Don't know if you're trolling or not AC, but I watched that Jim Munroe GTA film a while back and have to agree, it's really not interesting or "comic."
It's basically just in-game footage lifted from the pc version of GTA3, with some bland voice-over. It's nowhere near as funny as some of the machinima and other stuff floating around.
Strange, because his site, No Media Kings, actually looks like it's got some semi-interesting content; sort of a hodge-podge of modern consumer culture satire and other assorted "culture-jamming" (bleh) stuff.
I think that even if boycotts worked, they'd still be wrong on principle.
The problem is not boycotts, it's the system that brings about the desire to boycott.
It is UNDENIABLE that the RIAA and MPAA are cartels which operate in violation of and counter to free market/capitalist ideas. Legal loopholes are the only thing separating these groups from the ranks of Microsoft or other robber barons from the (previous) turn of the century.
When you have a tiny group of people (cartels/corps wielding unfair power irresponsibly) whose actions force an enormous amount of people (the general public) into a "behave responsibly or sacrifice tremendously" binary choice, something is dreadfully wrong.
And it's not just movies, music, designer sneakers and frivolities, it's many or most things. Shop in a supermarket for basic necessities? Chances are you've unknowingly supported tobacco firms. Eat meat, ever? Congratulations, your dollars tell the grotesquely abusive US factory farming industry (who regularly fix prices) that they're actions are A-OK with you. Use electricity in your home? Check out the marketplace behavior/pollution records of your city's provider. Own a mutual fund? Etc etc etc.
To paraphrase some recent populist whose name escapes me, "We're voting with our dollar in an election with no campaign."
I do NOT think we should throw capitalism away, but I do think we need some tweaks to ensure against concentrations of power, because it's all downhill from there.
...is one of the worst offenders I've seen recently.
Every banana in the game (and there are thousands) has a huge Dole logo plastered on it. Hamfisted and distracting as ad tactics go, it actually made the game less enjoyable for me.
One thing I always wondered is why providers of free web-based email accounts haven't started mining their users' inboxes/outboxes for more addresses.
For instance, I've got a nice spam-free email account w/ my ISP, but all my friends have accounts with shady-web-based-email-company.com. If I send them (or if they send me) messages, is my pristine address now at risk because it's now in their in/out boxes? Technically, this type of collection would seem trivial to implement.
I'm not sure if the big guys (Hotmail, Yahoo) sell even their registered addresses (I could be wrong), but does anyone have a report of a web-based email service engaging in this kind of practice?
I don't have cable, so I was hoping to see what this network was all about from the website.
Sadly, it is among the worst, least-usable Flash monstrosities I've ever encountered (using Windows/Mozilla.9.9).
Front page is a full-screen splash screen followed by a functional full-screen pong game. After this, it then forces you to enter a zip code before continuing. Insert your improvised code and what do you get? A huge new orange window with...nothing in it!
Java/Flash error? I didn't care enough to find out. 1 visitor lost. Lame.
I'm all for less/no telemarketing, but this "do-not-call registry" has so many exceptions and loopholes, I can't see it being much of a help.
"Beales said the FTC lacks jurisdiction to restrict telemarketing calls from telephone companies, banks, nonprofit groups, insurance companies, and companies making calls within an individual state's borders." [link]
I believe there are actually even more exceptions, this is just the 1st article Google found...
My comment to the FTC basically says "Put some teeth in this thing, then get back to me."
I guess in the future they could also design all sound cards and recording devices to detect watermarks. Then you would be stuck looking for technology that predates these restrictions. I'm sure the music industry has a long term goal like this.
Check out this essay by Jaron Lanier for more on that idea.
Remember, it's not copy protection, it's copy control.
Slashdot Mirror
Don't know if you're trolling or not AC, but I watched that Jim Munroe GTA film a while back and have to agree, it's really not interesting or "comic."
It's basically just in-game footage lifted from the pc version of GTA3, with some bland voice-over. It's nowhere near as funny as some of the machinima and other stuff floating around.
Strange, because his site, No Media Kings, actually looks like it's got some semi-interesting content; sort of a hodge-podge of modern consumer culture satire and other assorted "culture-jamming" (bleh) stuff.
But yeah, skip that GTA thing.
here's a complete reprint, using the actual size of the font from the article:
.....
.....
.....
(some bar graphs)
.....
(some screen shots)
End of article
I think that even if boycotts worked, they'd still be wrong on principle.
The problem is not boycotts, it's the system that brings about the desire to boycott.
It is UNDENIABLE that the RIAA and MPAA are cartels which operate in violation of and counter to free market/capitalist ideas. Legal loopholes are the only thing separating these groups from the ranks of Microsoft or other robber barons from the (previous) turn of the century.
When you have a tiny group of people (cartels/corps wielding unfair power irresponsibly) whose actions force an enormous amount of people (the general public) into a "behave responsibly or sacrifice tremendously" binary choice, something is dreadfully wrong.
And it's not just movies, music, designer sneakers and frivolities, it's many or most things. Shop in a supermarket for basic necessities? Chances are you've unknowingly supported tobacco firms. Eat meat, ever? Congratulations, your dollars tell the grotesquely abusive US factory farming industry (who regularly fix prices) that they're actions are A-OK with you. Use electricity in your home? Check out the marketplace behavior/pollution records of your city's provider. Own a mutual fund? Etc etc etc.
To paraphrase some recent populist whose name escapes me, "We're voting with our dollar in an election with no campaign."
I do NOT think we should throw capitalism away, but I do think we need some tweaks to ensure against concentrations of power, because it's all downhill from there.
Honestly, how many people can correct me on this quote?
It's spelled Redemption.
for a "Boy Band" topic and icon here on Slashdot?
We've had news about copy-restricted NSync Cds, rumors of boy band Star Wars cameos, and let's not forget the recent poll winner regarding Lance Bass's ongoing space drama. Now they're involved in German domino sports as well?
This is a posting rate greater than the Internet Explorer topic!
...all Beowulf posts under this thread, including (but not limited to):
- standard Beowulf trolls mixed with standard Canadian accent lexicon ("eh?", "aboot")
- posts about how a Beowulf cluster could perhaps help Canada out with a stereotypical Canadian "problem" (lousy beer, socialized medicine)
- jokes combining the word Beowulf with the name of the mentioned U of A chemist Wolfgang Jaeger
Thank you.
...is one of the worst offenders I've seen recently.
Every banana in the game (and there are thousands) has a huge Dole logo plastered on it. Hamfisted and distracting as ad tactics go, it actually made the game less enjoyable for me.
One thing I always wondered is why providers of free web-based email accounts haven't started mining their users' inboxes/outboxes for more addresses.
For instance, I've got a nice spam-free email account w/ my ISP, but all my friends have accounts with shady-web-based-email-company.com. If I send them (or if they send me) messages, is my pristine address now at risk because it's now in their in/out boxes? Technically, this type of collection would seem trivial to implement.
I'm not sure if the big guys (Hotmail, Yahoo) sell even their registered addresses (I could be wrong), but does anyone have a report of a web-based email service engaging in this kind of practice?
...they'll be telling us that these claims about penis growth that I keep getting in my mailbox are all a myth too...
...Moron Internet Privacy Legislation ?
This is Hollings we're talking about, after all...
www.allgames.com
.9.9).
www.g4media.com
I don't have cable, so I was hoping to see what this network was all about from the website.
Sadly, it is among the worst, least-usable Flash monstrosities I've ever encountered (using Windows/Mozilla
Front page is a full-screen splash screen followed by a functional full-screen pong game. After this, it then forces you to enter a zip code before continuing. Insert your improvised code and what do you get? A huge new orange window with...nothing in it!
Java/Flash error? I didn't care enough to find out. 1 visitor lost. Lame.
...in its current form.
I'm all for less/no telemarketing, but this "do-not-call registry" has so many exceptions and loopholes, I can't see it being much of a help.
"Beales said the FTC lacks jurisdiction to restrict telemarketing calls from telephone companies, banks, nonprofit groups, insurance companies, and companies making calls within an individual state's borders." [link]
I believe there are actually even more exceptions, this is just the 1st article Google found...
My comment to the FTC basically says "Put some teeth in this thing, then get back to me."
I guess in the future they could also design all sound cards and recording devices to detect watermarks. Then you would be stuck looking for technology that predates these restrictions. I'm sure the music industry has a long term goal like this.
Check out this essay by Jaron Lanier for more on that idea.
Remember, it's not copy protection, it's copy control.