I dunno... I had a cop issue me a bad ticket once. He was a well-known asshole on the force, and the judge apparently knew that. He was a fat fuck with coke-bottle glasses claiming he saw me pass a schoolbus with its sign out from six blocks away. The driver closed her sign and waved me on before I made my turn. It was the end of the month, so I guess he figured he had an easy ticket.
Still, this would have resulted in a six-month suspension had it stuck. The judge told me that the law had recently been changed, and she no longer had any leeway for this particular "offense". However, the judge actually had the prosecutor looking through a thick book of statutes to find a way to plead me down. He eventually said, "Ah-ha!", because there was wording that allowed the offense to be plead down to a lesser offense if the alleged offender (me) had not had a moving violation within the last ten years or some such. So I got off with an illegal left turn... didn't even affect my insurance rates. So I walked out $250 poorer (what my attorney charged) but feeling that justice had been done. The judge also had a couple of harsh words for the cop.
Back in my days as a software contractor, I was in court a few times because of customers that refused to pay their bills. That happened rarely: the smart ones try to keep their developers happy because they know they may need support some day. But there were a couple that were (I found out later) having financial troubles and just figured they'd save some money. I did my homework, and when I went to court the response from the judge was always, "Pay the man!"
I know, small potatoes compared to these RIAA cases (although we were talking projects in the $35-40,000 dollar range) but so far I've been well-treated by the courts.
This is insane. We're throwing untold billions of dollars away on useless, inconsequential or outright stupid things every year, and we can't afford a few million for something like Aricebo? Are we nuts?
No, this is a largely American site, and when we refer to ourselves as "we" most people here (those from other countries as well, I've noticed) assume that the participant means "American". Deal with it. And if I were to say, "The problem with the French is widespread ignorance among the French population" you'd probably take offense, if you were French. Beware of idiotic generalizations... they only make you appear mindless.
And you know what? If those assholes had just stuck to DRM and other legal technological measures I wouldn't have much cause for complaint. But they didn't... they went to Congress and bought corrupt laws from corrupt politicians that have had terrible effects across the entire economy, not just media. So don't cry for those people: they're human slime, no more and no less, who have little legitimate right to what they claim to own. And frequently they claim to own that to which they have no title whatsoever.
The reality is that the media cartels are too dangerous to be allowed to live because they will injure anyone and anything that gets in their way.
No they don't, if the law mandates that such throttling/blocking must be implemented. Then it just becomes a cost of doing business, like all the other regulatory crap they have to deal with, and they'll pass the costs on to their customers. Hell, CALEA cost the Telcos and IPSs a good chunk of change, but once the law was passed they had to be compliant (they could have fought it in Congress and the courts, but it was easier to just roll over and take it.)
When a place gets crowded enough to require ID's, social collapse is not far away. It is time to go elsewhere. The best thing about space travel is that it made it possible to go elsewhere.
Yes, it's ridiculous when viewed from the perspective of the computer-using public. But if you look at this the way an overarching government would, then the idea of having trained snitches in every computer store is very appealing. I mean, look at post-WWII East Germany... they eventually had half the population spying on the other half.
If there was ever a time for a Texan to learn how to fix his or her own computer system... this is it.
The 'hope' Obama speaks of is getting past all this petty divisiveness and reversing the actions which have destroyed our reputation in the world.
Petty divisiveness had nothing to do with it. Petty criminals called "Congressmen" had everything to do with it. As Lewis Black says, "... there's nothing stupider than when these pricks work together."
And the reason Congress lost us the respect we garnered in the post-WWII era was because these bastards co-operated in mistreating our allies and potential allies alike.
Perhaps if Congress had done a better job of policing itself this wouldn't have happened, but if there's one thing both sides agree on it's personal aggrandizement at the expense of everyone else. Neither Republicans or Democrats have any claim to a moral high ground of any kind, not anymore.
Well, I remember ten years ago or so when I had a 4 mbit/sec symmetric connection from @Home. It was awesome (okay all you people in Japan or Korea or wherever with 100 mbit connections can just shut up.) Then @Home folded, and AT&T took 'em over and overnight I had 1.5 mbit down and 25 kbit up. Millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror... and were slowed to a crawl.
AT&T magnanimously decreed that there wouldn't be any cost increases, of course that didn't last. The service royally sucked compared to what I had before. Then AT&T Broadband was sold to Comcast and the service went totally into the toilet.
So, basically I've to wait almost a decade to get service that still doesn't match what I had from @Home and costs almost twice as much.
They do... but Google development's major deliverables reside in the server room. They've delivered some pretty phenomenal technology there, when you get right down to it. Their ability to rapidly deploy and update applications on a massive scale is impressive.
And, like it or not, search (and associated ad revenue) is still their big game, just like Microsoft's is Windows and Office. They're also like Microsoft in that they too are casting about trying to find another major revenue source.
What's worse is that a few of the people involved in creating high speed pursuits are fairly normal and not criminals at all. They just get a mood and decide to run through three counties at well over 100 mph until their car gives out.
If that's "normal" then I'm damned glad I don't live in South Florida. And I'll bet that if you looked a bit more closely at the backgrounds of these "normal" people you'd find out they're not so normal after all. Normal people just don't get "moods" and decide to commit felonies for the fun of it. Aberrant people do that.
Of course, you've been using a fictitious word throughout your post. On the other hand, it would have gotten a +1 Funny mod from me if I had any points.
I was using a wired headset years ago, long before Bluetooth came out, but I agree: spend the money and get a half-decent model. Make sure your phone has good Bluetooth support as well, I had one phone that had an annoying and near-continuous crackling no matter what headset I paired with it.
I don't know why some people never figure out that, when they pick up their cell phone and jam it onto the side of their heads, they might as well be driving drunk so far as the rest of us are concerned. It's remarkable how oblivious they are to their aberrant driving.
To the next person that says, "That may be true for most people, but I'm special, my brain lets me handle having a phone stuck in my ear and still drive perfectly" I will say this: you're wrong. Don't believe me? Tell you what: have a friend follow you down the highway for a few miles while you're talking on your phone to someone else. Ideally, have them videotape you while you're doing it.
Once you've done that, make an honest assessment of your behavior and come back and tell us how well you were driving. You'll wonder if it was really you behind the wheel. Besides, I've heard the same crap from people that tell me, "Oh, sure, I've had a few drinks, but I drive better drunk than most people do sober." No, you don't. You may think you do, but that's the alcohol talking. To the rest of us you're a public menace. Driving is dangerous enough without having to share the road with drunken fools and cellphone-wielding passholes.
It all comes down to this: either we self-regulate ourselves to behave safely while driving, or the government will do it for us. Contrary to popular belief, living in a free society does not mean you get to do whatever you want whenever you want to do it. There are always limits placed on individual behavior, for the good of ourselves and others. The only question is whether we are willing to take a little responsibility here and use the technology wisely, or keep killing each other and give the government an excuse to come down on us even harder. It doesn't take much anymore for some posturing politician to pass yet another unConstitutional law. Our choice.
the stringent gun laws only hamper law abiding citizens.
You're too kind to our elected leaders. Stringent gun laws get people killed. Maybe if a few of these errant officials were put up on negligent homicide charges they'd think twice about this unConstitutional poppycock. So far as I'm concerned, every time a law-abiding citizen is killed because he was unable to legally acquire a firearm with which to defend himself, the people who prevented him are partly responsible for his death.
Slashdot Mirror
I dunno ... I had a cop issue me a bad ticket once. He was a well-known asshole on the force, and the judge apparently knew that. He was a fat fuck with coke-bottle glasses claiming he saw me pass a schoolbus with its sign out from six blocks away. The driver closed her sign and waved me on before I made my turn. It was the end of the month, so I guess he figured he had an easy ticket.
... didn't even affect my insurance rates. So I walked out $250 poorer (what my attorney charged) but feeling that justice had been done. The judge also had a couple of harsh words for the cop.
Still, this would have resulted in a six-month suspension had it stuck. The judge told me that the law had recently been changed, and she no longer had any leeway for this particular "offense". However, the judge actually had the prosecutor looking through a thick book of statutes to find a way to plead me down. He eventually said, "Ah-ha!", because there was wording that allowed the offense to be plead down to a lesser offense if the alleged offender (me) had not had a moving violation within the last ten years or some such. So I got off with an illegal left turn
Back in my days as a software contractor, I was in court a few times because of customers that refused to pay their bills. That happened rarely: the smart ones try to keep their developers happy because they know they may need support some day. But there were a couple that were (I found out later) having financial troubles and just figured they'd save some money. I did my homework, and when I went to court the response from the judge was always, "Pay the man!"
I know, small potatoes compared to these RIAA cases (although we were talking projects in the $35-40,000 dollar range) but so far I've been well-treated by the courts.
I think the GP was making a joke.
This is insane. We're throwing untold billions of dollars away on useless, inconsequential or outright stupid things every year, and we can't afford a few million for something like Aricebo? Are we nuts?
No, this is a largely American site, and when we refer to ourselves as "we" most people here (those from other countries as well, I've noticed) assume that the participant means "American". Deal with it. And if I were to say, "The problem with the French is widespread ignorance among the French population" you'd probably take offense, if you were French. Beware of idiotic generalizations ... they only make you appear mindless.
And you know what? If those assholes had just stuck to DRM and other legal technological measures I wouldn't have much cause for complaint. But they didn't ... they went to Congress and bought corrupt laws from corrupt politicians that have had terrible effects across the entire economy, not just media. So don't cry for those people: they're human slime, no more and no less, who have little legitimate right to what they claim to own. And frequently they claim to own that to which they have no title whatsoever.
The reality is that the media cartels are too dangerous to be allowed to live because they will injure anyone and anything that gets in their way.
No they don't, if the law mandates that such throttling/blocking must be implemented. Then it just becomes a cost of doing business, like all the other regulatory crap they have to deal with, and they'll pass the costs on to their customers. Hell, CALEA cost the Telcos and IPSs a good chunk of change, but once the law was passed they had to be compliant (they could have fought it in Congress and the courts, but it was easier to just roll over and take it.)
When a place gets crowded enough to require ID's, social collapse is not far away. It is time to go elsewhere. The best thing about space travel is that it made it possible to go elsewhere.
Robert A. Heinlein
Yes, it's ridiculous when viewed from the perspective of the computer-using public. But if you look at this the way an overarching government would, then the idea of having trained snitches in every computer store is very appealing. I mean, look at post-WWII East Germany ... they eventually had half the population spying on the other half.
... this is it.
If there was ever a time for a Texan to learn how to fix his or her own computer system
The 'hope' Obama speaks of is getting past all this petty divisiveness and reversing the actions which have destroyed our reputation in the world.
Petty divisiveness had nothing to do with it. Petty criminals called "Congressmen" had everything to do with it. As Lewis Black says, "... there's nothing stupider than when these pricks work together."
And the reason Congress lost us the respect we garnered in the post-WWII era was because these bastards co-operated in mistreating our allies and potential allies alike.
Perhaps if Congress had done a better job of policing itself this wouldn't have happened, but if there's one thing both sides agree on it's personal aggrandizement at the expense of everyone else. Neither Republicans or Democrats have any claim to a moral high ground of any kind, not anymore.
Well, I remember ten years ago or so when I had a 4 mbit/sec symmetric connection from @Home. It was awesome (okay all you people in Japan or Korea or wherever with 100 mbit connections can just shut up.) Then @Home folded, and AT&T took 'em over and overnight I had 1.5 mbit down and 25 kbit up. Millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror ... and were slowed to a crawl.
AT&T magnanimously decreed that there wouldn't be any cost increases, of course that didn't last. The service royally sucked compared to what I had before. Then AT&T Broadband was sold to Comcast and the service went totally into the toilet.
So, basically I've to wait almost a decade to get service that still doesn't match what I had from @Home and costs almost twice as much.
That's progress for you.
They do ... but Google development's major deliverables reside in the server room. They've delivered some pretty phenomenal technology there, when you get right down to it. Their ability to rapidly deploy and update applications on a massive scale is impressive.
And, like it or not, search (and associated ad revenue) is still their big game, just like Microsoft's is Windows and Office. They're also like Microsoft in that they too are casting about trying to find another major revenue source.
Google as an organization is not geared â" culturally â" to delivering enterprise class reliability to its user applications.
And Microsoft is? Oh please, spare me.
Is there such a thing as a Foaming Coke Latte? Doesn't sound like it would ever be popular.
Slashdotted already. Don't you people have better things to do?
What's worse is that a few of the people involved in creating high speed pursuits are fairly normal and not criminals at all. They just get a mood and decide to run through three counties at well over 100 mph until their car gives out.
If that's "normal" then I'm damned glad I don't live in South Florida. And I'll bet that if you looked a bit more closely at the backgrounds of these "normal" people you'd find out they're not so normal after all. Normal people just don't get "moods" and decide to commit felonies for the fun of it. Aberrant people do that.
What can be done to force ICANN to police the registrars for which it is responsible?
What can be done to police ICANN?
Of course, you've been using a fictitious word throughout your post. On the other hand, it would have gotten a +1 Funny mod from me if I had any points.
Yeah well, Hollywood and science haven't ever mixed well, for the most part.
Studies Show the Value of Not Overthinking
Just go with the flow.
Hey, it's your leaders that are agreeing to this shit. Put the blame on their shoulders ... they could have said "no".
I was using a wired headset years ago, long before Bluetooth came out, but I agree: spend the money and get a half-decent model. Make sure your phone has good Bluetooth support as well, I had one phone that had an annoying and near-continuous crackling no matter what headset I paired with it.
I don't know why some people never figure out that, when they pick up their cell phone and jam it onto the side of their heads, they might as well be driving drunk so far as the rest of us are concerned. It's remarkable how oblivious they are to their aberrant driving.
To the next person that says, "That may be true for most people, but I'm special, my brain lets me handle having a phone stuck in my ear and still drive perfectly" I will say this: you're wrong. Don't believe me? Tell you what: have a friend follow you down the highway for a few miles while you're talking on your phone to someone else. Ideally, have them videotape you while you're doing it.
Once you've done that, make an honest assessment of your behavior and come back and tell us how well you were driving. You'll wonder if it was really you behind the wheel. Besides, I've heard the same crap from people that tell me, "Oh, sure, I've had a few drinks, but I drive better drunk than most people do sober." No, you don't. You may think you do, but that's the alcohol talking. To the rest of us you're a public menace. Driving is dangerous enough without having to share the road with drunken fools and cellphone-wielding passholes.
It all comes down to this: either we self-regulate ourselves to behave safely while driving, or the government will do it for us. Contrary to popular belief, living in a free society does not mean you get to do whatever you want whenever you want to do it. There are always limits placed on individual behavior, for the good of ourselves and others. The only question is whether we are willing to take a little responsibility here and use the technology wisely, or keep killing each other and give the government an excuse to come down on us even harder. It doesn't take much anymore for some posturing politician to pass yet another unConstitutional law. Our choice.
a bigger epenis.
Well, maybe they should get some eViagra for their epenises.
Most of that ten seconds is spent evaluating the probable size of ... your wallet.
What I can't figure out is why understanding science is so hard for some people.
the stringent gun laws only hamper law abiding citizens.
You're too kind to our elected leaders. Stringent gun laws get people killed. Maybe if a few of these errant officials were put up on negligent homicide charges they'd think twice about this unConstitutional poppycock. So far as I'm concerned, every time a law-abiding citizen is killed because he was unable to legally acquire a firearm with which to defend himself, the people who prevented him are partly responsible for his death.