As someone who has had to work holidays in the past, I really appreciated something of a friend of mine did one year, and we've both done it every year since. He goes to the bank, gets a few new $5 bills,(usually $20 to $50 worth) a few of the "Money Cards" inserts a $5 bill in each, along with a little handwritten "Thank you and Happy Holidays" and drives around and finds open businesses like convenience stores, gas stations, whatever he runs across and delivers a card to the clerk (or clerks) and wishes them a Merry Christmas and walks out the door. His wife has made cookies and cakes and delivered them to the police dept., hospital emergency rooms, even fire stations, there is never a plan, just whatever happens to arise. He once stopped to help an out of town motorist who had a flat tire, and a car full of kids to deal with. He changed the flat for the woman, and each child had their own envelope when he left. Imagine the memories of the children, and the warm feeling you get by doing something totally unexpected for someone. Long before the movie "Pay It Forward" I've seen this work time and time again, and it never fails to put a smile on the face of all. Sure it sounds sappy, but the feeling you get is well worth it.
Rumor has it that Santa is actually running late, after having to to submit to a personal search, have his packages hand inspected and unwrapped, and having his boots x-rayed before leaving. (imagine standing around barefoot in a foot of snow). On a related note, anyone expecting a Swiss Army Knife for Christmans will be disappointed as more that 3 million were confiscated.
Crossbreed them with Halibut, then we can just slide them under the door when the want to go out. It would save those of on the east coast and up north a fortune during the winter months.
Seriously though, I hope we don't see the same type
of far reaching to come up with combinations in consumer products that we saw in the Dotbombs. As I watched the web grow, it went from mostly private to highly commercial. People with more money than sense (or access to a venture capital source) decided they could get rich if they took some hairbrained idea, built a slick website, advertised the website during the Superbowl. Sorry folks but a website dedicated to dilapitory for poodles was going to fail, no matter what you did, how many million dollar company parties, or who produced your tv commercials or starred in them. How many other ideas went by the wayside after blowing millions?
What next, cell phone electric razors? Microwave MP3 player ovens? We seem to run in cycles where we go through a period of time where we get all this weird stuff that 6 months later you can't give away on EBay, then a period of time where we come to our senses, and produce and purchase products that have
a purpose other than to be really cool, because it
combines stuff that no one else ever thought of before.
You really have to hand it to Michael Robertson, first he's sued by the RIAA and the Big 5 while at MP3.Com and now MS comes after him.
It appears MS has made a tactical error however, at least MP3.Com had money in the bank to pay the settlements. Lindows is just getting off of the ground. Another one to watch is windux.com
Windows is Insecure? Oh My God...
on
WinXP Security Flaw
·
· Score: 0, Troll
Who would have even thought it was possible. After all Windows has been so secure in the past. I may have to look into something else.....snicker...
This is exactly the people that need to be doing this, they are the ones with the clout to make changes. These are the people who make the labels the most money. For a list of the members of the Recording Artists Coalition, it can be found here.
As for starting their own label, most are currently under contract and the contracts generally have exclusivity clauses. Sure you can quit, but until we get our 7 or 10 albums from you, or the end of your contract (10 years) you can't release on another label even if it's your own. This is what happened to the group Boston, with Columbia records. After "Don't Look Back" Columbia told the band that they needed to change their sound. The band said no, we record our music our way, or we dont play. Columbia said fine then you can't play until the expiration of your contract. 8 years later, their contract was up, the band reformed (most had left the business) did "Third Stage" which went platinum before it hit the stores. 22 years later their first two albums are still available, in lord knows what pressing, and the band members are fighting over royalties, and the albums are still selling in impressive numbers, that most artists never reach.
The bottom line is that it take a lot of time effort and energy to run a label, even a small indie label, and getting the distrbution is a nightmare. Even Ani Defranco's label, "Righteous Babe Records" is a member of the RIAA. Part of the reason is that Gold and Platinum records are issued by guess who? The RIAA. I've had several conversations with people from smaller labels who had their name added, without their knowledge, to the RIAA membership list, simply because one of their artists earned a gold or platinum record.
Regardless, of the reason for the concerts, the fact remains that these concerts show the promise of being really something, as rarely do big name acts get together on the same stage (not enough room for the egos). The concerts are on Feb 26th in the LA area. 5 different venues, 5 different genres. One for each of your different voices. (including the crotchety Old Man voice)
Wow, Jack Valenti is on Slashdot...."The Sky is falling, the sky is falling."
The stats that you quote are misleading to say the least. That was based on a survey of stores close (within a mile)of the campuses of the colleges and universities, it took place over a 3 year period, two of which of which were BEFORE Napster even existed, In addition it did not include stores such as Walmarts and Best Buy (chain stores,unless they were within a mile of the campus). In those stores sales were actually up over the three year period. This would be like surveying Slashdotters about MS Windows purchases. At best the figures were skewed, and quite frankly, highly misleading.
In 2001 during the first quarter of the year, CD Sales were up 12% when it looked like Napster would be shut down in March. In March after Napster was court ordered by Judge Patel to start filtering material, sales started to drop, and eventually shut down in July, sales have been down. Even "the Hilary" admits a big part of this is due in part to the economy going south.
Part of the beauty of this is that these recording artists will be in LA at their record labels expense for the Grammys, not to mention the fact that the LA area fans will have a chance to see acts together on the same show that would never happen otherwise.
It costs a lot of money to fight the RIAA in congress, and the RAC has recently hired two professional lobbyists to educate the congress to their situation. Many half-truths have been spoonfed to congress (along with campaign donations), as well as the court filings (such as in the Napster case) where the RIAA presents a document, that if accepted, basically acknowledges that the RIAA is the copyright owner, thus making music recordings work for hire. Even if they lose the case, they win. This is why the RAC filed an amicus brief on the behalf of Napster recently. The RIAA tried this same trick in the MP3.com case, but then settled with MP3.com to avoid having to prove "ownership" of the recording they said they "owned". The artists have yet to see a penny of the $125 million or so that was collected in the MP3.com case.
If they are screwing the big name acts, who actually make a lot of money for the label, what chance the newly signed bands have. This is going to be a major coup for the artists, as they are gaining support from the fans and in the public eye, by attacking the actual problem, rather than attacking the fans who support the bands.
If you won't buy them they won't stock them. Basic business 101. These CDs are a corrupted version of the Redbook specification, and should be called that, "Corrupted" Over the past two years the recording industry has been winning the war of words. To even discuss "copy-protected" cds, implies the acceptance of the term, which is in fact should be refered to as "corrupted".
The LA Times has a quote from the CEO of the company that operates Tower Records states they will refund the money if need be. The Fast and Furious CD is supposed to have a sticker that designates that it is a protected CD. Boycott-riaa.com has a list known corrupted CDs as well as Fatchucks.
Perhaps a better alternative to buying then returning for refund, is to tell the store manager you will not purchase ANY copy protected discs, and then don't.
If it's available in the private sector, one has to wonder what the military has available. Ever since I can remember, what the general public knowledge is, usually runs about 10 years behind the times. When I got out of the military, we had been using touch tone phones (Autovon) for 5 years, but the private sector was just becoming aware of touchtone, as limited areas were beginning to test them in the USA. During the Falkland islands conflict, most people were amazed that a ship could be sunk from 150 miles away by an air launched missle. We were amazed at Stormin' Norman's description of the "Luckiest man in Iraq" (the video of a car just making it across the bridge as a laser guided tv camera bomd hit just feet behind him). That we were able to give 15 minutes warning to Saudi Arabia that a Scud was on the way and where it was targeted. (even though the tech had been in place for quite a while.)
In Afghanistan we are using poratble satellite phones and video (even CNN is using it),and (even if it is webcam quality), voice printing to identify commanders and Osama bin Laden. If you think this 61 cm is something, I wouldn't be surprised if the military resolution is at least half of 61 cm or even less. Probably be able to get the Expiration date from his drivers license, or what brand of cigarettes he smokes.
When they offer that, then I will be first in line, I might even go buy a bright yellow pickup truck....Lots to delve into. The affects of salt water on silicone, lycra abrasion resistance to sand, opacity of wet lycra, adhesion properties of sunscreen under various conditions, best methods of applying suncreen for maximum protection...
I recently bought one (Philips with Tivo)for several reasons. To begin with it will decode Dolby Digital and Dolby surround sound, and has an optical output to send it to my home theatre receiver. So I got a higher end receiver, with the added feature of Tivo, cheaper than either the Tivo or Dolby surround would have been. It took a while to setup (as compared to the original box, but the advantages gained for $99 over the existing box were really quite great. The dolby surround version was something like $299+ the last time I checked.
Being able to watch one channel while I record another is a feature I find I use quite often. I've had DirecTv for a year now and haven't been sorry at all. (of course the cable guy was a little miffed that I used their wire to get it into the house, and they had to run new cable for the internet cable), And it beats the Digital cable quality as the run from my dish is less than 50ft, rather than 15 miles(even with amps etc.)
I have it on it's own UPS (I had a spare) which is actually pretty cool, as I can watch TV even when the power goes out (for a while anyway). Makes you realize that if it hadn't been for Mr Edison and his staff, we would all be sitting around in the dark watching tv...
It was code named Merrimac. Of course the North's radar left something to be desired as well. CSA
Stealth Ship The Merrimac (CSS Virginia) certainly bears a striking resemblance to the Russian Stealth Ship.
Personally, I would love to be able to ditch Windows. The problem is that I have literally thousands of dollars worth of software that won't run on another OS. You know expensive stuff, Photoshop, Macromedia Director, Office Pro, to name a few. If Lindows will run those programs, I certainly would give it try. As it stands now, I see little alternative to Windows unless I happen to win the lottery, marry extremely well, or decide that food and housing aren't really necessary. I can afford to replace an operating system, or upgrade, but to replace the software, that's a different story.
MOCA was co-sponsored by a Republican and a Democrat. A bi-partisan bill which is needed if it is to have any chance of passing. The RIAA spreads its money across the board, Republican's or Democrats, it doesn't matter. The RIAA is losing a lot of credibility on Capital Hill after the USA
Act fiasco
I live in VA. Rick Bouchers home state and have spoken with him about MOCA. While the RIAA and the recording labels spend millions to buy the congress, one thing has been emerging.
Your Congressperson and Senators need your vote MORE than they need the RIAA cash. Washington is about maintaining power, without the votes there is no cash, no lunches, no trips, no chance to make a difference. Make it clear to your congressperson that you support MOCA and as a consitutant of his you expect him to vote accordingly, not that of special interest groups such as the RIAA.
The text of the Music Online Competition Act can be Found Here. The MOCA is a even handed piece of legislation the strives to fix some of the roadblocks brought about by the DMCA, but faces a uphill battle. Congress is reading their e-mail these days, write, specify the topic in the subject line Music Online Competition Act, and as much as it pains you be nice. You catch a lot more flies with honey than vinegar.
How many MB of downloaded patches have been required to fix all of these security holes?
It sure seems that at least once a month (if not more) I need to download a critical update for either IE or Office. I just got done three days ago with a 13MB "security patch" for Office. Then today another 2.5 MB for IE. I did something similar last month and the month before. Beyond that it's just a blur.
Anyone have an idea of how many MB or GB of patches have been required so far? This sure is getting tiresome.
There is a big difference. Deffered is kind of like probation. "Do this for this long and we will remove the charges completely..If you don't the full charges will be reinstated and since we now have your confession your goose is cooked". This is often used to allow the prosecution to "drop" charges while saving face. Sometimes used to gain testimony, sometimes to force the person to adhere to certain conditions and often used to give a win-win spin to the case. "he did technically break the law, but we see no need to prosecute...blah..blah...blah...
From The US Attorneys Office
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2001
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of
California announced that Dmitry Sklyarov entered into an agreement this
morning with the United States and admitted his conduct in a hearing before
U.S. District Judge Whyte in San Jose Federal Court.
Under the agreement, Mr. Sklyarov agreed to cooperate with the
United States in its ongoing prosecution of Mr. Sklyarov's former employer,
Elcomsoft Co., Ltd. Mr. Skylarov will be required to appear at trial and
testify truthfully, and he will be deposed in the matter. For its part, the
United States agreed to defer prosecution of Mr. Sklyarov until the
conclusion of the case against Elcomsoft or for one year, whichever is
longer. Mr. Sklyarov will be permitted to return to Russia in the meantime,
but will be subject to the Court's supervision, including regularly
reporting by telephone to the Pretrial Services Department. Mr. Sklyarov
will be prohibited from violating any laws during the year, including
copyright laws. The United States agreed that, if Mr. Sklyarov successfully
completes the obligations in the agreement, it will dismiss the charges
pending against him at the end of the year or when the case against
Elcomsoft is complete.
Mr. Sklyarov, 27, of Moscow, Russia, was indicted by a federal Grand
Jury on August 28, 2001. He was charged with one count of conspiracy in
violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, and two counts of
trafficking for gain in technology primarily designed to circumvent
technology that protects a right of a copyright owner in violation of Title
17, United States Code, Section 1201(b)(1)(A), and two counts of trafficking
for gain in technology marketed for use in circumventing technology that
protects a right of a copyright owner in violation of Title 17, United
States Code, Section 1201(b)(1)(A).
In entering into the agreement with the government, Mr. Sklyarov was
required to acknowledge his conduct in the offense. In the agreement, Mr.
Sklyarov made the following admissions, which he also confirmed in federal
court today:
"Beginning on a date prior to June 20, 2001, and continuing through July 15,
2001, I was employed by the Russian software company, Elcomsoft Co. Ltd.
(also known as Elcom Ltd.) (hereinafter "Elcomsoft") as a computer
programmer and cryptanalyst.
"Prior to June 20, 2001, I was aware Adobe Systems, Inc. ("Adobe") was a
software company in the United States. I was also aware Adobe was the
creator of the Adobe Portable Document Format ("PDF"), a computer file
format for the publication and distribution of electronic documents. Prior
to June 20, 2001, I knew Adobe distributed a program titled the Adobe
Acrobat eBook Reader that provided technology for the reading of documents
in an electronic format on personal computers. Prior to June 20, 2001, I
was aware that documents distributed in the Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader
format are PDF files and that specifications of PDF allow for limiting of
certain operations, such as opening, editing, printing, or annotating.
"Prior to June 20, 2001, as a part of my dissertation work and as part of my
employment with Elcomsoft, I wrote a part of computer program titled the
Advanced eBook Processor ("AEBPR"). I developed AEBPR as a practical
application of my research for my dissertation and in order to demonstrate
weaknesses in protection methods of PDF files. The only use of the AEBPR
is to create an unprotected copy of an electronic document. Once a PDF file
is decrypted with the AEBPR, a copy is no longer protected by encryption.
This is all the AEBPR program does.
"Prior to June 20, 2001, I believed that ElcomSoft planned to post the AEBPR
program on the Internet on the company's website www.elcomsoft.com. I
believed that the company would charge a fee for a license for the full
version of the AEBPR that would allow access to all capabilities of the
program.
"After Adobe released a new version of the Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader that
prevented the initial version of the AEBPR program from removing the
limitations or restrictions on an e-book, I wrote software revisions for a
new version of the AEBPR program. The new version again decrypted the
e-document to which it was applied. The version of this new AEBPR program
offered on the Elcomsoft website only decrypted a portion of an e-document
to which it was applied, unless the user had already purchased a fully
functional version of the earlier version and had both versions installed on
the same machine. The new version was developed after June 29, 2001. At
that time, Elcomsoft had already stopped selling the program. The version of
this new program offered on the Elcomsoft website did not provide a user
with an opportunity to purchase it or convert it to a fully functional one,
and was developed as a matter of competition.
"On July 15, 2001, as part of my employment with Elcomsoft, I attended the
DEF CON Nine conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the conference I made a
presentation originally intended for the BlackHat conference that
immediately preceded the DefCon Nine in July 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The
same group of people organizes both BlackHat and DefCon Nine. Since there
was no available slot for a presentation at BlackHat at the time when the
paper was sent for the committee consideration, the organizers of both
conferences suggested that the paper be presented at the DefCon rather than
at BlackHat. The paper that I read at DefCon is attached as Exhibit A. A
principal part of my presentation is comprised of my research for the
dissertation. In my presentation when I said "we", I meant Elcomsoft."
Mr. Sklyarov's employer, Elcomsoft, remains charged in the case, and
the Court in that matter has set hearings for various motions on March 4,
2002, and April 1, 2002.
The prosecution of Elcomsoft is the result of an investigation by
the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Scott Frewing and Joseph Sullivan of
the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property ("CHIP") Unit are the
Assistant U.S. Attorneys who are prosecuting the case with the assistance of
legal technician Lauri Gomez.
A copy of this press release and key court documents filed in the
case may also be found on the U.S. Attorney's Office's website at
www.usdoj.gov/usao/can <http://www.usaondca.com>.
All press inquiries to the U.S. Attorney's Office should be directed
to Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Jacobs at (415)436-7181 or Assistant
U.S. Attorney Ross Nadel, Chief of the CHIP Unit, in San Jose...
Seems I recall learning a long time ago that Marconi, didn't really "invent" radio, but expanded on other peoples works (specically Hertz) I shutter to think of the results (or lack of) if he had to work under current US Copyright and Patent Law. Under US copyright law, Heinrich Hertz, could have obtained a copyright for life plus 75 years. He passed away in 1894 making his Hertzian waves availble for public domain in 1969. Just in time for the 70's. Imagine the 60's with no radio. There would have been no BBC (founded in 1921), No NPR, and no Wolfman Jack.
Slashdot Mirror
As someone who has had to work holidays in the past, I really appreciated something of a friend of mine did one year, and we've both done it every year since. He goes to the bank, gets a few new $5 bills,(usually $20 to $50 worth) a few of the "Money Cards" inserts a $5 bill in each, along with a little handwritten "Thank you and Happy Holidays" and drives around and finds open businesses like convenience stores, gas stations, whatever he runs across and delivers a card to the clerk (or clerks) and wishes them a Merry Christmas and walks out the door. His wife has made cookies and cakes and delivered them to the police dept., hospital emergency rooms, even fire stations, there is never a plan, just whatever happens to arise. He once stopped to help an out of town motorist who had a flat tire, and a car full of kids to deal with. He changed the flat for the woman, and each child had their own envelope when he left. Imagine the memories of the children, and the warm feeling you get by doing something totally unexpected for someone. Long before the movie "Pay It Forward" I've seen this work time and time again, and it never fails to put a smile on the face of all. Sure it sounds sappy, but the feeling you get is well worth it.
Rumor has it that Santa is actually running late, after having to to submit to a personal search, have his packages hand inspected and unwrapped, and having his boots x-rayed before leaving. (imagine standing around barefoot in a foot of snow). On a related note, anyone expecting a Swiss Army Knife for Christmans will be disappointed as more that 3 million were confiscated.
Crossbreed them with Halibut, then we can just slide them under the door when the want to go out. It would save those of on the east coast and up north a fortune during the winter months.
Seriously though, I hope we don't see the same type of far reaching to come up with combinations in consumer products that we saw in the Dotbombs. As I watched the web grow, it went from mostly private to highly commercial. People with more money than sense (or access to a venture capital source) decided they could get rich if they took some hairbrained idea, built a slick website, advertised the website during the Superbowl. Sorry folks but a website dedicated to dilapitory for poodles was going to fail, no matter what you did, how many million dollar company parties, or who produced your tv commercials or starred in them. How many other ideas went by the wayside after blowing millions?
What next, cell phone electric razors? Microwave MP3 player ovens? We seem to run in cycles where we go through a period of time where we get all this weird stuff that 6 months later you can't give away on EBay, then a period of time where we come to our senses, and produce and purchase products that have a purpose other than to be really cool, because it combines stuff that no one else ever thought of before.
--Rule #2 Never engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed person.
You really have to hand it to Michael Robertson, first he's sued by the RIAA and the Big 5 while at MP3.Com and now MS comes after him.
It appears MS has made a tactical error however, at least MP3.Com had money in the bank to pay the settlements. Lindows is just getting off of the ground. Another one to watch is windux.com
Who would have even thought it was possible. After all Windows has been so secure in the past. I may have to look into something else.....snicker...
This is exactly the people that need to be doing this, they are the ones with the clout to make changes. These are the people who make the labels the most money. For a list of the members of the Recording Artists Coalition, it can be found here.
As for starting their own label, most are currently under contract and the contracts generally have exclusivity clauses. Sure you can quit, but until we get our 7 or 10 albums from you, or the end of your contract (10 years) you can't release on another label even if it's your own. This is what happened to the group Boston, with Columbia records. After "Don't Look Back" Columbia told the band that they needed to change their sound. The band said no, we record our music our way, or we dont play. Columbia said fine then you can't play until the expiration of your contract. 8 years later, their contract was up, the band reformed (most had left the business) did "Third Stage" which went platinum before it hit the stores. 22 years later their first two albums are still available, in lord knows what pressing, and the band members are fighting over royalties, and the albums are still selling in impressive numbers, that most artists never reach.
The bottom line is that it take a lot of time effort and energy to run a label, even a small indie label, and getting the distrbution is a nightmare. Even Ani Defranco's label, "Righteous Babe Records" is a member of the RIAA. Part of the reason is that Gold and Platinum records are issued by guess who? The RIAA. I've had several conversations with people from smaller labels who had their name added, without their knowledge, to the RIAA membership list, simply because one of their artists earned a gold or platinum record.
What about the homeless musicians? Donate to a low income musician?
Regardless, of the reason for the concerts, the fact remains that these concerts show the promise of being really something, as rarely do big name acts get together on the same stage (not enough room for the egos). The concerts are on Feb 26th in the LA area. 5 different venues, 5 different genres. One for each of your different voices. (including the crotchety Old Man voice)
Wow, Jack Valenti is on Slashdot...."The Sky is falling, the sky is falling."
The stats that you quote are misleading to say the least. That was based on a survey of stores close (within a mile)of the campuses of the colleges and universities, it took place over a 3 year period, two of which of which were BEFORE Napster even existed, In addition it did not include stores such as Walmarts and Best Buy (chain stores,unless they were within a mile of the campus). In those stores sales were actually up over the three year period. This would be like surveying Slashdotters about MS Windows purchases. At best the figures were skewed, and quite frankly, highly misleading.
In 2001 during the first quarter of the year, CD Sales were up 12% when it looked like Napster would be shut down in March. In March after Napster was court ordered by Judge Patel to start filtering material, sales started to drop, and eventually shut down in July, sales have been down. Even "the Hilary" admits a big part of this is due in part to the economy going south.
Part of the beauty of this is that these recording artists will be in LA at their record labels expense for the Grammys, not to mention the fact that the LA area fans will have a chance to see acts together on the same show that would never happen otherwise.
It costs a lot of money to fight the RIAA in congress, and the RAC has recently hired two professional lobbyists to educate the congress to their situation. Many half-truths have been spoonfed to congress (along with campaign donations), as well as the court filings (such as in the Napster case) where the RIAA presents a document, that if accepted, basically acknowledges that the RIAA is the copyright owner, thus making music recordings work for hire. Even if they lose the case, they win. This is why the RAC filed an amicus brief on the behalf of Napster recently. The RIAA tried this same trick in the MP3.com case, but then settled with MP3.com to avoid having to prove "ownership" of the recording they said they "owned". The artists have yet to see a penny of the $125 million or so that was collected in the MP3.com case.
If they are screwing the big name acts, who actually make a lot of money for the label, what chance the newly signed bands have. This is going to be a major coup for the artists, as they are gaining support from the fans and in the public eye, by attacking the actual problem, rather than attacking the fans who support the bands.
If you won't buy them they won't stock them. Basic business 101. These CDs are a corrupted version of the Redbook specification, and should be called that, "Corrupted" Over the past two years the recording industry has been winning the war of words. To even discuss "copy-protected" cds, implies the acceptance of the term, which is in fact should be refered to as "corrupted".
The LA Times has a quote from the CEO of the company that operates Tower Records states they will refund the money if need be. The Fast and Furious CD is supposed to have a sticker that designates that it is a protected CD. Boycott-riaa.com has a list known corrupted CDs as well as Fatchucks.
Perhaps a better alternative to buying then returning for refund, is to tell the store manager you will not purchase ANY copy protected discs, and then don't.
About time, eh? Oh, and bring a few of those gold colored coins with the mapleleaf on them too....
If it's available in the private sector, one has to wonder what the military has available. Ever since I can remember, what the general public knowledge is, usually runs about 10 years behind the times. When I got out of the military, we had been using touch tone phones (Autovon) for 5 years, but the private sector was just becoming aware of touchtone, as limited areas were beginning to test them in the USA. During the Falkland islands conflict, most people were amazed that a ship could be sunk from 150 miles away by an air launched missle. We were amazed at Stormin' Norman's description of the "Luckiest man in Iraq" (the video of a car just making it across the bridge as a laser guided tv camera bomd hit just feet behind him). That we were able to give 15 minutes warning to Saudi Arabia that a Scud was on the way and where it was targeted. (even though the tech had been in place for quite a while.)
In Afghanistan we are using poratble satellite phones and video (even CNN is using it),and (even if it is webcam quality), voice printing to identify commanders and Osama bin Laden. If you think this 61 cm is something, I wouldn't be surprised if the military resolution is at least half of 61 cm or even less. Probably be able to get the Expiration date from his drivers license, or what brand of cigarettes he smokes.
When they offer that, then I will be first in line, I might even go buy a bright yellow pickup truck....Lots to delve into. The affects of salt water on silicone, lycra abrasion resistance to sand, opacity of wet lycra, adhesion properties of sunscreen under various conditions, best methods of applying suncreen for maximum protection...
I recently bought one (Philips with Tivo)for several reasons. To begin with it will decode Dolby Digital and Dolby surround sound, and has an optical output to send it to my home theatre receiver. So I got a higher end receiver, with the added feature of Tivo, cheaper than either the Tivo or Dolby surround would have been. It took a while to setup (as compared to the original box, but the advantages gained for $99 over the existing box were really quite great. The dolby surround version was something like $299+ the last time I checked.
Being able to watch one channel while I record another is a feature I find I use quite often. I've had DirecTv for a year now and haven't been sorry at all. (of course the cable guy was a little miffed that I used their wire to get it into the house, and they had to run new cable for the internet cable), And it beats the Digital cable quality as the run from my dish is less than 50ft, rather than 15 miles(even with amps etc.)
I have it on it's own UPS (I had a spare) which is actually pretty cool, as I can watch TV even when the power goes out (for a while anyway). Makes you realize that if it hadn't been for Mr Edison and his staff, we would all be sitting around in the dark watching tv...
I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the tip.
It was code named Merrimac. Of course the North's radar left something to be desired as well. CSA Stealth Ship The Merrimac (CSS Virginia) certainly bears a striking resemblance to the Russian Stealth Ship.
Personally, I would love to be able to ditch Windows. The problem is that I have literally thousands of dollars worth of software that won't run on another OS. You know expensive stuff, Photoshop, Macromedia Director, Office Pro, to name a few. If Lindows will run those programs, I certainly would give it try. As it stands now, I see little alternative to Windows unless I happen to win the lottery, marry extremely well, or decide that food and housing aren't really necessary. I can afford to replace an operating system, or upgrade, but to replace the software, that's a different story.
MOCA was co-sponsored by a Republican and a Democrat. A bi-partisan bill which is needed if it is to have any chance of passing. The RIAA spreads its money across the board, Republican's or Democrats, it doesn't matter. The RIAA is losing a lot of credibility on Capital Hill after the USA Act fiasco
I live in VA. Rick Bouchers home state and have spoken with him about MOCA. While the RIAA and the recording labels spend millions to buy the congress, one thing has been emerging.
Your Congressperson and Senators need your vote MORE than they need the RIAA cash. Washington is about maintaining power, without the votes there is no cash, no lunches, no trips, no chance to make a difference. Make it clear to your congressperson that you support MOCA and as a consitutant of his you expect him to vote accordingly, not that of special interest groups such as the RIAA.
The text of the Music Online Competition Act can be Found Here . The MOCA is a even handed piece of legislation the strives to fix some of the roadblocks brought about by the DMCA, but faces a uphill battle. Congress is reading their e-mail these days, write, specify the topic in the subject line Music Online Competition Act, and as much as it pains you be nice. You catch a lot more flies with honey than vinegar.
"A mind is a terrible thing to lose."
How many MB of downloaded patches have been required to fix all of these security holes? It sure seems that at least once a month (if not more) I need to download a critical update for either IE or Office. I just got done three days ago with a 13MB "security patch" for Office. Then today another 2.5 MB for IE. I did something similar last month and the month before. Beyond that it's just a blur.
Anyone have an idea of how many MB or GB of patches have been required so far? This sure is getting tiresome.
There is a big difference. Deffered is kind of like probation. "Do this for this long and we will remove the charges completely..If you don't the full charges will be reinstated and since we now have your confession your goose is cooked". This is often used to allow the prosecution to "drop" charges while saving face. Sometimes used to gain testimony, sometimes to force the person to adhere to certain conditions and often used to give a win-win spin to the case. "he did technically break the law, but we see no need to prosecute...blah..blah ...blah...
From The US Attorneys Office
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2001
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California announced that Dmitry Sklyarov entered into an agreement this morning with the United States and admitted his conduct in a hearing before U.S. District Judge Whyte in San Jose Federal Court.
Under the agreement, Mr. Sklyarov agreed to cooperate with the United States in its ongoing prosecution of Mr. Sklyarov's former employer, Elcomsoft Co., Ltd. Mr. Skylarov will be required to appear at trial and testify truthfully, and he will be deposed in the matter. For its part, the United States agreed to defer prosecution of Mr. Sklyarov until the conclusion of the case against Elcomsoft or for one year, whichever is longer. Mr. Sklyarov will be permitted to return to Russia in the meantime, but will be subject to the Court's supervision, including regularly reporting by telephone to the Pretrial Services Department. Mr. Sklyarov will be prohibited from violating any laws during the year, including copyright laws. The United States agreed that, if Mr. Sklyarov successfully completes the obligations in the agreement, it will dismiss the charges pending against him at the end of the year or when the case against Elcomsoft is complete.
Mr. Sklyarov, 27, of Moscow, Russia, was indicted by a federal Grand Jury on August 28, 2001. He was charged with one count of conspiracy in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, and two counts of trafficking for gain in technology primarily designed to circumvent technology that protects a right of a copyright owner in violation of Title 17, United States Code, Section 1201(b)(1)(A), and two counts of trafficking for gain in technology marketed for use in circumventing technology that protects a right of a copyright owner in violation of Title 17, United States Code, Section 1201(b)(1)(A).
In entering into the agreement with the government, Mr. Sklyarov was required to acknowledge his conduct in the offense. In the agreement, Mr. Sklyarov made the following admissions, which he also confirmed in federal court today:
"Beginning on a date prior to June 20, 2001, and continuing through July 15, 2001, I was employed by the Russian software company, Elcomsoft Co. Ltd. (also known as Elcom Ltd.) (hereinafter "Elcomsoft") as a computer programmer and cryptanalyst.
"Prior to June 20, 2001, I was aware Adobe Systems, Inc. ("Adobe") was a software company in the United States. I was also aware Adobe was the creator of the Adobe Portable Document Format ("PDF"), a computer file format for the publication and distribution of electronic documents. Prior to June 20, 2001, I knew Adobe distributed a program titled the Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader that provided technology for the reading of documents in an electronic format on personal computers. Prior to June 20, 2001, I was aware that documents distributed in the Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader format are PDF files and that specifications of PDF allow for limiting of certain operations, such as opening, editing, printing, or annotating.
"Prior to June 20, 2001, as a part of my dissertation work and as part of my employment with Elcomsoft, I wrote a part of computer program titled the Advanced eBook Processor ("AEBPR"). I developed AEBPR as a practical application of my research for my dissertation and in order to demonstrate weaknesses in protection methods of PDF files. The only use of the AEBPR is to create an unprotected copy of an electronic document. Once a PDF file is decrypted with the AEBPR, a copy is no longer protected by encryption. This is all the AEBPR program does.
"Prior to June 20, 2001, I believed that ElcomSoft planned to post the AEBPR program on the Internet on the company's website www.elcomsoft.com. I believed that the company would charge a fee for a license for the full version of the AEBPR that would allow access to all capabilities of the program.
"After Adobe released a new version of the Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader that prevented the initial version of the AEBPR program from removing the limitations or restrictions on an e-book, I wrote software revisions for a new version of the AEBPR program. The new version again decrypted the e-document to which it was applied. The version of this new AEBPR program offered on the Elcomsoft website only decrypted a portion of an e-document to which it was applied, unless the user had already purchased a fully functional version of the earlier version and had both versions installed on the same machine. The new version was developed after June 29, 2001. At that time, Elcomsoft had already stopped selling the program. The version of this new program offered on the Elcomsoft website did not provide a user with an opportunity to purchase it or convert it to a fully functional one, and was developed as a matter of competition.
"On July 15, 2001, as part of my employment with Elcomsoft, I attended the DEF CON Nine conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the conference I made a presentation originally intended for the BlackHat conference that immediately preceded the DefCon Nine in July 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The same group of people organizes both BlackHat and DefCon Nine. Since there was no available slot for a presentation at BlackHat at the time when the paper was sent for the committee consideration, the organizers of both conferences suggested that the paper be presented at the DefCon rather than at BlackHat. The paper that I read at DefCon is attached as Exhibit A. A principal part of my presentation is comprised of my research for the dissertation. In my presentation when I said "we", I meant Elcomsoft."
Mr. Sklyarov's employer, Elcomsoft, remains charged in the case, and the Court in that matter has set hearings for various motions on March 4, 2002, and April 1, 2002.
The prosecution of Elcomsoft is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Scott Frewing and Joseph Sullivan of the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property ("CHIP") Unit are the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who are prosecuting the case with the assistance of legal technician Lauri Gomez.
A copy of this press release and key court documents filed in the case may also be found on the U.S. Attorney's Office's website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can <http://www.usaondca.com>.
All press inquiries to the U.S. Attorney's Office should be directed to Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Jacobs at (415)436-7181 or Assistant U.S. Attorney Ross Nadel, Chief of the CHIP Unit, in San Jose...
Seems I recall learning a long time ago that Marconi, didn't really "invent" radio, but expanded on other peoples works (specically Hertz) I shutter to think of the results (or lack of) if he had to work under current US Copyright and Patent Law. Under US copyright law, Heinrich Hertz, could have obtained a copyright for life plus 75 years. He passed away in 1894 making his Hertzian waves availble for public domain in 1969. Just in time for the 70's. Imagine the 60's with no radio. There would have been no BBC (founded in 1921), No NPR, and no Wolfman Jack.