They may not be high on the scope of science, but they DO have a bigger influence on popular opinion. Consider the consequences:
1) 300 million Americans hear on TV every night from their Weatherman that Global Warming is bollocks. 2) Some laugh and actually read up on it elsewhere for a balanced opinion 3) The other 80% simply absorb it, and actually believe or repeat it. 4) Public opinion doesn't support Global Warming issues, or spending to reduce it. 5) Grandma buys a Hum-V and a herd of cows for pets, votes down any candidate that wants to spend her tax dollars on "garbage" science 6) we all die.
Ok, so maybe less than 80% of people believe what their Weatherman tells them... but it can still affect how research money is spent in the end. Public personalities need to be accountable for the results of their publicly stated opinions, and think about it before spewing it.
In the end - so what if Global Warming is either natural (sun cycle, etc.), or if it's not really happening (unlikely)... the upsides to trying to curb our impact on it are huge, and the downsides are almost nil. It's a pretty savvy investment.
>> What if the state claims that he was using their resources and knowledge about how ticket-system works?
If that were the only thing their claim to the source code was based on, the likely outcome is that it would ONLY prevent him from selling it or disclosing it to anyone else (besides the DOT). It would NOT mean that they own the source.
It's a gray area - especially if he was provided a computer and time off to develop some/all of the code. Personally, I would have offered to turn over the code and all rights to it if they FULLY compensated me for the personal time invested in developing, troubleshooting, and supporting it.
Why the fuck are they going after the teacher when they SHOULD be going after the Spyware writer/vendor??? Even if the teacher did get the spyware on the computer by visiting a porn site, that doesn't ruduce the culpability of the spyware company/individual in exposing the kids to porn. I'm assuming the teacher didn't visit porn sites WITH the kids (or in front of the kids) of course.
So, fire the teacher for visiting porn in her off hours, and put the spyware guy in jail.
I forgot to mention - don't forget to remove the cling-wrap in the spring when you open up your cottage. It can be a nasty surprise if someone tries to use the toilet without removing it. It's usually fairly clear film after all.:)
Plastic cling-wrap is your friend.... it works wonders on toilets and such, or over sinks where you can't plug the overflow drain as well. It's great for cottages that you seal up for the winter.
Stack about 30 or so transparent displays on top of each other and create a true 3-D display - albeit limited in number of layers of depth to the number of screens. Anyone with a 30-head video card for me?:)
1) the developers participated willingly in this promotion ( I believe... sorry, didn't RT full FA. ) 2) this was an INCREMENTAL distribution channel to what the developers already have in place 3) there is nothing preventing the developers from continuing to sell the software elsewhere, or do other promotions in the future with the SAME content. 4) The developers still own the content and all rights to it.
Try that with anything a musician records on an RIAA-controlled recording contract.:)
"Gentle" pursuasion works... here's what an old dealer of my last company did to ensure companies paid their bills: he had a special cargo container (1 40-foot shipping container you see on ships/trucks) that was essentially filled with cement. If you were late paying, he'd drop it off in front of your business... essentially blocking the most critical access to the building (front door, shipping dock, whatever works).
Customers pay. Nobody gets hurt, and life goes on.
Only if we could do that here... (being Belgium, that is)
The real question is if tax on CD's is really relevant anymore... how many people actually burn music back to CD's after downloading/ripping it? I'd guess that 95% plus goes straight to an MP3 player.
Taxing CD's for music piracy is not really hitting the nail on the head anymore. Bandwidth is cheaper, and MP3 players too common.
>>Other clauses prohibit preventing or hindering access to a program or data held on a computer, or impairing the operation of any program or data held on a computer."
Well - DRM restricts or impairs access to data held on a computer... especially when it's added to a file that wasn't previously encrypted (aka Zune file sharing). Hmmm....
>> why not just add Wikipedia to the database and catch 99.9% of students
Well, how about the amazingly smart student who writes a kick-ass paper, then decides that it's worth posting on Wikipedia for the world to share. He'd be accused of plagerizing his own work (I doubt they'd check the author's name on Wikipedia, just that there was a "hit" for copying).
After all, why wouldn't a student that actually gave a shit about what they were learning NOT want to share a paper they're proud of? Shouldn't that be ENCOURAGED? (both being proud of your work because you put genuine work into it, and sharing it afterwards?).
It's a flawed system, on top of the IP/Copyright issues. Personally, I'd sue the school and the service for copyright infringement.
Keep in mind that by bending light around an object, you're preventing that light from being visible to anyone/anything within the field. Essentially, when you were "cloaked", you'd also be blind.
So, there go the recreational usages of such technology...:)
Please, oh PLEASE God, don't tell me I'm written in Perl! I would like to think that I'm maintainable by someone other than just the original coder on a good day.
Actually, if you EVER submit a document in Courier to a printer, it'll really fuck them up. Most RIPs (Raster Image Processors, which convert vector documents to halftone dots for printing) substitute missing fonts with Courier by default.
Seeing this, printers will automatically assume that there's a missing font and send your job back to prepress as they normally would... and prepress will probably scratch their heads for a while trying to figure it out.
Great point - DVD's that won't allow you to skip intros and previews drive me crazy, to the point that I will not watch ones that include lengthy non-skippable content. I've even gone as far as taking a disc out and destroying it over frustration (anger management is another story...).
If this type of behavior became "normal" for digital content or recorded shows, I'd either find a different entertainment media, or give it up altogether.
There is a difference though - taking a picture of the sunset or city skyline means that the primary focus of the picture is generic. The buildings or bridge contribute to the overall picture, but are in and of themselves not the subject. If any one (copyrighted) element was removed from that photo, and it still held up on its own, then you're basically ok.
If you take a picture OF the statue in question, then you're essentially just documenting the artist's work (even if you add your creative flare). If you removed the statue from the photo, then there would be no subject left. This is where the artist has "legitimate" beef.
Now, I certainly do have issue with anyone agreeing to place a statue in a public park with these types of photographic rights reservations, but that's another matter.
>> My point being that there are plenty of interesting tastes in the world which don't involve alcohol, so if you do drink then you must do so for the mind altering effects, therefore the person you were replying to is right.
Up until that point, you didn't sound like a troll... but to paraphrase what you said above would be the same as:
"There are plenty of interesting foods in the world which don't involve saturated fats. So, if you eat anything with saturated fats then you must be doing so to get fat yourself. That's the only possible reason why you would eat things like that".
Saturated fats are in most of your typical junk foods (and lots of other things), but I highly doubt that people eat them because they want to get fat.
One of the reasons I rarely drink more than one drink a night? I don't particularly like feeling drunk. I assure you, taste is by far the primary reason I consume alcoholic beverages (if I do). That wasn't always the case, but I'm past that stage of my life now.
Slashdot Mirror
They may not be high on the scope of science, but they DO have a bigger influence on popular opinion. Consider the consequences:
1) 300 million Americans hear on TV every night from their Weatherman that Global Warming is bollocks.
2) Some laugh and actually read up on it elsewhere for a balanced opinion
3) The other 80% simply absorb it, and actually believe or repeat it.
4) Public opinion doesn't support Global Warming issues, or spending to reduce it.
5) Grandma buys a Hum-V and a herd of cows for pets, votes down any candidate that wants to spend her tax dollars on "garbage" science
6) we all die.
Ok, so maybe less than 80% of people believe what their Weatherman tells them... but it can still affect how research money is spent in the end. Public personalities need to be accountable for the results of their publicly stated opinions, and think about it before spewing it.
In the end - so what if Global Warming is either natural (sun cycle, etc.), or if it's not really happening (unlikely)... the upsides to trying to curb our impact on it are huge, and the downsides are almost nil. It's a pretty savvy investment.
MadCow.
>> What if the state claims that he was using their resources and knowledge about how ticket-system works?
If that were the only thing their claim to the source code was based on, the likely outcome is that it would ONLY prevent him from selling it or disclosing it to anyone else (besides the DOT). It would NOT mean that they own the source.
It's a gray area - especially if he was provided a computer and time off to develop some/all of the code. Personally, I would have offered to turn over the code and all rights to it if they FULLY compensated me for the personal time invested in developing, troubleshooting, and supporting it.
MadCow.
Why the fuck are they going after the teacher when they SHOULD be going after the Spyware writer/vendor??? Even if the teacher did get the spyware on the computer by visiting a porn site, that doesn't ruduce the culpability of the spyware company/individual in exposing the kids to porn. I'm assuming the teacher didn't visit porn sites WITH the kids (or in front of the kids) of course.
So, fire the teacher for visiting porn in her off hours, and put the spyware guy in jail.
MadCow
Who says they haven't included something equally as dangerous on their Linux distros?
MadCow.
I forgot to mention - don't forget to remove the cling-wrap in the spring when you open up your cottage. It can be a nasty surprise if someone tries to use the toilet without removing it. It's usually fairly clear film after all. :)
MadCow.
Plastic cling-wrap is your friend.... it works wonders on toilets and such, or over sinks where you can't plug the overflow drain as well. It's great for cottages that you seal up for the winter.
Kevin.
Does my car really NEED to be the next device I have to worry about getting a virus? Symantec AntiVirus Automotive Edition anyone? Yay...
I don't relish the thought of having to bring my car in for "security upgrades" or a re-install...
MadCow
Stack about 30 or so transparent displays on top of each other and create a true 3-D display - albeit limited in number of layers of depth to the number of screens. Anyone with a 30-head video card for me? :)
MadCow.
I see a few significant differences:
:)
1) the developers participated willingly in this promotion ( I believe... sorry, didn't RT full FA. )
2) this was an INCREMENTAL distribution channel to what the developers already have in place
3) there is nothing preventing the developers from continuing to sell the software elsewhere, or do other promotions in the future with the SAME content.
4) The developers still own the content and all rights to it.
Try that with anything a musician records on an RIAA-controlled recording contract.
MadCow.
>>The stock market skyrocketed downward today... (heard on TV recently)
This was probably from a Chinese commentator that remembers the Long March tests (see the Chinese Satelite story from today if you don't understand).
MadCow.
I guess I forgot to mention that this was in China. Such safety infractions aren't always taken as seriously where he was doing this.
MadCow
"Gentle" pursuasion works... here's what an old dealer of my last company did to ensure companies paid their bills: he had a special cargo container (1 40-foot shipping container you see on ships/trucks) that was essentially filled with cement. If you were late paying, he'd drop it off in front of your business... essentially blocking the most critical access to the building (front door, shipping dock, whatever works).
Customers pay. Nobody gets hurt, and life goes on.
Only if we could do that here... (being Belgium, that is)
MadCow.
The real question is if tax on CD's is really relevant anymore... how many people actually burn music back to CD's after downloading/ripping it? I'd guess that 95% plus goes straight to an MP3 player.
Taxing CD's for music piracy is not really hitting the nail on the head anymore. Bandwidth is cheaper, and MP3 players too common.
MadCow
Sure, just eat at McD's for a month, and you'll go through all your belts in that timeframe. Supersize me!
MadCow.
>>Other clauses prohibit preventing or hindering access to a program or data held on a computer, or impairing the operation of any program or data held on a computer."
Well - DRM restricts or impairs access to data held on a computer... especially when it's added to a file that wasn't previously encrypted (aka Zune file sharing). Hmmm....
MadCow
According to the article (first paragraphs even...), Methane is chemically broken down by sunlight over a few hundred years.
MadCow.
>> why not just add Wikipedia to the database and catch 99.9% of students
Well, how about the amazingly smart student who writes a kick-ass paper, then decides that it's worth posting on Wikipedia for the world to share. He'd be accused of plagerizing his own work (I doubt they'd check the author's name on Wikipedia, just that there was a "hit" for copying).
After all, why wouldn't a student that actually gave a shit about what they were learning NOT want to share a paper they're proud of? Shouldn't that be ENCOURAGED? (both being proud of your work because you put genuine work into it, and sharing it afterwards?).
It's a flawed system, on top of the IP/Copyright issues. Personally, I'd sue the school and the service for copyright infringement.
MadCow.
Keep in mind that by bending light around an object, you're preventing that light from being visible to anyone/anything within the field. Essentially, when you were "cloaked", you'd also be blind.
:)
So, there go the recreational usages of such technology...
MadCow.
Please, oh PLEASE God, don't tell me I'm written in Perl! I would like to think that I'm maintainable by someone other than just the original coder on a good day.
Actually, if you EVER submit a document in Courier to a printer, it'll really fuck them up. Most RIPs (Raster Image Processors, which convert vector documents to halftone dots for printing) substitute missing fonts with Courier by default.
Seeing this, printers will automatically assume that there's a missing font and send your job back to prepress as they normally would... and prepress will probably scratch their heads for a while trying to figure it out.
MadCow.
Great point - DVD's that won't allow you to skip intros and previews drive me crazy, to the point that I will not watch ones that include lengthy non-skippable content. I've even gone as far as taking a disc out and destroying it over frustration (anger management is another story...).
If this type of behavior became "normal" for digital content or recorded shows, I'd either find a different entertainment media, or give it up altogether.
MadCow.
Yes you can -and by default you already own it. However, that's when your image is used for COMMERCIAL purposes.
Nobody has the right to use your image for promoting their products, for example - even if the picture of you was taken in a public space.
MadCow.
There is a difference though - taking a picture of the sunset or city skyline means that the primary focus of the picture is generic. The buildings or bridge contribute to the overall picture, but are in and of themselves not the subject. If any one (copyrighted) element was removed from that photo, and it still held up on its own, then you're basically ok.
If you take a picture OF the statue in question, then you're essentially just documenting the artist's work (even if you add your creative flare). If you removed the statue from the photo, then there would be no subject left. This is where the artist has "legitimate" beef.
Now, I certainly do have issue with anyone agreeing to place a statue in a public park with these types of photographic rights reservations, but that's another matter.
MadCow.
>> My point being that there are plenty of interesting tastes in the world which don't involve alcohol, so if you do drink then you must do so for the mind altering effects, therefore the person you were replying to is right.
Up until that point, you didn't sound like a troll... but to paraphrase what you said above would be the same as:
"There are plenty of interesting foods in the world which don't involve saturated fats. So, if you eat anything with saturated fats then you must be doing so to get fat yourself. That's the only possible reason why you would eat things like that".
Saturated fats are in most of your typical junk foods (and lots of other things), but I highly doubt that people eat them because they want to get fat.
One of the reasons I rarely drink more than one drink a night? I don't particularly like feeling drunk. I assure you, taste is by far the primary reason I consume alcoholic beverages (if I do). That wasn't always the case, but I'm past that stage of my life now.
MadCow.
Must be a different MadCow... I'm just the plain meat variety. :)