Ob Bladerunner Reference
on
Goodbye, Galileo
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· Score: 2, Informative
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.
I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
Time to die." --Roy Batty, Blade Runner
What do you guys want from him, a Slashdot-style rant in a single long paragraph replete with poor spelling?
Of course not. Simply a specific answer to a specific question: "which parts and why". Saying generally that the Patriot Act gives way too much power to law enforcement, is obvious and correct, but simply making a generic negative comment about the Patriot Act is not germane to the specific question. Which powers? The ability to kick in your door at 3am without a search warrant? And why would that be bad, assuming we don't know already...
Politicians use double-speak when they're trying to evade tough questions without admitting they're evading them. But you would think he'd want give chapter and verse to a question like that, and should have.
I agree with a lot of what he says, but I wish he would actually answer what the questions ask instead of simply stating the obvious...
This is the long form of "No comment."
Many times, I have seen politicians do this, and when a reporter persists repeatedly for a real answer to the question, the politician just gives him a sour look, as if to say, "Now, at this point, you're supposed to play by the 'rules,' be a good doggie and just go on to the next question, goddammit!"
RoFS adds value to any physical media which you purchase, whether it is a CD, LP, etc. If you know you can resell an item, you are probably willing to pay more for the item than otherwise.
Some people think that by only purchasing used CD's, they are not supporting the RIAA. However, by creating a market for used CD's, full retail CD's become more valuable and this helps music companies' bottom lines.
If DRM can be made to easily co-exist with and encourage RoFS, then the perception of digital media files as a tangible good will improve, as well as the market value of digital media.
Let's say that years from now, I happen to possess one of a very few surviving DRM-controlled music files. I have decided I don't want it anymore, but this other guy on Ebay is willing to pay $100 for it, because he's a collector, and he likes that kind of music, and its rare.
There's a thriving market in rare LP's, 45's, and so forth, why not this?
we will slowly begin to see the CD market go the way of the horse and buggy
Of course, this assumes 100% penetration of the PC and Mac into everyone's homes. Believe it or not, there are people who have no clue what an iPod is.
I'm downloading AC/DC's Back in Black. My first one got stolen out of my car, and my second one is so scratched up as to be unlistenable. So, yeah, I'm downloading it; I'm not paying another "RIAA tax" for music I already own.
Let's say you buy an original copy of Back in Black on CD. Then you back it up to MP3 or CD-R, whatever. Now think about the following, assuming backups to be legal of course, is it legal or not?
Scenario #1: Your dog chews up your original CD, but you still have the chewed fragments (as proof of ownership); is your backup legal?
Scenario #2: Someone steals your original CD. Now is your backup legal?
Scenario #3: You sell your CD to someone else. Now is your backup legal?
In all three scenarios (destruction, theft, or sale of original), the RIAA's member companies receive no additional income for the CD, you've already paid for the CD, and you still have a playable copy.
So, as long as you can prove your original purchase, what would be the problem?
Reporter: Mr. Halley, if we could just get a word. As we all know, you made your last appearance in 1991...
Mr. Halley: Get the hell out of here! I aint appearing again until 2062, and that's that! No interviews, no nothing! Hey, it takes me 76 years to prepare for these shows, and I don't need somebody ruining my concentration...
Let's say that eventually one corporation owns everything, call it Unicorp. It owns all the minerals, oil, forests, everything. It hires no human employees (not even CEO's), only robots, and produces all the goods and services to humanity.
Exactly how can anybody buy anything from them? Remember, buying is another way of saying "trade." (When I trade something with somebody else, its because I have something they want, and they have something I want. Money is just an abstraction of this concept.)
If this corporation owns everything, produces everything, and hires nobody, then unemployment globally is 100%, everyone is flat broke, and can buy nothing. If the products and services this corporation produces are to be transferred to the human population, it would have to be as a gift.
Obviously, this system would not resemble a capitalist economy. I just thought it would be enlightening to consider one extreme possible scenario.
Re:comm industry fightback?
on
MIT Roofnet
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· Score: 1
TANSTAAFL. (There Aint No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.)
Well, somebody somewhere has to ultimately pay for all the packets. In this case, it's MIT, if I'm not mistaken. If MIT decides that it has had enough of paying for being the receiving end of this bucket brigade, they shut em off.
At that point, the members of the mesh network either have to look for an ISP, or be satisfied with the extent of their mini-Internet.
Re:Fire in the hole...
on
MIT Roofnet
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· Score: 2, Insightful
I give him points for getting this to work, but c'mon, is he never going to use the fireplace?
Sure, he's got net now, but he is effectively out one fireplace.
He could have just drilled a hole and run it up the side of the house. Jeebus.
Slashdot Mirror
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die." --Roy Batty, Blade Runner
'Cuz, they gotta turn them back in, right?
Of course not. Simply a specific answer to a specific question: "which parts and why". Saying generally that the Patriot Act gives way too much power to law enforcement, is obvious and correct, but simply making a generic negative comment about the Patriot Act is not germane to the specific question. Which powers? The ability to kick in your door at 3am without a search warrant? And why would that be bad, assuming we don't know already...
Politicians use double-speak when they're trying to evade tough questions without admitting they're evading them. But you would think he'd want give chapter and verse to a question like that, and should have.
This is the long form of "No comment."
Many times, I have seen politicians do this, and when a reporter persists repeatedly for a real answer to the question, the politician just gives him a sour look, as if to say, "Now, at this point, you're supposed to play by the 'rules,' be a good doggie and just go on to the next question, goddammit!"
(And tow-truck drivers would see a sudden surge in business, pow-zing!, thanks, I'll be here all week, try the veal...)
In fact, it becomes an entertaining hobby, and cause for rapid advancement within the organization.
Right. This is a "feature." What if I had decided to hang on to this recording for a while, for whatever reason?
For $1400, it had better not have any of these "features."
Criticism, however, allowed him to improve himself.
Some people think that by only purchasing used CD's, they are not supporting the RIAA. However, by creating a market for used CD's, full retail CD's become more valuable and this helps music companies' bottom lines.
If DRM can be made to easily co-exist with and encourage RoFS, then the perception of digital media files as a tangible good will improve, as well as the market value of digital media.
There's a thriving market in rare LP's, 45's, and so forth, why not this?
Of course, this assumes 100% penetration of the PC and Mac into everyone's homes. Believe it or not, there are people who have no clue what an iPod is.
Let's say you buy an original copy of Back in Black on CD. Then you back it up to MP3 or CD-R, whatever. Now think about the following, assuming backups to be legal of course, is it legal or not?
Scenario #1: Your dog chews up your original CD, but you still have the chewed fragments (as proof of ownership); is your backup legal?
Scenario #2: Someone steals your original CD. Now is your backup legal?
Scenario #3: You sell your CD to someone else. Now is your backup legal?
In all three scenarios (destruction, theft, or sale of original), the RIAA's member companies receive no additional income for the CD, you've already paid for the CD, and you still have a playable copy.
So, as long as you can prove your original purchase, what would be the problem?
Mr. Halley: Get the hell out of here! I aint appearing again until 2062, and that's that! No interviews, no nothing! Hey, it takes me 76 years to prepare for these shows, and I don't need somebody ruining my concentration...
And a better cocktail, IMHO. That other stuff will make you blind.
I'm pretty sure that would violate the DMCA... um, somehow...
Yeah, and you'd still have a separate pager...
...they'll achieve altitude records without even leaving the ground.
Exactly how can anybody buy anything from them? Remember, buying is another way of saying "trade." (When I trade something with somebody else, its because I have something they want, and they have something I want. Money is just an abstraction of this concept.)
If this corporation owns everything, produces everything, and hires nobody, then unemployment globally is 100%, everyone is flat broke, and can buy nothing. If the products and services this corporation produces are to be transferred to the human population, it would have to be as a gift.
Obviously, this system would not resemble a capitalist economy. I just thought it would be enlightening to consider one extreme possible scenario.
So, the answer is "Yes."
Well, somebody somewhere has to ultimately pay for all the packets. In this case, it's MIT, if I'm not mistaken. If MIT decides that it has had enough of paying for being the receiving end of this bucket brigade, they shut em off.
At that point, the members of the mesh network either have to look for an ISP, or be satisfied with the extent of their mini-Internet.
Sure, he's got net now, but he is effectively out one fireplace.
He could have just drilled a hole and run it up the side of the house. Jeebus.
1. Horizontal scrolling required
2. Tiny
3. Virtually no links to anything
4. Very small amount of information
5. ???
6. Profit!
Well, neither does this.
No, but it's great for epileptic spasms...