The subject line says it all. He was there first (in 2004 no less), now they're all BAAAWing about how they can't do anything without it. Panzy ass losers, if you ask me. Had they not thought about things like "chicago-olympics.com"? No? Well then they're 'tards. Kid wins. Move along.
Everyone who had a video taken down because of this needs to form a class-action suit and counter immediately. You can't have a video taken down in this manner without it (a) violating many nation's free-speech laws; and (b) violating perjury laws. Hit 'em where it hurts.
My cheap-ass router (4-port) allows me to make up a MAC address to use. I could, theoretically, post crap to Kazaa under MAC address #1, and then change to a completely different MAC Address (and new IP to go with it). What's the RIAA gonna do about that? As far as they know, I didn't do anything....
The law binds us all equally. If it doesn't apply to those at the top, it applies to none at all. We are a nation of laws, not of willy-nilly "get out of jail free" cardholders. Were I the company in question, I would immediately set up a authentication activation system (a la Microsoft) that forces activation to be done over the Internet....and just snoop to see if the USAF is one of the "clients" -- and then fail to authenticate their license. Then the USAF can cry themselves a river when they receive a monstrous bill for licensing. Ooops, sucks to be you, USAF. The sheer fact that the DMCA is the law should mean that it should be followed by even governmetn agencies....if they don't like it, they can find alternative software to fit the bill.
Just because their little law says they can do it doesn't mean it doesn't run afoul of the Contitutional protections. Were this to be challenged, it would be killed pretty quickly: one cannot instigate such as this in the name of "terrorism" and not expect at least one challenge on "unreasonable search and seizure." You cannot fight global terrorism by turning the USA into a police-state. All that accomplishes is angering the populace....and you remember the last time Americans became angry with their government?...
You know, when I first got whiff of this tale, I thought to myself... "Hans is teh ubergeek, he's a dick, not a murderer."
Then I heard some of his insane testimony and thought.. "Oh, man, this dude is messed up! I think it's possible he did do the deed."
Now, the body, led to by Hans with no messing about: he knew where it was.
That's guilt. Right there. Bummer. I always try to hold out some hope for the accused...but that's impossible when they point at the body and more or less are saying "here's where I buried her."
15-to-life versus 25-to-life. Doesn't matter, he'll still get the "life" part. And in the end, it's the kids (as always) that get hurt. Always.
All companies love to get those government contracts....big bucks for little effort. What if all the independent software companies amend their EULA to something like "you can use the license in this software except of you are employed by, agent of, or otherwise affiliated with the Federal Government of the United States of America. For those so excluded, you may not under any circumstances utilize any of the propriertary Intellectual Property, functions, or abilities made present by this software package or any such package that may infringe upon the Intellectual Property of the holder of this right. The software author reserves the right, and you automatically agree to said right, to unilateral, random, binding audits of any possibly affected computer equipment. Should you ddisagree with this amended EULA, you must uninstall and cease use of all software that is covered under this new agreement." Oh, how quickly their crap would come to a halt. But with our government, they'd probably just declare it "critical need under auspices of national security" and bypass the laws entirely. Bastards.
It seems to me that this is the equivalent of Microsoft telling people "If you want to make and sell software for Windows Vista, you can't make and sell any Linux/open source software!"
More like "If you want to make and sell software for Windows Vista, you can't sell any software that functions on any previous version of Windows."
Article VI, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution:
"This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding."
See that bold part? Supreme Law? What part don't they get? The law is intended to apply to ALL citizens, and make no mistake, the President and his Administration ARE citizens. They are not above the law, in fact they are empowered specifically BY THE PEOPLE to uphold it and to insure that it is executed according to the Constitution and the will of the People.
And what about that pesky Oath of Office the President undertook? "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Does he get to pick and choose which parts he will "protect and defend"? No, he does not. It is an all inclusive, all or nothing, contract: he has to uphold it ALL or he is unable to execute the office for which he is elected.
As such, I do hereby decalre the current Administration, the President currently in office (George W. Bush), and his cabinet, advisors, and the Vice President, all to be in violation of their oath of office; they operate in clear violation of the Constitution and in violtion of the laws of this nation. Therefore, they are illigitmate as officeholders and are to be removed with extreme prejudice. They find themselves in contempt of the office and the government and are a short breath away from outright treason. I call for Impeachment prceedings to be held against these individuals; and demand a trial in the full Congress, assembled, to determine if removal from office is warranted.
If you allow Wiki to have paid-for ads, then the companies so represented will DEMAND that any article on the Wiki be "cleaned up" to remove any and all negative imagery or text. This is exactly what happens on TV today. Ever hear of stations losing sponsors over a program that showed a certain product in a bad light? Same idea. What's the fix? No ad revenue, and you have to support Wiki as a charity or something; or ad revenue and you get in bed with the devil.
It's for reasons just like this that when you want to get actually paid what you're owed you make certain that the contract stipulates you get a percentage of "all gross revenues, without regard to source." The accountants can't fudge those numbers, and you get paid what you are rightfully owed. With crap like this going on -- where no movie ever makes a profit -- is it any waonder that the companies are seen as such scum?
What is the deal with these Muslims, anyway? They're offended; that's fine. But why is it that they think they have the right to dictate to others what to do or not do? Muslims represent roughtly 30% of the world population, that's not a majority; yet they think they can boss everyone else around. 70% of the world is not Muslim, what about their sensitivites or feelings? Immaterial? Seems to me that the Muslims of the world are just a bumch of whiney cry-babies. Why is it only their opinion matters? As one boss I had once put it: everything is a matter of perspective, but your perspective doesn't matter.
Here's the deal: We're really talking about consumers and copy protection, not government level data security. And for every copy protection schema out there, the numerous and intelligent (not to neglect dilligent) people have found a method of copying the protected media. From Beta, VHS, CD, DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray, *all* of them are copied/copyable. The only possible solution that would potentially work would be a governmental-level sort of protection. That's expensive and really waste of resources. Copy protection is about deterring rather than actually prohibiting copying. And it doesn't work. Everyone I know...everyone...knows how to copy all the latest stuff. And here's the key: they're not what I'd call techies, they're everyday users who tired of the BS from businesses interfereing with their ability to play an MP3 on their latest doodad. They're not selling music illegally downloaded, they're not breaking a moral code against stealing (they are breaking several bad laws, however; but that's another tale.) If you empower the user, you get loyalty in return. All this copy protection crud costs money to impliment, raises prices, and really doesn't do what's it's supposed to do. Why bother?
One of the things that always seemed out of place for me was the use of Hit Points. As any humanoid became higher level (i.e.: gained power) somehow they received a commensurate increase in physical ability to withstand a blow from something like a longsword. This issue was resolved in Green Ronin's Mutants & Masterminds where the whole idea of HP was replaced with a saving throw against damage. Did the D&D4 designers consider this as an option to replace the age-old (and some say broken) mechanic that is HP? And if so, why did they choose to remain with HP over the M&M mechanic?
A lot of people poo-poo the idea of getting a bundle deal (like http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5303671), but that's one of the best (and in some cases the only) way to get a Wii at all. Stand alone Wiis are impossible to locate...and if you do and fail to buy it, you're a moron because it'll be spoken for in about 2 seconds. Save the hassle, buy the bundle, and if you follow the link I posted, you get to choose 6 items to go with the Wii--you're bound to find a game you like in there.) That's how I got mine...one week after the Wii came out.
Here's a wacky idea: Apple releases a woefully hobbled virtual disk image with just OSX on it, make it time out after an arbitrary time (like 30 days), and basically let it spread the "gospel" for them. Toward the end of the trial period, inform the user that the real deal (available only on a Mac) is even more awesome. I would think that this would get converts, and expose people to the OS X experience who otherwise wouldn't even bother.
Sure, they can claim all the want that they have their act together, that's fine; but I will be the final arbitrator of that morsel myself. If their 8.42 driver doesn't fix the issues I've experienced for a while now (see my journal for the info), then they can be assured that they are not going to get more of my hard-earned cash. I've been able to prove that FGLRX + Linux + 3D = broken. If they can fix that, I'll be happy. Mesa's driver doesn't fail like the ATI driver...pity you get far less performance from it...but at least it's stable.
ATI: don't prove yourself a liar with this. I will wait. I will see. Until then, give me no hype: give me results instead.
...we'll have intelligently designed laws (and I don't mean that religiously) and we'll have actual expiring copyrights and patents. But as long as corporate money trumps all interests, that just isn't going to happen. Bummer. I would like to say, I love that there's work like this guy's efforts around--so now people can say there's scientific, mathematical, empirical support for a 14 year expiring copyright as the right way to go.
Although I feel this may also be "cheating", as Mr. Underbridge points out, I don't care. It gets us in the door, allows us to wedge it open, and take out what we want. I look it it more like "painting" a tank with a laser target so the smart-bomb knows where to strike. This is still a pretty good milestone. Maybe, just maybe, in my lifetime, we'll see this disease destroyed. I would like to live to see that.
No, the ADA specifically adresses alcohol and drugs--that is to say: the employee is to finish a rehab program. So that analogy is a little off-base. There's specifics in the text about that kind of thing; but video games aren't illicit materials, nor do they impair a person's ability to (for instance) operate heavy machinery, drive, or do a lot of other things. Heck, there are even tons of studies that show gaming to improve your eye-hand coordination--which one might even think could improve on-the-job-performance (depending on the type and nature of the employment.)
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The subject line says it all. He was there first (in 2004 no less), now they're all BAAAWing about how they can't do anything without it. Panzy ass losers, if you ask me. Had they not thought about things like "chicago-olympics.com"? No? Well then they're 'tards. Kid wins. Move along.
Everyone who had a video taken down because of this needs to form a class-action suit and counter immediately. You can't have a video taken down in this manner without it (a) violating many nation's free-speech laws; and (b) violating perjury laws. Hit 'em where it hurts.
http://frontalot.com/index.php/?page=lyrics&lyricid=41
Do not put all your eggs in one basket. Sometimes, those old ideas are the most modern of all.
My cheap-ass router (4-port) allows me to make up a MAC address to use. I could, theoretically, post crap to Kazaa under MAC address #1, and then change to a completely different MAC Address (and new IP to go with it). What's the RIAA gonna do about that? As far as they know, I didn't do anything....
The law binds us all equally. If it doesn't apply to those at the top, it applies to none at all. We are a nation of laws, not of willy-nilly "get out of jail free" cardholders. Were I the company in question, I would immediately set up a authentication activation system (a la Microsoft) that forces activation to be done over the Internet....and just snoop to see if the USAF is one of the "clients" -- and then fail to authenticate their license. Then the USAF can cry themselves a river when they receive a monstrous bill for licensing. Ooops, sucks to be you, USAF. The sheer fact that the DMCA is the law should mean that it should be followed by even governmetn agencies....if they don't like it, they can find alternative software to fit the bill.
Just because their little law says they can do it doesn't mean it doesn't run afoul of the Contitutional protections. Were this to be challenged, it would be killed pretty quickly: one cannot instigate such as this in the name of "terrorism" and not expect at least one challenge on "unreasonable search and seizure." You cannot fight global terrorism by turning the USA into a police-state. All that accomplishes is angering the populace....and you remember the last time Americans became angry with their government?...
You know, when I first got whiff of this tale, I thought to myself... "Hans is teh ubergeek, he's a dick, not a murderer."
Then I heard some of his insane testimony and thought.. "Oh, man, this dude is messed up! I think it's possible he did do the deed."
Now, the body, led to by Hans with no messing about: he knew where it was.
That's guilt. Right there. Bummer. I always try to hold out some hope for the accused...but that's impossible when they point at the body and more or less are saying "here's where I buried her."
15-to-life versus 25-to-life. Doesn't matter, he'll still get the "life" part. And in the end, it's the kids (as always) that get hurt. Always.
All companies love to get those government contracts....big bucks for little effort. What if all the independent software companies amend their EULA to something like "you can use the license in this software except of you are employed by, agent of, or otherwise affiliated with the Federal Government of the United States of America. For those so excluded, you may not under any circumstances utilize any of the propriertary Intellectual Property, functions, or abilities made present by this software package or any such package that may infringe upon the Intellectual Property of the holder of this right. The software author reserves the right, and you automatically agree to said right, to unilateral, random, binding audits of any possibly affected computer equipment. Should you ddisagree with this amended EULA, you must uninstall and cease use of all software that is covered under this new agreement." Oh, how quickly their crap would come to a halt. But with our government, they'd probably just declare it "critical need under auspices of national security" and bypass the laws entirely. Bastards.
It seems to me that this is the equivalent of Microsoft telling people "If you want to make and sell software for Windows Vista, you can't make and sell any Linux/open source software!"
More like "If you want to make and sell software for Windows Vista, you can't sell any software that functions on any previous version of Windows."
Article VI, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution:
"This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding."
See that bold part? Supreme Law? What part don't they get? The law is intended to apply to ALL citizens, and make no mistake, the President and his Administration ARE citizens. They are not above the law, in fact they are empowered specifically BY THE PEOPLE to uphold it and to insure that it is executed according to the Constitution and the will of the People.
And what about that pesky Oath of Office the President undertook? "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Does he get to pick and choose which parts he will "protect and defend"? No, he does not. It is an all inclusive, all or nothing, contract: he has to uphold it ALL or he is unable to execute the office for which he is elected.
As such, I do hereby decalre the current Administration, the President currently in office (George W. Bush), and his cabinet, advisors, and the Vice President, all to be in violation of their oath of office; they operate in clear violation of the Constitution and in violtion of the laws of this nation. Therefore, they are illigitmate as officeholders and are to be removed with extreme prejudice. They find themselves in contempt of the office and the government and are a short breath away from outright treason. I call for Impeachment prceedings to be held against these individuals; and demand a trial in the full Congress, assembled, to determine if removal from office is warranted.
If you allow Wiki to have paid-for ads, then the companies so represented will DEMAND that any article on the Wiki be "cleaned up" to remove any and all negative imagery or text. This is exactly what happens on TV today. Ever hear of stations losing sponsors over a program that showed a certain product in a bad light? Same idea. What's the fix? No ad revenue, and you have to support Wiki as a charity or something; or ad revenue and you get in bed with the devil.
It's for reasons just like this that when you want to get actually paid what you're owed you make certain that the contract stipulates you get a percentage of "all gross revenues, without regard to source." The accountants can't fudge those numbers, and you get paid what you are rightfully owed. With crap like this going on -- where no movie ever makes a profit -- is it any waonder that the companies are seen as such scum?
What is the deal with these Muslims, anyway? They're offended; that's fine. But why is it that they think they have the right to dictate to others what to do or not do? Muslims represent roughtly 30% of the world population, that's not a majority; yet they think they can boss everyone else around. 70% of the world is not Muslim, what about their sensitivites or feelings? Immaterial? Seems to me that the Muslims of the world are just a bumch of whiney cry-babies. Why is it only their opinion matters? As one boss I had once put it: everything is a matter of perspective, but your perspective doesn't matter.
Here's the deal: We're really talking about consumers and copy protection, not government level data security. And for every copy protection schema out there, the numerous and intelligent (not to neglect dilligent) people have found a method of copying the protected media. From Beta, VHS, CD, DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray, *all* of them are copied/copyable. The only possible solution that would potentially work would be a governmental-level sort of protection. That's expensive and really waste of resources. Copy protection is about deterring rather than actually prohibiting copying. And it doesn't work. Everyone I know...everyone...knows how to copy all the latest stuff. And here's the key: they're not what I'd call techies, they're everyday users who tired of the BS from businesses interfereing with their ability to play an MP3 on their latest doodad. They're not selling music illegally downloaded, they're not breaking a moral code against stealing (they are breaking several bad laws, however; but that's another tale.) If you empower the user, you get loyalty in return. All this copy protection crud costs money to impliment, raises prices, and really doesn't do what's it's supposed to do. Why bother?
One of the things that always seemed out of place for me was the use of Hit Points. As any humanoid became higher level (i.e.: gained power) somehow they received a commensurate increase in physical ability to withstand a blow from something like a longsword. This issue was resolved in Green Ronin's Mutants & Masterminds where the whole idea of HP was replaced with a saving throw against damage. Did the D&D4 designers consider this as an option to replace the age-old (and some say broken) mechanic that is HP? And if so, why did they choose to remain with HP over the M&M mechanic?
A lot of people poo-poo the idea of getting a bundle deal (like http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5303671), but that's one of the best (and in some cases the only) way to get a Wii at all. Stand alone Wiis are impossible to locate...and if you do and fail to buy it, you're a moron because it'll be spoken for in about 2 seconds. Save the hassle, buy the bundle, and if you follow the link I posted, you get to choose 6 items to go with the Wii--you're bound to find a game you like in there.) That's how I got mine...one week after the Wii came out.
No, try again.... Not Leg, not armpit, but beneath his right shoulder blade. (http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/TNG/character/1112457.html)
I'd much rather "reconsider" the current occupants of our public trust/government. If we can't trust them, we shouldn't have them.
Here's a wacky idea: Apple releases a woefully hobbled virtual disk image with just OSX on it, make it time out after an arbitrary time (like 30 days), and basically let it spread the "gospel" for them. Toward the end of the trial period, inform the user that the real deal (available only on a Mac) is even more awesome. I would think that this would get converts, and expose people to the OS X experience who otherwise wouldn't even bother.
Just a thought....
...a Japanese researcher who extracted vanilla flavoring from cow dung,...
Ummm,....why would you even try? WTF?
Sure, they can claim all the want that they have their act together, that's fine; but I will be the final arbitrator of that morsel myself. If their 8.42 driver doesn't fix the issues I've experienced for a while now (see my journal for the info), then they can be assured that they are not going to get more of my hard-earned cash. I've been able to prove that FGLRX + Linux + 3D = broken. If they can fix that, I'll be happy. Mesa's driver doesn't fail like the ATI driver...pity you get far less performance from it...but at least it's stable.
ATI: don't prove yourself a liar with this. I will wait. I will see. Until then, give me no hype: give me results instead.
...we'll have intelligently designed laws (and I don't mean that religiously) and we'll have actual expiring copyrights and patents. But as long as corporate money trumps all interests, that just isn't going to happen. Bummer. I would like to say, I love that there's work like this guy's efforts around--so now people can say there's scientific, mathematical, empirical support for a 14 year expiring copyright as the right way to go.
Although I feel this may also be "cheating", as Mr. Underbridge points out, I don't care. It gets us in the door, allows us to wedge it open, and take out what we want. I look it it more like "painting" a tank with a laser target so the smart-bomb knows where to strike. This is still a pretty good milestone. Maybe, just maybe, in my lifetime, we'll see this disease destroyed. I would like to live to see that.
No, the ADA specifically adresses alcohol and drugs--that is to say: the employee is to finish a rehab program. So that analogy is a little off-base. There's specifics in the text about that kind of thing; but video games aren't illicit materials, nor do they impair a person's ability to (for instance) operate heavy machinery, drive, or do a lot of other things. Heck, there are even tons of studies that show gaming to improve your eye-hand coordination--which one might even think could improve on-the-job-performance (depending on the type and nature of the employment.)