Actually, they're no worse than most DVD titles. HD-DVD titles (particularly Universal ones) are the best, though. Right to the menu, no trailers or hassle.
PLEASE China, do feel free to waste billions of $ of YOUR money with nothing to show for it but a half-assed low-orbit space station, 14 dead astronauts, and a study proving that ants can be taught to sort screws in space! Knock yourself out.
I had an early-model Toshiba clone (the Philips DVD-400AT from 1997). The early-model Toshiba DVD players were notorious for their compatibility problems with discs that didn't rigidly follow the DVD specs (such as "Kalifornia" and many other Polygram titles). A lot of other early players had similar glitches with certain titles.
Hardware-wise, they were a lot more well-built than later model DVD players, though. Being as those first generation players STARTED at $450, they could afford to. My parents still have my Philips. It still works just fine after 11 years of constant use.
Imagine if the government started cutting the phone lines and electricity of anyone suspected of illicit activity, with no absolutely no due process. Would we tolerate that even for a second?
What about all the people falsely accused? Are they going to have to go to court and prove they DIDN'T do anything illegal just to get internet access back?
A sad day for the UK, and an unfortunate precedent that I'm sure the U.S. and others will soon follow.
Reminds me of those rather disturbing images of Jon Benet Ramsey in those beauty pageants. Seriously, wtf kind of parent does that to a six-year-old kid?
I once saw an interview with Dennis Quaid where he was asked about the idea of letting his kids become child actors. His response was something along the lines of "I think that would be tantamount to child abuse." I mean, can anyone look at the Britney Spears of the world and not see the dangers of pimping their children as some sort of sick commodities? Seriously, I've seen way more screwed-up parents in this world than pedophiles creeping around on the internet. If anything represents a risk to kids, it's terrible parenting more than anyone lurking in some chat room (which the kid wouldn't even be in if their parents were actually paying attention to what they're doing online).
The internet is an easy target to blame. But if a lot of these parents want to spot the REAL problem, they might want to check out the mirror.
If they tighten it down too much, everyone bitches that they can't get legitimate copies to pass. If they don't tighten it down enough, people like this find ways to pirate copies and chide MS for it. So how are they supposed to come up with a happy compromise in a no-win situation?
Yes, it's true there is still PLENTY of good stuff out there for the discerning viewer (mostly on cable, Network TV is still a wasteland for the most part). I too love Battlestar Galactica (though I think it has went slowly downhill since the groundbreakingly brilliant 1st season) and Mythbusters (but I don't think that was has writers, per se).
As a Hollywood writer, I am intrigued by this concept of "originality" that you speak of. But I can't quite wrap my head around it. Can you explain it in terms of other things that I'm already comfortable and familiar with?
I guess now the shows can go back to the same tired old bits they were rehashing before the strike forced them to get creative for the first time in years. -sigh-
Personally, I thought Conan, Colbert and Stewart were a lot funnier WITHOUT the writers. It forced them to get creative for the first time in years. Now that the writers are coming back, looks like it's back to the 10-millionth reiteration of "Masturbating Bear" and other tired old skits.
I'm a techie too and I have both a Linux PC and Windows PC at home. The Linux PC uses the latest version of Ubuntu. Frankly, Linux has been a huge pain in the ass to install and setup for what I need it for. But it is getting better. On my previous install (Ubuntu 7.04), I finally just threw my hands up in frustration. I couldn't even change the screen resolution without doing it manually in the xorg config file and most of the programs I needed simply weren't available for it (or, if they were available, were either buggy as hell or didn't even have a basic GUI for linux). More recently it has gotten better. The newest version of Ubuntu has better GUI (including the "about fucking time" ability to change screen resolutions without having to go into the terminal). And a lot of programs like TrueCrypt are finally releasing GUI's for linux.
No, I accused him of being a bad seller on behalf of *MY* transaction. The pattern of others who had the same experience with him just indicated that I wasn't the first buyer he had tried to pull the same garbage with. And, I can assure you, that I gave him plenty of time before I started threatening him (with polite emails along the lines of "Just wanted to confirm shipment" and the like for WEEKS after the transaction). It was only when I reported it to ebay and they threatened to void the transaction (since I had paid with paypal) that he even responded to me (with the same "Sorry, I had a family crisis" excuse that his feedback indicated he had been using since he had started on ebay over a year previously). Believe me, I am a serious believer in ebay etiquette. I've been a member since 1998 and I have almost 200 positives (and only his negative) to prove it. I gave him EVERY chance to make it right, and if I could do it over again, knowing that he used retaliation feedback, I would have left him a negative feedback instead of just a neutral one.
As far as the "genuinly wanted to leave you negative" remark, you should know that I paid him instantly with paypal within minutes of the end of the auction. If he had followed ebay etiquette, he should have given me a positive right then.
No, I'm sad to say this was an American seller and it wasn't electronics. Obviously though, electronics are the worst for this (I understand that the laptop market is absolutely awash with scammers on ebay).
Slashdot Mirror
Actually, they're no worse than most DVD titles. HD-DVD titles (particularly Universal ones) are the best, though. Right to the menu, no trailers or hassle.
PLEASE China, do feel free to waste billions of $ of YOUR money with nothing to show for it but a half-assed low-orbit space station, 14 dead astronauts, and a study proving that ants can be taught to sort screws in space! Knock yourself out.
One day I'm gonna bang me a green chick.
I'm not positive; but I suspect his response would be long, boring, and involve a lot of walking.
Hardware-wise, they were a lot more well-built than later model DVD players, though. Being as those first generation players STARTED at $450, they could afford to. My parents still have my Philips. It still works just fine after 11 years of constant use.
What about all the people falsely accused? Are they going to have to go to court and prove they DIDN'T do anything illegal just to get internet access back?
A sad day for the UK, and an unfortunate precedent that I'm sure the U.S. and others will soon follow.
I once saw an interview with Dennis Quaid where he was asked about the idea of letting his kids become child actors. His response was something along the lines of "I think that would be tantamount to child abuse." I mean, can anyone look at the Britney Spears of the world and not see the dangers of pimping their children as some sort of sick commodities? Seriously, I've seen way more screwed-up parents in this world than pedophiles creeping around on the internet. If anything represents a risk to kids, it's terrible parenting more than anyone lurking in some chat room (which the kid wouldn't even be in if their parents were actually paying attention to what they're doing online).
The internet is an easy target to blame. But if a lot of these parents want to spot the REAL problem, they might want to check out the mirror.
You would get better results putting Spears on a treadmill and dangling a bucket of KFC and a bottle of Valium just out of reach.
"This bomb mechanism brought to you by Achmed, The Ironic Terrorist."
Of course you can. How do you think new locksmiths come into being? They pay to go to locksmith school or apprentice with an existing locksmith.
It's not legal for a locksmith the break into someone's house for you. But it's perfectly legal for them to teach you to be a locksmith for a fee.
If they tighten it down too much, everyone bitches that they can't get legitimate copies to pass. If they don't tighten it down enough, people like this find ways to pirate copies and chide MS for it. So how are they supposed to come up with a happy compromise in a no-win situation?
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it does.
Yes, it's true there is still PLENTY of good stuff out there for the discerning viewer (mostly on cable, Network TV is still a wasteland for the most part). I too love Battlestar Galactica (though I think it has went slowly downhill since the groundbreakingly brilliant 1st season) and Mythbusters (but I don't think that was has writers, per se).
No one who plays any part in producing "According to Jim" can be called innocent.
Maybe I should apply for a writing job at the Daily Show.
In all fairness, I'm not sure the "According to Jim" writers deserve your vigorous defense.
Thanks for letting us know.
As a Hollywood writer, I am intrigued by this concept of "originality" that you speak of. But I can't quite wrap my head around it. Can you explain it in terms of other things that I'm already comfortable and familiar with?
I guess now the shows can go back to the same tired old bits they were rehashing before the strike forced them to get creative for the first time in years. -sigh-
Could they have just STAYED on strike?
I'm a techie too and I have both a Linux PC and Windows PC at home. The Linux PC uses the latest version of Ubuntu. Frankly, Linux has been a huge pain in the ass to install and setup for what I need it for. But it is getting better. On my previous install (Ubuntu 7.04), I finally just threw my hands up in frustration. I couldn't even change the screen resolution without doing it manually in the xorg config file and most of the programs I needed simply weren't available for it (or, if they were available, were either buggy as hell or didn't even have a basic GUI for linux). More recently it has gotten better. The newest version of Ubuntu has better GUI (including the "about fucking time" ability to change screen resolutions without having to go into the terminal). And a lot of programs like TrueCrypt are finally releasing GUI's for linux.
What about it?
Then we're in for another long wait.
As far as the "genuinly wanted to leave you negative" remark, you should know that I paid him instantly with paypal within minutes of the end of the auction. If he had followed ebay etiquette, he should have given me a positive right then.
No, I'm sad to say this was an American seller and it wasn't electronics. Obviously though, electronics are the worst for this (I understand that the laptop market is absolutely awash with scammers on ebay).