I saw Whedon speak at last Years Chicago Wizard World Comic con. (He's extremely funny and witty individual).
While not directly ask, this topic did come up, and he was rather clear in suggestion (although not in so many words), that the future of Firefly, at best, lies with more movies.
He has moved on, and so have the other actors, such that resuming the series (even if there was support/demand) would not be realistic.
It was the one thing that sucked about that pannel (we did get to see an exclusive 8min cut of firefly footage though). Also got to see the director of Batman, give a little presentation about the movie that they were filming in Chicago last summer (and saw some ultra exclusive, totally raw footage of filming, stuff that was even shot the previous day;).
So all in all, very dissapointing. But it was a pipe dream anyway:/
Well, analogies are always tricky, and can often confuse the issue more than clarify, but in the spirit of your post, I thought I'd give one of my own:)
Instead of the filling cabinet room analogy, what if one of the friends said "Your admission status is sitting on the window-sil on the 1st floor corner office of building xxy. Walk on campus, and go look through that window, and you can see it".
If someone accidentally leaves something out for the public to view, you can't blame the viewers. Or rather, you shouldn't be able to punish them.
"the burden of proof really is on the one making the statement."
In an ideal world, I'd say yes. However I'd say in todays age "burden of proof" becomes "proof of money and lawyers". Corporations and the like are able to essentially buy away the rights and freedoms of the people. Whether it's right or wrong, doesn't seem to enter into it much.
Torrent has been labeled a "pirates" tool. Whether or not it's true doesn't seem to matter, the media can be convinced, and so probably can the courts/legislators. Money talks. And lots of money SCREAMS.
So if Bram realizes this, that no matter what he says or does, torrent's days might be over, this could be his attempt to "fight back".
You have two choices when it comes to torrents. Either disown the sharing of copyrighted material "Piracy is Bad. We don't support piracy at all. Torrents can be used for GOOD!".
Or, you can try to legitimize "piracy" itself. Ie. Make the downloading of copyright material, so widespread, and so common, that the content providers have NO CHOICE but change their business models. Essentially force a revolution.
I'd guess, thats what Mr. Cohen is up to. The MPAA and RIAA aren't going to be convinced that Torrenting is "good" or "just a protocol". So rather than try in vain, he's gonna play by their rules, open the gates wide open, and legitimize piracy.
Remember, content providers are not gonna change by choice, they are not going to do the right thing because we ask nicely. The only way they will smarten up is if they are given no choice "change, or die".
So the plan isn't to deny piracy. It's to embrace it, make it so big it's unstoppable, to induce a paradigm shift in the industry. To bring on the revolution.
As anyone who watched the finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation knows:
The answer to the age ole riddle: What came first, the chicken or the egg?
Is:
- The chicken travelled back in time to lay the egg!
To generalize a bit further? The final event culminating in the end of the Universe, will likely cause some sort of Temporal annomaly, where the universe itself, travels back in time to "create" itself.
So Downloadable Television®, could also be financed by advertising.
Once the episode has finished airing, offer it for download (via bandwidth free Bittorrent).
Have commercials already in the file/download.
Come up with a "locked" format so that it will be difficult to edit out the commercials (but still allow fast forwarding!)
I think it makes alot of sense. I mean, with the advent of BitTorrent allowing limitless timeshifting, I actually watch MORE Television then I ever did. But I never turn on a TV Set! With their current model, shows must compete against each other (and for advertising $$$) in a set number of time slots!
If you allow individuals to download shows, to watch *when they want*, they will watch more TV, and watch it over and over.
People will share episodes, which essentially means they are doing your advertising for you.
Commercials will just be cut out, you say? Yes, episodes will be cracked, and edited. But it will take some effort. The General Public(TM) generally will not care to go the extra effort, and will just download the standard studio one. It's not DRM, we are always used to commercials, we can fast forward them if we want (high percision forwarding on computer media players is tough, so the majority won't bother, and just let the commercials play).
People watch MORE TV, and see MORE commercials, yet are MORE happy because they can watch anything they want, whenever they want, as much as they want.
If I was someone, like the Sci-Fi channel, you bet I'd be doing this. All it takes is a few leaders, and the major players will have no choice but to follow.
Yep, it was quite the fall from grace.
From a whiney annoying little kid, to a whiney annoying angst-full teen, to a bad-ass jedi killing cyborg...
Wait a second? Vader is actually an *improvement* over anakin, after watching the first two episodes, it'd be preferable if he was just killed outright! Not to save the jedi from extinction, but just to put the viewer out of his misery.
At the end of ROTJ you feel bad for luke, and his dad, a supposedly nice guy who fell to the dark side. Now that you see the truth, you still feel bad for luke, but this time because his dad was a total loser, and that he didn't kill him sooner!
Anyone who has seen the spoof trailer for Episode III, knows the truth of the above.
Aggies
So if I find a newspaper from 3 weeks ago, and in it is an advert for a restaurant with a list of prices, (that have since changed), is that still considered false advertising?
Obviously not. But what if the website info was true when it was posted? Then just forgotten about or not updated.
People understand that newspaper information is time sensitive based on when it was published, shouldn't that also apply to information on the internet? A web page is never "real-time", it is merely information pertaining to the date it was published.
I'd say this issue isn't as cut and dry and one might think.
Well it's been a few years since my Immunology Class, but if I remember correctly..
The flu isn't a good comparisson. It's a virus. We are talking about bacteria. The Immune system's response is somewhat different depending on what you get. It's actually much more complex when dealing with viruses, and alot more simple/brute force when dealing with bacteria.
To grossly simplify everything:
- Virus's require pre-knowledge to develop the best immune response. Building up antibodies etc (which is why we have vaccines).
- Bacteria largely don't ellicit the complicated viral response, they are treated in a more traditional (evolutionarily older) manner. The emphasis is not soo much on pre-knowledge (hence little to none "bacterial vaccines").
To bring it all home, chances are bacterial infection from alien bacteria (as long as they aren't silicon based lifeforms;) ) will illicit the same immune response as Terra based bacteria. And judging how often people alreadyget strep throat, e.coli etc, they will be quite effective at killing us off:)
The good news is, is that they will probably NOT already be antibiotic resistant. So penicillin will work quite nicely...:)
This is more in response to the idea of fans offering to "pay" for the next series of enterprise.
With a finite TV schedule, and relatively few peoples ability to *easily* time shift, it's inevitable that some shows will be watched less than others. And so some shows just won't get the advertising dollars.
Which again brings up the perfect idea for TV producers to offer their shows for download, directly themselves. If people are given the ability to watch it, when they want to, at ease, they will likely watch more. Add in a simple uneditable format (to preserve commercials) and it's a win for both sides. (Yes ppl say that commercials will just be ripped, but your average consumer doesn't really care, and will just get the original versions for the simplicity).
Personally, this season I have rarely turned on the TV set. That being said, I have been watching more TV shows than ever before. Simply because I can watch what I want, when I want, as often as I want. The freedom makes it so I don't have to choose between competing series, or real world obligations. If your busy for a week or two, no problem, you can always catch up later, and watch several in a row. Miss half the season, because you didn't hear about the show? No problem, you can still get it (and still experience all the commercials!)
What you end up with is *increased* ratings for shows, and potentially better advertising because commercials are viewed EVERY time the show is watched, not just the one time that it is aired.
Aggies
Whenever I hear these forecasts, it always makes me wonder. I mean, when people make these estimates, do they think we live on a planet with an UNLIMITED POPULATION? Sales have gone down? Maybe thats because *most people who want one, already have one*
PDA's for the most part, are a niche market. They are not something that "everyone and his dog" are going to find usefull. That being said, for most PDA users I'd say there is no need to upgrade. I mean, the fancy mp3, cell phone, full computer in your hand products are nice, but they probably only appeal to a tiny fraction of the already small PDA niche market. You buy a PDA, and thats it, you don't need to "upgrade" to a new one every year.
I have had a Sony Clie for almost 2yrs now. Sure I envy the fancier *do it all* PDA's, but they are more of a wow type gadget. My trusty CLIE still does everything I (and probably most average PDA users) need it for. Managing appointments, contacts, schedules, reading e-books, taking notes, looking at maps, and playing the occasional game of yahtzee.
Until this unit is physically damaged, I have no need for another one. It does it all, just fine.
So maybe it's not that they are being replaced by other more usefull gadgets (eg cell phones), but rather that most people who would find one usefull, already have one.
Aggies
Slashdot Mirror
You forgot the final confirmation prompt:
;)
" Really, really sure? If this is a mistake, you could end up making the front page of slashdot!"
Aggies
I saw Whedon speak at last Years Chicago Wizard World Comic con. (He's extremely funny and witty individual).
;).
:/
While not directly ask, this topic did come up, and he was rather clear in suggestion (although not in so many words), that the future of Firefly, at best, lies with more movies.
He has moved on, and so have the other actors, such that resuming the series (even if there was support/demand) would not be realistic.
It was the one thing that sucked about that pannel (we did get to see an exclusive 8min cut of firefly footage though). Also got to see the director of Batman, give a little presentation about the movie that they were filming in Chicago last summer (and saw some ultra exclusive, totally raw footage of filming, stuff that was even shot the previous day
So all in all, very dissapointing. But it was a pipe dream anyway
Aggies
Well, analogies are always tricky, and can often confuse the issue more than clarify, but in the spirit of your post, I thought I'd give one of my own :)
Instead of the filling cabinet room analogy, what if one of the friends said "Your admission status is sitting on the window-sil on the 1st floor corner office of building xxy. Walk on campus, and go look through that window, and you can see it".
If someone accidentally leaves something out for the public to view, you can't blame the viewers. Or rather, you shouldn't be able to punish them.
Aggies
"the burden of proof really is on the one making the statement."
In an ideal world, I'd say yes. However I'd say in todays age "burden of proof" becomes "proof of money and lawyers". Corporations and the like are able to essentially buy away the rights and freedoms of the people. Whether it's right or wrong, doesn't seem to enter into it much.
Torrent has been labeled a "pirates" tool. Whether or not it's true doesn't seem to matter, the media can be convinced, and so probably can the courts/legislators. Money talks. And lots of money SCREAMS.
So if Bram realizes this, that no matter what he says or does, torrent's days might be over, this could be his attempt to "fight back".
Aggies
You have two choices when it comes to torrents. Either disown the sharing of copyrighted material "Piracy is Bad. We don't support piracy at all. Torrents can be used for GOOD!".
Or, you can try to legitimize "piracy" itself. Ie. Make the downloading of copyright material, so widespread, and so common, that the content providers have NO CHOICE but change their business models. Essentially force a revolution.
I'd guess, thats what Mr. Cohen is up to. The MPAA and RIAA aren't going to be convinced that Torrenting is "good" or "just a protocol". So rather than try in vain, he's gonna play by their rules, open the gates wide open, and legitimize piracy.
Remember, content providers are not gonna change by choice, they are not going to do the right thing because we ask nicely. The only way they will smarten up is if they are given no choice "change, or die".
So the plan isn't to deny piracy. It's to embrace it, make it so big it's unstoppable, to induce a paradigm shift in the industry. To bring on the revolution.
Heck, it might even work.
Aggies
I guess I should be glad I didn't say
"Forget Sodium. Liquid Cesium is the way to go! So easy to cleanup, just wipe with a WET cloth..."
instead.
I mean, if ever there is a leak, all you need to clean it up is a bit of Water!...
Aggies
The answer to the age ole riddle: What came first, the chicken or the egg?
Is:
- The chicken travelled back in time to lay the egg!
To generalize a bit further? The final event culminating in the end of the Universe, will likely cause some sort of Temporal annomaly, where the universe itself, travels back in time to "create" itself.
Aggies
Broadcast Television is financed by commercials.
So Downloadable Television®, could also be financed by advertising.
Once the episode has finished airing, offer it for download (via bandwidth free Bittorrent).
Have commercials already in the file/download.
Come up with a "locked" format so that it will be difficult to edit out the commercials (but still allow fast forwarding!)
I think it makes alot of sense. I mean, with the advent of BitTorrent allowing limitless timeshifting, I actually watch MORE Television then I ever did. But I never turn on a TV Set! With their current model, shows must compete against each other (and for advertising $$$) in a set number of time slots!
If you allow individuals to download shows, to watch *when they want*, they will watch more TV, and watch it over and over.
People will share episodes, which essentially means they are doing your advertising for you.
Commercials will just be cut out, you say? Yes, episodes will be cracked, and edited. But it will take some effort. The General Public(TM) generally will not care to go the extra effort, and will just download the standard studio one. It's not DRM, we are always used to commercials, we can fast forward them if we want (high percision forwarding on computer media players is tough, so the majority won't bother, and just let the commercials play).
People watch MORE TV, and see MORE commercials, yet are MORE happy because they can watch anything they want, whenever they want, as much as they want.
If I was someone, like the Sci-Fi channel, you bet I'd be doing this. All it takes is a few leaders, and the major players will have no choice but to follow.
Aggies
From a whiney annoying little kid, to a whiney annoying angst-full teen, to a bad-ass jedi killing cyborg...
Wait a second? Vader is actually an *improvement* over anakin, after watching the first two episodes, it'd be preferable if he was just killed outright! Not to save the jedi from extinction, but just to put the viewer out of his misery.
At the end of ROTJ you feel bad for luke, and his dad, a supposedly nice guy who fell to the dark side. Now that you see the truth, you still feel bad for luke, but this time because his dad was a total loser, and that he didn't kill him sooner!
Anyone who has seen the spoof trailer for Episode III, knows the truth of the above.
Aggies
This means that there is going to be even less eye candy in the computer lab... :(
Aggies
So if I find a newspaper from 3 weeks ago, and in it is an advert for a restaurant with a list of prices, (that have since changed), is that still considered false advertising?
Obviously not. But what if the website info was true when it was posted? Then just forgotten about or not updated.
People understand that newspaper information is time sensitive based on when it was published, shouldn't that also apply to information on the internet? A web page is never "real-time", it is merely information pertaining to the date it was published.
I'd say this issue isn't as cut and dry and one might think.
Aggies
Well it's been a few years since my Immunology Class, but if I remember correctly..
The flu isn't a good comparisson. It's a virus. We are talking about bacteria. The Immune system's response is somewhat different depending on what you get. It's actually much more complex when dealing with viruses, and alot more simple/brute force when dealing with bacteria.
To grossly simplify everything:- Virus's require pre-knowledge to develop the best immune response. Building up antibodies etc (which is why we have vaccines).
- Bacteria largely don't ellicit the complicated viral response, they are treated in a more traditional (evolutionarily older) manner. The emphasis is not soo much on pre-knowledge (hence little to none "bacterial vaccines").
To bring it all home, chances are bacterial infection from alien bacteria (as long as they aren't silicon based lifeforms ;) ) will illicit the same immune response as Terra based bacteria. And judging how often people alreadyget strep throat, e.coli etc, they will be quite effective at killing us off :)
The good news is, is that they will probably NOT already be antibiotic resistant. So penicillin will work quite nicely... :)
This is more in response to the idea of fans offering to "pay" for the next series of enterprise. With a finite TV schedule, and relatively few peoples ability to *easily* time shift, it's inevitable that some shows will be watched less than others. And so some shows just won't get the advertising dollars. Which again brings up the perfect idea for TV producers to offer their shows for download, directly themselves. If people are given the ability to watch it, when they want to, at ease, they will likely watch more. Add in a simple uneditable format (to preserve commercials) and it's a win for both sides. (Yes ppl say that commercials will just be ripped, but your average consumer doesn't really care, and will just get the original versions for the simplicity). Personally, this season I have rarely turned on the TV set. That being said, I have been watching more TV shows than ever before. Simply because I can watch what I want, when I want, as often as I want. The freedom makes it so I don't have to choose between competing series, or real world obligations. If your busy for a week or two, no problem, you can always catch up later, and watch several in a row. Miss half the season, because you didn't hear about the show? No problem, you can still get it (and still experience all the commercials!) What you end up with is *increased* ratings for shows, and potentially better advertising because commercials are viewed EVERY time the show is watched, not just the one time that it is aired. Aggies
Whenever I hear these forecasts, it always makes me wonder. I mean, when people make these estimates, do they think we live on a planet with an UNLIMITED POPULATION? Sales have gone down? Maybe thats because *most people who want one, already have one* PDA's for the most part, are a niche market. They are not something that "everyone and his dog" are going to find usefull. That being said, for most PDA users I'd say there is no need to upgrade. I mean, the fancy mp3, cell phone, full computer in your hand products are nice, but they probably only appeal to a tiny fraction of the already small PDA niche market. You buy a PDA, and thats it, you don't need to "upgrade" to a new one every year. I have had a Sony Clie for almost 2yrs now. Sure I envy the fancier *do it all* PDA's, but they are more of a wow type gadget. My trusty CLIE still does everything I (and probably most average PDA users) need it for. Managing appointments, contacts, schedules, reading e-books, taking notes, looking at maps, and playing the occasional game of yahtzee. Until this unit is physically damaged, I have no need for another one. It does it all, just fine. So maybe it's not that they are being replaced by other more usefull gadgets (eg cell phones), but rather that most people who would find one usefull, already have one. Aggies