This is a very sleazy practice on the part of the Printer company. I wouldn't have a problem with having true non-undercover Canon or HP representatives in the printer aisle at Best Buy. I would love to ask them questions, because unlike most employees in those stores, they either don't know the answers to your questions, or are way to busy for you to find them and ask anything.
Being able to ask a true live printer sales rep wouldn't be half-bad.
On the other hand, having these undercover sales reps is totally wrong. If I'm asking an employee of one of these chains a question about this printer or this printer by another company, etc. I would expect unbiased opinions and facts. (as much as you could expect to be unbiased)
However, with these undercover sales reps, it's biased, and you the consumer has no idea that it is. The undercover guy is pushing his product and you don't know that he is, and of course the main reason that this is wrong, is that the product he pushing you towards may not be the best and/or suit your needs properly as some other companies'.
The core fundamental defense that 2600 has on its side is the fact that DeCSS is a player for Linux boxes, where there was no player provided by the industry. The MPAA didn't believe that Linux was an "authorized" system for use of their property.
That is why this case should keep going straight to the Supreme Court, where they will reaffirm the fair use doctrines, since after all, it is not illegal that you use whatever player you wish. Truly, it is the movie industry with their DVD region coding, and their "authorized player/use" that violates fair use and infringes on the rights of the users
Regarding the DMCA, I would have to say that I hate this legislation. It was done quickly, and with little regard for the actual consumer and rights of individuals. It's doubtful that the Supreme Court could overturn the DMCA based on this case. We will have to wait for another case that clearly infringes on the rights of the consumer(and believe me, it will come), and uses the DMCA as the wonderful law that is being broken in the case. Until then, we should find ways in which to use content within fair use, and wait to be challenged by the powers that be. Then we'll take them to the top.
To have a true scientific experiment, you must be able to control all the variables in an experiment except 1. Then you have 2 (at least) groups that do the same things, except the experimental group does/has one thing different.
Ok, that's my lesson in the scientific experiementation method. However, I say you're proposed method/test can't show anything, even if you used a game that no one has played, it just will not prove anything. What you would have to do to reach any statistics (no deductions, mind you, just statistics) is have them fill out survey on whether or not they've played Strategy/Whatever Genre before, Computer skills, and I think you even need to do research on what questions need to be on the survey, because I'm sure there are factors and variables that I'm not thinking of. And if you do go through the test, I recommend trying different games, timed/team play, multiple foucs groups, etc. (No one said this would be easy)
All in all, this sounds like an interesting research subject. I mostly play strategy games, and I wonder how I would fair in this experiment data. Anyways, Good Luck!!
Anyone heard of the new product GrooveNetworks is developing? Called simply, "Groove" this progra, is set to change the way everything is done right now in the IM market and business itself. It's only in preview version now, but the product is amazing. It combines all the featues of ICQ/AIM, combined with the features of Netmeeting, but it makes it more community based, with "spaces". The collabrative tools it offers far outclass Netmeeting or it's like.
It also plans to allow users to use distributed computing, and group file sharing (similar to Napster/Scour, but for any files)
This program has enormous potential, I hope everyone will check it out.
I loved Anit-trust. This is the first Hollywood Open-Source supporting (or mentioning) movie, and I was actually entertained by this movie.
This movie kept me guessing throughout it, and given, the plot development could have been worked on a little, but otherwise this was a good movie.
I agree with the comment on how the geeks were pretty. We're not. But unfortunately, putting up ugly people on a major Hollywood screen isn't the most sound idea, and hey, I liked the all of 2 chicks we got to see in the movie.
The technical details were correct insofar, as you have to remember that this is a Hollywood movie.
As for the comments regarding to "save your money" I say that we occasionaly need to leave our computer caves and venture out to the movie theatre. (even if it is to see a movie about what we are most interested in and do anyway.)
I can't read the article... and I'm not the only one...
However, whatever it says, there is no way Microsoft could collapse in six months. The make more money from Office and their other ventures than the OEM.
I highly suggest this read
http://www.netaction.org/msoft/world/MSWord2World. html
To see just how far reaching Microsoft really is... their investments include everything from Dreamworks to BET to Apple.
check it out.
Re:Christmas isn't about presents
on
Gifts For Geeks
·
· Score: 2
That's right! Send geeks these wonderful things and I don't know who wouldn't be happy for months and months!
I really do have a comment though. I have found that buying these gifts online, is the only way to show your true geekness, and it's even better if the person you send them too, receives them right from the company, (a.k.a, ThinkGeek, Amazon, etc.) it just shows how much you care, and how much you wish to promote geekness and nerdiness in others.
But Personally, my letter to Ol' Saint Nick will include:
Car MP3 player
Lego MindStorms!
AND the Beowulf Cluster (of course)
And forget the Voodoo 5 5500, it's hyped, and way too much money for what you're getting (besides, 3dfx left the video card biz, lest we forget)
I'm am so tired of corporations/government scanning everything and everyone. Sure me have privacy legislation, but it's not doing enough.
A privacy amendment will also us to quote it like we do now, such as, "take the 5th", "1st amendment rights", So we need an amendment that gives the people basic privacy rights, that pertains to the 21st century, and while were in there, we could probably solve some copyright use issues as well."
I defintely read about this before about few months before in/.
I don't think it's vaporware. Everyone talks about DVD killers, and in reality they probably will be.
I would like to point out that no DVD disk could hold enough of the upcoming, "ready or-not, you will get this shoved down your throat" HD-TV, to be viable consumer product. FMD would offer a good solution to this so you could have your HD-TV movies, and so on.
Movies currently have to be downsampled and "pan and scanned" to be able to see them right. Even for DVD. The FMD disk offerers true movie quality, (especially since movies are being shot digital now, e.g. Mission to Mars, Star Wars: Ep II.)
So I would say this now. Don't invest in DVD. It's a great format, but it's not going to have the longevity that VHS did.
CO2 levels are always changing. There are soo many many many many many many many many many plants, and all they breathe is CO2, and let's not mention plankton. When Volcanoes erupt, a lot of CO2 ends up in the atmosphere. A LOT. Now with that in mind, lets remember that they've been erupting since the earth was formed, so this is nothing new to the biosphere.
I can't claim to be any expert, but I've also read studies that claim the last big Ice Age was caused by the "leeching" of CO2 out of the atmosphere by the raising of Himalayan plateau. Greenhouse science does have it's basis, but often, scientists will come up with findings and those finding will reveal shocking numbers, predictions, and more studies are done in that direction of the "shocking findings" and lo and behold, next thing you know, special interest is all up in arms and something has to be done, of course.
There is some truthfulness to the original thread here. There is increased Sun activity. I read some findings that had satellite based temperature readings, and when compared to the same data on the ground, HMMMM, it matched. Meaning that Sun directy affects our temperature on Earth. Wow, what a surprise. Greenhouse effect studies should not be discounted, but probably re-examined with this factored in, AND I would like to add that most of this science is about 30-35 years old at best, and we really just haven't been watching Earth's climate pattern's long enough to make any concrete science theories or predictions.
I would have everyone remember that Earth is sooooooo much bigger than us, and will survive just about anything we could possibly throw at it. What this article IS talking about again, is how Prof. Hawking doesn't think we'll be able to live HERE after 1000 years, with the way things are going.
So, what should be done?
We should keep watching and gathering data, and NOT dumping a bunch of CO2 into the atmosphere from cars, power plants, and everything else, certainly wouldn't be a bad idea.
"Digitize Everything"
I agree that A Final Unity was a good game, all the characters voices, and the space battles weren't horrible (unless you tried to run the game on a 486!):P And a great feature was easy transfer of saved games between computers, which I did for a friend who didn't want to bother playing the game and still wanted to see the end.
But overall it had a good plot, and the away missions were pretty fun.
Slashdot Mirror
I misspelled the last part it should say: "Caveat Emptor" :)
Being able to ask a true live printer sales rep wouldn't be half-bad.
On the other hand, having these undercover sales reps is totally wrong. If I'm asking an employee of one of these chains a question about this printer or this printer by another company, etc. I would expect unbiased opinions and facts. (as much as you could expect to be unbiased)
However, with these undercover sales reps, it's biased, and you the consumer has no idea that it is. The undercover guy is pushing his product and you don't know that he is, and of course the main reason that this is wrong, is that the product he pushing you towards may not be the best and/or suit your needs properly as some other companies'.
I guess all we can say is Cavet Emptor.
That is why this case should keep going straight to the Supreme Court, where they will reaffirm the fair use doctrines, since after all, it is not illegal that you use whatever player you wish. Truly, it is the movie industry with their DVD region coding, and their "authorized player/use" that violates fair use and infringes on the rights of the users
Regarding the DMCA, I would have to say that I hate this legislation. It was done quickly, and with little regard for the actual consumer and rights of individuals. It's doubtful that the Supreme Court could overturn the DMCA based on this case. We will have to wait for another case that clearly infringes on the rights of the consumer(and believe me, it will come), and uses the DMCA as the wonderful law that is being broken in the case. Until then, we should find ways in which to use content within fair use, and wait to be challenged by the powers that be. Then we'll take them to the top.
Ok, that's my lesson in the scientific experiementation method. However, I say you're proposed method/test can't show anything, even if you used a game that no one has played, it just will not prove anything. What you would have to do to reach any statistics (no deductions, mind you, just statistics) is have them fill out survey on whether or not they've played Strategy/Whatever Genre before, Computer skills, and I think you even need to do research on what questions need to be on the survey, because I'm sure there are factors and variables that I'm not thinking of. And if you do go through the test, I recommend trying different games, timed/team play, multiple foucs groups, etc. (No one said this would be easy)
All in all, this sounds like an interesting research subject. I mostly play strategy games, and I wonder how I would fair in this experiment data. Anyways, Good Luck!!
It also plans to allow users to use distributed computing, and group file sharing (similar to Napster/Scour, but for any files)
This program has enormous potential, I hope everyone will check it out.
http://www.groove.net
This movie kept me guessing throughout it, and given, the plot development could have been worked on a little, but otherwise this was a good movie.
I agree with the comment on how the geeks were pretty. We're not. But unfortunately, putting up ugly people on a major Hollywood screen isn't the most sound idea, and hey, I liked the all of 2 chicks we got to see in the movie.
The technical details were correct insofar, as you have to remember that this is a Hollywood movie.
As for the comments regarding to "save your money" I say that we occasionaly need to leave our computer caves and venture out to the movie theatre. (even if it is to see a movie about what we are most interested in and do anyway.)
And remember, it was JUST a movie.
Where/who was this fanciful organization? I would like to work there! If you say Microsoft by golly I'll...
However, whatever it says, there is no way Microsoft could collapse in six months. The make more money from Office and their other ventures than the OEM. I highly suggest this read
http://www.netaction.org/msoft/world/MSWord2World. html
To see just how far reaching Microsoft really is... their investments include everything from Dreamworks to BET to Apple.
check it out.
But Personally, my letter to Ol' Saint Nick will include:
Car MP3 player
Lego MindStorms!
AND the Beowulf Cluster (of course)
And forget the Voodoo 5 5500, it's hyped, and way too much money for what you're getting (besides, 3dfx left the video card biz, lest we forget)
Merry Xmas /.!
"HOLY Great Gargantuan Galaxy Clusters, Batman!"
or something like that....
A privacy amendment will also us to quote it like we do now, such as, "take the 5th", "1st amendment rights", So we need an amendment that gives the people basic privacy rights, that pertains to the 21st century, and while were in there, we could probably solve some copyright use issues as well."
I thought that these monitors could be a long-term (5 yrs) investment. Unlike a processor that must be upgraded AT LEAST every 2-3 years.
At least my Palm will have a better screen someday...
I defintely read about this before about few months before in /.
I don't think it's vaporware. Everyone talks about DVD killers, and in reality they probably will be.
I would like to point out that no DVD disk could hold enough of the upcoming, "ready or-not, you will get this shoved down your throat" HD-TV, to be viable consumer product. FMD would offer a good solution to this so you could have your HD-TV movies, and so on.
Movies currently have to be downsampled and "pan and scanned" to be able to see them right. Even for DVD. The FMD disk offerers true movie quality, (especially since movies are being shot digital now, e.g. Mission to Mars, Star Wars: Ep II.)
So I would say this now. Don't invest in DVD. It's a great format, but it's not going to have the longevity that VHS did.
CO2 levels are always changing. There are soo many many many many many many many many many plants, and all they breathe is CO2, and let's not mention plankton. When Volcanoes erupt, a lot of CO2 ends up in the atmosphere. A LOT. Now with that in mind, lets remember that they've been erupting since the earth was formed, so this is nothing new to the biosphere. I can't claim to be any expert, but I've also read studies that claim the last big Ice Age was caused by the "leeching" of CO2 out of the atmosphere by the raising of Himalayan plateau. Greenhouse science does have it's basis, but often, scientists will come up with findings and those finding will reveal shocking numbers, predictions, and more studies are done in that direction of the "shocking findings" and lo and behold, next thing you know, special interest is all up in arms and something has to be done, of course. There is some truthfulness to the original thread here. There is increased Sun activity. I read some findings that had satellite based temperature readings, and when compared to the same data on the ground, HMMMM, it matched. Meaning that Sun directy affects our temperature on Earth. Wow, what a surprise. Greenhouse effect studies should not be discounted, but probably re-examined with this factored in, AND I would like to add that most of this science is about 30-35 years old at best, and we really just haven't been watching Earth's climate pattern's long enough to make any concrete science theories or predictions. I would have everyone remember that Earth is sooooooo much bigger than us, and will survive just about anything we could possibly throw at it. What this article IS talking about again, is how Prof. Hawking doesn't think we'll be able to live HERE after 1000 years, with the way things are going. So, what should be done? We should keep watching and gathering data, and NOT dumping a bunch of CO2 into the atmosphere from cars, power plants, and everything else, certainly wouldn't be a bad idea. "Digitize Everything"
I agree that A Final Unity was a good game, all the characters voices, and the space battles weren't horrible (unless you tried to run the game on a 486!):P And a great feature was easy transfer of saved games between computers, which I did for a friend who didn't want to bother playing the game and still wanted to see the end. But overall it had a good plot, and the away missions were pretty fun.