I specifically didn't like DOOM's music on a non-FM midi setup. I liked how "Overdriven Guitar" as per FM sounded, with a nasty, disturbed edge. Anything more than that just tamed it too much. It's supposed to sound twisted, and FM synth definitely twists it.
How long before denizens of the simulated universe start demanding equal rights and for our universe to stop negatively impacting their destiny?
I wonder if our universe is just a simulation sometimes...
Re:Balmer: Research it yourselves.
on
Ballmer on Linux
·
· Score: 1
Pardon me, I'm going to nitpick for a minute...
Copyrights are not the same as patents. Copyright is rights to creative works (though the RIAA applies it to its artists' music), while patents are rights to devices or processes, and now increasingly, algorithms. Copyrights must be enforced by the copyright holder lest he or she lose rights. Patents do not have to be enforced for any given situation except at the patent holder's whim, they are not in danger of losing the patent. They also don't have to enforce a patent against a violator until a time of their choosing, so they can let someone build up a huge base of technology around the patent, develop an income, and then enforce the patent violation.
Patents, in their original form expire after seventeen years. If a patent holder takes their original design and combines it into a new design, the whole new design is patented. Others can use the original design but have to be careful about trying to integrate it in with something else, lest they violate the new patent. Copyrights theoretically have had expiration dates, but the rules changed at some point. "Star Trek" seasons one and two are in the public domain now, but the stub of a third season isn't. Disney and others like them with a company-defining image (Mickey Mouse in this case) are the ones lobbying for the extensions on copyrights.
I believe that if something becomes a deep part of our culture that it should become public domain after awhile. Situations like those with the Happy Birthday Song, Mickey Mouse, most mass-audience music, ASCAP, and many, many other examples give too few people with too many special interests control over our very culture. Once something has made its impact and been assimilated, it needs to be free to the public. I don't believe that things should all be public domain, but after a reasonable period of time the works that have affected society should be free to that society. This leaves profit for new contributions but gives those contributions to society when the major initial profit period is over, and gives creators a reason to keep creating.
I'd argue that since what he applies is water soluble and wears off after a couple of weeks, he is committing less vandalism than a skateboarder that grinds his trucks on the curb.
For whatever reason, I see protests in NYC getting much bigger and much, much uglier than current predictions are for. I wonder if they'll reach a level where the government will call in the military? That might be something to see on television...
...try bugging the crap out of your representatives. Work to get copyright law changed. If enough people bug their senators and representatives they'll be forced to take some kind of action lest they be concerned with losing a re-election bid.
As for this current situation, the Court has already ruled in the past that items, devices, and systems that have a legitimate use are legal, even if there are illegal uses for them. This is part of why they can't bust someone for drug paraphernelia unless they have actual drugs on them, because scales, paper, and the like all have legitimate uses. VCRs are legal even though they can be used to record copyrighted TV shows and copyrighted movies because they serve to allow consumers to legally view movies and tape shows for later review.
The Court has already given its opinion that since Grokster is a filesharing service, not a specific music service, that it is theoretically allowing anyone to share or exchange any kind of content, and that users who abuse the law are the problem, not the existence of the software that technically as a side effect allows them to do this. P2P might be most heavily used by people downloading that which is copyrighted and not licensed for their use, but people do exchange legitimate stuff, therefore it should pass that test.
"I still can't buy a hybrid flexible fuel vehicle, so I can shift my usage over to a more renewable source (ethanol). This system opens up some options though. I like!"
The way for the system to be changed is for more and more elected Government officials to end up on this list. Break the system for them and they'll be forced to address the problems, and more than just "please remove me from your list" is obviously not enough.
I would imagine that depending on the geography they could build a structure to act to direct the blast. The structure wouldn't have to particularly survive the blast, just prevent the bulk of the flying debris from heading for town. It could be constructed like a dyke or berm or something, but as reinforced concrete, to help direct the blast the other way. Granted, probably nearly twice the blast would now be going the other direction, but if there's nothing in particular over there that is of relative concern it might work.
...is just icing really. It doesn't do anything that other industries depend upon as far as manufacturing or direct-application research, and what contributions it does make to other industries are usually quite hidden or obscure. Companies that only do gaming don't seem to fare well anymore (Sega is a prime example) and right now success seems to come to companies with diversified business interests, of which gaming is only a small part. This new console company might do well for awhile, but if any slight swing away from console gaming hits then they're in for a world of trouble.
>>> You could deliver drugs and take payment with it.
>>You've obviously never sold drugs. Money first.
>You've obviously never bought drugs. Let's see the product first:-)
Y'all've obviously never worked with somewhat advanced radio equipment that lets a third party pinpoint the user of a transceiver with relative accuracy.
I sure as hell wouldn't want to do something high-profile illegal with anything radio transmitting from my location. That'd be a great way to lead the authorities right to me.
If people are citing Google's "just for fun" figures as something to base critical decisions on, Google could be subject to liability for the accuracy of the figures. Granted, it's not likely that a lawsuit would succeed, but simply having to defend against one wouldn't be very good.
If there's one thing that Apple as a company has managed to succeed with for a very, very long time, it is building a fiercely loyal customer base. Apple customers don't jump ship when the company is at its worst, let alone when it appears to be sailing relatively smoothly. Apple customers also of late really, really seem to want stuff that "just works" without any extra work on the part of the user.
While I don't doubt that RealNetworks is going out of their way to make it relatively easy to ultimately play their stuff on Apple's hardware, the user still has to get third party software, still has to subscribe to another service that isn't affiliated with their computer (in fact being a direct antithesis), and has to do extra work. Combine that with the large amount of market burnout regarding Real, and I'm really not surprised by this. I'm more surprised that Real pursued this attempt to begin with.
Well, situations like that which I've encountered are when a bunch of Linux users are chatting, knocking about the virtues and vices of a particular daemon, text editor, init style (BSD vs. SysV), type of encrypted network tunnel, or whatnot. I've been using Linux since 1996, and many of my friends have been at it for at least four years solidly. We don't take kindly to people deciding to chide us when they're not part of the conversation.
A particular offender at a coffee house that I frequent is about to earn a chai tea on his head if he keeps it up.
I've noticed that computer-types are usually not necessarily polite in public. Specifically I've encountered real shitheads at coffeehouses who rudely butt in to tech discussions that I'm having with friends. These aforementioned shitheads like desparaging people, claiming that others really don't know what one is talking about, or like to just stir up trouble.
Yes, get out into the real world, but don't socialize with just other computer types, role players, math geeks, gamers, or any single stereotype. Just go meet people. Go dancing. Go bowling. Go hang out in a bar somewhere. One might actually get laid that way.
"Maybe I'm slippery sloping but things already are pretty crappy in terms of low-end DVD players."
I'm tempted to agree with you. These multifunction DVD/receiver/surroundsound kits for $100 are really cheap pieces of shit. I've seen physical problems with the machines pop up over a short time, and I've seen software problems causing playback issues. They don't have the duty cycle that better equipment has, either.
I'm still looking for a Pioneer DVL-700, DVL-909, or DVL-919 for my DVD player. I have a large collection of Laserdiscs and the Pioneer player that I have (CLD-D503) is indestructable. I want to replace it with something equally good, not just add some junk to my entertainment center.
Our bases are in specific zones. We patrol countryside and cities, but we are not everywhere at one time, nor do we have complete control, as al-Sadir demonstrates.
The Iraqi army's dispersal doesn't mean their elimination, especially when we cannot account for the arms they were issued. Even if the men who carried those arms don't use them, someone else could.
Other forces, like militant reactionary Islam, terrorists, USA-haters, and probably many others are left with a partial void by the removal of a gripping dictatorship. The U.S., our allies, and those sponsored to build the new Iraqi government have partially filled Saddam's shoes in government, some policing, and defense, but our lighter tactics and very overt actions leave open those who would act subversively. If they are unknown to us they can act with impunity until they are discovered and stopped.
I don't doubt that what we have done will be good for the long term status of Iraq (completely ignoring why we went there for the moment), but there is a lot to work against and the road getting there will be long and difficult. Germany didn't roll over and capitulate at the conclusion of WWII in the European Theatre, the allies had to route out and deal with the insurgents, opportunists, and those who lost their power after the fall of Hitler's government and military. While I think that Hussein wasn't nearly as powerful a force as Hitler, we will still face many of the rebuilding and societal problems that Germany faced, only this time with a culture that has even less in common with us than the last one was. To do it right may take just as long too.
...finally an article asserting what many, many people have been saying for quite some time.
Now all that "we" need to do is to go through and find things that need to be improved upon. Don't get me wrong, I still configure most of my stuff at the command line, and I believe that everything should be configurable from the command line, but it might not be a good idea to get GUI configuration to work for all user-level functions (including hotplug USB and firewire) so that Joe Schmoe or Grandma doesn't have to try to use a command line to plug in and get pictures off of a digital camera, or access a USB memory device, or hook up the new printer.
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I specifically didn't like DOOM's music on a non-FM midi setup. I liked how "Overdriven Guitar" as per FM sounded, with a nasty, disturbed edge. Anything more than that just tamed it too much. It's supposed to sound twisted, and FM synth definitely twists it.
All you need is an FM-synth card and the midi that was used in the original DOOM to get your adrenaline going while gaming!
No game since has ever matched DOOM/DOOM2's music effect upon the player, in my opinion.
How long before denizens of the simulated universe start demanding equal rights and for our universe to stop negatively impacting their destiny?
I wonder if our universe is just a simulation sometimes...
Pardon me, I'm going to nitpick for a minute...
Copyrights are not the same as patents. Copyright is rights to creative works (though the RIAA applies it to its artists' music), while patents are rights to devices or processes, and now increasingly, algorithms. Copyrights must be enforced by the copyright holder lest he or she lose rights. Patents do not have to be enforced for any given situation except at the patent holder's whim, they are not in danger of losing the patent. They also don't have to enforce a patent against a violator until a time of their choosing, so they can let someone build up a huge base of technology around the patent, develop an income, and then enforce the patent violation.
Patents, in their original form expire after seventeen years. If a patent holder takes their original design and combines it into a new design, the whole new design is patented. Others can use the original design but have to be careful about trying to integrate it in with something else, lest they violate the new patent. Copyrights theoretically have had expiration dates, but the rules changed at some point. "Star Trek" seasons one and two are in the public domain now, but the stub of a third season isn't. Disney and others like them with a company-defining image (Mickey Mouse in this case) are the ones lobbying for the extensions on copyrights.
I believe that if something becomes a deep part of our culture that it should become public domain after awhile. Situations like those with the Happy Birthday Song, Mickey Mouse, most mass-audience music, ASCAP, and many, many other examples give too few people with too many special interests control over our very culture. Once something has made its impact and been assimilated, it needs to be free to the public. I don't believe that things should all be public domain, but after a reasonable period of time the works that have affected society should be free to that society. This leaves profit for new contributions but gives those contributions to society when the major initial profit period is over, and gives creators a reason to keep creating.
Uh, I hate to break it to you, but U.S. currency contains no ferrous metals...
"Nothing wrong with a little vandalism is there?"
I'd argue that since what he applies is water soluble and wears off after a couple of weeks, he is committing less vandalism than a skateboarder that grinds his trucks on the curb.
For whatever reason, I see protests in NYC getting much bigger and much, much uglier than current predictions are for. I wonder if they'll reach a level where the government will call in the military? That might be something to see on television...
No. IBM got in trouble in San Francisco for painting "Peace, Love, Linux" on things.
...try bugging the crap out of your representatives. Work to get copyright law changed. If enough people bug their senators and representatives they'll be forced to take some kind of action lest they be concerned with losing a re-election bid. As for this current situation, the Court has already ruled in the past that items, devices, and systems that have a legitimate use are legal, even if there are illegal uses for them. This is part of why they can't bust someone for drug paraphernelia unless they have actual drugs on them, because scales, paper, and the like all have legitimate uses. VCRs are legal even though they can be used to record copyrighted TV shows and copyrighted movies because they serve to allow consumers to legally view movies and tape shows for later review. The Court has already given its opinion that since Grokster is a filesharing service, not a specific music service, that it is theoretically allowing anyone to share or exchange any kind of content, and that users who abuse the law are the problem, not the existence of the software that technically as a side effect allows them to do this. P2P might be most heavily used by people downloading that which is copyrighted and not licensed for their use, but people do exchange legitimate stuff, therefore it should pass that test.
How long before someone decides to ask Slashdot how to add this to an existing car...
"I still can't buy a hybrid flexible fuel vehicle, so I can shift my usage over to a more renewable source (ethanol). This system opens up some options though. I like!"
Yeah, you'll be literally drunk with power!
The way for the system to be changed is for more and more elected Government officials to end up on this list. Break the system for them and they'll be forced to address the problems, and more than just "please remove me from your list" is obviously not enough.
I would imagine that depending on the geography they could build a structure to act to direct the blast. The structure wouldn't have to particularly survive the blast, just prevent the bulk of the flying debris from heading for town. It could be constructed like a dyke or berm or something, but as reinforced concrete, to help direct the blast the other way. Granted, probably nearly twice the blast would now be going the other direction, but if there's nothing in particular over there that is of relative concern it might work.
...is just icing really. It doesn't do anything that other industries depend upon as far as manufacturing or direct-application research, and what contributions it does make to other industries are usually quite hidden or obscure. Companies that only do gaming don't seem to fare well anymore (Sega is a prime example) and right now success seems to come to companies with diversified business interests, of which gaming is only a small part. This new console company might do well for awhile, but if any slight swing away from console gaming hits then they're in for a world of trouble.
>>> You could deliver drugs and take payment with it.
:-)
>>You've obviously never sold drugs. Money first.
>You've obviously never bought drugs. Let's see the product first
Y'all've obviously never worked with somewhat advanced radio equipment that lets a third party pinpoint the user of a transceiver with relative accuracy.
I sure as hell wouldn't want to do something high-profile illegal with anything radio transmitting from my location. That'd be a great way to lead the authorities right to me.
If people are citing Google's "just for fun" figures as something to base critical decisions on, Google could be subject to liability for the accuracy of the figures. Granted, it's not likely that a lawsuit would succeed, but simply having to defend against one wouldn't be very good.
If there's one thing that Apple as a company has managed to succeed with for a very, very long time, it is building a fiercely loyal customer base. Apple customers don't jump ship when the company is at its worst, let alone when it appears to be sailing relatively smoothly. Apple customers also of late really, really seem to want stuff that "just works" without any extra work on the part of the user.
While I don't doubt that RealNetworks is going out of their way to make it relatively easy to ultimately play their stuff on Apple's hardware, the user still has to get third party software, still has to subscribe to another service that isn't affiliated with their computer (in fact being a direct antithesis), and has to do extra work. Combine that with the large amount of market burnout regarding Real, and I'm really not surprised by this. I'm more surprised that Real pursued this attempt to begin with.
Well, situations like that which I've encountered are when a bunch of Linux users are chatting, knocking about the virtues and vices of a particular daemon, text editor, init style (BSD vs. SysV), type of encrypted network tunnel, or whatnot. I've been using Linux since 1996, and many of my friends have been at it for at least four years solidly. We don't take kindly to people deciding to chide us when they're not part of the conversation.
A particular offender at a coffee house that I frequent is about to earn a chai tea on his head if he keeps it up.
I've noticed that computer-types are usually not necessarily polite in public. Specifically I've encountered real shitheads at coffeehouses who rudely butt in to tech discussions that I'm having with friends. These aforementioned shitheads like desparaging people, claiming that others really don't know what one is talking about, or like to just stir up trouble.
Yes, get out into the real world, but don't socialize with just other computer types, role players, math geeks, gamers, or any single stereotype. Just go meet people. Go dancing. Go bowling. Go hang out in a bar somewhere. One might actually get laid that way.
"Maybe I'm slippery sloping but things already are pretty crappy in terms of low-end DVD players."
I'm tempted to agree with you. These multifunction DVD/receiver/surroundsound kits for $100 are really cheap pieces of shit. I've seen physical problems with the machines pop up over a short time, and I've seen software problems causing playback issues. They don't have the duty cycle that better equipment has, either.
I'm still looking for a Pioneer DVL-700, DVL-909, or DVL-919 for my DVD player. I have a large collection of Laserdiscs and the Pioneer player that I have (CLD-D503) is indestructable. I want to replace it with something equally good, not just add some junk to my entertainment center.
- Our bases are in specific zones. We patrol countryside and cities, but we are not everywhere at one time, nor do we have complete control, as al-Sadir demonstrates.
- The Iraqi army's dispersal doesn't mean their elimination, especially when we cannot account for the arms they were issued. Even if the men who carried those arms don't use them, someone else could.
- Other forces, like militant reactionary Islam, terrorists, USA-haters, and probably many others are left with a partial void by the removal of a gripping dictatorship. The U.S., our allies, and those sponsored to build the new Iraqi government have partially filled Saddam's shoes in government, some policing, and defense, but our lighter tactics and very overt actions leave open those who would act subversively. If they are unknown to us they can act with impunity until they are discovered and stopped.
I don't doubt that what we have done will be good for the long term status of Iraq (completely ignoring why we went there for the moment), but there is a lot to work against and the road getting there will be long and difficult. Germany didn't roll over and capitulate at the conclusion of WWII in the European Theatre, the allies had to route out and deal with the insurgents, opportunists, and those who lost their power after the fall of Hitler's government and military. While I think that Hussein wasn't nearly as powerful a force as Hitler, we will still face many of the rebuilding and societal problems that Germany faced, only this time with a culture that has even less in common with us than the last one was. To do it right may take just as long too."...but it might not be a good idea to get GUI configuration..."
My bad, thinking two expressions, "...might not be a bad idea..." and, "...might be a good idea..." which got turned into that. Oh well.
...finally an article asserting what many, many people have been saying for quite some time.
Now all that "we" need to do is to go through and find things that need to be improved upon. Don't get me wrong, I still configure most of my stuff at the command line, and I believe that everything should be configurable from the command line, but it might not be a good idea to get GUI configuration to work for all user-level functions (including hotplug USB and firewire) so that Joe Schmoe or Grandma doesn't have to try to use a command line to plug in and get pictures off of a digital camera, or access a USB memory device, or hook up the new printer.
"I don't think it would fly putting a webcam in the showers."
If it were a Victora Principal prison exploitation type of situation then I might change my mind...
Kinda reminds me of one of the skits from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
I'm glad that I drive a '78 Chrysler Cordoba. Not only would it be exempt, but chicks dig the Fine Corinthian Leather®!
It's a shame how Ricardo Montalban went from a Cordoba to a Reliant...