3) Putting words in my mouth does not mean I agree with them. There will always be situations where companies will release some things at a loss or for free-- it's the concept of the "loss leader". Look at how many video game companies routinely lose GOBS of money underselling their consoles. They make their money on the cartridges/CDs. That's a very common and acceptable course of action.
Wrong. You fell for the same myth that Microsoft did. No major video game company sells their consoles at a loss - except for Microsoft.
So if I save my files from , picking a random example, say Microsoft Word, I won't be able to open them in any other word processor - even if I want to?
And since Microsoft products (or their chosen partners) will be the only ones with full access to the palladium specs that would seem very handy for Microsoft and its chosen partners.
So in summary, either my data is tied to certain proprietary products since that is the only way the products will store data and there is no way to open them with a different product - or users can elect to pass on trust anytime they want and its no more secure for users than it is now.
If Nintendo sells units for more money in a country with less demand, it's illegal? Price-fixing? Nintendo competes in one of the fiercest markets around.
No, if Nintendo forces other companies to sell units for more money and colludes with other companies to make sure it happens, that is illegal price fixing. Nintendo can sell their products for whatever they want, where ever they want - they just can't force everyone else to do the same.
I've already tried with lynx from my host in the US (I'm from the UK) and it set my region cookie to region 1. So anyone with a host in the US can buy their movies (especially handy if its a host with X-windows or a Windows host with remote desktop active since their site isn't exactly lynx friendly) and simply transfer it twice. So if I'm outside the US and I can access the file without being subject to DMCA and their ELUA, and either consider myself untraceable or don't give two hoots about visiting the US in the near future, then the rest is easy. So this seems about as useful as DVD region encoding, ie anyone who wants to circumvent it can and probably most of the world will (and that's without considering the ease of turning it into a regular, non-time encoded DIVX or similar).
Can any non-US resident with a US host with a graphical browser confirm that they can view the US only movies?
Well let's just compare the environment in countries that free economies vrs the command driven economies which I believe have lately been experimented on in the former Communist countries.
libertarian Pronunciation Key (lbr-târ-n)
n.
One who advocates maximizing individual rights and minimizing the role of the state.
anarchism Pronunciation Key (nr-kzm)
n.
The theory or doctrine that all forms of government are oppressive and undesirable and should be abolished.
As the previous poster suggested, in either case its survival of the fittest, or the law of the jungle if you prefer. Just remember this warning when you're lying in the gutter being butt-fucked by AOL/Time Warner and the local warlord at the same time.
This is my "what is the reason" question:) Why do you have to pay BT for "metered" local calls? (In the US local calls are basically a flat fee for essentially unlimited local service.)
Yes, but in the US local calls are a loss leader for the more lucrative long distance market I would assume. The UK has a population of 55 million squashed into an area the size of one Texas cattle ranch (Greater London alone is about one tenth of the UKs population) - long distance just doesn't provide the same relative levels of income and so local calls cannot be written off. Saying that though, I get my telephone service with NTL (a cable company) and although it is still metered all costs are local rate to anywhere in the UK. They, I would guess, use cheap phone rates as a loss leader to bring in cable TV and internet users.
The big question, though, is whether they should be allowed to enter the commercial domain, where they could be used by organised crime and terrorism to thwart eavesdropping by police.
Yes, this was the bit that got me as well. It amazes me that this sort of thing can be stuck in as a throw away sentence, as if to imply that there is no doubt about the correctness of this POV, and anyone who thinks otherwise must be stupid.
The saddest thing about the world we live in (in the West at least) is the horrible kneejerk 'won't somebody think of the children' attitude that comes before any form of rational thought is employed.
Here's my list of things we must ban immediately -
Let's ban pencils, pens and paper, since criminals can use them to draw plans of the joint they are casing or even, God forbid, create one time pads to pass uncrackable codes to each other.
Ban open spaces since criminals could use them to converse with each other out of earshot of the police.
Let's ban flags since they could be used to pass secret messages in semaphore.
In fact let's just ban all forms of verbal and non-verbal communication - let's see those criminals make plans now!
Slashdot would be the first to go obviously. All that 'geek talk' is obviously just a clever criminal code.
And don't forget the arch enema of the Society Of Adult Public Domain Invincible SuperHero's (or SOAPDISH) -
The evil Doctor Jyzz - head of Spurm, that most notorious of evil secret societies which will not rest until the whole world cowers on bended knee before their mighty weapons.
"Prepare to feel the power of my mighty shot, ha ha ha ha ha ha"
Yes, it does make me very sick to hear the price of a CD being justified because the record companies pay money to get their songs on the radio. That is your own fucking problem you bunch of retarded, money sucking, corrupt leeches!
I was wondering, how do they determine the value? If I own a very rare first pressing of Bob Marley's unreleased first single, value $1500 dollars, and I lend it to my dad will I go to jail? What about Joe down the road who owns the same song on a $.99 bargain bin Best of Bob Marley CD and lends it to his Dad, does he stay out of jail?
What if, instead of lending my Dad my rare copy I borrow my friends bargain bin copy and lend that to my Dad instead, do I go to jail
Finally, what if I bought my rare Bob Marley record at a pawn shop for $1.50 because they didn't realise the value, or what if I'm in desperate need of money for my next fix of crack cocaine and I sell it for $10 to the local record shop but I keep a copy? Who works out the value and what is it based on? If its up to the RIAA then we're all screwed because obviously just playing a Britney Spears record to your friends puts you over any limit, since how can you put a value on a platinum disc (which you didn't own, but which does exist and therefore creates a value, just as valid as the $14.99 charged in Wal-mart).
Paranoia? Maybe, but its justified paranoia going by the current state of affairs.
No its not - it ensures the publics access to public information FOR EVER. If Microsoft make the same assurances (which they cannot without supplying the source code) then they are just as entitled to serve public information. They don't even have to use Windows or Office source code, they could develop a new format for use with public information.
Without access to the source code a government cannot guarantee free and unrestricted access to public information - which must be there number 1 priority (if only it were though, but that's a different complaint).
Its not about money though - that is a red herring. It is about ensuring permanent public access to the information which BELONGS to the public. Its also about ensuring the public don't have to pay hidden costs to access public information. Why should I be forced to pay money to a private company to access information that I have a right to access. In fact nobody is stopping Microsoft from supplying products and services to Governments, however they must do it in an open format AND supply source code so that the information will always be available without forced ADDITIONAL COSTS.
I honestly can't see how anyone can argue against that, unless they have some objective other than freedom of access to public information.
'A Scanner Darkly - starring Jean Claude Van Dam as a bare knuckle fighter on a a quest to clear his name after being falsely accussed of murder. From the producers of AWOL and Universal Soldier 3. Based* on a book by Philip K Dick.'
True, but as the pervious poster pointed out, the user who's identity has been compromised has to get a new motherboard to replace his ID. Not exactly as easy as getting a new credit card sent out in the post. Apart from anything else, if he was using an older machine this might require him to upgrade his whole system if his motherboard is now obsolete. Plus he has to no doubt recreate his entire indentity with all those sites and pieces of software he was using before - they are not going to transfer automatically.
Hey man, its Scotland, not the arctic circle. We're only 400 miles north of London!!!
Scottish Myths Debuncted (Or buncted)
1) Its not 'Scotland, England' (like London, England). We are a seperate nation within the United Kingdom. Calling a Scot English is like calling a Canadian American, except people care what we think:)
2) Yes we drink a lot. Have you got a fucking problem with that pal!!!!!
3) Haggis is not our national dish. That honour goes to the deep fried pizza. That's why we all die of heart disease.
Still pretending to be two anonymous cowards I see, and you obviously have some kind of axe to grind with Europe and/or communism. So come on, spill the beans, get that chip of your shoulder and learn to share your feelings. We're here to help you overcome your neurosi.
Slashdot Mirror
3) Putting words in my mouth does not mean I agree with them. There will always be situations where companies will release some things at a loss or for free-- it's the concept of the "loss leader". Look at how many video game companies routinely lose GOBS of money underselling their consoles. They make their money on the cartridges/CDs. That's a very common and acceptable course of action.
Wrong. You fell for the same myth that Microsoft did. No major video game company sells their consoles at a loss - except for Microsoft.
And since Microsoft products (or their chosen partners) will be the only ones with full access to the palladium specs that would seem very handy for Microsoft and its chosen partners.
So in summary, either my data is tied to certain proprietary products since that is the only way the products will store data and there is no way to open them with a different product - or users can elect to pass on trust anytime they want and its no more secure for users than it is now.
No, if Nintendo forces other companies to sell units for more money and colludes with other companies to make sure it happens, that is illegal price fixing.
Nintendo can sell their products for whatever they want, where ever they want - they just can't force everyone else to do the same.
So if I'm outside the US and I can access the file without being subject to DMCA and their ELUA, and either consider myself untraceable or don't give two hoots about visiting the US in the near future, then the rest is easy. So this seems about as useful as DVD region encoding, ie anyone who wants to circumvent it can and probably most of the world will (and that's without considering the ease of turning it into a regular, non-time encoded DIVX or similar).
Can any non-US resident with a US host with a graphical browser confirm that they can view the US only movies?
Because they are the only two choices?
One who advocates maximizing individual rights and minimizing the role of the state.
anarchism Pronunciation Key (nr-kzm) n.
The theory or doctrine that all forms of government are oppressive and undesirable and should be abolished.
As the previous poster suggested, in either case its survival of the fittest, or the law of the jungle if you prefer. Just remember this warning when you're lying in the gutter being butt-fucked by AOL/Time Warner and the local warlord at the same time.
Yes, but in the US local calls are a loss leader for the more lucrative long distance market I would assume. The UK has a population of 55 million squashed into an area the size of one Texas cattle ranch (Greater London alone is about one tenth of the UKs population) - long distance just doesn't provide the same relative levels of income and so local calls cannot be written off.
Saying that though, I get my telephone service with NTL (a cable company) and although it is still metered all costs are local rate to anywhere in the UK. They, I would guess, use cheap phone rates as a loss leader to bring in cable TV and internet users.
Yes, this was the bit that got me as well. It amazes me that this sort of thing can be stuck in as a throw away sentence, as if to imply that there is no doubt about the correctness of this POV, and anyone who thinks otherwise must be stupid.
The saddest thing about the world we live in (in the West at least) is the horrible kneejerk 'won't somebody think of the children' attitude that comes before any form of rational thought is employed.
Here's my list of things we must ban immediately -
Let's ban pencils, pens and paper, since criminals can use them to draw plans of the joint they are casing or even, God forbid, create one time pads to pass uncrackable codes to each other.
Ban open spaces since criminals could use them to converse with each other out of earshot of the police.
Let's ban flags since they could be used to pass secret messages in semaphore.
In fact let's just ban all forms of verbal and non-verbal communication - let's see those criminals make plans now!
Slashdot would be the first to go obviously. All that 'geek talk' is obviously just a clever criminal code.
And don't forget the arch enema of the Society Of Adult Public Domain Invincible SuperHero's (or SOAPDISH) -
The evil Doctor Jyzz - head of Spurm, that most notorious of evil secret societies which will not rest until the whole world cowers on bended knee before their mighty weapons.
"Prepare to feel the power of my mighty shot, ha ha ha ha ha ha"
Well, that and its all tax deductable - so it doesn't actually cost him a penny (in fact it saves him money)
Yes, it does make me very sick to hear the price of a CD being justified because the record companies pay money to get their songs on the radio.
That is your own fucking problem you bunch of retarded, money sucking, corrupt leeches!
What about Joe down the road who owns the same song on a $.99 bargain bin Best of Bob Marley CD and lends it to his Dad, does he stay out of jail?
What if, instead of lending my Dad my rare copy I borrow my friends bargain bin copy and lend that to my Dad instead, do I go to jail
Finally, what if I bought my rare Bob Marley record at a pawn shop for $1.50 because they didn't realise the value, or what if I'm in desperate need of money for my next fix of crack cocaine and I sell it for $10 to the local record shop but I keep a copy?
Who works out the value and what is it based on? If its up to the RIAA then we're all screwed because obviously just playing a Britney Spears record to your friends puts you over any limit, since how can you put a value on a platinum disc (which you didn't own, but which does exist and therefore creates a value, just as valid as the $14.99 charged in Wal-mart).
Paranoia? Maybe, but its justified paranoia going by the current state of affairs.
Without access to the source code a government cannot guarantee free and unrestricted access to public information - which must be there number 1 priority (if only it were though, but that's a different complaint).
In fact nobody is stopping Microsoft from supplying products and services to Governments, however they must do it in an open format AND supply source code so that the information will always be available without forced ADDITIONAL COSTS.
I honestly can't see how anyone can argue against that, unless they have some objective other than freedom of access to public information.
http://www.billparish.com/20000418spotmsft.html
*not
We rest our case.
True, but as the pervious poster pointed out, the user who's identity has been compromised has to get a new motherboard to replace his ID. Not exactly as easy as getting a new credit card sent out in the post.
Apart from anything else, if he was using an older machine this might require him to upgrade his whole system if his motherboard is now obsolete. Plus he has to no doubt recreate his entire indentity with all those sites and pieces of software he was using before - they are not going to transfer automatically.
I prefer
'I pledge allegiance to the Eye of Thundera'
but not being American I guess I don't get a say.
Have you been taking a quick look?
And we are called Scots, but what can you expect from an Americanman.
You really have been!
Bonnybridge, teenage pregnancy capital of the North.
Scottish Myths Debuncted (Or buncted) :)
1) Its not 'Scotland, England' (like London, England). We are a seperate nation within the United Kingdom. Calling a Scot English is like calling a Canadian American, except people care what we think
2) Yes we drink a lot. Have you got a fucking problem with that pal!!!!!
3) Haggis is not our national dish. That honour goes to the deep fried pizza. That's why we all die of heart disease.
Still pretending to be two anonymous cowards I see, and you obviously have some kind of axe to grind with Europe and/or communism. So come on, spill the beans, get that chip of your shoulder and learn to share your feelings. We're here to help you overcome your neurosi.
Its a game of football where you actually use your feet.