Opponents of the proposed rules fear that, taken together, they ultimately could lead to a few powerful conglomerates controlling the flow of electronic information, from programming of television and radio news and entertainment to owning the pipes that connect people to the Internet.
This is already happening with Radio. Proof? Two words: Clear Channel.
Do you have a KISS-FM in your town? That's Clear Channel. They're putting cookie-cutter pop radio stations (all called KISS-FM) in major markets. In addition to owning KISS-FM in nearly every market, they own TV stations, billboards, concert venues, etc.
Check out this link. Click here and search for 'kiss' -- you'll find 51 stations, all the same format, all the same manufactured pop stars, all the same type of dopey deejays.
Its radio like this that keeps me listening to CDs.
Personally as soon as I heard that DeCSS was banned I downloaded a copy just to prove to myself the futility of internet censorship.
You and everyone else. Thats the great thing about the internet. Ban something and 1000+ people are going to download it and mirror it everywhere. The sooner the RIAA/MPAA/etc realize that the internet is not something they can control and that we, as consumers, are going to thwart their attempts to shut off the flow of information the better off they're going to be. I personally will dance the jigg if/when the RIAA and/or MPAA get bitchlapped in court.
Hell, the idiot lawyers even included the source code for DeCSS in the court documents. There's no need for anyone to mirror it anymore!
The link above is the Hoy filing from this page...
What I'd like to see is someone suing the RIAA or any software company for blocking our rights as consumers from making said backups.
Hell, I'd *love* to be able to make a decent working copy of MechWarrior 4 so I don't run the risk of scratching the original. I've tried CloneCD as well as a couple of others to no avail.
Just *try* getting ahold of the author of works you own and have a legal right to make back ups of. Ask them how to go about copying their works for your archival purposes. Although I've never tried, I'm sure they'll likely laugh at you.
I'm no programmer, but surely someone could come up with an automated way to handle this. Maybe an evolving-type automated response letter with variables defined as %n for spammer's name or return email address, %p for product they're peddling, etc.
EXACTLY. Why the hell would they post a price for a year from now, and on a service that hasn't even launched yet? They have NO IDEA what its going to cost to upkeep the system since they've got no data showing usage.
See my previous comment regarding prices after the 1st initial year.
That, or look at the terms of service on the site. That's where I was getting my info from. I don't even own an Xbox. I'd rather sink the cash into my PC.
Why? You get 12 months for $50. Let MS give out pricing info once they've determined costs to maintain the system. Putting out pricing info now would be bad business sense. They have no idea how popular the system will be and as such have no idea what the costs are going to be to maintain the system.
What if this were a Linux-run system? Would you expect one of the Linux vendors to put pricing info online before even knowing how much its going to cost to maintain the system?
It just seems that anything with 'Microsoft' in the name is instantly attacked, without forethought as to whether or not what they're doing makes good business sense.
From http://www.xbox.com/LIVE/connect/legal-tou.htm#: 6. SUBSCRIPTION RENEWAL If you are participating in any trial or promotional period offer, you must cancel your subscription prior to the end of the applicable trial or promotional period in order to avoid having the subscription automatically and continuously renewed for the specified period, as well as to avoid incurring any applicable service charges for early cancellation. If you are subscribed for a monthly subscription, then your subscription will automatically and continuously renew from month to month unless you cancel your subscription prior to the end of that month. If you are subscribed for longer subscription periods (e.g., 3, 6 or 12 months) then unless the terms of that subscription state otherwise, your subscription will automatically and continuously renew for such period at prices then in effect.
So, they're not saying at this time. You'll have to pay whatever the going rate is at the end of the 12 months. Also, not unlike a gym membership, you've got to contact them before the anniverssary in order to cancel the subscription or it auto-renews.
They also say that the service isn't intended for kids under 13.
"Microsoft will sell a $49.95 Xbox Live package, O'Rourke said, which includes a 12-month subscription to the service and a headset microphone that connects to the Xbox for voice chat. The fee does not include a broadband connection, which is required to subscribe."
Google is our friend (I simply searched using 'XBox Live price' as the string).
Wow. That's pretty fucked up. Their site looks TOO much like Dow's.
Dow may not have too hard a time proving their case. However, Thing.Net's owners *might* come out ahead on this. It's still a parody site -- even though there aren't any disclaimers stating as much. Certainly will be interesting to see where this goes...
As for my getting roped in. All I can say is
DOH!
Thanks for pointing it out.
Mental note: Consume at least TWO cups of cofee before posting comments to Slashdot in the morning...
Before anyone stars foaming at the mouth about use of the Dow name (and even the look of their corporate page, which I didn't see the specific mention of) take a look at the following links:
"The provider, Verio, graciously complied with our letter citing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Not only did they shut down Dow-Chemical.com, but as a good corporate citizen, they agreed to shut down an entire network (Thing.net) of websites many of which, while unrelated to dow-chemical.com, appear to serve no commercial purpose, being dedicated to the unproductive analysis and critique of society and corporate behaviour.
We applaud the courage of Verio in taking this act, as it sends a strong signal to the "artists, activists," and other blatantly non-commercial users of Thing.net. That message can be stated simply: Corporate America will defend its right to Free Speech on the internet rigorously. Verio ensured that this message was understood by giving Thing.net a 60-day eviction notice following the network's restoration to the internet. This is the kind of justice which Dow can afford, and which we hope will become a model for the future of the internet."
So, apparently DOW now would like to think of themselves as net critics and that since Thing.net is hosting sites that "serve no commercial purpose, being dedicated to the unproductive analysis and critique of society and corporate behaviour" then everything's ok and we should all just grab out ankles now..
"Corporate America will defend its right to Free Speech on the internet rigorously." Oh, ok. Since those using Thing.Net aren't a corporation with a bunch of high-priced lawyers they don't get to use free speech? Thanks a lot, assholes.
This is the kind of justice which Dow can afford, and which we hope will become a model for the future of the internet." Translations: We sikked our hybrid lawyer-dogs on Verio and they put out quicker than a Freshman cheerleader at the Senior prom. We 0wnz them now. We will 0wnz j00 too.
Given what happened to FatWallet over the Black Tuesday adverts?
What the hell is DOW claiming under the DMCA? The name? Give me a break. I hope there's such a HUGE stink over this that it permanently tarnishes DOW and Verio's reputations. Fscking corporate slimeballs.
I skimmed the article. It says that they were unable to lock on the signal using one of the largest radio antennae on the planet.
Any ideas if this was due to atmospheric distrubance (as well as distance, obviously...).
So, when are we going to see plans for building a relay on the moon? Surely NASA's got to be looking into this. I'm not an engineer, but surely they could build a permanent relay on the moon using solar panels for power. I know, I know, the moon rotates on its axis and around the earth (duh) but certainly there are ways to maintain signal between the Earth and Moon, especially with so many receivers on Earth.
You'd think since the db registration info points to the REAL escrow site, the real site owners could simply contact the ISP (with the registrar info as proof) and have it shut down.
I was reading somewhere yesterday (boingboing? fark?) about a company that set up a parody site and submitted the reg info as being Dow (as in Dow Chemicals, showing the son of the founder of Dow as the owner). The guy who was specified as the owner contacted the ISP where the spoof site was hosted and had it turned off.
Slashdot Mirror
Opponents of the proposed rules fear that, taken together, they ultimately could lead to a few powerful conglomerates controlling the flow of electronic information, from programming of television and radio news and entertainment to owning the pipes that connect people to the Internet.
This is already happening with Radio. Proof? Two words: Clear Channel.
Do you have a KISS-FM in your town? That's Clear Channel. They're putting cookie-cutter pop radio stations (all called KISS-FM) in major markets. In addition to owning KISS-FM in nearly every market, they own TV stations, billboards, concert venues, etc.
Check out this link.
Click here and search for 'kiss' -- you'll find 51 stations, all the same format, all the same manufactured pop stars, all the same type of dopey deejays.
Its radio like this that keeps me listening to CDs.
I won't be greedy - I'd do it for $1000.
Heck, I'd do it for the $200 I need for a new motherboard and RAM for my new Athlon XP 2200+ !
Personally as soon as I heard that DeCSS was banned I downloaded a copy just to prove to myself the futility of internet censorship.
You and everyone else. Thats the great thing about the internet. Ban something and 1000+ people are going to download it and mirror it everywhere. The sooner the RIAA/MPAA/etc realize that the internet is not something they can control and that we, as consumers, are going to thwart their attempts to shut off the flow of information the better off they're going to be. I personally will dance the jigg if/when the RIAA and/or MPAA get bitchlapped in court.
Hell, the idiot lawyers even included the source code for DeCSS in the court documents. There's no need for anyone to mirror it anymore!
The link above is the Hoy filing from this page...
What I'd like to see is someone suing the RIAA or any software company for blocking our rights as consumers from making said backups.
Hell, I'd *love* to be able to make a decent working copy of MechWarrior 4 so I don't run the risk of scratching the original. I've tried CloneCD as well as a couple of others to no avail.
Just *try* getting ahold of the author of works you own and have a legal right to make back ups of. Ask them how to go about copying their works for your archival purposes. Although I've never tried, I'm sure they'll likely laugh at you.
Well, good luck to you in this legal battle.
I'm no programmer, but surely someone could come up with an automated way to handle this. Maybe an evolving-type automated response letter with variables defined as %n for spammer's name or return email address, %p for product they're peddling, etc.
Looking over a bay in Guam at the age of 18 months.
I couldn't tell you what happened last week, but I remember seeing the water and the boats in the bay.
EXACTLY. Why the hell would they post a price for a year from now, and on a service that hasn't even launched yet? They have NO IDEA what its going to cost to upkeep the system since they've got no data showing usage.
See my previous comment regarding prices after the 1st initial year.
That, or look at the terms of service on the site. That's where I was getting my info from. I don't even own an Xbox. I'd rather sink the cash into my PC.
Why? You get 12 months for $50. Let MS give out pricing info once they've determined costs to maintain the system. Putting out pricing info now would be bad business sense. They have no idea how popular the system will be and as such have no idea what the costs are going to be to maintain the system.
What if this were a Linux-run system? Would you expect one of the Linux vendors to put pricing info online before even knowing how much its going to cost to maintain the system?
It just seems that anything with 'Microsoft' in the name is instantly attacked, without forethought as to whether or not what they're doing makes good business sense.
They are, afterall, a business.
Yahoo is good for locale-specfic searches (easier for me to find local stuff than Google) but Google is the shiznet for everything else.
Especially with stuff like Froogle, Google Catalogs, and Google News who needs the other search engines?
Yahoo switching to Inktomi will only decrease their traffic..
Cool! Thanks for the info.
Now to jack with a couple of friends' webpages....
From http://www.xbox.com/LIVE/connect/legal-tou.htm#:
6. SUBSCRIPTION RENEWAL
If you are participating in any trial or promotional period offer, you must cancel your subscription prior to the end of the applicable trial or promotional period in order to avoid having the subscription automatically and continuously renewed for the specified period, as well as to avoid incurring any applicable service charges for early cancellation. If you are subscribed for a monthly subscription, then your subscription will automatically and continuously renew from month to month unless you cancel your subscription prior to the end of that month. If you are subscribed for longer subscription periods (e.g., 3, 6 or 12 months) then unless the terms of that subscription state otherwise, your subscription will automatically and continuously renew for such period at prices then in effect.
So, they're not saying at this time. You'll have to pay whatever the going rate is at the end of the 12 months. Also, not unlike a gym membership, you've got to contact them before the anniverssary in order to cancel the subscription or it auto-renews.
They also say that the service isn't intended for kids under 13.
Agreed, but if you look at my comments where I say
"If you go to the main XBox live page, there's a link on the page under 'Get it now!' that lists the price."
You'd see that I also pointed out that the information was readily available on the XBox Live front page.
No big deal. If you can't find it, Google should be your first stop - that was my only reason for referencing it.
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-918460.html has the price.
Quoth the article:
"Microsoft will sell a $49.95 Xbox Live package, O'Rourke said, which includes a 12-month subscription to the service and a headset microphone that connects to the Xbox for voice chat. The fee does not include a broadband connection, which is required to subscribe."
Google is our friend (I simply searched using 'XBox Live price' as the string).
Also, http://www.xbox.com/live/xboxlive-retailers.htm shows where you can get the starter kit from your favorite local (nationwide) retailer.
If you go to the main XBox live page, there's a link on the page under 'Get it now!' that lists the price.
That's it. I'm SUING you.
/. with a DMCA and force them to give me your personal info.
I'm going to hit
Not really, but I get your point.
Wow. That's pretty fucked up. Their site looks TOO much like Dow's.
Dow may not have too hard a time proving their case. However, Thing.Net's owners *might* come out ahead on this. It's still a parody site -- even though there aren't any disclaimers stating as much. Certainly will be interesting to see where this goes...
As for my getting roped in. All I can say is
DOH!
Thanks for pointing it out.
Mental note: Consume at least TWO cups of cofee before posting comments to Slashdot in the morning...
Before anyone stars foaming at the mouth about use of the Dow name (and even the look of their corporate page, which I didn't see the specific mention of) take a look at the following links:
, 00.html
S .html
http://www.business2.com/articles/web/0,1653,9452
http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/92-1292.Z
http://www.chillingeffects.org/protest/
http://overlawyered.com/topics/silicon.html
From Dow's press release (at http://www.dowethics.com/r/environment/freedom.htm l)
Wow. dowethics. Given the circumstances, wouldn't that be an oxymoron?
"The provider, Verio, graciously complied with our letter citing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Not only did they shut down Dow-Chemical.com, but as a good corporate citizen, they agreed to shut down an entire network (Thing.net) of websites many of which, while unrelated to dow-chemical.com, appear to serve no commercial purpose, being dedicated to the unproductive analysis and critique of society and corporate behaviour.
We applaud the courage of Verio in taking this act, as it sends a strong signal to the "artists, activists," and other blatantly non-commercial users of Thing.net. That message can be stated simply: Corporate America will defend its right to Free Speech on the internet rigorously. Verio ensured that this message was understood by giving Thing.net a 60-day eviction notice following the network's restoration to the internet. This is the kind of justice which Dow can afford, and which we hope will become a model for the future of the internet."
So, apparently DOW now would like to think of themselves as net critics and that since Thing.net is hosting sites that "serve no commercial purpose, being dedicated to the unproductive analysis and critique of society and corporate behaviour" then everything's ok and we should all just grab out ankles now..
"Corporate America will defend its right to Free Speech on the internet rigorously." Oh, ok. Since those using Thing.Net aren't a corporation with a bunch of high-priced lawyers they don't get to use free speech? Thanks a lot, assholes.
This is the kind of justice which Dow can afford, and which we hope will become a model for the future of the internet." Translations: We sikked our hybrid lawyer-dogs on Verio and they put out quicker than a Freshman cheerleader at the Senior prom. We 0wnz them now. We will 0wnz j00 too.
Oh yeah, I got first post.
Given what happened to FatWallet over the Black Tuesday adverts?
What the hell is DOW claiming under the DMCA? The name? Give me a break. I hope there's such a HUGE stink over this that it permanently tarnishes DOW and Verio's reputations. Fscking corporate slimeballs.
When you can cyberbeg?
YMMV.
Hey -- I just noticed that the preview time is slow by 15:46 hours..
Ah, thanks for clearing that up.
I skimmed the article. It says that they were unable to lock on the signal using one of the largest radio antennae on the planet.
Any ideas if this was due to atmospheric distrubance (as well as distance, obviously...).
So, when are we going to see plans for building a relay on the moon? Surely NASA's got to be looking into this. I'm not an engineer, but surely they could build a permanent relay on the moon using solar panels for power. I know, I know, the moon rotates on its axis and around the earth (duh) but certainly there are ways to maintain signal between the Earth and Moon, especially with so many receivers on Earth.
You'd think since the db registration info points to the REAL escrow site, the real site owners could simply contact the ISP (with the registrar info as proof) and have it shut down.
I was reading somewhere yesterday (boingboing? fark?) about a company that set up a parody site and submitted the reg info as being Dow (as in Dow Chemicals, showing the son of the founder of Dow as the owner). The guy who was specified as the owner contacted the ISP where the spoof site was hosted and had it turned off.
Hell, for that matter the other link in this I'd posted as a story on Monday. It too was shot down only to appear from Michael in this story as well.
:)
Makes me wonder if Michael (or anyone else) is rejecting stories only to submit them themselves.
Cmdr Taco? You reading this?