Intuit's profits for last fiscal year were "set in stone" so to speak, because this entire DRM/activation fiasco didn't occur until almost a year after many customer had purchased TurboTax. I very seriously doubt that DRM was a selling feature to any of these customers (how many non-technical people have even heard of DRM?). In other words, if Intuit had not used DRM, then their sales for last year would still have been the same.
Something tells me that Intuit isn't going to see continued growth and profits next year, though.
Yea, our "horrible system" has created one of the most free societies in history. This horrible system beckons millions to our shores in pursuit of a better life, to live in a country where they actually have a political voice. This horrible system insures that no tyrant or dictatorship could ever take power. This horrible system protects the minority while respecting the majority.
This horrible system helped my father escape a terrible life in a foreign land. This horrible system helped my father later free my grand parents from a terrible life in a foreign land. If it wasn't for this horrible system, I would not be alive to be writing this post.
P.S.: all across America people vote in a great number of elections on all government levels each year. Unless there is a serious security concern, there is not even a police prescence at the ballots. I know that in many foregin/poor/weaker nations they tell you all sorts of bad things about us. Just remember that it is a politician telling you those things. It's called propaganda.
Pop-ups can be blocked on the "end user" side with filters and/or browser functions. Spam propagates thorugh the very mail system itself, and exploits it's shortcomings.
Popups are merely web content, presented on pages that you actually choose to visit - web sites that you willingly expose yourself to. Spam is forced upon you whether you like it or not, and ends up costing both your ISP and you money to prevent.
Spam is the direct result of an abuse of the existing system(s). It costs companies money, money that they would not be spending otherwise. Spam is not like traditional advertising, like in TV, in which the advertiser actually pays for the ads (since they are usiing the hosters resources and/or popularity). On the contrary, the Spammers pay no fees, and force the hosts to take financial losses.
Immediate death is the answer. Kill them. They are like animals. AND WE SHOULD TREAT THEM LIKE ANIMALS!!!!!!!
People might actually crack a joke concerning the possibility of boring a hole to China using this technique. I would like to take the time to point out that this isn't possible using this technique.
If you ignore friction, the rotation of the earth, and other "complications", then it would be possible to use this technique to bore a hole right through to China. Imagine the sudden appearence of a tunnel that goes straight through the Earth. If the mass distribution in the earth was uniform (which it is not), a person could jump into this tunnel and then come back up on the surface on the Earth on the other side (China), much like the motion of a pendulum swinging up and down again. Assuming that the journey began with zero initial speed (simply dropping into the hole), your speed would increase and reach a maximum at the center of the earth, and then decrease until you reached the surface on the other end, at which point the speed would again be zero. The gravitational force exerted on the traveler would be proportional to his distance from the center of the earth: it's at a maximum at the surface and zero at the center. If there were no friction, there would be no energy loss, so you could oscillate into and out of the tunnel forever.
Given the physics behind this theorized stunt, boring a hole clear through to China would be impossible. It would require some extra application of force to tunnel "upwards" after reaching the Earth's core.
So no, unlike a Bugs Bunny cartoon, we cannot use molten iron to dig a hole to China. Not like this, anyways.
No, there are no physically adept and good looking individuals complemeted with the obligatory "tough guy". No Tommy Lee Jones-like leader, bravely charging into danger. No electronics laden vans and phone taps. Just a bunch of pasty guys that are experts on Star Trek lore and like to debate the power of Perl.
The only good thing about this is hardware or software manufacturers sending you service related updates concerning your product.
Say that you bought a $15,000 Canon ImageRunner copier/printer/fax/network (auto email and faxing from the desktop/panel) machine next month. During a troubleshooting call, your email address is recorded. A year from now, an update on firmware is available which fixes a severe security flaw in the version of Apache it runs for remote management through a web browser, or perhaps even the mail server it uses for automatic emailing of copied documents. Recently introduced bills would usually block a mass email from Canon alerting it's customers, because the email "appears" to be SPAM. But, since the bill in question was passed, Canon can get this important update to you.
Such a scenario could also apply to software. This is the only good thing that I see could ever come from this.
Of course, this bill would also allow Canon to SPAM you with unrelated marketing material concerning their newest ImageRunner. All in all, I don't like this proposed bill.
I know that this is going to be the most common answer, but just go with NFS. It's not the most secure option around, but obviously the simplest to implement and the best documented.
I conceed the fact that I am ignorant up front, but I just wanted to say that that story was a bit confusing.
So McGuire died at the Trinity of the Matrix and was re-hired by Raimi? No wait, McGuire Matrixed the film Seabiscuit in the Trinity, and dated an infuriated Universal.
Spamhaus does not have the power nor the required resources to block or ban traffic either going to or coming from the spammers or their "products". All of this ultimately occurs at the user end, or at the ISPs on a voluntary basis (and it is entirely their and our right to do so).
Therefore, their (the spammers) lawsuit is defeated by the reality of the mail delivery system(s).
On a side note, those fucking spammers can eat a dick.
The voice of "The Almighty" in 'Clip 1' has to be that of Keith David, who also did Okkoto in Princess Mononoke. Maybe I'm wrong (which is probably the case), but it sure does sound like him.
Beyond that little insight, judging by the available clips, this movie is looking damn good (albeit remaniscant of old cut scenes from Play Station 1 games like "Legacy of Kain" - just cleaner). While it's premise doesn't appear to be completely original, it is certainly going to be a great piece of fantasy in of itself. It's style of art is also a rather refreshing departure from the main stream stock of CG films, which tend to be rather "cartoony" (not that this is a bad thing, but it is nice to see something new).
I thought that I was done with MMORPGs. Ultima Online went all "candy land". Earth and Beyond was boring. It took too god damned long to get from point A to point B in Dark Age of Camelot. I had wrestled my life back from the clutches of these glamorus, yet malicious, time sinks.
Now they have both a Star Wars and a Middle Earth MMORPG. I hope I have some personal and sick days left in a couple of months, I'm gonna need them. All they need now is a "You get to bone Britney Spears in real life" *game* and I would instantly reach a state of Heavenly Nirvana and transcend to the plane of eternal bliss. Well, a "You get to bone Jolene Blalock in real life" game would work too.
This is to compete with self made PVRs?
on
TiVo Basic
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
Is this a subtle move to compete with self made PVRs? Let me spin a theory: In addition to exposing potential customers to the benefit of a TiVo, TiVo will also offer "techies" TiVo features embedded in other devices (or a soon to be released cheap and limited TiVo's) in order to dissude them from avoiding the TiVo exposure all together by building their own PVRs.
In any case, this is a good idea, and great for the consumer. I already anticipate answering my fiance's mother's 5,000 questions about TiVo once she buys a DVD player with limited TiVo features in it. I also begrudingly look forward to configuring it for her - every other day - for a year.
$6,000 worth of R-Type stickers, racing stripes, sparkling paint jobs, loud exhaust pipes, and annoying Chinese characters that most likely mean "Stupid Round-Eye" serve no beneficial purpose to a $5,000 Dodge Neon either, nevertheless, they adorn the vehicles of 17 year olds everywhere.
I find it amusing that the open source crowd shows such great interest in a closed piece of hardware, hardware that is defended by DMCA-supported lawyer jargon and manufactured by "The Great Satan" of digital freedom. It goes to show you how strong and creative this community is, and highlights upon some of the beneficial fundamental values that the open source crowd holds: freedom and expression in computing. Sappy huh. =)
At the heart of the modding debate (or very close to it), I think that Microsoft wants to prevent hacking and modding of the Xbox because it reveals to the consumers the true identity of the Xbox: a PC that is being sold far too cheaply; an entry into the console market that would be completely unsustainable if Microsoft were not a monopoly (I.E. able to sustain gross losses in many other markets in order to direct/force attention back to their OS and Office suite).
The latest Wired magazine (May 2003, "Take the Red Pill") has an in-depth interview with the lead special effects guru of The Matrix, John Gaeta. According to him (and he has in-depth explinations and narratives) "Reloaded" innovates a ton - the battle between Neo and Agent Smith uses technology that is completely new, for example.
Besides, it has some great pics of Jada Pinket-Smith in it. Yeeeeaaaaa baby.
I believe this review holds, for each and everyone of us, the greatest spoiler of our lives.
** By the way **, the site was already running a bit slow when I previewed this article, so just in case, the article text:
FIRST REVIEW OF STUNNING NEW MATRIX MOVIE May 7 2003 WORLD EXCLUSIVE From Jackie Winter In Los Angeles
AT THE start of The Matrix Reloaded, Laurence Fishburne turns to Keanu Reeves and says: "This is going to be difficult." How right he is.
The much-anticipated sequel to 1999's cult classic sees all manner of kung-fu warriors and evil machines thrown at Reeves in an orgy of highly-choreographed martial arts mayhem.
The Matrix Reloaded picks up where the original left off - but explodes the action and special effects by a factor of 10.
There are more fights, more crashes and more action in two hours than a hundred other sci-fi movies combined. But the highlight is a spectacular freeway demolition derby which takes car chases to a whole new level.
And the first film's groundbreaking slow-motion/freeze-frame effects have been further extended, tweaked and enhanced to make them even more eye-popping than before.
But if you're looking for something a little more than crash, bang, wallop then this second instalment will leave you cold. Reloaded is crammed full of the cod philosophy that fans of the original loved but which left me distinctly unimpressed.
The plot is even more convoluted than before and flits between everything from religion to quantum physics and mathematics.
When we last saw Neo (Keanu Reeves), he was preparing to lead a revolt against the machines that had enslaved all of humanity - and that were now threatening to attack the last human city of Zion.
Recognised by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) as The One, the potential saviour of mankind learned how to manipulate the computer program that is our world.
Now Neo has honed those skills until he can fly like Superman. It's a skill that comes in handy after he starts having dreams about his girlfriend Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) falling from a city skyscraper in a shower of glass.
The villain of the first film - Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) - is back with a few new tricks up his sleeve, not least the ability to replicate himself. In one of the key scenes, Neo battles it out with first just one Smith, then eight, then 24 and finally 100.
Dressed in his shades and robe, Reeves once again deadpans his way through the movie. It's a role made for him as he has to do little more than smoulder and high kick his way through the baddies.
At least he gets a sex scene with Moss before he heads off to the city of Zion. It's one of the few breaks from the relentless action and although it sounds ridiculous, it provides a welcome diversion from the non-stop effects.
There's also some new characters like Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith), who captains one of the rebel ships. And Persephone (Monica Bellucci), a sexy bad-girl-turned-good who hooks Neo up with the all-important Keymaker (Randall Duk Kim).
Also making an appearance are evil twins played by brothers Adrian and Neil Rayment who have, bizarrely, made the leap from handymen on Carol Vorderman's Better Homes to Hollywood stardom.
If you're looking for a deep, meaningful cinematic experience then The Matrix Reloaded is not for you. But if it's a non-stop rollercoaster ride you're after, then this movie is light years ahead of anything that's gone before.
- THE Matrix Reloaded is released on May 23. The final chapter in the trilogy, The Matrix Revolutions, is out in November.
THE Matrix Reloaded and the next film, Matrix Revolutions, were shot simultaneously in Australia over 270 days from 2001 to 2002. Combined, they cost more than £200m - £160m more than the original.
Since the topic of SPAM was recently at hand, I wonder long it will be before we start getting: "***enlarge your penis*** Rapid PENIS ENLARGEMENT through the use of amazing NANOTECHNOLOGY advances "***enlarge your penis*** "
Drastic times call for drastic measures. The situation caused by the relentless onslaught of SPAM (which supposedly is rendering "damages" in the billions annually) can certainly be categorized as drastic. Is Earthlink's counter attack too drastic a measure, though?
On one hand it (Earthlink's new "technology") seems reasonable enough to the every-day-joe. I'm sure that the majority of Earthlink subscribers don't utilize news or mailing lists, and don't bother paying their bills online. For these people, it's fine. On the other hand, many others use online banking and other such automated tools (even account control mechanisms for online games will be affected). How quickly will all of these vendors conform to Earthlink's new technology and make the needed changes in their automated systems? Will Earthlink simply render many of these domains exempt?
The answer to solving SPAM resides in the current mechanisms used for the actual transmission and delivery, the mechanisms that all participants must use, not just Earthlink. This is of course the mail servers themselves.
The more I hear about DRM, the more I realize that all we need is better security in coding and practice, not restrictive computing.
It's funny how Microsoft is quick to claim that the ultimate burden of security does not lie with them, and accepts no responsibility for the flaws in their code. They then turn around and push DRM like there is no tommorow. It's obvious that this is a power grab.
At my old job, the entire web design, programming, and graphic design departments exclusively used Macs. I hated them for a long time (they were tough to integrate solidly into Netware networks back then, and some of our custom software ran like a dog on them - I know, that was our fault, but hey). However, after working in research for a while and getting to know OS X, realizing it's solid stability, and getting the hang of the interface and configuration, I really respect it's designers and can see the potential that the next generation of Mac operating systems hold. I love the dual G4 we have in the office now.
The price gouging of their hardware, however, is just too much to bear. They are great for people that need them for very specific purposes (much like Linux, as a matter of fact), but the price of the hardware is just way too much for me.
My coworker has been battling his Compaq laptop over heat issues associated with his AMD CPU for the last two months. After three or four service arrangements, they are giving him a free upgrade. AMD laptop CPUs run so hot, even heat shields and redesigns couldn't save his laptop (and my old one, as a matter of fact, but that's a different story - damn you HP).
Slashdot Mirror
Something tells me that Intuit isn't going to see continued growth and profits next year, though.
This horrible system helped my father escape a terrible life in a foreign land. This horrible system helped my father later free my grand parents from a terrible life in a foreign land. If it wasn't for this horrible system, I would not be alive to be writing this post.
P.S.: all across America people vote in a great number of elections on all government levels each year. Unless there is a serious security concern, there is not even a police prescence at the ballots. I know that in many foregin/poor/weaker nations they tell you all sorts of bad things about us. Just remember that it is a politician telling you those things. It's called propaganda.
Popups are merely web content, presented on pages that you actually choose to visit - web sites that you willingly expose yourself to. Spam is forced upon you whether you like it or not, and ends up costing both your ISP and you money to prevent.
Spam is the direct result of an abuse of the existing system(s). It costs companies money, money that they would not be spending otherwise. Spam is not like traditional advertising, like in TV, in which the advertiser actually pays for the ads (since they are usiing the hosters resources and/or popularity). On the contrary, the Spammers pay no fees, and force the hosts to take financial losses.
Immediate death is the answer. Kill them. They are like animals. AND WE SHOULD TREAT THEM LIKE ANIMALS!!!!!!!
If you ignore friction, the rotation of the earth, and other "complications", then it would be possible to use this technique to bore a hole right through to China. Imagine the sudden appearence of a tunnel that goes straight through the Earth. If the mass distribution in the earth was uniform (which it is not), a person could jump into this tunnel and then come back up on the surface on the Earth on the other side (China), much like the motion of a pendulum swinging up and down again. Assuming that the journey began with zero initial speed (simply dropping into the hole), your speed would increase and reach a maximum at the center of the earth, and then decrease until you reached the surface on the other end, at which point the speed would again be zero. The gravitational force exerted on the traveler would be proportional to his distance from the center of the earth: it's at a maximum at the surface and zero at the center. If there were no friction, there would be no energy loss, so you could oscillate into and out of the tunnel forever.
Given the physics behind this theorized stunt, boring a hole clear through to China would be impossible. It would require some extra application of force to tunnel "upwards" after reaching the Earth's core.
So no, unlike a Bugs Bunny cartoon, we cannot use molten iron to dig a hole to China. Not like this, anyways.
"task force"
Heh
Say that you bought a $15,000 Canon ImageRunner copier/printer/fax/network (auto email and faxing from the desktop/panel) machine next month. During a troubleshooting call, your email address is recorded. A year from now, an update on firmware is available which fixes a severe security flaw in the version of Apache it runs for remote management through a web browser, or perhaps even the mail server it uses for automatic emailing of copied documents. Recently introduced bills would usually block a mass email from Canon alerting it's customers, because the email "appears" to be SPAM. But, since the bill in question was passed, Canon can get this important update to you.
Such a scenario could also apply to software. This is the only good thing that I see could ever come from this.
Of course, this bill would also allow Canon to SPAM you with unrelated marketing material concerning their newest ImageRunner. All in all, I don't like this proposed bill.
NFS Linux FAQ
Howto #1
Howto #2
If you find yourself needing help, try asking people at Just Linux forums, or trying the NFS mailing list.
I conceed the fact that I am ignorant up front, but I just wanted to say that that story was a bit confusing.
So McGuire died at the Trinity of the Matrix and was re-hired by Raimi? No wait, McGuire Matrixed the film Seabiscuit in the Trinity, and dated an infuriated Universal.
Damn trolls have me all mixed up.
from an investor's letter released in April, 2003:
"Amazon.com's employee base grew from 158 to 614, and we significantly strengthened our management team."
So Bezo directed a third of his workforce to pursue just this one goal? Interesting.
Therefore, their (the spammers) lawsuit is defeated by the reality of the mail delivery system(s).
On a side note, those fucking spammers can eat a dick.
Beyond that little insight, judging by the available clips, this movie is looking damn good (albeit remaniscant of old cut scenes from Play Station 1 games like "Legacy of Kain" - just cleaner). While it's premise doesn't appear to be completely original, it is certainly going to be a great piece of fantasy in of itself. It's style of art is also a rather refreshing departure from the main stream stock of CG films, which tend to be rather "cartoony" (not that this is a bad thing, but it is nice to see something new).
Now they have both a Star Wars and a Middle Earth MMORPG. I hope I have some personal and sick days left in a couple of months, I'm gonna need them. All they need now is a "You get to bone Britney Spears in real life" *game* and I would instantly reach a state of Heavenly Nirvana and transcend to the plane of eternal bliss. Well, a "You get to bone Jolene Blalock in real life" game would work too.
In any case, this is a good idea, and great for the consumer. I already anticipate answering my fiance's mother's 5,000 questions about TiVo once she buys a DVD player with limited TiVo features in it. I also begrudingly look forward to configuring it for her - every other day - for a year.
$6,000 worth of R-Type stickers, racing stripes, sparkling paint jobs, loud exhaust pipes, and annoying Chinese characters that most likely mean "Stupid Round-Eye" serve no beneficial purpose to a $5,000 Dodge Neon either, nevertheless, they adorn the vehicles of 17 year olds everywhere.
At the heart of the modding debate (or very close to it), I think that Microsoft wants to prevent hacking and modding of the Xbox because it reveals to the consumers the true identity of the Xbox: a PC that is being sold far too cheaply; an entry into the console market that would be completely unsustainable if Microsoft were not a monopoly (I.E. able to sustain gross losses in many other markets in order to direct/force attention back to their OS and Office suite).
Besides, it has some great pics of Jada Pinket-Smith in it. Yeeeeaaaaa baby.
It is our destiny.
I believe this review holds, for each and everyone of us, the greatest spoiler of our lives.
** By the way **, the site was already running a bit slow when I previewed this article, so just in case, the article text:
FIRST REVIEW OF STUNNING NEW MATRIX MOVIE
May 7 2003
WORLD EXCLUSIVE
From Jackie Winter In Los Angeles
AT THE start of The Matrix Reloaded, Laurence Fishburne turns to Keanu Reeves and says: "This is going to be difficult." How right he is.
The much-anticipated sequel to 1999's cult classic sees all manner of kung-fu warriors and evil machines thrown at Reeves in an orgy of highly-choreographed martial arts mayhem.
The Matrix Reloaded picks up where the original left off - but explodes the action and special effects by a factor of 10.
There are more fights, more crashes and more action in two hours than a hundred other sci-fi movies combined. But the highlight is a spectacular freeway demolition derby which takes car chases to a whole new level.
And the first film's groundbreaking slow-motion/freeze-frame effects have been further extended, tweaked and enhanced to make them even more eye-popping than before.
But if you're looking for something a little more than crash, bang, wallop then this second instalment will leave you cold. Reloaded is crammed full of the cod philosophy that fans of the original loved but which left me distinctly unimpressed.
The plot is even more convoluted than before and flits between everything from religion to quantum physics and mathematics.
When we last saw Neo (Keanu Reeves), he was preparing to lead a revolt against the machines that had enslaved all of humanity - and that were now threatening to attack the last human city of Zion.
Recognised by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) as The One, the potential saviour of mankind learned how to manipulate the computer program that is our world.
Now Neo has honed those skills until he can fly like Superman. It's a skill that comes in handy after he starts having dreams about his girlfriend Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) falling from a city skyscraper in a shower of glass.
The villain of the first film - Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) - is back with a few new tricks up his sleeve, not least the ability to replicate himself. In one of the key scenes, Neo battles it out with first just one Smith, then eight, then 24 and finally 100.
Dressed in his shades and robe, Reeves once again deadpans his way through the movie. It's a role made for him as he has to do little more than smoulder and high kick his way through the baddies.
At least he gets a sex scene with Moss before he heads off to the city of Zion. It's one of the few breaks from the relentless action and although it sounds ridiculous, it provides a welcome diversion from the non-stop effects.
There's also some new characters like Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith), who captains one of the rebel ships. And Persephone (Monica Bellucci), a sexy bad-girl-turned-good who hooks Neo up with the all-important Keymaker (Randall Duk Kim).
Also making an appearance are evil twins played by brothers Adrian and Neil Rayment who have, bizarrely, made the leap from handymen on Carol Vorderman's Better Homes to Hollywood stardom.
If you're looking for a deep, meaningful cinematic experience then The Matrix Reloaded is not for you. But if it's a non-stop rollercoaster ride you're after, then this movie is light years ahead of anything that's gone before.
- THE Matrix Reloaded is released on May 23. The final chapter in the trilogy, The Matrix Revolutions, is out in November.
THE Matrix Reloaded and the next film, Matrix Revolutions, were shot simultaneously in Australia over 270 days from 2001 to 2002. Combined, they cost more than £200m - £160m more than the original.
MANY believe The Matrix is cursed. In A
Good - though it seems so far off that it is barely worth discussing.
He must be murdered immediately. The consequences of any other course of action are too dire to even be conceptualized.
Murder.
1. A list of nanotechnology companies in general
2. In Canada, alot is being spent on R&D for nanotechnology: Nanotechnology R&D Initiatives in Canada
3. And they are crazy about it in Asia (many PDF reports)
Since the topic of SPAM was recently at hand, I wonder long it will be before we start getting: "***enlarge your penis*** Rapid PENIS ENLARGEMENT through the use of amazing NANOTECHNOLOGY advances "***enlarge your penis*** "
On one hand it (Earthlink's new "technology") seems reasonable enough to the every-day-joe. I'm sure that the majority of Earthlink subscribers don't utilize news or mailing lists, and don't bother paying their bills online. For these people, it's fine. On the other hand, many others use online banking and other such automated tools (even account control mechanisms for online games will be affected). How quickly will all of these vendors conform to Earthlink's new technology and make the needed changes in their automated systems? Will Earthlink simply render many of these domains exempt?
The answer to solving SPAM resides in the current mechanisms used for the actual transmission and delivery, the mechanisms that all participants must use, not just Earthlink. This is of course the mail servers themselves.
It's funny how Microsoft is quick to claim that the ultimate burden of security does not lie with them, and accepts no responsibility for the flaws in their code. They then turn around and push DRM like there is no tommorow. It's obvious that this is a power grab.
The price gouging of their hardware, however, is just too much to bear. They are great for people that need them for very specific purposes (much like Linux, as a matter of fact), but the price of the hardware is just way too much for me.
My coworker has been battling his Compaq laptop over heat issues associated with his AMD CPU for the last two months. After three or four service arrangements, they are giving him a free upgrade. AMD laptop CPUs run so hot, even heat shields and redesigns couldn't save his laptop (and my old one, as a matter of fact, but that's a different story - damn you HP).