Boy do I agree with you about that. There was an article on that years ago on Slashdot. I brought up the 911 thing and was pulverized by rude comments and moderations. "They have payphones, go use those!" "Don't get bad news in a theater, I'm trying to watch!" "Why would you need to know about a loved one? You should be bringing them with you!" Yadda yadda yadda. I'd love to hear a damn good reason to justify all the bullshit I got over that.
It's just the paid and college degree holding journalists that get their panties all bunched up when a lay-person dares to practice their craft without a blessing from them. honestly I see lots of "bloggers" that are better journalists than the high paid magazine and newspaper guys and gals. This threatens the "pros" and scares them. It also scares the government as many voices can not be censored as easily as a few.
Good. It should scare the professionals... it should scare them to a higher standard. I don't have a college degree, but I am employed in the field -- and I agree with your sentiments. Hell, look at Slashdot -- it's more successful than a lot of newspapers' Web sites, and the editors here certainly don't have journalism degrees!:)
With all that said, though, it's hard to find the good writing out there sometimes. I've surfed through sites like Indymedia, etc. There are good messages out there, but it's hard to see them sometimes when the writers don't know basic grammar. I suppose that's a topic for another time, though.
I said blogging should be labeled commentary and/or editorializing. It is not the same as reporting the news. The editorial page in a news paper is not reporting. It is commentary.
It's still bullshit. Commentary is commentary -- so why should the people who write for a newspaper get special protection that people who write for a blog don't?
Your... cut out the meaning of what was said and is typical of blog misinformation.
No it didn't. I cut out "and/or editorializing." That wasn't a "meaning of" anything, because editorializing is synonymous with commentary. You were wasting words, and I didn't care to repeat it.
The ruling made it clear that blogging is commentary and/or editorializing, but not reporting in the journalism sense. In 99% of all cases, bloggers are not journalists and they should not be given the rights of someone who holds a press card.
Okay, go to a local newsstand. Pick up a paper, pay the $.50, and open up to the editorial page.
What's the difference between that editorial page and a blog? The format. So saying that "blogging is commentary... but not reporting in the journalism sense" is bullshit.
What GPS tells you isn't your speed, per se, but your position. When your receiver has access to three or more satellites -- and there are 30 in orbit -- the receiver can give you your latitude, longitude and altitude. That gets a little bit iffy when you're driving in mountains or urban environments with a lot of tall buildings, e.g., downtown Atlanta; but most people have pretty good access to a GPS signal.
After that, it's pretty simple geometry to find out how fast you were going over a period of time -- and generally speaking, the more frequently your receiver records your position, the more accurate your measurement of speed will be.
As a final note, consider that the GPS operators at Schriever Air Force Base routinely keep each satellite's signal accurate to within three meters (the exact precision isn't something they talk about). In most cases, that's probably more accurate than a police radar system.
Clearly, no protection is ever foolproof and the nature of anti-piracy makes everyone a suspect first, a customer second. But that doesn't stop the need to do something to curb the problem.
You're absolutely right, and obviously I don't have the solution to the problem. I don't know what that solution will look like. But I think we can start with what's not working -- take the solutions that the software and music industries have tried, and throw them out the window.
I imagine the Steam model has worked pretty well, but the concept of a computer "phoning home" every time you want to play Half-Life is asinine. Can you imagine how bad it would be if you had to phone home just to use your operating system? That might be the solution down the road if the software publishers can get away with it, though.
Copy protection isn't working -- that much seems clear to me. A better question might be, is piracy really a problem? Microsoft and Adobe are still raking in cash hand over fist despite the nearly ubiquitous piracy of their software. You're right, though: it'd likely be no different if it were Apple or GoogleOS or anyone else.
Activation is not something limited to windows as well - there are a number of other products that use this technique for curbing piracy.
Judging by your low UserID, you've been around the block a few times. Has piracy slowed down at all? And has activation been the cause?
Almost every copy protection out there has been cracked, from "Please insert the original floppy disk" to SafeDisc and activation schemes. It's inconvenient to the users who paid for their software, but not to the pirates -- because when they get the software, the copy protection's already removed.
It amuses me that you say matter-of-factly that activation "curbs piracy." Seriously. Do a Google search for "Windows Vista activation crack" -- it's not hard. It's just about as easy for most of the other software out there, too.
Taking it to the real life examples... many shops that sell pipes and other drug-use paraphernalia have many run-ins with the laws, and yet they are still in operation to this day...
Probably because no one has a copyright on marijuana.:)
Since when do you get to charge someone one amount, deliver the product, and AFTER the fact say, "By the way, we messed up, and you owe us twice as much?"
Yeah; usually, you have to be the government to get away with that.:)
Slashdot Mirror
Two words: secret ballot.
Yeah, except that "for any purpose" phrase opens a hole wider than the goats.cx guy's.
What were we talking about?
Nope. Tightbeam space communications have been around for years. :)
Not that you're bitter or anything, right? :)
Flash doesn't run -- it's more of a brisk walk.
Good. It should scare the professionals ... it should scare them to a higher standard. I don't have a college degree, but I am employed in the field -- and I agree with your sentiments. Hell, look at Slashdot -- it's more successful than a lot of newspapers' Web sites, and the editors here certainly don't have journalism degrees! :)
With all that said, though, it's hard to find the good writing out there sometimes. I've surfed through sites like Indymedia, etc. There are good messages out there, but it's hard to see them sometimes when the writers don't know basic grammar. I suppose that's a topic for another time, though.
It's still bullshit. Commentary is commentary -- so why should the people who write for a newspaper get special protection that people who write for a blog don't?
No it didn't. I cut out "and/or editorializing." That wasn't a "meaning of" anything, because editorializing is synonymous with commentary. You were wasting words, and I didn't care to repeat it.
Okay, go to a local newsstand. Pick up a paper, pay the $.50, and open up to the editorial page.
What's the difference between that editorial page and a blog? The format. So saying that "blogging is commentary ... but not reporting in the journalism sense" is bullshit.
What GPS tells you isn't your speed, per se, but your position. When your receiver has access to three or more satellites -- and there are 30 in orbit -- the receiver can give you your latitude, longitude and altitude. That gets a little bit iffy when you're driving in mountains or urban environments with a lot of tall buildings, e.g., downtown Atlanta; but most people have pretty good access to a GPS signal.
After that, it's pretty simple geometry to find out how fast you were going over a period of time -- and generally speaking, the more frequently your receiver records your position, the more accurate your measurement of speed will be.
As a final note, consider that the GPS operators at Schriever Air Force Base routinely keep each satellite's signal accurate to within three meters (the exact precision isn't something they talk about). In most cases, that's probably more accurate than a police radar system.
I did. They say they're not limiting customer access to BitTorrent, but they are. That's not 100-percent truth, in my book.
That's okay, neither does my wife. *Rimshot*
(Actually, she does and she would. I'm a lucky guy.)
Hey, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, someone should call "fowl."
You're new here, aren't you?
So you're saying the Flying Spaghetti Monster is the real cause in the reduction of pirates?
Actually, RFC 3514 implements this without having to create a new protocol.
You're absolutely right, and obviously I don't have the solution to the problem. I don't know what that solution will look like. But I think we can start with what's not working -- take the solutions that the software and music industries have tried, and throw them out the window.
I imagine the Steam model has worked pretty well, but the concept of a computer "phoning home" every time you want to play Half-Life is asinine. Can you imagine how bad it would be if you had to phone home just to use your operating system? That might be the solution down the road if the software publishers can get away with it, though.
Copy protection isn't working -- that much seems clear to me. A better question might be, is piracy really a problem? Microsoft and Adobe are still raking in cash hand over fist despite the nearly ubiquitous piracy of their software. You're right, though: it'd likely be no different if it were Apple or GoogleOS or anyone else.
Judging by your low UserID, you've been around the block a few times. Has piracy slowed down at all? And has activation been the cause?
Almost every copy protection out there has been cracked, from "Please insert the original floppy disk" to SafeDisc and activation schemes. It's inconvenient to the users who paid for their software, but not to the pirates -- because when they get the software, the copy protection's already removed.
It amuses me that you say matter-of-factly that activation "curbs piracy." Seriously. Do a Google search for "Windows Vista activation crack" -- it's not hard. It's just about as easy for most of the other software out there, too.
Probably because no one has a copyright on marijuana. :)
Four? I'm happy with three: red, green and blue.
(And various combinations thereof, but hey ...)
Yeah; usually, you have to be the government to get away with that. :)
No physical law per se, just the continued abundance in Hollywood of the element known as stupidium. :)