I won't even be paid for being OFF on Christmas, so bad is my employer.
I love the bobblehead idea... Yeah, spend $hundreds to have those things made instead of giving that money to the employees.
Personally, I like ripping off sleeves of company logo golf balls from the sales slugs. My friend and I love to whack the things into the woods never to be seen again;)
"nd 21% percent of people buy less music now they download. RIAA always forget to tell us that the other 79% buy more;)"
And I'm one of them. I'd have never bought Avril Lavigne, Michelle Branch, and Vanessa Carlton's album if I hadn't been able to use Kazzaa Lite to sample them in advance.
"This first post is being sent over a cable modem and is like 15 regular first posts!"
So if I download something with the T1 at work it's like stealing 1,000 songs? And if I burn them with my 24x burner, it's like burning 6 CD's?
Methinks we have discovered the formula that the RIAA/MPAA/BSA uses to come up with their "piracy" statistics...
Calculate what could have been copied on PC equipment circa 1987 and multiply by Moore's Law...
Re:You Americans need to fuck people back.
on
The New IT Crisis
·
· Score: 2
"If one of my co-workers had been fired for that reason, I'd have quit on the spot. And so would most of my colleagues. Why? Because of loss of faith in the leadership (boss not understanding morale concept, and not knowing who'd be next, leads me to prefer to dictate my own future). The boss would be left with an empty department to explain to his VP and justify his bad decisions."
This was not an option for me. I can't afford NOT to work, this is a bad time of the year to FIND a job, and if I quit I'd not get any unemployment.
But I am basically working there until I find another job, as is my manager (who had nothing to do with the firing). I love my job, I just detest who I work for.
"Get together with that layed off employee and a few other hot shots in your company, then approach your clients behind your boss' back with a proposal to do more work on their systems for the same cost if they'd contract with you guys directly. You have the skills, not your boss. You're what's up for sale. You don't have to put up with any shit if you don't really want to"
This is in the works;) Actually, said clent has told me repeatedly they REALLY want to hire me. But the bastard boss has bastard contracts with noncompetes.
He even threatened to sue people who gave my friend a REFERENCE. You see, the bastard boss is trying to beat the rap on paying unemployment (we are in an at will state).
He's trying to alledge incompetence and deny my friend any opportunity to counter by threatening customers with a lawsuit if they give him any reference.
I wrote a letter of recommendation after reading the handbook, etc and finding nothing prohibiting me from doing so.
Basically, I WANT this guy to fire me. Sadtly, it won't happen, as I'm too lowly paid, and too hard working. I refuse to tank my level of work, because I care for my own reputation above all else.
"Not only that, our company recently fired our most talented engineer without cause (the week before Thanksgiving) becuase he could hire a "paper tiger" (ie: MCSE) for $5K a year less, and a H1-B who he brought in and treats like a slave.
"Don't get me started about this H-1B thing. You will get my britches in knots again."
The "paper tiger" MCSE/CNE, I object to. Not the H1-B. He was hired 3 months before the boss let my friend go (who was my mentor, and largely respobsible for why I'm as good as I am). The H1B in question is bloody brilliant. One of the hardest working and smartest people I've ever met. He remembers anything I teach him after showing it to him ONCE... I can only WISH I were that smart.
I object to H1-B more because it VICTIMIZES those who come here on that kind of visa more than I object to skilled immigration. The USA is better off letting people like him into this country, especially when it deprives an opressive country (Iran) of a brilliant mind. But scumbags like my employer shouldn't be allowed to bring him in on a H1-B "slave" visa...
Re:solution for one of the problems..
on
The New IT Crisis
·
· Score: 2
"When users had dumb terminals on their desk, they had the illision of a full power computer, but it was actually a small box with few moving parts that was linked to high-powered computers (or cluster of computers) who were actually doing the heavy lifting. Since all of the functional components were in the Computer Room, there was rarely a need for tech staff to touch the dumb terminals, and the tech people could work in their own distraction-free environment"
This exists in the PC world. Citrix. I have 2 clients of my company that I support who uses this.
One uses Citrix running off two powerful new 2K servers to avoid replacing armies of Pentium I desktops.
Re:I always just "look" busy
on
The New IT Crisis
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
"My old approach was to say to the boss "What ya gonna do? Fire me? I'm too low paid and I claim slacktime NOW." Wierdly, it usually worked and I got my slack off time. Turns out he needed me more than I needed him."
I usually just try to always look busy. I have such a reputation for hard work, that in the (rare) slack times I can usually screw off and get away with it.
But you get to that point by ACTUALLY working hard when there is work to do.
Thing is, when you are a network admin for an enterprise, there is ALWAYS work that you can be doing.
This is a huge problem where I work
on
The New IT Crisis
·
· Score: 3, Informative
My company does IT outsourcing for several local companies, inluding one that has several remote divisions.
We are NEVER allowed enough time to do more than barely keep things running. Which always leads to things breaking that could easily have been prevented had someone been there to do routine maitenance.
New deployments (like a Linux server that does remote access for terminal emulation) that I do are compromised by the fact that I'm never given more time than is needed to barely get it working. I never truly get to finish a job to my own high standards.
My employer views this service contract as "nonbillable hours" despite the fact that they pay us $9K a month for it. The boss wants myself and our other engineers working on other "billable" projects that bring in far less than that $9K. That money doesn't get this company a SINGLE dedicated contract employee (despite the fact that our whole tech staff's monthly salaries don't equal $9K)
Not only that, our company recently fired our most talented engineer without cause (the week before Thanksgiving) becuase he could hire a "paper tiger" (ie: MCSE) for $5K a year less, and a H1-B who he brought in and treats like a slave.
It's definately the dark side of IT oursourcing, and something that companies considering doing this should think about.
If I were going to outsource an IT department for a company with multiple locations and servers, I'd keep at least ONE in-house guy and use the outsource company soley for the "it's broken" crises which need more manpower.
".. Wouldn't a moderate number of 'Western' countries (North America, the EU, and a few others who might want to tag along) banning the sending of unsolicited mail and the marketing of tools and lists with which to do it make a serious impact on the amount of spam recieved? Sure, a certain amount of it comes from abroad, but quite a lot is domestic, too, and quite a few countries in these areas are prepared to pay for it who might not be if it were banned."
The best method is to impose penalties on the companies who BUY this "advertising". Spammers may be outside the USA, etc, but their clients most likely are not. Even if they are, their products have to get into the USA some way.
It's just about to the point though, that the SMTP/POP3 protocals themselves are obsolete and need to be changed. If the amount of spam increases as predicted, e-mail will become completely useless and abandoned by most people.
I get 100 spams a day at my address, one I've used for several years. Filtering knocks down what I see in a day to maybe 1-2. But since I installed McAfee Spamkiller, the number has slowly started to creep up again... I figure it's a matter of time before it's back where it was. I wish they'd go to adaptable filtering.
Static filtering isn't the answer.
I'm probably going to start using Mozilla's mail client, though I hate to give up Forte Agent (which I've used for years).
The state I have spent most of my career working in does something right!
If MS has proven anything in the many years of settlements with the DOJ over breaking the law, it's that a settlement with them is as worthless as one with Saddam.
"Call me crazy, but Corporations are permitted much of the same legal protections as individuals (IIRC, at least in the US, YMMV). Shouldn't they be expected to behave with some sense of responsibility for their actions?"
Yes, they should. But they don't. Why? Corporations contribute money to politicians. That simple.
"Yes, I know about "responsibility to shareholders" and all of that mess. Mod me down for naivete, I deserve it for the above statement. What I should have said was "Corporations are given MORE legal protections than individuals..."
"More Equal than Equal" is the better word. Corporations are the most egregious example of a collective being given GREATER rights under our law than an individual.
The Constitution is NOT a contract between a collective and the government, it's between INDIVIDUALS and government.
It would be a mistake to hold ALL shareholders responsible for what a corp does, as the average individual investor do not have any say in what the corp does.
However, the shareholders who DO have controlling interest in the corp SHOULD be personally liable for what it does. Large shareholders, board members, etc.
"Would AI get bent out of shape if China started using Free/Open Source software extensively in its filtering and blocking efforts? If so, why? By its nature free software is free for anyone to use, even totalitarian regimes who want to use the software to limit the freedom of those they rule."
I would like to see an amendment to the GPL that denies use of source/copy rights to governments that deny freedom.
China *IS* a violation of the spirit of the GPL.
Besides, when China uses GPL source, and puts in crap that monitors their people ("Orweare"), and block internet sites, etc, do you REALLY think they will release source?
"What if I wanted to write software for the mafia? I could just pretend the software wouldn't be used for illegal purposes. Would that be ethical of me? Could I be aiding and abetting (to assist or support in the achievement of a purpose) known criminals? Of course. How is this different than aiding known human rights violators?"
We shouldn't be doing business with China or any other socialistic government that practices State Slavery. PERIOD. It should be a crime for American companies to sell anything to them.
But, thanks to the "myth" of the huge Chineese "consumer" market (the customer is the government, NOT THE PEOPLE who have little money), people on both the right and left favor trade with them.
The left is naturally sympathetic towards a fellow socialist state, and wishes for China to influence the US (not the other way around). The right worships lack of corporate responsibility, and making a buck at any human cost.
Indeed, when it comes to trade with countries that deny basic freedoms, I can't find a party with a view that matches mine.
"Although I know nothing about the laws governing censorship, including the export of products for censorship, I do think Amnesty is wrong in this case. Amnesty Internation needs to focus on the fact that China is censoring its citizens. If Microsoft, CISCO et al. don't provide solutions, someone else will."
That's like saying that if GasCorp America doesn't sell the Zyklon-B to the Nazis to use in death camps, someone else will.
Corps have no morality except profit. This is why I despise megacorps.
I'm not against profit. Not at all (I despise socialism even more as a form of STATE SLAVERY), but I do think that companies should be more beholden to standards. Corps should be abolished. The controlling shareholders should be as personally liable as owners of a sole proprietorship type business.
"One of many things I liek about Opera is that it ignors Gator and all of the other assorted scumware out there. YAY!"
The BEST feature Opera and Mozilla have is that they don't do ActiveX. ActiveX has to be the WORST idea in the history of the web. Talk about open asshole for raping...
Anti-leech offers two ways to get rid of spam thanks to the Anti-Spam system. To collect new e-mail addresses many "spammers" use different kinds of "spiders" to search through your site for e-mail adresses. We offer one way to make it impossible for these "spiders" to collect your e-mail address + one way to prevent that the "spider" collects other addresses. If you use our Anti-HTML program, you will also be protected against these "spiders"."
Uh, if using a popup blocker is "theft", then isn't spam blocking "theft"?
I mean, some marginal website somewhere might have to SHUT DOWN because anti-leech's spam email address harvester blocker denied them revenue...;)
How much you wanna bet the people behind anti-leech use popup blockers?
"What I mainly have problems with is their lack of proof that (a) the files really were the copyright works they claim, (b) did the p2p users have the right to have a legal copy? (c) Are they providing an itemized list? (d) Do they have actual authorization to act as agents of the copyright holders?"
IS evidence based on hacking a network admissible in court?
These goons hacking into your file lists was not a consensual act...
Such evidence wouldn't be admissible in court in a criminal case, IANAL.
The big problem (speaking from a USA pov) is the fact that civil tort needs to be reformed. There are FAR too many baseless sivil suits. The main problem seems to be that the burden of proof for conviction "Perponderance of the evidence" (ie: 51%) is easier than "Beyond Reasonable Doubt" (ie: 33%), and the fact that an initiator of a suit who loses isnt' required to pay all legal fees of the winner...
Your "collection service" point is interesting... Ok, do they have proof that they were engaged by ALL the copyright holders they are claiming to collect for?
"he U.S. General Accounting Office has estimated states lose nearly $13 billion each year on untaxed Internet transactions.
Yeah, and I lose several grand a year by not skimming funds off a local company's treasury. "Lose" is too misleading. It's like buying a can of beans with a coupon and saving 49 whole cents."
Translation: State governments aren't siphoning off $13 billion from the economy to use to buy votes with.
It's better to keep money IN the private economy, where it goes to make more money (that money gets spent elsewhere, likely where there IS a state sales tax) rather than to the government which can only SPEND money.
"All in all, seems as though the government is trying to stuff their large, greedy paws in the cookie jar, and they may not even come away with anything except crumbs. The administration of the plan, and the sharing of profits with vendors that is mentioned in the article may in fact eat up most of the profits that the government thinks they would see."
Yep. To get their "cut" these states will destroy the cookie jar. Governments have a pathological fear of economic activity happening that they don't get a cut of.
What these states are proposing is illegal. The Constitution forbids ANY state interference in interstate commerce. States can't charge "tariffs" on things coming in from other states.
That is what this, essentially, is.
The only legal internet/mail order tax would be a federal one.
Those who's interest it is in finding ANY chink in the 1st amendment to allow them to censor the Internet will keep trying. This is their third attempt...
They are now down to "we must protect the children". Will the court buy it? Hopefully not. Legislation should NOT be used to do the work of respobsible parents.
As an adult, I should have unfettered access. A child's protection is not sufficient cause to violate MY 1st amendment rights. It is the parent's responsibility to filter for the child, not society's.
"But that's just it. Many companies are looking at the upgrade license terms & fees, and deciding that what they have is good enough. They don't lose functionality by not upgrading, they just don't get the new features"
Until MS sends in the BSA stormtroopers. Only if you turn down their "special" offer to upgrade to the Licensing 6.0 rental regeime.
If you refuse, you better have EVERY license, every box, every receipt...
They have been doing this. I see no reason now why they won't continue, if not INTENSIFY their BSA stormtrooper extortion.
Slashdot Mirror
I won't even be paid for being OFF on Christmas, so bad is my employer.
;)
I love the bobblehead idea... Yeah, spend $hundreds to have those things made instead of giving that money to the employees.
Personally, I like ripping off sleeves of company logo golf balls from the sales slugs. My friend and I love to whack the things into the woods never to be seen again
"nd 21% percent of people buy less music now they download.
RIAA always forget to tell us that the other 79% buy more;)"
And I'm one of them. I'd have never bought Avril Lavigne, Michelle Branch, and Vanessa Carlton's album if I hadn't been able to use Kazzaa Lite to sample them in advance.
Glad I did, they are awesome.
"This first post is being sent over a cable modem and is like 15 regular first posts!"
So if I download something with the T1 at work it's like stealing 1,000 songs? And if I burn them with my 24x burner, it's like burning 6 CD's?
Methinks we have discovered the formula that the RIAA/MPAA/BSA uses to come up with their "piracy" statistics...
Calculate what could have been copied on PC equipment circa 1987 and multiply by Moore's Law...
"If one of my co-workers had been fired for that reason, I'd have quit on the spot. And so would most of my colleagues. Why? Because of loss of faith in the leadership (boss not understanding morale concept, and not knowing who'd be next, leads me to prefer to dictate my own future).
The boss would be left with an empty department to explain to his VP and justify his bad decisions."
This was not an option for me. I can't afford NOT to work, this is a bad time of the year to FIND a job, and if I quit I'd not get any unemployment.
But I am basically working there until I find another job, as is my manager (who had nothing to do with the firing). I love my job, I just detest who I work for.
"Get together with that layed off employee and a few other hot shots in your company, then approach your clients behind your boss' back with a proposal to do more work on their systems for the same cost if they'd contract with you guys directly.
;) Actually, said clent has told me repeatedly they REALLY want to hire me. But the bastard boss has bastard contracts with noncompetes.
You have the skills, not your boss. You're what's up for sale. You don't have to put up with any shit if you don't really want to"
This is in the works
He even threatened to sue people who gave my friend a REFERENCE. You see, the bastard boss is trying to beat the rap on paying unemployment (we are in an at will state).
He's trying to alledge incompetence and deny my friend any opportunity to counter by threatening customers with a lawsuit if they give him any reference.
I wrote a letter of recommendation after reading the handbook, etc and finding nothing prohibiting me from doing so.
Basically, I WANT this guy to fire me. Sadtly, it won't happen, as I'm too lowly paid, and too hard working. I refuse to tank my level of work, because I care for my own reputation above all else.
"Not only that, our company recently fired our most talented engineer without cause (the week before Thanksgiving) becuase he could hire a "paper tiger" (ie: MCSE) for $5K a year less, and a H1-B who he brought in and treats like a slave.
"Don't get me started about this H-1B thing. You will get my britches in knots again."
The "paper tiger" MCSE/CNE, I object to. Not the H1-B. He was hired 3 months before the boss let my friend go (who was my mentor, and largely respobsible for why I'm as good as I am). The H1B in question is bloody brilliant. One of the hardest working and smartest people I've ever met. He remembers anything I teach him after showing it to him ONCE... I can only WISH I were that smart.
I object to H1-B more because it VICTIMIZES those who come here on that kind of visa more than I object to skilled immigration. The USA is better off letting people like him into this country, especially when it deprives an opressive country (Iran) of a brilliant mind. But scumbags like my employer shouldn't be allowed to bring him in on a H1-B "slave" visa...
"When users had dumb terminals on their desk, they had the illision of a full power computer, but it was actually a small box with few moving parts that was linked to high-powered computers (or cluster of computers) who were actually doing the heavy lifting. Since all of the functional components were in the Computer Room, there was rarely a need for tech staff to touch the dumb terminals, and the tech people could work in their own distraction-free environment"
This exists in the PC world. Citrix. I have 2 clients of my company that I support who uses this.
One uses Citrix running off two powerful new 2K servers to avoid replacing armies of Pentium I desktops.
"My old approach was to say to the boss "What ya gonna do? Fire me? I'm too low paid and I claim slacktime NOW." Wierdly, it usually worked and I got my slack off time. Turns out he needed me more than I needed him."
I usually just try to always look busy. I have such a reputation for hard work, that in the (rare) slack times I can usually screw off and get away with it.
But you get to that point by ACTUALLY working hard when there is work to do.
Thing is, when you are a network admin for an enterprise, there is ALWAYS work that you can be doing.
My company does IT outsourcing for several local companies, inluding one that has several remote divisions.
We are NEVER allowed enough time to do more than barely keep things running. Which always leads to things breaking that could easily have been prevented had someone been there to do routine maitenance.
New deployments (like a Linux server that does remote access for terminal emulation) that I do are compromised by the fact that I'm never given more time than is needed to barely get it working. I never truly get to finish a job to my own high standards.
My employer views this service contract as "nonbillable hours" despite the fact that they pay us $9K a month for it. The boss wants myself and our other engineers working on other "billable" projects that bring in far less than that $9K. That money doesn't get this company a SINGLE dedicated contract employee (despite the fact that our whole tech staff's monthly salaries don't equal $9K)
Not only that, our company recently fired our most talented engineer without cause (the week before Thanksgiving) becuase he could hire a "paper tiger" (ie: MCSE) for $5K a year less, and a H1-B who he brought in and treats like a slave.
It's definately the dark side of IT oursourcing, and something that companies considering doing this should think about.
If I were going to outsource an IT department for a company with multiple locations and servers, I'd keep at least ONE in-house guy and use the outsource company soley for the "it's broken" crises which need more manpower.
".. Wouldn't a moderate number of 'Western' countries (North America, the EU, and a few others who might want to tag along) banning the sending of unsolicited mail and the marketing of tools and lists with which to do it make a serious impact on the amount of spam recieved? Sure, a certain amount of it comes from abroad, but quite a lot is domestic, too, and quite a few countries in these areas are prepared to pay for it who might not be if it were banned."
The best method is to impose penalties on the companies who BUY this "advertising". Spammers may be outside the USA, etc, but their clients most likely are not. Even if they are, their products have to get into the USA some way.
It's just about to the point though, that the SMTP/POP3 protocals themselves are obsolete and need to be changed. If the amount of spam increases as predicted, e-mail will become completely useless and abandoned by most people.
I get 100 spams a day at my address, one I've used for several years. Filtering knocks down what I see in a day to maybe 1-2. But since I installed McAfee Spamkiller, the number has slowly started to creep up again... I figure it's a matter of time before it's back where it was. I wish they'd go to adaptable filtering.
Static filtering isn't the answer.
I'm probably going to start using Mozilla's mail client, though I hate to give up Forte Agent (which I've used for years).
The state I have spent most of my career working in does something right!
If MS has proven anything in the many years of settlements with the DOJ over breaking the law, it's that a settlement with them is as worthless as one with Saddam.
"Call me crazy, but Corporations are permitted much of the same legal protections as individuals (IIRC, at least in the US, YMMV). Shouldn't they be expected to behave with some sense of responsibility for their actions?"
Yes, they should. But they don't. Why? Corporations contribute money to politicians. That simple.
"Yes, I know about "responsibility to shareholders" and all of that mess. Mod me down for naivete, I deserve it for the above statement. What I should have said was "Corporations are given MORE legal protections than individuals..."
"More Equal than Equal" is the better word. Corporations are the most egregious example of a collective being given GREATER rights under our law than an individual.
The Constitution is NOT a contract between a collective and the government, it's between INDIVIDUALS and government.
It would be a mistake to hold ALL shareholders responsible for what a corp does, as the average individual investor do not have any say in what the corp does.
However, the shareholders who DO have controlling interest in the corp SHOULD be personally liable for what it does. Large shareholders, board members, etc.
"Would AI get bent out of shape if China started using Free/Open Source software extensively in its filtering and blocking efforts? If so, why? By its nature free software is free for anyone to use, even totalitarian regimes who want to use the software to limit the freedom of those they rule."
I would like to see an amendment to the GPL that denies use of source/copy rights to governments that deny freedom.
China *IS* a violation of the spirit of the GPL.
Besides, when China uses GPL source, and puts in crap that monitors their people ("Orweare"), and block internet sites, etc, do you REALLY think they will release source?
"What if I wanted to write software for the mafia? I could just pretend the software wouldn't be used for illegal purposes. Would that be ethical of me? Could I be aiding and abetting (to assist or support in the achievement of a purpose) known criminals? Of course. How is this different than aiding known human rights violators?"
We shouldn't be doing business with China or any other socialistic government that practices State Slavery. PERIOD. It should be a crime for American companies to sell anything to them.
But, thanks to the "myth" of the huge Chineese "consumer" market (the customer is the government, NOT THE PEOPLE who have little money), people on both the right and left favor trade with them.
The left is naturally sympathetic towards a fellow socialist state, and wishes for China to influence the US (not the other way around). The right worships lack of corporate responsibility, and making a buck at any human cost.
Indeed, when it comes to trade with countries that deny basic freedoms, I can't find a party with a view that matches mine.
"Although I know nothing about the laws governing censorship, including the export of products for censorship, I do think Amnesty is wrong in this case. Amnesty Internation needs to focus on the fact that China is censoring its citizens. If Microsoft, CISCO et al. don't provide solutions, someone else will."
That's like saying that if GasCorp America doesn't sell the Zyklon-B to the Nazis to use in death camps, someone else will.
Corps have no morality except profit. This is why I despise megacorps.
I'm not against profit. Not at all (I despise socialism even more as a form of STATE SLAVERY), but I do think that companies should be more beholden to standards. Corps should be abolished. The controlling shareholders should be as personally liable as owners of a sole proprietorship type business.
"One of many things I liek about Opera is that it ignors Gator and all of the other assorted scumware out there. YAY!"
The BEST feature Opera and Mozilla have is that they don't do ActiveX. ActiveX has to be the WORST idea in the history of the web. Talk about open asshole for raping...
This is on anti-leech's website as as "service":
;)
"Protection against spam
Anti-leech offers two ways to get rid of spam thanks to the Anti-Spam system. To collect new e-mail addresses many "spammers" use different kinds of "spiders" to search through your site for e-mail adresses. We offer one way to make it impossible for these "spiders" to collect your e-mail address + one way to prevent that the "spider" collects other addresses. If you use our Anti-HTML program, you will also be protected against these "spiders"."
Uh, if using a popup blocker is "theft", then isn't spam blocking "theft"?
I mean, some marginal website somewhere might have to SHUT DOWN because anti-leech's spam email address harvester blocker denied them revenue...
How much you wanna bet the people behind anti-leech use popup blockers?
"What I mainly have problems with is their lack of proof that (a) the files really were the copyright works they claim, (b) did the p2p users have the right to have a legal copy? (c) Are they providing an itemized list? (d) Do they have actual authorization to act as agents of the copyright holders?"
IS evidence based on hacking a network admissible in court?
These goons hacking into your file lists was not a consensual act...
Such evidence wouldn't be admissible in court in a criminal case, IANAL.
The big problem (speaking from a USA pov) is the fact that civil tort needs to be reformed. There are FAR too many baseless sivil suits. The main problem seems to be that the burden of proof for conviction "Perponderance of the evidence" (ie: 51%) is easier than "Beyond Reasonable Doubt" (ie: 33%), and the fact that an initiator of a suit who loses isnt' required to pay all legal fees of the winner...
Your "collection service" point is interesting... Ok, do they have proof that they were engaged by ALL the copyright holders they are claiming to collect for?
AND, is there a paper record of a "debt" owed?
If not, this is extortion.
If I recall correctly, the FM frequency is 10.7 MHz from the station being listened to.
Looks like starting next year, Sony music will be left out in the cold by my wallet.
I'm not going to buy anything that won't play in the player and manner of my choice.
"he U.S. General Accounting Office has estimated states lose nearly $13 billion each year on untaxed Internet transactions.
Yeah, and I lose several grand a year by not skimming funds off a local company's treasury. "Lose" is too misleading. It's like buying a can of beans with a coupon and saving 49 whole cents."
Translation: State governments aren't siphoning off $13 billion from the economy to use to buy votes with.
It's better to keep money IN the private economy, where it goes to make more money (that money gets spent elsewhere, likely where there IS a state sales tax) rather than to the government which can only SPEND money.
"All in all, seems as though the government is trying to stuff their large, greedy paws in the cookie jar, and they may not even come away with anything except crumbs. The administration of the plan, and the sharing of profits with vendors that is mentioned in the article may in fact eat up most of the profits that the government thinks they would see."
Yep. To get their "cut" these states will destroy the cookie jar. Governments have a pathological fear of economic activity happening that they don't get a cut of.
What these states are proposing is illegal. The Constitution forbids ANY state interference in interstate commerce. States can't charge "tariffs" on things coming in from other states.
That is what this, essentially, is.
The only legal internet/mail order tax would be a federal one.
1. WHY governments feel that they are entitled to a "cut" of everything
2. WHY people stand for this mentality!
Those who's interest it is in finding ANY chink in the 1st amendment to allow them to censor the Internet will keep trying. This is their third attempt...
They are now down to "we must protect the children". Will the court buy it? Hopefully not. Legislation should NOT be used to do the work of respobsible parents.
As an adult, I should have unfettered access. A child's protection is not sufficient cause to violate MY 1st amendment rights. It is the parent's responsibility to filter for the child, not society's.
"But that's just it. Many companies are looking at the upgrade license terms & fees, and deciding that what they have is good enough. They don't lose functionality by not upgrading, they just don't get the new features"
Until MS sends in the BSA stormtroopers. Only if you turn down their "special" offer to upgrade to the Licensing 6.0 rental regeime.
If you refuse, you better have EVERY license, every box, every receipt...
They have been doing this. I see no reason now why they won't continue, if not INTENSIFY their BSA stormtrooper extortion.