One solution to this is simple; do you feel buckeyballs (which is a very loose trademark considering the name has been around more than 20 years) is abusing the DMCA and being anticompetitive? If so, then go to http://zenmagnets.com/ and buy a small set of magnets (which are cool by the way). I did! Support the little guy and vote with the dollars you spend! Tell your friends on Facebook about the cool magnets you just bought and that they should buy some too! Let word of mouth get around. Let your actions be the PR and send the message to buckeyballs.
Hey slashdot, tell ThinkGeek to carry ZenMagnets and drop buckeyballs instead.
This is not the first time, remember the GX150's
on
Dell Selling Faulty PCs
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
I remember severe issues with the SFF GX150 some years ago. If you ever had one fry and need a motherboard replacement, that is because the Power Supply's fan was reversed; instead of pulling hot air out, it forced hot air into the case. I informed Dell and more than 80% of the GX150's I had were like this. They never owned up to the problem and just kept going, replacing dozens of motherboards along the way. Idiots!
OK, I can see trademarking the NBC Chimes and the MGM Lion. These sounds are CONSISTENT and definitely identify the brand. It is the same audio through and through time and time again. The duck call is not the same sound time and again. The sound will be different based on who does it, how they hold the duck call, etc. Unless they have the sound on a speaker and pipe it out that way, this lawsuit should fail.
This is no different than Harley Davidson attempting to trademark the sound of their engines. It's an engine! No matter how good you are, the engines will just sound different from bike to bike. I should note that Harley Davidson ultimately failed in their bid to trademark the sound of their engines.
- How much spam reaches your inbox? Will the ISP apply their usage limits to your incoming mailbox as well? I guarantee you there is some bean counter who has already thought of this and is just grinning at the prospect!
- How much do you get scanned? I'm sorry folks, but you are using a REAL IP to access the internet. And there is nothing to prevent ANYBODY from scanning that IP address. And I guarantee you that TW, ATT, Cox, whoever, is going to allow that packet through. Multiply by a few million and BLAM, you have a $20K bill!!!
- How many advertisements do you see on an average web page? How many are now FLASH? Do I get to decide which advertisement makes it and which one doesn't? Why should I have to pay my hard earned cash to see advertisements? I've seen websites that were more adverts than content. So basically, more than 50% of the cash I had to use was wasted because the website uses heavy FLASH! How is that fair?
Those are the reasons that Usage Fees are bad. And let us not forget about the cable TV suggestion I heard recently; let me pick and choose my programming without having to pay for the bloody HGTV that I never watch, and then we can start talking about usage fees. Until then, shut it! It is either an "All you can eat Buffet" of the Cable Companies can dump the forced "Buffet of crap programming I don't want or would ever want!"
And while power and water are definitely utilities. The Internet is most definitely not a utility in the classic sense. It's a communications medium. You can get unlimited phone usage, you can get unlimited cell phone usage. And you basically get unlimited TV (the cable company doesn't hold you to 5 hours a week afterall); as it should be with the Internet.
Putting a limit is no different than Net Neutrality. You are effectively limiting the amount of news, entertainment, etc I can enjoy. How is it any different than saying I can't hit this website or that? You are now forcing me to prioritize the entertainment I wish to pursue.
Script what you would do manually. It's not that hard to determine your distro and thus which app to use to update. Determine how you manage manually and just start BASH'ing it out in a script to do the same thing remotely. SSH keys will be required. Then set up sudo on each system to allow you to run certain commands passwordless. Just be sure to use ssh -t when connecting so that sudo will work properly.
Really, this is admin 101. Any good admin should be able to script. If you can't, then start learning; Or you will only ever be a mediocre admin.
JJ Abrams needs to watch all of TOS before putting together a movie. The biggest problem I see so far is that The new Trek Trailer shows a young JTK driving a 1960's era car. Not a bad looking ride for being what, 300+ years old? But in season 2 of TOS (A piece of the action), Kirk barely got a car started and even worse probably destroyed the clutch trying to drive it.
No suggestion other than to forget about it. I would stick with an undergraduate book in Physical Chemistry (see Quantum Mechanics) or one in Physics (GA Tech had a good book coming out 10 years ago, so I can only assume it is still around...and I mean good).
Having both a math degree and a Master's in Quantum Chemistry, you will get too bogged down in the language of Chemistry (particles in one dimensional boxes and all of that funky stuff). Chemists make horrible mathematicians (which is why I'm in Computer Science now).
So stick with a good undergrad book and team up with a good physical chemistry student (or physics student) who has a good grasp of Schroedinger's equation. You can swap ideas and help each in turn.
BTW - It was Diffe-Q's that finally helped me make since of Wave Motion (ie Schroedinger's equation). And stay away from those damned laplace transforms and be a real mathematician!
I wouldn't call it obvious. I would call it the result of a McCain Campaign that tried to control the press (think Palin and Couric) and refused to even deal with the press when they asked tough questions. If you snub the press, expect to be snubbed back. McCain made his own bed; now he can sleep in it.
I know CD's seem like a nice cheap but effective technology, but how cheap is your data? Think about it, you have an unknown chemical dye stuck between two plastic platters with a reflective surface. And how many times has Verbatim or some other vendor changed that dye on you? They always seem to be changing.
Regardless of the "reviews", A plain CD-R (or any other similar item) has never been good for long term storage (regardless of what the marketing department says). Now my music CD may last 100 years because it is not the same (or it shouldn't be) as a CD-R. That chemical dye has a finite lifespan and I would only give it a few years before it starts to degrade.
If your data is truly important, start looking at more stringent technologies that are used by financial firms, government, hospitals, etc. We're upgrading from an older DVD-RAM system and have started utilizing UDO2 Plasmon discs (60GB each) for long term (as well as ablative) storage for regulatory requirements. I'll put one of these up against a CD/DVD-R or Blue-Ray disc anyday. It's more expensive, but the data is irreplaceable, just as is my job.
And the next thing you know, you will be required to pay for the air you breath. Hmmmmm/me heads for the nearest Patent Office to "claim a revolutionary method of oxygen exchange used in concert with ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) for the creation of kinetic energy."
Oh yeah, they definitely sell servers. These are not the older servers you may have noticed a few years ago. These have been redesigned. I'm the proud owner of a Gateway 975. It will be a very good competitor to the Dell 2650. Not to mention it is cheaper and I have better I/O (like 4x) from hdparm on my 975 than a brand new Dell 2600! Both have hardware raid. Go figure!
I've known for weeks but had one of those crazy NDA's preventing from talking. I tried to get the Gateway guys to go to Debian. I even have ISO's ready to go! Oh well. Maybe next vendor!:-)
There is a problem with this thinking. Typically, European countries thumb their noses are US Companies. After all, Microsoft has problems in Europe. But now, the EU is considering the same thing we have in the US. Now software based in Europe (as in Debian non-US) is subject to similar laws. Now Microsoft can start flexing it's muscle a bit more because now they have a law on their side, where before they didn't.
You can only stand up to them (US or Other Software companies) if you are based in a country that doesn't recognize their laws. It's just like Canada telling off the US Drug Company and selling the stuff anyway!!! The WTO is nothing more than a Billie Club! My way or I beat you with it! And the US loves using it's Billie Club!!
Pretty soon, the only safe place to get open source or free software from will be somebody who hates the US/EU enough to flip off US (And now EU) patent laws! But wait, wouldn't that country now be considered a terrorist state!!!! Hmmmmm!
I mean, just a couple of weeks ago, Novell was trying to put SCO off of Linux by claiming ownership of key UNIX Copyrights. With this announcement just made - I would think they were trying to keep SCO at bay so that they could come out with this new product announcement and not have a certain amount of uncertainty about it from the Industry. After all, they have been developing this software for years... yes years! There's a lot of money tied up in this.
It all makes a little more sense now. I'm glad they finally embraced their services on Linux though. I always like the Novell File Services!
Well, the University is on a right track I think. The best thing to do is to create a situation where the students can listen to the music they like. The best way to keep it legal is to not support the RIAA membership. Instead, TAP YOUR OWN STUDENTS!
Yup, just about every college/university has a band with a following. Somewhere out there, is a group you will like. Trust me, you will! So the P2P network that the schools set up will share the talents of their students with other schools and in the process down the RIAA at the same time!
It's simple, the SGA (Student Government Association) sponsors the web site. They in turn get the students to put their works in to the school's system. The bands obviously still own the music, but it's freely available to the rest of the network (get your name out there sort of thing). The school's bandwidth (let's face it, they are paying for it whether it is used or not) is then used to spread the music to the other participants (sometimes over I2)!
Schools across the country can simply join in by setting up a proper system for storing the music by the students and joining the P2P system. Each OGG (down with MP3) holds a URL to a University sponsored page for the music group so people can learn about the group, find out where they are playing next. Maybe even book the group to play at their school, which is what the SGA does (at least ours did). To find a type of music, just hit the systems search engine, which is tied to the rest of the network.
Are their problems with the idea? Yeah, but I can find problems in a Utopian society too! The point is, the kids get their music, they get it fast, and they get exposure. The University comes out with a win, and thumbs a proverbial nose back at the music Industry for being snobbish and greedy and a total {insert explitive here}.
I believe the SC Legislature recently passed a law that requires an IT person to turn in another who may have Child Pornography on their computer. Not doing so would be illegal. For the company to fire the person afterwards would then open the company up to litigation. Basically, I'm between a rock and a rock! Time for a Career Change??
....in some it's just that you hear too much and you don't need to burn a copy, you got it in your head.
Does this mean that your head is in violation of the DMCA? I mean, you are afterall playing a copyrighted work in your head. Look out folks, next "they" will be coming at us with axes to destroy the neural anti-circumvention devices!
Yup, I guess you could say that the RIAA is feeling the pinch. Let me think. I bought on average 50 CD's a year at roughly $15.00 a pop. That comes out to $750 a year. But since the RIAA has decided take up an attitude that we are all crooks, I have decided to support the INDIE groups instead. If it's an RIAA music company, I don't buy the CD. Well, looky here, that's a 100% drop in business from one person. One does not make a pattern, but I know for fact I'm not alone!
...they're probably worth a few magnitudes of their weight in gold.
You are absolutely right. They are worth more than that. But a person that takes initiative is often expected to outperform their duties and then they don't get squat but a pat-on-da-head. The last time I took intiative, I was given three weeks of work to do in 1 week. All because I opened my big friggin' mouth and out popped a really cool idea!
I once knew a Ph.D. who called saying that his "CD-ROM" drive wasn't working right and that it messed up his CD. No problem, I'll be over shortly to check it out. Then, I got to thinking, "He doesn't have a CD-ROM drive!!!"
Sure enough, the guy tried to put a CD in a 5 1/4" Floppy Drive. The drive actually tried to read the CD! It messed up his CD and the drive! I couldn't decide if I should smack him or just laugh until I couldn't breathe.
OH, BUT IT GETS BETTER!
His Ph.D. was in Computer Science!!! I kid you not!!!
The man was just too smart to get out of the RAIN and had the common sense of a rock.
You can't be tracked if you use Cash to buy a book. Doing it online? Think twice about doint that. Get outdoors, support your mom and pop bookstore and buy from them instead. Besides, it's better for the economy than feeding some megolith corp with multimillion dollar CEO's.
And for goodness sake, don't use those easy debit cards. Don't use those grocery store discount cards either! Cash baby!
Then when you become more literate from readin controversial books, write your congressperson and tell him what you think of his/her voting yes to a law that erodes your freedoms and turns the US into a Cold War Era Soviet Union. I'm still waiting to be stopped by some cop, asked for my papers and basically interogated for why I'm out walking around!
I can't believe what I'm reading. Where do people (and organizations) get off coming up with ideas like this in the first place. I'll be damned if I'm going to let some organization tax my use of the internet just because their "shown to be corrupt" business model can't handle a slow down in the economy, and because the organization can't figure out why nobody wants to buy it's crap!
It galled me when "they" got away with the audio cassette taxation! Why should I pay an extra fee that supposedly goes to music artists when I don't use the audio cassette to record music. There are other conceivable uses you know!
It will gall me when they finally succeed in taxing blank CDR's. I have them know, I don't put any music on CDR! I do have other, more legitimate uses and I shouldn't have to pay a tax to back up my digital photos, or my income tax records, or my home movies! Give me a break!
This one is for you Hillary! Wake up and join reality. Your sales are down because the global economy is in the crapper. Food is more important than new music CD's. Rent is more important than new music CD's. And frankly, people don't like what you have to offer! I suggest you quit trying to find alternative, highly questionable, possibly immoral, streams of revenue!
As for buying music. Yup, I buy music! Local artists do exist you know! Their music tends to be better (i.e. more original than the latest teeny-bopper) and the CD is cheaper! What a concept! A $10 CD with decent music! Not a single artist I buy is affiliated with the RIAA. It's called a boycott! Get used to it! We are not your sheep! Time for you to return to the concept of "The customer is always right!" Maybe then, you will see some customers return, but don't count on it!
No I don't live in China. And yes, I see empty Wal-Marts just about everywhere I go! And no, KMart hasn't closed here.
We have a grocery chain here in the South East (don't laugh at the name) called Bi-Lo, you North-Easters know it as Tops). Anyway, they have been renovating lately. They didn't build new, they closed the store and renovated the existing structure. No why can't Wal-Mart do that? OH, because they feel they need to be a grocery store too?!
But you made my point for me:
The only closed Wal-Marts I've seen are a few blocks away from newer, bigger Wal-Marts that were built to replace them.
So now, you have twice as much land taken up for no good reason! The company stripped the land of all the trees and the grass, and built a parking lot! Then a few years later, decided to do it again, just so they could sell grocery items! It's disgusting!
The bickering is good and all, but you should just fight back a different way. Boycott Wal-Mart. I already have. I can't stand a company that will clear cut acre's of land to build a store, when they have one down the street already! I see more "former" Wal-Mart's than I do open ones. All of them empty dinosaurs of wasted, asphalted, land!
So, tell your family. Tell your friends. Tell Wal-Mart what you are doing and why! "No more business for you from me" is the message that needs to be sent. As Tim said in his article on FatWallet, "The Customer is always right". It's my money and I'll spend it where I want to. So if you don't like what they are doing, shop somewhere else!
All you need is a google search to find a local walmart boycott near you.
Slashdot Mirror
One solution to this is simple; do you feel buckeyballs (which is a very loose trademark considering the name has been around more than 20 years) is abusing the DMCA and being anticompetitive? If so, then go to http://zenmagnets.com/ and buy a small set of magnets (which are cool by the way). I did! Support the little guy and vote with the dollars you spend! Tell your friends on Facebook about the cool magnets you just bought and that they should buy some too! Let word of mouth get around. Let your actions be the PR and send the message to buckeyballs.
Hey slashdot, tell ThinkGeek to carry ZenMagnets and drop buckeyballs instead.
I remember severe issues with the SFF GX150 some years ago. If you ever had one fry and need a motherboard replacement, that is because the Power Supply's fan was reversed; instead of pulling hot air out, it forced hot air into the case. I informed Dell and more than 80% of the GX150's I had were like this. They never owned up to the problem and just kept going, replacing dozens of motherboards along the way. Idiots!
OK, I can see trademarking the NBC Chimes and the MGM Lion. These sounds are CONSISTENT and definitely identify the brand. It is the same audio through and through time and time again. The duck call is not the same sound time and again. The sound will be different based on who does it, how they hold the duck call, etc. Unless they have the sound on a speaker and pipe it out that way, this lawsuit should fail.
This is no different than Harley Davidson attempting to trademark the sound of their engines. It's an engine! No matter how good you are, the engines will just sound different from bike to bike. I should note that Harley Davidson ultimately failed in their bid to trademark the sound of their engines.
- How much spam reaches your inbox? Will the ISP apply their usage limits to your incoming mailbox as well? I guarantee you there is some bean counter who has already thought of this and is just grinning at the prospect!
- How much do you get scanned? I'm sorry folks, but you are using a REAL IP to access the internet. And there is nothing to prevent ANYBODY from scanning that IP address. And I guarantee you that TW, ATT, Cox, whoever, is going to allow that packet through. Multiply by a few million and BLAM, you have a $20K bill!!!
- How many advertisements do you see on an average web page? How many are now FLASH? Do I get to decide which advertisement makes it and which one doesn't? Why should I have to pay my hard earned cash to see advertisements? I've seen websites that were more adverts than content. So basically, more than 50% of the cash I had to use was wasted because the website uses heavy FLASH! How is that fair?
Those are the reasons that Usage Fees are bad. And let us not forget about the cable TV suggestion I heard recently; let me pick and choose my programming without having to pay for the bloody HGTV that I never watch, and then we can start talking about usage fees. Until then, shut it! It is either an "All you can eat Buffet" of the Cable Companies can dump the forced "Buffet of crap programming I don't want or would ever want!"
And while power and water are definitely utilities. The Internet is most definitely not a utility in the classic sense. It's a communications medium. You can get unlimited phone usage, you can get unlimited cell phone usage. And you basically get unlimited TV (the cable company doesn't hold you to 5 hours a week afterall); as it should be with the Internet.
Putting a limit is no different than Net Neutrality. You are effectively limiting the amount of news, entertainment, etc I can enjoy. How is it any different than saying I can't hit this website or that? You are now forcing me to prioritize the entertainment I wish to pursue.
Are you guys really admins?
Script what you would do manually. It's not that hard to determine your distro and thus which app to use to update. Determine how you manage manually and just start BASH'ing it out in a script to do the same thing remotely. SSH keys will be required. Then set up sudo on each system to allow you to run certain commands passwordless. Just be sure to use ssh -t when connecting so that sudo will work properly.
Really, this is admin 101. Any good admin should be able to script. If you can't, then start learning; Or you will only ever be a mediocre admin.
JJ Abrams needs to watch all of TOS before putting together a movie. The biggest problem I see so far is that The new Trek Trailer shows a young JTK driving a 1960's era car. Not a bad looking ride for being what, 300+ years old? But in season 2 of TOS (A piece of the action), Kirk barely got a car started and even worse probably destroyed the clutch trying to drive it.
No suggestion other than to forget about it. I would stick with an undergraduate book in Physical Chemistry (see Quantum Mechanics) or one in Physics (GA Tech had a good book coming out 10 years ago, so I can only assume it is still around...and I mean good).
Having both a math degree and a Master's in Quantum Chemistry, you will get too bogged down in the language of Chemistry (particles in one dimensional boxes and all of that funky stuff). Chemists make horrible mathematicians (which is why I'm in Computer Science now).
So stick with a good undergrad book and team up with a good physical chemistry student (or physics student) who has a good grasp of Schroedinger's equation. You can swap ideas and help each in turn.
BTW - It was Diffe-Q's that finally helped me make since of Wave Motion (ie Schroedinger's equation). And stay away from those damned laplace transforms and be a real mathematician!
Good Luck.
James
I wouldn't call it obvious. I would call it the result of a McCain Campaign that tried to control the press (think Palin and Couric) and refused to even deal with the press when they asked tough questions. If you snub the press, expect to be snubbed back. McCain made his own bed; now he can sleep in it.
I know CD's seem like a nice cheap but effective technology, but how cheap is your data? Think about it, you have an unknown chemical dye stuck between two plastic platters with a reflective surface. And how many times has Verbatim or some other vendor changed that dye on you? They always seem to be changing.
Regardless of the "reviews", A plain CD-R (or any other similar item) has never been good for long term storage (regardless of what the marketing department says). Now my music CD may last 100 years because it is not the same (or it shouldn't be) as a CD-R. That chemical dye has a finite lifespan and I would only give it a few years before it starts to degrade.
If your data is truly important, start looking at more stringent technologies that are used by financial firms, government, hospitals, etc. We're upgrading from an older DVD-RAM system and have started utilizing UDO2 Plasmon discs (60GB each) for long term (as well as ablative) storage for regulatory requirements. I'll put one of these up against a CD/DVD-R or Blue-Ray disc anyday. It's more expensive, but the data is irreplaceable, just as is my job.
And the next thing you know, you will be required to pay for the air you breath. Hmmmmm /me heads for the nearest Patent Office to "claim a revolutionary method of oxygen exchange used in concert with ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) for the creation of kinetic energy."
Oh yeah, they definitely sell servers. These are not the older servers you may have noticed a few years ago. These have been redesigned. I'm the proud owner of a Gateway 975. It will be a very good competitor to the Dell 2650. Not to mention it is cheaper and I have better I/O (like 4x) from hdparm on my 975 than a brand new Dell 2600! Both have hardware raid. Go figure!
I've known for weeks but had one of those crazy NDA's preventing from talking. I tried to get the Gateway guys to go to Debian. I even have ISO's ready to go! Oh well. Maybe next vendor! :-)
No Kidding! Love em!!!
There is a problem with this thinking. Typically, European countries thumb their noses are US Companies. After all, Microsoft has problems in Europe. But now, the EU is considering the same thing we have in the US. Now software based in Europe (as in Debian non-US) is subject to similar laws. Now Microsoft can start flexing it's muscle a bit more because now they have a law on their side, where before they didn't.
You can only stand up to them (US or Other Software companies) if you are based in a country that doesn't recognize their laws. It's just like Canada telling off the US Drug Company and selling the stuff anyway!!! The WTO is nothing more than a Billie Club! My way or I beat you with it! And the US loves using it's Billie Club!!
Pretty soon, the only safe place to get open source or free software from will be somebody who hates the US/EU enough to flip off US (And now EU) patent laws! But wait, wouldn't that country now be considered a terrorist state!!!! Hmmmmm!
Just my $.02
I mean, just a couple of weeks ago, Novell was trying to put SCO off of Linux by claiming ownership of key UNIX Copyrights. With this announcement just made - I would think they were trying to keep SCO at bay so that they could come out with this new product announcement and not have a certain amount of uncertainty about it from the Industry. After all, they have been developing this software for years ... yes years! There's a lot of money tied up in this.
It all makes a little more sense now. I'm glad they finally embraced their services on Linux though. I always like the Novell File Services!
Well, the University is on a right track I think. The best thing to do is to create a situation where the students can listen to the music they like. The best way to keep it legal is to not support the RIAA membership. Instead, TAP YOUR OWN STUDENTS!
Yup, just about every college/university has a band with a following. Somewhere out there, is a group you will like. Trust me, you will! So the P2P network that the schools set up will share the talents of their students with other schools and in the process down the RIAA at the same time!
It's simple, the SGA (Student Government Association) sponsors the web site. They in turn get the students to put their works in to the school's system. The bands obviously still own the music, but it's freely available to the rest of the network (get your name out there sort of thing). The school's bandwidth (let's face it, they are paying for it whether it is used or not) is then used to spread the music to the other participants (sometimes over I2)!
Schools across the country can simply join in by setting up a proper system for storing the music by the students and joining the P2P system. Each OGG (down with MP3) holds a URL to a University sponsored page for the music group so people can learn about the group, find out where they are playing next. Maybe even book the group to play at their school, which is what the SGA does (at least ours did). To find a type of music, just hit the systems search engine, which is tied to the rest of the network.
Are their problems with the idea? Yeah, but I can find problems in a Utopian society too! The point is, the kids get their music, they get it fast, and they get exposure. The University comes out with a win, and thumbs a proverbial nose back at the music Industry for being snobbish and greedy and a total {insert explitive here}.
I believe the SC Legislature recently passed a law that requires an IT person to turn in another who may have Child Pornography on their computer. Not doing so would be illegal. For the company to fire the person afterwards would then open the company up to litigation. Basically, I'm between a rock and a rock! Time for a Career Change??
....in some it's just that you hear too much and you don't need to burn a copy, you got it in your head.
Does this mean that your head is in violation of the DMCA? I mean, you are afterall playing a copyrighted work in your head. Look out folks, next "they" will be coming at us with axes to destroy the neural anti-circumvention devices!
This all sounds familiar.
Yup, I guess you could say that the RIAA is feeling the pinch. Let me think. I bought on average 50 CD's a year at roughly $15.00 a pop. That comes out to $750 a year. But since the RIAA has decided take up an attitude that we are all crooks, I have decided to support the INDIE groups instead. If it's an RIAA music company, I don't buy the CD. Well, looky here, that's a 100% drop in business from one person. One does not make a pattern, but I know for fact I'm not alone!
Just read my comments from other posts.
...they're probably worth a few magnitudes of their weight in gold.
You are absolutely right. They are worth more than that. But a person that takes initiative is often expected to outperform their duties and then they don't get squat but a pat-on-da-head. The last time I took intiative, I was given three weeks of work to do in 1 week. All because I opened my big friggin' mouth and out popped a really cool idea!
You might want to sit down for this.
I once knew a Ph.D. who called saying that his "CD-ROM" drive wasn't working right and that it messed up his CD. No problem, I'll be over shortly to check it out. Then, I got to thinking, "He doesn't have a CD-ROM drive!!!"
Sure enough, the guy tried to put a CD in a 5 1/4" Floppy Drive. The drive actually tried to read the CD! It messed up his CD and the drive! I couldn't decide if I should smack him or just laugh until I couldn't breathe.
OH, BUT IT GETS BETTER!
His Ph.D. was in Computer Science!!! I kid you not!!!
The man was just too smart to get out of the RAIN and had the common sense of a rock.
You can't be tracked if you use Cash to buy a book. Doing it online? Think twice about doint that. Get outdoors, support your mom and pop bookstore and buy from them instead. Besides, it's better for the economy than feeding some megolith corp with multimillion dollar CEO's.
And for goodness sake, don't use those easy debit cards. Don't use those grocery store discount cards either! Cash baby!
Then when you become more literate from readin controversial books, write your congressperson and tell him what you think of his/her voting yes to a law that erodes your freedoms and turns the US into a Cold War Era Soviet Union. I'm still waiting to be stopped by some cop, asked for my papers and basically interogated for why I'm out walking around!
RANT_MODE=ON
I can't believe what I'm reading. Where do people (and organizations) get off coming up with ideas like this in the first place. I'll be damned if I'm going to let some organization tax my use of the internet just because their "shown to be corrupt" business model can't handle a slow down in the economy, and because the organization can't figure out why nobody wants to buy it's crap!
It galled me when "they" got away with the audio cassette taxation! Why should I pay an extra fee that supposedly goes to music artists when I don't use the audio cassette to record music. There are other conceivable uses you know!
It will gall me when they finally succeed in taxing blank CDR's. I have them know, I don't put any music on CDR! I do have other, more legitimate uses and I shouldn't have to pay a tax to back up my digital photos, or my income tax records, or my home movies! Give me a break!
This one is for you Hillary! Wake up and join reality. Your sales are down because the global economy is in the crapper. Food is more important than new music CD's. Rent is more important than new music CD's. And frankly, people don't like what you have to offer! I suggest you quit trying to find alternative, highly questionable, possibly immoral, streams of revenue!
As for buying music. Yup, I buy music! Local artists do exist you know! Their music tends to be better (i.e. more original than the latest teeny-bopper) and the CD is cheaper! What a concept! A $10 CD with decent music! Not a single artist I buy is affiliated with the RIAA. It's called a boycott! Get used to it! We are not your sheep! Time for you to return to the concept of "The customer is always right!" Maybe then, you will see some customers return, but don't count on it!
No I don't live in China. And yes, I see empty Wal-Marts just about everywhere I go! And no, KMart hasn't closed here.
We have a grocery chain here in the South East (don't laugh at the name) called Bi-Lo, you North-Easters know it as Tops). Anyway, they have been renovating lately. They didn't build new, they closed the store and renovated the existing structure. No why can't Wal-Mart do that? OH, because they feel they need to be a grocery store too?!
But you made my point for me:
The only closed Wal-Marts I've seen are a few blocks away from newer, bigger Wal-Marts that were built to replace them.
So now, you have twice as much land taken up for no good reason! The company stripped the land of all the trees and the grass, and built a parking lot! Then a few years later, decided to do it again, just so they could sell grocery items! It's disgusting!
The bickering is good and all, but you should just fight back a different way. Boycott Wal-Mart. I already have. I can't stand a company that will clear cut acre's of land to build a store, when they have one down the street already! I see more "former" Wal-Mart's than I do open ones. All of them empty dinosaurs of wasted, asphalted, land!
So, tell your family. Tell your friends. Tell Wal-Mart what you are doing and why! "No more business for you from me" is the message that needs to be sent. As Tim said in his article on FatWallet, "The Customer is always right". It's my money and I'll spend it where I want to. So if you don't like what they are doing, shop somewhere else!
All you need is a google search to find a local walmart boycott near you.