Get informed, bub. They're poised to raise the tariff.
http://neil.eton.ca/copylevy.shtml
They're targeting over $2 for DVD-R. Over twenty bucks per GB for hard drives. They even want to shaft us for the memory sticks used in digital cameras.
And while CDR are fifty cents a pop up here, true enough, they can easily be had for less than FIFTEEN cents in the USA.
We're taking it up the ass, and for no good reason at all. The monies collected by the levy over the past couple years have never been distributed. WTF?!
This is going to save our bacon up here in Canada. Our friendly idiots in power are determined to increase the tariffs on recordable media, in an altruistic effort to enrich Celine Dionne.
The loophole, though, is that the tariffs don't apply to prerecorded media.
I am quite willing to give up a few bytes of CDR space in the name of saving a buck per CD in purchasing costs.
I don't want the pap crap pop music that the corporations are spewing out their septic holes. If the fifty biggest names in popular music were to be instantly vapourized tomorrow, I'd never know it.
And in their place would arise a lot of local talent with diverse styles playing live venues. They'd be releasing low-quality MP3s on the net to attract crowds at their performances, and they'd be selling CDs, Ts, posters and shit on the web and in person. autographing and chatting with fans.
Lots of bands already make their living this way. They're doing well -- but they'll do a lot better once live performance becomes the defacto standard again. There will be more places to play, more people willing to come out of their homes, and more support for touring.
I own a dozen CDs that were recorded live or in reasonable-cost studios. Some were mixed and mastered by the band; others by a professional engineer.
I doubt any of them fit the arbitrary category of "professionally produced", in that they're not RIAA-ruled megaconglomerate media company productions.
The "Friends" actors get a million of dollars per episode because the television network makes several tens of millions of dollars selling advertising on that show.
So the better question is, perhaps, why the hell any advertiser would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to advertise on "Friends."
And perhaps the best question is to ask why we support companies that waste so much money advertising their products on cheezy-ass shows like "Friends."
(My excuse: I don't watch television, so I have absolutely no idea what the companies I support are wasting their... er, I mean, "my"... money on.
"XO now carries only $500 million in long-term debt, down from $5.1 billion..."
Seems to me that someone got screwed out of $4.6 billion. Was that pain spread equally, or did XO's declaration of bankruptcy completely fuck-over a number of creditors? Ripple effect, such that they, too, had to declare bankruptcy?
The desert is far from empty space. It's thriving with all sorts of organisms. Sure, they're not cute with floppy ears, but that doesn't mean they deserve some asshole squishing 'em.
Heh. Wouldn't that be poetic justice: ol' 3DFX moles infiltrate nVidea and lead it over the cliff...
This quote is revealing: "[Nv]: Well, now that TSMC has their production running at.13 micron we have of course helped them make some mistakes and learn by them, so ATI will probably have an easier switch than us. Though we believe it will take a significant amount of time for them to make the switch."
How nice of nVidea to pave the way for their competition! ATI's gonna save millions.
Significant amount of time to switch. Er, yah. Right.
Didja all catch...
on
Dow vs. Parody
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
...that bit about DOW suing the families that were destroyed/hurt by their Bhopal disaster?
A bunch of women marched on DOW HQ in India, delivering some of the contanimated soil and water from Bhopal. The protest lasted two peaceful hours. A single DOW employee greeted them.
DOW is now suing them for the equivalent of US$10K -- a helluva lot of money, particularly in India -- for "lost wages" because of the "work disruption."
Disgusting. First they slaughter hundreds and thousands of employees and families through cost-cutting, undertraining, and poor plant maintenance; then they refuse to clean up the mess; then they sue the very people who were hurt by the accident.
Sometimes it would be e'er so nice to be able to punish CEOs as if they'd committed the crimes themselves.
...when someone releases a standalone portable burner using this technology. One'll just head down to the video store and burn DVDs as one pretends to browse for a rental. A half-hour later, you've got fifteen pirate movies...
As bizarre as it may seem to you, I've lived 45 years without having a single 6'2" drug-crazed criminal break into my home.
In fact, out of the dozens upon dozens of people I know and love, not one of them has been attacked.
What a scary little fantasy world you live in, hulking criminals intent on bodily harm lurking around every corner, all focused on bringing pain to you and yours.
There are medications that can help you with that, y'know.
Both the above. That America has made up its own standards, instead of following global standards; has cellphones that lag the rest of the world by at least a generation and a half; and yet America continues to piss around with idiotic ideas like "Windows for Cellphones."
Slashdot Mirror
...until somebody loses an eye!
Get informed, bub. They're poised to raise the tariff.
http://neil.eton.ca/copylevy.shtml
They're targeting over $2 for DVD-R. Over twenty bucks per GB for hard drives. They even want to shaft us for the memory sticks used in digital cameras.
And while CDR are fifty cents a pop up here, true enough, they can easily be had for less than FIFTEEN cents in the USA.
We're taking it up the ass, and for no good reason at all. The monies collected by the levy over the past couple years have never been distributed. WTF?!
This is going to save our bacon up here in Canada. Our friendly idiots in power are determined to increase the tariffs on recordable media, in an altruistic effort to enrich Celine Dionne.
The loophole, though, is that the tariffs don't apply to prerecorded media.
I am quite willing to give up a few bytes of CDR space in the name of saving a buck per CD in purchasing costs.
If that's the future of music, I'm rejoicing.
I don't want the pap crap pop music that the corporations are spewing out their septic holes. If the fifty biggest names in popular music were to be instantly vapourized tomorrow, I'd never know it.
And in their place would arise a lot of local talent with diverse styles playing live venues. They'd be releasing low-quality MP3s on the net to attract crowds at their performances, and they'd be selling CDs, Ts, posters and shit on the web and in person. autographing and chatting with fans.
Lots of bands already make their living this way. They're doing well -- but they'll do a lot better once live performance becomes the defacto standard again. There will be more places to play, more people willing to come out of their homes, and more support for touring.
Damn, that'd be sweet.
Define "professionally produced", please.
I own a dozen CDs that were recorded live or in reasonable-cost studios. Some were mixed and mastered by the band; others by a professional engineer.
I doubt any of them fit the arbitrary category of "professionally produced", in that they're not RIAA-ruled megaconglomerate media company productions.
They are, in my opinion, all the better for it.
The "Friends" actors get a million of dollars per episode because the television network makes several tens of millions of dollars selling advertising on that show.
... er, I mean, "my" ... money on.
So the better question is, perhaps, why the hell any advertiser would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to advertise on "Friends."
And perhaps the best question is to ask why we support companies that waste so much money advertising their products on cheezy-ass shows like "Friends."
(My excuse: I don't watch television, so I have absolutely no idea what the companies I support are wasting their
Er, cut printing rights?
Easy enough to get around, if not by using the PrtScn key, then by taking a hires digital photograph and posting that image.
I've been hiking in the backcountry where some stupid mfer was rolling boulders down a mountain thinking no one was around.
Oh, shit, I'm sorry, man. I've always worried about that. A little. After it's too late.
Er, right. So the safety of citizens should be held ransom to the profits of broadcasters.
"XO now carries only $500 million in long-term debt, down from $5.1 billion..."
Seems to me that someone got screwed out of $4.6 billion. Was that pain spread equally, or did XO's declaration of bankruptcy completely fuck-over a number of creditors? Ripple effect, such that they, too, had to declare bankruptcy?
"Just cause it is empty space..."
The desert is far from empty space. It's thriving with all sorts of organisms. Sure, they're not cute with floppy ears, but that doesn't mean they deserve some asshole squishing 'em.
"Perhaps they're looking for vulnerabilities in the U.S. Government's dependence on Microsoft?"
Still fighting the cold war, are we? Still running paranoid from the bogeyman?
Sheesh.
Heh. Wouldn't that be poetic justice: ol' 3DFX moles infiltrate nVidea and lead it over the cliff...
.13 micron we have of course helped them make some mistakes and learn by them, so ATI will probably have an easier switch than us. Though we believe it will take a significant amount of time for them to make the switch."
This quote is revealing: "[Nv]: Well, now that TSMC has their production running at
How nice of nVidea to pave the way for their competition! ATI's gonna save millions.
Significant amount of time to switch. Er, yah. Right.
I didn't realize that bananas were so heavily dosed with poisons.
I don't think I want to eat them any more. They can't be healthy for me.
It'd only work well if the exercise goal was pud-pulling...
(...but it'd sell like hotcakes!)
I'm fairly certain that immediately beyond his nose is the interior of his rectal cavity.
Indeed, I meant the CEO of UC should be in the clink. But, noooo, the bastard got away with mass murder.
Good plan. Mod this feller up!
...that bit about DOW suing the families that were destroyed/hurt by their Bhopal disaster?
A bunch of women marched on DOW HQ in India, delivering some of the contanimated soil and water from Bhopal. The protest lasted two peaceful hours. A single DOW employee greeted them.
DOW is now suing them for the equivalent of US$10K -- a helluva lot of money, particularly in India -- for "lost wages" because of the "work disruption."
Disgusting. First they slaughter hundreds and thousands of employees and families through cost-cutting, undertraining, and poor plant maintenance; then they refuse to clean up the mess; then they sue the very people who were hurt by the accident.
Sometimes it would be e'er so nice to be able to punish CEOs as if they'd committed the crimes themselves.
Even the US has not been able to ensure that each of its citizens have their basic needs met, or that the fruits of technology have reached all.
I think you meant especially the US hasn't...
...when someone releases a standalone portable burner using this technology. One'll just head down to the video store and burn DVDs as one pretends to browse for a rental. A half-hour later, you've got fifteen pirate movies...
As bizarre as it may seem to you, I've lived 45 years without having a single 6'2" drug-crazed criminal break into my home.
In fact, out of the dozens upon dozens of people I know and love, not one of them has been attacked.
What a scary little fantasy world you live in, hulking criminals intent on bodily harm lurking around every corner, all focused on bringing pain to you and yours.
There are medications that can help you with that, y'know.
Both the above. That America has made up its own standards, instead of following global standards; has cellphones that lag the rest of the world by at least a generation and a half; and yet America continues to piss around with idiotic ideas like "Windows for Cellphones."
It's a theatre of the absurd.
" simply doing this in a quixotic attempt to show how "advanced" they are"
Yah... kinda like with Americans and cellphones...
Trotski, ask yourself why movies cost over 1E+8 bucks to make.
J.Lo. has been paid $47 million over her half-dozen films. J. Lo. of all people!
Is what J.Lo. does really worth 1.00E+3 what you or I do? Or have you been hoodwinked into thinking that a ten-dollar movie provides good value?