Have many unique login names all digg the same posted stories. It doesn't need to be unique people, just IDs. For instance, the military could decide to task a single soldier with this, spending hours (if that long) to up the digg count on what they want. Actually, forget that. A computer could be automated to do this quite easily. -- Login, +digg, logout, repeat with different ID.
"Pro-Guantanamo stories on Digg? What could the content of those possibly be? What possible pros exist?"
It'd depend on the spin and or truth of the stories. Use your imagination here. Lemme try a few:
"Gitmo detainees have better living conditions that prisoners in the US"
"Incredible levels of cheerfulness and glee found in Gitmo residents."
"Guantanamo tenants have unlimited supply to Havana cigars!"
"Twenty-five terror plots discovered and halted due to Gitmo interrogations."
"Rate of conversion to Christianity found to be the worldwide greatest in Guantanamo"
"Castro visits Gitmo. Heard to say "This is nicer than MY place!""
Like I said -- the "pros" depends on the spin/truth of the stories.
"Wikipedia is a propaganda tool."
No. However, it is a tool that can be used to spread propaganda. Similarly, one can use a screwdriver to stab someone, yet the screwdriver itself is not a killing tool.
"Wikipedia has very little in the way of genuine quality, independence or accuracy..."
Of course, that's debatable. There are many articles about many topics that are completely unbiased and completely accurate. The articles that are questionable are typically the ones involving current affairs, politics, and religion.
"Don't blame the Government... for the propaganda, they are only doing their jobs."
Since when has propaganda been part of the job definition of any (democratic) government?
There's no "church" mentioned at all - only religion in general.
Note that the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791. Furthermore, only six years later (1797) the Treaty of Tripoli was Unanimously ratified by the President and Senate. Of interest here is Article 11: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_tripoli#Article_11
Which is where I'm guessing you get the "liberal lie" about the USGovt specifically stating that the USGovt is not tied to any religious tradition. Iteresting that the then President, the then Senate, and the then US population seemed to have no issue with this.
I'm surprised that noone's brought this up. From TFA:
Given their level of purity, the high-quality SWCNTs made using Benavides's discovery are particularly well suited for medical applications, where metal particles cannot be present, as well as applications where high strength and electrical conductivity are desired, since high purity enhances these characteristics. Yet, they can be used in other applications as well.
Plus they seem to be less expensive, more safe, and easier to produce this way.
Does this work help move us closer to what is needed for a Space Elevator cable?
From what I understand, the SE cable is the only part we don't know how to construct; the other technology exists or can rather quickly if/when needed.
This is like saying that Rock sucks if you're listening to a high-school garage band tuning up. Jazz is more than "soft" stuff that you probably associate it with. (like anything by Kenny G. which does, in fact, suck.)
Jazz has so many different genres inside of it. You should seriously look at some of the non-soft ones. Namely, Bebop and Free Jazz. Take a listen to Charlie Parker's "Ko Ko" from over 50 years ago. Insane chops on all the players. (Fast, hard... not soft.) Want something modern? Medeski, Martin and Wood albums are a start. (jam-based funky jazz)
Also, although you might consider it "soft" it should be considered "cool," - Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue." That's the album I buy for folks who "hate jazz" and all have enjoyed that album and opened up to Jazz after that. (Plus, all women I've introduced that to now love the thing.)
But perhaps I'm wrong, and you'll just continue to stagnate with Korn, or DethKlok, or whatever...
Go will make them think on multiple "levels" using both right and left brain.
Go teaches pattern recognition and spatial skills.
Go is scalable down to reasonable sizes (smaller boards) for children.
Go can be taught to a 5yo in an afternoon. (takes a lifetime to master)
Go is played online by people from around the world. (Exposure to different cultures.)
Go can be played in 20 mins (small board, or fast playing) so it is not a timesink (your ~5 hrs/week)
Go has a simple handicap system - so weaker players can play stronger without complication.
Because it is so simple to implement, any old PC can run the software.
(example, java client here: http://www.gokgs.com/ )
Since it is based on a board game, it can also be played in the physical during "family time," trips, or whatnot.
And, though I hate to say this -- there is a popular anime called "Hiraku no Go" that has introduced many many people to the world's oldest continued played board game. ( basic premise: A child (named Hikaru) finds an old goban (the board) that's possessed by the ghost of an ancient Go player. The ghost teaches Hikaru to play the game.) So perhaps you could rent the DVDs and the kids would become interested in the game. (Personally, I've never seen a single episode.)
Black holes can't be seen, because all matter and light that enters them is trapped. So black holes are detected by noting their gravitational effects on nearby stars or on material that swirls around them.
The companion star of M33 X-7 passes directly in front of the black hole as seen from Earth once every three days, completely eclipsing its X-ray emissions.
OK, I have a basic understanding of the x-rays produced, but seriously, shouldn't the above confuse most lay-people who might read the article?
1) E-M radiation is trapped within a black hole.
2) Oh, except it produces X-rays... so ignore 1. (sometimes)
So even though black holes can't be seen, black-holes CAN be "seen," kind of.
Which is it?
Is this bad reporting, or am I just too drunk to tell the difference?
This begs the question: Did you get a "remastered" CD?
The re-releases do sound better - more clean, etc. Jimmy Page is an obsessive sound engineer.
But... perhaps you did. That's probably as good as they're ever going to sound.
Online stuff sound better? Ha? It'll be MP3s - low bitrates with bad artifacts and all.
The best you could hope for is to buy FLAC (or other lossless formats) that'd be CD quality.
It's all a part of the era they were recorded in. Heck, I love Zepp as well, but what can you do?
I love old jazz (Charlie Parker, etc.) that was recorded in mono. Even the "best" copies sound like something you could have recorded on Fischer-Price kids stuff nowadays. Just deal with the quality, enjoy the music.
>> the only "major" religion that has come along in the past hundreds of years was inspired by a science fiction writer.
You consider Scientology to be a "major" religion? I just thought it gets a lot of attention.
>> The idea of god in a RELIGIOUS sense (and, in some cases, in a spiritual sense) has absolutely no place in a modern soceity.
How can you make that assumption? Tell that to the 97 some odd percent of people in the world. I'd say that "god" does have a very large place in the world. (Unless you mean that we should be trying to rid the earth of the notion of god.)
>> If jesus showed up now instead of 2000 years ago, he would have been commited to an asylum
Why? First: People like David Koresh, currently that latino dude (forget his name,) and many others have claimed themselves to be the returned Jesus. They weren't institutionalized. Instead, they developed a following. Second: Would a modern-day Jesus appear in modernized lands? People generally make the assumption that his 2nd coming is gonna be in either THEIR neck of the woods or around Jerusalem. Why wouldn't he appear in, say, Darfur or Bahgdad or Siberia or whereever else?
Third: Perhaps a modern day Jesus would perform modern-day "miracles."
Ok, so it isn't the quite the same... but it sounds similar to the "Penfield Mood Organ" from "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"
If it doesn't harm the brain, sign me up for one. As a born-again atheist (raised in a religious household,) I'd like to have some of those euphoric "divine" feelings that I've never experienced - even if I know its just electrically induced.
1. Posed questions about OS4 included being able to "create reliable OS4 compatible hardware," "new hardware," "OS4 capable hardware." For OS5 the question/answer was "7) What kind of hardware will OS5 be designed for?" - "OS5 scales to its host hardware, so anything from mobile phones through stbs, consoles up to servers. Initially covering software hosts Windows-D, Windows Mobile, Linux-D, Linux-E and Symbian for x86 and ARM, and possibly any high profile hardware host."
2. Look at this Q/A: "19) Will OS5 be a completly [sic] independent OS, or will it be hosted on some other platform?" - "Details will be given out to the public later this year."
Actually... most of his answers are like that. Either "no comment," "Wait and see," or "see the answer from before which was either 'no comment' or 'wait and see.'"
Seems like a rather pointless article, unless you're a real current Amiga fan. I hope that this information excites all three of them.
If she has the money or contacts, she'll appeal. The RIAA would have if the decision was the opposite.
The $/song is insane. What I find worrisome is that this might convince some (perhaps innocent) people to settle out of court much more quickly, seeing as how the average there is around $3500.
>>Curious, I don't see or hear of the RIAA suing anyone for this massive theft of sharing CD's.
It was in the leaked Media Defender emails, IIRC. Actually, I think that the numbers were closer to 85% CD trading, 15% P2P transfers.
True though, that you don't see big lawsuits from physical trades - but mind you how difficult that would be to enforce. How would you catch people? Sting operations? Surveillance? It is gobs easier to have computers do automated searching and track IP addys. There's a trail to track - unlike you taking your best friend's CD home overnight.
>>I don't even hear them talking about it.
But you do hear about them doing things that would hinder it, right? DRM? Sony rootkit?
>>This is an industry plan to wipe out Fair Use, plain and simple.
Well... that might very well be (esp. with the witness saying that copying one's own property for one's own use is piracy,) but the lawsuit is definitely targeting the idea of actual copyright infringement.
(Aside, the tape-vs-mp3 thing... it'd depend on the cassette quality, the hardware, etc. It really doesn't take that many tape generations to notice significant degradation. Tape tends to stretch and wear out (physical contact with the read head) over time. Also it'll depend on the bitrate of the mp3. Quality doesn't just mean loss, but includes it as well as noise, encoding artifacts, etc... but I'm wandering.)
The lawsuit isn't questioning true Fair Use. It is about transferral of songs that people don't have bought ownership to. Think old-school... Libraries. You are allowed to photocopy a couple pages of a book (Fair Use) but not allowed to copy huge sections of it - the photocopies are also lossy. Same idea here. Fair Use should let you use/copy/transfer 30-secs (or whatever) of any song - not entire songs, certainly not entire albums.
A virtually worthless MP3 is subjective. But... argh, hate to bring it up... its not too hard to trade lossless CD bit-perfect quality over the net anymore. ( http://www.mininova.org/search/?search=flac Note: dig the ones EAC was used on!)
Again, the "best" music is subjective. Some people love Brittany Spears, while others (like myself) find her to be completely devoid of any musical ability, let alone innovation. (btw, I do love archive.org.)
Hey, I'm not trying to defend the actions of the RIAA. I think they're some of the biggest wankers out there. They screw us over with their tactics and, perhaps more importantly, they screw the artists over with their contracts.
I didn't think my initial post would lead the talk this way. *sigh* I'm done with this thread... flame on!
Conflate? no. Point out the relationship between two independent technologies? Yes.
Digital music & Digital devices. They already speak the same language. It is most assuredly easier to copy/trade/pirate music now. Simple. No "special device" (patch cable?) needed. No lengthy time required. Plop a CD into PC - open some app up - press "rip" - wait 5 mins - voila, done.
Ignore my initial mentioning of bit-perfect copies if you need to. It was a side-note in my original response.
>>Kazaa is the important element here, not the CD format.
Again, the music industry seems to think that 80%+ of illegal copies are made directly from CD sharing, not P2P nets. Kazaa is the important element in the trial; music sales in digital formats are the important element in modern trading overall.
Regardless, to narrow it down, what I commented on from your original post:
>>I don't even really know if piracy is any worse than the tape swapping days
And now:
>>The propagation rate was just a little slower and there were tighter limits on what you could send around.
Today, (Much much) faster propagation (other side of the planet in seconds) and almost zero limits on trading (ownership of a PC?) Common sense indicates that piracy is worse (more prevalent) now.
My apologies. I thought it was rather apparent, esp. to the/. crowd, that piracy certainly has increased since the CD/MP3/P2P age. (In court, I want "proof" as well.)
I think that quality certainly IS relevant - at least it is important to the music industry. They didn't push the tape-swap issue this (mp3) hard due to the degradation of each swap. It also seems relevant on the hardware side, since more DAP devices (iPod, Zune, etc.) are implementing lossless decoders.
Not that I ever made the comment, suggestion, or put forth the argument that "perfect copies matter." (However, they do for me, when possible.) But the fact that pirates do indeed buy-at-zero-cost does not imply that quality does not matter. If someone takes a 32 kbps mp3 at zero-cost, that does not necessarily mean that they'd not prefer a 64 kbps rip... or 128, or 256, etc. Sometimes people just grab the best thing that they can find at the moment.
>>Yes, people pirated music with wanton abandon even before the CD.
My point being: And now, due to digital technology (much better SNR, networking, etc.) even MORE people do so.
>>You do realize that blank audio cassettes were widely available during the "analog age". What do you think
people did with those?
Of course I do - which is how I was able to discuss them in my first reply. I also mentioned what they did with them - were forced to trade physical media (much like how CDs are the transport mechanism for most "theft" nowadays.)
And since the rest seems to imply that I'm clueless about the tape-swapping days: Dual decks' only purpose were to copy original or copied tapes and/or make mix-tapes. Think back to those good-old days. Sure, a mono Realistic cassette recorder could "copy" audio if placed next to a speaker - if that's all that was available. However, if someone had a copy made that way and was then given a copy of a stereo recording using a patch cable, they'd prefer it. Similarly, people would junk their 12th generation mix-tape if they had access to the first one. (Noise and such is also a factor when comparing quality - not just bit-perfection.)
>>BTW, I still have VHS movie soundbites recorded in that fashion that I still have and use.
And, given the opportuniy, wouldn't you use better recorded samples if you had the chance? (FWIW, I've recorded stuff with mono tape decks next to the built in speaker of an ancient turntable. Heck, I've got some reel-to-reel recordings as well.)
>>It's the rise of ubiquitous network computing that did in the radio star.
So... you're basically agreeing with me then: it is patently obvious to the technologically knowledgeable that P2P networks made this super simple and have increased music copyright infringement. You wanted proof that this was the case, and then you concur? All I added was that most of the current piracy seems to (still) be people continuing to trade physical media (and using software that comes with their OS or DAP devices to make the copies.)
Slashdot Mirror
Have many unique login names all digg the same posted stories. It doesn't need to be unique people, just IDs. For instance, the military could decide to task a single soldier with this, spending hours (if that long) to up the digg count on what they want. Actually, forget that. A computer could be automated to do this quite easily. -- Login, +digg, logout, repeat with different ID.
"Pro-Guantanamo stories on Digg? What could the content of those possibly be? What possible pros exist?"
It'd depend on the spin and or truth of the stories. Use your imagination here. Lemme try a few:
"Gitmo detainees have better living conditions that prisoners in the US"
"Incredible levels of cheerfulness and glee found in Gitmo residents."
"Guantanamo tenants have unlimited supply to Havana cigars!"
"Twenty-five terror plots discovered and halted due to Gitmo interrogations."
"Rate of conversion to Christianity found to be the worldwide greatest in Guantanamo"
"Castro visits Gitmo. Heard to say "This is nicer than MY place!""
Like I said -- the "pros" depends on the spin/truth of the stories.
Yes, it is news when it is shown that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread mis/dis-information. Furthermore, it should always be news.
Or do you propose that people should just accept the fact that the government does do these things and that we should ignore it?
"Wikipedia is a propaganda tool."
... for the propaganda, they are only doing their jobs."
No. However, it is a tool that can be used to spread propaganda. Similarly, one can use a screwdriver to stab someone, yet the screwdriver itself is not a killing tool.
"Wikipedia has very little in the way of genuine quality, independence or accuracy..."
Of course, that's debatable. There are many articles about many topics that are completely unbiased and completely accurate. The articles that are questionable are typically the ones involving current affairs, politics, and religion.
"Don't blame the Government
Since when has propaganda been part of the job definition of any (democratic) government?
There's a big difference between the government invading the privacy of individuals versus individuals monitoring what their government does.
nt
I'll assume by "schools" that you really mean "public schools" (since private schools can/do teach religion.)
What the Constituion DOES say is : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution
There's no "church" mentioned at all - only religion in general.
Note that the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791. Furthermore, only six years later (1797) the Treaty of Tripoli was Unanimously ratified by the President and Senate. Of interest here is Article 11: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_tripoli#Article_11
Which is where I'm guessing you get the "liberal lie" about the USGovt specifically stating that the USGovt is not tied to any religious tradition. Iteresting that the then President, the then Senate, and the then US population seemed to have no issue with this.
Plus they seem to be less expensive, more safe, and easier to produce this way.
Does this work help move us closer to what is needed for a Space Elevator cable?
From what I understand, the SE cable is the only part we don't know how to construct; the other technology exists or can rather quickly if/when needed.
Are you thinking the same thing that I am?
The Puppy Channel might come to fruition!
OMFPuppies!!~1
Having the cutest team member!
http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/Teams/TeamAnnieway.asp
Wow, yeah, and I'm sorry too. There was sarcasm in my response as well. If only I could spend these mod points modding myself down.
/offtopic, I realize...
This is like saying that Rock sucks if you're listening to a high-school garage band tuning up.
Jazz is more than "soft" stuff that you probably associate it with. (like anything by Kenny G. which does, in fact, suck.)
Jazz has so many different genres inside of it. You should seriously look at some of the non-soft ones. Namely, Bebop and Free Jazz. Take a listen to Charlie Parker's "Ko Ko" from over 50 years ago. Insane chops on all the players. (Fast, hard... not soft.) Want something modern? Medeski, Martin and Wood albums are a start. (jam-based funky jazz)
Also, although you might consider it "soft" it should be considered "cool," - Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue." That's the album I buy for folks who "hate jazz" and all have enjoyed that album and opened up to Jazz after that. (Plus, all women I've introduced that to now love the thing.)
But perhaps I'm wrong, and you'll just continue to stagnate with Korn, or DethKlok, or whatever...
your post seems so off-topic... not sure why I bother to respond.
stop using Azureus WHY? Because you said please?
Speed comparable to uTorrent? Isn't torrent speed indifferent to the client used?
Go.
Seriously. I suggest it for anyone/everyone for multiple reasons.
For a quick read on why a child should learn the game:
http://users.eniinternet.com/bradleym/ChildGo.html
Go will make them think on multiple "levels" using both right and left brain.
Go teaches pattern recognition and spatial skills.
Go is scalable down to reasonable sizes (smaller boards) for children.
Go can be taught to a 5yo in an afternoon. (takes a lifetime to master)
Go is played online by people from around the world. (Exposure to different cultures.)
Go can be played in 20 mins (small board, or fast playing) so it is not a timesink (your ~5 hrs/week) Go has a simple handicap system - so weaker players can play stronger without complication.
If your children are gifted, Go can be even more useful:
http://users.eniinternet.com/bradleym/Gifted.html
Because it is so simple to implement, any old PC can run the software.
(example, java client here: http://www.gokgs.com/ )
Since it is based on a board game, it can also be played in the physical during "family time," trips, or whatnot.
And, though I hate to say this -- there is a popular anime called "Hiraku no Go" that has introduced many many people to the world's oldest continued played board game. ( basic premise: A child (named Hikaru) finds an old goban (the board) that's possessed by the ghost of an ancient Go player. The ghost teaches Hikaru to play the game.) So perhaps you could rent the DVDs and the kids would become interested in the game. (Personally, I've never seen a single episode.)
Some other links that might interest you:
More about the game: http://users.eniinternet.com/bradleym/
Quick learn-to-play guide: http://playgo.to/interactive/
If they enjoy the game, it'll be something that they will play for the rest of their lives!
(And it also seems to help the elderly.)
Seriously -- Go
OK, I have a basic understanding of the x-rays produced, but seriously, shouldn't the above confuse most lay-people who might read the article?
1) E-M radiation is trapped within a black hole.
2) Oh, except it produces X-rays... so ignore 1. (sometimes)
So even though black holes can't be seen, black-holes CAN be "seen," kind of.
Which is it?
Is this bad reporting, or am I just too drunk to tell the difference?
And I wish that we could make small edits after we've previewed 2x and submitted, only to realize oneself that a phrase was misused.
/agree - it "raised" not "begged"
*previews this response 3x*
Chairs, man! Chairs!
This begs the question: Did you get a "remastered" CD?
The re-releases do sound better - more clean, etc. Jimmy Page is an obsessive sound engineer.
But... perhaps you did. That's probably as good as they're ever going to sound.
Online stuff sound better? Ha? It'll be MP3s - low bitrates with bad artifacts and all.
The best you could hope for is to buy FLAC (or other lossless formats) that'd be CD quality.
It's all a part of the era they were recorded in. Heck, I love Zepp as well, but what can you do?
I love old jazz (Charlie Parker, etc.) that was recorded in mono. Even the "best" copies sound like something you could have recorded on Fischer-Price kids stuff nowadays. Just deal with the quality, enjoy the music.
>> naturally, we need a X-prize for this problem: a competition for a sex robot that can pass a sexual Turing test.
Uhm... I suggest the name "The XXX-Prize"
hrmm... I'm not sure why I'm even replying here.
>> the only "major" religion that has come along in the past hundreds of years was inspired by a science fiction writer.
You consider Scientology to be a "major" religion? I just thought it gets a lot of attention.
>> The idea of god in a RELIGIOUS sense (and, in some cases, in a spiritual sense) has absolutely no place in a modern soceity.
How can you make that assumption? Tell that to the 97 some odd percent of people in the world. I'd say that "god" does have a very large place in the world. (Unless you mean that we should be trying to rid the earth of the notion of god.)
>> If jesus showed up now instead of 2000 years ago, he would have been commited to an asylum
Why? First: People like David Koresh, currently that latino dude (forget his name,) and many others have claimed themselves to be the returned Jesus. They weren't institutionalized. Instead, they developed a following. Second: Would a modern-day Jesus appear in modernized lands? People generally make the assumption that his 2nd coming is gonna be in either THEIR neck of the woods or around Jerusalem. Why wouldn't he appear in, say, Darfur or Bahgdad or Siberia or whereever else? Third: Perhaps a modern day Jesus would perform modern-day "miracles."
BTW, I'm just playing the Devil's Advocate here.
Ok, so it isn't the quite the same... but it sounds similar to the "Penfield Mood Organ" from "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"
If it doesn't harm the brain, sign me up for one. As a born-again atheist (raised in a religious household,) I'd like to have some of those euphoric "divine" feelings that I've never experienced - even if I know its just electrically induced.
(And yes, I've tried recreational chemistry.)
So I browsed it quickly, since I became curious:
1. Posed questions about OS4 included being able to "create reliable OS4 compatible hardware," "new hardware," "OS4 capable hardware." For OS5 the question/answer was "7) What kind of hardware will OS5 be designed for?" - "OS5 scales to its host hardware, so anything from mobile phones through stbs, consoles up to servers. Initially covering software hosts Windows-D, Windows Mobile, Linux-D, Linux-E and Symbian for x86 and ARM, and possibly any high profile hardware host."
2. Look at this Q/A: "19) Will OS5 be a completly [sic] independent OS, or will it be hosted on some other platform?" - "Details will be given out to the public later this year."
Actually... most of his answers are like that. Either "no comment," "Wait and see," or "see the answer from before which was either 'no comment' or 'wait and see.'"
Seems like a rather pointless article, unless you're a real current Amiga fan. I hope that this information excites all three of them.
If she has the money or contacts, she'll appeal. The RIAA would have if the decision was the opposite.
The $/song is insane. What I find worrisome is that this might convince some (perhaps innocent) people to settle out of court much more quickly, seeing as how the average there is around $3500.
>>Curious, I don't see or hear of the RIAA suing anyone for this massive theft of sharing CD's.
... argh, hate to bring it up ... its not too hard to trade lossless CD bit-perfect quality over the net anymore. ( http://www.mininova.org/search/?search=flac Note: dig the ones EAC was used on!)
It was in the leaked Media Defender emails, IIRC. Actually, I think that the numbers were closer to 85% CD trading, 15% P2P transfers.
True though, that you don't see big lawsuits from physical trades - but mind you how difficult that would be to enforce. How would you catch people? Sting operations? Surveillance? It is gobs easier to have computers do automated searching and track IP addys. There's a trail to track - unlike you taking your best friend's CD home overnight.
>>I don't even hear them talking about it.
But you do hear about them doing things that would hinder it, right? DRM? Sony rootkit?
>>This is an industry plan to wipe out Fair Use, plain and simple.
Well... that might very well be (esp. with the witness saying that copying one's own property for one's own use is piracy,) but the lawsuit is definitely targeting the idea of actual copyright infringement.
(Aside, the tape-vs-mp3 thing... it'd depend on the cassette quality, the hardware, etc. It really doesn't take that many tape generations to notice significant degradation. Tape tends to stretch and wear out (physical contact with the read head) over time. Also it'll depend on the bitrate of the mp3. Quality doesn't just mean loss, but includes it as well as noise, encoding artifacts, etc... but I'm wandering.)
The lawsuit isn't questioning true Fair Use. It is about transferral of songs that people don't have bought ownership to. Think old-school... Libraries. You are allowed to photocopy a couple pages of a book (Fair Use) but not allowed to copy huge sections of it - the photocopies are also lossy. Same idea here. Fair Use should let you use/copy/transfer 30-secs (or whatever) of any song - not entire songs, certainly not entire albums.
A virtually worthless MP3 is subjective. But
Again, the "best" music is subjective. Some people love Brittany Spears, while others (like myself) find her to be completely devoid of any musical ability, let alone innovation. (btw, I do love archive.org.)
Hey, I'm not trying to defend the actions of the RIAA. I think they're some of the biggest wankers out there. They screw us over with their tactics and, perhaps more importantly, they screw the artists over with their contracts.
I didn't think my initial post would lead the talk this way. *sigh* I'm done with this thread... flame on!
Conflate? no. Point out the relationship between two independent technologies? Yes.
Digital music & Digital devices. They already speak the same language. It is most assuredly easier to copy/trade/pirate music now. Simple. No "special device" (patch cable?) needed. No lengthy time required. Plop a CD into PC - open some app up - press "rip" - wait 5 mins - voila, done.
Ignore my initial mentioning of bit-perfect copies if you need to. It was a side-note in my original response.
>>Kazaa is the important element here, not the CD format.
Again, the music industry seems to think that 80%+ of illegal copies are made directly from CD sharing, not P2P nets. Kazaa is the important element in the trial; music sales in digital formats are the important element in modern trading overall.
Regardless, to narrow it down, what I commented on from your original post:
>>I don't even really know if piracy is any worse than the tape swapping days
And now:
>>The propagation rate was just a little slower and there were tighter limits on what you could send around.
Today, (Much much) faster propagation (other side of the planet in seconds) and almost zero limits on trading (ownership of a PC?) Common sense indicates that piracy is worse (more prevalent) now.
>> HELL Yes.
/. crowd, that piracy certainly has increased since the CD/MP3/P2P age. (In court, I want "proof" as well.)
... or 128, or 256, etc. Sometimes people just grab the best thing that they can find at the moment.
My apologies. I thought it was rather apparent, esp. to the
I think that quality certainly IS relevant - at least it is important to the music industry. They didn't push the tape-swap issue this (mp3) hard due to the degradation of each swap. It also seems relevant on the hardware side, since more DAP devices (iPod, Zune, etc.) are implementing lossless decoders.
Not that I ever made the comment, suggestion, or put forth the argument that "perfect copies matter." (However, they do for me, when possible.) But the fact that pirates do indeed buy-at-zero-cost does not imply that quality does not matter. If someone takes a 32 kbps mp3 at zero-cost, that does not necessarily mean that they'd not prefer a 64 kbps rip
>>Yes, people pirated music with wanton abandon even before the CD.
My point being: And now, due to digital technology (much better SNR, networking, etc.) even MORE people do so.
>>You do realize that blank audio cassettes were widely available during the "analog age". What do you think people did with those?
Of course I do - which is how I was able to discuss them in my first reply. I also mentioned what they did with them - were forced to trade physical media (much like how CDs are the transport mechanism for most "theft" nowadays.)
And since the rest seems to imply that I'm clueless about the tape-swapping days: Dual decks' only purpose were to copy original or copied tapes and/or make mix-tapes. Think back to those good-old days. Sure, a mono Realistic cassette recorder could "copy" audio if placed next to a speaker - if that's all that was available. However, if someone had a copy made that way and was then given a copy of a stereo recording using a patch cable, they'd prefer it. Similarly, people would junk their 12th generation mix-tape if they had access to the first one. (Noise and such is also a factor when comparing quality - not just bit-perfection.)
>>BTW, I still have VHS movie soundbites recorded in that fashion that I still have and use.
And, given the opportuniy, wouldn't you use better recorded samples if you had the chance? (FWIW, I've recorded stuff with mono tape decks next to the built in speaker of an ancient turntable. Heck, I've got some reel-to-reel recordings as well.)
>>It's the rise of ubiquitous network computing that did in the radio star.
So... you're basically agreeing with me then: it is patently obvious to the technologically knowledgeable that P2P networks made this super simple and have increased music copyright infringement. You wanted proof that this was the case, and then you concur? All I added was that most of the current piracy seems to (still) be people continuing to trade physical media (and using software that comes with their OS or DAP devices to make the copies.)