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User: rhsanborn

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  1. Re:Damn! on Hurricane Threatens Shuttle Program · · Score: 1

    Helping those who spite us makes us even better morally as a nation. We maintain the hope that just a few of those people remember what was done. And even if it doesn't gain us anything, we know that we used our size and position in world politics and economics to do at least some good for someone else. That counts for a lot. I think we can all deal with the 3 latte's we didn't get this year so that we could pay our taxes.

    If you want to worry about saving money, you ought to send a letter or two to your reps demanding fiscal responsibility and accountability. That along with downsizing, and government fund cutting would do a lot of good.

    There is a reason taxes are so high, and it isn't the military, and it isn't foreign aid. Its irresponsible spending by government agencies right here in the states. An over abundance of underperforming social programs that were well intentioned and doomed to fail suck the coffers dry. A complete re-evaluation of state side governmental agencies by a business oriented CPA and a MBA would do everyone a lot of good.

  2. Is it just me... on SCO Says 'Linux Doesn't Exist' · · Score: 1

    ...or is the Iraq Information Minister the first person to come to mind when you read this?

  3. Call me crazy but... on Alternatives To The INDUCE Act · · Score: 0, Redundant

    ...if someone could prove all the provisions of the 'Don't Induce Act' they wouldn't need the don't induce act to at least sue, if not prosecute. So we add even more legislation to an over legislated society. There is a reason there are so many lawyers. Its because there are too many people in Washington who insist on making their mark and keep passing more and more bills in stead of revising, and deleting the old crap thats been lying around.

  4. Re:don't understand apple on Real Feels iTunes Backlash · · Score: 1

    Its going to be apple's fault when they release a firmware upgrade to intentionally stop this from happening.

  5. Re:Bwahahaha on Microsoft Funded Study Cinches 10yr Deal · · Score: 1

    Because trillions is more than Bill Gates has. If there is one thing he loves more than money, its his ego, and we can't go messing with that. They can settle for billions.

  6. Re:Kinda obvious on Should Game Consoles Make Breakfast, Too? · · Score: 1

    I agree that completely unrelated products shouldn't always be mashed together as some awful gimick. Also, as someone else said, where is the market for a product like this? The PS2 market is pretty saturated I would think, I certainly don't think the DVR is going to tip the balance.

    That said, I do think this is a good idea for the next gen consoles. These consoles are now for all intents and puposes, PC's. Adding a software package that lets it record to the HD isn't that hard. It also isn't hard to add MP3, and possibly even email/web use functions, because these are all relatively simple functions that already exist for computers. As long as the initial cost isn't that much higher than the cost without all the bells, I think its a very logical step. Even if one internal component breaks, it would have broke whether you were playing games or recording a show, because almost all the elements use the same hardware.

  7. Re:How to make the warranty work for you on Kensington Laptop Locks Not So Secure · · Score: 1

    Because they wrote the warranty?

  8. Re:How to make the warranty work for you on Kensington Laptop Locks Not So Secure · · Score: 1

    He said 4k Canadian...

  9. Re:So wait, how do i hack my metrocard? on Unlocking The Power Of the Magstripe · · Score: 1

    I doubt it, but letting the person 40 miles from you use it 2 minutes after you might raise a flag or two.

  10. Re:Outsourcing is evil.. on Microsoft Outsourcing High-Level Work · · Score: 1

    "The point being, you can only be independent if the playing field is level." To be perfectly honest, most people are interested in helping themeselves and their family first. Then they can care about the rest of the world. That being said. To "level the playing field" does not mean everyone in the world gets to afford to buy a house. It means the rest of the world probably won't change much, while America and other "opportunistic" countries get brought down to their level. The problem with outsourcing is that it is a short term solution. Shareholders will see immediate profit returns. Thats what they want. Unfortunately, if outsourcing becomes too big, it means billions of dollars no longer flow into the U.S. Billions of dollars that can no longer be spent in the U.S. Billions of dollars that no longer go to those companies that outsource. Outsourcing companies want to have their cake and eat it to. They want to spent no money, and then sell their product to people who are no longer getting those high wages. It will fold on itself in time. The unfortunate thing is that it will take a fairly long time to happen, because a lot of jobs have to be globalized. But it will happen. I just hope everyone has stock so they can live off the small bumb that will come fom outsourcing, because it won't be there long. America is going to have to stop living off of large corporation and start getting jobs that we aren't used to, the kind of jobs that can't be outsource, the kind of jobs we don't want. Its an interesting cycle, I just hope I become independently wealthy before it all happens so I don't have to be part of it.

  11. Re:Too late on PlayStation 3 To Debut at E3 2005 · · Score: 1

    I disagree entirely. The best technology DOES win. Windows didn't become windows because of its gaming technology. You cannot make a comparison between gaming on DOS, atari, and Mac, and gaming of today. Microsoft got big, because it started out as cheap and easy to use. THEN, they pushed their way into gaming. Now they are using that same force to push their way into consoles. And as the above post said, its easier to write games for the Xbox console and have it hit an enormous target audience because the API's are close/identical, I'm not sure specifically. Irregardless its going to be easier to code for Microsoft. As of right now, choosing a console really depends on the type of games you like. I have an Xbox currently, and I must say that nothing beats the graphics, but they do have a poor good game to bad game ratio. They've had some really horrible titles in their strive to get their game count up. That said, they've also had some really great titles. As mentioned elsewhere, games like Morrowind, KOTOR, and Halo are spectacular. But Xbox lacks the cartoony games that GC has (I don't care what anyone says, I LIKE the Zelda graphics), and its missing the Japanese anime like RPG's that PS2 has. So if I were to recommend a specific system to a friend today, I might recomend any of the above depending on their choice of games. But into the future, my money is on Xbox growing significantly as developers move to that platform.

  12. Re:Nah! on Gates Predicts DVD Obsolete In 10 Years · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've got cable, but I'm still not willing to wait x-many hours to download a degraded quality feed to watch a DVD. The internet isn't ready to start streaming DVD's either. I've read it somewhere else, possibly as a reply to another slashdot thread, but the internet currently works on the assumption that only a small percentage of its users are ever actually using it. This is fine, even if a semi-large portion are surfing the internet, there is that downtime between page views and so all is well in the internet.

    Enter things like streaming DVD and you have constant large bandwidth downloads, and you really start to get into trouble. I can pull 3.5megs down on my cable line pretty consistantly. I think that A) thats fairly high for the average internet connection, and I don't think its enough to stream DVD quality. It might be on the low end, I'm not entirely sure. Irregardless, when I, and others want to see/rent/pay to watch a movie, we want to do it now. And waiting for it to download isn't going to cut it. I think we'd all have to start getting fibers to our house before then.

    RIAA/MPAA on, you've been warned:

    The other thing is the pricing scheme. (Which reminds me of where I've read this before, it was on the thread about the 100mil song from iTunes) Quite frankly, what they have going now is absurd. ~50 cents a song shouldn't be unreasonable. Currently, you can get some full CD's on amazon cheaper than getting them from iTunes, and then you get liner notes and physical media. I think the same problem would plague DVD streams. Why download the content, when you can get the physical media and the cover art for not much more money, and of possibly better quality? Until then, I want to see Kazaa thrive. Let the RIAA and MPAA fall under the wheels of their own greed until they realize that they need to A) embrace thecnology and adapt, and B) they've been making a whole lot of money, maybe you can't get that kind of money any more...

  13. Re:Doubt it'll happen... on Rendering Shrek@Home? · · Score: 1

    A more important security concern is seeing your three frames in the theatre. And then looking very closely and finding your own kind little addition to the film industry. Asking people to render and return would be asking for people to render and return severly, or maybe very subtly changed frames. Remember those little pieces in Disney movies that were really inappropriate for children? Its hard to take a look at minute stuff in every frame. Its just safer to do it yourself.

  14. Re:*stop cheering the thieves on* on RIAA Sues Nearly 500 New Swappers · · Score: 1

    Ah yes, I see your painting analogy. Do me a favor, go buy the next BNL album for 1 mill so you can distribute it to the world. I'm pretty sure you have to pay royalties if you sell prints, and the RIAA isn't trying to stop you from singing to your friends.

  15. Re:*stop cheering the thieves on* on RIAA Sues Nearly 500 New Swappers · · Score: 1

    Ah, I see your point. Everyone should have free access to copy any information they want and use it without restriction. Take it to the extreme and you'll soon realize that there is no information to copy. Because book publishers, magazine editors, and music producers don't want to drop millions of dollars to make this stuff "for the good of society".

    Welcome to capitalism. Unfortunately, it doesn't work without money.

    Maybe my car example wasn't the best, but lets update it. Anyone remember that machine in Star Trek that could miraculously make just about any food? Lets suppose we can do that with cars. So everyone should be able to take their neighbors Ferrari and just make a copy of it. You haven't "taken" anything from Ferrari. Unfortunately, Ferrari goes under because no one will buy their cars anymore. Its a lot cheaper to just copy one. I certainly hope your happy with your Ferrari, because there will never be a new one made. Your stuck with what was made before they went out of business because they aren't going to dump money out just for fun.

    Granted, the members aren't going under anytime soon. But their concern is justified. Uncontrolled, and with the growing population of the internet, its perfectly feasible to see people no longer buying albums, but simply copying them. I know there are plenty of people who don't buy CD's anymore, they simply find them on Kazaa and download them. This could be an abuse of slippery slope on my part. But I can easily see something like filesharing growing if it isn't controlled. And if it grows too big, you can guarantee that labels go under because they can't afford to produce albums for the good of society.

    I'm not saying the RIAA's gestapo tactics are good, I think I stated that before, there are some serious flaws. But people who download music off the internet without paying for it, have done something wrong. You've taken someones work, and you've used it without rewarding the person who made it. Soon, you'll find that there isn't anything new to "copy".

  16. Re:*stop cheering the thieves on* on RIAA Sues Nearly 500 New Swappers · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You counterfeit money, you've taken from no one, yet it is still a crime. There is a cost associated with producing music, and by not paying for it, you are hurting the people who produce it. You are using a service that you aren't paying for. Its just like phreaking phone lines, or descrambling cable. Its still stealing.

  17. Re:*stop cheering the thieves on* on RIAA Sues Nearly 500 New Swappers · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Ok, yes they are exchanging information non-commercially. That information happened to be produced at a cost though. That information happens to be copyrighted. It is stealing. They took something and didn't pay for it. They knew they weren't supposed to do this. That said, the RIAA is really getting on my nerves. The tactics they've used are entirely wrong and threaten to abuse gestapo legislation to infringe on rights that have been held quite dear in this country. I have feelings both ways on this unfortunately. This first is that these people did trade tons of songs online. They did something wrong and should expect to be punished for doing something wrong. But, like someone else pointed out, trying to fight the RIAA is futile because of their resources. Either way, the people who think "exchanging information non-commericially is not thieving" are a bunch of morons. Pay for your music. I don't steal cars because I can't afford to get a nice one. I suck it up and deal with it. Just because downloading music is easier than stealing a car, doesn't mean I didn't take something that I should have paid for. Buy your music, or expect a knock on the door that you deserve.

  18. Its just easier on Follow Up to "Linux's Achilles Heel" · · Score: 1

    The problem is that for Linux to become mainstream, people shouldn't have to dig through loads of config files and have to spend days trying to get their sound to work. Remember, I said mainstream.

    If Linux is to become as popular at home as Windows, and not just a hobbyists pastime, it needs to be easier. I've used Mandrake, and it does do a lot of this, but there are still little things that creep up and are prtty much impossible for the not so computer savvy person to figure out. If you want Linux to continue being something only for people who have a masters in CS then this is fine. But for Linux to survive as a viable alternative to MS, it needs to be easier and more stupid user friendly.

    I think This guy based an article on a very small premise. I couldn't write that much on an experience like that. I also think that he was a bit off in saying it cost as much as windows. But I think a point does come across that Linux is harder to use, and quite frankly, for the average user, it doesn't compare to MS in compatability and ease of setup.

    Don't get me wrong, I really hope the day comes soon where I don't have to dual boot to play video games. (WineX is NOT a reasonable alternative. I prefer to play my games above 3FPS) And I want to see my parents using Linux because its more secure. But right now, for a lot of things, Linux is not a reasonable desktop alternative.

  19. Re:what about my copyright? on Software To Stop Song Trading · · Score: 1

    Firstly, I don't think your ISP will install this. They are in the business of pleasing customers, and to date I know of none that have been held responsible financially for P2P. I wouldn't count on them loading this software soon.

    Secondly, I doubt your music would be caught by this software. They did say they had a database with specific traces for copyrighted material. My guess is that it would keep a database with specific strings froma song or something like that to match up against. This would actually make it really easy to break as long as you knew what they were looking for. As for you, I doubt your big enough for them to even bother throwing in their database. No offense intended at all.

    I could be entirely wrong, but trying to identify things any other way would most likely block any and all mp3's. Last I check the RIAA didn't own that right yet.

  20. Re:wouldn't it be simpler on Software To Stop Song Trading · · Score: 1

    Well, what if the RIAA wants the online file trades to fail? No offense to potential artists here, but if I were to go back and rebuy all of my music through an online service, I would have bought half of it. Bands today tend to write good songs and neglect to put together a decent album. It follows that people will then only buy the songs they like and I'm willing to bet that the RIAA wants to avoid that at all costs.