I hate M$ same as everybody else but who cares? They paid some dough and the post office put up a display. Anybody could do it if they had the money.
The Post Office isn't some holy place, it's barely connected with the government, and hasn't received any tax dollars since Nixon. It's basically a private organization.
When you see Windows product placement in, say, a courtroom, that's when I'd start to worry....
Amazon has had a habit in the past of basically moving costs out of the last quarter of the year into other quarters, so their "Christmas" quarter always looks great (though this one looks a shedload better than their year-ago, that's for sure).
Maybe somebody who owns the stock and actually pays attention to the financial statements (i.e., you didn't buy it at $140/share and are stuck with it now) can research this?
Also pay attention to their HUGE debt. Poor debt management can kill a company, like KMart which filed bankruptcy today.
Although I don't like Amazon because of the patents and the fact that Jeff Bezos is a clown (okay a little ad-hominem there, but making him man of the year was an embarrasment to Time magazine if you ask me), I'd hope they succeed because I love reading their great reviews before buying CDs and books from Barnes and Noble.:-)
Script Kiddies will have a far harder time when admins start practising zero tolerance.
Oh lord no. Don't use the words Zero Tolerance. That simply means Zero Thought.
Pinging a machine is NOT the same as trying the doors and windows. It's more like driving by and looking at them. Actually it's not like anything in the physical world. In the physical world you can "see" things. On a network the only way to see things is to send packets to them.
Please, don't use these flawed analogies. We don't need a world where accidentally leaving ping runnning in another window is a crime.
I just recently had to deal with Zero Tolerance admin who saw Port Unreachables from a nameserver I admin and he apparantly had to fill out paperwork, make phone calls, track down the packets, do all this bullshit "escalation procedures", all because of what turned out to be normal internet traffic.
I feel inclined to mention that Stephen King made about half a million on his Plant experiment, after expenses, which is pretty good considering 1) it was entirely a "virtual" product, 2) he screwed up a lot of stuff.
The press (owned by big publishers mostly) said it was a failure, and King even send a letter to one newspaper (NYT perhaps it was), explaining that it wasn't really a failure, but of course they didn't publish it.
I think his experiment was a useful step in the right direction.
Before people start asking, we will NOT be asking for donations or having a paypal donation button
I don't get these comments, it costs them money but they don't ask for any, or they ask people to buy tchotchkes which are secondary to the actual comic product.
Why not add a PayPal button? Is it some kind of pride or something, that people might think they are begging? They don't seem to have a problem with banner ads.
The internet makes it possible for you to say "you can pay if you want, and if you don't that's okay too". Public radio has been working like this for while, why not use the model on the internet?
I don't read any online comics but there are some free things like TidBITS and heroic stories for which I have gotten into the habit of pay $10-20/yr for as if it was a paper subscription (hell I've read Tidbits since freakin' high school and I feel like I owe them a lot). I'd be willing to pay for stuff like/. too, I pay for stuff that adds value to my life, and I don't care if other people don't pay.
Early glimpses of the plan suggested a system in which water is replaced by a fluid that evaporates over the hot parts of the pc, is then moved by convection to a radiator where it cools, condenses and is returned by gravity to the start of the cycle. Sadly the idea remained vaporware for a long time.
Sounds like it still is?
Looks like you made a pun too: cuz that's how a still works!
I've thought about this. Ignoring the indie musicians for a minute who will still be there no matter what, I'd love for the music industry to go under. It means I could finally complete my CD collection.:-)
Think about it, how much stuff is out there that you wanted to buy at one time, but don't now because of new stuff coming out? Okay I'm kinda joking but really if the music industry disappears its not like all music and talent goes with it.
Of course, political contributions from the music industry might decline a bit....
McOwen used resources without permission. Ideally that gets you a talking-to from a supervisor, at worst it gets you fired.
Taking legal action against an employee for it is way overboard, and even 80 hour community service and $2100 is too much, considering he was fired from a subsequent job, and probably has had his life turned upside down for a few months (I believe he and his wife had a newborn at the time). The reason we should have a fair legal system is so you don't have to go through this kind of thing. What on earth was the attorney general thinking? Where they trying to meet some quota or something? Testing out a new law?
Anyway, glad to see things turned out all right, and he didn't have to go to court, where he probably wouldn't have had enough money to win the case.
USE OF THE PLAYER AND CONTENT
No Additional Charge.
There is no additional charge to you for the Player or Content.
My, that's awfully nice of them! No additional charge, eh? What a deal!
They're just reminding us that if they want, they COULD charge for it. Wanna listen to your CD on your PC? Just dial into our LicenseLine(tm) and buy a 50-minute block of FreedomToListen(tm) our latest feature!
I noticed in the legalese it uses Blowfish. How much you wanna bet if you pop it in your LUNIX HACKER PROGRAM and mount it, it will have a bunch of MP3s, possibly with custom headers, encrypted with Blowfish, and a file called "BLOWFISH.KEY" that contains the decryption key? Or a variation.
So which CDs have this wonderful consumer-friendly technology (New And Improved! Now Contains Copy Protection!), I want to buy one on eBay and check this out, before putting back on eBay to get rid of it.
Note: This slashdot post is for informational purposes only. If you live in a country with DMCA-type laws, please pretend you didn't read this. You don't know me, I don't know you, got it?
I was thinking Napster was dead and gone but I'm starting to think they might be on to something, especially since it looks like MP3.com is losing its luster.
The service should allow artists to choose if they want the "secure" wrapper or plain MP3s, and/or the wrapper should be easy to remove (the way Fanning keeps talking about it the wrapper makes me think it will be).
The system should allow you to identify rips before you download them (ie, there should be "official" rips for each song, preferably at a few different qualities, and that should get passed around, rather than every dork sharing their own "version" of the track full of skips and dropouts and bad encoding).
And there should be plenty of tools for learning about new music, and ways for artists to promote themselves (hopefully not ending up with big guys shutting out little guys).
I think might actually turn out pretty good, especially for indie artists looking for distribution. Better than having to set up your own website and pay for bandwidth, and you might get a few bucks. Just tell people, my new track is up on Napster, check it out.
The Napster brand is pretty strong too, in fact I still use the term "Napster" even if I'm actually using another service.. like, didja Napster the new Boards of Canada album yet?
Yeah, the recent non-shaving mirror iMacs hav that requirement too. Actually the one I have has a thermal pad. That's because the whole metal frame is used as a thermal conduit and if you expose the junction(s) to air or scratch them it might create thermal resistance. A little thermal compound is okay considering it doesn't have a fan, which is the best thing that Apple's done with their PCs if you ask me!
The idea that you can be bound to the terms of an UNSIGNED contract, is the problem. The idea that you have no right to own the copy YOU PAID FOR unless you agree to a license, is the problem. This is what RMS was talking about when he said copyright holders have too much power. It's a by-product of the way copyright law works.
And although some of this license may or may not hold up in court, do YOU want to be the one that tests it out?
The solution is simple (and I'm only half joking here). All software licenses for purchased software must be signed by both parties, digitally or with a pen. I bet you'd see a streamlining of licenses really fast as everyone actually started reading them and companies had to compete based on them.
So although this is truly the most despicable thing I've seen in a software license, it's not completely Borland's fault. The entire concept of shrinkwrap licensing is broken from the start. Expect to see much more of this in the future (and it will of course be selectively enforced against 1) big businesses with deep pockets, and 2) easy targets, like Russian security professionals).
Electromagnetic radation (nonionizing) like the microwave is different than particle beams (ionizing).
The microwave oven basically shakes the burrito. The electron beam pummels it with electrons, which can change the nature of the atoms. Somebody who's studied this stuff should explain the differences.
I was under the impression that they were just doing letters. What point is it to do packages?
Why don't I just line my box with lead or aluminum foil (obviously if I know how to make anthrax, I can calculate how thick the foil needs to be). Then put my anthrax in it.
People get all kinds of letters from strange sources. But hardly ever strange packages, right? Except of course for public figures, but perhaps their mail should be treated differently.
It's just more SNAKE OIL designed to make everybody feel good. Like checking for nail clippers at the airport.
As for the five lives comment, well I guess in the USA we value whatever life is broadcast on the evening news. But I agree with the poster's sentiment, there's a balance to be made between the illusion of safety and the day-to-day functioning of society.
Free markets fail with public goods. Think of the environment, or airline safety. There is incentive to freeload (to increase production and pollution, or to pay less than the other airlines for security workers, for example).
Free markets and laissez-faire capitalism are best for goods that aren't shared this way, and which don't have a freeloaders problem.
But for public goods, central planning is necessary. For example, the government sets limits which help keep the environment clean, and airlines safe (theoretically). The government enforces this with fees or penalties, which change the cost structure. In other words it punishes participants who freeload.
Ideally, the government should be made up of market participants. This is what we have (theoretically for sure) in the USA and any other democracy.
So we need government for certain things, we can't have free markets for everything, nor central planning for everything, and the threshold depends on how bad the freeloader problem is. This study seems to re-affirm that.
It is interesting to debate whether art, literature, computer software, etc, is a public good or not.
Hey everybody on the "slashdog" BBS, jsut wanted everybody to know, MICRSOOFT IS TEH BEST operating program for computers. Lunxi stinks and you can't get good games like Xbox for it. I know because I've used LUnix a very long time, since 1989 at least. But no more. Also GLP license is for terrorists.
NET. rules!
John if you're reading this where is taht check? I posted like 100 of these alreaedy.
Today the US Supreme Court held an unprecedented press conference, clarifying certain important issues in the Constitution.
"After completing several years of scholarly research and deliberation, it turns out we were wrong. The First Amendment is actually all about a FREE PEACH." said head Justice William H. Rehnquist.
"So therefore," continued Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, "we will be issuing no further judgements that allow anyone to say what they want." She paused to take a large noisy bite from a delicious peach and let the juice run down her chin. "Mmm, free peach." Justice Clarence Thomas nodded in agreement as he recalled the beautiful peach groves in his home town of Savannah Georgia.
"In fact, anyone who wants to say something, will have to pay us first. The highest bidder will win any case that comes before us." O'Connor added between mouthfuls. "It was quite amusing to think that we actually wasted so much time and split so many hairs on this subject before. Now the free market can work its magic."
The Supreme Court also will soon be issuing notices to all newspapers and web sites, informing them that they are now under control of the government.
Furthermore, all peach growers will be subsidized by the government, so that all citizens may enjoy their right to free peach.
About the Glass comment.. he says that a cheaper product will hurt a successful company charging more? Is that right? He doesn't believe in competition and free markets? What is he, some kind of... Communist?
I guess he's like the folks who want to make sure cheap alternative fuel sources never make it to market, so the oil companies can stay rich.
Never mind the fact that there are plenty of examples of similar products where the more expensive version is still more popular. From music, to software, to automobiles.
And the anti-GPL comment is meaningless. I suppose if I looked at Microsoft Windows source code with a Microsoft representative nearby, and then released something vaguely similar, I'd be okay? No, I'd get one hell of a "poison pill" from Redmond.
It sounds like half-completed thoughts. Kinda like when distributors of copyrighted works complain about how they won't be able to afford distribution if the public can copy their work for free... not realizing that they don't NEED to distribute it themselves any more.
Yeah, that would be way cool, a great way to distribute MP3s without having to pay for bandwidth. You could just put on your music website "Wanna hear more of my music? Download 'FOO-DOGGITY' from Napster!". And you might get a few bucks out of it. All the folks (assuming anybody signs up for it) downloading the latest LFO single would basically be subsidizing your bandwidth (communism at it's best;-).
But NO WAY if it doesn't allow 1) completely unrestricted MP3s and 2) MP3s at any quality (like 256kbs and up.).
The ideal Napster would be exactly like the old Napster but with a subscription fee and a way to ensure you downloaded the right MP3 (ie, the one the artist put out with good ID tags and not the shitty one some kid down the street ripped at 80k mono).
We'll see though. I have a feeling it will become completely irrelevant.
1) the mainstream press is owned by the same people writing copyright law; 2) copyright law is about as exciting as, well, law; and 3) people don't care about things that don't affect them. See how quickly people are willing to limit freedoms specified in the bill of rights, why would they even hesitate to limit freedoms not mentioned specifically?
Slashdot Mirror
I hate M$ same as everybody else but who cares? They paid some dough and the post office put up a display. Anybody could do it if they had the money.
The Post Office isn't some holy place, it's barely connected with the government, and hasn't received any tax dollars since Nixon. It's basically a private organization.
When you see Windows product placement in, say, a courtroom, that's when I'd start to worry....
Amazon has had a habit in the past of basically moving costs out of the last quarter of the year into other quarters, so their "Christmas" quarter always looks great (though this one looks a shedload better than their year-ago, that's for sure).
Maybe somebody who owns the stock and actually pays attention to the financial statements (i.e., you didn't buy it at $140/share and are stuck with it now) can research this?
Also pay attention to their HUGE debt. Poor debt management can kill a company, like KMart which filed bankruptcy today.
Although I don't like Amazon because of the patents and the fact that Jeff Bezos is a clown (okay a little ad-hominem there, but making him man of the year was an embarrasment to Time magazine if you ask me), I'd hope they succeed because I love reading their great reviews before buying CDs and books from Barnes and Noble. :-)
Script Kiddies will have a far harder time when admins start practising zero tolerance.
Oh lord no. Don't use the words Zero Tolerance. That simply means Zero Thought.
Pinging a machine is NOT the same as trying the doors and windows. It's more like driving by and looking at them. Actually it's not like anything in the physical world. In the physical world you can "see" things. On a network the only way to see things is to send packets to them.
Please, don't use these flawed analogies. We don't need a world where accidentally leaving ping runnning in another window is a crime.
I just recently had to deal with Zero Tolerance admin who saw Port Unreachables from a nameserver I admin and he apparantly had to fill out paperwork, make phone calls, track down the packets, do all this bullshit "escalation procedures", all because of what turned out to be normal internet traffic.
I feel inclined to mention that Stephen King made about half a million on his Plant experiment, after expenses, which is pretty good considering 1) it was entirely a "virtual" product, 2) he screwed up a lot of stuff.
The press (owned by big publishers mostly) said it was a failure, and King even send a letter to one newspaper (NYT perhaps it was), explaining that it wasn't really a failure, but of course they didn't publish it.
I think his experiment was a useful step in the right direction.
Before people start asking, we will NOT be asking for donations or having a paypal donation button
I don't get these comments, it costs them money but they don't ask for any, or they ask people to buy tchotchkes which are secondary to the actual comic product.
Why not add a PayPal button? Is it some kind of pride or something, that people might think they are begging? They don't seem to have a problem with banner ads.
The internet makes it possible for you to say "you can pay if you want, and if you don't that's okay too". Public radio has been working like this for while, why not use the model on the internet?
I don't read any online comics but there are some free things like TidBITS and heroic stories for which I have gotten into the habit of pay $10-20/yr for as if it was a paper subscription (hell I've read Tidbits since freakin' high school and I feel like I owe them a lot). I'd be willing to pay for stuff like /. too, I pay for stuff that adds value to my life, and I don't care if other people don't pay.
Can't they just put an enormous heat sink on the CPU and then put vents in the top of the machine? Like a Mac, or even a TV, or stereo?
Even if it still needs a fan why not point the damn thing up??
It seems to me the equivalant of trying to make toilets flush to the right instead of down.
Early glimpses of the plan suggested a system in which water is replaced by a fluid that evaporates over the hot parts of the pc, is then moved by convection to a radiator where it cools, condenses and is returned by gravity to the start of the cycle. Sadly the idea remained vaporware for a long time.
Sounds like it still is?
Looks like you made a pun too: cuz that's how a still works!
Mmm, moonshine.
I've thought about this. Ignoring the indie musicians for a minute who will still be there no matter what, I'd love for the music industry to go under. It means I could finally complete my CD collection. :-)
Think about it, how much stuff is out there that you wanted to buy at one time, but don't now because of new stuff coming out? Okay I'm kinda joking but really if the music industry disappears its not like all music and talent goes with it.
Of course, political contributions from the music industry might decline a bit....
McOwen used resources without permission. Ideally that gets you a talking-to from a supervisor, at worst it gets you fired.
Taking legal action against an employee for it is way overboard, and even 80 hour community service and $2100 is too much, considering he was fired from a subsequent job, and probably has had his life turned upside down for a few months (I believe he and his wife had a newborn at the time). The reason we should have a fair legal system is so you don't have to go through this kind of thing. What on earth was the attorney general thinking? Where they trying to meet some quota or something? Testing out a new law?
Anyway, glad to see things turned out all right, and he didn't have to go to court, where he probably wouldn't have had enough money to win the case.
USE OF THE PLAYER AND CONTENT
No Additional Charge.
There is no additional charge to you for the Player or Content.
My, that's awfully nice of them! No additional charge, eh? What a deal!
They're just reminding us that if they want, they COULD charge for it. Wanna listen to your CD on your PC? Just dial into our LicenseLine(tm) and buy a 50-minute block of FreedomToListen(tm) our latest feature!
I noticed in the legalese it uses Blowfish. How much you wanna bet if you pop it in your LUNIX HACKER PROGRAM and mount it, it will have a bunch of MP3s, possibly with custom headers, encrypted with Blowfish, and a file called "BLOWFISH.KEY" that contains the decryption key? Or a variation.
So which CDs have this wonderful consumer-friendly technology (New And Improved! Now Contains Copy Protection!), I want to buy one on eBay and check this out, before putting back on eBay to get rid of it.
Note: This slashdot post is for informational purposes only. If you live in a country with DMCA-type laws, please pretend you didn't read this. You don't know me, I don't know you, got it?
I was thinking Napster was dead and gone but I'm starting to think they might be on to something, especially since it looks like MP3.com is losing its luster.
The service should allow artists to choose if they want the "secure" wrapper or plain MP3s, and/or the wrapper should be easy to remove (the way Fanning keeps talking about it the wrapper makes me think it will be).
The system should allow you to identify rips before you download them (ie, there should be "official" rips for each song, preferably at a few different qualities, and that should get passed around, rather than every dork sharing their own "version" of the track full of skips and dropouts and bad encoding).
And there should be plenty of tools for learning about new music, and ways for artists to promote themselves (hopefully not ending up with big guys shutting out little guys).
I think might actually turn out pretty good, especially for indie artists looking for distribution. Better than having to set up your own website and pay for bandwidth, and you might get a few bucks. Just tell people, my new track is up on Napster, check it out.
The Napster brand is pretty strong too, in fact I still use the term "Napster" even if I'm actually using another service.. like, didja Napster the new Boards of Canada album yet?
Yeah, the recent non-shaving mirror iMacs hav that requirement too. Actually the one I have has a thermal pad. That's because the whole metal frame is used as a thermal conduit and if you expose the junction(s) to air or scratch them it might create thermal resistance. A little thermal compound is okay considering it doesn't have a fan, which is the best thing that Apple's done with their PCs if you ask me!
The idea that you can be bound to the terms of an UNSIGNED contract, is the problem. The idea that you have no right to own the copy YOU PAID FOR unless you agree to a license, is the problem. This is what RMS was talking about when he said copyright holders have too much power. It's a by-product of the way copyright law works.
And although some of this license may or may not hold up in court, do YOU want to be the one that tests it out?
The solution is simple (and I'm only half joking here). All software licenses for purchased software must be signed by both parties, digitally or with a pen. I bet you'd see a streamlining of licenses really fast as everyone actually started reading them and companies had to compete based on them.
So although this is truly the most despicable thing I've seen in a software license, it's not completely Borland's fault. The entire concept of shrinkwrap licensing is broken from the start. Expect to see much more of this in the future (and it will of course be selectively enforced against 1) big businesses with deep pockets, and 2) easy targets, like Russian security professionals).
Electromagnetic radation (nonionizing) like the microwave is different than particle beams (ionizing).
The microwave oven basically shakes the burrito. The electron beam pummels it with electrons, which can change the nature of the atoms. Somebody who's studied this stuff should explain the differences.
I was under the impression that they were just doing letters. What point is it to do packages?
Why don't I just line my box with lead or aluminum foil (obviously if I know how to make anthrax, I can calculate how thick the foil needs to be). Then put my anthrax in it.
People get all kinds of letters from strange sources. But hardly ever strange packages, right? Except of course for public figures, but perhaps their mail should be treated differently.
It's just more SNAKE OIL designed to make everybody feel good. Like checking for nail clippers at the airport.
As for the five lives comment, well I guess in the USA we value whatever life is broadcast on the evening news. But I agree with the poster's sentiment, there's a balance to be made between the illusion of safety and the day-to-day functioning of society.
Free markets fail with public goods. Think of the environment, or airline safety. There is incentive to freeload (to increase production and pollution, or to pay less than the other airlines for security workers, for example).
Free markets and laissez-faire capitalism are best for goods that aren't shared this way, and which don't have a freeloaders problem.
But for public goods, central planning is necessary. For example, the government sets limits which help keep the environment clean, and airlines safe (theoretically). The government enforces this with fees or penalties, which change the cost structure. In other words it punishes participants who freeload.
Ideally, the government should be made up of market participants. This is what we have (theoretically for sure) in the USA and any other democracy.
So we need government for certain things, we can't have free markets for everything, nor central planning for everything, and the threshold depends on how bad the freeloader problem is. This study seems to re-affirm that.
It is interesting to debate whether art, literature, computer software, etc, is a public good or not.
Hey everybody on the "slashdog" BBS, jsut wanted everybody to know, MICRSOOFT IS TEH BEST operating program for computers. Lunxi stinks and you can't get good games like Xbox for it. I know because I've used LUnix a very long time, since 1989 at least. But no more. Also GLP license is for terrorists.
NET. rules!
John if you're reading this where is taht check? I posted like 100 of these alreaedy.
Sometimes you think, marketing departments are useless, then you see something like that...........
Today the US Supreme Court held an unprecedented press conference, clarifying certain important issues in the Constitution.
"After completing several years of scholarly research and deliberation, it turns out we were wrong. The First Amendment is actually all about a FREE PEACH." said head Justice William H. Rehnquist.
"So therefore," continued Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, "we will be issuing no further judgements that allow anyone to say what they want." She paused to take a large noisy bite from a delicious peach and let the juice run down her chin. "Mmm, free peach." Justice Clarence Thomas nodded in agreement as he recalled the beautiful peach groves in his home town of Savannah Georgia.
"In fact, anyone who wants to say something, will have to pay us first. The highest bidder will win any case that comes before us." O'Connor added between mouthfuls. "It was quite amusing to think that we actually wasted so much time and split so many hairs on this subject before. Now the free market can work its magic."
The Supreme Court also will soon be issuing notices to all newspapers and web sites, informing them that they are now under control of the government.
Furthermore, all peach growers will be subsidized by the government, so that all citizens may enjoy their right to free peach.
Anyone criticizing these changes will be shot.
It's a shaving mirror!
Yeah I noticed that too, wtf?.
The movie star was seen drinking Jolt Cola (an alternative to Pepsi-Cola's Pepsi).
About the Glass comment.. he says that a cheaper product will hurt a successful company charging more? Is that right? He doesn't believe in competition and free markets? What is he, some kind of... Communist?
I guess he's like the folks who want to make sure cheap alternative fuel sources never make it to market, so the oil companies can stay rich.
Never mind the fact that there are plenty of examples of similar products where the more expensive version is still more popular. From music, to software, to automobiles.
And the anti-GPL comment is meaningless. I suppose if I looked at Microsoft Windows source code with a Microsoft representative nearby, and then released something vaguely similar, I'd be okay? No, I'd get one hell of a "poison pill" from Redmond.
It sounds like half-completed thoughts. Kinda like when distributors of copyrighted works complain about how they won't be able to afford distribution if the public can copy their work for free... not realizing that they don't NEED to distribute it themselves any more.
Yeah, that would be way cool, a great way to distribute MP3s without having to pay for bandwidth. You could just put on your music website "Wanna hear more of my music? Download 'FOO-DOGGITY' from Napster!". And you might get a few bucks out of it. All the folks (assuming anybody signs up for it) downloading the latest LFO single would basically be subsidizing your bandwidth (communism at it's best ;-).
But NO WAY if it doesn't allow 1) completely unrestricted MP3s and 2) MP3s at any quality (like 256kbs and up.).
The ideal Napster would be exactly like the old Napster but with a subscription fee and a way to ensure you downloaded the right MP3 (ie, the one the artist put out with good ID tags and not the shitty one some kid down the street ripped at 80k mono).
We'll see though. I have a feeling it will become completely irrelevant.
1) the mainstream press is owned by the same people writing copyright law; 2) copyright law is about as exciting as, well, law; and 3) people don't care about things that don't affect them. See how quickly people are willing to limit freedoms specified in the bill of rights, why would they even hesitate to limit freedoms not mentioned specifically?