This seems oddly familiar to Batman: Dark Knight. Using cell phones to collect data points throughout a city to find the culprit (the Joker / toxic chemicals). Ultimately, in the movie, there were great concerns about privacy and use of the technology. The safety net here "Cell-All will operate only on an opt-in basis and will transmit data anonymously" seems nice on paper, but I'm sure those in a position to use it will feel the pressure to exploit the technology for more.
Mike McCurry (born 27 October 1954) is best known as the former press secretary for Bill Clinton's administration. He is a Washington-based communications consultant and is associated with the firm Public Strategies Washington, Inc. and the internet technology firm, Grassroots Enterprise Inc.
...
McCurry is a partner at the influential Washington, D.C. based lobbying firm Public Strategies. In 2006 he has been lobbying on behalf of major network carriers, in part through a coalition www.handsoff.org, for the removal of internet regulations in the controversial network neutrality debate. Organizations, including www.savetheinternet.com claim that Mike McCurry and the "handsoff" campaign are using deceptive and manipulative arguments to support their position.
Penny-Arcade - Child's Play Charity
on
Season's Givings?
·
· Score: 4, Informative
I'm game as long as it's not controlled by Windows. I can see it now, it's the ultimate experience in VR except for the minor annoyance of crashing and killing the connected users after a few days.
I'm an undergrad here at Penn State. Over the past few months they have been cracking down on copyrighted materials. They emailed the following letter to every student in the University:
I have a serious message for you about making illegal copies of
copyrighted material. While you may be tempted not to read this
email, I suggest that you do so in order to better understand just
what the risks and penalties are for violating the law.
In recent years, high-speed computer networks and personal computers
have made it easy to copy computer programs, movies, and recordings.
Most of this material is copyrighted, which means the right to make
copies is restricted. Making copies of any copyrighted material
without the right to do so is against both state and federal law and
University policy. Most people who make illegal copies know it is
wrong, but are unaware of how severe the penalties can be.
The US Copyright Law (Title 17 of the US Code) has very serious
penalties for violations. These include significant fines for each
copy. If you copy more than $1,000 worth of material, there are
criminal penalties that include substantial fines of up to $250,000
and up to 10 years prison time for flagrant cases of infringement.
The software, record, and movie industries are stepping up their
enforcement of copyright laws. They are using computer technology to
detect those who run servers or simply download something they have
no right to possess. The likelihood of being caught is growing every
day, and prosecutions will become more frequent.
You may have downloaded copyrighted materials and not been caught, so
you think you're safe from prosecution. I urge you to think again.
Two students in Oregon were caught and prosecuted under the criminal
statutes. One received a suspended two-year sentence, the other spent
time in jail. A student in North Carolina spent 41 months in prison
for copyright infringement. Messing up your future is a steep price
to pay for music or a video.
What happens at Penn State if you are caught? By statute, the
University must immediately block your network access when we receive
notification that a particular computer has been involved in a
violation of the law. You may also be taken to court by the
copyright holder or charged in the federal courts with a crime. That
is not all that can happen. You should know that falsely certifying
either that you have the right to material or have removed it can
result in federal perjury charges as well as copyright infringement.
What else does Penn State do? When we receive a complaint, student
offenders are referred to the Office of Judicial Affairs and
employees to the Office of Human Resources. Why? Because it is
illegal and against University policy to infringe on someone's
copyright. A student can be expelled and an employee terminated
under University policy.
The bottom line is that there is a potentially high price to pay for
an illegally copied computer program, movie, or recording. Stealing
is stealing and against the law, regardless of how you try to justify
it.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Rodney A. Erickson
March 31, 2003
After the letter was sent 220 students were served notices from the Judicial Affairs Office. You can read more about it in the school newspaper. school newspaper. In the article it says, "Rodack said it can take only one complaint against a student before dorm Internet connection is shut down and he or she is investigated."
Has anyone else seen the same pattern at their school? Is this par for the course?
Freelance writer John Scalzi brings up an interesting point that I haven't read here:
American Greeting's argument here could be that Penny Arcade's image is using the Strawberry Shortcake name to parodize American McGee's tendency to appropriate young female literary characters for his dark and bloody video games, not Strawberry Shortcake herself. Therefore, using Strawberry Shortcake for that purpose is not covered under parody. It's an interesting assertion.
However, I wonder if this line of reasoning, if indeed it is the one American Greetings is using, is as strong as it might appear initially. This line of reasoning works only to the extent that Strawberry Shortcake herself does not fit the rubric that the Penny Arcade is parodizing, namely that Strawberry Shortcake is not a young female literary character. In fact she is, the main character in dozens of books: Strawberry Shortcake: Meet Strawberry Shortcake, Strawberry Shortcake at the Beach, Strawberry Shortcake: The Berry Big Storm, and Happy Halloween, Strawberry Shortcake are just some of the titles in her oeuvre. And in an interesting literary note, in several of these titles, Strawberry Shortcake is either planning or having a party of some sort or another, which makes her activity in the parody (planning a party with her friends) not an atypical activity for her. Although to be fair she's not typically whipping her friend Plum Pudding at those parties. But that's part of what makes it a parody.
I don't know if this point holds any water, legally speaking, but it's interesting. You can read the rest of the article here
Having done a great deal of research on this topic I think it's important to understand the dynamics of what is being proposed.
The current plan requires nearly 96,000 truck shipments of hazardous waste, crossing 43 states in transit. The potential radiation exposure from mearly sitting in traffic next to one of these trucks is estimated at 40 mrem, the equivalent of smoking 16 packs of cigs simultanously. When you look at the drivers exposure the number goes way up.
This is not to say that we shouldn't undertake this project. However knowing the risks going in certainly helps.
If you are looking for some good reading check out the nevada impact report.
Slashdot Mirror
This seems oddly familiar to Batman: Dark Knight. Using cell phones to collect data points throughout a city to find the culprit (the Joker / toxic chemicals). Ultimately, in the movie, there were great concerns about privacy and use of the technology. The safety net here "Cell-All will operate only on an opt-in basis and will transmit data anonymously" seems nice on paper, but I'm sure those in a position to use it will feel the pressure to exploit the technology for more.
You've got to consider the source...Mike McCurry
FTA:
Mike McCurry (born 27 October 1954) is best known as the former press secretary for Bill Clinton's administration. He is a Washington-based communications consultant and is associated with the firm Public Strategies Washington, Inc. and the internet technology firm, Grassroots Enterprise Inc.
McCurry is a partner at the influential Washington, D.C. based lobbying firm Public Strategies. In 2006 he has been lobbying on behalf of major network carriers, in part through a coalition www.handsoff.org, for the removal of internet regulations in the controversial network neutrality debate. Organizations, including www.savetheinternet.com claim that Mike McCurry and the "handsoff" campaign are using deceptive and manipulative arguments to support their position.
http://www.childsplaycharity.org/
BFG9000
I'm game as long as it's not controlled by Windows. I can see it now, it's the ultimate experience in VR except for the minor annoyance of crashing and killing the connected users after a few days.
You think it would take that long? ; )
I'm an undergrad here at Penn State. Over the past few months they have been cracking down on copyrighted materials. They emailed the following letter to every student in the University:
I have a serious message for you about making illegal copies of copyrighted material. While you may be tempted not to read this email, I suggest that you do so in order to better understand just what the risks and penalties are for violating the law.
In recent years, high-speed computer networks and personal computers have made it easy to copy computer programs, movies, and recordings. Most of this material is copyrighted, which means the right to make copies is restricted. Making copies of any copyrighted material without the right to do so is against both state and federal law and University policy. Most people who make illegal copies know it is wrong, but are unaware of how severe the penalties can be.
The US Copyright Law (Title 17 of the US Code) has very serious penalties for violations. These include significant fines for each copy. If you copy more than $1,000 worth of material, there are criminal penalties that include substantial fines of up to $250,000 and up to 10 years prison time for flagrant cases of infringement.
The software, record, and movie industries are stepping up their enforcement of copyright laws. They are using computer technology to detect those who run servers or simply download something they have no right to possess. The likelihood of being caught is growing every day, and prosecutions will become more frequent.
You may have downloaded copyrighted materials and not been caught, so you think you're safe from prosecution. I urge you to think again. Two students in Oregon were caught and prosecuted under the criminal statutes. One received a suspended two-year sentence, the other spent time in jail. A student in North Carolina spent 41 months in prison for copyright infringement. Messing up your future is a steep price to pay for music or a video.
What happens at Penn State if you are caught? By statute, the University must immediately block your network access when we receive notification that a particular computer has been involved in a violation of the law. You may also be taken to court by the copyright holder or charged in the federal courts with a crime. That is not all that can happen. You should know that falsely certifying either that you have the right to material or have removed it can result in federal perjury charges as well as copyright infringement.
What else does Penn State do? When we receive a complaint, student offenders are referred to the Office of Judicial Affairs and employees to the Office of Human Resources. Why? Because it is illegal and against University policy to infringe on someone's copyright. A student can be expelled and an employee terminated under University policy.
The bottom line is that there is a potentially high price to pay for an illegally copied computer program, movie, or recording. Stealing is stealing and against the law, regardless of how you try to justify it.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Rodney A. Erickson March 31, 2003
After the letter was sent 220 students were served notices from the Judicial Affairs Office. You can read more about it in the school newspaper. school newspaper. In the article it says, "Rodack said it can take only one complaint against a student before dorm Internet connection is shut down and he or she is investigated."
Has anyone else seen the same pattern at their school? Is this par for the course?
Can this post get any longer?
Freelance writer John Scalzi brings up an interesting point that I haven't read here:
American Greeting's argument here could be that Penny Arcade's image is using the Strawberry Shortcake name to parodize American McGee's tendency to appropriate young female literary characters for his dark and bloody video games, not Strawberry Shortcake herself. Therefore, using Strawberry Shortcake for that purpose is not covered under parody. It's an interesting assertion.
However, I wonder if this line of reasoning, if indeed it is the one American Greetings is using, is as strong as it might appear initially. This line of reasoning works only to the extent that Strawberry Shortcake herself does not fit the rubric that the Penny Arcade is parodizing, namely that Strawberry Shortcake is not a young female literary character. In fact she is, the main character in dozens of books: Strawberry Shortcake: Meet Strawberry Shortcake, Strawberry Shortcake at the Beach, Strawberry Shortcake: The Berry Big Storm, and Happy Halloween, Strawberry Shortcake are just some of the titles in her oeuvre. And in an interesting literary note, in several of these titles, Strawberry Shortcake is either planning or having a party of some sort or another, which makes her activity in the parody (planning a party with her friends) not an atypical activity for her. Although to be fair she's not typically whipping her friend Plum Pudding at those parties. But that's part of what makes it a parody.
I don't know if this point holds any water, legally speaking, but it's interesting. You can read the rest of the article here
-Spyder
Having done a great deal of research on this topic I think it's important to understand the dynamics of what is being proposed.
t .pdf
The current plan requires nearly 96,000 truck shipments of hazardous waste, crossing 43 states in transit. The potential radiation exposure from mearly sitting in traffic next to one of these trucks is estimated at 40 mrem, the equivalent of smoking 16 packs of cigs simultanously. When you look at the drivers exposure the number goes way up.
This is not to say that we shouldn't undertake this project. However knowing the risks going in certainly helps.
If you are looking for some good reading check out the nevada impact report.
http://www.state.nv.us/nucwaste/yucca/impactrepor
Matt