What about us (me, anyway) who like to sing along? I'm a singer/songwriter, and I'll just tell ya, I belt out the tunes I hear. Whether they be tape, CD, radio, whatever. I like to sing, I enjoy it, and should a "Command Word" be in a song, how can it tell the difference? A word that is normally not used (Someone suggested "Computer" which isn't used a lot in songs...yet) would probably be best. He claims that normal conversation won't change it, but what about those of us who like to mimic? If some guy sings along to a song saying "Turn it up, Turn it up," what happens? I know one thing: I'm not going to pay $600 bucks to find out.
Here is a paragraph from an article at the best (IMHO) Movie gossip site Ain't It Cool News:
At 8 AM the 'Kevin and Bean' radio program on 106.7 KROQ (a local radio station here in sunny Burbank California) had a telephone chat with George Lucas and Melissa Joan Hart who are racing at the Toyota Grand Prix. After all the racing questions George was asked about EPISODE 2. He said that "the script was finished a couple of days ago" and that he would be leaving for Australia "in 8 weeks." Then he was asked about EPISODE 1 on DVD to which he replied "it's being worked on. The work on the supplemental stuff is taking longer. It will be coming at some point." This statement and his tone of voice suggests to me that we will see EPISODE 1 on DVD much earlier than 2006.
So, lets get one things straight: This is not a rumor. This DVD is real, and I agree with another post that this wait between releases was done to make money. He charged 40 bucks a pop for a widescreen VHS with a little piece of plastic they called "true frames from the flim!" This is also called a rip-off. Which is the reason I haven't bought it. However, to get back to the point, the DVD IS being made and it WILL come out. Maybe tomorrow, maybe 2006. But those who doubt are oblivious to whats out there, and haven't spent the time to find the facts.
Okay, its obvious, but I'll feel better saying it: This is complete and total fucking bullshit. There. I feel better. I can make my point.
Jon mentioned that this doesn't happen in other countries. Has ANYONE noticed that? You don't see Japan, who has the highest suicide rate on the friggin planet coming up with any anonymous lines. You don't see ONE country in Europe, which has more sex, violence, and bad language in a year than we've EVER had coming up with something like this. Also, did anyone notice that while the 80% of Americans think the Internet caused/highly-influenced Littleton, did anyone ask these same people if computers might have caused it? It may be that they believe computers (or computer games, to be more specific) could cause such a thing. Remember how everyone freaked out about Doom, and how the two Littleton killers played it? I think that 80% could be significantly altered (either way, who knows) if a more specific question were posed. Computer-illiterate people are scared of computers. Its a fact. They fear it because they don't understand it, and they don't understand it for many reasons. Some being that they don't want one for fear of loss of privacy, or the inability to operate it, or the inability to get training on how to use it. If 80% of these "Americans" said this, who were they? What background? Did they have knowledge of computers? The general public is vague beyond reason, and this would be a prime example of asking "Non-computer illiterate" and "Geeks" and "Computer illiterates" their view on the subject. Hell, I see a poll Hemos. Does anyone else?
I suppose its only right to assume that the worst will follow in this case. This is not big brother, they said. You're right. It isn't. But the road to hell...
Is it just me or did Hemos forget to tell us in the book review exactly what the book was about? He goes on about societies and complexities of the book, but in the end, who are the main characters? What are they doing? Why are they doing it? Is there anything besides broad, general science fiction terms in the book? Story? Plotlines? Point? Hello?
I'm a firm believer that Angelina Jolie could hopefully not embarrass herself with this venture. On the sole fact that every video game franchise has yet to find a script worth shooting. So, for your entertainment, lets see how the plot line to Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie might end up:
1. Lara Croft invades a tomb and gets a strange, foreign and expensive "object"
2. Lara Croft then gets the "object" in the nick of time before some large, kickass CGI demon/monster nearly kills/eats her
3. There's some bad guys who want it, and she has to get away from them and out of the cave
4. She succeeds and either a.) Falls in love with the lead bad guy (Oh no! Plot Twist Spoiler!) or b.) Kills them all or just the leader (maybe after sex)
This would open on Labor Day weekend and blow box office records for the surprise twist ending (The bad guy sex) and would then win Best Sound Editing Oscar because no one really knows why in the hell this category exists, other than the sole purpose of making whoever wins Best Sound come up to the stage twice (this is sadly true 90%+ of the time, check Oscar History). I do however fear for the true "value" of this movie other than some cool CGI effects and the ability to stare at Angelina Jolie for a few hours. Mmmm...
I don't believe it. I truly don't. How in God's name do you (Pinkerton) expect this to help kids? How does the reporting of them, anonymously, after they might have had a bad day helping someone?
It's obvious that this should be a help line and not a hurt line. There should be someone on the other end wanting to talk to these kids, hear what they have to say, listen and try to understand them. This should not be a damn snitch line! When is it that people will understand that silence in the classroom from a kid doesn't mean he's planning on killing everyone. It might mean he's thinking or just daydreaming (god forbid). There are such things as withdrawn people who turn out okay, who understand high school is a crock of shit and once its over life does get better, who understand that this ends at some time or other. There are others that do not. And these are the ones we should be helping! (Key word here: "Help") They should not be alienated, reported, incriminated, or persecuted for being different than Joe Quarterback or Susie Cheerleader. These kids need attention in a helping sense, not someone pushing ideals and psychology exams at them. Leave that shit alone. Of all the pretentious things I've ever heard of, the "T-shirts and prizes" took the cake. Good Lord, what a mess that would have been. I appreciate the fact that Pinkerton listens. I just hope they hear us.
Let's face it. MP3's rock. It's true. But there's another fact we've left out:
They copied these albums illegally
Yes, it might hinder MP3 stuff later on, but for now its just hurting MP3.com more than anywhere else (ie, your home). There will always be more sites providing mp3s than suits filed against them, and CD-ripping progs aren't going away anytime soon either. Newsgroups and Napster live on.
Imagine this: What if there was some way that you could buy the rights to the MP3s of a record? How would one keep up with it? Would you post them on Album_Name.com ? Could you only allow X number of downloads? How would you keep track of those being passed around? (This is impossible right now..I think)
However, to get back to my point, Paul is doing what anyone would do if someone was stealing a whole shitload of money away from them--stand up and say "Hi, that music's mine, and you didn't pay for it."
35 million lines of code. That's Windows9x 100+ for Windows 2k. God knows how much for "Insert M$ Product here"
Well, it's been established that there is no way in hell this is ever going to happen. And, saying that the world spun backwards for a while and my armpits stopped sweating, that they opened their steaming, putrid black hearts and did release the source. What would you want to do? Where would (heh) YOU want to go today? Would it really be so useful? Would it bring so much benefit? Do you realize that by the time coders took the time to debug that bastard, what a huge mess they would have? Besides that, Windows2020 would have already come out, leaving their work to be shamed for the next millenia. You have to look at the aspects of what IS Windows, say that actually do release the source.
Internet Explorer - Someone mentioned this earlier. Do you actually think they would let the IE5 source in Mozilla's hands? Now, considering the leap from IE4 (Cuh-rap), this would be a threat indeed. Beware lynx, beware! (Evil, satiracle laughing ensues)
Office 2k (or 98) - Someone else mentioned this as well. This could be their open source baby alone and the world would stop. Like the guy before said, say what you want, Office rocks my damn socks. If you don't like it, then you haven't learned it correctly. There is just too much good here to pass up. Piss on Windows, I want the Word source =)
Outlook Express - In the realm of Internet Explorer, one of the coolest and easiest email readers. If they released Office you would have Outlook, but it's baby brother is still neat. I would love to see this under any *nix, and I know for a fact it would beat the crap out of Nutscrape Mail.
Anyway, I thought that it might be interesting that even if they did just release "bits" of the code (say the TCP/IP stack for example), that people could at least understand how it got so bad.
And besides, didn't they release the Win3.1 code? Hell yeah, you better be watchin out for my ereet port of that! (more evil laughing, more strange stares, Obi goes back to the dungeon from whence he came.)
Man, C-Net really broke it down this time, didn't they? I guess the saddest part was this little bit:
And compilers also are an essential tool for getting higher-level software, such as databases or e-commerce software, to work on the new chip
Uh..k. If there is backwards compatibility, what does it matter? It might make them work FASTER, but in essence does nothing "magical" to them. I think C-Net wanted to throw those magical buzzwords "databases" and "e-commerce" in so they could appeal to the 'average' user. I guess its true that an article that explains exactly what a compiler is is kinda non-consequential to anything. Intel has a new chip, has a beef with Sun because they didn't worship the black monolith like everyone else, and this is the result. An article with no real technological merit that in essence proves nothing that couldn't have been said in a few sentences. The article doesn't really focus so much on the compiler than it does the beef between Intel and Sun and what that 'Linux' thing is. Yay. Congrats C-Net, you've pleased the masses again. As for the rest of us, we could live our entire lives and not see this article and die happily. Sigh.
Obiwan Kenobi =============================
The three rings of marriage: Engagement Ring Wedding Ring Suffering
Everyone trashed him. Now his opinions are short, meer (sp?) "topics of conversation" that leave us no answer as to what HIS opinion actually is. He could explain a whole lot of these posts if he would write the great long articles he usually does. I know its not the norm, but I think Jon Katz is an EXCELLENT writer who, more than any geek I've ever met in my life, has been pigeonholed and belittled into not a guy with a good and interesting opinion, but someone who is afraid(?) to write anything long and meaningful again, because half of the posts tell him how much he sucks, and that he has no valid point on anything. (Holy shit, what a run-on)
You don't have to put-down someone all the time because they think different. Doesn't this make (most of you) recall how YOU were treated in school? Different, strange, out-of-the-ordinary? Can we not see the same effect here? I can personally attest to something of that nature. If you get told you're shit long enough, you sometimes believe it. If you would shut up and let the man give you something to think about, REALLY think about, and not tell him how horrible he is, maybe you would learn something. I remember the horrible days in school, and some of you may too. It may not be those people who flame him, but for those who do: shame on yourselves. You are no better than the bullies and assholes that badger and pick on those "different" than themselves.
Jesus Christ man, get off your high horse, or you'll get a nose bleed. The internet, as such, should not be just what YOU want. The internet, as most see it, should be something for everyone. This, unfortunately for you I suppose, INCLUDES such HORRIBLE things such as NEWS and SHOPPING. Whats wrong with staying at home and running around wal-mart.com instead of waiting in those bullshit lines?
You say the internet has created nothing. Has it not created a bit of freedom? If anything, freedom of expression? How else can MILLIONS of people read your rant if it were not for this medium? How else can you have so much information that you could never in your lifetime print out just sitting there, waiting to be read or seen or experienced? Has the internet not only created JOBS but opened the eyes and ears of the public? Of course it got commercialized. It was destined to. There's no way you can get the entire planet on one medium without providing things like shopping and personal ads and horoscopes and whatnot. Capitalism doesn't have to die because you want it to. If you don't like those sites, and you don't like what the internet stands for, DON'T GO TO THOSE SITES. Just don't. Don't click the ads, don't fill out the forms. For all you know, the email could go around the world five times before it reaches your neighbor. Does it take that long, really? Your 4-5k email might take a millisecond to travel from here, to Sri Lanka and back. You never saw it go, and your friend got the email seconds later. Normally, the lag is chocked up to the email server program, and NOT the lines of communication.
It is only when the Internet becomes a network of national networks, each of which is a network of regional networks, each of which is a network of local networks, =ALL= of which are run by technically-oriented volunteers who's one objective is to provide a service, can the Internet blossom.
No offense, that is the largest load of bullshit I've ever heard. Who are you to fortell the future, let alone tell the world how to run it? Face it man, things are bad, and things sometimes just don't know how to get better without COMPROMISE. If that really did exist, can you imagine what kind of control those governing bodies would have? If say the president of some country doesn't like slashdot.org, and has the authority over those said governing bodies, then BAM, they could restrict access for the whole country (or network). Do you truly think that "good-hearted" VOLUNTEERS (key word here) would give up their time and effort to run such a network? Can you imagine the problems, the calls, the hassle? Such bullshit comes in buckets my friend, not in cups.
The Internet must not be run as a business
So, in other words, "There must be no business on the Internet." Is that not what your saying the entire post? Do you not think that if there WERE no businesses online, that people would not CREATE them? Such as, sending email messages saying they had this or that product? If anything, the growth of spam and "semi-commercial" sites would bloom like wildfire. A means for everyone to be connected ALSO means that stores, shops and specialty boutiques must also have a place. They have a right, just as Joe Sixpack does.
In finality, I believe it can basically be brought down to this: Everyone else is making money off the internet, you're not, and you're super pissed about it. Your rant was not so much about the Internet in itself, but the lack of the Internet suiting YOUR needs. Suiting what YOU want, and what YOU expect from it. Others don't necessarily like the commercialization, but will order from cdnow.com just the same.
You say that America becomes a whiny, squalling baby when it doesn't get what it wants. Does this sound familiar?
Boy, doesn't everyone get real uptight when the words "Freedom" and "Privacy" come up. But, while we're being all high-and-mighty here, let me put in a small fact that most people seem to forget:
You Let This Happen
All this data didn't just appear. Those companies got your email address somehow didn't they? You had to fill out a form somewhere, you had to click the "Submit" button or what have you. If you keep cookies turned on, and javascript chuggin in the background, that's your own fault. And as far as "less informed" users go, their ignorance is what these information-gathering companies thrive on. If they don't know better, then that is their fault. Everyone acts like this data about them just "materializes" somewhere. You clicked on the ads, and you filled out the forms. I don't get spam, you know why? Because I don't give my email address anywhere I don't think is 100% safe. But Joe-Shmoe user don't care, he'll give his to anyone with a form and a 'Click Here' button. That's his ignorance. That's his fault. Blame the companies, blame the internet, blame the media.
If you don't want the supermarkets to get all this information on you, don't sign up for the "value" cards. They want to know this information, just as companies like DoubleClik do. It helps them out, it makes them money. And I can just see someone trying to explain to a company such as DoubleClik about how they should respect users, and not calculate all this information about them. And I can guarantee they'll laugh you right out the door. And they're laughing now: all the way to the bank.
I know this isn't going to be the most well-recieved opinion, but its true. Data doesn't appear, you are responsible for you. Your privacy starts in one place, and that's right where your standing. If you don't want them to know, turn the crap off, and don't fill out anything. Then you have nothing to worry about. If your ignorance causes you to be on a list somewhere about where you went last week and what prono you like, then educate yourself, and whine later.
thanks
Evan Erwin Systems Administrator The Citizens Bank of East Tennessee
Its a fact: This is the biggest and most anticipated movie to have ever been made. And Lucas knows this. Very well in fact.
I'm sure most of us have heard the rules related to Lucas' new venture, including the fact that if a movie theatre wants to show the film, it has to display it in the best stadium-seating theatre it has, and it has to stay there for a good majority of the summer (twelve weeks in fact). The merchandising, toys mainly, is a whole other realm. Lucas won't let a soul even look at them, especially the media, until the specified date (May 3rd). But..why? One would think that to keep the under lock and key would kill some of the utter excitement everyone has to see the movie. On the other hand, its just another ploy to keep everyone on the edge of their seats, when the toys are released on May 3rd. And I have friends who do collect these toys, and will probably be sleeping overnight in front of the local Toys R Us just to get a few pieces for themselves.
But, we can't blame Lucas. The man took One Hundred and Twelve MILLION dollars out of his OWN POCKET to pay for it. His project. His baby. We're lucky he's letting us order tickets online. Maybe he will lighten up on some theatres, but I seriously doubt it. Hold on, its only going to get worse as the weeks go by...
Its strange to see all the Linux articles, and how everyone of them thinks that Linux will just fade away quickly, or that the old is the best (*cough* Unix *cough*). Linux is only going to get better, and soon, we can look back on this and laugh. Very Soon. Obiwan
I love the fact that they are releasing it exclusively on the net, probably in mp3 format, the only viable option to get good quality. However, the average joe-shmo user (rap listener) doesn't have the resources or knowledge like the rest of us to turn it into a.wav file, then burn it on a cd to listen to it somewhere else. Unless they have a guide or something, I doubt it will do that well. Thats just my opinion, I could be wrong Obiwan
Slashdot Mirror
-------------
Obi
At 8 AM the 'Kevin and Bean' radio program on 106.7 KROQ (a local radio station here in sunny Burbank California) had a telephone chat with George Lucas and Melissa Joan Hart who are racing at the Toyota Grand Prix. After all the racing questions George was asked about EPISODE 2. He said that "the script was finished a couple of days ago" and that he would be leaving for Australia "in 8 weeks." Then he was asked about EPISODE 1 on DVD to which he replied "it's being worked on. The work on the supplemental stuff is taking longer. It will be coming at some point." This statement and his tone of voice suggests to me that we will see EPISODE 1 on DVD much earlier than 2006.
So, lets get one things straight: This is not a rumor. This DVD is real, and I agree with another post that this wait between releases was done to make money. He charged 40 bucks a pop for a widescreen VHS with a little piece of plastic they called "true frames from the flim!" This is also called a rip-off. Which is the reason I haven't bought it. However, to get back to the point, the DVD IS being made and it WILL come out. Maybe tomorrow, maybe 2006. But those who doubt are oblivious to whats out there, and haven't spent the time to find the facts.
------------
Obi
Jon mentioned that this doesn't happen in other countries. Has ANYONE noticed that? You don't see Japan, who has the highest suicide rate on the friggin planet coming up with any anonymous lines. You don't see ONE country in Europe, which has more sex, violence, and bad language in a year than we've EVER had coming up with something like this.
Also, did anyone notice that while the 80% of Americans think the Internet caused/highly-influenced Littleton, did anyone ask these same people if computers might have caused it? It may be that they believe computers (or computer games, to be more specific) could cause such a thing. Remember how everyone freaked out about Doom, and how the two Littleton killers played it? I think that 80% could be significantly altered (either way, who knows) if a more specific question were posed. Computer-illiterate people are scared of computers. Its a fact. They fear it because they don't understand it, and they don't understand it for many reasons. Some being that they don't want one for fear of loss of privacy, or the inability to operate it, or the inability to get training on how to use it. If 80% of these "Americans" said this, who were they? What background? Did they have knowledge of computers? The general public is vague beyond reason, and this would be a prime example of asking "Non-computer illiterate" and "Geeks" and "Computer illiterates" their view on the subject. Hell, I see a poll Hemos. Does anyone else?
I suppose its only right to assume that the worst will follow in this case. This is not big brother, they said. You're right. It isn't. But the road to hell...
--------------------
Obi
-----------
Obi
1. Lara Croft invades a tomb and gets a strange, foreign and expensive "object"
2. Lara Croft then gets the "object" in the nick of time before some large, kickass CGI demon/monster nearly kills/eats her
3. There's some bad guys who want it, and she has to get away from them and out of the cave
4. She succeeds and either a.) Falls in love with the lead bad guy (Oh no! Plot Twist Spoiler!) or b.) Kills them all or just the leader (maybe after sex)
This would open on Labor Day weekend and blow box office records for the surprise twist ending (The bad guy sex) and would then win Best Sound Editing Oscar because no one really knows why in the hell this category exists, other than the sole purpose of making whoever wins Best Sound come up to the stage twice (this is sadly true 90%+ of the time, check Oscar History). I do however fear for the true "value" of this movie other than some cool CGI effects and the ability to stare at Angelina Jolie for a few hours. Mmmm...
--------------
Obi
It's obvious that this should be a help line and not a hurt line. There should be someone on the other end wanting to talk to these kids, hear what they have to say, listen and try to understand them. This should not be a damn snitch line! When is it that people will understand that silence in the classroom from a kid doesn't mean he's planning on killing everyone. It might mean he's thinking or just daydreaming (god forbid). There are such things as withdrawn people who turn out okay, who understand high school is a crock of shit and once its over life does get better, who understand that this ends at some time or other. There are others that do not. And these are the ones we should be helping! (Key word here: "Help") They should not be alienated, reported, incriminated, or persecuted for being different than Joe Quarterback or Susie Cheerleader. These kids need attention in a helping sense, not someone pushing ideals and psychology exams at them. Leave that shit alone. Of all the pretentious things I've ever heard of, the "T-shirts and prizes" took the cake. Good Lord, what a mess that would have been. I appreciate the fact that Pinkerton listens. I just hope they hear us.
E
They copied these albums illegally
Yes, it might hinder MP3 stuff later on, but for now its just hurting MP3.com more than anywhere else (ie, your home). There will always be more sites providing mp3s than suits filed against them, and CD-ripping progs aren't going away anytime soon either. Newsgroups and Napster live on.
Imagine this: What if there was some way that you could buy the rights to the MP3s of a record? How would one keep up with it? Would you post them on Album_Name.com ? Could you only allow X number of downloads? How would you keep track of those being passed around? (This is impossible right now..I think)
However, to get back to my point, Paul is doing what anyone would do if someone was stealing a whole shitload of money away from them--stand up and say "Hi, that music's mine, and you didn't pay for it."
100+ for Windows 2k.
God knows how much for "Insert M$ Product here"
Well, it's been established that there is no way in hell this is ever going to happen. And, saying that the world spun backwards for a while and my armpits stopped sweating, that they opened their steaming, putrid black hearts and did release the source. What would you want to do? Where would (heh) YOU want to go today? Would it really be so useful? Would it bring so much benefit? Do you realize that by the time coders took the time to debug that bastard, what a huge mess they would have? Besides that, Windows2020 would have already come out, leaving their work to be shamed for the next millenia. You have to look at the aspects of what IS Windows, say that actually do release the source.
Internet Explorer - Someone mentioned this earlier. Do you actually think they would let the IE5 source in Mozilla's hands? Now, considering the leap from IE4 (Cuh-rap), this would be a threat indeed. Beware lynx, beware! (Evil, satiracle laughing ensues)
Office 2k (or 98) - Someone else mentioned this as well. This could be their open source baby alone and the world would stop. Like the guy before said, say what you want, Office rocks my damn socks. If you don't like it, then you haven't learned it correctly. There is just too much good here to pass up. Piss on Windows, I want the Word source =)
Outlook Express - In the realm of Internet Explorer, one of the coolest and easiest email readers. If they released Office you would have Outlook, but it's baby brother is still neat. I would love to see this under any *nix, and I know for a fact it would beat the crap out of Nutscrape Mail.
Anyway, I thought that it might be interesting that even if they did just release "bits" of the code (say the TCP/IP stack for example), that people could at least understand how it got so bad.
And besides, didn't they release the Win3.1 code? Hell yeah, you better be watchin out for my ereet port of that! (more evil laughing, more strange stares, Obi goes back to the dungeon from whence he came.)
Obiwan Kenobi
And compilers also are an essential tool for getting higher-level software, such as databases or e-commerce software, to work on the new chip
Uh..k. If there is backwards compatibility, what does it matter? It might make them work FASTER, but in essence does nothing "magical" to them. I think C-Net wanted to throw those magical buzzwords "databases" and "e-commerce" in so they could appeal to the 'average' user. I guess its true that an article that explains exactly what a compiler is is kinda non-consequential to anything. Intel has a new chip, has a beef with Sun because they didn't worship the black monolith like everyone else, and this is the result. An article with no real technological merit that in essence proves nothing that couldn't have been said in a few sentences. The article doesn't really focus so much on the compiler than it does the beef between Intel and Sun and what that 'Linux' thing is. Yay. Congrats C-Net, you've pleased the masses again. As for the rest of us, we could live our entire lives and not see this article and die happily. Sigh.
Obiwan Kenobi
=============================
The three rings of marriage:
Engagement Ring
Wedding Ring
Suffering
You don't have to put-down someone all the time because they think different. Doesn't this make (most of you) recall how YOU were treated in school? Different, strange, out-of-the-ordinary? Can we not see the same effect here? I can personally attest to something of that nature. If you get told you're shit long enough, you sometimes believe it. If you would shut up and let the man give you something to think about, REALLY think about, and not tell him how horrible he is, maybe you would learn something. I remember the horrible days in school, and some of you may too. It may not be those people who flame him, but for those who do: shame on yourselves. You are no better than the bullies and assholes that badger and pick on those "different" than themselves.
You say the internet has created nothing. Has it not created a bit of freedom? If anything, freedom of expression? How else can MILLIONS of people read your rant if it were not for this medium? How else can you have so much information that you could never in your lifetime print out just sitting there, waiting to be read or seen or experienced? Has the internet not only created JOBS but opened the eyes and ears of the public? Of course it got commercialized. It was destined to. There's no way you can get the entire planet on one medium without providing things like shopping and personal ads and horoscopes and whatnot. Capitalism doesn't have to die because you want it to. If you don't like those sites, and you don't like what the internet stands for, DON'T GO TO THOSE SITES. Just don't. Don't click the ads, don't fill out the forms. For all you know, the email could go around the world five times before it reaches your neighbor. Does it take that long, really? Your 4-5k email might take a millisecond to travel from here, to Sri Lanka and back. You never saw it go, and your friend got the email seconds later. Normally, the lag is chocked up to the email server program, and NOT the lines of communication.
It is only when the Internet becomes a network of national networks, each of which is a network of regional networks, each of which is a network of local networks, =ALL= of which are run by technically-oriented volunteers who's one objective is to provide a service, can the Internet blossom.
No offense, that is the largest load of bullshit I've ever heard. Who are you to fortell the future, let alone tell the world how to run it? Face it man, things are bad, and things sometimes just don't know how to get better without COMPROMISE. If that really did exist, can you imagine what kind of control those governing bodies would have? If say the president of some country doesn't like slashdot.org, and has the authority over those said governing bodies, then BAM, they could restrict access for the whole country (or network). Do you truly think that "good-hearted" VOLUNTEERS (key word here) would give up their time and effort to run such a network? Can you imagine the problems, the calls, the hassle? Such bullshit comes in buckets my friend, not in cups.
The Internet must not be run as a business
So, in other words, "There must be no business on the Internet." Is that not what your saying the entire post? Do you not think that if there WERE no businesses online, that people would not CREATE them? Such as, sending email messages saying they had this or that product? If anything, the growth of spam and "semi-commercial" sites would bloom like wildfire. A means for everyone to be connected ALSO means that stores, shops and specialty boutiques must also have a place. They have a right, just as Joe Sixpack does.
In finality, I believe it can basically be brought down to this: Everyone else is making money off the internet, you're not, and you're super pissed about it. Your rant was not so much about the Internet in itself, but the lack of the Internet suiting YOUR needs. Suiting what YOU want, and what YOU expect from it. Others don't necessarily like the commercialization, but will order from cdnow.com just the same.
You say that America becomes a whiny, squalling baby when it doesn't get what it wants.
Does this sound familiar?
You Let This Happen
All this data didn't just appear. Those companies got your email address somehow didn't they? You had to fill out a form somewhere, you had to click the "Submit" button or what have you. If you keep cookies turned on, and javascript chuggin in the background, that's your own fault. And as far as "less informed" users go, their ignorance is what these information-gathering companies thrive on. If they don't know better, then that is their fault. Everyone acts like this data about them just "materializes" somewhere. You clicked on the ads, and you filled out the forms. I don't get spam, you know why? Because I don't give my email address anywhere I don't think is 100% safe. But Joe-Shmoe user don't care, he'll give his to anyone with a form and a 'Click Here' button. That's his ignorance. That's his fault. Blame the companies, blame the internet, blame the media.
If you don't want the supermarkets to get all this information on you, don't sign up for the "value" cards. They want to know this information, just as companies like DoubleClik do. It helps them out, it makes them money. And I can just see someone trying to explain to a company such as DoubleClik about how they should respect users, and not calculate all this information about them. And I can guarantee they'll laugh you right out the door. And they're laughing now: all the way to the bank.
I know this isn't going to be the most well-recieved opinion, but its true. Data doesn't appear, you are responsible for you. Your privacy starts in one place, and that's right where your standing. If you don't want them to know, turn the crap off, and don't fill out anything. Then you have nothing to worry about. If your ignorance causes you to be on a list somewhere about where you went last week and what prono you like, then educate yourself, and whine later.
thanks
Evan Erwin
Systems Administrator
The Citizens Bank of East Tennessee
Obiwan
Obiwan
I'm sure most of us have heard the rules related to Lucas' new venture, including the fact that if a movie theatre wants to show the film, it has to display it in the best stadium-seating theatre it has, and it has to stay there for a good majority of the summer (twelve weeks in fact). The merchandising, toys mainly, is a whole other realm. Lucas won't let a soul even look at them, especially the media, until the specified date (May 3rd). But..why? One would think that to keep the under lock and key would kill some of the utter excitement everyone has to see the movie. On the other hand, its just another ploy to keep everyone on the edge of their seats, when the toys are released on May 3rd. And I have friends who do collect these toys, and will probably be sleeping overnight in front of the local Toys R Us just to get a few pieces for themselves.
But, we can't blame Lucas. The man took One Hundred and Twelve MILLION dollars out of his OWN POCKET to pay for it. His project. His baby. We're lucky he's letting us order tickets online. Maybe he will lighten up on some theatres, but I seriously doubt it. Hold on, its only going to get worse as the weeks go by...
Obiwan
Its strange to see all the Linux articles, and how everyone of them thinks that Linux will just fade away quickly, or that the old is the best (*cough* Unix *cough*). Linux is only going to get better, and soon, we can look back on this and laugh. Very Soon. Obiwan
I love the fact that they are releasing it exclusively on the net, probably in mp3 format, the only viable option to get good quality. However, the average joe-shmo user (rap listener) doesn't have the resources or knowledge like the rest of us to turn it into a .wav file, then burn it on a cd to listen to it somewhere else. Unless they have a guide or something, I doubt it will do that well. Thats just my opinion, I could be wrong Obiwan