Although I agree with the ruling, I have to wonder about the applications.
It is fine and good that a thumbnail is being used for educational purposes, but what will the dividing line concerning this be?
What if a thumbnail is used for "Old Women in Bondage"? Could this be seen as an endorsement, even though the thumbnail is used without permission? Especially now, as satire is a bit ambiguous.
The ruling addresses simple copying as fair use, but doesn't address creative control. This leaves more questions than it answers.
Well, let's see. Jim Guy Tucker and Susan McDougal were convicted on fraud charges. A key material witness ends up dead. And a bunch of documents are never located.
Starr had no prosecutorial experience and, because of this, $44 million is spent on a fishing expedition... which later helps to turn up the Lewinsky thing.
In the face of this, you mean to tell me that a clear and definitive answer concerning Whitewater was reached? That is what I mean by not really investigated.
If I had that many happy accidents concerning any aspect of my life, my ass would be in a major sling.
I am reminded of a bad made for TV movie (I think it was "Amerika"). Anyway, the movie itself was pretty blasé, but it did have one really chilling scene in it.
The movie itself was about a shadow gov. replacing the elected one (err, something like that. It was a long time ago; the details are probably not precise).
Anyway, one guy finds out and is talking with one of the members from the shadow gov. They pass some people protesting in the street, and the lead says something like "See, the people will not stand for this."
The member from the shadow gov. says something to the effect of the protest was actually staged by the shadow gov. It makes the people feel like they are doing something important, when all they are doing is destroying their neighborhood. They vent a little steam, feel better, and go back to work. Nothing real accomplished. The protest allows the shadow gov. to keep tabs on the disgruntled, and channel their energies to meaningless exercises.
When ever I see a large mob, I think of this, and feel exasperated.
Problem is that most of the "patriots" aren't terribly organized, and most have an innate distrust of that degree of intra-cooperation (does not bode well for integrity). That keeps them splintered and ultimately powerless (in the normal idea of that word). We are suspicious of each other, we keep our doors locked, we are splintered and isolated.
Diffuseness is its' own type of power, but it will take a better man to figure out how to implement it well.
For the time being, I think everyone calling in to work on the same day would be a better idea. Go fly a kite or play with the kids. See all the others who share your same basic ideas just being people. The loss of capitol would be very nerve wracking.
Probably just as worthless, but much easier to obtain.
And what is to stop the next gov. from attaining the sad state of affairs we currently have? And the next one? Yeah, "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance". That sounds like eternal slavery to me.
Given that the Constitution was written in a very different frame of reference then we are currently in, it might be a good idea to start re-evaluating the Constitution, and chart a new direction entirely.
Given that armed militias don't really have the resources to combat a limited nuclear exchange (humor) or implement the best technologies, or the abuses shown by corporations; a strong federal government is going to be an evil necessity. Don't want them Canadians getting ideas.
But the terms of that arrangement should be renegotiated. I still like trying public servants who abuse their position for treason. Flat tax, strong State's rights, and perhaps even the right to cede from the Union should the entanglements become too much to bear (if you join an organization, you should have the right to unjoin, as it were, or the Gov. is nothing better than an armed gang. Even the Mafia has better terms).
I digress.
Anyway, the point is (without sounding to Pollyanna) we already have most of the ideas and knowledge to make the US a better place than it currently is. We lack political will. It becomes a question of do you want to sacrifice now for something better, or continue the sacrifices you're currently making for...
Whitewater and Vince Foster also come to mind. Yeah, never proven, but not really investigated either.
It seems silly to compare the relative evilness of my guy vs. yours (was Hitler really that much worse than Pol Pot, Ed Gein vs. Bundy). This kind of alligence to party stucture is what makes the US history of abuses possible (divide and conquer). Could we just say uniformly that the Republicrates are a pretty heinous bunch, and there really should be some change?
Why is it that when some non-corporate entities have the audacity to ask for a finder's fee from a business, it's blackmail? And when a company threatens to litigate unless the peons pipe down and do as they're told, it's just protecting your business interest?
Could you bend over a little more please? Your head isn't as far past your ankles as I would like it to be. Shhheessh!
"By the way, IAAA (I am an American). Not all of us are asleep, we just don't know what to do about corruption in our government any more than you do."
Umm, that missing amendment 13, even if it is a fraud, still seems like a good idea. Any public servant caught abusing his/her office loses their citizenship and is tried for treason. I think that would end a lot of corruption.
Please wake up already. The hour is getting late.
I'm thinking of when the US tried to annihilate the grey wolf. Best of 70's technology and machismo, and it achieved nothing more than showing how arrogant we were.
You can't win against an ideology. Annihilate and all you get is sympathy and martyrs.
At one time I thought like you. The only way to insure victory was "a dead guy can't shoot back". I realize now this doesn't end war. It propagates forever war. There is only one true way to win a war: earn the respect and consideration of your enemy. If you can do this, they are no longer your enemy. And no longer a threat.
Re:Mensa is right based on Ockhams razor
on
Pure Math, Pure Joy
·
· Score: 1
Then why not just use a bunch of indecipherable squiggles or at least Chinese charecters, where one is symmetrical? Same ideas apply, but at least the question is more readily understood. If Ockhams razor applies to the answer, it should apply to the question as well, should it not?
It's an abuse. The mere fact the test directions were given out by symbols with particular meanings (words) kind of belies that all the symbols on the page should be taken with their normally associated values (otherwise I just print "42" and the page). You throw out "symbol" as if it is a null, but symbols have meaning. Run the exact same test using a swastika, and tell me what the answer is.
The only difference is you have changed the meaning of the symbols. Fine. Good. You have just hovelled language. Exactly what were we testing again?
(*still nursing open wound from when I had to drag my mom with me to buy a record... Oh the humanity! Blood and Gore in 2006*).
Yeah, everything is fine and good until another Columbine happens. Then the concerned citizens will say the rating wasn't descriptive enough. Then it wasn't placed prominently enough. Or it wasn't in Spanish or Braille.
A general description of the contents of the game probably isn't a bad idea, but it doesn't end there. The fact that some game publishers will censor a game to get a better rating makes it a first amendment issue. And yeah, the ratings where voluntary inasmuch as holding a gun of legislation to the head of the video game industry makes it.
And quite frankly, I am sick of it. I am tired of having my world Disneyfied because Mrs. Jones can't keep track of what little Suzi is doing. I am tired of Dungeons and Dragons/heavy metal/Satanist/pornography/drugs/rap/gangs/video games bearing the brunt of the downfall of western society when I haven't even killed anyone yet. By sheer numbers aspartame is more deadly and more readily available, but doesn't even bear the same amount of scrutiny.
Lieberman is pleased. Good. We have an ohmigawd deficit, most of my friends are out of work, and I am eyeing the new overtime regulations with a paranoia usually reserved for the Illuminati.
Lock the children and their parents in padded cells with all the morally righteous crusaders until the kids reach 18 (and try and tell me the rules they make up won't be more warped than the flagellates at Eton). They are not ready for the adult world.
I disagree completely. Yeah, atheist do stupid things for stupid reasons, but the body count isn't nearly as high. Nor is the loss of knowledge as severe. And when people fail to act because they belive their god will save them, or end all discussions with "you're wrong, god told me so"... These are definite tolls on a society. God may work fine and well on some astral plane. Down here on Earth, it sucks ass.
And yeah, it may not be what religon was intended to be, but that can be said about nearly anything. I'm certain people go to war with the best of intentions; that doesn't console any widow.
And if there is no examination of religon by the fruit it bears, by what other criteria do you suggest we measure it by? Nazism is actually a great idea, it was just carried out by some misguided individuals?
I belive in god, but at no point do I put that belief above my fellow man. Almost all religons put their particular beliefs above all. And history is filled with the consequences.
Err yeah, Dark Ages, 911, book burnings, and it only took the Catholic Church how long to admit Galileo was right? Prior to WWII, more people were killed in the name of Christianity than in all of the known wars combined. Buddhists monks having gang wars to secure monies from funeral services? Jonestown. These are not generalizations.
Of course, it is always put forth that these are fringe elements; mentally unstable people and in no uncertain terms should the religion be held accountable for the actions of the few.
Except, damn, seems to happen with a fair amount of frequency (maybe religious institutions attract the mentally unstable? I don't know).
And the part that chaps my ass (ooh, wait, no sodomy), these are the same people who say I can't play Doom because I might go on a tri-state killing spree from playing a John Denver album backwards instead of god telling the great cleansing for "WrestleMania 4- Twilight of the Gods" needs to occur because my church group is fed up with all the infidel soccer moms.
Oh, you meant do a lot more for society in a good way?
I'll take my chances with the junkies and the garden-variety lunatics. At least they know they're fucked up.
Yeah, but you don't mention "The Simpsons", or Metallica, or Peter Jackson. They are popular, they are cultural. They are pop culture. They are also art.
"Many of our common chords would be better unstruck - our basest desires and most destructive impulses among them."
Hitchcock would disagree. I disagree. As my friend put it: "Everything is manipulation."
"I think that about sums up the level of pop discourse; just insert meaningless sex or drugs for violence". A clever allusion to the Velvet Underground. I almost missed it.
"I'm talking about mindless hatred and destructive violence..." as if nihilism wasn't an artistic end to itself.
How is advertising an ill purpose? It is what it is. Good or bad, it would seem, is its' effectiveness (as you have pointed out for other instances).
And as you mention, games can foster creativity. As well as Moore, Ed Wood, or Franck. Never apologize for what you like.
Long and short of it: you seem to be pushing towards exclusiveness ("art good, pop bad"). I want inclusiveness (bad pop=good art). And really, what is a better representation of art (be it popular or otherwise)?
Come on down. My friends and I will be renting "Uncle Meat", munching on some pizza and beer. Welcome to attend.
Oooh, art snob. My segregated neighborhood is sooo much better than your segregated neighborhood. Free your mind by listening to what I am telling you.
I could make the argument that "high" culture has been dead for quite some time, but maintains a haunted existence by being browbeaten into those who lack the confidence to admit they really like "The Simpsons" more than they like Faulkner. Or I could point out that pop culture is so pervasive because it strikes a common chord with the rest of humanity (which is at least one measure to the worthiness of art).
But that would be too easy. No, let's go for the jugular, the black magic of the ministers of culture: advertising. And the point is: if I can sell you something you don't need for an inflated price with just a few words and a picture, how is that less of an achievement than van Gogh? On its' own terms, pop culture is a more difficult proposition than any museum piece (and begrudgingly envied by those "real" artist).
But is it art (I have the naive idea that excellence in any field, including video games, is Art)?
I strongly suggest you question the relativist outlook that you have as to what is art. Even Shakespeare was writing for the common man.
Well, unless it happens to be an MD order. In several cases, it must be hand written so it can be traced back to the writer (one thing omitted from the discussion is the expressiveness and individuality of cursive writing). Until digital watermarks can pass the scrutiny of a malpractice trial, "write in cursive on paper with a pen" will indeed be a critical life skill (as well as trying to decipher someone's sloppy handwriting).
Mod parent up please. This is a great idea. Hold a boycott day and send all the money you would have used for CDs to the student. Nice big check with fanfare and hopefully press coverage.
Unfortunately, no dates that correspond to the demise of Napster are soon enough to capitalize on the story.
Should be able to help organize it through here:
http://www.boycott-riaa.com/
And a bunch of nasty letters to the RIAA on the corresponding day.
What happened disgusts/frightens me. Need a vehicle to show it.
As an aside, since the case was settled, doesn't that leave the student free to make Napster2 if he desired?
Why doesn't "reciprocity" come up when discussing worker relations? How come free trade arguments only seem to apply between corporations and not with the workers in those corporations (such as unions)?
It isn't about money per se, it's about power. Ten thousand and one examples of businesses that had a better way to utilize a buck that were never heard from again (Tucker being my favorite example). And what, it only set back the automotive industry 30 years and Tucker is immortalized by Lucas (who is living his own reiteration of the movie). Yup, makes sense to me, but I digress.
Before game set theory, there was the social contract, of which most corporations seem hideously ignorant of. You may be able to get some flunky to flip burgers for $4.50 an hour, but you get a flunky flipping burgers for $4.50 an hour. After my last bout of food poisoning, I decided the "hidden costs" were a bit much. Really, the next time you dine out, ask yourself how much you would like to pay the person handling your food? It puts the whole different perspective on the cheap labor idea.
And as corporations are slashing jobs left and right, other corporations are doing the exact same thing. Makes you wonder who will actually be working and able to afford their product, but the costs will be lowered by slashing even more jobs...
And you will make a moral case for not trading with China while overlooking all the fucked-up things corporations do here? Uh-huh, yeah, rock & roll dude. It is more than making money. You have to be responcible (I dare say moral) in doing it. Social contract.
Bottom line, it is easier to exploit those that are weak. That is why jobs get outsourced. I don't see the CEOs being outsourced.
Umm, the fact no WMDs were found denotes he wasn't in violation of any UN resolutions.
Your idea of responding to diplomacy is capitulating to a threat. That's not exactly diplomacy (although I imagine in your limited world view it is).
The US has a LONG history of screwing over its' own (radiation experiments on retards, the Tuskegee experiments, etc.). Perhaps not in the scope of Iraq, but kind of eliminates that holier-than-thou attitude you wear so well.
And most importantly, on the whole, Iraq never asked for our help. In a mannor of speaking, that makes us a coward of the worst type: a nation too afraid to accept anything different from itself.
Please take your jingoism back to the schoolyard. I'm sure a group of 8 year olds will be enthralled by your armchair heroics. That crap doesn't play here.
Okay, silly, but do you really want to live in a world where you can't break the law? Replace your ideas for mob rule (I speed. I also pay the tickets)? It effectively crushes the very concept of dissent.
And with DRM... I am currently purchasing a "bootlegged" CD directly from the band because the record label will not reissue the CD. This is how absurd the whole copyright thing has become. Can you bootleg your own work?
Wiggle room- the right to endlessly litigate 'cause those gray areas of law have dollar signs written all over them.
Given a choice, I'd prefer strict, principled laws. There should be no ambiguities ("Help me god, I'm hallucinating again") where law is concerned. I would like to know I'm well within my rights to copy a file, and not have to rely on 'wiggle room'.
Yeah, but does the cop ever face the death penalty? Ever known of a cop who has been executed for killing a citizen?
I use to work as a night clerk at a convience store, and the cops would talk about the guns they had to plant on suspects, how they wouldn't answer a call for a female officer, etc. A lot of it might have been machismo BS, but it still made my blood run cold.
The benifit of the doubt is ALWAYS with the cop. He is the upstanding citizen, not the "drug smoking, wife beating perp".
It is an exceedingly difficult job, but you shouldn't be there if you can't maintain.
Actually, a lot of the classic toons got syndicated through the 70's, 80's, and 90's. And there were quite a few good ones relaesed then too.
Eek! The Cat, Beatlejuice, Animaniacs... err, I guess Fox had the market then.
I also remeber getting my first tast of anime back then too (Robotech and another I can't remeber the name of).
It's just the passing of an age. You heard the same types of comments when the golden age of radio died. How the quality of tv shows was nothing compaired to what was on the radio.
Decrepited and old now. I'm still lamenting the passing of Friday night ("What? No sci-fi, no horror? No eternally bad films to give me a reference point for MST2000?"). Guess I just throw away the cereal bowl. *sigh* Ooh, wait. Samuri Jack is on.
Err, actually, Perpetual Technologies have something equivalent with their P-1A (speaker correction and room correction... perpetually to be released next quarter [room correction]) DP. Granted, it's only going to work with a digital source, but that shouldn't be a problem for most. Very much cheaper than the B&O gear (never trust an audio company that has more lawyers than engineers. Hell, any company for that matter). And you can keep your old speakers (anyone here know of a source for the Diatomes with the woven woofers?).
Have both the P-1A and P-3A, and would freely recommend them (sound very nice).
Stereophile product of the year (not that that should mean anything) from what use to be Audio Alchemy (which means everything).
I sometimes think AC was right, heroin would have been a better choice *sigh*.
Slashdot Mirror
Although I agree with the ruling, I have to wonder about the applications.
It is fine and good that a thumbnail is being used for educational purposes, but what will the dividing line concerning this be?
What if a thumbnail is used for "Old Women in Bondage"? Could this be seen as an endorsement, even though the thumbnail is used without permission? Especially now, as satire is a bit ambiguous.
The ruling addresses simple copying as fair use, but doesn't address creative control. This leaves more questions than it answers.
Well, let's see. Jim Guy Tucker and Susan McDougal were convicted on fraud charges. A key material witness ends up dead. And a bunch of documents are never located.
Starr had no prosecutorial experience and, because of this, $44 million is spent on a fishing expedition... which later helps to turn up the Lewinsky thing.
In the face of this, you mean to tell me that a clear and definitive answer concerning Whitewater was reached? That is what I mean by not really investigated.
If I had that many happy accidents concerning any aspect of my life, my ass would be in a major sling.
I am reminded of a bad made for TV movie (I think it was "Amerika"). Anyway, the movie itself was pretty blasé, but it did have one really chilling scene in it. The movie itself was about a shadow gov. replacing the elected one (err, something like that. It was a long time ago; the details are probably not precise). Anyway, one guy finds out and is talking with one of the members from the shadow gov. They pass some people protesting in the street, and the lead says something like "See, the people will not stand for this." The member from the shadow gov. says something to the effect of the protest was actually staged by the shadow gov. It makes the people feel like they are doing something important, when all they are doing is destroying their neighborhood. They vent a little steam, feel better, and go back to work. Nothing real accomplished. The protest allows the shadow gov. to keep tabs on the disgruntled, and channel their energies to meaningless exercises. When ever I see a large mob, I think of this, and feel exasperated. Problem is that most of the "patriots" aren't terribly organized, and most have an innate distrust of that degree of intra-cooperation (does not bode well for integrity). That keeps them splintered and ultimately powerless (in the normal idea of that word). We are suspicious of each other, we keep our doors locked, we are splintered and isolated. Diffuseness is its' own type of power, but it will take a better man to figure out how to implement it well. For the time being, I think everyone calling in to work on the same day would be a better idea. Go fly a kite or play with the kids. See all the others who share your same basic ideas just being people. The loss of capitol would be very nerve wracking. Probably just as worthless, but much easier to obtain.
And what is to stop the next gov. from attaining the sad state of affairs we currently have? And the next one? Yeah, "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance". That sounds like eternal slavery to me. Given that the Constitution was written in a very different frame of reference then we are currently in, it might be a good idea to start re-evaluating the Constitution, and chart a new direction entirely. Given that armed militias don't really have the resources to combat a limited nuclear exchange (humor) or implement the best technologies, or the abuses shown by corporations; a strong federal government is going to be an evil necessity. Don't want them Canadians getting ideas. But the terms of that arrangement should be renegotiated. I still like trying public servants who abuse their position for treason. Flat tax, strong State's rights, and perhaps even the right to cede from the Union should the entanglements become too much to bear (if you join an organization, you should have the right to unjoin, as it were, or the Gov. is nothing better than an armed gang. Even the Mafia has better terms). I digress. Anyway, the point is (without sounding to Pollyanna) we already have most of the ideas and knowledge to make the US a better place than it currently is. We lack political will. It becomes a question of do you want to sacrifice now for something better, or continue the sacrifices you're currently making for...
Whitewater and Vince Foster also come to mind. Yeah, never proven, but not really investigated either.
It seems silly to compare the relative evilness of my guy vs. yours (was Hitler really that much worse than Pol Pot, Ed Gein vs. Bundy). This kind of alligence to party stucture is what makes the US history of abuses possible (divide and conquer). Could we just say uniformly that the Republicrates are a pretty heinous bunch, and there really should be some change?
Why is it that when some non-corporate entities have the audacity to ask for a finder's fee from a business, it's blackmail? And when a company threatens to litigate unless the peons pipe down and do as they're told, it's just protecting your business interest?
Could you bend over a little more please? Your head isn't as far past your ankles as I would like it to be. Shhheessh!
"By the way, IAAA (I am an American). Not all of us are asleep, we just don't know what to do about corruption in our government any more than you do." Umm, that missing amendment 13, even if it is a fraud, still seems like a good idea. Any public servant caught abusing his/her office loses their citizenship and is tried for treason. I think that would end a lot of corruption. Please wake up already. The hour is getting late.
I'm thinking of when the US tried to annihilate the grey wolf. Best of 70's technology and machismo, and it achieved nothing more than showing how arrogant we were.
You can't win against an ideology. Annihilate and all you get is sympathy and martyrs.
At one time I thought like you. The only way to insure victory was "a dead guy can't shoot back". I realize now this doesn't end war. It propagates forever war. There is only one true way to win a war: earn the respect and consideration of your enemy. If you can do this, they are no longer your enemy. And no longer a threat.
Then why not just use a bunch of indecipherable squiggles or at least Chinese charecters, where one is symmetrical? Same ideas apply, but at least the question is more readily understood. If Ockhams razor applies to the answer, it should apply to the question as well, should it not? It's an abuse. The mere fact the test directions were given out by symbols with particular meanings (words) kind of belies that all the symbols on the page should be taken with their normally associated values (otherwise I just print "42" and the page). You throw out "symbol" as if it is a null, but symbols have meaning. Run the exact same test using a swastika, and tell me what the answer is. The only difference is you have changed the meaning of the symbols. Fine. Good. You have just hovelled language. Exactly what were we testing again?
And if you've honestly considered the answers to these questions (and not just spouting off imponderables), you get smart guy award in my book.
My big one: Why entrophy? Doesn't give you much reason to get out of bed.
"It's not the answers, it's the insight of the question."
(*still nursing open wound from when I had to drag my mom with me to buy a record... Oh the humanity! Blood and Gore in 2006*).
Yeah, everything is fine and good until another Columbine happens. Then the concerned citizens will say the rating wasn't descriptive enough. Then it wasn't placed prominently enough. Or it wasn't in Spanish or Braille.
A general description of the contents of the game probably isn't a bad idea, but it doesn't end there. The fact that some game publishers will censor a game to get a better rating makes it a first amendment issue. And yeah, the ratings where voluntary inasmuch as holding a gun of legislation to the head of the video game industry makes it.
And quite frankly, I am sick of it. I am tired of having my world Disneyfied because Mrs. Jones can't keep track of what little Suzi is doing. I am tired of Dungeons and Dragons/heavy metal/Satanist/pornography/drugs/rap/gangs/video games bearing the brunt of the downfall of western society when I haven't even killed anyone yet. By sheer numbers aspartame is more deadly and more readily available, but doesn't even bear the same amount of scrutiny.
Lieberman is pleased. Good. We have an ohmigawd deficit, most of my friends are out of work, and I am eyeing the new overtime regulations with a paranoia usually reserved for the Illuminati.
Lock the children and their parents in padded cells with all the morally righteous crusaders until the kids reach 18 (and try and tell me the rules they make up won't be more warped than the flagellates at Eton). They are not ready for the adult world.
And I still can't play the damn game.
I disagree completely. Yeah, atheist do stupid things for stupid reasons, but the body count isn't nearly as high. Nor is the loss of knowledge as severe. And when people fail to act because they belive their god will save them, or end all discussions with "you're wrong, god told me so"... These are definite tolls on a society. God may work fine and well on some astral plane. Down here on Earth, it sucks ass.
And yeah, it may not be what religon was intended to be, but that can be said about nearly anything. I'm certain people go to war with the best of intentions; that doesn't console any widow.
And if there is no examination of religon by the fruit it bears, by what other criteria do you suggest we measure it by? Nazism is actually a great idea, it was just carried out by some misguided individuals?
I belive in god, but at no point do I put that belief above my fellow man. Almost all religons put their particular beliefs above all. And history is filled with the consequences.
Err yeah, Dark Ages, 911, book burnings, and it only took the Catholic Church how long to admit Galileo was right? Prior to WWII, more people were killed in the name of Christianity than in all of the known wars combined. Buddhists monks having gang wars to secure monies from funeral services? Jonestown. These are not generalizations.
Of course, it is always put forth that these are fringe elements; mentally unstable people and in no uncertain terms should the religion be held accountable for the actions of the few.
Except, damn, seems to happen with a fair amount of frequency (maybe religious institutions attract the mentally unstable? I don't know).
And the part that chaps my ass (ooh, wait, no sodomy), these are the same people who say I can't play Doom because I might go on a tri-state killing spree from playing a John Denver album backwards instead of god telling the great cleansing for "WrestleMania 4- Twilight of the Gods" needs to occur because my church group is fed up with all the infidel soccer moms.
Oh, you meant do a lot more for society in a good way?
I'll take my chances with the junkies and the garden-variety lunatics. At least they know they're fucked up.
Yeah, but you don't mention "The Simpsons", or Metallica, or Peter Jackson. They are popular, they are cultural. They are pop culture. They are also art. "Many of our common chords would be better unstruck - our basest desires and most destructive impulses among them." Hitchcock would disagree. I disagree. As my friend put it: "Everything is manipulation." "I think that about sums up the level of pop discourse; just insert meaningless sex or drugs for violence". A clever allusion to the Velvet Underground. I almost missed it. "I'm talking about mindless hatred and destructive violence..." as if nihilism wasn't an artistic end to itself. How is advertising an ill purpose? It is what it is. Good or bad, it would seem, is its' effectiveness (as you have pointed out for other instances). And as you mention, games can foster creativity. As well as Moore, Ed Wood, or Franck. Never apologize for what you like. Long and short of it: you seem to be pushing towards exclusiveness ("art good, pop bad"). I want inclusiveness (bad pop=good art). And really, what is a better representation of art (be it popular or otherwise)? Come on down. My friends and I will be renting "Uncle Meat", munching on some pizza and beer. Welcome to attend.
Oooh, art snob. My segregated neighborhood is sooo much better than your segregated neighborhood. Free your mind by listening to what I am telling you.
I could make the argument that "high" culture has been dead for quite some time, but maintains a haunted existence by being browbeaten into those who lack the confidence to admit they really like "The Simpsons" more than they like Faulkner. Or I could point out that pop culture is so pervasive because it strikes a common chord with the rest of humanity (which is at least one measure to the worthiness of art).
But that would be too easy. No, let's go for the jugular, the black magic of the ministers of culture: advertising. And the point is: if I can sell you something you don't need for an inflated price with just a few words and a picture, how is that less of an achievement than van Gogh? On its' own terms, pop culture is a more difficult proposition than any museum piece (and begrudgingly envied by those "real" artist).
But is it art (I have the naive idea that excellence in any field, including video games, is Art)?
I strongly suggest you question the relativist outlook that you have as to what is art. Even Shakespeare was writing for the common man.
Well, unless it happens to be an MD order. In several cases, it must be hand written so it can be traced back to the writer (one thing omitted from the discussion is the expressiveness and individuality of cursive writing). Until digital watermarks can pass the scrutiny of a malpractice trial, "write in cursive on paper with a pen" will indeed be a critical life skill (as well as trying to decipher someone's sloppy handwriting).
Mod parent up please. This is a great idea. Hold a boycott day and send all the money you would have used for CDs to the student. Nice big check with fanfare and hopefully press coverage.
Unfortunately, no dates that correspond to the demise of Napster are soon enough to capitalize on the story.
Should be able to help organize it through here:
http://www.boycott-riaa.com/
And a bunch of nasty letters to the RIAA on the corresponding day.
What happened disgusts/frightens me. Need a vehicle to show it.
As an aside, since the case was settled, doesn't that leave the student free to make Napster2 if he desired?
Why doesn't "reciprocity" come up when discussing worker relations? How come free trade arguments only seem to apply between corporations and not with the workers in those corporations (such as unions)?
It isn't about money per se, it's about power. Ten thousand and one examples of businesses that had a better way to utilize a buck that were never heard from again (Tucker being my favorite example). And what, it only set back the automotive industry 30 years and Tucker is immortalized by Lucas (who is living his own reiteration of the movie). Yup, makes sense to me, but I digress.
Before game set theory, there was the social contract, of which most corporations seem hideously ignorant of. You may be able to get some flunky to flip burgers for $4.50 an hour, but you get a flunky flipping burgers for $4.50 an hour. After my last bout of food poisoning, I decided the "hidden costs" were a bit much. Really, the next time you dine out, ask yourself how much you would like to pay the person handling your food? It puts the whole different perspective on the cheap labor idea.
And as corporations are slashing jobs left and right, other corporations are doing the exact same thing. Makes you wonder who will actually be working and able to afford their product, but the costs will be lowered by slashing even more jobs...
And you will make a moral case for not trading with China while overlooking all the fucked-up things corporations do here? Uh-huh, yeah, rock & roll dude. It is more than making money. You have to be responcible (I dare say moral) in doing it. Social contract.
Bottom line, it is easier to exploit those that are weak. That is why jobs get outsourced. I don't see the CEOs being outsourced.
Umm, the fact no WMDs were found denotes he wasn't in violation of any UN resolutions.
Your idea of responding to diplomacy is capitulating to a threat. That's not exactly diplomacy (although I imagine in your limited world view it is).
The US has a LONG history of screwing over its' own (radiation experiments on retards, the Tuskegee experiments, etc.). Perhaps not in the scope of Iraq, but kind of eliminates that holier-than-thou attitude you wear so well.
And most importantly, on the whole, Iraq never asked for our help. In a mannor of speaking, that makes us a coward of the worst type: a nation too afraid to accept anything different from itself.
Please take your jingoism back to the schoolyard. I'm sure a group of 8 year olds will be enthralled by your armchair heroics. That crap doesn't play here.
Okay, silly, but do you really want to live in a world where you can't break the law? Replace your ideas for mob rule (I speed. I also pay the tickets)? It effectively crushes the very concept of dissent. And with DRM... I am currently purchasing a "bootlegged" CD directly from the band because the record label will not reissue the CD. This is how absurd the whole copyright thing has become. Can you bootleg your own work?
Wiggle room- the right to endlessly litigate 'cause those gray areas of law have dollar signs written all over them.
Given a choice, I'd prefer strict, principled laws. There should be no ambiguities ("Help me god, I'm hallucinating again") where law is concerned. I would like to know I'm well within my rights to copy a file, and not have to rely on 'wiggle room'.
The problem with DRM is that there is no choice.
Yeah, but does the cop ever face the death penalty? Ever known of a cop who has been executed for killing a citizen?
I use to work as a night clerk at a convience store, and the cops would talk about the guns they had to plant on suspects, how they wouldn't answer a call for a female officer, etc. A lot of it might have been machismo BS, but it still made my blood run cold.
The benifit of the doubt is ALWAYS with the cop. He is the upstanding citizen, not the "drug smoking, wife beating perp".
It is an exceedingly difficult job, but you shouldn't be there if you can't maintain.
May I recommend "Kwangju Diary: Beyond Death, Beyond the Darkness of the Age". Open rebellion seems to be part of the cultural norm in Korea.
As an aside, you have a country to has two super powers as their neighbors, and yet maintains a seperate identity.
Doesn't really sound like a nation of sheep.
Actually, a lot of the classic toons got syndicated through the 70's, 80's, and 90's. And there were quite a few good ones relaesed then too.
Eek! The Cat, Beatlejuice, Animaniacs... err, I guess Fox had the market then.
I also remeber getting my first tast of anime back then too (Robotech and another I can't remeber the name of).
It's just the passing of an age. You heard the same types of comments when the golden age of radio died. How the quality of tv shows was nothing compaired to what was on the radio.
Decrepited and old now. I'm still lamenting the passing of Friday night ("What? No sci-fi, no horror? No eternally bad films to give me a reference point for MST2000?"). Guess I just throw away the cereal bowl. *sigh* Ooh, wait. Samuri Jack is on.
Err, actually, Perpetual Technologies have something equivalent with their P-1A (speaker correction and room correction... perpetually to be released next quarter [room correction]) DP. Granted, it's only going to work with a digital source, but that shouldn't be a problem for most. Very much cheaper than the B&O gear (never trust an audio company that has more lawyers than engineers. Hell, any company for that matter). And you can keep your old speakers (anyone here know of a source for the Diatomes with the woven woofers?).
Have both the P-1A and P-3A, and would freely recommend them (sound very nice).
Stereophile product of the year (not that that should mean anything) from what use to be Audio Alchemy (which means everything).
I sometimes think AC was right, heroin would have been a better choice *sigh*.