Its intent, as some of us never get tired of pointing out, is to promote science and the useful arts...
That's its (over)stated intent. It's not in any way its true intent. Its intent at the time was to reduce the publuc's access to a printing press. And reduce the volume of criticism against government and corporate authorities. It gives our great industrialists the ability to mete out human progess with each successive model year, or with "new and improved", "whiter than white". It's why superior computer chips(Alpha...imagine the mac with a few of those) are under IP lockdown, while we are left with the crumbs(Intel). It's why we fly in kerosene burning jalopies instead of something as safe as an elevator where you just push a button to select your destination. There is no way of knowing how badly it has slowed us down. It could be anywhere from 50 years to 5,000 years, or more. But make no mistake, it is nothing more than just another tool used by the authorities to maintain their power with something a bit more appealing than bombs and bullets.
We can put an end to copyright the moment we quit buying copyrighted products. We can restrict interest rates buy controlling our use of credit. All the real copyright issues going through the courts right now are amongst corporate elephants. The present cases against the consumer are to keep us blind to the fact we don't need copyright. For now the "violators" will have to stay completely underground and work anonymously. They will have to use wireless mesh, VPN, etc. to keep their communications secure. Of course this will a bit more difficult for hardware contraband, as it is becoming more clear with the present torturer in chief, and future ones, that they will use nukes to protect IP law. But IP law is the symptom, not the disease. And while we may be able to defeat it. We really need to go after the powerful people that create these kinds of things that simply exist to restrict our essential freedoms. We desperately need to remove their authority. Then things like copyright and travel restrictions will whither and die, as they should.
...but I don't *CARE* what could be happening to someone else that maybe the "worst possible thing". News flash: people always have and always will do nasty things to each other.
Yes, that's true of course. But your tax dollars are hard at work paying for those nasty things. For the first time that I am aware of, there is an American President who openly wants the authority to kidnap and torture people. That's something you shouldn't ignore. They can't exist without our support. Try to minimize it any way you can.
Content, in these cases, is entertainment. We don't need it. We are simply addicted to it. We bend over very willingly to get it, just like any other addict. We will rob and steal, and even kill for it. But we don't need it. Just look at that silly stuff about the Sony console and their dopey "hi-def"(or whatever HD means there) cars. They get away with it because we suck it up. That's how much we are willing to do whatever it takes for diversion. As far as I'm concerned, they can keep it. And I honestly don't give a damn if the whole internet gets turned off. They know where they can stuff their content. The guys up on stage at the local bar provide plenty for me. The whole compter thing is a convenient, easy source of income, but if it all goes away tomorrow, well, then, I guess it's back to turning wrenches. The rest of you all seem to be stuck in some kind of bear trap by all this pissing and moaning I hear about copyright. I took it all serious for a while myself, but I'm over it. You still might hear me bitch about it sometimes, but in reality, I don't give a damn. Just like with taxes, I adjust. Raise the tax, I raise my rates. I can live without Sony, and Britney. Copyright is a corporate issue. All the real money goes to the lawyers. The only thing I really fear now is that the things we allow people to do physically to each other now, you(editorial) will let them do to me. We are totally unprotected. That is scary. Dave Letterman once said, just think of the worst thing possible one human can do to another, and then realize that somewhere, somebody is doing that and much worse. Think about that for a while, and all the energy wasted arguing about copyright is quite trivial, and really is nothing more than a distraction. Ignore it, feel free to build on the works of others, and we might climb out of the stone age for real.
...and hopefully this case will be high-profile enough to get people asking questions about this stuff
I wouldn't count on it. The world has acquired a few other items over the last five years that need much more urgent attention. I don't think copyright is that high on the list. Nor should it be. It is an issue for the corporations to fight out. Quit buying their products, build bullet-proof servers, and the issue will disappear into the night. It is so petty to the point of being ridiculous. We need to concentrate on stopping the torturing and the wars, and putting our governments into their proper place as public servants.
Let's just shut down the net. Damn thing has been nothing but trouble since the beginning. We probably should outlaw all communications that don't provide more income for the content "owners". That means no more printing, writing, singing, painting, talking...anything. If we don't want to give all our money to these damn people, we should shut the hell up, right?
And put in your earplugs put on your eyeshades you know where to put the cork...
the general public couldn't be trusted not to crash the things left and right.
Or up and down...I would hope that by the time these things were operational, that they wouldn't need a driver. It should be that you just tell it where you want to end up, and it will do the rest. Think elevators. Push the button and you're off. Anything less simply wouldn't work out. But I'm sure personal injury attornies and the insurance companies will lobby against it, because of the vastly reduced need for either of them.
Cars in our society really served her well. She is dead. Maybe we should eliminate cars to eliminate traffic fatalities?
No, just eliminate the driver:-) Somebody else tried that lame arguement on me before. When we have known ways to make them safer we are obligated to use them. Cars simply need to be made as automatic as an elevators. That alone will save hundreds of thousands of lives. We are not pushing hard enough for these measures. We are not controling our police adequately. That is my point. I never said to eliminate them.But we must watch over them much more carefully. I don't think disarming them is such a bad idea. There are plenty of ways to subdue a person or group. I don't believe we should compare anything to what is happening in Brazil. I don't hear them being all preachy about "freedom and justice for all".Just because we may have the "best" system, doesn't mean we shouldn't try to perfect it. That applies now more than ever. Right now there are too many that believe that there is no such thing as self defense against a cop. That is wrong no matter where you are. When the bullets are flying, there isn't much time to arrange an appearance in front of a judge.
Uh, are you trolling now?
No, I'm simply pointing out a bad attitude that is spreading.
That would be a good start. So what are you saying? That it's ok to let rogue cops loose on the streets because other places are worse? Is it a numbers game to you also? Oh, we're so much better than Brazil, so it's perfectly ok to kill off a few innocents. Especially if they're non whites. Those cops would have been hung up high if they killed a rich, influencial politician's kid. That's a pretty sick way to look at things. And since you appear to be so easily influenced by numbers, you just might find that these kinds of things aren't so random.
I remember what the country was like before Republicans controlled the government.
So do I. I remember Dan Rostenkowski and Lyndon Baines Johnson. Even if I can't spell their names. I remember George Wallace with his dogs, tear gas, botons, and water cannons. And I remember that it was the voters who believed in civils rights, not the politicians. That they happened to be democrats is pure cooincidence. And now, in their hysterical blindness the voters could care less. Freedom is a dirty word now...on both sides of the aisle. Both are simply trying to vote their way to riches. And those same democrats sent 58,000 Americans and 2 million Vietnamese to their death. It took the cooperation of a democratic congress to let Nixon continue the trend. They are the same. They feed from the same money trough. Big money always goes to both parties. The democrats openly act like republicans to get their votes. They are sheep in wolf's clothing. And it is truly delusional to think that the man standing in front of the camera actually runs the show. You will not see improvement until the people who vote want improvement. Those who continue to maintain the status quo will rule the day as long as they maintain their majority status. We have the government we want. No matter how much people hate the republicans, I still was spooked that Leiberman got so close to the white house. He, a democrat, played a very large role in the writing of the patriot act, one of the most despicable laws of our times. And Eisenhower was probably the last actually "good" president. To think that Clinton was even close is just plain nuts.
You blame a hand puppet? That's like blaming the weatherman for a hurricane. You give him way too much credit. Look in the mirror, folks. I don't see any real change in voting trends here. You can expect more of the same, and worse until you put a stop to it.
I'm sure they would love to. But we must not let them. We put our money in banks because it's supposed to be more secure than keeping it under the mattress. If they don't secure our money, then we have no reason to let them keep and profit from it. Phishing is a problem because the banks are too loose, lazy, cheap, etc. etc. etc. And it's way too easy for them to simply write off the losses. And we accept anything they tell us too easily. We presently have the same problem with the government. If they shift the problem to the customer, then it will get much worse. Make it their problem, and don't allow undue inconvenience to the customer, and it will decrease dramatically. Put your money back under the mattress until they fix it. For a really quick fix, burn your credit cards.
By now, I'm sure this is all very redundant, but it doesn't make it any less important. You have the power to change things. Use it or lose it.
Slashdot Mirror
-1 Redundant(on my part)
Okaaaay...How 'bout this?
Its intent, as some of us never get tired of pointing out, is to promote science and the useful arts...
That's its (over)stated intent. It's not in any way its true intent. Its intent at the time was to reduce the publuc's access to a printing press. And reduce the volume of criticism against government and corporate authorities. It gives our great industrialists the ability to mete out human progess with each successive model year, or with "new and improved", "whiter than white". It's why superior computer chips(Alpha...imagine the mac with a few of those) are under IP lockdown, while we are left with the crumbs(Intel). It's why we fly in kerosene burning jalopies instead of something as safe as an elevator where you just push a button to select your destination. There is no way of knowing how badly it has slowed us down. It could be anywhere from 50 years to 5,000 years, or more. But make no mistake, it is nothing more than just another tool used by the authorities to maintain their power with something a bit more appealing than bombs and bullets.
We can put an end to copyright the moment we quit buying copyrighted products. We can restrict interest rates buy controlling our use of credit. All the real copyright issues going through the courts right now are amongst corporate elephants. The present cases against the consumer are to keep us blind to the fact we don't need copyright. For now the "violators" will have to stay completely underground and work anonymously. They will have to use wireless mesh, VPN, etc. to keep their communications secure. Of course this will a bit more difficult for hardware contraband, as it is becoming more clear with the present torturer in chief, and future ones, that they will use nukes to protect IP law. But IP law is the symptom, not the disease. And while we may be able to defeat it. We really need to go after the powerful people that create these kinds of things that simply exist to restrict our essential freedoms. We desperately need to remove their authority. Then things like copyright and travel restrictions will whither and die, as they should.
...but I don't *CARE* what could be happening to someone else that maybe the "worst possible thing". News flash: people always have and always will do nasty things to each other.
Yes, that's true of course. But your tax dollars are hard at work paying for those nasty things. For the first time that I am aware of, there is an American President who openly wants the authority to kidnap and torture people. That's something you shouldn't ignore. They can't exist without our support. Try to minimize it any way you can.
Content, in these cases, is entertainment. We don't need it. We are simply addicted to it. We bend over very willingly to get it, just like any other addict. We will rob and steal, and even kill for it. But we don't need it. Just look at that silly stuff about the Sony console and their dopey "hi-def"(or whatever HD means there) cars. They get away with it because we suck it up. That's how much we are willing to do whatever it takes for diversion. As far as I'm concerned, they can keep it. And I honestly don't give a damn if the whole internet gets turned off. They know where they can stuff their content. The guys up on stage at the local bar provide plenty for me. The whole compter thing is a convenient, easy source of income, but if it all goes away tomorrow, well, then, I guess it's back to turning wrenches. The rest of you all seem to be stuck in some kind of bear trap by all this pissing and moaning I hear about copyright. I took it all serious for a while myself, but I'm over it. You still might hear me bitch about it sometimes, but in reality, I don't give a damn. Just like with taxes, I adjust. Raise the tax, I raise my rates. I can live without Sony, and Britney. Copyright is a corporate issue. All the real money goes to the lawyers. The only thing I really fear now is that the things we allow people to do physically to each other now, you(editorial) will let them do to me. We are totally unprotected. That is scary. Dave Letterman once said, just think of the worst thing possible one human can do to another, and then realize that somewhere, somebody is doing that and much worse. Think about that for a while, and all the energy wasted arguing about copyright is quite trivial, and really is nothing more than a distraction. Ignore it, feel free to build on the works of others, and we might climb out of the stone age for real.
...and hopefully this case will be high-profile enough to get people asking questions about this stuff
I wouldn't count on it. The world has acquired a few other items over the last five years that need much more urgent attention. I don't think copyright is that high on the list. Nor should it be. It is an issue for the corporations to fight out. Quit buying their products, build bullet-proof servers, and the issue will disappear into the night. It is so petty to the point of being ridiculous. We need to concentrate on stopping the torturing and the wars, and putting our governments into their proper place as public servants.
James Bond: license to kill, GPL: license to violate copyright under certain conditions
And in both cases quite fictional. GPL does not violate any copyright law. It is simply another rule of distribution.
"Mortimer, we're back."
Can it be done?
Nope. Not for now or for any other spaceless time!
Let's just shut down the net. Damn thing has been nothing but trouble since the beginning. We probably should outlaw all communications that don't provide more income for the content "owners". That means no more printing, writing, singing, painting, talking...anything. If we don't want to give all our money to these damn people, we should shut the hell up, right?
And put in your earplugs
put on your eyeshades
you know where to put the cork...
Oops, there goes another violation.
Shawyer
Rhymes with...
or it could be a combination of two words.
I mean, if electromagnetic radiation can propel something forward surely gaseos exhaust can?
Like this, right?
But alas, that's an impossibility of geometry.
If M.C. Escher was alive, he would find a way.
the general public couldn't be trusted not to crash the things left and right.
Or up and down...I would hope that by the time these things were operational, that they wouldn't need a driver. It should be that you just tell it where you want to end up, and it will do the rest. Think elevators. Push the button and you're off. Anything less simply wouldn't work out. But I'm sure personal injury attornies and the insurance companies will lobby against it, because of the vastly reduced need for either of them.
we really don't.
Believe what we say, not what we do.
Cars in our society really served her well. She is dead. Maybe we should eliminate cars to eliminate traffic fatalities?
:-) Somebody else tried that lame arguement on me before. When we have known ways to make them safer we are obligated to use them. Cars simply need to be made as automatic as an elevators. That alone will save hundreds of thousands of lives. We are not pushing hard enough for these measures. We are not controling our police adequately. That is my point. I never said to eliminate them.But we must watch over them much more carefully. I don't think disarming them is such a bad idea. There are plenty of ways to subdue a person or group. I don't believe we should compare anything to what is happening in Brazil. I don't hear them being all preachy about "freedom and justice for all".Just because we may have the "best" system, doesn't mean we shouldn't try to perfect it. That applies now more than ever. Right now there are too many that believe that there is no such thing as self defense against a cop. That is wrong no matter where you are. When the bullets are flying, there isn't much time to arrange an appearance in front of a judge.
No, just eliminate the driver
Uh, are you trolling now?
No, I'm simply pointing out a bad attitude that is spreading.
And A Bottle of Rum
Ave Caesar!
Oy Vay!
You can thank Tom "The Hammer" Delay and many similar 'leaders' in the GOP for that course change.
I didn't know he pre-dated Nixon.
You're from Chicago, aren't you?
Well, it did actually work real well for him.
...not let them carry guns.
Yeah. He's dead. All his problems are solved.
That would be a good start. So what are you saying? That it's ok to let rogue cops loose on the streets because other places are worse? Is it a numbers game to you also? Oh, we're so much better than Brazil, so it's perfectly ok to kill off a few innocents. Especially if they're non whites. Those cops would have been hung up high if they killed a rich, influencial politician's kid. That's a pretty sick way to look at things. And since you appear to be so easily influenced by numbers, you just might find that these kinds of things aren't so random.
In a small leather packet nestled against the gluteus maximus. Did I spell it right?
I remember what the country was like before Republicans controlled the government.
So do I. I remember Dan Rostenkowski and Lyndon Baines Johnson. Even if I can't spell their names. I remember George Wallace with his dogs, tear gas, botons, and water cannons. And I remember that it was the voters who believed in civils rights, not the politicians. That they happened to be democrats is pure cooincidence. And now, in their hysterical blindness the voters could care less. Freedom is a dirty word now...on both sides of the aisle. Both are simply trying to vote their way to riches. And those same democrats sent 58,000 Americans and 2 million Vietnamese to their death. It took the cooperation of a democratic congress to let Nixon continue the trend. They are the same. They feed from the same money trough. Big money always goes to both parties. The democrats openly act like republicans to get their votes. They are sheep in wolf's clothing. And it is truly delusional to think that the man standing in front of the camera actually runs the show. You will not see improvement until the people who vote want improvement. Those who continue to maintain the status quo will rule the day as long as they maintain their majority status. We have the government we want. No matter how much people hate the republicans, I still was spooked that Leiberman got so close to the white house. He, a democrat, played a very large role in the writing of the patriot act, one of the most despicable laws of our times. And Eisenhower was probably the last actually "good" president. To think that Clinton was even close is just plain nuts.
You blame a hand puppet? That's like blaming the weatherman for a hurricane. You give him way too much credit. Look in the mirror, folks. I don't see any real change in voting trends here. You can expect more of the same, and worse until you put a stop to it.
I'm sure they would love to. But we must not let them. We put our money in banks because it's supposed to be more secure than keeping it under the mattress. If they don't secure our money, then we have no reason to let them keep and profit from it. Phishing is a problem because the banks are too loose, lazy, cheap, etc. etc. etc. And it's way too easy for them to simply write off the losses. And we accept anything they tell us too easily. We presently have the same problem with the government. If they shift the problem to the customer, then it will get much worse. Make it their problem, and don't allow undue inconvenience to the customer, and it will decrease dramatically. Put your money back under the mattress until they fix it. For a really quick fix, burn your credit cards.
By now, I'm sure this is all very redundant, but it doesn't make it any less important. You have the power to change things. Use it or lose it.