You know, with all the responses saying that Google Apps are not good enough to comply with HIPPA PHI regulations, it makes me wonder - why wouldn't Google set up a tiered for-fee service that is compliant? Change the terms of service to guarantee the privacy of data, encrypt it on the server-side so that it can only be retrieved by the owner with the proper key (to prevent snooping google employees), prohibit the public viewing of documents (the publish feature), and charge a doller per month per gig, or something. Google is ideally placed to offer such a service, and - if they can meet the legal hurdles - would make bank.
In most places, and correct me if I'm wrong, but no one can impede the function of a cellphone when it is calling emergency services. Hell, a 10-year-old cellphone with no service provider still has to be able to connect to 911 - many cities solicit old phones for use by women in domestic violence shelters as emergency phones for just this reason. If the jamming can be rigged to let 911 calls through, then this might be legal from that standpoint.
Whether the FCC allows such things overall, though, is quite another issue.
Even if this was entirely a screwup on the part of the bookseller (though, doesn't Amazon check such things before selling the books?), the fact that Amazon is willing to delete product in this way is telling. I wondered if we'd get a memo that read something like:
"We apologise for the sacking of your books. Those responsible for sacking your books, have been sacked."
Most of OCRemix's stuff is fantastic - can't wait to get a listen to this new album. Of course, it'd be easier if we didn't Slashdot the torrent... But I guess that just means I'm not the only one who wants this music!
It's a simple matter to avoid this sort of scrutiny. Give the cell phone in your name to someone else, go commit the crime, and then retrieve the phone. If you can't keep yourself from texting for 20 minutes, then you really have no business being a felon.
I find this reminiscent of the RIAA's arguments, where they show that infringement took place from an IP, but they cannot show who was sitting at the computer. Who can prove who was carrying a cell phone?
...but only if you can figure out a way to download food, clean water, and medicine.
I'm not certain that internet access is the best way to help developing nations, when so many more basic necessities are lacking. You can't download political stability, either - and many basic supplies are hijacked before reaching those most in need. You can't fix that with a laptop.
...involved leaving 10% of him here, sending 50% to the Prince of Nigeria, and sending 40% to the corrupt Nigerian government officials as a bribe. It has worked well for generations - But we'll need your help to complete the transaction...
The reason it's so important to cut through the misinformation is that the Iranian government is now tweeting with false information, and it's crucial to keep track of what is real and what is FUD. They are taking other measures as well; there are several reports that a speech by President Obama (who has yet to speak in support of the protesters) was translated as a speech calling for revolution and the overthrow of the regime. This lets Iran claim that the protests are the result of meddling by the Western powers.
Fark seems to be doing a really good job of cutting through the FUD and getting solid, reliable information out there. One of their users, Tatsuma, has a quite detailed and extensive analysis of the crisis, the players, and what is happening now. Their Iran threads would be a good place to start.
Is anyone else disturbed by the fact that, apparently, a foreign government identified an American Citizen and had operatives attack that individual? On US Soil? I wonder if there will be hit squads next, or teams of operatives attempting to sabotage servers where proxies are being hosted...
This is exactly why free speech is so critical - so that I can, for example, post a comment on Slashdot without worrying about thugs attacking me for it. Flames and trolls are one thing, angry guys throwing rocks at my car? Quite another.
In this case, a guilty verdict isn't at all a bad thing, if the damages are reasonable. If damages of $200,000 or more are awarded, then the RIAA strategy is validated. They prove that they can win, and that they can win significant damages. It would also give credence to their "Settle or we'll sue for all your money" letters, as an award of that scale could easily wipe anyone out, house and all.
For Thomas, the endgame is the reverse. I'm not at all sure she can show that she is innocent, given her testimony - which is a shame, but not unexpected. Her goal must be to somehow limit the damages to a reasonable amount. Doing so sets precedent - if the RIAA can expect only a few thousand for a case that goes to trial, then it ceases to be profitable for them to try. The settlements will become more affordable, or may go away - why spend $1,000 on an attorney to get a $500 settlement back?
Were I in Thomas's place, I would be far more worried about the Perjury thing, which is an actual criminal offense. She said one thing under oath, and then said another thing under oath, and the statements are not compatible. So, we're in a position where she might win the trial (or get reduced and affordable damages), but end up in jail with a massive fine for lying under oath. Not good.
That's the trick, though... if the Warrant is valid and the police officer executing it has reason to believe in good faith that the warrant is valid, then he can execute it and proceed. The fact that the warrant is declared invalid later doesn't mean that the officer wasn't acting in good faith. If the officer knew the warrant to be BS, and executed it anyway, then it's his ass - but that's another story.
I'll note only that the $16.3 Billion in lost wages is just the payroll portion of the $58 Billion (about 30%), and that the jobs shown are the payroll divided by the average salary in the industry - about $43,500 according to the latest economic census numbers I can find. I can't imagine that 373,375 people have actually lost their jobs because someone downloaded Wolverine. Does that industry even have that many jobs in the US, since so many productions go to Vancouver?
"Thou shalt not get caught" This is right up there with handing the cop your beer or dimebag as you get your driver's license out after being pulled over - if you have something illegal, don't give it to people who A) know that it's illegal, and B) know who you are.
If the RIAA were forced to give all the money they collected BACK, the RIAA would simply close up shop permanently, probably filing some sort of bankruptcy or some such action to prevent their actually having to pay anything back.
This raises a question - do we actually have a tally of the damages so far? That is to say, do we know how much money the RIAA has taken in as a result of settlements, litigation, and shenanigans? Would the loss of these revenues (for lack of a better term) represent a big enough percentage of overall income to push the RIAA toward some reorganization/bankruptcy/bailout?
Results posted above your comment would seem to confirm, which makes me wonder how this got to the front page. I doubt this is press release worthy, but it might not be a bad idea to post somewhere official that this is the case. Maybe a network status page or something?
See, the only reason it seemed plausible to me is because I read the prequel comics... which I shouldn't have had to do to get the plot.
Nero is some sort of miner, and sees a supernova - except it's an unusual type of supernova, and instead of the star blowing up and that's that, it's feeding on other star systems, and those star systems feed the star's reactions, and the whole thing keeps going. The result is that this supernova light-years away from Romulus is eventually going to blow up the planet.
Spock goes to the Romulan Senate, which basically says that that's not possible. Nero backs him up, and they go to Vulcan to ask for assistance. Spock's idea is to take the Romulan ore that Nero was mining and use Vulcan science to make Red Matter, which can collapse the nova and end the threat.
The Vulcans, however, say no, Refusing to acknowledge the threat and deciding not to risk their limited resources just to save Romulus. Nero is pissed, and goes back to Romulus to help evacuate - but the planet explodes just as he arrives. Enraged, he follows the remains of the senate to some super-secret base, kills them, and steals their super-secret uber-ship, which has Romulan and Borg tech(!).
Nero then goes on a rampage, killing everyone in his way. Spock takes the red matter and the jellyfish-ship (designed by Geordi Laforge, no less), and goes to stop Nero. The result is both of them going back in time.
Is it wrong that my first thought after seeing the film was "Well, crap - now who's going to go back in time and save Zefram Cochrane?"
See, the interesting thing to me is that this new alternate universe not only has changed the lives and stories of the original cast, but might very well change the entire lives of the TNG-era casts as well. Hell, some of them might not even exist now. And it takes balls to annihilate Vulcan and not push the reset button.
Slashdot Mirror
You know, with all the responses saying that Google Apps are not good enough to comply with HIPPA PHI regulations, it makes me wonder - why wouldn't Google set up a tiered for-fee service that is compliant? Change the terms of service to guarantee the privacy of data, encrypt it on the server-side so that it can only be retrieved by the owner with the proper key (to prevent snooping google employees), prohibit the public viewing of documents (the publish feature), and charge a doller per month per gig, or something. Google is ideally placed to offer such a service, and - if they can meet the legal hurdles - would make bank.
I agree, except that the cybersquatter is apparently a multi-millionaire professional athlete. So, I expect very little sympathy for him.
In most places, and correct me if I'm wrong, but no one can impede the function of a cellphone when it is calling emergency services. Hell, a 10-year-old cellphone with no service provider still has to be able to connect to 911 - many cities solicit old phones for use by women in domestic violence shelters as emergency phones for just this reason. If the jamming can be rigged to let 911 calls through, then this might be legal from that standpoint.
Whether the FCC allows such things overall, though, is quite another issue.
Even if this was entirely a screwup on the part of the bookseller (though, doesn't Amazon check such things before selling the books?), the fact that Amazon is willing to delete product in this way is telling. I wondered if we'd get a memo that read something like:
"We apologise for the sacking of your books. Those responsible for sacking your books, have been sacked."
That's all right, apparently the US Supreme Court accepts IOUs.
Most of OCRemix's stuff is fantastic - can't wait to get a listen to this new album. Of course, it'd be easier if we didn't Slashdot the torrent... But I guess that just means I'm not the only one who wants this music!
It's a simple matter to avoid this sort of scrutiny. Give the cell phone in your name to someone else, go commit the crime, and then retrieve the phone. If you can't keep yourself from texting for 20 minutes, then you really have no business being a felon.
I find this reminiscent of the RIAA's arguments, where they show that infringement took place from an IP, but they cannot show who was sitting at the computer. Who can prove who was carrying a cell phone?
...but only if you can figure out a way to download food, clean water, and medicine.
I'm not certain that internet access is the best way to help developing nations, when so many more basic necessities are lacking. You can't download political stability, either - and many basic supplies are hijacked before reaching those most in need. You can't fix that with a laptop.
I'll do the job for only $170 Million, and I'll get it done on time and within budget, something that NASA is not used to.
For an extra $30 Million, I'll even make sure it's accurate!
NOBODY expects the spanish inquisition!
...involved leaving 10% of him here, sending 50% to the Prince of Nigeria, and sending 40% to the corrupt Nigerian government officials as a bribe. It has worked well for generations - But we'll need your help to complete the transaction...
The reason it's so important to cut through the misinformation is that the Iranian government is now tweeting with false information, and it's crucial to keep track of what is real and what is FUD. They are taking other measures as well; there are several reports that a speech by President Obama (who has yet to speak in support of the protesters) was translated as a speech calling for revolution and the overthrow of the regime. This lets Iran claim that the protests are the result of meddling by the Western powers.
Fark seems to be doing a really good job of cutting through the FUD and getting solid, reliable information out there. One of their users, Tatsuma, has a quite detailed and extensive analysis of the crisis, the players, and what is happening now. Their Iran threads would be a good place to start.
Is anyone else disturbed by the fact that, apparently, a foreign government identified an American Citizen and had operatives attack that individual? On US Soil? I wonder if there will be hit squads next, or teams of operatives attempting to sabotage servers where proxies are being hosted...
This is exactly why free speech is so critical - so that I can, for example, post a comment on Slashdot without worrying about thugs attacking me for it. Flames and trolls are one thing, angry guys throwing rocks at my car? Quite another.
I agree with the sentiment, but Ms. Tomlin is, thankfully, still alive. At least, according to Wikipedia.
In this case, a guilty verdict isn't at all a bad thing, if the damages are reasonable. If damages of $200,000 or more are awarded, then the RIAA strategy is validated. They prove that they can win, and that they can win significant damages. It would also give credence to their "Settle or we'll sue for all your money" letters, as an award of that scale could easily wipe anyone out, house and all.
For Thomas, the endgame is the reverse. I'm not at all sure she can show that she is innocent, given her testimony - which is a shame, but not unexpected. Her goal must be to somehow limit the damages to a reasonable amount. Doing so sets precedent - if the RIAA can expect only a few thousand for a case that goes to trial, then it ceases to be profitable for them to try. The settlements will become more affordable, or may go away - why spend $1,000 on an attorney to get a $500 settlement back?
Were I in Thomas's place, I would be far more worried about the Perjury thing, which is an actual criminal offense. She said one thing under oath, and then said another thing under oath, and the statements are not compatible. So, we're in a position where she might win the trial (or get reduced and affordable damages), but end up in jail with a massive fine for lying under oath. Not good.
You're on your way to.... 2dongs
That's the trick, though... if the Warrant is valid and the police officer executing it has reason to believe in good faith that the warrant is valid, then he can execute it and proceed. The fact that the warrant is declared invalid later doesn't mean that the officer wasn't acting in good faith. If the officer knew the warrant to be BS, and executed it anyway, then it's his ass - but that's another story.
I'll note only that the $16.3 Billion in lost wages is just the payroll portion of the $58 Billion (about 30%), and that the jobs shown are the payroll divided by the average salary in the industry - about $43,500 according to the latest economic census numbers I can find. I can't imagine that 373,375 people have actually lost their jobs because someone downloaded Wolverine. Does that industry even have that many jobs in the US, since so many productions go to Vancouver?
"Thou shalt not get caught"
This is right up there with handing the cop your beer or dimebag as you get your driver's license out after being pulled over - if you have something illegal, don't give it to people who A) know that it's illegal, and B) know who you are.
This raises a question - do we actually have a tally of the damages so far? That is to say, do we know how much money the RIAA has taken in as a result of settlements, litigation, and shenanigans? Would the loss of these revenues (for lack of a better term) represent a big enough percentage of overall income to push the RIAA toward some reorganization/bankruptcy/bailout?
1) Be Polite 2) Be Efficient 3) Have a plan to kill everyone you meet. ...Profit?
Results posted above your comment would seem to confirm, which makes me wonder how this got to the front page. I doubt this is press release worthy, but it might not be a bad idea to post somewhere official that this is the case. Maybe a network status page or something?
Excuse me, these nice gentlemen in black suits would like to have a word...
See, the only reason it seemed plausible to me is because I read the prequel comics... which I shouldn't have had to do to get the plot.
Nero is some sort of miner, and sees a supernova - except it's an unusual type of supernova, and instead of the star blowing up and that's that, it's feeding on other star systems, and those star systems feed the star's reactions, and the whole thing keeps going. The result is that this supernova light-years away from Romulus is eventually going to blow up the planet.
Spock goes to the Romulan Senate, which basically says that that's not possible. Nero backs him up, and they go to Vulcan to ask for assistance. Spock's idea is to take the Romulan ore that Nero was mining and use Vulcan science to make Red Matter, which can collapse the nova and end the threat.
The Vulcans, however, say no, Refusing to acknowledge the threat and deciding not to risk their limited resources just to save Romulus. Nero is pissed, and goes back to Romulus to help evacuate - but the planet explodes just as he arrives. Enraged, he follows the remains of the senate to some super-secret base, kills them, and steals their super-secret uber-ship, which has Romulan and Borg tech(!).
Nero then goes on a rampage, killing everyone in his way. Spock takes the red matter and the jellyfish-ship (designed by Geordi Laforge, no less), and goes to stop Nero. The result is both of them going back in time.
Is it wrong that my first thought after seeing the film was "Well, crap - now who's going to go back in time and save Zefram Cochrane?"
See, the interesting thing to me is that this new alternate universe not only has changed the lives and stories of the original cast, but might very well change the entire lives of the TNG-era casts as well. Hell, some of them might not even exist now. And it takes balls to annihilate Vulcan and not push the reset button.