I appreciate that Apple has struck a compromise, but my view is that in doing so they've let the camel's nose under the tent. They have many Mac users (and Windows users, in the future) thinking "well, maybe this DRM stuff isn't as bad as those long-haired hippy nutcases have been saying."
Once the regime is established, it's like boiling a frog. In a generation or two, anything published will be wrapped in intrusive DRM, a la "Right to Read," and history will show to those who have paid the license fee and who are cleared that Apple helped it happen in 2003.
Your point with Apple and TCPA protected documents is also good--even if Apple doesn't want to help bring the dystopian future, they can be blackmailed into it. That is, if they'd like to be able to offer thier users the dominant office suite on the planet.
I wouldn't put much faith in Apple. Sure, they're not a member of the TCPA, but they've demonstrated DRM tendencies with the iTunes music service, but if they need to lock future Macs down to maintain a gravy train of media revenue, that's precisely what they'll do.
You'll be able to get a non-DRM'd computer. It'll be made illegal as a "circumvention device" in short order if it actually turns out to be useful for any sort of multimedia applications.
I recommend not tossing systems when you upgrade--pre-ban PCs should be worth a tidy sum soon.
What they're doing is subtly spinning their Trusted Computing initiative as a way to tackle the spam problem. This way, they get sympathy from quarters from which they would ordinarily receive none.
There was no C&D letter or DMCA threat involved, for once.
Re:Reputations of people, specifically teachers
on
NYT On Online Reputations
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
I know of at least one professor who has, um, influenced his rating at Rate My Professor. I'd take any of the scores there with a grain of salt, and carefully read narrative comments, applying a liberal BS factor, to get the true flavor.
The audience on the Internet is peanuts compared to that available on the radio. And to get on the radio requires payola, and to get payola, the artist needs to be signed by an RIAA label.
I'd be pretty amazed if all the scum doing this kind of monitoring (who are, no doubt, employing hypocrites who learned their way around the networks grabbing some choice warez and music themselves) haven't caught on to this and started sourcing the same consumer bandwidth the other file sharers are using--even to the extent of getting subcontractors offshore. Imagine how cheap it would be to have humans searching all the file sharing networks for Britney's latest title in India for 1 rupee a hit.
For file sharing and other communication the government deems illegal, it will be necessary to break into smaller, informal networks (think Rendevous in a coffee shop) or to switch to samizdat with CDRs. Freenet and similar networks will be banned, or at least the use of them will be sufficient probable cause for a no-knock warrant. They won't get much use after that makes the front page a few times.
Except that a goodly number of the "one good song" tracks can only be purchased by buying their entire album. So ITMS pays lip service to the idea of not having to buy filler, but still forces the purchase of an album for those who want to buy the one good track.
But since the IRS requires all but the wealthy (who can afford to forgo the tax deduction) to register their offspring at birth and obtain at SSN, the probability is pretty good for anyone under 20 or so, even considering overseas births and the like.
This is sort of what freedom.net was like, before they viscerated their product a suspiciously short time after 9/11. (They claim it was lack of a market, and not pressure. I think that's bullshit.)
Every connection went through one to three anonymizing servers, which encrypted the traffic and passed it along to the next server (if applicable) or to the destination. Using one server provided mere obfuscation--using three provided "terrorist grade" anonymity, especially if you constructed the chain so that they were all in different countries.
The source to the node software was made available by ZKS (there was even a/. article about it). Perhaps it could be modified to support P2P protocols and put into action (albeit slowly). Of course, as with Freenet, the last server in the chain from which contraband content comes will be toast if it's on shore.
Slashdot Mirror
Once the regime is established, it's like boiling a frog. In a generation or two, anything published will be wrapped in intrusive DRM, a la "Right to Read," and history will show to those who have paid the license fee and who are cleared that Apple helped it happen in 2003.
Your point with Apple and TCPA protected documents is also good--even if Apple doesn't want to help bring the dystopian future, they can be blackmailed into it. That is, if they'd like to be able to offer thier users the dominant office suite on the planet.
Change the second "but" in the second sentence to "and" to make it make sense. Sorry.
I wouldn't put much faith in Apple. Sure, they're not a member of the TCPA, but they've demonstrated DRM tendencies with the iTunes music service, but if they need to lock future Macs down to maintain a gravy train of media revenue, that's precisely what they'll do.
I recommend not tossing systems when you upgrade--pre-ban PCs should be worth a tidy sum soon.
Probably not, but I sure hope it puts a dent in the value of the DMCA wielding jackbooted thug scum that is Blizzard.
Not when they cop a plea to "child endangerment" or somesuch to avoid trial.
What they're doing is subtly spinning their Trusted Computing initiative as a way to tackle the spam problem. This way, they get sympathy from quarters from which they would ordinarily receive none.
But I have to get to Crucial and place an order for some DRAM before the prices take off.
There was no C&D letter or DMCA threat involved, for once.
I know of at least one professor who has, um, influenced his rating at Rate My Professor. I'd take any of the scores there with a grain of salt, and carefully read narrative comments, applying a liberal BS factor, to get the true flavor.
Yeah, on the troll id you created Friday night, when your pink peter was chafed from wanking. Truly, you are da' man.
The audience on the Internet is peanuts compared to that available on the radio. And to get on the radio requires payola, and to get payola, the artist needs to be signed by an RIAA label.
For file sharing and other communication the government deems illegal, it will be necessary to break into smaller, informal networks (think Rendevous in a coffee shop) or to switch to samizdat with CDRs. Freenet and similar networks will be banned, or at least the use of them will be sufficient probable cause for a no-knock warrant. They won't get much use after that makes the front page a few times.
Except that a goodly number of the "one good song" tracks can only be purchased by buying their entire album. So ITMS pays lip service to the idea of not having to buy filler, but still forces the purchase of an album for those who want to buy the one good track.
Because the RIAA constituties an oligopoly. Duh.
But since the IRS requires all but the wealthy (who can afford to forgo the tax deduction) to register their offspring at birth and obtain at SSN, the probability is pretty good for anyone under 20 or so, even considering overseas births and the like.
Every connection went through one to three anonymizing servers, which encrypted the traffic and passed it along to the next server (if applicable) or to the destination. Using one server provided mere obfuscation--using three provided "terrorist grade" anonymity, especially if you constructed the chain so that they were all in different countries.
The source to the node software was made available by ZKS (there was even a /. article about it). Perhaps it could be modified to support P2P protocols and put into action (albeit slowly). Of course, as with Freenet, the last server in the chain from which contraband content comes will be toast if it's on shore.
Would there be a problem if we called it Freeforge?
~~~
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. . . to have given a few dollars to help fund the war on freedom. Death to Blizzard! Death to Vivendi!
. . . a new wave of spam for that "most wanted" deck of cards?
Launch your WMA files from a machine that doesn't have a TCP/IP stack. Use IPX/SPX for your internal network.
Hey, I'm on your side--I was employing sarcasm! :)
No, no, no. You still don't get it! The senator is not a liar--his contractor is!