(sigh) how about you dispute what I actually said, rather than saying "well, you can get stuff done elsewhere so there." The GP said, "America's health care system is poor" and I disagreed with some of what he was saying. You just want to America-bash and don't really want a discussion.
If it were that easy to charge someone sharing a few songs with Limewire with a criminal offense... why isn't the RIAA doing just that? They'd much prefer to hand out jail time rather than fines, given that this is all about scaring millions of people from sharing music.
All their cases so far appear to have been filed as civil suits, not criminal, and the reason for that seems more evidentiary in nature. They can barely "prove" copyright infringement to a civil court, and then only if the judge is asleep as the wheel.
Sure, if they were able to go from "a preponderance of evidence" to "beyond a reasonable doubt", the RIAA's lawsuit machine might be very different, and a lot of people might be in jail. But that's just not the case, and so as far as the typical filesharer is concerned, copyright is a civil matter.
There may eventually be some criminal proceedings resulting from all this, but it will likely involve RIAA, record label and MediaSentry exectives.
I think that is their intent. Except the RIAA wants them to be defendants instead of spectators.
I'd say they want them to be spectacles as well as defendants. This is all about publicity, when you get right down to it, and there's nothing like a public ass-whippin' to help keep the plebs in line. Granted, it works both ways: sometimes the RIAA is the one walking funny for a few days.
And you, sir, are an asshole, and while (as a civilized American) I would endeavor not to outright kill you, I would dearly love to knock you off your high horse. FYI, the fat, bible-thumping types are a minority in this country. Nobody likes fat bible-thumpers except other fat bible-thumpers. Stop judging all of us by the actions of a few loudmouths.
America is what it is, nowadays, but I'd like you to honestly say to yourself: why are you picking on us? Are there not much worse places to live? I know several people that emigrated from the ex-Soviet Union, and with good reason. They can tell you about what living in a true police state is really all about, and how different America, even now, is from what they left behind.
Find a nastier bunch of totalitarian pricks to jump on... there are plenty to choose from around the world.
I wouldn't say it's poor, not at all. People still come here from other countries to have procedures done that are simply unavailable in many parts of the world. I have had some health issues myself the past year, and have been well treated by the medical system so far. But you're right that it's definitely overpriced: I'm fortunate that my employer provides decent benefits. For now, at least.
Consequences? So far, none. Will there ever be? Doubtful. Will it be any different for the FBI? Doubtful.
Actually, yes, there will be. Remember the FBI under Hoover? It got pretty bad (the fucker had dirt on everyone.) Eventually Congress had to reign in the FBI... many of those wisely-placed restrictions were eventually removed. This is a pendulum, but it's gonna get worse before it gets better.
Actually, the big transition for the non-corporate types was from Windows 9x (pick your flavor) to Windows 2000. Windows XP was an upgrade to 2000, really.
You mean, "the people who are charged way more than they should be for barely using the Internet." Comcast is full of hooey... the millions of light browsing/email types already subsidize the heavy torrent users. Comcast just wants to have its cake and eat it too.
And it's not so easy to decide what "using the Internet normally" means. Given the amount of traffic consumed by Bit Torrent use alone, I'd say the "normal" use of the Internet for one hell of a lot of people is a lot more than email and ordering stuff online.
Porting Linux all over the place alows IBM to effectively unify a host of different architectures. I doubt they care all that much about YAST or any other idiosyncrasies of SUSE. Whatever problems get in their way they'll just fix them... and release the patches.
In spite of what some people may believe, there a whole raft of things that mainframes do exceedingly well. In spite of its having "reinvented" itself, IBM is still a big iron company, and there's a reason for that.
Slashdot Mirror
Hmm. Perhaps people (read: corporations) who have an entire army of lawyers at their disposal?
... you're both right.
Hmm. Perhaps people (read: corporations) who have an entire army of congress critters at their disposal?
Actually
Robocop didn't "wear" anything. He was the suit!
*headexplodes*
Experiencing a twinge of cognitive dissonance there?
The security mindset surely helps me in my job, but is it good for me on the long run?
No.
What kind of influence has being an IT security professional had on your general attitude towards life?
I beat my wife.
What helps you stay out of pessimism and cynicism?
Beer.
Is protecting existing things really as good as building new ones?
No, not really.
Sorry, am I being too negative here?
(sigh) how about you dispute what I actually said, rather than saying "well, you can get stuff done elsewhere so there." The GP said, "America's health care system is poor" and I disagreed with some of what he was saying. You just want to America-bash and don't really want a discussion.
Go away.
Umm haven't you heard? You only get that if you dont use it.
Kind of like a bank loan. You can only get one if you don't need it.
and we can now get pretty cheap nearly unlimited broadband connections at this end (UK).
Sure you can. We have had "unlimited" connections here in the States for some time now (snicker snicker.)
If it were that easy to charge someone sharing a few songs with Limewire with a criminal offense ... why isn't the RIAA doing just that? They'd much prefer to hand out jail time rather than fines, given that this is all about scaring millions of people from sharing music.
All their cases so far appear to have been filed as civil suits, not criminal, and the reason for that seems more evidentiary in nature. They can barely "prove" copyright infringement to a civil court, and then only if the judge is asleep as the wheel.
Sure, if they were able to go from "a preponderance of evidence" to "beyond a reasonable doubt", the RIAA's lawsuit machine might be very different, and a lot of people might be in jail. But that's just not the case, and so as far as the typical filesharer is concerned, copyright is a civil matter.
There may eventually be some criminal proceedings resulting from all this, but it will likely involve RIAA, record label and MediaSentry exectives.
Really. When you have to resort to outright lies to protect your business model, doesn't that tell you something about said business model?
Yes. It tells you that said business model is highly profitable.
Isn't intentional misrepresentation of the law an actionable offense (perhaps in some states, but not others)?
Only when you and me do it. When big corporate types do it, it's okay.
Yeah, really. Then again, Jack Valenti was the biggest sociopath of them all, so I wasn't exactly surprised at his words.
I think that is their intent. Except the RIAA wants them to be defendants instead of spectators.
I'd say they want them to be spectacles as well as defendants. This is all about publicity, when you get right down to it, and there's nothing like a public ass-whippin' to help keep the plebs in line. Granted, it works both ways: sometimes the RIAA is the one walking funny for a few days.
Shill. Fifty bucks says Ray is dead on.
And you, sir, are an asshole, and while (as a civilized American) I would endeavor not to outright kill you, I would dearly love to knock you off your high horse. FYI, the fat, bible-thumping types are a minority in this country. Nobody likes fat bible-thumpers except other fat bible-thumpers. Stop judging all of us by the actions of a few loudmouths.
... there are plenty to choose from around the world.
America is what it is, nowadays, but I'd like you to honestly say to yourself: why are you picking on us? Are there not much worse places to live? I know several people that emigrated from the ex-Soviet Union, and with good reason. They can tell you about what living in a true police state is really all about, and how different America, even now, is from what they left behind.
Find a nastier bunch of totalitarian pricks to jump on
poor and very expensive healthcare
I wouldn't say it's poor, not at all. People still come here from other countries to have procedures done that are simply unavailable in many parts of the world. I have had some health issues myself the past year, and have been well treated by the medical system so far. But you're right that it's definitely overpriced: I'm fortunate that my employer provides decent benefits. For now, at least.
Why can't they just say "this is completely against what the founders of our country intended"...?
Because the Founders are long dead and cannot speak for themselves. We the People, who were supposed to stand in their stead, have forgotten that.
Consequences? So far, none. Will there ever be? Doubtful. Will it be any different for the FBI? Doubtful.
... many of those wisely-placed restrictions were eventually removed. This is a pendulum, but it's gonna get worse before it gets better.
Actually, yes, there will be. Remember the FBI under Hoover? It got pretty bad (the fucker had dirt on everyone.) Eventually Congress had to reign in the FBI
Attorney General Michael Mukasey has agreed to allow Congressional hearings
That's big of him. He'll "allow" Congress to hold hearings? Who wears the pants in this family, anyways?
Actually, the big transition for the non-corporate types was from Windows 9x (pick your flavor) to Windows 2000. Windows XP was an upgrade to 2000, really.
The majority who use the internet normally ...
... the millions of light browsing/email types already subsidize the heavy torrent users. Comcast just wants to have its cake and eat it too.
You mean, "the people who are charged way more than they should be for barely using the Internet." Comcast is full of hooey
And it's not so easy to decide what "using the Internet normally" means. Given the amount of traffic consumed by Bit Torrent use alone, I'd say the "normal" use of the Internet for one hell of a lot of people is a lot more than email and ordering stuff online.
Porting Linux all over the place alows IBM to effectively unify a host of different architectures. I doubt they care all that much about YAST or any other idiosyncrasies of SUSE. Whatever problems get in their way they'll just fix them ... and release the patches.
In spite of what some people may believe, there a whole raft of things that mainframes do exceedingly well. In spite of its having "reinvented" itself, IBM is still a big iron company, and there's a reason for that.
Ever heard of the Slashdot effect? Some kinds of people don't care for it. Server admins, for one.
Why not? The RIAA/MPAA are trying very, very hard to criminalize copyright infringement. If they succeed, matters are going to go from bad to worse.
We're all asshole stoners who don't do shit but talk a lot? Huh. Well, I'll admit to the stoned part anyway: my doctor had me on Darvocet all week.