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User: shotfeel

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  1. Re:Good job everyone! on Steve Jobs Announces (some) DRM-free iTunes · · Score: 3, Informative

    AAC is an MPEG standard format and is the official successor to MP3; a.k.a. it's "MP4."

    I'm glad someone finally stated that. AAC is not just any standard, it is the MPEG/ISO standard.

    IOW, AAC is to MPEG4 what MP3 is to MPEG2. As you stated, AAC is the official successor to MP3. That's why Apple chose it when they did. At the same time MPEG4 became their standard for video AAC became their standard for audio. That was before the iTMS even went on line.

  2. Re:Good job everyone! on Steve Jobs Announces (some) DRM-free iTunes · · Score: 1

    Where is the average joe and jane six pack going to click?

    Who cares when you can upgrade by just paying the price difference?

  3. Re:so, is MS okay to bundle now? on Business 2.0 Says 'Boycott Vista' · · Score: 1

    I'm still trying to find out what this "DVD burning" software is. I agree, including the basics for using all the hardware is expected in an OS. I got the impression though that this software is geared more towards creating your own DVD (similar to iDVD). Am I wrong?

    On another note, I'm primarily a Mac user, and the Mac OS has included basic disk burning software ever since Apple started selling Macs with built-in burners. I still found it worth the money to buy Roxio's Toast because it is simply better for doing many things IMO. So I'd find it troubling if MS didn't include basic disk burning software.

  4. Re:so, is MS okay to bundle now? on Business 2.0 Says 'Boycott Vista' · · Score: 1

    And to further #2, Mac OS X and iLife are sold separately, including upgrades.

  5. Simple everyday example -DVD on Explaining DRM to a Less-Experienced PC User? · · Score: 1

    If you want to explain DRM, use a simple real-world example everyone is familiar (and frustrated) with -the DVD.

    You put a DVD in your player to watch a movie and what happens? You can't just watch the movie, you get FBI warnings, studio splash screens, movie trailers, etc. before you even get to the main menu. Can you fast-forward through them, skip them, go straight to the menu? Sometimes -that's up to the studio to decide, not you while your sitting in your living room. If you try to do something the studio doesn't approve (sometimes just hitting the Stop button duing a movie trailer), you get an error message.

    That's DRM -it allows the content provider to control what the user can do, to the point that it can prevent the user from doing what is perfectly legal to do. That's what DRM (as opposed to copy protection) is all about -enforcing the will of the copyright holder after the sale.

  6. Re:from the article, price list on Windows Vista Prices and Release Date Leaked · · Score: 1

    I agree with most of what you've stated. I'm not using OS X because its cheaper.

    OTOH, when comparing prices, what version of Vista is really the appropriate one to use? Do we compare to Home, Business or Ultimate?

  7. Re:Not Quite on Windows Vista Prices and Release Date Leaked · · Score: 1

    That's what I've heard.

    So just about the time you get everything installed and are comfortable running XP, you can start all over with a new copy of Vista!

    OTOH, would it be feasible for MS to allow OEMs to put both a copy of XP and a beta of Vista on the machines? Don't know if that would really help or not.

  8. Re:What about all the other Barbies? on Congress vs Misleading Meta Tags · · Score: 1

    Better, how about Barbie twins!
    You could try image 10 for a bit less coverage.

  9. Re:Prediction on CEO Shawn Hogan Takes on MPAA · · Score: 4, Informative

    For anyone interested, Recording Industry vs The People keeps an eye on many of the RIAA cases in progress.

  10. Re:Prediction on CEO Shawn Hogan Takes on MPAA · · Score: 1

    What counterclaims? I don't see any mentioned in TFA.

  11. Re:Prediction on CEO Shawn Hogan Takes on MPAA · · Score: 2, Informative
    Yep. Statutory damages -they don't have to prove they actually suffered any damages.

    See Statutory damages for copyright infringement

    In the United States, statutory damages are set out in Title 17, Section 504 of the U.S. Code. The basic level of damages is between $750 and $30,000 per work, at the discretion of the court.
    Plaintiffs who can show willfull infringement may be entitled to damages up to $150,000 per work. Defendants who can show that they were "not aware and had no reason to believe" they were infringing copyright may have the damages reduced to $200 per work.
  12. Re:So, according to TFA... on Legal DVD Burnable Downloads Launched · · Score: 1

    Just guessing (based on the accuracy of most stories like this) they probably mean it can only be burned once. The assumption being nobody knows how to stick a disk in the computer's drive and hit the "Duplicate" button in their favorite software.

    The other basis for my guess is from a story on a different, but similar plan,. You needed to download their software to unlock and burn the movie to disk (sorry, Windows only).

  13. Re:Clueless as usual... on Legal DVD Burnable Downloads Launched · · Score: 4, Interesting

    That's what I was thinking. The movies you find in Wal-mart in the 2 for $10 bin are now going to be available for download for $9 (time, computer, internet connection, DVD burner and blank media not included).

    Just be sure you don't burn a coaster on that first try...

  14. Re:Why would that be weird? on PS3 To Slow Game Industry Growth? · · Score: 1

    If we're talking T and M rated games, I think the Playstation wins. If we're talking E/Y rated games, GameCube wins. Just MO.

  15. Re:The real moon conspiracy on Apollo 11 TV Tapes Go Missing · · Score: 2, Informative

    This site is always a lot of fun. The linked page goes through much of the "evidence" used in a Fox TV show about the Apollo moon hoax, and debunks the evidence step-by-step.

    One of the things that has fascinated me in the past when reading stuff on the site, is that the way things often work in space often seems to contradict common sense and intuition, even for the scientifically minded.

  16. Re:Stepped up? on Sony Pulls Controversial PSP Ad, Issues Apology · · Score: 1

    no company should be changing how they do business in a country the US doesn't have control over because we bitch

    As a proponent of free speech, I'd say anyone should be free to bitch about something any company does anywhere in the world. Said company is also free to completely ignore the bitching or respond to it as best suits their interests.

  17. Re:Inflatable? on Inflatable Private Space Station Launched · · Score: 2, Interesting

    An inflatable, on the other hand, has to be flexible in order to allow it to inflate. That seems to imply that something like a paint chip might just well zip right through a wall or two.

    That depends on how much "give" there is. With the right kind of cushioning effect to absorb the energy, it might actually be pretty durable.

  18. Re:Stepped up? on Sony Pulls Controversial PSP Ad, Issues Apology · · Score: 1

    Already happened: I rmember my dad being upset many years ago because he was called into HR for being "insensitive". His crime? Specifying "Male" and "Female" connectors for cables on a purchase order. Apparently the person who processed the order was offended.

  19. Re:new scapegoat? on Microsoft Hoping for Vista in January · · Score: 1

    MS understands that this is the biggest release in their history, it is a pivotal moment for the company,

    Wasn't that what was said about Win95, NT, and XP?

    IMO Win95 still counts as the biggest. That's what secured their OS monopoly and added the most/biggest features to the OS.

  20. Re:Hmm... on DS Claims EU Dominance · · Score: 1

    Fourth??? The GameBoy the most popular handheld of earlier years. That not only means a chance to build up their user base, but also means there's a huge crop of older games that "upgraders" can still play. Sony has an uphill battle all the way. They had a console user base, not a handheld user base.

  21. Re:Hmm... on DS Claims EU Dominance · · Score: 1

    No, but they're pretty close in the portable music player business.

  22. Re:Long filename horror story on Linux/Mac/Windows File Name Friction · · Score: 1

    That''s obviously the best way to do it. For some reason, I don't do it though. The mmddyy format is either to ingrained or I'm just being lazy. Or I the thought of having two different naming schemes on the same drive, because that does cause problems. The only thing that saves me is that I have enough files that each year has its own folder. But then the year in the filename becomes a bit redundant.

  23. Re:Does anyone have more info? on SEC Launches Take-Two Investigation · · Score: 2, Informative

    Wow, that's a loaded statement -- do you have a specific dislike for executives?

    No, right or wrong that's just where most of the press seems to be focused. You're right that its an issue with anyone who receives stock options, or more specifically with any company that uses them for compensation.

    More often than not, this is not illegal or shady.

    As the article I linked stated, there is nothing wrong with it, as long as certain procedures are followed. Most notabley, everyone involved needs to be informed up-front that this is the way the company is doing it. Many of the informal SEC investigations are simply asking to see documentation that shareholders were properly informed and financial statements properly accounted for the issue. AFAIK, if that's done, the investigation is over.

  24. Re:Does anyone have more info? on SEC Launches Take-Two Investigation · · Score: 2, Informative

    As bfizzle notes, just about every other company is being investigated, and those that aren't being investigated are doing some scrambling to investigate themselves.

    The reason is a study published by Eirk Lie. The short story is he found that executives in many companies "happened" to receive stock options dated to the most recent low in the stock price. This "happened" at a much higher rate than dictated by chance alone. IOW it looked like many companies were backdating the date the options were granted to favor the grantee -which may be a violation depending on whatever rules the company has in place regulating such things. Lie's study showed this may be a very widely used method of granting options -thus many company's are being investigated.

  25. Re:Long filename horror story on Linux/Mac/Windows File Name Friction · · Score: 1

    I never had too much trouble dealing with the name length when going between systems. What always messed me up (and still does sometimes) is that "forbidden" characters are different between OS's. I often include dates in my filenames. In older Mac OS's I always used mm/dd/yy. OS X and DOS/Windows don't like those files very much.