"My less-than-savvy friends have just cost me an hour of my time downloading, updating and running AdAware/SpyBot S&D."
Shouldn't you have already had that on a Windows box?
"Someone interested enough could go through your trash, removed an old hard drive and start snooping around."
Funny that you mention that. I've found a few laptops while dumpster diving, which of course still had data on the drives. I was responsible enough to not go through the swap, but the temp. internet files folder was another case. People look at some weird stuff on the internet.
Aye, it seems that severely limiting their abilities within the system is the best way to go.
When I was in high school, it was pretty common for people to type obscenities into the scrolling marquee screensaver. We eventually got blocked out of changing screensavers, and then desktops/resolution size, and then IE's homepage, etc.
You do, however, have to be willing to take suggestions from the kids that will be using it. If they're locked out of a certain utility that they need/want to use, you should be willing to hear their reasoning. I know that I quit using the computers in high school when they locked the resolution at 800x600.
I've never used gAIM on Windows, but I would venture to say that Trillian is a better solution in a Windows environment.
I was merely talking about the improvements over what AOL has done with the AIM client. I want to say that gAIM first introduced the ability to alphabetize the names on your buddy list, but I may be wrong. Tabbed IMs is one of the big ones that comes to mind.
I also hear that AOL is trying to allow interoperability between AIM and ICQ, so I guess you could chalk that up.
Although, I concede that gAIM is lacking in the file transfer department.
Regardless, didn't MS try to emulate Emac's scriptability when they made VB6?
How about the Nautilus interface? MP3 preview feature? SAMBA? The ability to lay firewalls at the kernel level? Support for multiple desktops, with single-click changeability?
I could go on, but I won't. Just look at some of the stuff gAIM has done if you want to see a common example of open source innovation.
"get a super sensitive scale to weigh it(which wouldnt work after much use of the bill or it starts to fade, etc)"
Don't vending machines already prevent you from using tattered bills? I'm sure you've felt the despair fo going for a drink, only to find that your last bill is being spit back out by the machine.
Aye, when I was younger, we used to fool vending machines with quarter-sized pieces of metal. We used to get them at hardware stores, as they're used in some sort of construction. Sometimes it took a few passes through for the machine to accept it.
I forget what they're called, but I want to say that they're 'slugs'.
Great point indeed. If I had mod points, I'd surely bump you up.
Certainly it's a scary thought to think that an 18-year old kid in Germany caused billions of dollars worth of damage to the global economy without even leaving his house.
It's been said before, but I wouldn't be surprised if terrorist groups started looking into the use of worms. They're ridiculously easy to write, and they could cause a ton economic damage.
"Oh, I forgot, we're scapegoating the RIAA here and ignoring the artists in this equation. You know, those nameless people who actually rented the studio and spent a couple of months recording the music."
Actually, artists make very little money from record sales. The majority of their money comes from huge signing bonuses, concert revenue, merchandise sales, etc.
One could argue that file sharing allows more people to hear their music, and thus more people to be interested in going to their show.
I heard something really interesting the other day on NPR. Apparently, the record companies willingly withhold royalties from their artists. In the event that the artist actually notices that (s)he is missing money, they have to spend thousands of their own dollars to hire a lawyer to get an audit, and even then, they only settle for a fraction of what they deserve.
I'm not trying to justify "piracy", but I have a hard time sympathizing with a company that's fucks its employees over that much. Instead of getting Britney Spears on commercials condemning file sharing, they should be giving her what she rightfully earned according to her contract.
In defense of the media, there are still outlets to promote lesser-known bands.
The reincarnation of Headbanger's Ball is a perfect example. Sure, they play a lot of Hot Topic-esque bullshit, but they also play a lot of underground hardcore/metalcore type of stuff. I mean, it is hosted by Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, not that I'm expecting many people on here to listen to that stuff.
Then again, MTV2 plays a lot of lesser-known stuff. Unfortunately, it's mostly bands that are trying to play off that awful pop-punk/pop-rock trend.
You can also find a lot of underground-ish bands on late night talk shows. I've seen Blindside on Conan, and The Fire Theft(ex-Sunny Day Real Estate) on Craig Kilborn(sic?). A few nights ago, Andrew WK was on Conan, and although he's pretty widely known, he still rules. If anyone has seen him live(especially at Furnace Fest), they'd know exactly what I'm talking about.
I actually listen to many of the bands you gave as examples.
To add to your post, SubPop Records is putting out a lot of good stuff, as is SaddleCreek Records. If you're into tougher stuff, you could always check out Bridge Nine Records, but I doubt that many people on here would like those bands.
You can also find some pretty interesting music on college radio stations, and NPR plays a lot of really good folk music.
I understand what you're saying, and I somewhat agree. The example of Evanescence proves the point about a lack of innovation, because they're just a cheesy ripoff of a band called Lacuna Coil.
Then again, Lacuna Coil would never make it in the mainstream. Put a pretty face to the same music and you have Hot Topic kids screaming for more.
I skimmed the article, and I didn't see much on what aspects of the person's history are stored in the MATRIX.
I would assume that it has such things as travel records and credit statements to show the person has been buying fertilizer or other items that could be used for terrorist acts.
In fact, the article states the following: " Because the system includes information on people with no criminal record as well as known criminals, Matrix has drawn objections from liberal and conservative privacy groups."
That would seem to debunk the idea that it's saying "This person used to fly a plane for the Columbian cartel, we'll keep an eye on them."
There's a website somewhere around(forgot url) that has a list of ~100 mailing lists with checkboxes next to them. You check all of them, enter e-mail address, and hit submit.
Atleast, that's why I started getting spam. Someone that doesn't like me went and signed me up for them. It seems as though the actual newsletters are legitimate, but then they sell off your address to pr0n and penis pills. The unsubscribe links for the legitimate mailing lists worked, and I've gotten my Mozilla Mail junk filter to recognize all of the other crap.
I don't know how many other people have had this happen, but that's the reason I get spam.
Interesting point, but it does say past ties. One could argue that he's turned his life around, and is trying to make something worthwhile, although he's failed miserably from what I can tell of this system.
If he used to be a drug smuggler, then perhaps he has some sort of inside knowledge, much the same way that law enforcement hires ex-criminals like Kevin Mitnick to catch others.
From TFA: " He said Matrix, which has 4 billion records, merely speeds access to material that police have always been able to get from disparate sources, and does not automatically or proactively finger suspects."
"That ranks right up there with their classic first question "do you have a firewall?" Answer "yes," and that IMMEDIATELY becomes the problem"
That actually reminds me of a problem I had with my dual boot system.
Up until January, I still had Windows ME on it. I rarely use Windows, so I didn't see the point in spending the money on XP. Anyhow, I started to have some problems when I did use ME, so I finally bought an update disc.
I got it home and installed it, and suddenly my Sprint DSL connection wasn't working in Windows, but was in Linux. Thinking that it was a driver problem, I got out my Sprint install disc, but that didn't work either.
Called up tech support, we went through all the standard procedures, exchanged some typical anti-Windows, Linux zealot-type jokes, and then he finally asked what firewall I was using.
It turns out that XP is known to have problems with ZoneAlarm. We both thought it was funny that Microsoft Knowledge Base specifically named ZoneAlarm, instead of just giving a generic statement about "some" firewalls.
Agreed to an extent. A monopoly doesn't have enough competition to keep their pricing honest, and thus can afford to overcharge, and that you are correct on.
However, non-monopolistic companies still pass on their extra charges. Take for example the "sin taxes" that are included in cigarettes and alcohol. Phillip-Morris is getting charged that extra $1/pack anyway, so they might as well send it on down to the consumer.
OPEC has excise taxes on your gas as well. The $0.30 or whatever that OPEC is charging Exxon is getting passed on to you.
As someone already pointed out, increased gas prices usually means an increase in price for goods that have to be transported by truck.
Slashdot Mirror
You forgot a few
"My less-than-savvy friends have just cost me an hour of my time downloading, updating and running AdAware/SpyBot S&D." Shouldn't you have already had that on a Windows box?
"Someone interested enough could go through your trash, removed an old hard drive and start snooping around."
Funny that you mention that. I've found a few laptops while dumpster diving, which of course still had data on the drives. I was responsible enough to not go through the swap, but the temp. internet files folder was another case. People look at some weird stuff on the internet.
Aye, it seems that severely limiting their abilities within the system is the best way to go.
When I was in high school, it was pretty common for people to type obscenities into the scrolling marquee screensaver. We eventually got blocked out of changing screensavers, and then desktops/resolution size, and then IE's homepage, etc.
You do, however, have to be willing to take suggestions from the kids that will be using it. If they're locked out of a certain utility that they need/want to use, you should be willing to hear their reasoning. I know that I quit using the computers in high school when they locked the resolution at 800x600.
I've never used gAIM on Windows, but I would venture to say that Trillian is a better solution in a Windows environment.
I was merely talking about the improvements over what AOL has done with the AIM client. I want to say that gAIM first introduced the ability to alphabetize the names on your buddy list, but I may be wrong. Tabbed IMs is one of the big ones that comes to mind.
I also hear that AOL is trying to allow interoperability between AIM and ICQ, so I guess you could chalk that up.
Although, I concede that gAIM is lacking in the file transfer department.
Some of the patents associated with Linux
Regardless, didn't MS try to emulate Emac's scriptability when they made VB6?
How about the Nautilus interface? MP3 preview feature? SAMBA? The ability to lay firewalls at the kernel level? Support for multiple desktops, with single-click changeability?
I could go on, but I won't. Just look at some of the stuff gAIM has done if you want to see a common example of open source innovation.
"get a super sensitive scale to weigh it(which wouldnt work after much use of the bill or it starts to fade, etc)"
Don't vending machines already prevent you from using tattered bills? I'm sure you've felt the despair fo going for a drink, only to find that your last bill is being spit back out by the machine.
Aye, when I was younger, we used to fool vending machines with quarter-sized pieces of metal. We used to get them at hardware stores, as they're used in some sort of construction. Sometimes it took a few passes through for the machine to accept it.
I forget what they're called, but I want to say that they're 'slugs'.
"only one person, whose fingerprint is registered could play it."
John: "Hey Greg, can you change the CD for me?"
Greg: "Let me borrow your finger."
"proper grammer."
Irony?
Great point indeed. If I had mod points, I'd surely bump you up.
Certainly it's a scary thought to think that an 18-year old kid in Germany caused billions of dollars worth of damage to the global economy without even leaving his house.
It's been said before, but I wouldn't be surprised if terrorist groups started looking into the use of worms. They're ridiculously easy to write, and they could cause a ton economic damage.
"Oh, I forgot, we're scapegoating the RIAA here and ignoring the artists in this equation. You know, those nameless people who actually rented the studio and spent a couple of months recording the music."
Actually, artists make very little money from record sales. The majority of their money comes from huge signing bonuses, concert revenue, merchandise sales, etc.
One could argue that file sharing allows more people to hear their music, and thus more people to be interested in going to their show.
I heard something really interesting the other day on NPR. Apparently, the record companies willingly withhold royalties from their artists. In the event that the artist actually notices that (s)he is missing money, they have to spend thousands of their own dollars to hire a lawyer to get an audit, and even then, they only settle for a fraction of what they deserve.
I'm not trying to justify "piracy", but I have a hard time sympathizing with a company that's fucks its employees over that much. Instead of getting Britney Spears on commercials condemning file sharing, they should be giving her what she rightfully earned according to her contract.
I think you missed the joke.
In defense of the media, there are still outlets to promote lesser-known bands.
The reincarnation of Headbanger's Ball is a perfect example. Sure, they play a lot of Hot Topic-esque bullshit, but they also play a lot of underground hardcore/metalcore type of stuff. I mean, it is hosted by Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, not that I'm expecting many people on here to listen to that stuff.
Then again, MTV2 plays a lot of lesser-known stuff. Unfortunately, it's mostly bands that are trying to play off that awful pop-punk/pop-rock trend.
You can also find a lot of underground-ish bands on late night talk shows. I've seen Blindside on Conan, and The Fire Theft(ex-Sunny Day Real Estate) on Craig Kilborn(sic?). A few nights ago, Andrew WK was on Conan, and although he's pretty widely known, he still rules. If anyone has seen him live(especially at Furnace Fest), they'd know exactly what I'm talking about.
Decent gear and a talented producer will get you much further than great gear and a shitty producer.
Agreed.
I actually listen to many of the bands you gave as examples.
To add to your post, SubPop Records is putting out a lot of good stuff, as is SaddleCreek Records. If you're into tougher stuff, you could always check out Bridge Nine Records, but I doubt that many people on here would like those bands.
You can also find some pretty interesting music on college radio stations, and NPR plays a lot of really good folk music.
Now I feel like a character off of High Fidelity
"But even so, what about Evanescence?"
I understand what you're saying, and I somewhat agree. The example of Evanescence proves the point about a lack of innovation, because they're just a cheesy ripoff of a band called Lacuna Coil.
Then again, Lacuna Coil would never make it in the mainstream. Put a pretty face to the same music and you have Hot Topic kids screaming for more.
Some people already believe it, but I'm not sure that Gates & Co. have anything to do with it.
I skimmed the article, and I didn't see much on what aspects of the person's history are stored in the MATRIX.
I would assume that it has such things as travel records and credit statements to show the person has been buying fertilizer or other items that could be used for terrorist acts.
In fact, the article states the following:
" Because the system includes information on people with no criminal record as well as known criminals, Matrix has drawn objections from liberal and conservative privacy groups."
That would seem to debunk the idea that it's saying "This person used to fly a plane for the Columbian cartel, we'll keep an eye on them."
There's a website somewhere around(forgot url) that has a list of ~100 mailing lists with checkboxes next to them. You check all of them, enter e-mail address, and hit submit.
Atleast, that's why I started getting spam. Someone that doesn't like me went and signed me up for them. It seems as though the actual newsletters are legitimate, but then they sell off your address to pr0n and penis pills. The unsubscribe links for the legitimate mailing lists worked, and I've gotten my Mozilla Mail junk filter to recognize all of the other crap.
I don't know how many other people have had this happen, but that's the reason I get spam.
Interesting point, but it does say past ties. One could argue that he's turned his life around, and is trying to make something worthwhile, although he's failed miserably from what I can tell of this system.
If he used to be a drug smuggler, then perhaps he has some sort of inside knowledge, much the same way that law enforcement hires ex-criminals like Kevin Mitnick to catch others.
From TFA:
" He said Matrix, which has 4 billion records, merely speeds access to material that police have always been able to get from disparate sources, and does not automatically or proactively finger suspects."
"That ranks right up there with their classic first question "do you have a firewall?" Answer "yes," and that IMMEDIATELY becomes the problem"
That actually reminds me of a problem I had with my dual boot system.
Up until January, I still had Windows ME on it. I rarely use Windows, so I didn't see the point in spending the money on XP. Anyhow, I started to have some problems when I did use ME, so I finally bought an update disc.
I got it home and installed it, and suddenly my Sprint DSL connection wasn't working in Windows, but was in Linux. Thinking that it was a driver problem, I got out my Sprint install disc, but that didn't work either.
Called up tech support, we went through all the standard procedures, exchanged some typical anti-Windows, Linux zealot-type jokes, and then he finally asked what firewall I was using.
It turns out that XP is known to have problems with ZoneAlarm. We both thought it was funny that Microsoft Knowledge Base specifically named ZoneAlarm, instead of just giving a generic statement about "some" firewalls.
I don't think a laptop fits in my pocket quite as easily as modern cell phones can.
Honestly though, your post makes no sense, considering that every year the phones become more and more like computers.
I'm sure some Slashdotters have a phone with a PDA built-in.
Agreed to an extent. A monopoly doesn't have enough competition to keep their pricing honest, and thus can afford to overcharge, and that you are correct on.
However, non-monopolistic companies still pass on their extra charges. Take for example the "sin taxes" that are included in cigarettes and alcohol. Phillip-Morris is getting charged that extra $1/pack anyway, so they might as well send it on down to the consumer.
OPEC has excise taxes on your gas as well. The $0.30 or whatever that OPEC is charging Exxon is getting passed on to you.
As someone already pointed out, increased gas prices usually means an increase in price for goods that have to be transported by truck.