Now things are getting interesting for the fact that now one set of lawyers (from Universities, etc.) are going to try to fend off the RIAA liars. MIT and Boston College yesterday said that they support the rights of copyright holders and would comply with any subpoena that addressed their concerns about the proper notification of students and was filed ''properly'' in US District Court in Massachusetts, not in Washington D.C.
--->so RIAA will have to file cases in each and every city/town where univs. are?
''MIT of course has a policy of complying with lawfully issued subpoenas,'' the school's information services director, James Bruce, said in an e-mail statement. But Bruce said that MIT had been advised by counsel that the subpoena was not in compliance with court rules concerning the proper venue for such a filing and ''did not allow MIT time to send any notice as the law requires.''
I love this reasoning:)
The RIAA has not specifically said what damages it will seek. But under federal law, it can ask for $750 to $150,000 for each illegally shared song.
My take: students pay $ 750.Here's why:
1.The RIAA tried to sue the students in the past. 2.They took students' life-savings (http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/06/09/13112 55&mode=thread&tid=123&tid=141&tid=188&tid=99) . (In the process, they realized that students are poor.)
3. Now they come up with a new plan: Back to school specials: Students pay $ 750 per illegally shared song only!!
For all those who have been wailing about loss of US jobs; here are some interesting things to know:
(source: http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco2003.htm)
Employment
Industry **The long-term shift from goods-producing to service-producing employment is expected to continue.... Service-producing industries-including finance, insurance, and real estate; government; services; transportation, communications, and utilities;
**Employment in the goods-producing industries has been relatively stagnant since the early 1980s
**Nondurable manufacturing, on the other hand, is expected to decline by less than 1 percent, shedding 64,000 jobs overall. The majority of employment declines are expected to be in apparel and other textile products and leather and leather products industries, which together are expected to shed 131,000 jobs by 2010 because of increased job automation and international competition
**Mining. Employment in mining is expected to decrease 10.1 percent, or by some 55,000 jobs, by 2010.
**Computer occupations are expected to grow the fastest over the projection period... these jobs account for 8 out of the 20 fastest growing occupations in the economy.
**Declining occupational employment stems from declining industry employment, technological advancements, changes in business practices, and other factors. For example, increased productivity and farm consolidations are expected to result in a decline of 328,000 farmers over the 2000-10 period.
I know I have used a few numbers from the report. For a reason. Before complaining about loss of job/lack of job, PAY ATTENTION TO THE TRENDS IN EMPLOYMENT. Try to see which job sectors will not be affected too badly by outsourcing. Try to see if your interests/ abilities/ education can get you a job in one of these fields. Stop complaining over nothing.
And for those who think people in India cannot speak English:
In terms of numbers of English speakers, the Indian subcontinent ranks third in the world, after the USA and UK. An estimated 4% of the Indian population use English; although the number might seem small, out of the total population that is about 35 million people (in 1994)
Just for sake of clarification: Job loss/ lack of job is BAD. For me, for you, for everyone. The important thing is that instead of blaming the corporations, tey to THINK how you can 'beat the system'. And also, don't complain when you find that half the things you buy are "Made in China":)
From the Specifications provided:
operating systems included: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional; Microsoft® Windows® XP Home or Mandrake Linux 9.1.
Interestingly enough, there is no mention whatsoever about the difference in price depending upon the OS.
If I were someone who hasn't heard of Mandrake Linux, why would I bother selecting it if I am getting a MS OS (something that I am much more familiar with) for the same price? Where is the incentive for me to buy a system with Mandrake installed on it?
From a business perspective IMO, paying for something unkown would be a no-no. One might consider taking a RISK if one buys something unfamiliar at a lower price with some extra incentives thrown in. Include Mandrake's documentation in HARD COPY; free training courses for employees, etc???
Some of the criteria mentioned by the author set me thinking: and here is what I think might be useful in building a house that lasts:
a. Structural integrity
Structures made from rocks tend to last longer. In fact, most of the ancient buildings or structures were made of rock. Ditto for Medeival castles (and not_just_the_ones_in_Europe). So, looking at the past, rock should be your first choice. But is it the only one? I don't think so.
Reinforced concrete *could* be an option. However, concrete is a very treacherous substance Also, if one lives in area that experiences heavy rainfall, concrete might not be a good choice. Moisture/ rainwater can seep through the voids in concrete and can corrode the reinforcement. The cost of waterproofing might be huge.
Bricks. Lots of them. The thicker the brickwall, the longer it might last. But then how many people would want a wall say 4 feet thick?
Timber: In principle, well-cured timber should last for a long time. For e.g the pillars that support the dykes/ docks in many older European cities.
b. Technology
That is an interesting criterion. TV screens are getting bigger, computer monitors are getting thinner. So, the amount of space required for each of these "Display Units" is changing. Similarly, cell phones are a commonplace, so theoretically, telephone conduits/sockets are not necessary.
It is difficult to predict what the appliances/ applications in the future would be like.
c. Usability
What do you, the owner/habitant of the structure plan to use the building for? If you plan to stay there for a LONG time ( and I mean till ripe old age) start thinking of having ramps instead of staircases. Or escalators. Similarly, the bedrooms should be on the ground floor (or first floor as some people call it). How many children are you planning to have? Do you plan to convert the building to a museum/public library after your death? THat will decide how much of usable space you will need to provide in the house. Remember, a group of people need more space to move through a room than a single person.
d. Reparability
Concrete repairs are expensive. Rock masonry repairs are difficult and expensive (I am speaking in genral) Timber *might* be cheaper to maintain.
Again by meintenance I am assuming normal maintenance (painting/waterproofing, etc.)
e. Location
As far away from Human habitat as possible. The Pyramids/ castles/ Great Wall of China....were they in the cities/ suburbs????
f. Aesthetics:
I am not the aesthetics type. Personally, I believe that functionality is superior to looks. What is considered beautiful or appealing today might not be considered the same in the future. ("In the 60's in England one could have bad teeth and still be considered sexy"...Austin Powers Int'l Man of Mystery if I am not mistaken)
**Remember: at the end of the day, it is RESOURCES that will decide the fate of the structure. Some kings spent decades building monuments. Some dynasties spent centuries building walls.....They could do so because they had resources. In terms of land, labor, money, material, time and many more.
I recently grauated and started working with a firm that uses *only* M$ products.
In school and also for personal use, I used Linux.
From day one, I found it a little difficult to adjust to M$ Office. The last version of Office I had used was Office 97. I was used to Staroffice/ Corel Wordperfect/ Opeonffice.org for the past few years. Office XP in turn turned out to be a little...different. I would have loved to use the term 'smart' as used by marketing people, but the opposite is true.
Anyways, for a 15-minute task, I ended up spending twice the amount of time simply because I had no experience with M$ Office XP before. And people call Office suites as "productivity suites???'
Just a small example, and I am sure that many others exist. Also, I am sure this experience is not unique to me.
Even today, a lot of job requirements specify that the candidate.... must be familiar with M$ Office.
Just a mixed bag of thoughts...
I am too tempted to agree. Having tried both Slackware and Yoper for sometime, I think here are some things to note that might try to differentiate the two distros:
a. Installation process- let me say that typing something like "yoper" to start the installation process of an OS is...um...different. But then, there is no rule/law which says that one *must* use the term "setup"..:). Also, one cannot get to choose the packages to install in Yoper.
b. Default Desktop: Slackware offers a choice. Yoper doesn't. I personally prefer XFCE (just a matter of choice, nothing personal against KDE), something that Yoper does not provide by itself.
c. Under the hood, there is no noticable difference between the two distros. They both have similar package menagement
I do not recall Redhat supporting any of their distro releases for 8 years.
I do not recall Redhat existing 8 years ago.. (j/K; the company was founded in 1994, their first relase was in 1995
I was trying to find out myself what could "Digital Media' mean:
Here are some of the meanings of the term "Media" (Re: Dictionary.com)
a. An ancient country of southwest Asia in present-day northwest Iran.
b. A plural of medium.
c. A means of mass communication, such as newpapers, magazines, radio, or television.
d. The group of journalists and others who constitute the communications industry and profession.
e. (Computer Science) An object or device, such as a disk, on which data is stored.
f. A culture medium.
g. A specific kind of artistic technique or means of expression as determined by the materials used or the creative methods involved: the medium of lithography.
These and many more meanings of the term bring the following thoughts to my mind:
Considering 'a' Digital Media could mean that the ancient country has been restored in a digital form. In that case, the 'owner' the digital media should be the person(s) who created it OR others. Conclusion (on ownership:)Depends.
Considering 'b' plural of medium: I think the grammar of the language ownes it. Conclusion: MPAA/RIAA can go to hell.
Considering 'c' means of mass communication,now here's where the picture begins to blur. Going purely by the dictionary meaning; media = means of mass communication; if I own a TV set, I should also own the media, right? In that case, the form of the media does not matter (digital or otherwise)
Concluion: More research needed
'd' is most interesting media= group of journalists. I wonder how the term 'digital media' could be interpreted in this case. A cyber-clone of Larry King???
***At this point, I have lost my ability to conclude. The very idea of a digital journalist has shocked me. Imagine being interviewed by a robot...:)
'e' makes the most sense. Means of storage....However, if I go to say Best Buy and buy a pack of 50 CDs, then I own the 'digital media', right? Now the contents of MY digital media is a different story. I think nobody has the right to impose upon me what I should keep in my house/ car, etc. The same applies for digital media. (However that does not mean I have a right to steal others' stuff and keep it in my house/car, correct??)
Considering 'f' culture medium: I wish I were a Biology major to comment on it. Any takers????
Finally, 'media' means artistic expression.....so if the artist expresses something be it acting/ vocal/painting, etc...) then the artist is the owner of the 'media'...right? Then why should we even bother about the Music Labels/ Movie Studios? Arent they middlemen who are trying to milk both tte artist and their 'patrons/ audience?'
Just a (more than a) few thoughts....
Does that mean Websense, etc. will go ,too?
on
Shutting down Kazaa
·
· Score: 1
It is interesting to note how one business depends on another.
One would think that companies like Websense (ZDNet has a news article about them-
search for ZDNET Websense on Google )
that depend on the P2P filesharing 'industry' will go out of business if Kazaa, etc. are shut down.
Though as someone said earlier: for every Kazaa there is shutdown, several more will crop up. If that is the case, it might be a good idea to invest in Websense and their likes...
>> Please, HP people, can we have Linux laptops?
In case HP people dont know:
HP Pavillion ze4200 is what I could call a "Linux-ready" laptop (I intionally put it in qoutes). One thing though: so far only Mandrake 9.0 works perfectly.
Theonly thingI havent been able to check so far is the modem (though I doubt it will work)
I dont think that the law will be repealed altogether; especially since we are seeing the way greedy corporations/ individuals are begining to exploit the DMCA. (yes! I mean exploit!!)
With commercial and financial interests involved, there is every chance that these very fortune-hunters will pressurize the lawmakers not to repeal the Act.
Slashdot Mirror
Of course, Debian is a GNU/Linux distribution, and not a Linux distribution.
Now things are getting interesting for the fact that now one set of lawyers (from Universities, etc.) are going to try to fend off the RIAA liars.
:)
2 55&mode=thread&tid=123&tid=141&tid=188&tid=99) . (In the process, they realized that students are poor.)
MIT and Boston College yesterday said that they support the rights of copyright holders and would comply with any subpoena that addressed their concerns about the proper notification of students and was filed ''properly'' in US District Court in Massachusetts, not in Washington D.C.
--->so RIAA will have to file cases in each and every city/town where univs. are?
''MIT of course has a policy of complying with lawfully issued subpoenas,'' the school's information services director, James Bruce, said in an e-mail statement. But Bruce said that MIT had been advised by counsel that the subpoena was not in compliance with court rules concerning the proper venue for such a filing and ''did not allow MIT time to send any notice as the law requires.''
I love this reasoning
The RIAA has not specifically said what damages it will seek. But under federal law, it can ask for $750 to $150,000 for each illegally shared song.
My take: students pay $ 750.Here's why:
1.The RIAA tried to sue the students in the past. 2.They took students' life-savings (http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/06/09/1311
3. Now they come up with a new plan:
Back to school specials: Students pay $ 750 per illegally shared song only!!
For all those who have been wailing about loss of US jobs; here are some interesting things to know:
.... Service-producing industries-including finance, insurance, and real estate; government; services; transportation, communications, and utilities;
... these jobs account for 8 out of the 20 fastest growing occupations in the economy.
t hal/5.2.html
:)
(source: http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco2003.htm)
Employment
Industry
**The long-term shift from goods-producing to service-producing employment is expected to continue
**Employment in the goods-producing industries has been relatively stagnant since the early 1980s
**Nondurable manufacturing, on the other hand, is expected to decline by less than 1 percent, shedding 64,000 jobs overall. The majority of employment declines are expected to be in apparel and other textile products and leather and leather products industries, which together are expected to shed 131,000 jobs by 2010 because of increased job automation and international competition
**Mining. Employment in mining is expected to decrease 10.1 percent, or by some 55,000 jobs, by 2010.
**Computer occupations are expected to grow the fastest over the projection period
**Declining occupational employment stems from declining industry employment, technological advancements, changes in business practices, and other factors. For example, increased productivity and farm consolidations are expected to result in a decline of 328,000 farmers over the 2000-10 period.
I know I have used a few numbers from the report. For a reason. Before complaining about loss of job/lack of job, PAY ATTENTION TO THE TRENDS IN EMPLOYMENT. Try to see which job sectors will not be affected too badly by outsourcing. Try to see if your interests/ abilities/ education can get you a job in one of these fields. Stop complaining over nothing.
And for those who think people in India cannot speak English:
In terms of numbers of English speakers, the Indian subcontinent ranks third in the world, after the USA and UK. An estimated 4% of the Indian population use English; although the number might seem small, out of the total population that is about 35 million people (in 1994)
Source:
http://www.scholars.nus.edu.sg/post/india/hohen
Just for sake of clarification: Job loss/ lack of job is BAD. For me, for you, for everyone. The important thing is that instead of blaming the corporations, tey to THINK how you can 'beat the system'. And also, don't complain when you find that half the things you buy are "Made in China"
From the Specifications provided:
operating systems included: Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional; Microsoft® Windows® XP Home or Mandrake Linux 9.1.
Interestingly enough, there is no mention whatsoever about the difference in price depending upon the OS. If I were someone who hasn't heard of Mandrake Linux, why would I bother selecting it if I am getting a MS OS (something that I am much more familiar with) for the same price? Where is the incentive for me to buy a system with Mandrake installed on it?
From a business perspective IMO, paying for something unkown would be a no-no. One might consider taking a RISK if one buys something unfamiliar at a lower price with some extra incentives thrown in. Include Mandrake's documentation in HARD COPY; free training courses for employees, etc???
Sigh! Its sad to fins that there is no event in CT. No comic lovers here, I guess.... Just comical people!
..because I already have my WSTV (Wide Screen TV)..I am referring to my 21" monitor that is bigger, wider than my tiny 15" TV!!!
Some of the criteria mentioned by the author set me thinking: and here is what I think might be useful in building a house that lasts:
a. Structural integrity
Structures made from rocks tend to last longer. In fact, most of the ancient buildings or structures were made of rock. Ditto for Medeival castles (and not_just_the_ones_in_Europe). So, looking at the past, rock should be your first choice. But is it the only one? I don't think so.
Reinforced concrete *could* be an option. However, concrete is a very treacherous substance Also, if one lives in area that experiences heavy rainfall, concrete might not be a good choice. Moisture/ rainwater can seep through the voids in concrete and can corrode the reinforcement. The cost of waterproofing might be huge.
Bricks. Lots of them. The thicker the brickwall, the longer it might last. But then how many people would want a wall say 4 feet thick?
Timber: In principle, well-cured timber should last for a long time. For e.g the pillars that support the dykes/ docks in many older European cities.
b. Technology
That is an interesting criterion. TV screens are getting bigger, computer monitors are getting thinner. So, the amount of space required for each of these "Display Units" is changing. Similarly, cell phones are a commonplace, so theoretically, telephone conduits/sockets are not necessary. It is difficult to predict what the appliances/ applications in the future would be like.
c. Usability
What do you, the owner/habitant of the structure plan to use the building for? If you plan to stay there for a LONG time ( and I mean till ripe old age) start thinking of having ramps instead of staircases. Or escalators. Similarly, the bedrooms should be on the ground floor (or first floor as some people call it). How many children are you planning to have? Do you plan to convert the building to a museum/public library after your death? THat will decide how much of usable space you will need to provide in the house. Remember, a group of people need more space to move through a room than a single person.
d. Reparability
Concrete repairs are expensive. Rock masonry repairs are difficult and expensive (I am speaking in genral) Timber *might* be cheaper to maintain.
Again by meintenance I am assuming normal maintenance (painting/waterproofing, etc.)
e. Location
As far away from Human habitat as possible. The Pyramids/ castles/ Great Wall of China....were they in the cities/ suburbs????
f. Aesthetics:
I am not the aesthetics type. Personally, I believe that functionality is superior to looks. What is considered beautiful or appealing today might not be considered the same in the future. ("In the 60's in England one could have bad teeth and still be considered sexy"...Austin Powers Int'l Man of Mystery if I am not mistaken)
**Remember: at the end of the day, it is RESOURCES that will decide the fate of the structure. Some kings spent decades building monuments. Some dynasties spent centuries building walls.....They could do so because they had resources. In terms of land, labor, money, material, time and many more.
I recently grauated and started working with a firm that uses *only* M$ products. In school and also for personal use, I used Linux. From day one, I found it a little difficult to adjust to M$ Office. The last version of Office I had used was Office 97. I was used to Staroffice/ Corel Wordperfect/ Opeonffice.org for the past few years. Office XP in turn turned out to be a little...different. I would have loved to use the term 'smart' as used by marketing people, but the opposite is true. Anyways, for a 15-minute task, I ended up spending twice the amount of time simply because I had no experience with M$ Office XP before. And people call Office suites as "productivity suites???' Just a small example, and I am sure that many others exist. Also, I am sure this experience is not unique to me. Even today, a lot of job requirements specify that the candidate .... must be familiar with M$ Office.
Just a mixed bag of thoughts...
dictionary.com >> > So its an even 'fight' then: both parties had the decision in their favor....
Sorry for the typo: The last word in my earlier post should be spelt "management"
I am too tempted to agree.
:). Also, one cannot get to choose the packages to install in Yoper.
Having tried both Slackware and Yoper for sometime, I think here are some things to note that might try to differentiate the two distros:
a. Installation process- let me say that typing something like "yoper" to start the installation process of an OS is...um...different. But then, there is no rule/law which says that one *must* use the term "setup"..
b. Default Desktop: Slackware offers a choice. Yoper doesn't. I personally prefer XFCE (just a matter of choice, nothing personal against KDE), something that Yoper does not provide by itself.
c. Under the hood, there is no noticable difference between the two distros. They both have similar package menagement
http://www.openquicktime.org
Today I Xeroxed a few pages and Fedex'd them; putting my initials (AMD) on the folder...
Sigh! three violations in a single event!
I do not recall Redhat supporting any of their distro releases for 8 years. I do not recall Redhat existing 8 years ago.. (j/K; the company was founded in 1994, their first relase was in 1995
I was trying to find out myself what could "Digital Media' mean: Here are some of the meanings of the term "Media" (Re: Dictionary.com)
:)
a. An ancient country of southwest Asia in present-day northwest Iran. b. A plural of medium. c. A means of mass communication, such as newpapers, magazines, radio, or television. d. The group of journalists and others who constitute the communications industry and profession. e. (Computer Science) An object or device, such as a disk, on which data is stored. f. A culture medium. g. A specific kind of artistic technique or means of expression as determined by the materials used or the creative methods involved: the medium of lithography.
These and many more meanings of the term bring the following thoughts to my mind:
Considering 'a' Digital Media could mean that the ancient country has been restored in a digital form. In that case, the 'owner' the digital media should be the person(s) who created it OR others.
Conclusion (on ownership:)Depends.
Considering 'b' plural of medium: I think the grammar of the language ownes it.
Conclusion: MPAA/RIAA can go to hell.
Considering 'c' means of mass communication,now here's where the picture begins to blur. Going purely by the dictionary meaning; media = means of mass communication; if I own a TV set, I should also own the media, right? In that case, the form of the media does not matter (digital or otherwise)
Concluion: More research needed
'd' is most interesting media= group of journalists. I wonder how the term 'digital media' could be interpreted in this case. A cyber-clone of Larry King???
***At this point, I have lost my ability to conclude. The very idea of a digital journalist has shocked me. Imagine being interviewed by a robot...
'e' makes the most sense. Means of storage....However, if I go to say Best Buy and buy a pack of 50 CDs, then I own the 'digital media', right? Now the contents of MY digital media is a different story. I think nobody has the right to impose upon me what I should keep in my house/ car, etc. The same applies for digital media. (However that does not mean I have a right to steal others' stuff and keep it in my house/car, correct??)
Considering 'f' culture medium: I wish I were a Biology major to comment on it. Any takers????
Finally, 'media' means artistic expression.....so if the artist expresses something be it acting/ vocal/painting, etc...) then the artist is the owner of the 'media'...right? Then why should we even bother about the Music Labels/ Movie Studios? Arent they middlemen who are trying to milk both tte artist and their 'patrons/ audience?' Just a (more than a) few thoughts....
It is interesting to note how one business depends on another. One would think that companies like Websense (ZDNet has a news article about them- search for ZDNET Websense on Google ) that depend on the P2P filesharing 'industry' will go out of business if Kazaa, etc. are shut down. Though as someone said earlier: for every Kazaa there is shutdown, several more will crop up. If that is the case, it might be a good idea to invest in Websense and their likes ...
I didnt have any such problems (so far). The thing is, like most people, I didnt bother to look at the logs once everything was working :)
>> Please, HP people, can we have Linux laptops? In case HP people dont know: HP Pavillion ze4200 is what I could call a "Linux-ready" laptop (I intionally put it in qoutes). One thing though: so far only Mandrake 9.0 works perfectly. Theonly thingI havent been able to check so far is the modem (though I doubt it will work)
Nah.Bill Gates is busy writing "The Toad Ahead" these days.
It's not very re-assuring when you click on help and get a message that says "Page not found: help"
In case you didnt realize: the webiste is asking for your help in locating the page you need to see....
I dont think that the law will be repealed altogether; especially since we are seeing the way greedy corporations/ individuals are begining to exploit the DMCA. (yes! I mean exploit!!)
With commercial and financial interests involved, there is every chance that these very fortune-hunters will pressurize the lawmakers not to repeal the Act.
Toned-down version, maybe. Repealed..no