Unless you happen to leave the computer for a few hours, carelessly dropping some catnip on the desk. What a klutz you are, but that's not against the law, is it?
They'll make it back from this. BoB is nothing if not resilient, and their enemies are nothing if not disorganized. I'm more interested to see what BoB will do after they stabilize everything again, this fiasco should get them excited enough to start some large scale pvp ops again.
Why do all of the suggestions here assume the world still needs the RIAA, or record labels for that matter? Record labels exist to distribute and advertise music, both of which can now be done online without them. Just get rid of them.
It's nothing new, America has been a corporatocracy for some time now. They're not alone of course, but together with the UK they seem to be leading the way.
(A) The drug or other substance has high potential for abuse.
(B) The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
(C) There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.
None of these conditions are met for marijuana, so why isn't its Schedule I classification being challenged in court?
This seems to be a common thing here on slashdot. Take valid logic from one scenario, transfer it over to a completely different scenario and then rate insightful or interesting because the logic no longer works. The devil's in the details folks.
Leaving the (IMO bad) rape analogy aside, I would say it is partly the victims fault. The average person doesn't want to take the time to learn a few things about basic computer security, and this creates a breeding ground for botnets. Conflicker originally spread through email attachments, it's amazing to me that people are still opening attachments from people they don't know, especially executables. And yes, I believe if the average person hasn't learned by now that this is not a good idea then they should bear some of the responsibility for these outbreaks.
To use one of those analogies I talked about at the beginning of my post, it's as if everyone is leaving their keys in their unlocked cars and then wondering why thieves are having a field day with them. Is it their fault that their car was stolen? No, but they aren't helping the situation by not taking basic security precautions.
Maybe it will, once the stranglehold the RIAA has on advertising is broken. Namely radio stations and music channels on TV. All the college radio stations out there playing independent music have proven that this model can work. The station where I used to live did a fund raising drive once a year to cover its costs and almost always ended up with a surplus. The surplus would get recycle back into the community in the form of free tickets to shows or merchandise, with a portion of it being put into a savings account in case they came up short one year. They didn't make millions from advertising like a normal radio station, but they did play a wide variety of good music that would otherwise be ignored by radio.
The crux of this model is that it will work, but only once the old model is dead and buried. In the mean time both models are being stifled by each other, the question is which one will come out on top.
Had to post this as well, want to know how you go from an online tobacco dealer to getting in bed with government and the telecom industry?
Nexicon, Inc., formerly Cyco.Net, Inc. (OTCBB:CYKE), a leading provider of secure and efficient networking and communication solutions, today announced the launch of two recently formed strategic partnerships, with Butch Maki & Associates and John Badal of Badal & Associates, to develop further private and institutional business relationships in the homeland security, network security, and telecommunications industries.
Butch Maki & Associates is an experienced team of lobbyists, consultants, media professionals, grassroots specialists, and bipartisan political professionals with long-time contacts at all levels of federal, state, and local government. Founded in 1992 by Walter "Butch" Maki, the group has close contacts with political and grassroots leaders and will be instrumental to Nexicon in penetrating government institutions that may benefit from the Company's offerings in network security.
John Badal, who in October 2004 retired from the office of President for Qwest New Mexico Corporation, is one of the pre-eminent consultants in the telecommunications industry, with strong industry ties and contacts with key decision makers in both small and large corporate entities in the telecommunications field throughout the U.S.
You listen to all your music on Youtube? I can't think of a single person I know who's playlist is comprised of links to Youtube videos. I also can't think of anyone who goes through the trouble of ripping the video from Youtube to rip out the low quality audio to put on their mp3 player.
The issue of whether these people pay for the music later is separate from the fact that they learned of these bands through Youtube. What would you rather have as an artist? A fan who might buy your CD's or go to your concerts, or a person who doesn't know you exist?
Here's the typical scenario, this happens to me all the time.
Someone: "So what's your favorite band?"
Me: "Right now it's [band 1]"
Someone: "I like them too, have you ever heard of [band 2]? They have a similar sound, here check out this video of one of their songs."
Me: "Wow, they're pretty good. Have you heard of [band 3]? Here's a link."
Someone: "Thanks, I'll check them out."
And viola, bands 2 and 3 have new fans.
Incidentally, [band 2] and [band 3] are really great, you guys should check them out on YouTube.
I found this through a quick google search. It seems Nexicon is the company behind YouTube's video identification software, and that it used to be known as Cyco.net, an online seller of cigarettes. After acquiring two small IT companies it had a change of heart, and decided to change its business model from selling tobacco online to providing the content industry with copyright infringement solutions. It makes perfect sense.
So the RIAA/MPAA's strategy in stopping the lawsuits was simply to outsource that operation to a 3rd party in an attempt to distance themselves from the negative publicity they've been getting. Should anything go wrong, this company will just be cut loose and left to deal with whatever mess they've gotten themselves into, and the cycle will start again with a new company.
Yes, I remember it well. Radio Shack used to be a chain of small stores where everything was overpriced and the employees knew nothing about what they were stocking. Now it's a chain of small stores where everything is overpriced and the employees know nothing about what they're stocking, but it's called The Source. Good game guys.
The current order is only for the hearing on Jan 22, as NYCL pointed out, which only involves the legal arguments for motions entered by the Defendant's counsel. Further coverage of the rest of the case will be decided then. The judge made a lot of sense in her opinion though, I especially liked this bit:
"Public" today has a new resonance, especially in this case.
The claims and issues at stake involve the internet, file-sharing
practices, and digital copyright protections. The Defendants are
primarily members of a generation that has grown up with the
internet, who get their news from it, rather than from the
traditional forms of public communication, such as newspapers or
television. Indeed, these cases have generated widespread public
attention, much of it on the internet. Under the circumstances,
the particular relief requested -- "narrowcasting" this
proceeding to a public website -- is uniquely appropriate.
Nice to see judges are starting to catch up to this generation.
Along with a router a software firewall is a handy thing to have. A router won't alert you when a program or service tries to access your connection, but a software firewall will. If something on my PC is trying to access the internet without me telling it to, I want to know about it.
And it's great for all those annoying programs that try to phone home or check for updates at random times. What's that Acrobat Reader? You want to look for an update? No, I think I'll decide for myself when it's time to update you rather than have you nag me about it every time you're opened. Tick "create rule", hit "block". Enjoy your stay in the blacklist.
ESET Smart Security. Best $50 I've ever spent on software (except maybe The Orange Box).
Even if you find no evidence of wrongdoing, don't like what somebody's saying? Make something up. In a secret wiretapping program with no oversight (except for a "secret court", yeah right), who's going to know you didn't really intercept that email about an assassination plot?
Unless they all use a blacklist. Real freedom would be you determining the level of censorship you want to use, in other words you would be in charge of your own blacklist. What you're describing is an illusion of freedom, the idea that any time an organization encroaches on your freedom you're free to choose another, until one day they all encroach on your freedom in the same way. At that point, the illusion falls apart and you realize you've been had. At that point it's too late.
I'll throw in a (semi) related quote by George Carlin, "Rights aren't rights if someone can take them away, they're privileges. That's all we've ever had in this country is a bill of temporary privileges. And if you read the news, even badly, you'd know that every year the list gets shorter, and shorter and shorter."
I find the article itself is pretty indicative of a lot of these correlation based studies. The whole article talks about caffeine being linked to hallucinations, then at the very end, the researcher says something along the lines of "Oh, by the way, people who are more stressed for other reasons are likely to drink more coffee, and I guess that stress could be what's causing the hallucinations."
Well super. So in the end, what exactly has this study proven that we didn't already know?
Forgive the attitude, this stuff is just starting to grate my nerves. I think I need a cup of coffee.
Slashdot Mirror
Unless you happen to leave the computer for a few hours, carelessly dropping some catnip on the desk. What a klutz you are, but that's not against the law, is it?
They'll make it back from this. BoB is nothing if not resilient, and their enemies are nothing if not disorganized. I'm more interested to see what BoB will do after they stabilize everything again, this fiasco should get them excited enough to start some large scale pvp ops again.
You mean.... the Scientologists are right?
Why do all of the suggestions here assume the world still needs the RIAA, or record labels for that matter? Record labels exist to distribute and advertise music, both of which can now be done online without them. Just get rid of them.
It's nothing new, America has been a corporatocracy for some time now. They're not alone of course, but together with the UK they seem to be leading the way.
Marijuana, Schedule I:
Findings required (from Controlled Substances Act):
(A) The drug or other substance has high potential for abuse.
(B) The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
(C) There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.
None of these conditions are met for marijuana, so why isn't its Schedule I classification being challenged in court?
This seems to be a common thing here on slashdot. Take valid logic from one scenario, transfer it over to a completely different scenario and then rate insightful or interesting because the logic no longer works. The devil's in the details folks.
Leaving the (IMO bad) rape analogy aside, I would say it is partly the victims fault. The average person doesn't want to take the time to learn a few things about basic computer security, and this creates a breeding ground for botnets. Conflicker originally spread through email attachments, it's amazing to me that people are still opening attachments from people they don't know, especially executables. And yes, I believe if the average person hasn't learned by now that this is not a good idea then they should bear some of the responsibility for these outbreaks.
To use one of those analogies I talked about at the beginning of my post, it's as if everyone is leaving their keys in their unlocked cars and then wondering why thieves are having a field day with them. Is it their fault that their car was stolen? No, but they aren't helping the situation by not taking basic security precautions.
Call me again in a year. Unless you want to sell me something...
I guess it's time to try the Mexican space program. Space, si. Fly. 200 dollars.
Maybe it will, once the stranglehold the RIAA has on advertising is broken. Namely radio stations and music channels on TV. All the college radio stations out there playing independent music have proven that this model can work. The station where I used to live did a fund raising drive once a year to cover its costs and almost always ended up with a surplus. The surplus would get recycle back into the community in the form of free tickets to shows or merchandise, with a portion of it being put into a savings account in case they came up short one year. They didn't make millions from advertising like a normal radio station, but they did play a wide variety of good music that would otherwise be ignored by radio.
The crux of this model is that it will work, but only once the old model is dead and buried. In the mean time both models are being stifled by each other, the question is which one will come out on top.
The reason I download TV shows is because here in Germany, when they finally air 6+ months later, they sound like this. Or this.
Source
Well, that's going to cost me some geek cred.
You listen to all your music on Youtube? I can't think of a single person I know who's playlist is comprised of links to Youtube videos. I also can't think of anyone who goes through the trouble of ripping the video from Youtube to rip out the low quality audio to put on their mp3 player.
The issue of whether these people pay for the music later is separate from the fact that they learned of these bands through Youtube. What would you rather have as an artist? A fan who might buy your CD's or go to your concerts, or a person who doesn't know you exist?
Here's the typical scenario, this happens to me all the time.
Someone: "So what's your favorite band?"
Me: "Right now it's [band 1]"
Someone: "I like them too, have you ever heard of [band 2]? They have a similar sound, here check out this video of one of their songs."
Me: "Wow, they're pretty good. Have you heard of [band 3]? Here's a link."
Someone: "Thanks, I'll check them out."
And viola, bands 2 and 3 have new fans.
Incidentally, [band 2] and [band 3] are really great, you guys should check them out on YouTube.
I found this through a quick google search. It seems Nexicon is the company behind YouTube's video identification software, and that it used to be known as Cyco.net, an online seller of cigarettes. After acquiring two small IT companies it had a change of heart, and decided to change its business model from selling tobacco online to providing the content industry with copyright infringement solutions. It makes perfect sense.
Article about the renaming to Nexicon
Article about their work with Youtube
So the RIAA/MPAA's strategy in stopping the lawsuits was simply to outsource that operation to a 3rd party in an attempt to distance themselves from the negative publicity they've been getting. Should anything go wrong, this company will just be cut loose and left to deal with whatever mess they've gotten themselves into, and the cycle will start again with a new company.
"The top-selling digital single of 2008 was Lil Wayne's Lollipop with sales of 9.1 million units"
I think my hope for the human race just died a little.
Yes, I remember it well. Radio Shack used to be a chain of small stores where everything was overpriced and the employees knew nothing about what they were stocking. Now it's a chain of small stores where everything is overpriced and the employees know nothing about what they're stocking, but it's called The Source. Good game guys.
The current order is only for the hearing on Jan 22, as NYCL pointed out, which only involves the legal arguments for motions entered by the Defendant's counsel. Further coverage of the rest of the case will be decided then. The judge made a lot of sense in her opinion though, I especially liked this bit:
"Public" today has a new resonance, especially in this case. The claims and issues at stake involve the internet, file-sharing practices, and digital copyright protections. The Defendants are primarily members of a generation that has grown up with the internet, who get their news from it, rather than from the traditional forms of public communication, such as newspapers or television. Indeed, these cases have generated widespread public attention, much of it on the internet. Under the circumstances, the particular relief requested -- "narrowcasting" this proceeding to a public website -- is uniquely appropriate.
Nice to see judges are starting to catch up to this generation.
Along with a router a software firewall is a handy thing to have. A router won't alert you when a program or service tries to access your connection, but a software firewall will. If something on my PC is trying to access the internet without me telling it to, I want to know about it.
And it's great for all those annoying programs that try to phone home or check for updates at random times. What's that Acrobat Reader? You want to look for an update? No, I think I'll decide for myself when it's time to update you rather than have you nag me about it every time you're opened. Tick "create rule", hit "block". Enjoy your stay in the blacklist.
ESET Smart Security. Best $50 I've ever spent on software (except maybe The Orange Box).
Even if you find no evidence of wrongdoing, don't like what somebody's saying? Make something up. In a secret wiretapping program with no oversight (except for a "secret court", yeah right), who's going to know you didn't really intercept that email about an assassination plot?
Circling the drain folks... circling the drain.
Unless they all use a blacklist. Real freedom would be you determining the level of censorship you want to use, in other words you would be in charge of your own blacklist. What you're describing is an illusion of freedom, the idea that any time an organization encroaches on your freedom you're free to choose another, until one day they all encroach on your freedom in the same way. At that point, the illusion falls apart and you realize you've been had. At that point it's too late.
I'll throw in a (semi) related quote by George Carlin, "Rights aren't rights if someone can take them away, they're privileges. That's all we've ever had in this country is a bill of temporary privileges. And if you read the news, even badly, you'd know that every year the list gets shorter, and shorter and shorter."
...I think I drank too much coffee.
I find the article itself is pretty indicative of a lot of these correlation based studies. The whole article talks about caffeine being linked to hallucinations, then at the very end, the researcher says something along the lines of "Oh, by the way, people who are more stressed for other reasons are likely to drink more coffee, and I guess that stress could be what's causing the hallucinations."
Well super. So in the end, what exactly has this study proven that we didn't already know?
Forgive the attitude, this stuff is just starting to grate my nerves. I think I need a cup of coffee.