Could I be taken to court for handing out [illegal item] - yes. Could I be taken to court for telling people that Joe Bloggs on the other side of town can put them in touch with someone who will give them [illegal item] - I wouldn't think so.
I'm guessing that because the [illegal item] you're talking about is a bunch of 1s and 0s, a direct comparison can't be made (at least in the minds of lawyers and the MPAA/RIAA). I agree with that statement 100%, but there are many examples of how complex it is to accurately compare a digital file to a physical item.
What about the old-school CD drives that required a protective caddy? These protected the disc from scratches.
Re:Glad I'm not a Californian anymore
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Tinfoil Hat House
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I just left California too. Unfortunately I live in New Jersey now where things are more ridiculous than California (no liquor sales on Sunday?!?!?). In one city where I was looking to live there's an law that prohibits the use of charcoal grills! WTF?
Re:Glad I'm not a Californian anymore
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Tinfoil Hat House
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· Score: 1
I suppose it's also somehow the State of New York's fault that in my apartment complex we're not allowed to put up satellite dishes.
Actually, the FCC passed a rule in 1996 that allows residents of apartment complexes/townhomes/condos to install a dish as long as it's within the renter's exclusive area such as a balcony, yard, or patio.
So if your balcony or porch has a clear view of the satellite, then you shouldn't have any problems. The only place you can't put the dish is on top of the roof or attached to the side of your building, unless you have the owner's permission.
I recently graduated and finally settled in an area where I would like to buy a home. Unfortunately for me I'm 25 miles outside New York City where real estate isn't exactly cheap at the moment.
I'm not very familiar with economics, but I think that another reason for overpriced housing is the fact that banks have virtually no restrictions on who they're lending to. My understanding has been that you need at least 10% of the purchase price for a downpayment, preferably 20%, and you need to have good credit to get a good interest rate. These days, ANYONE can get a loan with practically nothing down and still get a good interest rate regardless of your credit history.
I don't have any of these issues - I have excellent credit and I can now afford a 20% downpayment on a house that was priced reasonably (a few years ago), but with today's housing prices that same amount I have for a downpayment is only about 5% of a house that isn't as nice.
Can anyone with an economics background provide some insight? Will banks ever tighten up their lending standards, and if so would that help adjust prices to a more realistic level?
I'm also concerned about these interest-only loans that people are getting. A friend of mine only owed about $100K on his house in California, but got it appraised recently for $350K so he took basically took out a second mortgage and bought himself a $70,000 car, a $40,000 car, took a bunch of expensive vacations, bought some big screen LCD TVs, and wasted his money on a bunch of other luxury goods. He's only paying the interest on the loan, which is about $1000 a month. I know he's not alone - MANY people throughout the USA are doing this. I know another guy who makes $40,000 a year and somehow managed to buy a $500,000 house. I simply can't understand how this is possible. Interest-only loans for the first few years are great, but what happens when you have to repay the principal?
Again, a question for the economists: Will housing prices drop once these interest only loans expire and principal has to be repayed?
America's Oldest Brewery located in Pottsville, PA!
Try it if you ever get the chance. I think it's only available along the East Coast, and I know for a fact that it's available in New York so if you're ever in town give it a try. Or better yet, make the drive to the brewery and go on a tour - their tasting session afterwards is very good (you get to sit at their little pub for an hour or two and try as much beer as you like!)
Yes, but the Carnegie Mellon Team has a very strong advantage. Keep in mind that last year their vehicle rolled over during tests just a few days before the competition, and they had to replace just about all the electronics - they STILL made it farther than anyone else...
Not only do they have a well designed system, they're using a Hummer H1. I know it doesn't matter what vehicle wins, but when you're competing in a DARPA funded contest, using a HUMMER is more impressive than a VW.
How exactly are they watermarked, and do the studios ever take action to trace ripped copies?
I always wondered about this. It seems if they're effectively watermarked, it would be relatively simple to track down the person responsible for leaking it. On the other hand, the people responsible for adding the watermark or those who are involved direclty with the manufacture of the disc can probably obtain a copy.
No doubt the technology to strip this sort of scan will be developed, once it is reverse-engineered.
Not everything can be reverse-engineered effectively. As far as I know the latest DirecTV encryption technology hasn't been broken yet, and it's been out for a while. Then again, maybe it can be broken (or has been broken) but it's just easier for people to hack another provider's encoding/encryption scheme.
Is that the one with the odd looking design and top loading cartridges?
I remember a local store was selling them for $20 when they were discontinued and I was kicking myself for not buying all of them. The ones that I found were all going for too much money.
That problem is caused by a worn header (where the cartridges electrical contacts plug into). If you're good with soldering (come on, most of us/.ers are) you can buy a new one and replace it. I did that to my original NES console, and it works as good as new!
Where do you get a small set-top-box? I need one for an old TV that I have, but I can't find them ANYWHERE. I thought about using a VCR to accomplish the same task (tune my basic analog cable), but it's practically impossible to find a cheap VCR. I was in BestBuy and Circuit City and the cheapest VCR they had was $65 - most of their DVD players are the same price or less.
Back on topic, I wish manufacturers would offer a camera-less version of their products like cameraphones and all-in-one PDAs. I wouldn't mind having a Treo 650, however the camera prevents me from buying one. I'm unable to bring a camera into my workplace, and I assume many other people have the same restrictions.
"... it is important to remember that the bulk of business travel still happens for the sake of face-to-face communication."
HD or non-HD, there is no substitute for face to face communication. I frequently travel across the country just to meet with someone for a day. It costs a lot of money for the company, but things are more productive that way (instead of wasting a week trying to get in touch with someone)
Ironically, I was just considering the purchase of a panasonic Toughbook-18 because the screen flips to make it a tablet PC, complete with stylus. I'm not familiar with tablet PCs, but the toughbook 18 was the first one that I ever got to play with and I like it.
I imagine the Mac tablet, if made available, would be much more expensive than the toughbook, but I would certainly consider it.
ROM sites are just as bad as the guys who sell "50,000 in 1" systems.
I wish there was a way to report them... I went to a mall in Brea, CA a few weeks ago and in the middle of the mall at one of the stands a guy was selling the 1000 in 1 Nintendo systems. What really struck me is that the cases were exact clones of PS One systems. Nintendo games in a Sony-copied case.
I'm making them because I'm telling a story, and I have to tell the story I intended.
Was Jar-Jar part of that story he intended?
Honestly, I haven't seen any of the Star Wars movies. I started to watch Episode I, however five minutes after seeing Jar-Jar (before hearing all the controversy surrounding him) I couldn't stand the movie and walked away. Now I will certainly not see II and III, however I may go back and watch the original series.
they aren't even BOTHERING to hide their corruption -- because they think nobody can do anything about it.
Well, can anyone really do anything about it?
From the looks of things, the majority of people are very easily satisfied, and accept whatever the government is doing as right or perfectly acceptable. The media certainly isn't helping people think for themselves.
One of the key points in the napster case if i remeber corec tly was that napster had the ability to stop ilegal downlads but never did.
Now how exactly does that work? I thought that was the whole problem with MP3s - there's no way to really tell if they're copyrighted or not.
I'm not up to date on current p2p technology as I don't download or share music, but I always wondered why someone doesn't start a private P2P network among well-known associates/friends that uses SSL to keep spying eyes away? Or does something like this already exist? If not, anyone want to help me make one?
less cane sugar? I thought Coca-Cola Classic didn't have *any* cane sugar.
I'm not a big fan of Corn Syrup, but in reality it isn't so bad. Isn't that what Anheuser-Busch uses makes Natural Ice/Light?
Now back on topic, I think the station exchange is a great idea. I don't play EQ, but if I did I would certainly want an easy way to sell my in-game items and then order pizza. Too bad they don't implement a/beer command to have beer delivered to your door.
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I'm guessing that because the [illegal item] you're talking about is a bunch of 1s and 0s, a direct comparison can't be made (at least in the minds of lawyers and the MPAA/RIAA). I agree with that statement 100%, but there are many examples of how complex it is to accurately compare a digital file to a physical item.
What about the old-school CD drives that required a protective caddy? These protected the disc from scratches.
I just left California too. Unfortunately I live in New Jersey now where things are more ridiculous than California (no liquor sales on Sunday?!?!?). In one city where I was looking to live there's an law that prohibits the use of charcoal grills! WTF?
Actually, the FCC passed a rule in 1996 that allows residents of apartment complexes/townhomes/condos to install a dish as long as it's within the renter's exclusive area such as a balcony, yard, or patio.
http://www.dishnetwork.com/downloads/pdf/getdish/w hat_is/LLP_Release_Form.pdf
So if your balcony or porch has a clear view of the satellite, then you shouldn't have any problems. The only place you can't put the dish is on top of the roof or attached to the side of your building, unless you have the owner's permission.
I'm not very familiar with economics, but I think that another reason for overpriced housing is the fact that banks have virtually no restrictions on who they're lending to. My understanding has been that you need at least 10% of the purchase price for a downpayment, preferably 20%, and you need to have good credit to get a good interest rate. These days, ANYONE can get a loan with practically nothing down and still get a good interest rate regardless of your credit history.
I don't have any of these issues - I have excellent credit and I can now afford a 20% downpayment on a house that was priced reasonably (a few years ago), but with today's housing prices that same amount I have for a downpayment is only about 5% of a house that isn't as nice.
Can anyone with an economics background provide some insight? Will banks ever tighten up their lending standards, and if so would that help adjust prices to a more realistic level?
I'm also concerned about these interest-only loans that people are getting. A friend of mine only owed about $100K on his house in California, but got it appraised recently for $350K so he took basically took out a second mortgage and bought himself a $70,000 car, a $40,000 car, took a bunch of expensive vacations, bought some big screen LCD TVs, and wasted his money on a bunch of other luxury goods. He's only paying the interest on the loan, which is about $1000 a month. I know he's not alone - MANY people throughout the USA are doing this. I know another guy who makes $40,000 a year and somehow managed to buy a $500,000 house. I simply can't understand how this is possible. Interest-only loans for the first few years are great, but what happens when you have to repay the principal?
Again, a question for the economists: Will housing prices drop once these interest only loans expire and principal has to be repayed?
America's Oldest Brewery located in Pottsville, PA!
Try it if you ever get the chance. I think it's only available along the East Coast, and I know for a fact that it's available in New York so if you're ever in town give it a try. Or better yet, make the drive to the brewery and go on a tour - their tasting session afterwards is very good (you get to sit at their little pub for an hour or two and try as much beer as you like!)
Not only do they have a well designed system, they're using a Hummer H1. I know it doesn't matter what vehicle wins, but when you're competing in a DARPA funded contest, using a HUMMER is more impressive than a VW.
Anyone ever hear of Mobil SpeedPass or EZPass? My guess it would work just like these. How secure are these and have they ever been hacked?
I always wondered about this. It seems if they're effectively watermarked, it would be relatively simple to track down the person responsible for leaking it. On the other hand, the people responsible for adding the watermark or those who are involved direclty with the manufacture of the disc can probably obtain a copy.
Not everything can be reverse-engineered effectively. As far as I know the latest DirecTV encryption technology hasn't been broken yet, and it's been out for a while. Then again, maybe it can be broken (or has been broken) but it's just easier for people to hack another provider's encoding/encryption scheme.
Perhaps they 'purchased' their copies of Windows from Chinese street vendors?
I remember a local store was selling them for $20 when they were discontinued and I was kicking myself for not buying all of them. The ones that I found were all going for too much money.
That problem is caused by a worn header (where the cartridges electrical contacts plug into). If you're good with soldering (come on, most of us /.ers are) you can buy a new one and replace it. I did that to my original NES console, and it works as good as new!
Back on topic, I wish manufacturers would offer a camera-less version of their products like cameraphones and all-in-one PDAs. I wouldn't mind having a Treo 650, however the camera prevents me from buying one. I'm unable to bring a camera into my workplace, and I assume many other people have the same restrictions.
HD or non-HD, there is no substitute for face to face communication. I frequently travel across the country just to meet with someone for a day. It costs a lot of money for the company, but things are more productive that way (instead of wasting a week trying to get in touch with someone)
How To Cool Your PC With Dry Ice
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/05/ 09/0335222&tid=222&tid=137
I imagine the Mac tablet, if made available, would be much more expensive than the toughbook, but I would certainly consider it.
I wish there was a way to report them... I went to a mall in Brea, CA a few weeks ago and in the middle of the mall at one of the stands a guy was selling the 1000 in 1 Nintendo systems. What really struck me is that the cases were exact clones of PS One systems. Nintendo games in a Sony-copied case.
Just like the guys who put new mufflers on their cars to gain 2HP...
A H&K .45 USP Compact is much better than a Glock 19, in my personal opinion.
Was Jar-Jar part of that story he intended?
Honestly, I haven't seen any of the Star Wars movies. I started to watch Episode I, however five minutes after seeing Jar-Jar (before hearing all the controversy surrounding him) I couldn't stand the movie and walked away. Now I will certainly not see II and III, however I may go back and watch the original series.
Do you have a Nevada Concealed Carry permit?
Well, can anyone really do anything about it?
From the looks of things, the majority of people are very easily satisfied, and accept whatever the government is doing as right or perfectly acceptable. The media certainly isn't helping people think for themselves.
Now how exactly does that work? I thought that was the whole problem with MP3s - there's no way to really tell if they're copyrighted or not.
I'm not up to date on current p2p technology as I don't download or share music, but I always wondered why someone doesn't start a private P2P network among well-known associates/friends that uses SSL to keep spying eyes away? Or does something like this already exist? If not, anyone want to help me make one?
I'm not a big fan of Corn Syrup, but in reality it isn't so bad. Isn't that what Anheuser-Busch uses makes Natural Ice/Light?
Now back on topic, I think the station exchange is a great idea. I don't play EQ, but if I did I would certainly want an easy way to sell my in-game items and then order pizza. Too bad they don't implement a /beer command to have beer delivered to your door.