or proof is illegal. I can see taking storage media (so long as it contains data - not music/video), but taking computers, monitors, keyboards, modems, etc?!? WTF is that all about? If they cannot hire judges that are knowledgable regarding technology than the judges they have cannot/should-not be signing search warrants.
Personally, I would have reviewed the search warrant closely then told the agents that it was overly broad and covered equipment and devices that cannot possibly be of any value to any investigation and that they will need to secure a new warrant. The new warrant should name devices and equipment relevent to an investigation and exactly what software/data they are looking for. Even a first year law student should be able to see this warrant was too broad, and that they can only seize items described in the warrant (it doesn't matter how much porn, pirated music/video, drug talk, contact info for al Qaeda, whatever - if it isn't named they can't seize it and/or use it against you if it isn't in the warrant).
If anything, this seizure should help point out how messed-up our law-enforcement and legal system really are. With Bush and Ashcroft in charge, now is a good time to invest heavily in the ACLU and EFF. Know your rights - Defend your rights!
The solution is for the surveying companies to hire some local temps and then have these people canvass the local schools and malls. Ask no more than ten questions and offer those being surveyed coupons for local businesses if they participate. In addition to a coupon for participation, give them a pre-paid postcard to fill out so you can get a snail mail address (and email addy if they are inclined to give it out).
From a marketing standpoint, a new media format that is larger would be a hard sell. Progress tends to dictate that electronics get smaller, faster and increase in capacity (or at least two of the three).
OK, fine. Make the disc smaller, but not smaller than the 'small' indent in a cd/dvd tray. Change the laser system to something that current players/burners cannot touch. Make sure new players are back compatible to read current cd/dvd formats. As stated in another reply, make the player not able to easily interface with any computer (so hardware hackers would need to design/create/market a logic board solution that most people would not even want to think about attempting the required mod). On the software side - make 25 to 50 encrytion schemes available to encode the content. Even if some crazy teen in Norway happens to hack out one or two you still have plenty to use.
In the US at least (in many other countries as well) you have the right to make a backup copy of your media.That is your strike one.
This method does not block analog methods of copying the content. The MPAA could dictate a change in the behavior of analog recording devices when they see anything like Macrovision to just degrade the video instead of blocking. You could make a somewhat degraded analog copy of the content.
Strike two: have you heard about external devices?
Perhaps I was not clear on my previous post. The players inside consumer devices would not have a computer interface. Have the data stream go directly to the decoder/logic board. There wouldn't be anything to easily hack. No pulling the player out and matching mfm-rll/ide/scsi/sata/etc pinouts. You would have to design/create/market a logic board to create an interface. Not impossible - just not something most people would even want to consider doing to get an external computer player.
I'm not saying my ideas were perfect - just ideas.
One of the best things the MPAA and these groups arguing over the next gen DVD specs can do is agree that DVD copying needs to be stopped. To that end if I were involved in this planning I would recommmend a media size change. Make the disc size just large enough so that the drive would not be able to be fit into a standard 5 1/4" computer case drive slot. Take this another step and block any development & production of any play/burner with a computer interface. No computer players, no computer burners, no simple copying.
Due to the open source aspect of linux/BSD/etc, there will probably never be commercial services on those OSes that need to protect content. With wide open sources it would be very difficult to implement anything like drm. I can only think of a scheme that would d/l a random memory-resident 'driver' (written in something akin to java) from a service and use that to secure communications for streaming content delivery (and d/l new secure comm format/protocols at the same time). A memory-resident driver would be requested on each attempt to play previously d/led content. Yeah, I'm using the word secure very loosely. Plan for everything to get cracked and what to do after.
Another way I think this would work is to get something like wine involved. Find a way for the windows version to work on an open OS.
Then again, from a commercial service standpoint I think the bigwigs in their golden towers view the open OS movement as a bunch of hippies sitting around taking hits off the linux bong. Commercial interests don't care that much about OSes that don't generate income and cannot protect content.
Here is one answer that the mpaa needs to get to work on immediately - internet distribution of movies and tv shows. Offer the people what we want - low cost entertainment. Strike while the iron is somewhat hot, even if the net speed isn't quite there yet. Offer content at lowest and highest quality initially, then fill in mid-range qualities as demand warrants. Have movies available as they hit retail dvd markets, and have a show suggestion/voting system setup so people can suggest what they want and others can vote for the show (this could dictate priority internally).
Offer the content at different price-points for quality - a movie available in divx at two or three qualities (or simply VCD and SVCD qualities) with pricing relative to quality and available at one or two bit-rates able to burn onto dvd. Like with iTunes, the content would be protected by licensing and drm. Also like iTunes, the drm and licensing should be as invisible as possible. A cd/dvd burning app would be integrated to support licensed burns of cd/dvd downloads (allowing maybe five burns as dvd burning is still kind of 'iffy').Streaming content would be available only in addition to downloadable versions, and at a significant price drop.
The drm should be as invisible as possible, while still protecting content. A burned dvd bought from the service might have the purchaser id mixed into the data (not impossible to defeat (recode), but the casual copier might not know-how/want to defeat). Same idea with s/vcd content. A divx content might also include this, but with one additional twist - low cost distribution. People (clients) could share the content amongst themselves. A client acquiring the content from another source could enable it to play at maybe 60% the cost of a download. The drm should be dynamic/random format/encryption so even if one form is cracked you don't lose everything. Anyone cracking the drm and/or illegally distributing the content would be punished harshly.
This event is really too early to help Bush in any significant manner. If this were to happen in August/September or 2004, then it would be much different. This should be forgotten by the time the debates start, and should not be used by Bush.
The best thing the nine democrat candidates can do is to express relief, and to push for an international criminal court to try Saddam. In the meantime they should present a common voice that Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11, Osama and terrorism. Saddam acted agressively toward invading neighboring counries, and tortured and killed many Iraqi citizens, but he had nothing to do with 9/11, Osama and terrorism. Rinse, lather and repeat...
Only in very unusual circumstances (such as loosing one's passport). Do you mean, perhaps, visas?
If you mean that people should only be allowed into the US on pre-accepted visas, well, OK
Yes, that is what I meant.
People can apply for visas to visit the US and be issued a smart card passport/visa to pass customs/security. The US embassies would do all background work and process the smart card visa/passport. Countries with embassies would not need to purchase anything, only supply whatever information an embassy requests on a person.
Some day, but not soon, people will be able to travel nearly worldwide with only simple national ID with them (ie drivers license). All other info will have been exchanged beforehand between embassies, carriers and travel agents before issuing tickets/passes. Everyone arriving will have already been checked out, and maybe only a cursory check on ID will be required to board (ie fingerprint before boarding, checked & matched during transit, confirmed at arrival).
Back on-topic, I see no reason for people to object to the use of computer-read, rather than human-read, biometric data (height 182 cm, weight 72 kg is biometric data, after all), as long as it is used for a reasonably good, but not necessarily perfect, confirmation of identity - after all, if the data matches, all that means is that the person is who the database says they are claiming to be, but not necessarily who they actually are...
I rambled on a bit previously.
I believe that the US government owes its citizens the responsibility & knowledge that whoever gets let into this country (on a passport) is not a terrorist. Embassies and intelligence assests can do background work on applicants, and embassies can issue passports with smart cards with encrypted data. People in countries that do not have an embassy would need to visit a country with an embassy to apply. It is all a matter of verifying that the person holding the card entering the country is same person whose data is on the card. Check iris, check a few fingerprints, check a photo and biometric data and as long as three out of four of those match it would sound reasonable enough for me.
Earlier this year when homeland security reported a new secure VISA system, this was what I had in mind - iris and fingerprint data along with the usual photo & dental records on one smart card. Then the Bush admin went ahead and put a year (or more) delay into whatever they do think was secure, supposedly so as not to disturb the busy european terro^h^h^h^h, er, tourist season. I guess keeping citizens safe isn't real big on Bush's agenda.
I think it just makes sense to push for a full biometric smart card for an international VISA/passport system. We have the technology, we have the knowledge, we have the money, and every country that participates fully will be a little safer. Take this along with full background checks and no 'favored' nation nonsense. Limit diplomatic passes to only those people needing them and yank it if the person even gets a jaywalking ticket.
You either get seriously tough on security, or admit defeat. You can't show you are securing the country if kids can still buy pot, crack and smack.
Just like the solution of two children wanting a leftover piece of pie - one party makes the cuts, and the other party picks what piece they want. Just add a mediating party to ensure accurate measurement of percentage on each piece. Flip which is the cutting/choosing party each time played. Neither party can complain about their piece being too small and the other too large.
The Florida Turnpike Sunpass system (roughly same idea as EZ-Pass) TOS has/had a section on cooperation with law enforcement & courts. The Turnpike Enterprise would not turn over transponder records for the purpose of traffic enforcement, only for courts with specific purposes. I have no idea if 9-11 changed that, but seeing how Jeb Bush is in charge down here, I can't see it not changing.
On the other hand, if law enforcement where given just two weeks worth of transponder reports I believe Florida could rid itself of a budget crisis. Just image taking the family to Disney from your home in Miami and two weeks later getting several thousand dollars in fines and license revoke notices. Multiply that by the millions that use the system daily. Yeah, report 2 or 4 weeks worth of reports to FDLE and watch the chaos that ensues. Make the RIAA look more like amateurs.
Another thing to consider. At least in Florida, the Turnpike Enterprise wants to take the entire Turnpike to Sunpass eventually. Want to drive? Get a Sunpass. Then they could turn over transponder records to law enforcement without any problems.
Let see, thousands of tiny mote sensors spread throughout your living environment. Does the convenience factor outweigh the privacy factor? I can see law enforcement and marketing corps loving this whole idea. Some future attorney general might try to make embedding these into most consumer products and fabric a requirement.
Law enforcement could use these motes for cheap surveillance and community monitoring. Just think of it - some of the motes would be equipped with mics and DSPs and could be easily enabled by the consumer and/or law enforcement. Other motes would register heat/cool (for A/C & heat control) and could also track people and animals. Heck, specialized motes could be built to detect illegal drug use (pot/crack fumes). Detectives wouldn't even have to get next to your house seeing how you bought that slick wireless router (you had to since owning a wired router would brand you a terrorist with something to hide).
Madison Ave marketing would also love motes. Advertisers could use motes to determine the best time to call you (when you are home) and the best time customize your commercials (when you watch tv). How about a great rate on home insurance - only it will be terminated the moment the sensors pickup impending doom (water leak, structural damage, etc). With consumer electronics going wireless advertisers could have a field day tracking what you buy and how you act to determine what they should market to you.
Then think about the convenience - the A/C-heater could adjust the temp for the room you are in, the whole house, or some pattern possibly based on your behavior. Lights that turn on only for the rooms that are occupied, and to the level the person in that room wants. How about motes that detect that you haven't moved in 24 hours and alerts rescue/coroner. Hey, motes that listen for and act upon your command - "computer - music - light jazz - New Orleans bar after 2am" (motes play recording of bartender telling you the bar is closing and to get the hell out - only not that politely). Motes could tell you your oldest son is smoking in his room, daughter has lit some candles, teenage son is 'enjoying himself', the baby could use changing, and the wife is cheating on you (that wasn't your stain on the bed sheets). All that and more...
The motes could make your life great - in exchange for some privacy. What the heck, you have nothing to worry about as long as you are a law abiding, patriotic (to the current admin, not to the Constitution), well-adjusted citizen...
A long time ago, in a gala^h^h^h^h forum on CIS (Compuserve, for you script-kiddies), I downloaded an app named Babble that analyzed text and attempted poetry. Actually, I think analyze is too strong a work for what Babble did. You fed Babble text files of whatever you wanted sampled and babble spit out mixed-up jumbles of phrases. Ninety percent of the time it was utter garbage, not even beat poets would like it. Occasionally it ejected something plausible and possibly poetic. Ah, patience rewarded.
There is prior artwork here. This patent may have trouble remaining. I have never been able to find this app, but anyone else should be able to scan some DOS libraries and might find it. Go, find the app and stop the patent madness.
I use those clear (milky clear) storage boxes and crates you can get at department & office supply stores. You can somewhat make out what is stored within. I also use self-adhesive mailing labels on the top and sides to list contents.
Buy 'em, pack 'em, and stack 'em in a closet. Just remember to go through and clean them out every decade or so...
Thank you for the reply and comparison jetscootr. If I had any moderator points I'd try to mod you up. I believe that the reason that ADD/ADHD hasn't been explored on Slashdot (at least recently) is because most people don't want to believe they have a mental disorder and/or they cannot analyze themselves objectively. There are, most likely, some that don't want to admit a problem either.
I've known I am ADD/ADHD since I was in elementary school. I couldn't sit still and couldn't focus on any subject. Eventually my father relented to the powers-that-be that I should be medicated instead of twice-monthly beatings. The FDA had just approved Ritalin and I was a guinea pig. After six months they couldn't get the dosage low enough to suit me. I always went to zombie-state after taking the pill. I have heard they are much better at dosages now, but I want nothing to do with it. I try to manage by using diet, exercise and meditation. It also doesn't hurt to have a job that fits people with ADD/ADHD.
Getting back to topic. The best thing a company can do, with regard to ADD/ADHD employees, it to analyze the situation and determine whether an employee is adversely affected by the environment and proceed from there. Unfortunately, most companies would rather just threaten the employee and then dismiss rather than work through the issue. Companies should setup office workspaces with the employees and work to be done taken into account. Use some Myers-Briggs type tests with ADD/ADHD screening, and then place people into workspaces.
I think this move could be very good companies and communications, but for people with ADD/ADHD this is all very bad. An open environment leads to extremes in distractions. People moving about, people talking, speakers blaring (headphones only rule needed), top-level and upper management weenies watching production - all this would drive a person with ADD/ADHD to insanity (and/or unemployment).
As a person that deals with the rollercoaster ride of ADD/ADHD, I would like to see a 'compromise' solution. Keep the top-level management (Pres, VPs, CEO, etc) in offices (just shrink the offices), move the upper-level into cubes, eliminate middle-management, and push groups into group-centric open environments. Groups could move cube partition walls as needed. Leave some 'isolation tank' cubicles (high walls with extra sound dampening) available for people with ADD/ADHD.
As for the wireless 'shared' space - great idea, but where do you put your paper? Forms, documentation, books, etc. all the usual paper that you may need for work needs to be stored somewhere. I suppose you could dream of a paperless office, but I doubt most offices could pull that off effectively. Maybe I'm just 'old school', but my CYA work requires print-outs (since I cannot email these items to a home address). Still, great to see corporations working with wireless.
What I would like to know is how they plan on enforcing this on the international community. Getting the EU to agree shouldn't be a big deal, but 'problem' countries (ie China & Russia) will be the clincher. Without international enforcement this law isn't worth the paper it is written on. Spammers will just get a copy of the list and run to some banana republic and proceed to fill everyones email with crap.
There are problems with this law and international enforcement is the largest. After that there is how will forged headers be handled. Somebody sends out spam using your domain name and the FTC want millions of dollars and prison time. I see domain holders needing to get insurance against regulation as well as lawsuits.
Investigative journalist Greg Palast knows what caused the power outage - deregulation. Here are some excerpts from his
article on the subject...
I can tell you all about the ne're-do-wells that sent us back to the Dark Ages last week. I came up against these characters -- First Energy and the Niagara Mohawk Power Company -- some years back. You see, before I was a journalist, I worked for a living, as an investigator of corporate racketeers.
The power outage began in First Energy's Ohio operation. This company was the model for the film, "China Syndrome." Really. Then First Energy's Pennsylvania unit fumbled the power ball. These are the very same Homer Simpsons who melted Three Mile Island.
...
Is last week's black-out a surprise? Heck, no, not to us in the field who've watched Bush's buddies flick the switches across the globe. In Brazil, Houston Industries seized ownership of Rio de Janeiro's electric company. The Texans (aided by their French partners) fired workers, raised prices, cut maintenance expenditures and, CLICK! the juice went out so often te locals now call it, "Rio Dark."
So too the free-market British buckaroos controlling Niagara Mohawk raised prices, slashed staff, cut maintenance and CLICK! -- New York joins Brazil in the Dark Ages.
The short of it? Bush and cronies deregulated the energy industry (and continuing even more this week) and the industry responded just as any greedy entity would - raise prices, fire workers, slack off on maintenance and pocket the savings.
FDR enacted regulation of certain industries to insure that consumers would not get ripped-off. Bush reversed these regulations possibly because he doesn't know history, and/or he and/or friends/relatives have stock in these industries, or some other overlooked reason. Bush and his administration heavily contributed to the power outage, and is making sure that plenty more are bound to happen. Remember this on the next election day.
The old cat & mouse game. You need the cat (ads) to take care of the mouse (content), and without the mouse there is no reason to have a cat. You have to have a good balance. Too many cats and too few mice, and you'll piss-off visitors. Too many mice and too few cats, and you'll lose your house. Balance is the ticket.
After the balance comes the problem of the type of cat. A simple mono-color tabby will do a good job, but your visitors won't be impressed. Get a big ferocious maine coon and visitors will not be able to see the mouse. Get a zippy, flashy, happy, playful calico and everyone will be too distracted to see the mouse. Of course, not all visitors are alike.
Consider your visitors. Some visitors can't stand cats and will be put off by you having any. Other visitors may think your cat & mouse fight is interesting enough to warrant having one or two around. Still other visitors are after the gore sport and don't care how many cats are involved as long as the mice get minced.
What would I do if I were running a website that required revenue to survive? Simple - I would ask my visitors. Maybe your visitors wouldn't mind a couple non-distractive ads, maybe a subscription plan without ads would work, or maybe you don't have many repeat visitors so it doesn't matter what they think.
The other item - adblockers. Whatever ads you have to run, test your site with various adblocking software. Find ways around the software. It may be as simple as keeping images on your own site but linking to other sites. Maybe putting ad text in the alt area would work so if the image is blocked your ad still goes out. But whatever you do, don't create distracting 'monkey punch','color flash' or Flash ads - those ads should be illegal.
Give people something close to what they want with liberal use policies and people will buy into the service. True, the DRM is still present, but it doesn't really get in the way (other than having to burn the songs to CD then rip to get the music to an open format). Give the providers some time to ramp-up the selection and these services should do very well.
On the negative note, I still think the songs are too expensive by about $0.30 (on the RIAA side). Drop the price overall and further on some for some of the older stuff (are royalties still being paid for Elvis, BTO, Argent, Foghat, Supertramp, Styx and other 'classic' dis-banded and deceased artists?) and improve the selection.
Heller & Heller Carb Addict's Diet
on
Hackers On Atkins
·
· Score: 1
The Heller & Heller Carb Addict's lifestyle diet is basically Atkins with a slight variation. The last time I was on this diet I lost 100 pounds fairly easily. I followed the Atkins intro period then moved into the Carb Addict's routine. Lost 16 pounds in the first 14 days. Added exercise (bike riding) and the weight dropped off like nothing I've ever seen.
Like I wrote earlier, the Carb Addict's diet is very similar to Atkins. The primary difference is the addition of a 'reward' meal. Most of the time you are paying close attention to carbs and carb craving inducing foods. The reward meal lets to have all the carbs you want as long as you balance them with protein and fiber. You can eventually reduce the carbs to minimum and leave the protein and fiber. My variation is to exercise about 30 to 45 minutes after your reward meal. Exercise for as long as you can and whatever you feel is reasonable. I was biking 20 miles in 1:20 (hour:minute) daily (city biking with traffic and other obstacles).
The Heller & Heller Carb Addict's lifestyle diet is a good alternative to Atkins for people that cannot stick to Atkins. Like I wrote, I lost 100 pounds on this diet. Usually 3 to 6 pounds per week (btw, that is far outside the 'safe' range of weight loss per week).
As always, please consult your doctor before starting any diet and/or exercise plans for a clean start, tips and warnings.
Slashdot Mirror
Plead fifth amendments rights - non-incrimination, seizure of property without due process, and seizure of property without compensation (in case there was due process).
Check out these articles on findlaw...
Fifth amendment
Self-incrimination
Knowledge and wisdom can take you a long way. For everthing legal hire a good lawyer. Join the ACLU and EFF today.
IANAL, but it appears to me the search warrant and seizure was overly broad. Being able to seize all computers, storage equipment and media, monitors, and peripherals without demonstrating proof that the device was used in the commission of a crime and/or stored data relevent to the commission of a crime should be illegal. Seizure before cause and/or proof is illegal. I can see taking storage media (so long as it contains data - not music/video), but taking computers, monitors, keyboards, modems, etc?!? WTF is that all about? If they cannot hire judges that are knowledgable regarding technology than the judges they have cannot/should-not be signing search warrants.
Personally, I would have reviewed the search warrant closely then told the agents that it was overly broad and covered equipment and devices that cannot possibly be of any value to any investigation and that they will need to secure a new warrant. The new warrant should name devices and equipment relevent to an investigation and exactly what software/data they are looking for. Even a first year law student should be able to see this warrant was too broad, and that they can only seize items described in the warrant (it doesn't matter how much porn, pirated music/video, drug talk, contact info for al Qaeda, whatever - if it isn't named they can't seize it and/or use it against you if it isn't in the warrant).
If anything, this seizure should help point out how messed-up our law-enforcement and legal system really are. With Bush and Ashcroft in charge, now is a good time to invest heavily in the ACLU and EFF. Know your rights - Defend your rights!
The solution is for the surveying companies to hire some local temps and then have these people canvass the local schools and malls. Ask no more than ten questions and offer those being surveyed coupons for local businesses if they participate. In addition to a coupon for participation, give them a pre-paid postcard to fill out so you can get a snail mail address (and email addy if they are inclined to give it out).
Good ideas all. Not perfect, just a good start...
Perhaps I was not clear on my previous post. The players inside consumer devices would not have a computer interface. Have the data stream go directly to the decoder/logic board. There wouldn't be anything to easily hack. No pulling the player out and matching mfm-rll/ide/scsi/sata/etc pinouts. You would have to design/create/market a logic board to create an interface. Not impossible - just not something most people would even want to consider doing to get an external computer player.
I'm not saying my ideas were perfect - just ideas.
One of the best things the MPAA and these groups arguing over the next gen DVD specs can do is agree that DVD copying needs to be stopped. To that end if I were involved in this planning I would recommmend a media size change. Make the disc size just large enough so that the drive would not be able to be fit into a standard 5 1/4" computer case drive slot. Take this another step and block any development & production of any play/burner with a computer interface. No computer players, no computer burners, no simple copying.
Due to the open source aspect of linux/BSD/etc, there will probably never be commercial services on those OSes that need to protect content. With wide open sources it would be very difficult to implement anything like drm. I can only think of a scheme that would d/l a random memory-resident 'driver' (written in something akin to java) from a service and use that to secure communications for streaming content delivery (and d/l new secure comm format/protocols at the same time). A memory-resident driver would be requested on each attempt to play previously d/led content. Yeah, I'm using the word secure very loosely. Plan for everything to get cracked and what to do after.
Another way I think this would work is to get something like wine involved. Find a way for the windows version to work on an open OS.
Then again, from a commercial service standpoint I think the bigwigs in their golden towers view the open OS movement as a bunch of hippies sitting around taking hits off the linux bong. Commercial interests don't care that much about OSes that don't generate income and cannot protect content.
Here is one answer that the mpaa needs to get to work on immediately - internet distribution of movies and tv shows. Offer the people what we want - low cost entertainment. Strike while the iron is somewhat hot, even if the net speed isn't quite there yet. Offer content at lowest and highest quality initially, then fill in mid-range qualities as demand warrants. Have movies available as they hit retail dvd markets, and have a show suggestion/voting system setup so people can suggest what they want and others can vote for the show (this could dictate priority internally).
Offer the content at different price-points for quality - a movie available in divx at two or three qualities (or simply VCD and SVCD qualities) with pricing relative to quality and available at one or two bit-rates able to burn onto dvd. Like with iTunes, the content would be protected by licensing and drm. Also like iTunes, the drm and licensing should be as invisible as possible. A cd/dvd burning app would be integrated to support licensed burns of cd/dvd downloads (allowing maybe five burns as dvd burning is still kind of 'iffy').Streaming content would be available only in addition to downloadable versions, and at a significant price drop.
The drm should be as invisible as possible, while still protecting content. A burned dvd bought from the service might have the purchaser id mixed into the data (not impossible to defeat (recode), but the casual copier might not know-how/want to defeat). Same idea with s/vcd content. A divx content might also include this, but with one additional twist - low cost distribution. People (clients) could share the content amongst themselves. A client acquiring the content from another source could enable it to play at maybe 60% the cost of a download. The drm should be dynamic/random format/encryption so even if one form is cracked you don't lose everything. Anyone cracking the drm and/or illegally distributing the content would be punished harshly.
Download from the previously mentioned mirrors.
Dunno what Nullsoft are doing, but I couldn't d/l from the main site. Looks like the files aren't there.
This event is really too early to help Bush in any significant manner. If this were to happen in August/September or 2004, then it would be much different. This should be forgotten by the time the debates start, and should not be used by Bush.
The best thing the nine democrat candidates can do is to express relief, and to push for an international criminal court to try Saddam. In the meantime they should present a common voice that Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11, Osama and terrorism. Saddam acted agressively toward invading neighboring counries, and tortured and killed many Iraqi citizens, but he had nothing to do with 9/11, Osama and terrorism. Rinse, lather and repeat...
People can apply for visas to visit the US and be issued a smart card passport/visa to pass customs/security. The US embassies would do all background work and process the smart card visa/passport. Countries with embassies would not need to purchase anything, only supply whatever information an embassy requests on a person.
Some day, but not soon, people will be able to travel nearly worldwide with only simple national ID with them (ie drivers license). All other info will have been exchanged beforehand between embassies, carriers and travel agents before issuing tickets/passes. Everyone arriving will have already been checked out, and maybe only a cursory check on ID will be required to board (ie fingerprint before boarding, checked & matched during transit, confirmed at arrival).
I believe that the US government owes its citizens the responsibility & knowledge that whoever gets let into this country (on a passport) is not a terrorist. Embassies and intelligence assests can do background work on applicants, and embassies can issue passports with smart cards with encrypted data. People in countries that do not have an embassy would need to visit a country with an embassy to apply. It is all a matter of verifying that the person holding the card entering the country is same person whose data is on the card. Check iris, check a few fingerprints, check a photo and biometric data and as long as three out of four of those match it would sound reasonable enough for me.
Earlier this year when homeland security reported a new secure VISA system, this was what I had in mind - iris and fingerprint data along with the usual photo & dental records on one smart card. Then the Bush admin went ahead and put a year (or more) delay into whatever they do think was secure, supposedly so as not to disturb the busy european terro^h^h^h^h, er, tourist season. I guess keeping citizens safe isn't real big on Bush's agenda.
I think it just makes sense to push for a full biometric smart card for an international VISA/passport system. We have the technology, we have the knowledge, we have the money, and every country that participates fully will be a little safer. Take this along with full background checks and no 'favored' nation nonsense. Limit diplomatic passes to only those people needing them and yank it if the person even gets a jaywalking ticket.
You either get seriously tough on security, or admit defeat. You can't show you are securing the country if kids can still buy pot, crack and smack.
Just like the solution of two children wanting a leftover piece of pie - one party makes the cuts, and the other party picks what piece they want. Just add a mediating party to ensure accurate measurement of percentage on each piece. Flip which is the cutting/choosing party each time played. Neither party can complain about their piece being too small and the other too large.
Got anything more difficult to discuss...?
The Florida Turnpike Sunpass system (roughly same idea as EZ-Pass) TOS has/had a section on cooperation with law enforcement & courts. The Turnpike Enterprise would not turn over transponder records for the purpose of traffic enforcement, only for courts with specific purposes. I have no idea if 9-11 changed that, but seeing how Jeb Bush is in charge down here, I can't see it not changing.
On the other hand, if law enforcement where given just two weeks worth of transponder reports I believe Florida could rid itself of a budget crisis. Just image taking the family to Disney from your home in Miami and two weeks later getting several thousand dollars in fines and license revoke notices. Multiply that by the millions that use the system daily. Yeah, report 2 or 4 weeks worth of reports to FDLE and watch the chaos that ensues. Make the RIAA look more like amateurs.
Another thing to consider. At least in Florida, the Turnpike Enterprise wants to take the entire Turnpike to Sunpass eventually. Want to drive? Get a Sunpass. Then they could turn over transponder records to law enforcement without any problems.
Let see, thousands of tiny mote sensors spread throughout your living environment. Does the convenience factor outweigh the privacy factor? I can see law enforcement and marketing corps loving this whole idea. Some future attorney general might try to make embedding these into most consumer products and fabric a requirement.
Law enforcement could use these motes for cheap surveillance and community monitoring. Just think of it - some of the motes would be equipped with mics and DSPs and could be easily enabled by the consumer and/or law enforcement. Other motes would register heat/cool (for A/C & heat control) and could also track people and animals. Heck, specialized motes could be built to detect illegal drug use (pot/crack fumes). Detectives wouldn't even have to get next to your house seeing how you bought that slick wireless router (you had to since owning a wired router would brand you a terrorist with something to hide).
Madison Ave marketing would also love motes. Advertisers could use motes to determine the best time to call you (when you are home) and the best time customize your commercials (when you watch tv). How about a great rate on home insurance - only it will be terminated the moment the sensors pickup impending doom (water leak, structural damage, etc). With consumer electronics going wireless advertisers could have a field day tracking what you buy and how you act to determine what they should market to you.
Then think about the convenience - the A/C-heater could adjust the temp for the room you are in, the whole house, or some pattern possibly based on your behavior. Lights that turn on only for the rooms that are occupied, and to the level the person in that room wants. How about motes that detect that you haven't moved in 24 hours and alerts rescue/coroner. Hey, motes that listen for and act upon your command - "computer - music - light jazz - New Orleans bar after 2am" (motes play recording of bartender telling you the bar is closing and to get the hell out - only not that politely). Motes could tell you your oldest son is smoking in his room, daughter has lit some candles, teenage son is 'enjoying himself', the baby could use changing, and the wife is cheating on you (that wasn't your stain on the bed sheets). All that and more...
The motes could make your life great - in exchange for some privacy. What the heck, you have nothing to worry about as long as you are a law abiding, patriotic (to the current admin, not to the Constitution), well-adjusted citizen...
A long time ago, in a gala^h^h^h^h forum on CIS (Compuserve, for you script-kiddies), I downloaded an app named Babble that analyzed text and attempted poetry. Actually, I think analyze is too strong a work for what Babble did. You fed Babble text files of whatever you wanted sampled and babble spit out mixed-up jumbles of phrases. Ninety percent of the time it was utter garbage, not even beat poets would like it. Occasionally it ejected something plausible and possibly poetic. Ah, patience rewarded.
There is prior artwork here. This patent may have trouble remaining. I have never been able to find this app, but anyone else should be able to scan some DOS libraries and might find it. Go, find the app and stop the patent madness.
I use those clear (milky clear) storage boxes and crates you can get at department & office supply stores. You can somewhat make out what is stored within. I also use self-adhesive mailing labels on the top and sides to list contents.
Buy 'em, pack 'em, and stack 'em in a closet. Just remember to go through and clean them out every decade or so...
Thank you for the reply and comparison jetscootr. If I had any moderator points I'd try to mod you up. I believe that the reason that ADD/ADHD hasn't been explored on Slashdot (at least recently) is because most people don't want to believe they have a mental disorder and/or they cannot analyze themselves objectively. There are, most likely, some that don't want to admit a problem either.
I've known I am ADD/ADHD since I was in elementary school. I couldn't sit still and couldn't focus on any subject. Eventually my father relented to the powers-that-be that I should be medicated instead of twice-monthly beatings. The FDA had just approved Ritalin and I was a guinea pig. After six months they couldn't get the dosage low enough to suit me. I always went to zombie-state after taking the pill. I have heard they are much better at dosages now, but I want nothing to do with it. I try to manage by using diet, exercise and meditation. It also doesn't hurt to have a job that fits people with ADD/ADHD.
Getting back to topic. The best thing a company can do, with regard to ADD/ADHD employees, it to analyze the situation and determine whether an employee is adversely affected by the environment and proceed from there. Unfortunately, most companies would rather just threaten the employee and then dismiss rather than work through the issue. Companies should setup office workspaces with the employees and work to be done taken into account. Use some Myers-Briggs type tests with ADD/ADHD screening, and then place people into workspaces.
I think this move could be very good companies and communications, but for people with ADD/ADHD this is all very bad. An open environment leads to extremes in distractions. People moving about, people talking, speakers blaring (headphones only rule needed), top-level and upper management weenies watching production - all this would drive a person with ADD/ADHD to insanity (and/or unemployment).
As a person that deals with the rollercoaster ride of ADD/ADHD, I would like to see a 'compromise' solution. Keep the top-level management (Pres, VPs, CEO, etc) in offices (just shrink the offices), move the upper-level into cubes, eliminate middle-management, and push groups into group-centric open environments. Groups could move cube partition walls as needed. Leave some 'isolation tank' cubicles (high walls with extra sound dampening) available for people with ADD/ADHD.
As for the wireless 'shared' space - great idea, but where do you put your paper? Forms, documentation, books, etc. all the usual paper that you may need for work needs to be stored somewhere. I suppose you could dream of a paperless office, but I doubt most offices could pull that off effectively. Maybe I'm just 'old school', but my CYA work requires print-outs (since I cannot email these items to a home address). Still, great to see corporations working with wireless.
What I would like to know is how they plan on enforcing this on the international community. Getting the EU to agree shouldn't be a big deal, but 'problem' countries (ie China & Russia) will be the clincher. Without international enforcement this law isn't worth the paper it is written on. Spammers will just get a copy of the list and run to some banana republic and proceed to fill everyones email with crap.
There are problems with this law and international enforcement is the largest. After that there is how will forged headers be handled. Somebody sends out spam using your domain name and the FTC want millions of dollars and prison time. I see domain holders needing to get insurance against regulation as well as lawsuits.
FDR enacted regulation of certain industries to insure that consumers would not get ripped-off. Bush reversed these regulations possibly because he doesn't know history, and/or he and/or friends/relatives have stock in these industries, or some other overlooked reason. Bush and his administration heavily contributed to the power outage, and is making sure that plenty more are bound to happen. Remember this on the next election day.
The old cat & mouse game. You need the cat (ads) to take care of the mouse (content), and without the mouse there is no reason to have a cat. You have to have a good balance. Too many cats and too few mice, and you'll piss-off visitors. Too many mice and too few cats, and you'll lose your house. Balance is the ticket.
After the balance comes the problem of the type of cat. A simple mono-color tabby will do a good job, but your visitors won't be impressed. Get a big ferocious maine coon and visitors will not be able to see the mouse. Get a zippy, flashy, happy, playful calico and everyone will be too distracted to see the mouse. Of course, not all visitors are alike.
Consider your visitors. Some visitors can't stand cats and will be put off by you having any. Other visitors may think your cat & mouse fight is interesting enough to warrant having one or two around. Still other visitors are after the gore sport and don't care how many cats are involved as long as the mice get minced.
What would I do if I were running a website that required revenue to survive? Simple - I would ask my visitors. Maybe your visitors wouldn't mind a couple non-distractive ads, maybe a subscription plan without ads would work, or maybe you don't have many repeat visitors so it doesn't matter what they think.
The other item - adblockers. Whatever ads you have to run, test your site with various adblocking software. Find ways around the software. It may be as simple as keeping images on your own site but linking to other sites. Maybe putting ad text in the alt area would work so if the image is blocked your ad still goes out. But whatever you do, don't create distracting 'monkey punch','color flash' or Flash ads - those ads should be illegal.
Give people something close to what they want with liberal use policies and people will buy into the service. True, the DRM is still present, but it doesn't really get in the way (other than having to burn the songs to CD then rip to get the music to an open format). Give the providers some time to ramp-up the selection and these services should do very well.
On the negative note, I still think the songs are too expensive by about $0.30 (on the RIAA side). Drop the price overall and further on some for some of the older stuff (are royalties still being paid for Elvis, BTO, Argent, Foghat, Supertramp, Styx and other 'classic' dis-banded and deceased artists?) and improve the selection.
The Heller & Heller Carb Addict's lifestyle diet is basically Atkins with a slight variation. The last time I was on this diet I lost 100 pounds fairly easily. I followed the Atkins intro period then moved into the Carb Addict's routine. Lost 16 pounds in the first 14 days. Added exercise (bike riding) and the weight dropped off like nothing I've ever seen.
Like I wrote earlier, the Carb Addict's diet is very similar to Atkins. The primary difference is the addition of a 'reward' meal. Most of the time you are paying close attention to carbs and carb craving inducing foods. The reward meal lets to have all the carbs you want as long as you balance them with protein and fiber. You can eventually reduce the carbs to minimum and leave the protein and fiber. My variation is to exercise about 30 to 45 minutes after your reward meal. Exercise for as long as you can and whatever you feel is reasonable. I was biking 20 miles in 1:20 (hour:minute) daily (city biking with traffic and other obstacles).
The Heller & Heller Carb Addict's lifestyle diet is a good alternative to Atkins for people that cannot stick to Atkins. Like I wrote, I lost 100 pounds on this diet. Usually 3 to 6 pounds per week (btw, that is far outside the 'safe' range of weight loss per week).
As always, please consult your doctor before starting any diet and/or exercise plans for a clean start, tips and warnings.