Do you really want law nerds dating your daughters?
Daughters?! No True Scot... er.. Nerd will ever be in a position to procreate! Unless you live with your parents AND a slob AND single AND an intravert, you have no business calling yourself a pure nerd.
In the end, it is really impossible to determine what happened. All falls to how the case will be presented to the jury and what opinion they will have on the day.
While I do share your sentiment (I also do not like the synthetic "music" of the present and pine for the music of the good-old-day), I believe this is caused by us just simply getting old.
Recall our parents when the Rock-And-Roll was all the rage. They were saying similar things about the new trends to be degenerative, etc. I guess it is now our turn to scoff at this generation's style.
So yes, that would work, if the user: 1) accepts the download of the malicious trojan. 2) manually sets the executable bit of the file 3) doesn't bother to look at the contents of the -readable- script. 4) manually runs the script.
I run Linux and love it, but even though my view is biased even I have to admit that no system is immune to the dancing pigs problem.
Lets say the trojan is a new game on Freshmeat and distributed as an rpm or deb package for Linux and exe install file for Windows. User will happily dpkg the file on their system and that will be the end of that.
You would very easily have a full project on Sourceforge with the code perfectly clean, but have the pre-compiled binaries specially modified. Sure you won't get those people that compiled from source, but will get the majority that just get the binary. Compiling source for Windows is even more rare, since compilers are more rarely present.
Even in your own example of a python script: Do you honestly think that the user goes through every line of the script before he runs it? At most they will open it and give a quick scrollthrough. Make it sufficiently large and convoluted, and I will bet that the user will just give up and run it to see what it does. All of this assumes that he will be suspicious about anything in the first place: He downloaded the trojan in the first place means that he is sold on running it. Really the only time some python script will start ringing alarm bells is if it starts asking for the elevated priveladges. Thus it first needs to be socially engineered to convince the user that it will be installing some helpful application.
When they finally get the message that all the DRM in the world won't stop the pirates, the pirates will just view it as a chance to show off their skills, they may stop investing in DRM solutions.
I don't think you understand their view of the DRM solution.
Every single deployer of DRM systems is 100% aware that it will be cracked. If you see any presentations of them talking about it, they say it upfront: DRM's purpose is not to stop the pirates, it is there to delay them.
Looking at the profit projections, majority of sales happen at the game release before rapidly dropping off into the long tail. If for this first two weeks there is no easily accessible pirated version available, buyers will get the official version. After that the company doesn't give a shit if there are thousands of unlocked copies out there: They made the most they can out of the product already.
Imagine that they release the game without any protection: the very first purchaser will make an image and post it on Pirate Bay. Thus all the others that want a copy of the game will have a free alternative to get it within minutes of the game release. Why would they pay money (There is VERY little appreciatioin or loyalty to the game developers/publishers in the real world) when they can get the perfect copy for free? Thus DRM is there just to make the initial amazing-cracker buyer spend this precious intitial release time cracking the system rather than making the game available.
And the crackers are amazing. The protection schemes are broken within days. The battle is to make the DRM last as long as possible before the inevitable crack. Thus it becomes more and more invasive, bothersome and draconian. Legitimate loyal customers are discarded as collateral damage, since the very profits are on the line.
Game development costs a LOT of money with huge risks. There is a real possibility that the game won't be liked even if there is zero piracy (Look at the commercial lack of success of Planescape Torment, Freespace 2, Phychonauts, Arcanum, Arx Fatalis. Awesome games, but completely failed to sell). On top of that it is software, thus easily copied and distributed without the developers seeing a dime for all their work, with the pirates doing this with pride and not giving a single thought to the people that made the product possible. Even Humble Bundle got pirated straight away even though you could pay only a single penny to get the package! With such a cutthroat environment it is hard not to see the method behind their madness.
I hate the situation, but honestly do not know the solution to the industry's plight. One thing is to lower the cost of the product (New games in Australia cost 89 dollars with our exchange rate higher than american dollar). Sadly, seeng the piracy of Humble Bundle I am cynical. Apperently people pirate out of some spite rather than cost. It would be good to hear some opinions on how to ensure that developers/publishers see the full profits of their labours as well as respecting the customer.
what freaking business is it of the government whether I invest my wealth wisely or unwisely?
Oh, it is very much government's business.
If you are an idiot, invest all your money/assets unwisely and lose it all, what is in store for you next? Are you just going to quetly lie down and die?
No, you will crawl to the government and start begging for help. If they don't provide you with something to make your ends meet, you will turn to crime. No matter how cynical you are regarding the government, it is not in their best interest or image to have their citizens at such stage. It kind of affects their bottom line and approval ratings.
Thus they need to somehow make it more difficult for you to do something stupid. Imposing limits on how much you can invest in a potentially risky venture seems like an easy way to protect an average, easily-manipulated idiots from themselves.
Couldn't they afford a better camera? My smartphone would have done a better job.
Can your smartphone stand the rigors of launch and lunar environment? Looks like you need to send something specifically designed for such difficult requirements.
Now that can't be cheap. And the camera is not the focus of the mission. It already adds pointless weight without giving any scientific results. Add to that how NASA's funding is being cut at every opportunity in all areas, I am shocked that the camera was included at all! So yes, I would imagine that they couldn't afford a better camera.
Let's face it: Science and Engineering aren't hot anymore
On the contrary: Science and Engineering are very hot... in Asia.
US is still famous for their technical schools. Asians are going there in droves for a degree before comming back and getting excellent jobs. Engineers are highly respected there.
If a kid is passionate about science/engineering let him do it along with Chinese language on the side. Once he gets his qualifications, emmigrate to Asia and rake in the money/enjoy his career.
Can you imagine someone saying "I got loost in the mall."???
Imagining this scenario is quite easy. What is proving impossible is stopping from imagining yourself hitting that person with something sharp and heavy afterwards. Repeatedly.
And yes, there are VERY desirable places there, with the majority NOT being so.
Could you please elaborate on this point further. What is it on the moon that is so desirable to spend extraordinary amount of effort in order to acquire it?
It can't be resources, since our planet got everything the Moon have in much higher amount and vastly easier to access even if you have to synthesize it. It can't be microgravity since LEO can provide that much cheaper. It can't be energy as you mentioned in your further sentence since it is meaningless to transfer it to Earth (May as well go with massive solar panels in LEO and beam it down somehow). It can't be for living space, since we are completely unadapted to such an environment and it would be far easier to populate deserts or bottom of the ocean on Earth. It could potentially be a strategic position (The ultimate higher ground), but there is simply no need for such an expensive spending when greater numbers of nuclear weapons already give you dominance over other nations.
Really the only thing space has ever been used for is a symbolic arena.
Despite my cynisizm towards the future of Russia I honestly don't harbour any ill will towards that nation or its people. I find it regretable to see a country of such vast potential and hard-working ethics being stuck in a perpetual state of corruption and authoritarianism with no end to it in sight.
Though Russian people are hopeless at establishing and maintaining a free and effective system of government, they will get it right eventually. Their perseverence and endurance are nothing short of amazing and will see them through to the end. After all the turmoil Russia will earn its way back to greatness with only question being how long it will take.
Since I don't know much about the functioning of the global economy, could you explain how the fall of the United States economy and influence will affect Russian situation? As far as I am aware, Russian exports are directed at Europe and Asia.
I also find your statement "commodities are never coming back down." to be absurd! This is similar to the "housing prices will always goes up" delusions from the very recent past. No matter what the market, prices will always fluctuate.
Lastly I would like to state for the record that I am not an american and the currency of my country is not a dollar.
Russia loaded with cash?! Only because of high oil/natural gas prices and only a small percentage of the population pocketing the proceeds. I have doubts that oligarches are interested in the space race. As soon as the commodities crash again, Russia will go back to being dirt-poor once more anyway.
Poor Russia just can't get a break. Their history since the Mongol invasion can be summarised in five words: "It just kept getting worse". At least they haven't had another bloody revolution in quite a while (Fall of Soviet Union was surprisingly peaceful), though seeing how things currently are: it is comming eventually. It will most probably follow the same old pattern: brutal, followed up even worse regime.
The reason is that once private space is properly funded, then it will go to the moon around 2020.
Private enterprise operate for only a single purpose: profit. What profit is there in getting anything (Be it human or probe) to the moon?
At least some governments need to demonstrate that their dicks are the biggest in the world and use blind nationalism to motivate people to work on these profitless ventures. Paying a private company to get them there will not count, since there isn't much pride in paying someone to do it for you. My prediction is that the next person on another planet/moon will be delivered by government agency, will plant a flag and won't be followed on until another nation decides to prove its engineering superiority to the neighbours.
If you shrink yourself down to such small sizes, we will no longer be on top of the food chain. Insects will consider us fair game.
Do you know how nightmarish the world of insects is?! The kind of absolutely chillingly horrible things insect predators do to their prey will make you lose sleep for a long time. It would be a blessing to be killed quickly by something like a Praying Mantis rather than used as a host for larvae or dissolved alive, etc.
I for one appreciate being big and smart enough to be the top predator on the planet.
The closest to operational definition is already covered by Wikipedia. The article there is really the most approchable piece on covering it that I have yet found.
As for metaphorical comparison: It is nearly impossible to come up with those for complex mathematics without completely butchering up the concept. Especially since
There are things in life where analogies are just inadequate. If you are trully interested, spend the time reading Wikipedia and the links. If you don't give a shit to understand it, then just think of it as a mathematical notation to categorize complexity level of problems.
All my friends that play SC2 run Windows and play it at the lowest settings anyway. For a twitch game like that where half a second miss-click costs you the game (According to them anyway), you just can't take any chances of local lag.
Thus if the only difference is the graphical settings, WINE is just as good as Windows platform.
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Do you really want law nerds dating your daughters?
Daughters?! No True Scot... er.. Nerd will ever be in a position to procreate! Unless you live with your parents AND a slob AND single AND an intravert, you have no business calling yourself a pure nerd.
Touche.
In the end, it is really impossible to determine what happened. All falls to how the case will be presented to the jury and what opinion they will have on the day.
That is a very informative chart. Thank you for posting it.
While I do share your sentiment (I also do not like the synthetic "music" of the present and pine for the music of the good-old-day), I believe this is caused by us just simply getting old.
Recall our parents when the Rock-And-Roll was all the rage. They were saying similar things about the new trends to be degenerative, etc. I guess it is now our turn to scoff at this generation's style.
So yes, that would work, if the user:
1) accepts the download of the malicious trojan.
2) manually sets the executable bit of the file
3) doesn't bother to look at the contents of the -readable- script.
4) manually runs the script.
I run Linux and love it, but even though my view is biased even I have to admit that no system is immune to the dancing pigs problem.
Lets say the trojan is a new game on Freshmeat and distributed as an rpm or deb package for Linux and exe install file for Windows. User will happily dpkg the file on their system and that will be the end of that.
You would very easily have a full project on Sourceforge with the code perfectly clean, but have the pre-compiled binaries specially modified. Sure you won't get those people that compiled from source, but will get the majority that just get the binary. Compiling source for Windows is even more rare, since compilers are more rarely present.
Even in your own example of a python script: Do you honestly think that the user goes through every line of the script before he runs it? At most they will open it and give a quick scrollthrough. Make it sufficiently large and convoluted, and I will bet that the user will just give up and run it to see what it does. All of this assumes that he will be suspicious about anything in the first place: He downloaded the trojan in the first place means that he is sold on running it. Really the only time some python script will start ringing alarm bells is if it starts asking for the elevated priveladges. Thus it first needs to be socially engineered to convince the user that it will be installing some helpful application.
When they finally get the message that all the DRM in the world won't stop the pirates, the pirates will just view it as a chance to show off their skills, they may stop investing in DRM solutions.
I don't think you understand their view of the DRM solution.
Every single deployer of DRM systems is 100% aware that it will be cracked. If you see any presentations of them talking about it, they say it upfront: DRM's purpose is not to stop the pirates, it is there to delay them.
Looking at the profit projections, majority of sales happen at the game release before rapidly dropping off into the long tail. If for this first two weeks there is no easily accessible pirated version available, buyers will get the official version. After that the company doesn't give a shit if there are thousands of unlocked copies out there: They made the most they can out of the product already.
Imagine that they release the game without any protection: the very first purchaser will make an image and post it on Pirate Bay. Thus all the others that want a copy of the game will have a free alternative to get it within minutes of the game release. Why would they pay money (There is VERY little appreciatioin or loyalty to the game developers/publishers in the real world) when they can get the perfect copy for free? Thus DRM is there just to make the initial amazing-cracker buyer spend this precious intitial release time cracking the system rather than making the game available.
And the crackers are amazing. The protection schemes are broken within days. The battle is to make the DRM last as long as possible before the inevitable crack. Thus it becomes more and more invasive, bothersome and draconian. Legitimate loyal customers are discarded as collateral damage, since the very profits are on the line.
Game development costs a LOT of money with huge risks. There is a real possibility that the game won't be liked even if there is zero piracy (Look at the commercial lack of success of Planescape Torment, Freespace 2, Phychonauts, Arcanum, Arx Fatalis. Awesome games, but completely failed to sell). On top of that it is software, thus easily copied and distributed without the developers seeing a dime for all their work, with the pirates doing this with pride and not giving a single thought to the people that made the product possible. Even Humble Bundle got pirated straight away even though you could pay only a single penny to get the package! With such a cutthroat environment it is hard not to see the method behind their madness.
I hate the situation, but honestly do not know the solution to the industry's plight. One thing is to lower the cost of the product (New games in Australia cost 89 dollars with our exchange rate higher than american dollar). Sadly, seeng the piracy of Humble Bundle I am cynical. Apperently people pirate out of some spite rather than cost. It would be good to hear some opinions on how to ensure that developers/publishers see the full profits of their labours as well as respecting the customer.
With the ACTA and MPAA more active than ever, I can imagine that it will be used once again for its originally designed purpose.
We bound to have some German slashdoters here, so it would be good to have a first hand opinions on them:
- What is your opinion on the party?
- On what issues do you agree with them and which do you disagree?
- Do you think that they will be able to affect the policies or are they an ineffective tongue-in-cheek gesture?
- What do you see will be the biggest challenge for them in the future?
what freaking business is it of the government whether I invest my wealth wisely or unwisely?
Oh, it is very much government's business.
If you are an idiot, invest all your money/assets unwisely and lose it all, what is in store for you next? Are you just going to quetly lie down and die?
No, you will crawl to the government and start begging for help. If they don't provide you with something to make your ends meet, you will turn to crime. No matter how cynical you are regarding the government, it is not in their best interest or image to have their citizens at such stage. It kind of affects their bottom line and approval ratings.
Thus they need to somehow make it more difficult for you to do something stupid. Imposing limits on how much you can invest in a potentially risky venture seems like an easy way to protect an average, easily-manipulated idiots from themselves.
Couldn't they afford a better camera? My smartphone would have done a better job.
Can your smartphone stand the rigors of launch and lunar environment? Looks like you need to send something specifically designed for such difficult requirements.
Now that can't be cheap. And the camera is not the focus of the mission. It already adds pointless weight without giving any scientific results. Add to that how NASA's funding is being cut at every opportunity in all areas, I am shocked that the camera was included at all! So yes, I would imagine that they couldn't afford a better camera.
Let's face it: Science and Engineering aren't hot anymore
On the contrary: Science and Engineering are very hot... in Asia.
US is still famous for their technical schools. Asians are going there in droves for a degree before comming back and getting excellent jobs. Engineers are highly respected there.
If a kid is passionate about science/engineering let him do it along with Chinese language on the side. Once he gets his qualifications, emmigrate to Asia and rake in the money/enjoy his career.
Touche!
7,029,298,112 users
Where are all the other animals and insects?! No wonder the whole simulation is going to shit ever since a human-only extrimist took over management!
I wonder what we will blame when we turn old and conservative.
Because ice moves! Quite quickly too. Your cable will get covered in ice and broken within a week.
Think before calling someone an idiot.
Can you imagine someone saying "I got loost in the mall."???
Imagining this scenario is quite easy. What is proving impossible is stopping from imagining yourself hitting that person with something sharp and heavy afterwards. Repeatedly.
And yes, there are VERY desirable places there, with the majority NOT being so.
Could you please elaborate on this point further. What is it on the moon that is so desirable to spend extraordinary amount of effort in order to acquire it?
It can't be resources, since our planet got everything the Moon have in much higher amount and vastly easier to access even if you have to synthesize it. It can't be microgravity since LEO can provide that much cheaper. It can't be energy as you mentioned in your further sentence since it is meaningless to transfer it to Earth (May as well go with massive solar panels in LEO and beam it down somehow). It can't be for living space, since we are completely unadapted to such an environment and it would be far easier to populate deserts or bottom of the ocean on Earth. It could potentially be a strategic position (The ultimate higher ground), but there is simply no need for such an expensive spending when greater numbers of nuclear weapons already give you dominance over other nations.
Really the only thing space has ever been used for is a symbolic arena.
And you are desperate to see it coming;
Despite my cynisizm towards the future of Russia I honestly don't harbour any ill will towards that nation or its people. I find it regretable to see a country of such vast potential and hard-working ethics being stuck in a perpetual state of corruption and authoritarianism with no end to it in sight.
Though Russian people are hopeless at establishing and maintaining a free and effective system of government, they will get it right eventually. Their perseverence and endurance are nothing short of amazing and will see them through to the end. After all the turmoil Russia will earn its way back to greatness with only question being how long it will take.
Why aren't you ashamed of the actions of your Government, which pays for a would-be Russian revolution?!
This is the very definition of a strawman troll. I am curious: What is it in my post makes you think that I am from the United States?
Since I don't know much about the functioning of the global economy, could you explain how the fall of the United States economy and influence will affect Russian situation? As far as I am aware, Russian exports are directed at Europe and Asia.
I also find your statement "commodities are never coming back down." to be absurd! This is similar to the "housing prices will always goes up" delusions from the very recent past. No matter what the market, prices will always fluctuate.
Lastly I would like to state for the record that I am not an american and the currency of my country is not a dollar.
Russia loaded with cash?! Only because of high oil/natural gas prices and only a small percentage of the population pocketing the proceeds. I have doubts that oligarches are interested in the space race. As soon as the commodities crash again, Russia will go back to being dirt-poor once more anyway.
Poor Russia just can't get a break. Their history since the Mongol invasion can be summarised in five words: "It just kept getting worse". At least they haven't had another bloody revolution in quite a while (Fall of Soviet Union was surprisingly peaceful), though seeing how things currently are: it is comming eventually. It will most probably follow the same old pattern: brutal, followed up even worse regime.
The reason is that once private space is properly funded, then it will go to the moon around 2020.
Private enterprise operate for only a single purpose: profit. What profit is there in getting anything (Be it human or probe) to the moon?
At least some governments need to demonstrate that their dicks are the biggest in the world and use blind nationalism to motivate people to work on these profitless ventures. Paying a private company to get them there will not count, since there isn't much pride in paying someone to do it for you. My prediction is that the next person on another planet/moon will be delivered by government agency, will plant a flag and won't be followed on until another nation decides to prove its engineering superiority to the neighbours.
If you shrink yourself down to such small sizes, we will no longer be on top of the food chain. Insects will consider us fair game.
Do you know how nightmarish the world of insects is?! The kind of absolutely chillingly horrible things insect predators do to their prey will make you lose sleep for a long time. It would be a blessing to be killed quickly by something like a Praying Mantis rather than used as a host for larvae or dissolved alive, etc.
I for one appreciate being big and smart enough to be the top predator on the planet.
It is a mathematical concept!
The closest to operational definition is already covered by Wikipedia. The article there is really the most approchable piece on covering it that I have yet found.
As for metaphorical comparison: It is nearly impossible to come up with those for complex mathematics without completely butchering up the concept. Especially since
There are things in life where analogies are just inadequate. If you are trully interested, spend the time reading Wikipedia and the links. If you don't give a shit to understand it, then just think of it as a mathematical notation to categorize complexity level of problems.
All my friends that play SC2 run Windows and play it at the lowest settings anyway. For a twitch game like that where half a second miss-click costs you the game (According to them anyway), you just can't take any chances of local lag.
Thus if the only difference is the graphical settings, WINE is just as good as Windows platform.