In Holland, a pin-code is only needed to put monex on the card, but it is not needed to pay with it. Most chipknip-cards are a combination of a credit-card and a cash-card. They are used on the public transportation system too.
UNSTOPPABLE? IS RIAA so ignorant to think that stopping one or two file-sharing programs will stop the illegal distribution of music? Millions of sites exist on the net, and at least 50 working P-to-P programms (and the nr. is growing). They should start seeing the net as a business-model and embrace the concept. Distribution over the net, lowers prices and increases the customer-base! Rather than spending money and time on closing down illegal sites, they should provide us with a good alternative to them! They are the source of music (ignoring self-made musicians for the moment) and should act as such, instead of using indirect distributors who raise prices. The next logical step is for musicians themselves to forego agents, and start distribution themselves (e.g. David Bowie).
...of new technologies is that they are still evolving and data gathered 6 months ago, or whenever, is not valid today. For example Liebowitz said that it takes ages to download a movie. With a broadband-connection, you can download several movies in one night. You can get the new Spiderman VCD from China, 2 months before it comes out in the cinema in the Netherlands! As a consequence people may decide that they do not like the movie enough to see it again in the cinema or watch it on a better quality DVD. The point is that the theories about the impact of the internet on brick & mortar businesses, can not be quantified!
Slashdot Mirror
In Holland, a pin-code is only needed to put monex on the card, but it is not needed to pay with it. Most chipknip-cards are a combination of a credit-card and a cash-card. They are used on the public transportation system too.
How's TIVO a threat to BBC anyway since there are no commercials to filter out?
UNSTOPPABLE? IS RIAA so ignorant to think that stopping one or two file-sharing programs will stop the illegal distribution of music? Millions of sites exist on the net, and at least 50 working P-to-P programms (and the nr. is growing). They should start seeing the net as a business-model and embrace the concept. Distribution over the net, lowers prices and increases the customer-base! Rather than spending money and time on closing down illegal sites, they should provide us with a good alternative to them! They are the source of music (ignoring self-made musicians for the moment) and should act as such, instead of using indirect distributors who raise prices. The next logical step is for musicians themselves to forego agents, and start distribution themselves (e.g. David Bowie).
...of new technologies is that they are still evolving and data gathered 6 months ago, or whenever, is not valid today. For example Liebowitz said that it takes ages to download a movie. With a broadband-connection, you can download several movies in one night. You can get the new Spiderman VCD from China, 2 months before it comes out in the cinema in the Netherlands! As a consequence people may decide that they do not like the movie enough to see it again in the cinema or watch it on a better quality DVD. The point is that the theories about the impact of the internet on brick & mortar businesses, can not be quantified!