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User: Mitreya

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  1. Re:OMG!!! on Top Ten Most Collectible Video Games · · Score: 2
    Holy Crap!!! My brother won this in 1990 and has one of these, I just called him! He's freaking out,

    This is hardly a reason to freak out :). After reading that only 26 of these were ever made, I expected to see something on order of 100K or 1M rather than 6K :).

    At any rate, he should probalby hold on to it, since in another decade it would probably grow in price exponentially

  2. Re:Great, but I don't think it sets a precedent. on ElcomSoft Verdict: Not Guilty · · Score: 2
    This is certainly good news for Elcomsoft: they've won their battle.

    It is good news for Elcomsoft, but I would phrase it: they have NOT LOST their battle. They have pulled the product and I doubt that they will be bringing it back... I suppose they also had expenses and opportunity costs... (just like for Dimitriy -- he was through a lot of pain and suffering but now is free, i.e. he has *not lost* the battle but suffered with no compensation...).

  3. Re:Intent is everything on ElcomSoft Verdict: Not Guilty · · Score: 2
    That's the positive side. Basically, to move the argument to the other "big" DMCA-related case, if you want to produce a DVD player, as long as your intent is "clean" - ie your application is intended to provide fair use of content, such as the ability to watch it - you are not violating the DMCA by doing so.

    I, unfortunately, draw a different conclusion and fail to see the positive side you describe. It seems to me that it goes like this:

    If you want to produce a DVD player, the DVD player is clearly illegal. You may not produce it. However, if you can show good intentions (or if you are Russian and don't know english... -- before you flame me, I am from Soviet Union :) you may be able to get off and avoid penalty. Though if you try to produce a DVD player again, you will most likely be convicted for "willfull" intent to distribute *illegal* DVD players.

  4. Re:Now I can finally rest easy at night... on ElcomSoft Verdict: Not Guilty · · Score: 2
    Except for the fact that ElcomSoft withdrew the software in question. I'm not sure about you but I would consider withdrawing the software in question to be stifling innovation :(

    I suspect grand parent was being ironic in both his statements :). The reason why ElcomSoft withdrew the software is not because of some vague intimidation but because juree agreed that the product IS illegal. This looks nothing like a win against DMCA... only a lucky break for ElcomSoft.

  5. Re:Ok, someone fill me in on ElcomSoft Verdict: Not Guilty · · Score: 2
    It really came down to whether or not there was a reasonable legal use for the tool or not. The jury found that there was, ie, fair use applications.

    NO!!! From what I understood it came down to whether they posted an ILLEGAL tool PURPOSELY or not. From what I understood the reason for their "not guilty" is more of "Even Americans can't understand DMCA, so russian executives just accidentaly violated it". That is a far, far cry from -- "This has fair uses, no penalty for possible abuse". As a matter of fact it confirms that tool is illegal, just excuses the russian company (over which US should have no jurisdiction anyways)

    Jury foreman Dennis Strader said the jurors agreed ElcomSoft's product was illegal but acquitted the company because they believed the company didn't mean to violate the law.

    Correct me if I am wrong...

  6. Re:Familiar on AOL Awarded Millions in Spam Case · · Score: 2

    You clearly do not remember the case where a dupe was TWO stories over... BOTH of them on the front page.
    So I see this case as an improvement :)

  7. Re:Familiar on AOL Awarded Millions in Spam Case · · Score: 2

    I am guessing that you do :).
    At any rate, you should be happy that the editors let it slide from the front page before duping it... This should be seen as a big improvement :)

  8. Re:The Tick, perhaps? on Adult Swim Gets Three More Anime Series · · Score: 2
    --
    --- Do electric sheep dream of android Scotsmen?

    OK, this is a disturbing sig... a VERY distirbuing sig... Thanks to you I might have difficulties reading a certain Zelazny's book without disturbing images :)

  9. Re:The Truth? on Will We Need A SmartCard to Watch Digital TV? · · Score: 2
    The FCC is going to hate it, but even they are unlikely to be able to force the shutdown of analog TV under current conditions, and use-crippling technology isn't going to help at all.

    Excuse me? What was that? FCC NOT able to force shutdown of analog TV?? Havent they already set the date for analog TV phase out?

    In a few years you'll only be able to buy digital TVs... and I still can't figure out why that is being done (what good is it for me as a customer that is). I could point out plenty of useful things FCC could do instead of this.

  10. Re:Don't circumvent ebay's safeguards! on MacAddict Tracks Down eBay Scam Artist · · Score: 3, Informative
    Ebay has fraud protection program [ebay.com]. Why didn't this guy go through them.

    I am definately not going to support avoiding ebay auction fees (isn't that violating the auction? what did he tell to the person who was the highest bidder??). However, to your point I have one thing to answer -- Bullshit! The ebay fraud protection is useless. It does work but with $25 deductable and UP TO $200. So escrow service is your only chance with very expensive items.

  11. Re:please people on Windows Refund Day II · · Score: 2
    I did: they are completely plastered with useless and idiot software, 3000 different services and stuff no normal user would ever need.

    I think you are still thinking in terms of the same people that like Linux. useless services? Like AOL/MSN/all sorts of messengers? Well the people who are unaware of Windows alternatives use these services...

    And why don't people like Macs? (Linux I can understand)

    Price? One button mouse? :) Games? Prjeudices too I suppose...

  12. Confirm? on Tornado in a Can · · Score: 2
    Can anyone confirm this? washingtonpost.com is not yellow press of course... but... anyone find that strange? :

    Engineers shut it down and quickly huddle, mulling over a complex mathematical solution they think might help them fix the noise.
    But Polifka, a stocky man with a snow-white beard and twinkling eyes, just opens the machine, grabs a broom handle and pokes at a flap of metal inside the cone. The adjustment made, he shuts the machine and starts it again. The noise is gone.

    He sounds like Santaclause... and a magician.

  13. Re:Everyone's free to use sunscreen... on New Mad Max Film · · Score: 1

    Ok, a good movie is a movie that collected enough money and was liked by *many* people. I liked most of these... though I havent seen a few...
    If there is anything I learned from checking imbd ratings, its that regardless of how good a movie is there is *always* some guy who thinks it completely sucks. it's human nature... Even movies that averaged around 9 got a few 1s for some reason... go figure.

  14. Re:Everyone's free to use sunscreen... on New Mad Max Film · · Score: 1
    Seriously though, why not some charity, or a not-for-profit organization? I'm not saying Mel shouldn't get paid, but this much?

    I agree that 25M might be too much... but, I can give a reason WHY he is getting paid so much. And the reason is that he can SAVE a pretty crappy movie by his presence alone. I can't think of a really failed movie with him in it... There are very few actors who are that good (most of them need a decent movie to be good), so that's why they get so much.

  15. Re:Here's a test on Human vs Computer Intelligence · · Score: 1
    Ehm, I hate to say that, but you just got a mute :). A good test not only separates the computer away from human but never fails on a human (well... grown up human? sane human? hm...)

    /me quickly ducks the rotten tomatos

  16. Re:Guns on An Unbiased Analysis of Gun Crime vs. Gun Control? · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Correction: people get killed for posting too many smart corrections (this is not a flamebait -- seriously how many geeky corrections do you think a reader can take? I was fairly annoyed after the 3rd one)

  17. Re:$1 on Columbia Japan Music On Demand, On CD-R · · Score: 2
    It is clearly arguable what the price should be... I don't pretend to understand the intricacies of economies involved.

    Funny you should mention the cherry-picking effect, though. You're saying that the prices SHOULD offset the produced music that did NOT sell? The music that is not sold should NOT be produced! A car manufacturer that produces cars that are not sold, can not expect to raise the price of the better cars to offset the losses? Why should RIAA? Oh, wait, it's a monopoly, so it can do that...

  18. Re:This would be cool... on Columbia Japan Music On Demand, On CD-R · · Score: 1
    No, that's not really enough. Not to sound cheap or anything :), $1 per song is not an acceptable price. Publishing expenses should be reduced, right? No color booklets, etc.

    Plus you would have to pay S&H charges... and I can trust them (BMG 1c/12 CDs anyone?) to make these unreasonable.

  19. Be expecting that in x(?) years? on Columbia Japan Music On Demand, On CD-R · · Score: 3, Interesting
    So US is behind Japan technologically by how much? 5 years? Is that when we can expect this to propogate to US?

  20. Re:look in the mirror on Shocker: Despicable Conduct From Disney · · Score: 1
    How is this insigtful?

    1. Every time you don't buy a music CD they claim that CD in lost sales anyways (I wonder, if economy recovers now and profits do go up, would their bitching sound much less convincing?)

    2. Every time I pay for cable modem I support a pretty annoying monopoly... With monopolies the dollar voting does not work as well as with other products. I don't like Pentium -- I buy an Athlon. However when you have to completely give up on something (RIAA does publish good music, btw, not *only* Britney) to make a point that's not quite as good.

  21. Re:View from the other trench on Shocker: Despicable Conduct From Disney · · Score: 1

    Something very strange about that quote: Most people are honest and will not attempt to circumvent the flag. If they *do* believe that most people are honest, when why do they need a broadcast flag in the first place? Either you believe in honesty and discard the few pirates (which should be the case) or you start out with an assumption that everybody is out to cheat you -- in that case such statments should not be made!

  22. Re:His singing career? on William Shatner Replies · · Score: 1

    What singing career? You mean the commercials? (That's all I've seen anyways :)

  23. Re:Higher lifeform? on Cancer Mouse Not Patentable in Canada · · Score: 1
    Prone to Cancer = higher life form?

    No, mouse == higher life form. Right there, above the dolphins...

  24. Re:Market analysis on Using Neuromarketing to Sell Products · · Score: 1
    I seriously doubt any ad developed using this technique will be so effective as to hinder my ability to logically conclude whether or not the product being advertised is actually worth spending money on.

    In my opinion the "logical" ability of future generations might be impeded by being used to advertizements from age of 1. Its an uphill battle... many people find ads annoying but usually only the new or excessively intrusive ads. People who grew up 30-40 years ago will probably find most of the things we accept to be way to intrusive... (I was fortunate to grow up in former Soviet Union that had no advertizements on the 3 available channels :)

  25. Re:The User Interface, or lack there of... on Build Your Own Linux PVR · · Score: 1
    Ah, but there is an issue of monthly fee... Which can run pretty high over the years (I find it annoying to continously pay in such cases, I don't feel one gets THAT much service once a TiVo is purchased). Yes, I know there is one time fee option, but TiVo costs more like 450 with that fee...

    Also, even more importantly, as I understand -- it is difficult (or impossible?) to simply take out the recorded file and transfer them to another computer or burn it to CD/DVD media... Such ability is a BIG plus in my opinion.

    Finally gradual upgrade is possible in the custom system... I believe replacing the hard drive in TiVo is difficult and expensive... So don't discard custom system just yet.