Of course - management's job isn't to produce quality products, it's all about making money for the shareholders. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. If they ever lose track of that, they get fired.
This does NOT encourage creativity, or encourage innovation. Why take risks (and possibly get-sacked) when you can stick with the status-quo and make bags of money.
Disney's formula is depressingly predictable - take the hero or heroine, give them a sidekick (usually an animal), insert a predictable "bad guy/girl" who's just evil because they want to be. Sing a few songs, dance a few dances, everything looks like it's going the protagonist's way until something goes wrong near the end, add a bit of action, everything turns out OK (cue another musical number).
Is it any wonder that Disney, and other big companies are scared to death about losing the intellectual property they have? They're not really capable of creating new work, so the lifeline they're clinging-to are the "classics".
Well, it's kind of funny - I mean sure, they take his site down and all, and there won't be any new versions.
The obvious issues:
The software is already out there, and will ALWAYS be available to anyone with P2P software or via websites in countries that just could care less about North American law.
So new versions won't be released... DVD decryption software is already VERY advanced. Sure, media companies could always try some sneaky new way of protecting their DVDs, but a hacker of some sort will always whip-together some tool and release it faster than they can respond.
So... In the longrun... Shrug.
So they killed-off some guy's pet project. It won't influence the end result of people copying DVDs one bit...
Or in this case, by RTFA, you find out that "Wolkow and the University of Alberta have filed for a U.S. patent on the technology.".
So universities that actually don't want to screw-over their researchers, and want researchers to actually hang around, rather than leaving to keep their intellectual property will do a joint-patent of some sort.
I was expecting a fluff piece, but it's surprisingly accurate when it comes to listing the weaknesses of modern games.
Allow me to add one more:
NO MORE DAMN 5-CD INSTALLS!
We've had DVD-ROM drives for YEARS, and most people have burners now. PUT THE DAMN GAME ON A DVD AND QUIT WASTING OUR TIME!
It's much easier to install (and store) a single DVD than the massive CD case that comes with the game (or an armload of flimsy paper sleeves (ala WoW)).
Well, they seem to think that consumers are obligated to buy/watch their stuff.
But the fact of the matter is that you don't need movies, TV, or music to live. You could completely unplug from conventional media, and chances are that your quality of living isn't going to decrease by very much.
So you won't see the latest episode of "CSI", or your girlfriend/wife won't see her "Desperate Housewives". Can't see the latest big-budget, big-explosion b-grade hollywood movie... Can't listen to the latest over-produced over-hyped flash-in-the-pan CD...
Who cares? Sure, all of that stuff is cheap entertainment, but can anyone honestly argue that it is necessary?
Every time my local cable company has raised their rates, I reduce the number of channels I order to compensate. There's a bit of withdrawl at first, but after a few days, I forget that I'm even missing something. In the longrun, if they clamp down on DRM, Broadcast Flags, etc then I'm just not going to go through the effort of getting their product, and I'll find other ways to entertain myself.
I was just thinking that maybe French Fries really ARE "Freedom Fries" now.
But back to the situation at hand... If legal means should fail to resolve this problem, there's always the good ol' US standby tactic of just "bombing them until they see it our way".
First it was "Weapons of Mass Destruction", next it will be "Computers of Mass Distribution", with a war proposed by the movie/music industry...
Sounds like the plot for a bad movie... Or the plan for a bad government.
Wow, havn't even thought of BBS systems in some years. I used to run a BBS system from my Apple//e running GBBS "Pro". It was a very, very nice environment for an Apple//e (ran on ProDOS, and the software was pretty much BASIC with additional commands to handle the modem I/O interface, message board database, etc. - it was also compiled into a form of pseudo-code which ran really fast too). I was never able to find out much about the author/company though.
Ran that until my Apple// hardware died, then migrated across to DLG on my Amiga 500. Unfortunately the hardware (SCSI interface) on the 500 was a bit flaky which didn't help that the machine locked-up occasionally, but I ran the system for another couple of years on that.
The GBBS days were by far the most popular though - the phone was busy nearly 24hrs a day every day, the most popular online "hangout" in the city at the time.
The books are SO good that if you have a bit of imagination, they're almost as good as actually seeing the next three movies made (which I doubt they'll ever be, unless they can CGI the main characters into 'em...)
Really folks, the books are THAT good. If you havn't read them yet, go pick them up - they're definately worthy of considering them unofficial episodes 7-9 anyway... I won't gripe if Lucas never makes the movies, they'd be hard pressed to top those novels.
Personally I figure that if you get pulled-over and are over 0.06, they crush your car. If you do it a second time, they crush your car AND take away your driver's license for life (ie: you NEVER drive again).
That would stop the problem with drinking and driving - of course if people started driving without licenses, a few years in jail would cure them of that.
Not to mention that the diamond industry (the mining one that is ala debeers) is absolutely TERRIFIED of cultured stones and takes every opportunity to trash them, saying that they're "not as good as natural stones"...
Because... They cost less?
It's certainly not because they look any different unless you're an expert in gemstones with good-enough gear to do some very specific testing. Certainly no consumer is going to be able to notice the difference.
But it's all just a big ego trip anyway - "my wallet is bigger than your wallet because I can drop (insert number here) dollars on a hunk of carbon)."
Quit, and find a job where you can actually take a vacation and go backpacking, etc. without bringing any communications technology with you?
I tried that on my last vacation, for the first couple days I was a bit anxious, but after that, I rather enjoyed the fact that I was totally un-reachable and disconnected. I took no communications technology with me whatsoever...
Nothing spoils a nice vacation like a call from back home...
but I sure didn't like that the students ran around in Jeans and Sneakers instead of their robes most of the time.
Actually, this was one of the things that I thought was a brilliant idea. It really helped to show that they really ARE kids, and helped decrease the "fake fantasy" feeling that tends to permeate the other two movies.
The third movie felt "real" (for lack of a better word). Ordinary kids thrown into extraordinary circumstances.
I agree - the movies are getting darker and more interesting. The 3rd movie was the best by far, and the next looks (although it's hard to tell from a teaser trailer) even darker and better.
They're realizing that the kids (both in the movie, and their fans) are growing up, and can handle a darker movie.
Actually, this reminds me of an old trick we developed to use on the Amiga on a public-access cable channel. The software was under development and crashed occasionally, so rather than having a flashing "guru meditation" up on a local TV channel until it was rebooted the next day, we came up with a plan, that would probably work on a Windows machine as well (or just about any other system)
The idea was that while the software application was running, it drove a continuous 1khz tone out the audio port that kept a relay energized (that kept the signal on-air). When the system crashed, the audio output stopped, which meant the relay was no longer energized = video signal switched back to a stock SMPTE bars signal from a test generator.
Something similar could probably be developed fairly easily for other machines - if the system freezes/BSODs, the audio stops (hopefully not looping ala a video game crash), and a relay could trip the reset switch on the front of the computer and auto-reboot it, could power it down, or any number of other applications.
It was a very, very simple hardware project to engineer and worked flawlessly (unlike my software at the time);P
It'd work. PCI slots and other internal connectors are just pressure-fits between the interface connectors and the edge of the card. It's actually a pretty tight connection in there, so oil isn't likely to be a problem.
I don't see why USB and card swaps wouldn't work. Unless the stuff is extremely thick, it wouldn't make any difference.
If he was a real man though, he'd immerse his CD drive and HD inside too:P
Well, I don't know about killing Blackberries, but it will certainly kill your wallet.
How many manufacturers will have software upgrades to allow users to install the new OS version on their PDAs/Smartphones? I'm willing to bet "Very, very few".
Most manufacturers are going to insist that users buy an entirely new device to get the benefits from this new version. So instead of paying $50-150 for a new OS, you're going to be paying hundreds for an entirely new bit of hardware.
Software upgrades drive sales, regardless of if the old hardware would actually support the new OS anyway.
Why they don't just block outgoing port 25 and have a web-interface that users can use to re-enable it if they have the need. Or they could re-route all their outgoing port 25s through an ISP mailserver that could look for spammers and automatically throttle outgoing 25 from certain IPs if they are used excessively.
Just have something where the user would have to enter their username/psw, and type-in some sort of obfuscated verification code from the website to re-enable their ports.
If the user re-enables the port and doesn't secure their system, they get automatically cut-off if their machine sends more than (some number of) messages per-day or per-week.
Slashdot Mirror
Of course - management's job isn't to produce quality products, it's all about making money for the shareholders. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. If they ever lose track of that, they get fired.
This does NOT encourage creativity, or encourage innovation. Why take risks (and possibly get-sacked) when you can stick with the status-quo and make bags of money.
Disney's formula is depressingly predictable - take the hero or heroine, give them a sidekick (usually an animal), insert a predictable "bad guy/girl" who's just evil because they want to be. Sing a few songs, dance a few dances, everything looks like it's going the protagonist's way until something goes wrong near the end, add a bit of action, everything turns out OK (cue another musical number).
Is it any wonder that Disney, and other big companies are scared to death about losing the intellectual property they have? They're not really capable of creating new work, so the lifeline they're clinging-to are the "classics".
N.
Well, he wouldn't be able to put his name on it. There's nothing that would stop him contributing anonymously to an open-source project.
If the industry thinks they can bottle people in with threats of lawsuits, they're even more deluded than we had previously thought.
N.
Well, it's kind of funny - I mean sure, they take his site down and all, and there won't be any new versions.
The obvious issues:
The software is already out there, and will ALWAYS be available to anyone with P2P software or via websites in countries that just could care less about North American law.
So new versions won't be released... DVD decryption software is already VERY advanced. Sure, media companies could always try some sneaky new way of protecting their DVDs, but a hacker of some sort will always whip-together some tool and release it faster than they can respond.
So... In the longrun... Shrug.
So they killed-off some guy's pet project. It won't influence the end result of people copying DVDs one bit...
N.
Because most of us are surprised that they have electricity in North Korea, much less computer technology, or the education to use it.
N.
Or in this case, by RTFA, you find out that "Wolkow and the University of Alberta have filed for a U.S. patent on the technology.".
So universities that actually don't want to screw-over their researchers, and want researchers to actually hang around, rather than leaving to keep their intellectual property will do a joint-patent of some sort.
N.
I was expecting a fluff piece, but it's surprisingly accurate when it comes to listing the weaknesses of modern games.
Allow me to add one more:
NO MORE DAMN 5-CD INSTALLS!
We've had DVD-ROM drives for YEARS, and most people have burners now. PUT THE DAMN GAME ON A DVD AND QUIT WASTING OUR TIME!
It's much easier to install (and store) a single DVD than the massive CD case that comes with the game (or an armload of flimsy paper sleeves (ala WoW)).
N.
Well, they seem to think that consumers are obligated to buy/watch their stuff.
But the fact of the matter is that you don't need movies, TV, or music to live. You could completely unplug from conventional media, and chances are that your quality of living isn't going to decrease by very much.
So you won't see the latest episode of "CSI", or your girlfriend/wife won't see her "Desperate Housewives". Can't see the latest big-budget, big-explosion b-grade hollywood movie... Can't listen to the latest over-produced over-hyped flash-in-the-pan CD...
Who cares? Sure, all of that stuff is cheap entertainment, but can anyone honestly argue that it is necessary?
Every time my local cable company has raised their rates, I reduce the number of channels I order to compensate. There's a bit of withdrawl at first, but after a few days, I forget that I'm even missing something. In the longrun, if they clamp down on DRM, Broadcast Flags, etc then I'm just not going to go through the effort of getting their product, and I'll find other ways to entertain myself.
N.
I'd mod you up if I had points right now. That's a nice little one-stop-shopping device that looks ideal for that sort of use.
N.
Exactly. If it makes you happy and you can do your job on it (or play your games on it or whatever), then more power to you, no matter what you use.
COMPUTERS ARE NOT A RELIGION
I can use either PCs or Macs... And I have both (shrug).
My PC is better for some things, the Mac better for other things. They're just tools to me.
(and for the AC up above, Steve Wozniak DID work on the Mac hardware, WAS with Apple at the time it was developed, and IS a heck of a cool guy).
N.
I was just thinking that maybe French Fries really ARE "Freedom Fries" now.
But back to the situation at hand... If legal means should fail to resolve this problem, there's always the good ol' US standby tactic of just "bombing them until they see it our way".
First it was "Weapons of Mass Destruction", next it will be "Computers of Mass Distribution", with a war proposed by the movie/music industry...
Sounds like the plot for a bad movie... Or the plan for a bad government.
N.
It was sort of funny - my first reaction to this article was "Wow, iomega creates something that possibly doesn't suck!"
N.
Wow, havn't even thought of BBS systems in some years. I used to run a BBS system from my Apple //e running GBBS "Pro". It was a very, very nice environment for an Apple //e (ran on ProDOS, and the software was pretty much BASIC with additional commands to handle the modem I/O interface, message board database, etc. - it was also compiled into a form of pseudo-code which ran really fast too). I was never able to find out much about the author/company though.
// hardware died, then migrated across to DLG on my Amiga 500. Unfortunately the hardware (SCSI interface) on the 500 was a bit flaky which didn't help that the machine locked-up occasionally, but I ran the system for another couple of years on that.
Ran that until my Apple
The GBBS days were by far the most popular though - the phone was busy nearly 24hrs a day every day, the most popular online "hangout" in the city at the time.
N.
As opposed to:
Sports Event Ticket - $95
Greasy Hot Dog / Watery Beer - $25
Dressed up in team advertising (merchandise) - $200
Sitting in the stands, with face painted and screaming and yelling.
Well... I fail to see the distinction - one is just as silly as the other.
N.
And really...
The books are SO good that if you have a bit of imagination, they're almost as good as actually seeing the next three movies made (which I doubt they'll ever be, unless they can CGI the main characters into 'em...)
Really folks, the books are THAT good. If you havn't read them yet, go pick them up - they're definately worthy of considering them unofficial episodes 7-9 anyway... I won't gripe if Lucas never makes the movies, they'd be hard pressed to top those novels.
N.
Fortunately the asshat conservatives and the even more selfish Bloc were defeated by a single vote.
Could be one of the happiest days of my life. I'm still not quite sure who's worse, GWB, or Stephen Harper...
(though I lean towards GWB in that case).
N.
Personally I figure that if you get pulled-over and are over 0.06, they crush your car. If you do it a second time, they crush your car AND take away your driver's license for life (ie: you NEVER drive again).
That would stop the problem with drinking and driving - of course if people started driving without licenses, a few years in jail would cure them of that.
N.
Opera is also not free - which means I've never bothered using it.
Firefox is great! (and free)
N.
Not to mention that the diamond industry (the mining one that is ala debeers) is absolutely TERRIFIED of cultured stones and takes every opportunity to trash them, saying that they're "not as good as natural stones"...
Because... They cost less?
It's certainly not because they look any different unless you're an expert in gemstones with good-enough gear to do some very specific testing. Certainly no consumer is going to be able to notice the difference.
But it's all just a big ego trip anyway - "my wallet is bigger than your wallet because I can drop (insert number here) dollars on a hunk of carbon)."
N.
Quit, and find a job where you can actually take a vacation and go backpacking, etc. without bringing any communications technology with you?
I tried that on my last vacation, for the first couple days I was a bit anxious, but after that, I rather enjoyed the fact that I was totally un-reachable and disconnected. I took no communications technology with me whatsoever...
Nothing spoils a nice vacation like a call from back home...
N.
but I sure didn't like that the students ran around in Jeans and Sneakers instead of their robes most of the time.
Actually, this was one of the things that I thought was a brilliant idea. It really helped to show that they really ARE kids, and helped decrease the "fake fantasy" feeling that tends to permeate the other two movies.
The third movie felt "real" (for lack of a better word). Ordinary kids thrown into extraordinary circumstances.
N.
I agree - the movies are getting darker and more interesting. The 3rd movie was the best by far, and the next looks (although it's hard to tell from a teaser trailer) even darker and better.
They're realizing that the kids (both in the movie, and their fans) are growing up, and can handle a darker movie.
N.
Actually, this reminds me of an old trick we developed to use on the Amiga on a public-access cable channel. The software was under development and crashed occasionally, so rather than having a flashing "guru meditation" up on a local TV channel until it was rebooted the next day, we came up with a plan, that would probably work on a Windows machine as well (or just about any other system)
;P
The idea was that while the software application was running, it drove a continuous 1khz tone out the audio port that kept a relay energized (that kept the signal on-air). When the system crashed, the audio output stopped, which meant the relay was no longer energized = video signal switched back to a stock SMPTE bars signal from a test generator.
Something similar could probably be developed fairly easily for other machines - if the system freezes/BSODs, the audio stops (hopefully not looping ala a video game crash), and a relay could trip the reset switch on the front of the computer and auto-reboot it, could power it down, or any number of other applications.
It was a very, very simple hardware project to engineer and worked flawlessly (unlike my software at the time)
N.
It'd work. PCI slots and other internal connectors are just pressure-fits between the interface connectors and the edge of the card. It's actually a pretty tight connection in there, so oil isn't likely to be a problem.
:P
I don't see why USB and card swaps wouldn't work. Unless the stuff is extremely thick, it wouldn't make any difference.
If he was a real man though, he'd immerse his CD drive and HD inside too
N.
Well, I don't know about killing Blackberries, but it will certainly kill your wallet.
How many manufacturers will have software upgrades to allow users to install the new OS version on their PDAs/Smartphones? I'm willing to bet "Very, very few".
Most manufacturers are going to insist that users buy an entirely new device to get the benefits from this new version. So instead of paying $50-150 for a new OS, you're going to be paying hundreds for an entirely new bit of hardware.
Software upgrades drive sales, regardless of if the old hardware would actually support the new OS anyway.
N.
Why they don't just block outgoing port 25 and have a web-interface that users can use to re-enable it if they have the need. Or they could re-route all their outgoing port 25s through an ISP mailserver that could look for spammers and automatically throttle outgoing 25 from certain IPs if they are used excessively.
Just have something where the user would have to enter their username/psw, and type-in some sort of obfuscated verification code from the website to re-enable their ports.
If the user re-enables the port and doesn't secure their system, they get automatically cut-off if their machine sends more than (some number of) messages per-day or per-week.
N.