The best example against is in the US and CNN vs Fox. Opposing viewpoints, for and against the current goverment, with fees paid out of the public purse.
Besides, if the government aims to cut funding to stations, it doesn't matter if the funding comes from the public purse or from levy. Even if all levies go into one account, it doesn't mean the government must and will pay out all funds in that account. Current example is Canada and the Unemployment Insurance. UI is a separate deduction from income taxes, but the current government (and previous) no longer use all UI funds towards UI payments; the 'extra' goes into the public purse.
It's important that the population have access to public broadcast, therefore such fees should be paid out of public taxes, not be paid by an individual/household levy. Radio/tv is an excellent way to ensure your population is kept up-to-date on current news, weather, emergencies, etc etc. And panic-inducing word-of-mouth rumour mongering is kept to a minimum as everyone can hear the same information from reliable, multiple sources.
So they bury the fees so that the tv-watching, radio-listening public can't see 'em. No one stresses out over trying to avoid being caught, and the country saves tons of money from not having to hire & maintain tv-cops. Plus, those who can't afford to the pay the fees, don't, as the fees come out of regular taxes, of which you pay what you can afford.
Yes, those who don't watch tv/radio are paying for something they don't use, but then there's no perceived financial reason over here to not at least have a radio on the premises. So you can reach the population and at least advise them in cases of emergencies. The weather in the US gets horrific every year - if it ain't tornados or killer thunderstorms, it's hurricanes, floods, droughts, and the odd earthquake and blizzard.
Why in hell European countries want to discourage the radio/tv beats the heck out of me. That's what the big deal on Slashdot is all about - Germany's (and most of Europe's) thinking is illogical.
When the US troops leave South Korea and North Korea disarms as a result.
Ain't never gonna happen - North Korea disarming that is. The US leaving you to deal with North Korea up close and personal - I give y'all another 10 years maximum.
I've gone in the other direction for one reason - batteries. I have terrible luck with any battery other than AA and AAA. Anything I take home that's rechargeable winds up losing their charge in half the advertised time, all in just over the take-it-back-for-a-full-refund period. Twice now, my cell phones would last a week on one charge for the first month. Now they last 3 days. If I started playing mp3s on the damn things, I'd have a charge that lasted, tops, 4 hours.
So, I have a barebones cellphone - no bluetooth, no neato camera attachment. It makes phone calls, has a nifty display that tells me who's calling, and the world's happiest ringtone. By keeping the fluff off the cellphone, I have a phone that is always working.
If I want to listen to music, there's always the Iriver, and a recharge on that simply means popping in another battery. If I find myself on say, Mars, miles away from an electrical outlet, I just find myself A Little Green Man convenience store and buy a pack of AAs. And it isn't like the Iriver is the size of a tank - it's the size of my thumb. The phone, Iriver, spare AA, and headphones fit into a pouch on the belt.
There are TSA-allowed locks, and TSA should recognize them at the airport. They are designed to be opened by TSA if TSA needs them opened without TSA having to resort to boltcutters, and still give you the secure feeling of having a lock on the suitcase.
Myself, I've resigned myself to no locks and having the underwear in clear plastic bags so the underwear can be searched and remain sanitary.
Also resigning myself to taking the bus. I don't need the hassles that flying now entails.
If you really want to see impressive HDTV, you need to watch the free, over-the-air stations. OTA has the best video signal. Rogers Cable's HDTV came a distant second to OTA.
*** I'm desperately trying to figure out when Slashdot became pro-piracy. It's really become quite a pro-piracy haven these last few years. ***
It probably happened in drip and drabs. Folks get burned when they bought a copy of software X that did not do what it claimed to do, or had their computer files overwritten without their permission by a legitimately purchased music cd. Or bought a game where the pirated version worked better because there was some insanely goofy key-locking scheme on the commercial cd. Have you ever tried to take back an opened software box or music cd?
I've had a Leahy cd from EMI overwrite my sound drivers, leaving me with the lovely idea that purchasing music was a stupid thing to do and Leahy hates its fans. And I'm sick of purchasing $59 computer programs that didn't do what they said they would do.
Then I hear some spiel from some record company executive, that paid Leahy the exorbitant sum of 25 cents from the 25 dollars that I paid for the music cd, about how they're losing money and we're all thieves and I start to think that the record company executive is a slimeball who hates my guts. Then I hear the same patter from the RIAA and the MPAA, and up here in Canada the CRIA, and I figure the industry is populated by slimeballs who hate my guts. You'll forgive me if I start hating their guts in return.
I particularly despise the CRIA; they got Parliment to add a levy onto the sales of blank recording mediums, so my mp3 player and blank cds were taxed and then taxed again, under the assumption that I would bootleg music. I wasn't, but I figured if bootlegging music was now taxable, then it couldn't be illegal and certainly not wrong, and began making compilation cds of my music.
Then I hear rumours that the movie executives simply love the idea of dvd players that destroy themselves & the dvd whenever they detect an illegal dvd. After the last fuss with the computer and the alarm clock, I start to wonder what the chances are that this dvd player will malfunction and start to destroy legitimate dvds, and then figure the chances are pretty good, and come to the realization that if this happened to my dvd collection the movie executives wouldn't give a damn. After all, their music executive cousins had no problems with sabotaging my computer.
Add in a few more more news stories, helping out a friend or two who've come across drm'd music cds, and my mentality is us versus them.
Is mine a hopeless case? No. I've purchased software that I know to be reliable, particularly when the software author made the initial versions of the software, freeware. TMPGenc comes to mind here. I'll tempt fate and buy music cds that don't have a 'this cd is copy protected' label in 2 pt font on them. I've even purchased a HDTV, and I had all manner of objections to that until I saw an X360 hooked up to a Sony Bravia... but I digress.
Want to turn back the clock? Make the mentality one of us and us?
Make purchasing the legitimate versions the better value. Don't have your music cd eat up my sound drivers. Quit adding non-skipable commercials to my Disney dvds. Let me try out your software for a month, no restrictions, or for games maybe one or two rounds, so I can determine for myself if your full-version software is worth paying for. Clearly label copy-protecting cds and dvds in large fonts that even my dead grandmother can read. Drop the lunatic-drm-enforcing-idea-of-the-week, and make sure the music/dvd/software executives don't come out with lunatic statements. Let me skip that godforsaken FBI warning - I'm a Canadian for gawdsake - or at least show something clever or funny on the tv while the warning runs.
In other words, make my experience with you happy. By all means, pursue those folks who pirate your products, but don't punish your legitimate customers. And don't be surprised if your legitimate customers turn cranky when they're treated like they're theives.
*** Third, smoke rises so you couldn't possibly have smelled it from a *mile* away. ***
When the Air France or whatever plane crashed at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, I could smell the unmistakeable odour of burnt electronics across the city in the downtown core. I was much more than a mile away.
I can also understand why guards of a group of orphaned toddlers were more than just cranky that day. Their friends were dead/dying, they were standing watch over their friend's children, and some broad decides to suspend good judgement and photograph the children? I'd've probably had a go at the film too had I been in their place.
The HD-DVD add-on for the X360 is supposed to be $199 USD; there are tons of articles to be referenced about this via Google, but most of 'em are dated October of 2005.
The PS3 vs X360 war won't be about which format either goes with, it'll be about who can adapt the best to the winning format/new formats. My betting is the X360 will win (I am not a gamer 'tho) as Microsoft is going with an add-in. If HD-DVD comes out as the preferred consumer choice, then their add-in remains a HD-DVD drive. If Blu-Ray comes out as the preferred consumer choice, then they can switch to a add-in Blu-Ray drive. If Acme-format comes out as the preferred consumer choice then they can switch to an add-in Acme-format drive.
In the meantime, if one purchases a HD TV, one can hook an X360 up to it right now. The PS3 is currently vapour-ware, and from what I'm reading of the various Slashdot posts, there's something wrong with the PS3. The head PS3 guy isn't giving the game developers what they need to create cutting-edge games; why not? Its release has been delayed; why? And the head PS3 guy is reported to be downright cranky at some big game convention? Sony has some weird idea to down-res the picture of any non-Sony Blu-Ray movie played on a Blu-Ray player for a year or so(found this via google); how would you like to be a game manufacturer of a gaming platform where the mother corporation likes playing stupid nyah nyah tricks? And then there's the player-shuts-off-if-non-approved-disks-are-played- on-it DRM feature to Blu-Ray players; they'd have to be suicidal to implement this feature, but this is Sony I'm talking about.
Right now, HD-DVD players are cheaper, the future is bright as the gaming platform for it is coming out with an add-in that will let it play HD-DVD games, Microsoft doesn't seem to be withholding info from their gaming partners, I can't find any plans for the mother corporation to play stupid nyah nyah tricks on non-mother-corporation film studios, and I can't find any details for DRM features on the HD-DVD. Against; the last point I'm the most suspicious of, but I'm a ways away from purchasing a HD-whatever DVD player anyway, plus the gaming platform for HD-DVD doesn't exist right now.
Folks can argue that PS3 will promote Blu-Ray all they want, but it doesn't mean anything until the PS3 is released. I'm hearing Christmas of 2006 but I dunno; cranky Head Guys at major publicity events tend to make me think things are going badly behind-the-scenes at Sony and this isn't going to be the actual release date.
No, they're not stealing the movie, they're pointing out where illegal copies of the movie exists.
It's the same as if they were standing on a street corner telling all and sundry, including the cops, that bootleg dvds are available in stores x, y, and z. They may be responsible for customers going to stores x, y, and z, but they've also sent the cops to those stores also.
If piratebay lists where illegal copies of movies/music/etc can be found to the general internet-going public, then they're also pointing this out to the MPAA/RIAA.
Where the MPAA/RIAA are going wrong is holding the guy on the street corner responsible for the activities of the bootlegging storeowners, without building a strong link between the guy on the street corner and the storeowners.
*** Unacceptable server down time, maxed network storage, and no backups systems have hit the bottom line, and those on top are starting to notice.***
These are all major indicators of a serious LACK of funding: if the IT department had the cash, you'd have the space/servers/backups.
Maxed out network storage is the best indicator that your IT is underfunded. Network storage is the easiest and cheapest thing to provide for users; that yours is maxed out tells that someone 'up top' made the decision to not pay out for more storage.
Server down time is an indication that your servers are old. If your servers are old, it'll cost quite a bit of money to upgrade them/add more. It isn't just the cost of the servers, but the cabling/the routers/the additional licenses for each and ever user/the extra floor space required to house your new network that has to be figured out and into the equation. No, it's not just a question of buy new Compaqs; the servers are just one part of the network. Server down time can be indicative of an old/overworked network. That your network is old and overworked is another indication that someone 'up top' made the decision to not pay out for your network to be upgraded.
No backup systems means someone up top does not see the need for backups. The first thing ANYONE in the IT department wants is a backup system; you have NO idea how many problems are easily solved on the IT side by having viable backups. But you don't even have a reliable network, let alone persuade the boys upstairs to fund a backup system.
That YOU think this is IT's fault indicates that only IT techs desperate for a job, any job, would work in your company. Up top won't fund the needed infrastructure, and the clients blame the IT techs for any and all of their woes. And no, 'the guy in charge of IT keeps voting upgrades down' won't cut the mustard as an excuse for your reasoning; any decent CEO and his team would be aware of the need for a backup system/up-to-date network and should be able to get the network upgraded and backups implemented despite the efforts of naysayers within the company.
My advice; without blaming the IT department, press for a backup system to be implemented. It's your first priority and work WITH the IT department on getting them the funding they need. Remember those in IT who seem to be willing to work with you the most and do what you can to help them out; those are the folks you'll need to keep around and encourage.
I own an Ipaq. It surfs the web via wifi; plays mp3's, wmv & wma files, divx movies, mpeg1 files, ogg vorbis files; opens word, powerpoint and excel documents without them having to be translated via the computer ala palm; opens adobe acrobat files; has solitaire; views photos; can access an sdcard and a compact flash card at the same time (I can copy files from the sdcard to the compact flash card using only the ipaq); has a decent speaker; I've found an antivirus/firewall program for it; and I've purchased a portable keyboard to go with it that has the number keys on their own line.
The battery is removeable, lasts for hours, and is probably swappable with another for long journeys. I DON'T lose all my data when I lose all power as my model has flash memory.
It and the keyboard fit into my purse with room to spare.
The damn thing is a very light laptop with a really small screen.
Anyone who says that pen-based pda's are dead is simply trying to explain why the consumer is hellbent on purchasing cumbersome gigantic laptops with a battery life of 20 minutes when all they need is a pda.
HD-DVD disks will not replace DVD, not for a long while, I agree. But it's only a matter of time before they do.
I wandered past a compusmart (computer/tv hardware store) window inside the local mall, and they had an Xbox360 hooked up to a Sony HDTV. Dear gods, but the picture was just exquisite. And right next to it was an $800 cdn Lucent HDTV playing one of the Star Wars movies. For a window display, it was sheer brilliance.
The expensive Sony screen makes it damn near impossible to NOT want a HDTV, then the price of the Lucent makes it impossible to not crack open the wallet.
Once folks own a HDTV, and play just a couple of video games that utilize the HDTV specs to its full brilliance, they'll want HD-DVD for their movies.
And no, you're not allowed to scoff until you've at least seen an Xbox360 game hooked up to a Sony HDTV. God help you if the store management lets you play a round or two...
Would that be like buying a car I do not use, or a pair of sneakers I do not use? And what if the sneakers are made so they leave ink marks all over the carpet? Should I purchase the sneakers but still wear the handknitted slippers, or just stick with the handknitted slippers?
I simply don't understand EMI's brilliant marketing plan in making it safer to download than to purchase their CDs. How on earth does it improve their sales, and where's the enticement in purchasing CDs? 'I'm doing the right thing' makes CD purchasing about as much fun as getting the flu shot.
2. I do NOT download music. But I no longer condemn those who do: it's safer to download than to purchase.
And the artist is damn lucky if they make 50 cents from the sale of each CD. I could anonymously mail 'em a buck and they'd be seeing more cash from the snail mail than from the Acme Music and DVD retailer.
Why? Why download the music AND buy the CD? There is NO motivation to do both.
I don't download music -- I have no wish to see the RCMP on my doorstep simply because I downloaded some song that intrigued me for some obscure reason. But if I did, it would only be because there is DRM on the CD and I was positively mad to have the music. Look, let's say I do download the music and purchase the damn CD; if I (or next door's kids, or my mother, or the cat suddenly displays a proficiency with the computer) have a brain spasm and forget and put the freaking CD in the damn DVD drive on the computer, I now have several hours worth of formatting and reinstallation to look forward to.
And this'll be my experience with XP, God only knows what will happen with Vista.
But if I don't purchase the CD, my computer is safe.
Plus, if the frakking morons at EMI see both their CD sales AND their P2P download stats take a nosedive, maybe they'll decide to stop bitchslapping their paying customers.
**Record company executives reasoned that because we appeal to college students who have the high-bandwidth connections necessary for getting access to peer-to-peer networks, we're the kind of band that gets traded instead of bought.**
This is a stupid argument. EMI's "protective software" overwrote my sound drivers when I tried to rip a purchased Leahy CD to mp3 so I could then listen to the music on my portable mp3 player. The lesson I learnt? Don't purchase EMI and/or Leahy CDs -- I didn't really need the CD or the hassle in the first place.
If I absolutely have to have the music, I now know it's far safer to download EMI mp3s from the flavour of the week p2p program than it is to purchase the CD.
EMI's "protective software" encourages piracy, not discourages it.
And at least Sony's "protective software" gave you some sort of a heads-up that there was 'extras' on their CDs; EMI didn't tell me a damn thing. I had to figure out what in hell happened to the sound card on my own.
I tried disabling Autorun on both DVD drives -- both still pop up that 'what do you want to do with' boxes every time I insert a disk.
Tried to put 'do nothing' beside every damn action in the pop up boxes described above. Still get the damn pop up box.
Inserted a Leahy cd with the Suncomm version of DRM on it. Yes, my sound drivers were overridden by default. Damn thing never ASKED my permission, never popped up a box asking me if I wanted to install the software.
So now I'm looking for a linux cd that comes with just enough programs to rip mp3s and dvd vob files to divx, but ignores any drm software on the disks.
Slashdot Mirror
Jerk. A whole lot more went into fixing y2k than babysitting a goddamn mainframe.
But if you'd been someone who did any work for y2k, you'd know that.
The best example against is in the US and CNN vs Fox. Opposing viewpoints, for and against the current goverment, with fees paid out of the public purse.
Besides, if the government aims to cut funding to stations, it doesn't matter if the funding comes from the public purse or from levy. Even if all levies go into one account, it doesn't mean the government must and will pay out all funds in that account. Current example is Canada and the Unemployment Insurance. UI is a separate deduction from income taxes, but the current government (and previous) no longer use all UI funds towards UI payments; the 'extra' goes into the public purse.
It's important that the population have access to public broadcast, therefore such fees should be paid out of public taxes, not be paid by an individual/household levy. Radio/tv is an excellent way to ensure your population is kept up-to-date on current news, weather, emergencies, etc etc. And panic-inducing word-of-mouth rumour mongering is kept to a minimum as everyone can hear the same information from reliable, multiple sources.
So they bury the fees so that the tv-watching, radio-listening public can't see 'em. No one stresses out over trying to avoid being caught, and the country saves tons of money from not having to hire & maintain tv-cops. Plus, those who can't afford to the pay the fees, don't, as the fees come out of regular taxes, of which you pay what you can afford.
Yes, those who don't watch tv/radio are paying for something they don't use, but then there's no perceived financial reason over here to not at least have a radio on the premises. So you can reach the population and at least advise them in cases of emergencies. The weather in the US gets horrific every year - if it ain't tornados or killer thunderstorms, it's hurricanes, floods, droughts, and the odd earthquake and blizzard.
Why in hell European countries want to discourage the radio/tv beats the heck out of me. That's what the big deal on Slashdot is all about - Germany's (and most of Europe's) thinking is illogical.
Please remind me to re-read your post if I ever start thinking Europe is superior to North America.
* When do I get so say "I told you so"? *
When the US troops leave South Korea and North Korea disarms as a result.
Ain't never gonna happen - North Korea disarming that is. The US leaving you to deal with North Korea up close and personal - I give y'all another 10 years maximum.
* Ask yourself, why are South Koreans increasingly more afraid of the U.S. than North Korea? *
Because the younger generations of South Koreans aren't old enough to remember the bad old days.
First the CRTC wanted to regulate the content on the web, now the Access Copyright folks want to licence the content on the web.
...
The brilliance of the civil service mindset continues to astound me. My tax dollars at work
I've gone in the other direction for one reason - batteries. I have terrible luck with any battery other than AA and AAA. Anything I take home that's rechargeable winds up losing their charge in half the advertised time, all in just over the take-it-back-for-a-full-refund period. Twice now, my cell phones would last a week on one charge for the first month. Now they last 3 days. If I started playing mp3s on the damn things, I'd have a charge that lasted, tops, 4 hours.
So, I have a barebones cellphone - no bluetooth, no neato camera attachment. It makes phone calls, has a nifty display that tells me who's calling, and the world's happiest ringtone. By keeping the fluff off the cellphone, I have a phone that is always working.
If I want to listen to music, there's always the Iriver, and a recharge on that simply means popping in another battery. If I find myself on say, Mars, miles away from an electrical outlet, I just find myself A Little Green Man convenience store and buy a pack of AAs. And it isn't like the Iriver is the size of a tank - it's the size of my thumb. The phone, Iriver, spare AA, and headphones fit into a pouch on the belt.
There are TSA-allowed locks, and TSA should recognize them at the airport. They are designed to be opened by TSA if TSA needs them opened without TSA having to resort to boltcutters, and still give you the secure feeling of having a lock on the suitcase.
Myself, I've resigned myself to no locks and having the underwear in clear plastic bags so the underwear can be searched and remain sanitary.
Also resigning myself to taking the bus. I don't need the hassles that flying now entails.
If you really want to see impressive HDTV, you need to watch the free, over-the-air stations. OTA has the best video signal. Rogers Cable's HDTV came a distant second to OTA.
*** I'm desperately trying to figure out when Slashdot became pro-piracy. It's really become quite a pro-piracy haven these last few years. ***
... but I digress.
It probably happened in drip and drabs. Folks get burned when they bought a copy of software X that did not do what it claimed to do, or had their computer files overwritten without their permission by a legitimately purchased music cd. Or bought a game where the pirated version worked better because there was some insanely goofy key-locking scheme on the commercial cd. Have you ever tried to take back an opened software box or music cd?
I've had a Leahy cd from EMI overwrite my sound drivers, leaving me with the lovely idea that purchasing music was a stupid thing to do and Leahy hates its fans. And I'm sick of purchasing $59 computer programs that didn't do what they said they would do.
Then I hear some spiel from some record company executive, that paid Leahy the exorbitant sum of 25 cents from the 25 dollars that I paid for the music cd, about how they're losing money and we're all thieves and I start to think that the record company executive is a slimeball who hates my guts. Then I hear the same patter from the RIAA and the MPAA, and up here in Canada the CRIA, and I figure the industry is populated by slimeballs who hate my guts. You'll forgive me if I start hating their guts in return.
I particularly despise the CRIA; they got Parliment to add a levy onto the sales of blank recording mediums, so my mp3 player and blank cds were taxed and then taxed again, under the assumption that I would bootleg music. I wasn't, but I figured if bootlegging music was now taxable, then it couldn't be illegal and certainly not wrong, and began making compilation cds of my music.
Then I hear rumours that the movie executives simply love the idea of dvd players that destroy themselves & the dvd whenever they detect an illegal dvd. After the last fuss with the computer and the alarm clock, I start to wonder what the chances are that this dvd player will malfunction and start to destroy legitimate dvds, and then figure the chances are pretty good, and come to the realization that if this happened to my dvd collection the movie executives wouldn't give a damn. After all, their music executive cousins had no problems with sabotaging my computer.
Add in a few more more news stories, helping out a friend or two who've come across drm'd music cds, and my mentality is us versus them.
Is mine a hopeless case? No. I've purchased software that I know to be reliable, particularly when the software author made the initial versions of the software, freeware. TMPGenc comes to mind here. I'll tempt fate and buy music cds that don't have a 'this cd is copy protected' label in 2 pt font on them. I've even purchased a HDTV, and I had all manner of objections to that until I saw an X360 hooked up to a Sony Bravia
Want to turn back the clock? Make the mentality one of us and us?
Make purchasing the legitimate versions the better value. Don't have your music cd eat up my sound drivers. Quit adding non-skipable commercials to my Disney dvds. Let me try out your software for a month, no restrictions, or for games maybe one or two rounds, so I can determine for myself if your full-version software is worth paying for. Clearly label copy-protecting cds and dvds in large fonts that even my dead grandmother can read. Drop the lunatic-drm-enforcing-idea-of-the-week, and make sure the music/dvd/software executives don't come out with lunatic statements. Let me skip that godforsaken FBI warning - I'm a Canadian for gawdsake - or at least show something clever or funny on the tv while the warning runs.
In other words, make my experience with you happy. By all means, pursue those folks who pirate your products, but don't punish your legitimate customers. And don't be surprised if your legitimate customers turn cranky when they're treated like they're theives.
*** Third, smoke rises so you couldn't possibly have smelled it from a *mile* away. ***
When the Air France or whatever plane crashed at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, I could smell the unmistakeable odour of burnt electronics across the city in the downtown core. I was much more than a mile away.
I can also understand why guards of a group of orphaned toddlers were more than just cranky that day. Their friends were dead/dying, they were standing watch over their friend's children, and some broad decides to suspend good judgement and photograph the children? I'd've probably had a go at the film too had I been in their place.
The HD-DVD add-on for the X360 is supposed to be $199 USD; there are tons of articles to be referenced about this via Google, but most of 'em are dated October of 2005.
- on-it DRM feature to Blu-Ray players; they'd have to be suicidal to implement this feature, but this is Sony I'm talking about.
The PS3 vs X360 war won't be about which format either goes with, it'll be about who can adapt the best to the winning format/new formats. My betting is the X360 will win (I am not a gamer 'tho) as Microsoft is going with an add-in. If HD-DVD comes out as the preferred consumer choice, then their add-in remains a HD-DVD drive. If Blu-Ray comes out as the preferred consumer choice, then they can switch to a add-in Blu-Ray drive. If Acme-format comes out as the preferred consumer choice then they can switch to an add-in Acme-format drive.
In the meantime, if one purchases a HD TV, one can hook an X360 up to it right now. The PS3 is currently vapour-ware, and from what I'm reading of the various Slashdot posts, there's something wrong with the PS3. The head PS3 guy isn't giving the game developers what they need to create cutting-edge games; why not? Its release has been delayed; why? And the head PS3 guy is reported to be downright cranky at some big game convention? Sony has some weird idea to down-res the picture of any non-Sony Blu-Ray movie played on a Blu-Ray player for a year or so(found this via google); how would you like to be a game manufacturer of a gaming platform where the mother corporation likes playing stupid nyah nyah tricks? And then there's the player-shuts-off-if-non-approved-disks-are-played
Right now, HD-DVD players are cheaper, the future is bright as the gaming platform for it is coming out with an add-in that will let it play HD-DVD games, Microsoft doesn't seem to be withholding info from their gaming partners, I can't find any plans for the mother corporation to play stupid nyah nyah tricks on non-mother-corporation film studios, and I can't find any details for DRM features on the HD-DVD. Against; the last point I'm the most suspicious of, but I'm a ways away from purchasing a HD-whatever DVD player anyway, plus the gaming platform for HD-DVD doesn't exist right now.
Folks can argue that PS3 will promote Blu-Ray all they want, but it doesn't mean anything until the PS3 is released. I'm hearing Christmas of 2006 but I dunno; cranky Head Guys at major publicity events tend to make me think things are going badly behind-the-scenes at Sony and this isn't going to be the actual release date.
No, they're not stealing the movie, they're pointing out where illegal copies of the movie exists.
It's the same as if they were standing on a street corner telling all and sundry, including the cops, that bootleg dvds are available in stores x, y, and z. They may be responsible for customers going to stores x, y, and z, but they've also sent the cops to those stores also.
If piratebay lists where illegal copies of movies/music/etc can be found to the general internet-going public, then they're also pointing this out to the MPAA/RIAA.
Where the MPAA/RIAA are going wrong is holding the guy on the street corner responsible for the activities of the bootlegging storeowners, without building a strong link between the guy on the street corner and the storeowners.
*** Unacceptable server down time, maxed network storage, and no backups systems have hit the bottom line, and those on top are starting to notice.***
These are all major indicators of a serious LACK of funding: if the IT department had the cash, you'd have the space/servers/backups.
Maxed out network storage is the best indicator that your IT is underfunded. Network storage is the easiest and cheapest thing to provide for users; that yours is maxed out tells that someone 'up top' made the decision to not pay out for more storage.
Server down time is an indication that your servers are old. If your servers are old, it'll cost quite a bit of money to upgrade them/add more. It isn't just the cost of the servers, but the cabling/the routers/the additional licenses for each and ever user/the extra floor space required to house your new network that has to be figured out and into the equation. No, it's not just a question of buy new Compaqs; the servers are just one part of the network. Server down time can be indicative of an old/overworked network. That your network is old and overworked is another indication that someone 'up top' made the decision to not pay out for your network to be upgraded.
No backup systems means someone up top does not see the need for backups. The first thing ANYONE in the IT department wants is a backup system; you have NO idea how many problems are easily solved on the IT side by having viable backups. But you don't even have a reliable network, let alone persuade the boys upstairs to fund a backup system.
That YOU think this is IT's fault indicates that only IT techs desperate for a job, any job, would work in your company. Up top won't fund the needed infrastructure, and the clients blame the IT techs for any and all of their woes. And no, 'the guy in charge of IT keeps voting upgrades down' won't cut the mustard as an excuse for your reasoning; any decent CEO and his team would be aware of the need for a backup system/up-to-date network and should be able to get the network upgraded and backups implemented despite the efforts of naysayers within the company.
My advice; without blaming the IT department, press for a backup system to be implemented. It's your first priority and work WITH the IT department on getting them the funding they need. Remember those in IT who seem to be willing to work with you the most and do what you can to help them out; those are the folks you'll need to keep around and encourage.
hx24 something or other.
I own an Ipaq. It surfs the web via wifi; plays mp3's, wmv & wma files, divx movies, mpeg1 files, ogg vorbis files; opens word, powerpoint and excel documents without them having to be translated via the computer ala palm; opens adobe acrobat files; has solitaire; views photos; can access an sdcard and a compact flash card at the same time (I can copy files from the sdcard to the compact flash card using only the ipaq); has a decent speaker; I've found an antivirus/firewall program for it; and I've purchased a portable keyboard to go with it that has the number keys on their own line.
The battery is removeable, lasts for hours, and is probably swappable with another for long journeys. I DON'T lose all my data when I lose all power as my model has flash memory.
It and the keyboard fit into my purse with room to spare.
The damn thing is a very light laptop with a really small screen.
Anyone who says that pen-based pda's are dead is simply trying to explain why the consumer is hellbent on purchasing cumbersome gigantic laptops with a battery life of 20 minutes when all they need is a pda.
It looks like I won't be purchasing HDCP movies then, or upgrading any of my equipment. Why would I want to?
HD-DVD disks will not replace DVD, not for a long while, I agree. But it's only a matter of time before they do.
...
I wandered past a compusmart (computer/tv hardware store) window inside the local mall, and they had an Xbox360 hooked up to a Sony HDTV. Dear gods, but the picture was just exquisite. And right next to it was an $800 cdn Lucent HDTV playing one of the Star Wars movies. For a window display, it was sheer brilliance.
The expensive Sony screen makes it damn near impossible to NOT want a HDTV, then the price of the Lucent makes it impossible to not crack open the wallet.
Once folks own a HDTV, and play just a couple of video games that utilize the HDTV specs to its full brilliance, they'll want HD-DVD for their movies.
And no, you're not allowed to scoff until you've at least seen an Xbox360 game hooked up to a Sony HDTV. God help you if the store management lets you play a round or two
** It is the music, not CD that you buy and precisely because of that, you can not touch the cd but pay for the music buying the cd. **
Which is what I did when I purchased the Leahy CD.
But DRM has taught me my lesson; better to download or do without than to trust a Sony or EMI CD near my computer!
1. *buying the CD you will not use*
Would that be like buying a car I do not use, or a pair of sneakers I do not use? And what if the sneakers are made so they leave ink marks all over the carpet? Should I purchase the sneakers but still wear the handknitted slippers, or just stick with the handknitted slippers?
I simply don't understand EMI's brilliant marketing plan in making it safer to download than to purchase their CDs. How on earth does it improve their sales, and where's the enticement in purchasing CDs? 'I'm doing the right thing' makes CD purchasing about as much fun as getting the flu shot.
2. I do NOT download music. But I no longer condemn those who do: it's safer to download than to purchase.
And the artist is damn lucky if they make 50 cents from the sale of each CD. I could anonymously mail 'em a buck and they'd be seeing more cash from the snail mail than from the Acme Music and DVD retailer.
Why? Why download the music AND buy the CD? There is NO motivation to do both.
I don't download music -- I have no wish to see the RCMP on my doorstep simply because I downloaded some song that intrigued me for some obscure reason. But if I did, it would only be because there is DRM on the CD and I was positively mad to have the music. Look, let's say I do download the music and purchase the damn CD; if I (or next door's kids, or my mother, or the cat suddenly displays a proficiency with the computer) have a brain spasm and forget and put the freaking CD in the damn DVD drive on the computer, I now have several hours worth of formatting and reinstallation to look forward to.
And this'll be my experience with XP, God only knows what will happen with Vista.
But if I don't purchase the CD, my computer is safe.
Plus, if the frakking morons at EMI see both their CD sales AND their P2P download stats take a nosedive, maybe they'll decide to stop bitchslapping their paying customers.
**Record company executives reasoned that because we appeal to college students who have the high-bandwidth connections necessary for getting access to peer-to-peer networks, we're the kind of band that gets traded instead of bought.**
This is a stupid argument. EMI's "protective software" overwrote my sound drivers when I tried to rip a purchased Leahy CD to mp3 so I could then listen to the music on my portable mp3 player. The lesson I learnt? Don't purchase EMI and/or Leahy CDs -- I didn't really need the CD or the hassle in the first place.
If I absolutely have to have the music, I now know it's far safer to download EMI mp3s from the flavour of the week p2p program than it is to purchase the CD.
EMI's "protective software" encourages piracy, not discourages it.
And at least Sony's "protective software" gave you some sort of a heads-up that there was 'extras' on their CDs; EMI didn't tell me a damn thing. I had to figure out what in hell happened to the sound card on my own.
I tried disabling Autorun on both DVD drives -- both still pop up that 'what do you want to do with' boxes every time I insert a disk.
Tried to put 'do nothing' beside every damn action in the pop up boxes described above. Still get the damn pop up box.
Inserted a Leahy cd with the Suncomm version of DRM on it. Yes, my sound drivers were overridden by default. Damn thing never ASKED my permission, never popped up a box asking me if I wanted to install the software.
So now I'm looking for a linux cd that comes with just enough programs to rip mp3s and dvd vob files to divx, but ignores any drm software on the disks.
Even more disturbing is the notion that one NEEDS an internet connection to watch a blu-ray disk on a blu-ray player.
And in no way do I trust the damn player to not up and start destroying my disks because some damn chip went on the fritz.
This is the reason why I won't upgrade the tv-set to HD, and why I won't be upgrading the dvd collection.