I overclock. It's the difference between adjusting the heat settings, mirrors, seat positions, and radio volume on your car, and putting on a fat exhaust, aftermarket boom radio, and an intercooler for more speed and 'wow!' factor. Not only does it make your computer go just a bit faster, but it's for bragging rights too. It's fun. It's the hardware side of script kiddies, maybe to a degree (but not nearly as disruptive to everyone else:-p ).
Sure, overclocking doesn't need to be done, but some people enjoy it, like me, but I hate fiddling with trying to code or decode programs. Boring! But if that's what floats your boat, great!:)
The biggest problem is that it's mainly adults that create online 'filth.' We so often forget where the crap we're trying to protect our kids from, comes from - ourselves. Why is it ok for one human who is 19 to view the most obscene sexual/hate/abuse website while it is not ok for the next human who is only 17? Maybe when us adults started acting like adults, and quit perpetuating the system of evil in the world, then we wouldn't need to be drafting laws to 'protect the children' from our own ridiculous behavior.
Is everything suitable for children? Obviously not. Saving Private Ryan is an excellent film, excessively gory, and I wouldn't show it to a young child. But showing it to a 16 year old and letting them see visually and audibly why war is hell is a good thing if the 16 year old is mature enough to handle it. Let's not ban everything 'dirty.' Let's just exercise a little more self-control as adults instead.
Please explain to me how a human eye evolved. It has multiple parts that cannot benefit the body in any other way apart from their job in the eye. A similar comparison would be that my computer is completely useless apart from many things: a power source, software code to run it, I/O devices to allow me to interact to it. Seems to me like intelligent, supernatural design made our world.
AND, you've obviously not taken even a glance at the probabilities of what it would take to form a simple amoeba. That alone, would require: just the right mix of elements, at just the right time, in just the right temperature, at just the right barometric pressure. The probabilities of that happening are in the millions of years alone. Now try multiplying the complexity of that single cell organism one billion times, with a billion more functions than just 'being alive.' You quickly can see that the age of our universe would need to be infinite to even come close to forming just one big blob of a creature, let alone one with eyes, ears, a mouth, a nose, and sense of touch, and all the other things that most animals have.
Lastly, as for your '640k should be enough for everyone' argument - supernatural doesn't mean limited you numb-nut. Supernatural means outside of our known "nature." Don't equate the all-knowing, all-present, all-powerful God to a finite being such as Bill Gates, even if you don't believe in God. To do so belittle's what a Christian believes, which is nothing more than bigotry.
One of my friends is taking an accelerated course in one year through DeVry Institute of Technology to get a psuedo-CS degree on top of his Business degree from OSU. It really has to suck though, because he had like 50 pages of reading (and two assignments) due before the very first class!
Ok, this is completely offtopic, but I had a roommate once who had a condition like this, except that instead of not being able to see or hear like most everyone else, he could not detect feelings. I'm not kidding!
Once, me and a bunch of friends were playing with a puppy and having a good time with the dog, playing, laughing, smiling, etc. This former roommate of mine just sat there staring as if nothing had changed emotionally. I guess, in a way, he couldn't detect facial expressions too, because he couldn't tell we were happy, even though we were smiling and laughing.
Anyways, it was really weird, but he's a really nice guy, and it took me a while to accept that he had that condition that didn't fit in with what I had observed from everyone else in the world that I had met. What's really hard is when I was really mad at him, or really glad for him, and he was unable to discern that unless I actually described my feelings to him with words. Very strange.
I'm not sending money to companies as a 'charitable contribution'! Let them figure out their own way to make money if they want to run a business. The EFF is different, however, as I would expect them to fight for my civil rights to an extent, which should be free of limited control by 'shareholders.' I support businesses by using their stuff and maybe donating some time and energy to improving parts of their free products that I think need fixed or cleaned up, but I'm not Mr. Moneybags here.
1. No company can perfectly ensure safety of their product. A housebuilder can't always provide indestructable windows to thwart a thief, just as a Java programmer cannot always provide the absolute "best practices" to ensure software coding 'safety.'
2. Not everyone has a sysadmin's skill set, hence, patching faulty products is not something everyone knows how to do, or why they should do it.
3. Not all crimes can be solved. Just as thiefs make off with stolen goods every day, so too a script-kiddie can remain safely anonymous from the law.
The basis you are all forgetting, is this: If we were given the tools in the first place to make our homes/software secure, we wouldn't be in such a vulnerable position if we didn't want to be. Thankfully, Microsoft does offer free patches when THEY fix the flaw in their product. Unfortunately, there is no way to know if they forgot a lock on the upstairs window until someone manages to stumble upon the fact, because they've chosen to limit everyone's right to fully use their own house (read: software). If you lease it, you can't upgrade it...
Similarly, if I want to own a gun (at least in America still) to protect my house and family from intrusion, I can. Is it fullproof? No, but it's better than not being able to own a gun. Get my point?
All I am saying is that I DO prefer Windows ease of use and advancements they've made to date, but what REALLY worries me is that I can't 'make things better' as I see fit without paying more for the 'lease.' Linux, on the other hand, encourages everyone to add to it, rebuild it, and fortify it by giving everyone the rights to do so. Can I do so directly? No, I'm not a programmer, but at least other people have released add-on tools that I can use to do so.
And finally, security through obscurity is nice for the CEO, but bad for the end-user. Why? I test software, and I've seen it over and over again: a product gets released with a couple bugs that no one has the time to test, and before you know it, it's causing serious problems for the end-user. Now when you release the software with the bugs, and tell people, "Hey, check this software out. It may never be perfect, but we hope you can catch the bugs and repair, or help us repair them before they cause a big problem."
Then you guesstimated that they have a T1 line capable of 1.5 Mega-bits per second. This means he's receiving ~300.0-400.0 Mega-bits of info per day from SirCam emails. So in the end, if you do all the calculations, this amounts to an even less impressive ~0.00000023%-0.00000077% of his bandwidth being taken by Sircam per day. So yes, the amount of insignifigance of this is amazing. Now when I get CodeRed and its variants pinging my computer and every computer on the Cable network in my area continuously, 24/7, every 2 minutes, THAT's a lot of traffic.
The original poster got it slightly wrong. What he should have said is that: "I get ~150-200 Sircam emails per day at an average size of 250KB per attachment (that's Kilo-Bytes, not Kilo-Bits)"
Then you guesstimated that they have a T1 line capable of 1.5 Mega-bits per second. This means he's receiving ~2.0 Mega-bits of info per day from SirCam emails. So in the end, if you do all the calculations, this amounts to an even less impressive 0.0015% of his bandwidth being taken by Sircam per day. So yes, the amount of insignifigance of this is amazing. Now when I get CodeRed and its variants pinging my computer and every computer on the Cable network in my area continuously, 24/7, every 2 minutes, THAT's a lot of traffic.
Of course it doesn't excuse the crime, but calling someone a terrorist because they disrupt, but don't DESTROY someone's daily life is absolutely absurd. The original post was trying to only convey that thought. Terrorists kill people, pick-pockets grab things. The two are not the same thing, so whoever is calling script-kiddies terrorists is just pissed off with themselves and others for purchasing proprietary software that they cannot support properly by installing patches to security flaws. There are two (maybe even three) parties at fault here, and none of them are killing people, so let's not refer to those that exploit other people's ineptitude to maintain their computers as terrorists.
While.NET and this project are good explorations in new computer coding and interoperability, I still won't use either one. Hell, it's easy enough to get your own computer broken into, but it's only one computer with one set of a person's info in most cases. Why should I entrust info to one giant database of a whole bunch of users, be it free or not? That's about the most inviting target for anyone to crack into. Not only is it supposed to be difficult to get into, but once in, their is ALL KINDS of info to grab!
.NET and all alternatives to it is like putting a naked supermodel alone in a gym full of 16-18 year old boys and telling them not to touch! >:)
Heh. Well, while I would call in to question the moral arguments of that book link, it had some interesting stuff none-the-less.
As for liberty, this country was founded partly on the ideals that each individual is inherantly granted the right to protect, defend, and 'make' themselves. Sure, that can lead to plenty of corruption as people try to 'make' themselves at the inhumane expense of other people (lying, cheating, stealing), but ultimately, aren't we all a bunch of liers, cheats, and thieves at heart, even if in just small ways? It's leveraging each individuals selfish tendencies against everyone else's selfish tendencies. I personally trust myself, and you, and everyone else to make the decisions of what's right for ourselves. Giving some arbitrary leader and/or committee to try to tell us how to live is rather ridiculous, as they are just as inherrantly selfish on an individual level as we all are.
Let us all use our tools how we see fit, I say. If that means I see fit to carry my AR-15 with me on every plane ride, so be it. No one is guaranteed to be living in the next minute as we all have weaknesses and can easily die of any number of things. I just think that treating me as if I was responsible for 9-11-01's events is an insult to my overall better behavior than the 19 terrorists who actually committed such heinous acts. And if anyone else thinks about doing such on a plane in the future, I would prefer to have the tools to stop them dead in their tracks of killing hundreds, by being able to kill one or two with a few well placed shots to the throat. Don't you?
(P.S. The last question is rhetorical; yes, I agree with your sentiments on liberty and freedom.)
And please, don't you atheists drone on about how Christians are supposed to be pacificts, loving, caring, and above all, against violence. If I have to choose to follow the Bible and God's commandments contained therein (such as not taking the mark of the Beast as described in the above quotation), then Big Brother can implant that chip on my forehead or hand when he hacks it off of my cold dead, firearm carrying body.
That's right, I will fight to the death, the requirement to carry some implant/tattoo/'mark' on my person! Treating the common man like a common criminal provides us with neither liberty, nor security.
"If you think it [file sharing programs] should not be legal, what remedies should the law consider, since these systems can have significant non-infringing uses as well?
LL:
I support these technologies. More importantly, I support the right of innovators to develop these technologies. But I don't support copyright violations using these technologies.
You'd think this would be an easy distinction to understand: We live in a country where 10 children are killed by hand guns every day. But Smith and Wesson doesn't worry that the FBI will come arrest them because someone used their technology to commit a crime. The law targets illegal uses of technologies, not the technologies - at least where there is a legitimate and legal use of that technology. Yet because of our extremism when it comes to copyright law, we ban technologies that threaten copyright interests whether or not they have legitimate, independent uses."
How insightful. The line, however, gets blurred when I say that a legitimate useage constitutes sharing copyrighted works for free because it means I have access to more works that I would not otherwise have access to which I could then be making MORE purchases of copyrighted material for full-quality versions (which I do believe is true in most mp3/online digital works cases), versus someone who finds this to be the exact copyright violation that is harmful to a company or individual.
Although I did not ask a question last time, my question now would be, how do we draw the line? I'm not going to bend on my values, and the RIAA sure as hell won't bend on theirs, so who is right? Those who scream the loudest? If that is the case, then I have sorely been far too quiet for far too long already.
If mind-numbing games like Solitaire, FreeCell, and Minesweeper are all that's keeping Linux off the desktop of millions of users, why doesn't KDE and Gnome just start including a quick link to Entertainment -> FreeCell, Minesweeper, Solitaire, and Pinball on thier desktop systems too?! Forget about office productivity suites, set us up the minesweeper!;)
Unfortunately, most kids figure out fast that the 'educational' equipment in school is NOT what they want to use outside of their school life.
Which is exactly why the original thread about how MS Windows was so great for education was so off base. Is it the easiest to use? Yes. Does it have the most applications and games available for it? Yes. But all of this doesn't mean that you shouldn't use Linux in the classroom. The cost savings are what really matter here. Linux is free, as are many programs for it. Windows and Mac OS X, are not. Period.
If the kids don't like Linux, then fine, they can use WindowsXP at home on their own. My private school had Mac's and Apple IIG's back in the day too, but I didn't like them. So what, I still learned some simple computer operations on them, and used the budding new Windows PC at home. The tools will not make or break the students, the student's willingness to learn will make or break the student. Therefore, for your school's (and most importantly, teacher's) sake, why not save some money on the tools and use a free tool like Linux? No one NEEDS a $200 government-priced hammer, after all.
I agree. Worrying about this survey is silly. Sure Linux doesn't dominate the desktop, that's obvious. But I'm fairly excited to see what KDE will be able to accomplish with KDE 3.0 (when it gets stabilized). And yes, I also run Windows 99.5% of the time. Why? Because I grew up using Windows and/or MS-DOS, and that's all I've known for approximately 12 years now! It's true that it's taking me time to learn all that Linux has to offer, but that's not stifling my interest in learning it. Besides that, when you work at a company that's too big to up and switch to a Linux desktop within the next 5-10 years, it's kinda hard to learn Linux except on my own at home.
I'm not worried about the Linux desktop. I remember the flame wars of console vs. PC gaming back in the day, and which would eventually control all gaming. Well, just like most technological innovations, guess what? They're both going strong to this day! The only time technological innovations die a quick and painful death is when corporate and legal concerns (like the DMCA) squash innovation.
Dude, been reading your stuff for a week or so now regarding the moderation system and the slashdot editors apparent 'abuse' of the system. While I still enjoy reading some of the Slashdot front stories at a +2 level, I do enjoy reading the trolls and flamebaiters every now and then to make sure I'm not missing out on some really funny stuff or the general mood of the crapflooders/trolls.
I have also been paying attention to the stuff you post that DOES get modded up, and it does appear pretty coherent, ontopic, etc. Which is why I've added you to my friends list on my Journal (you're the first), and will continue to monitor your efforts to put some sense back into this site.
Feel free to add me as a friend, but unfortunately, I haven't seen any blatant abuses happen on my account since I've already learned the 'slashdot way', and most of my comments are either funny, or some rant about why Linux rulz or the RIAA/MPAA suck, and generally get modded up.
Anyways, good work with the underground, keep it up. If nothing else, it's funny to watch guys getting paid to spell badly screaming at their users for complaining about slashdot. LOL!
I recall the Steven Satchel interview, and the point he made about how slashdot was more widely read than most people think. Interestingly, this point has been lost on even its own editors. They may want to tone down their rhetoric on how great their site is if they want anyone to pay serious attention to some of the truly crappy issues that I think do need addressed in the technology/political/legal arena today.
P.S. It's no use posting this one anonymously, and besides, the 50 Karma cap ain't THAT special.;) If I'm lucky, I might even receive some of my very own negative editor moderation.;);)
I am with the above person you flamed in my love of the ability to make copies of my CD's. I currently have 7 out of 20 CD's with me, that are EXACT duplicates of the CD's I have purchased. I have 5 more CD's which are NON-EXACT duplicates of songs I have downloaded over the internet in mp3 format (most at 192kbps or lower sample rates making them sound more like a cassette tape dub than actual CD-quality). Those 5 CD's for the most part, contain songs from various CD's that I wouldn't buy in the first place. Although in the case of one of the mixed CD's, after D/L'ing two artists works (their entire CD's in mp3 format: Boy Hits Car and 6Gig), I have since gone and purchased the full CD's. One of those CD's has been copied and is in my car carrying case right now, the other hasn't been duplicated yet in CD form, but is in mp3 form on my computer. This way, I don't need to be needlessly opening and closing a DVD-ROM drive that's going on 2 years old without a single cleaning yet.
I am not posting this for you or any of slashdot's need to see this info. This is strictly so that the Hilary Rosen RIAA-bot can see these numbers, understand why I'm so fucking upset with all this new copy-protection crap that goes completely against the consumer's wishes (the "customer is always right" no longer applies I guess), and formally state that I will not buy any Universal CD's with copy-protection on them, until it has been removed, or until an easy plugin for a computer program is made that circumvents the copy-protection completely. (I'm sure there are such plugins, I just haven't had the need to go find them for music CD's up until now).
P.S. I forgot to mention that one CD copy I have of my favorite group, the 77's, has been an out-of-print CD for some time now ("Pray Naked"). I burned a copy from a friend who still had it because my original copy was stolen from my car about 5 years ago. I would still pay upwards of $25 for a good condition original CD w/ Jewel case, but alas, it's a hard to find item, even on Ebay. Now you tell me, do I sound like I'm trying to get every CD I have for free, or maybe I just don't like paying for shitty NSync and Britney Spears drivel, and would rather try-before-I-buy?
Oh yes, and while you're at it, Hilary, why not cut out the kickback system you have in place with all the radio stations? I hear so much boring, repetitive music from uninspiring bands on the radio stations in this town that it's just silly. It's no wonder I get most of my interesting music over the internet in so-called 'pirated' mp3 form.
all this trouble going into knocking down the giant could be avoided if people just waited until after it had cut it's ownlegs off.
They don't have time for that kind of nonsense. They're too busy hacking the limbs off their competitors, as their falsified videotapes in court showed us all.
I found that GTA and GTA2, while not as graphically pleasing as GTA3 looks to be, were a wonderful addition to my skill set. Not only do I now know how to go on a "Kiiiiillll FRENZY!", but I also know how to hotwire most major makes of car, from the unimposing Ford Fiesta, to the ever-popular Tank!
These sorts of skills are very important to an aspiring criminal mastermind, such as me. And why work so hard for a Cisco or MSCE certification? They cost so much more! For only $49.95 (before tax), you too can learn the same skill sets I now have.
I'm just wondering if GTA3, with all it's new-fangled '3D' graphics is really worth the investment in my future. I mean, I already know how to highjack cars and kill random people. Do I really need to know how to interact with the mob? Please help me decide slashdot!
heh - I don't build mass production computers. I'm talking about custom computer builds. If you want an all-inclusive Tivo type computer, just give me some 'wants' that you have for it, and I'll give you the specs and cost of what I think it would take to build it.
It may cost a bit more, but it's also going to be able to DO a lot more and be easier to upgrade in the future.
Well, I could build you a computer without any OS installed if you so wish. Of course, I realize you're joking, but if anyone does seriously want a non-OS loaded computer, send me an email. It can be done, and for just a bit more than a HP/Compaq/Dell shit computer would cost.
What? you didn't know that those major manufacturer's liked to use second-rate computer parts???
Slashdot Mirror
Sure, overclocking doesn't need to be done, but some people enjoy it, like me, but I hate fiddling with trying to code or decode programs. Boring! But if that's what floats your boat, great! :)
Hope that helps.
Is everything suitable for children? Obviously not. Saving Private Ryan is an excellent film, excessively gory, and I wouldn't show it to a young child. But showing it to a 16 year old and letting them see visually and audibly why war is hell is a good thing if the 16 year old is mature enough to handle it. Let's not ban everything 'dirty.' Let's just exercise a little more self-control as adults instead.
AND, you've obviously not taken even a glance at the probabilities of what it would take to form a simple amoeba. That alone, would require: just the right mix of elements, at just the right time, in just the right temperature, at just the right barometric pressure. The probabilities of that happening are in the millions of years alone. Now try multiplying the complexity of that single cell organism one billion times, with a billion more functions than just 'being alive.' You quickly can see that the age of our universe would need to be infinite to even come close to forming just one big blob of a creature, let alone one with eyes, ears, a mouth, a nose, and sense of touch, and all the other things that most animals have.
Lastly, as for your '640k should be enough for everyone' argument - supernatural doesn't mean limited you numb-nut. Supernatural means outside of our known "nature." Don't equate the all-knowing, all-present, all-powerful God to a finite being such as Bill Gates, even if you don't believe in God. To do so belittle's what a Christian believes, which is nothing more than bigotry.
One of my friends is taking an accelerated course in one year through DeVry Institute of Technology to get a psuedo-CS degree on top of his Business degree from OSU. It really has to suck though, because he had like 50 pages of reading (and two assignments) due before the very first class!
Once, me and a bunch of friends were playing with a puppy and having a good time with the dog, playing, laughing, smiling, etc. This former roommate of mine just sat there staring as if nothing had changed emotionally. I guess, in a way, he couldn't detect facial expressions too, because he couldn't tell we were happy, even though we were smiling and laughing.
Anyways, it was really weird, but he's a really nice guy, and it took me a while to accept that he had that condition that didn't fit in with what I had observed from everyone else in the world that I had met. What's really hard is when I was really mad at him, or really glad for him, and he was unable to discern that unless I actually described my feelings to him with words. Very strange.
I'm not sending money to companies as a 'charitable contribution'! Let them figure out their own way to make money if they want to run a business. The EFF is different, however, as I would expect them to fight for my civil rights to an extent, which should be free of limited control by 'shareholders.' I support businesses by using their stuff and maybe donating some time and energy to improving parts of their free products that I think need fixed or cleaned up, but I'm not Mr. Moneybags here.
1. No company can perfectly ensure safety of their product. A housebuilder can't always provide indestructable windows to thwart a thief, just as a Java programmer cannot always provide the absolute "best practices" to ensure software coding 'safety.'
2. Not everyone has a sysadmin's skill set, hence, patching faulty products is not something everyone knows how to do, or why they should do it.
3. Not all crimes can be solved. Just as thiefs make off with stolen goods every day, so too a script-kiddie can remain safely anonymous from the law.
The basis you are all forgetting, is this: If we were given the tools in the first place to make our homes/software secure, we wouldn't be in such a vulnerable position if we didn't want to be. Thankfully, Microsoft does offer free patches when THEY fix the flaw in their product. Unfortunately, there is no way to know if they forgot a lock on the upstairs window until someone manages to stumble upon the fact, because they've chosen to limit everyone's right to fully use their own house (read: software). If you lease it, you can't upgrade it...
Similarly, if I want to own a gun (at least in America still) to protect my house and family from intrusion, I can. Is it fullproof? No, but it's better than not being able to own a gun. Get my point?
All I am saying is that I DO prefer Windows ease of use and advancements they've made to date, but what REALLY worries me is that I can't 'make things better' as I see fit without paying more for the 'lease.' Linux, on the other hand, encourages everyone to add to it, rebuild it, and fortify it by giving everyone the rights to do so. Can I do so directly? No, I'm not a programmer, but at least other people have released add-on tools that I can use to do so.
And finally, security through obscurity is nice for the CEO, but bad for the end-user. Why? I test software, and I've seen it over and over again: a product gets released with a couple bugs that no one has the time to test, and before you know it, it's causing serious problems for the end-user. Now when you release the software with the bugs, and tell people, "Hey, check this software out. It may never be perfect, but we hope you can catch the bugs and repair, or help us repair them before they cause a big problem."
Then you guesstimated that they have a T1 line capable of 1.5 Mega-bits per second. This means he's receiving ~300.0-400.0 Mega-bits of info per day from SirCam emails. So in the end, if you do all the calculations, this amounts to an even less impressive ~0.00000023%-0.00000077% of his bandwidth being taken by Sircam per day. So yes, the amount of insignifigance of this is amazing. Now when I get CodeRed and its variants pinging my computer and every computer on the Cable network in my area continuously, 24/7, every 2 minutes, THAT's a lot of traffic.
Then you guesstimated that they have a T1 line capable of 1.5 Mega-bits per second. This means he's receiving ~2.0 Mega-bits of info per day from SirCam emails. So in the end, if you do all the calculations, this amounts to an even less impressive 0.0015% of his bandwidth being taken by Sircam per day. So yes, the amount of insignifigance of this is amazing. Now when I get CodeRed and its variants pinging my computer and every computer on the Cable network in my area continuously, 24/7, every 2 minutes, THAT's a lot of traffic.
Of course it doesn't excuse the crime, but calling someone a terrorist because they disrupt, but don't DESTROY someone's daily life is absolutely absurd. The original post was trying to only convey that thought. Terrorists kill people, pick-pockets grab things. The two are not the same thing, so whoever is calling script-kiddies terrorists is just pissed off with themselves and others for purchasing proprietary software that they cannot support properly by installing patches to security flaws. There are two (maybe even three) parties at fault here, and none of them are killing people, so let's not refer to those that exploit other people's ineptitude to maintain their computers as terrorists.
As for liberty, this country was founded partly on the ideals that each individual is inherantly granted the right to protect, defend, and 'make' themselves. Sure, that can lead to plenty of corruption as people try to 'make' themselves at the inhumane expense of other people (lying, cheating, stealing), but ultimately, aren't we all a bunch of liers, cheats, and thieves at heart, even if in just small ways? It's leveraging each individuals selfish tendencies against everyone else's selfish tendencies. I personally trust myself, and you, and everyone else to make the decisions of what's right for ourselves. Giving some arbitrary leader and/or committee to try to tell us how to live is rather ridiculous, as they are just as inherrantly selfish on an individual level as we all are.
Let us all use our tools how we see fit, I say. If that means I see fit to carry my AR-15 with me on every plane ride, so be it. No one is guaranteed to be living in the next minute as we all have weaknesses and can easily die of any number of things. I just think that treating me as if I was responsible for 9-11-01's events is an insult to my overall better behavior than the 19 terrorists who actually committed such heinous acts. And if anyone else thinks about doing such on a plane in the future, I would prefer to have the tools to stop them dead in their tracks of killing hundreds, by being able to kill one or two with a few well placed shots to the throat. Don't you?
(P.S. The last question is rhetorical; yes, I agree with your sentiments on liberty and freedom.)
That's right, I will fight to the death, the requirement to carry some implant/tattoo/'mark' on my person! Treating the common man like a common criminal provides us with neither liberty, nor security.
LL:
I support these technologies. More importantly, I support the right of innovators to develop these technologies. But I don't support copyright violations using these technologies.
You'd think this would be an easy distinction to understand: We live in a country where 10 children are killed by hand guns every day. But Smith and Wesson doesn't worry that the FBI will come arrest them because someone used their technology to commit a crime. The law targets illegal uses of technologies, not the technologies - at least where there is a legitimate and legal use of that technology. Yet because of our extremism when it comes to copyright law, we ban technologies that threaten copyright interests whether or not they have legitimate, independent uses."
How insightful. The line, however, gets blurred when I say that a legitimate useage constitutes sharing copyrighted works for free because it means I have access to more works that I would not otherwise have access to which I could then be making MORE purchases of copyrighted material for full-quality versions (which I do believe is true in most mp3/online digital works cases), versus someone who finds this to be the exact copyright violation that is harmful to a company or individual.
Although I did not ask a question last time, my question now would be, how do we draw the line? I'm not going to bend on my values, and the RIAA sure as hell won't bend on theirs, so who is right? Those who scream the loudest? If that is the case, then I have sorely been far too quiet for far too long already.
...for Linux would be a Winblows2000 partition for Civ3. :)
If mind-numbing games like Solitaire, FreeCell, and Minesweeper are all that's keeping Linux off the desktop of millions of users, why doesn't KDE and Gnome just start including a quick link to Entertainment -> FreeCell, Minesweeper, Solitaire, and Pinball on thier desktop systems too?! Forget about office productivity suites, set us up the minesweeper! ;)
Which is exactly why the original thread about how MS Windows was so great for education was so off base. Is it the easiest to use? Yes. Does it have the most applications and games available for it? Yes. But all of this doesn't mean that you shouldn't use Linux in the classroom. The cost savings are what really matter here. Linux is free, as are many programs for it. Windows and Mac OS X, are not. Period.
If the kids don't like Linux, then fine, they can use WindowsXP at home on their own. My private school had Mac's and Apple IIG's back in the day too, but I didn't like them. So what, I still learned some simple computer operations on them, and used the budding new Windows PC at home. The tools will not make or break the students, the student's willingness to learn will make or break the student. Therefore, for your school's (and most importantly, teacher's) sake, why not save some money on the tools and use a free tool like Linux? No one NEEDS a $200 government-priced hammer, after all.
I'm not worried about the Linux desktop. I remember the flame wars of console vs. PC gaming back in the day, and which would eventually control all gaming. Well, just like most technological innovations, guess what? They're both going strong to this day! The only time technological innovations die a quick and painful death is when corporate and legal concerns (like the DMCA) squash innovation.
I have also been paying attention to the stuff you post that DOES get modded up, and it does appear pretty coherent, ontopic, etc. Which is why I've added you to my friends list on my Journal (you're the first), and will continue to monitor your efforts to put some sense back into this site.
Feel free to add me as a friend, but unfortunately, I haven't seen any blatant abuses happen on my account since I've already learned the 'slashdot way', and most of my comments are either funny, or some rant about why Linux rulz or the RIAA/MPAA suck, and generally get modded up.
Anyways, good work with the underground, keep it up. If nothing else, it's funny to watch guys getting paid to spell badly screaming at their users for complaining about slashdot. LOL!
I recall the Steven Satchel interview, and the point he made about how slashdot was more widely read than most people think. Interestingly, this point has been lost on even its own editors. They may want to tone down their rhetoric on how great their site is if they want anyone to pay serious attention to some of the truly crappy issues that I think do need addressed in the technology/political/legal arena today.
P.S. It's no use posting this one anonymously, and besides, the 50 Karma cap ain't THAT special. ;) If I'm lucky, I might even receive some of my very own negative editor moderation. ;) ;)
I am not posting this for you or any of slashdot's need to see this info. This is strictly so that the Hilary Rosen RIAA-bot can see these numbers, understand why I'm so fucking upset with all this new copy-protection crap that goes completely against the consumer's wishes (the "customer is always right" no longer applies I guess), and formally state that I will not buy any Universal CD's with copy-protection on them, until it has been removed, or until an easy plugin for a computer program is made that circumvents the copy-protection completely. (I'm sure there are such plugins, I just haven't had the need to go find them for music CD's up until now).
P.S. I forgot to mention that one CD copy I have of my favorite group, the 77's, has been an out-of-print CD for some time now ("Pray Naked"). I burned a copy from a friend who still had it because my original copy was stolen from my car about 5 years ago. I would still pay upwards of $25 for a good condition original CD w/ Jewel case, but alas, it's a hard to find item, even on Ebay. Now you tell me, do I sound like I'm trying to get every CD I have for free, or maybe I just don't like paying for shitty NSync and Britney Spears drivel, and would rather try-before-I-buy?
Oh yes, and while you're at it, Hilary, why not cut out the kickback system you have in place with all the radio stations? I hear so much boring, repetitive music from uninspiring bands on the radio stations in this town that it's just silly. It's no wonder I get most of my interesting music over the internet in so-called 'pirated' mp3 form.
They don't have time for that kind of nonsense. They're too busy hacking the limbs off their competitors, as their falsified videotapes in court showed us all.
I found that GTA and GTA2, while not as graphically pleasing as GTA3 looks to be, were a wonderful addition to my skill set. Not only do I now know how to go on a "Kiiiiillll FRENZY!", but I also know how to hotwire most major makes of car, from the unimposing Ford Fiesta, to the ever-popular Tank!
These sorts of skills are very important to an aspiring criminal mastermind, such as me. And why work so hard for a Cisco or MSCE certification? They cost so much more! For only $49.95 (before tax), you too can learn the same skill sets I now have.
I'm just wondering if GTA3, with all it's new-fangled '3D' graphics is really worth the investment in my future. I mean, I already know how to highjack cars and kill random people. Do I really need to know how to interact with the mob? Please help me decide slashdot!
As with any tool, it can be used for good, or for harm. Shut-up and get over your love for the ridiculous DMCA.
It may cost a bit more, but it's also going to be able to DO a lot more and be easier to upgrade in the future.
What? you didn't know that those major manufacturer's liked to use second-rate computer parts???