Re:My experiences with Gmail invitations
on
Gmail in the News
·
· Score: 1
I just gave away a bunch at gmail4u too.. if you want to send me two contacts, i'll pass on a few invites. Post email addys as replies to this post (with obligatory @nospam info of course:)
Actually, Bell Canada (Sympatico) recently removed traffic caps. All DSL accounts are now unlimited transfers.
I pay around $23 a month for my DSL, but that's because i'm an employee:) They give great employee discounts on all services (phone, LD, satellite, and dsl.. yay!)
You're not. I will watch exactly ZERO of the ones listed.. I do admit to watching one awards show per year though: the East Coast Music Awards, which I never miss. The ECMA is a localized, eastern Canada only show, featuring local bands, which I support wholeheartedly. It's the only way I can really keep up with the music scene from where I grew up, now that i've moved "out west".
I have one of the 600x series, and i just had the battery replaced in mine (it died completely). It happened FAST too. The performance was never stellar (I got an hour tops out of the thing), but after awhile, I noticed it slowly going down.. 45 minutes.. 40... 35... finally it just failed to recharge. This was within the space of a few months.
As for why, I have no idea. I generally kept the laptop plugged in, and only used the battery as a last resort. I got it replaced under the warranty, and the current one lasts a little over two hours, but I'm wondering how quickly that will diminish.
What's scary is, at least in the maritimes, you're not far off in how tim horton's is regarded (said as i sip my own morning tim's cafe mocha & choc. chip muffin)
I wouldn't be so keen on waking up on christmas morning to a chick wrapped in a bow under my tree either. Especially not when I'm considering doing exactly that for my boyfriend:)
I'd love to see some more detailed technical information on this. It sounds like a great alternative to dialup in small, rural communities, where the only high speed alternative at the moment is the pricey satellite dish type.
Speeds, how it works, how it manages to NOT fry your PC during power outages (does it work during power outages?), are all questions I'd love to know the answers to...
If people bought albums in the 80's specifically for the purpose of taping them for their new toy the walkman, then isn't the same going to happen now ? We should see an increase in up tempo running/jogging music, with the advent of solid state MP3 players which are finally immune to jumping, skipping and damage from violent movement.
heh. you're right there. I'm in marathon training for the Montreal 1/2 Marathon in April, and I post frequently on a runners' discussion forum. We're always having conversations about the best mp3 player for running, who's bought what CDs to listen to while they run, etc. My vote right now goes for the Nike PSA120, which I'm looking at buying once I hit week 10 of my training program, as a reward. That thing's just perfect for runners, and even comes with an arm band to wear it on:)
www.thaigem.com. They've got a great reputation, and you can get stones there for dirt cheap compared to elsewhere (loose, set, design your own, whatever). They'll also do custom settings if you email them a design, and the prices are great.
Personally, as a woman, I find diamonds tacky on any female under 45. If I ever got engaged, I'd prefer something exotic, like a bi coloured tourmaline set in white gold... but that's me:)
It's worth checking into though, to see if she's flexible on it. There are so many beautiful gems out there that are just as nice as, and even nicer than, diamonds.
I can totally sympathize. At my last job (i left a while ago thankfully.. bad bad bad place..), they insisted on flashing, animating, pop-up windowing, and blinking EVERYTHING.
The 'opt-in' (wink wink) emails they sent were the worst. The guy in charge of the text considered himself a 'designer' too, and because he was related to the boss (sigh), he would sit over the designer's shoulder and point to words and say 'Make that one BIGGER', 'Now emphasis this word. i want it BOLD and make it RED'. It ended up being one huge bold, size 5 font email with so much emphasis that NOTHING stood out.
I'm soooo glad i left. the place i work at now actually concentrates on one nice, useable, well designed site with emphasis on customer interaction, and actually DOES take measures to make sure that their newsletter mailing list only contains people that have specifically signed up for it, and promptly remove those who unsubscribe. it's good working at a place with a consciense.
It's not just you. The 'flip pad' thing had me thinking of a triple fold with a second, full sized display in the middle fold. Now THAT woulda been fun, and more than worth the exorbitant (sp?) price tag.
This one.. gimmie a black marker and I can make an ugly line down the middle of a perfectly good screen too:P
Good point. I'm checking out some listings now... I don't order DVDs online much, but I should start... Found a copy of "The Dark Crystal" at Columbia House DVD which is just a thrill... and hey, if Barb Wire (one of their top selections!) can make it as a DVD, nothing will surprise me. Now I just have to find a copy of Labyrinth...
Yes VHS is on its way out. The worst problem with this is the eventual loss of films that will never be released on DVD.
You hit that one dead-on. I have a number of old videotapes that i love kicking around that will never make it. There isn't exactly a huge market in 80's teen chick flicks in the DVD genre *grins*.
I love the dvd releases for Harry Potter, Star Trek TNG, and just about any anime for the choices and menus (cant wait to grab Neon Genesis on DVD), but most of my old favourites just weren't popular enough or are too 'passé' to be released on DVD now. While geek favourites are almost guaranteed to make the transition, movies like "Heathers" and "The Breakfast Club" probably never will.
While I use and love my DVD player all the time (ST:TNG DVD collection is getting quite a workout), I still love my old VCR. Why? It was a convenient, all in one package. I could buy used VHS tapes for under $10 each at the local blockbuster, or pop in a blank cassette to record whatever program I wanted. No need for two seperate disc racks, and one less box to fiddle with in the entertainment centre.
Agreed, the quality isn't there. The picture and sound are completely inferior to DVD, and any new movies I buy will most likely be in DVD format. But until they can give me an affordable, recordable dvd player, VHS is a viable option for those who don't want to spend that much money on movies.
Add to that the number of videotapes i've purchased and recorded over the years, and the cost of replacing them all with DVDs, and I'll probably hang on to the old VCR for quite some time.
Having said all that, I am definately looking forward to a time when true HDTV, DVD-Rs, and PVRs are commonplace, and I can say goodbye to analog and poor signal quality forever. Of course, they still haven't figured out how to keep the sat dish from fizzling during thunder/snowstorms.
oh yes.. god forbid we should compromise our 'coolness' to preserve our health. Tell ya what.. when you're unable to type from shooting pains in your arms and hands, and you don't go looking for anything at all that can help you get rid of the pain, then you can talk to me about 'looking like a fag'.
if i wanted advice from the teenie-fashion police crowd, i woulda listened to them when i was 13 and actually gave a damn about what other people think of as 'cool'. And we won't even get into the homophobic angle. it's too pathetic.
for me, it's a bit of both. i've been a programmer/graphics designer for about a decade now, and i have cts in both wrists (worse in the right from mouse work...), and I can tell you why right now: I don't know how to type properly. Oh sure, i can bang away at 100 wpm, with very few typos, but my wrists are pressed flat against the table, which is just bad bad bad. Switching to an ergo keyboard helped, but not much. The only thing that's helping me now is that i wear wrist supports on both arms that force my hands into the proper position. I've been wearing them for over a year now, and i rarely feel pain anymore. If i take them off for a few hours, then it starts to kick back in again. Something tells me i'll have to continue wearing them for a long time, at least until i train myself to type with proper wrist positioning.
Digital successors to the VCR that eliminate the frustration of recording television programs have crossed a popularity threshold, raising alarm among advertisers and TV executives who see the devices as a threat to the economics of commercial television.
the times they are a changin boys. get used to it. brick and mortar stores learned to augment their sales online, now it's time for you to get with the times and learn how to supplement with the pvrs. Use product placement instead. God knows we see enough of it now.
You're not going to hold it back. we all know that. I'm planning on buying a PVR as soon as possible... i never thought i would, but then my boyfriend gave me a dvd player for christmas. It's easier, more convenient, and fun than a VCR, and i'm betting PVRs are even better. i'm hooked on digital TV and now i want it all. ALL DAMN YOU!
Numbers like that have provoked gloomy pronouncements from industry executives. Some even come close to accusing habitual ad skippers of theft.
"The free television that we've all enjoyed for so many years is based on us watching these commercials," said Jamie C. Kellner, chief executive of Turner Broadcasting. "There's no Santa Claus. If you don't watch the commercials, someone's going to have to pay for television and it's going to be you."
Ok, this one pisses me off. So the $50 i pay a month for my satellite TV service is a gift from santa claus? how about the $5 i spend every time i want to watch a pay per view movie? or the $40 when my boyfriend wants to watch one of those silly wrestling specials? And don't get me started on the prices for pr0n!
TV has never been free for consumers. we pay for it, and we pay big. It might not look like a lot to someone who's making a six figure salary to bluster and spread FUD to the media, but to John Q. Public, $50 a month is a lot of money. Multiply that by the number of cable viewers in the country, and you get a nice fat number. I'm not sure how its all divvied up in the end, nor do i really care... if network exec salaries and stars getting $1 million a show are any indication, things aren't dire yet. (i realise not everyone pays that much for cable, and some pay more.. i'm just going by what i personally pay).
And FYI: I've seldom actually watched a commercial since i was 12. the only ones i'll actually stay still for now are those funny blockbuster ones with the guinea pig and the rabbit.. those i love. So maybe you can take a clue from that? If you made commercials entertaining instead of annoying and loud, perhaps more people would watch them.
Speaking of loud, that's another thing that pisses me off. Is it just me or have commercials gotten even LOUDER? I know they intentionally raise the volume a few knotches during commercials to get your attention, but it's at the point where as soon as the program cuts to commercial, i automatically hit 'mute'. Here's another hint: LOUDER ISN'T BETTER!
Um yah.. as a member of the fairer sex (yes that'd be women *shock*), i'd have to say.. anyone coming at me wearing one of those things doesn't stand much of a chance of getting a date, much less getting me to wear it.
Stick to flowers. your success rate will greatly improve.
I have my own policy when it comes to passwords and how difficult they are. It's all a matter of degree.
Our NT network uses a fairly weak password system to be honest (8 characters minimum, no uppercase or numbers required), which I find completely silly. I can use most dictionary words to log into my workstation in the morning, but I don't. Because I have admin access to my own machine, and access to a lot of other resources, I make sure my password is somewhat obscure by throwing in mixed-case and numbers where they wouldn't be expected.
Now, if you're talking about a silly login to the NYT website, and other assorted types of sites, I have a standard easy to remember password I use for it, completely seperate and apart from any of my other passwords. If anyone gets ahold of it or guesses it or whatever, the worst they can do is browse the NYT site on my login id. woo.
Then there's the big ones. Root access passwords to critical machines. Those are always completely obscure, meaningless, hard-to-remember strings (at least for anyone else... for me, they're associated with something I'm personally familiar with).
Entire revamp of system is necessary
on
Fair IP Laws?
·
· Score: 2
Unfortunately, it's not gonna happen. Why? Because the law moves slowly.
One of the first lessons I learned in law school (yes i admit, i was a law student before i started a real job in programming), is that the law is like a supertanker. Big, clumsy, awkward, and once you set a course, you'd better hope no icebergs get in the way, cause it's damned difficult to change course or stop.
Our common law system works kinda like a pecking order. The supreme courts are at the top of the order, and anything they say cannot be countermanded by lower courts. So the only way to even think about getting a law that's been given the stamp of approval by the highest court is to go through a lengthy and expensive round of appeals all the way up through the justice system. and that's only if they choose to hear the case in the end, and assuming they do hear it, that the majority changes their minds on their previous stance. They could just say 'we've already done this. we're not doing it again' and stop your appeal right there. Of course, by the time you get to this stage, most of the judges that heard the last case are probably dead of old age, and new ears are hearing it.
So, best case scenario you try and change a law that hasn't been brought to the supreme court yet. Unfortunately the ones backing laws like the DMCA are the big boys, with deep pockets, who can afford all the highly paid, specialized lawyers they want. Most of em just keep pushing knowing that the little guy doesn't have the time or money to keep up with them. They can appeal all the way up the ladder, and wait for you to run out of money and patience. When/if that happens, they automatically win.
Personally, I'm completely pessimistic about seeing any real changes coming our way anytime soon. It's in the best interests of the government (they do get paid to make laws like this after all), courts (who get paid to interpret the laws), and big business (who get to keep their stranglehold on everyone else) to keep things just as they are.
Re:First Thing We Do
on
Fair IP Laws?
·
· Score: 4, Funny
Having studied law in a previous incarnation, I think we should look at the ramifications of such actions before beginning the slaughter.
1st, we'd decimate the government. As we all know. most of em have at least some kind of legal training.
2nd, we'd lose the entire justice system. Everyone would be gone except for the cops. And who'd keep them in line?
3rd, we'd certainly end up living in a rampant, copyright infringing society where p2p ruled all.
Having said all this, I say we start at the student level and work our way up. That way, we get some practice in on the lower echelons before moving up to the big time. Now where'd I store my shotgun shells...?
Don't give up hope yet.. not everyone out there is completely apathetic (though the majority are pure sheep). it's because of things like this that my next hardware purchase will be a mac (new or powerbook.. going to the store next week!).
I don't know... Apple gets some bad press because of their stringent defense of the "Aqua" and general mac look, but in general I have less trouble spending $4k on a mac than $2k on a notebook and seeing MS BS every time I turn around...
That and well, macs are just so pretty!
Take solace in the fact that there are some people out there who are turning away from Windows, either to *nix or OSX. It's slow, but it's happening...
*heads off to dream of shiny new titanium powerbook...*
Whatever happened to the parents keeping the control?
nowadays, every time Junior gets a fucking scratch, the goverment is called upon to legislate the big baddies that caused it.
Here's a hint: Maybe if the parents were watching what the kids did more closely (in a friendly adult way, not a paranoid, big brother is watching way), and interacting with them instead of letting the computer/tv babysit, we wouldn't be where we are today.
Now, take what i say with a grain of salt. I am NOT pro-child by any means (i don't like em, i don't want em near me, and i dont want to have any. ever.). but i do think that those who take the plunge and decide to have kids should fucking well live up to the responsibility and not pass the buck to the goverment to legislate the whole world. Am i saying that most parents are like this? Maybe not.. but a whole helluva lot are.
i swear it makes me grit my teeth every time i see one of these crying 'mommies' on tv talking about the evils of product x or item y that caused their lil darling precious to do something to hurt/off themselves or others. Guess what mommy... maybe if you'd been there with precious instead of watching soaps or chatting on the phone or whatever, they'd still be around. And if you choose not to exercise your parental responsibilities, don't place the onus on me or the goverment to do it for you. natural selection is a bitch isn't it.
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I just gave away a bunch at gmail4u too.. if you want to send me two contacts, i'll pass on a few invites. Post email addys as replies to this post (with obligatory @nospam info of course :)
They answer this in the FAQ. It's to keep the sites from seeing referrers all over their weblogs.
I'd be very interested in that pastiche diagram if you happen to know where it could be found. Sounds like a study in horrific fascination.
Actually, Bell Canada (Sympatico) recently removed traffic caps. All DSL accounts are now unlimited transfers.
:) They give great employee discounts on all services (phone, LD, satellite, and dsl.. yay!)
I pay around $23 a month for my DSL, but that's because i'm an employee
You're not. I will watch exactly ZERO of the ones listed..
I do admit to watching one awards show per year though: the East Coast Music Awards, which I never miss. The ECMA is a localized, eastern Canada only show, featuring local bands, which I support wholeheartedly. It's the only way I can really keep up with the music scene from where I grew up, now that i've moved "out west".
I have one of the 600x series, and i just had the battery replaced in mine (it died completely). It happened FAST too. The performance was never stellar (I got an hour tops out of the thing), but after awhile, I noticed it slowly going down.. 45 minutes.. 40... 35... finally it just failed to recharge. This was within the space of a few months.
As for why, I have no idea. I generally kept the laptop plugged in, and only used the battery as a last resort. I got it replaced under the warranty, and the current one lasts a little over two hours, but I'm wondering how quickly that will diminish.
What's scary is, at least in the maritimes, you're not far off in how tim horton's is regarded (said as i sip my own morning tim's cafe mocha & choc. chip muffin)
I wouldn't be so keen on waking up on christmas morning to a chick wrapped in a bow under my tree either. :)
Especially not when I'm considering doing exactly that for my boyfriend
I'd love to see some more detailed technical information on this. It sounds like a great alternative to dialup in small, rural communities, where the only high speed alternative at the moment is the pricey satellite dish type.
Speeds, how it works, how it manages to NOT fry your PC during power outages (does it work during power outages?), are all questions I'd love to know the answers to...
If people bought albums in the 80's specifically for the purpose of taping them for their new toy the walkman, then isn't the same going to happen now ? We should see an increase in up tempo running/jogging music, with the advent of solid state MP3 players which are finally immune to jumping, skipping and damage from violent movement.
:)
heh. you're right there. I'm in marathon training for the Montreal 1/2 Marathon in April, and I post frequently on a runners' discussion forum. We're always having conversations about the best mp3 player for running, who's bought what CDs to listen to while they run, etc. My vote right now goes for the Nike PSA120, which I'm looking at buying once I hit week 10 of my training program, as a reward. That thing's just perfect for runners, and even comes with an arm band to wear it on
claudia
www.thaigem.com. They've got a great reputation, and you can get stones there for dirt cheap compared to elsewhere (loose, set, design your own, whatever). They'll also do custom settings if you email them a design, and the prices are great.
:)
Personally, as a woman, I find diamonds tacky on any female under 45. If I ever got engaged, I'd prefer something exotic, like a bi coloured tourmaline set in white gold... but that's me
It's worth checking into though, to see if she's flexible on it. There are so many beautiful gems out there that are just as nice as, and even nicer than, diamonds.
Tradition be damned.
I can totally sympathize. At my last job (i left a while ago thankfully.. bad bad bad place..), they insisted on flashing, animating, pop-up windowing, and blinking EVERYTHING.
The 'opt-in' (wink wink) emails they sent were the worst. The guy in charge of the text considered himself a 'designer' too, and because he was related to the boss (sigh), he would sit over the designer's shoulder and point to words and say 'Make that one BIGGER', 'Now emphasis this word. i want it BOLD and make it RED'. It ended up being one huge bold, size 5 font email with so much emphasis that NOTHING stood out.
I'm soooo glad i left. the place i work at now actually concentrates on one nice, useable, well designed site with emphasis on customer interaction, and actually DOES take measures to make sure that their newsletter mailing list only contains people that have specifically signed up for it, and promptly remove those who unsubscribe. it's good working at a place with a consciense.
It's not just you. The 'flip pad' thing had me thinking of a triple fold with a second, full sized display in the middle fold. Now THAT woulda been fun, and more than worth the exorbitant (sp?) price tag.
:P
This one.. gimmie a black marker and I can make an ugly line down the middle of a perfectly good screen too
Good point. I'm checking out some listings now... I don't order DVDs online much, but I should start... Found a copy of "The Dark Crystal" at Columbia House DVD which is just a thrill... and hey, if Barb Wire (one of their top selections!) can make it as a DVD, nothing will surprise me. Now I just have to find a copy of Labyrinth...
Yes VHS is on its way out. The worst problem with this is the eventual loss of films that will never be released on DVD.
You hit that one dead-on. I have a number of old videotapes that i love kicking around that will never make it. There isn't exactly a huge market in 80's teen chick flicks in the DVD genre *grins*.
I love the dvd releases for Harry Potter, Star Trek TNG, and just about any anime for the choices and menus (cant wait to grab Neon Genesis on DVD), but most of my old favourites just weren't popular enough or are too 'passé' to be released on DVD now. While geek favourites are almost guaranteed to make the transition, movies like "Heathers" and "The Breakfast Club" probably never will.
Showing my 80's girl upbringing bigtime here.
While I use and love my DVD player all the time (ST:TNG DVD collection is getting quite a workout), I still love my old VCR. Why? It was a convenient, all in one package. I could buy used VHS tapes for under $10 each at the local blockbuster, or pop in a blank cassette to record whatever program I wanted. No need for two seperate disc racks, and one less box to fiddle with in the entertainment centre.
Agreed, the quality isn't there. The picture and sound are completely inferior to DVD, and any new movies I buy will most likely be in DVD format. But until they can give me an affordable, recordable dvd player, VHS is a viable option for those who don't want to spend that much money on movies.
Add to that the number of videotapes i've purchased and recorded over the years, and the cost of replacing them all with DVDs, and I'll probably hang on to the old VCR for quite some time.
Having said all that, I am definately looking forward to a time when true HDTV, DVD-Rs, and PVRs are commonplace, and I can say goodbye to analog and poor signal quality forever. Of course, they still haven't figured out how to keep the sat dish from fizzling during thunder/snowstorms.
oh yes.. god forbid we should compromise our 'coolness' to preserve our health. Tell ya what.. when you're unable to type from shooting pains in your arms and hands, and you don't go looking for anything at all that can help you get rid of the pain, then you can talk to me about 'looking like a fag'.
if i wanted advice from the teenie-fashion police crowd, i woulda listened to them when i was 13 and actually gave a damn about what other people think of as 'cool'. And we won't even get into the homophobic angle. it's too pathetic.
for me, it's a bit of both.
i've been a programmer/graphics designer for about a decade now, and i have cts in both wrists (worse in the right from mouse work...), and I can tell you why right now: I don't know how to type properly.
Oh sure, i can bang away at 100 wpm, with very few typos, but my wrists are pressed flat against the table, which is just bad bad bad. Switching to an ergo keyboard helped, but not much.
The only thing that's helping me now is that i wear wrist supports on both arms that force my hands into the proper position. I've been wearing them for over a year now, and i rarely feel pain anymore. If i take them off for a few hours, then it starts to kick back in again. Something tells me i'll have to continue wearing them for a long time, at least until i train myself to type with proper wrist positioning.
Digital successors to the VCR that eliminate the frustration of recording television programs have crossed a popularity threshold, raising alarm among advertisers and TV executives who see the devices as a threat to the economics of commercial television.
the times they are a changin boys. get used to it. brick and mortar stores learned to augment their sales online, now it's time for you to get with the times and learn how to supplement with the pvrs. Use product placement instead. God knows we see enough of it now.
You're not going to hold it back. we all know that. I'm planning on buying a PVR as soon as possible... i never thought i would, but then my boyfriend gave me a dvd player for christmas. It's easier, more convenient, and fun than a VCR, and i'm betting PVRs are even better. i'm hooked on digital TV and now i want it all. ALL DAMN YOU!
Numbers like that have provoked gloomy pronouncements from industry executives. Some even come close to accusing habitual ad skippers of theft.
"The free television that we've all enjoyed for so many years is based on us watching these commercials," said Jamie C. Kellner, chief executive of Turner Broadcasting. "There's no Santa Claus. If you don't watch the commercials, someone's going to have to pay for television and it's going to be you."
Ok, this one pisses me off. So the $50 i pay a month for my satellite TV service is a gift from santa claus? how about the $5 i spend every time i want to watch a pay per view movie? or the $40 when my boyfriend wants to watch one of those silly wrestling specials? And don't get me started on the prices for pr0n!
TV has never been free for consumers. we pay for it, and we pay big. It might not look like a lot to someone who's making a six figure salary to bluster and spread FUD to the media, but to John Q. Public, $50 a month is a lot of money. Multiply that by the number of cable viewers in the country, and you get a nice fat number. I'm not sure how its all divvied up in the end, nor do i really care... if network exec salaries and stars getting $1 million a show are any indication, things aren't dire yet. (i realise not everyone pays that much for cable, and some pay more.. i'm just going by what i personally pay).
And FYI: I've seldom actually watched a commercial since i was 12. the only ones i'll actually stay still for now are those funny blockbuster ones with the guinea pig and the rabbit.. those i love. So maybe you can take a clue from that? If you made commercials entertaining instead of annoying and loud, perhaps more people would watch them.
Speaking of loud, that's another thing that pisses me off. Is it just me or have commercials gotten even LOUDER? I know they intentionally raise the volume a few knotches during commercials to get your attention, but it's at the point where as soon as the program cuts to commercial, i automatically hit 'mute'. Here's another hint: LOUDER ISN'T BETTER!
And that's my rant for today, May 23, 2002.
claudia
Um yah.. as a member of the fairer sex (yes that'd be women *shock*), i'd have to say.. anyone coming at me wearing one of those things doesn't stand much of a chance of getting a date, much less getting me to wear it.
Stick to flowers. your success rate will greatly improve.
I have my own policy when it comes to passwords and how difficult they are. It's all a matter of degree.
Our NT network uses a fairly weak password system to be honest (8 characters minimum, no uppercase or numbers required), which I find completely silly. I can use most dictionary words to log into my workstation in the morning, but I don't. Because I have admin access to my own machine, and access to a lot of other resources, I make sure my password is somewhat obscure by throwing in mixed-case and numbers where they wouldn't be expected.
Now, if you're talking about a silly login to the NYT website, and other assorted types of sites, I have a standard easy to remember password I use for it, completely seperate and apart from any of my other passwords. If anyone gets ahold of it or guesses it or whatever, the worst they can do is browse the NYT site on my login id. woo.
Then there's the big ones. Root access passwords to critical machines. Those are always completely obscure, meaningless, hard-to-remember strings (at least for anyone else... for me, they're associated with something I'm personally familiar with).
Unfortunately, it's not gonna happen. Why? Because the law moves slowly.
One of the first lessons I learned in law school (yes i admit, i was a law student before i started a real job in programming), is that the law is like a supertanker. Big, clumsy, awkward, and once you set a course, you'd better hope no icebergs get in the way, cause it's damned difficult to change course or stop.
Our common law system works kinda like a pecking order. The supreme courts are at the top of the order, and anything they say cannot be countermanded by lower courts. So the only way to even think about getting a law that's been given the stamp of approval by the highest court is to go through a lengthy and expensive round of appeals all the way up through the justice system. and that's only if they choose to hear the case in the end, and assuming they do hear it, that the majority changes their minds on their previous stance. They could just say 'we've already done this. we're not doing it again' and stop your appeal right there. Of course, by the time you get to this stage, most of the judges that heard the last case are probably dead of old age, and new ears are hearing it.
So, best case scenario you try and change a law that hasn't been brought to the supreme court yet. Unfortunately the ones backing laws like the DMCA are the big boys, with deep pockets, who can afford all the highly paid, specialized lawyers they want. Most of em just keep pushing knowing that the little guy doesn't have the time or money to keep up with them. They can appeal all the way up the ladder, and wait for you to run out of money and patience. When/if that happens, they automatically win.
Personally, I'm completely pessimistic about seeing any real changes coming our way anytime soon. It's in the best interests of the government (they do get paid to make laws like this after all), courts (who get paid to interpret the laws), and big business (who get to keep their stranglehold on everyone else) to keep things just as they are.
Having studied law in a previous incarnation, I think we should look at the ramifications of such actions before beginning the slaughter.
1st, we'd decimate the government. As we all know. most of em have at least some kind of legal training.
2nd, we'd lose the entire justice system. Everyone would be gone except for the cops. And who'd keep them in line?
3rd, we'd certainly end up living in a rampant, copyright infringing society where p2p ruled all.
Having said all this, I say we start at the student level and work our way up. That way, we get some practice in on the lower echelons before moving up to the big time. Now where'd I store my shotgun shells...?
Don't give up hope yet.. not everyone out there is completely apathetic (though the majority are pure sheep). it's because of things like this that my next hardware purchase will be a mac (new or powerbook.. going to the store next week!).
I don't know... Apple gets some bad press because of their stringent defense of the "Aqua" and general mac look, but in general I have less trouble spending $4k on a mac than $2k on a notebook and seeing MS BS every time I turn around...
That and well, macs are just so pretty!
Take solace in the fact that there are some people out there who are turning away from Windows, either to *nix or OSX. It's slow, but it's happening...
*heads off to dream of shiny new titanium powerbook...*
time to burn off some karma.
Whatever happened to the parents keeping the control?
nowadays, every time Junior gets a fucking scratch, the goverment is called upon to legislate the big baddies that caused it.
Here's a hint: Maybe if the parents were watching what the kids did more closely (in a friendly adult way, not a paranoid, big brother is watching way), and interacting with them instead of letting the computer/tv babysit, we wouldn't be where we are today.
Now, take what i say with a grain of salt. I am NOT pro-child by any means (i don't like em, i don't want em near me, and i dont want to have any. ever.). but i do think that those who take the plunge and decide to have kids should fucking well live up to the responsibility and not pass the buck to the goverment to legislate the whole world. Am i saying that most parents are like this? Maybe not.. but a whole helluva lot are.
i swear it makes me grit my teeth every time i see one of these crying 'mommies' on tv talking about the evils of product x or item y that caused their lil darling precious to do something to hurt/off themselves or others. Guess what mommy... maybe if you'd been there with precious instead of watching soaps or chatting on the phone or whatever, they'd still be around. And if you choose not to exercise your parental responsibilities, don't place the onus on me or the goverment to do it for you. natural selection is a bitch isn't it.