It's not true that every conspiracy theory is unfalsifiable. People can be crazy, granted.
Let's assume there is a conspiracy theory that George W Bush personally piloted the planes into the towers. In order to falsify this theory we just need a well-corroborated alibi for him at that time. Say, he was at a school being videotaped with lots of witnesses.
Presto, conspiracy theory falsified.
You can run into trouble with crazies who keep morphing the theory to accept new evidence, but then the problem isn't that the theory is unfalsifiable. It's that the theory is undefinable.
Well my $400 P4 is way better than my $2k Pentium-75.
The 26" TV in 88 would be $400, now it's $150.
My $30 dvd burner is way better than my $200 80s vcr.
It's plain that in general, consumer electronics have gotten better and cheaper. I don't see how pointing to "inflation" as an upward force on electronics prices is coherent.
I don't think inflation applies to consumer electronics very well.
10 years ago I bought a $2k pc that was good enough to compile code and browse USENET. Now I'd pay about $300, less used. There wasn't as much of a used PC market back then.
10 years ago a 25" TV was about $300. Now it'd be a better tv for half the money.
I remember paying $200 for a vcr and thinking it was a good deal. Now a dvd burner is $30.
Anyway, inflation is a variable beast, you can't use a calculator with one number in it on all product categories.
I've been lucky, still have my 8 year old TV, my 10 year old microwave, my 6 year old computer (along with my new one) Even my lexar mp3 player is on its 2nd year. I repaired my dryer recently (blown thermo-safety) Large appliances are still repairable. It makes me sad that small ones aren't. Where would all the toasters go? Silicon Heaven?
No, no, no, my point is that prices decline in every other segment except this one. People should be upset that console prices haven't dropped as fast as every other electronic device, not pointing out that "it isn't the priciest one ever especially if you adjust for inflation."
My Kool-Aid (Archangel Doorknob) claims that your Kool-Aid misspelt Xerox PARC. And, the internet was invented by SEGA but they dismissed it as unprofitable.
Hm, I suspect you're not reading my posts, but I'll play along.
Firstly, you ignored my point that copyright is more strict now than ever before. Is there a limit to what is acceptable? What if we had to pay for every show being broadcast whether we watched it or not?
What is the difference between dvr-ing a tv show and watching it without commercials and pirating it and watching it without commercials? What creators get paid? and how?
Are you depriving some corporation if you make a sandwich during commercials?
What is your position on timeshifting shows?
You come off as a corporate shill or copyright lawyer. I'd like to understand your point of view, but you're not doing a very good job.
I play Jardinains! and old commodore 64 games, ones I bought back in the day. (played on an emulator these days) Modern games are very boring to me.
Anyway, I've watched copy protection come and go for 30 years. It's always hacked. Every time. And, the more oppressive it is the more I celebrate when it gets hacked.
I mainly infringe copyright by downloading tv shows like Battlestar Galactica. I can't feel very guilty about that, since otherwise I'd dvr it and watch it when I wanted without commercials anyway. I don't really see any difference. I freely admit that it is copyright infringement, even dress up like a pirate sometimes. But it isn't different in any material way, so it's not an ethical problem for me personally.
You seem to want to give away our rights, but I remember when people fought for the right to have vcrs, tape recorders, and backup media for fragile 5 1/4" diskettes. Copyright is untenable currently, and I root for the pirates. Hopefully the pendulum will swing back towards a more equitable copyright system, but until then I have nothing but contempt for efforts to further erode the situation.
I'd say the chances are irrelevant. People should have the ability to make personal backups. Anyone that interferes with that will be subjected to relentless hacking until the ability is restored.
Once balance is restored, however, the equation has been changed. I no longer feel sorry for any copyright infringement that may occur.
After all, taking away this right is pretty much an act of war. An act of treating your customers as if they were filthy criminals.
I lost my wallet several years ago and then had my replacement wallet stolen. The bastard ran up $5000 in charges, maxing out all the cards within 2 hours of the theft. The worst part was the debit card, which cleaned out my checking/savings accounts and racked up an impressive array of overdraft charges.
While straightening everything out, one of the banks gave me a hard time. Apparently losing my wallet counted as "suspected fraud" and this "suspected fraud" made them cancel my account. A second bank warned me that it was ok this time, but I should try extra hard not to lose any more wallets.
Yes, it is easy to defraud your credit card companies. Once or twice.
Anyway, I often sign my cards with an illegible scribble, just to be funny.
I disagree. My attidude has been "It's all made in China, buy on price" and it has served me well. My cheapest-I-could-find dvd player is on its 5th year. My friend who got a low-end "videophile" dvd player is on his 3rd.
You shouldn't get equipment that is missing features, or that has easily perceptible video/sound quality problems. Aside from that, buy on price. It'll only get better and cheaper. Don't act like it's an investment. It's a commodity that is constantly and rapidly dropping in value.
To be fair, Win98SE winds up crashing on shutdown even without any hardware changes.
I finally got rid of the last one here this year, and threw a sad little party. Once they don't shutdown cleanly, things erode more rapidly until it's barely bootable.
Is it unethical to make a backup for personal use?
It wasn't always illegal. It might not be illegal currently, depending on local laws. Legality aside, ethically I think backups are acceptable. Discs aren't indestructable, and the publisher won't replace damaged media.
Slashdot Mirror
Let's assume there is a conspiracy theory that George W Bush personally piloted the planes into the towers. In order to falsify this theory we just need a well-corroborated alibi for him at that time. Say, he was at a school being videotaped with lots of witnesses.
Presto, conspiracy theory falsified.
You can run into trouble with crazies who keep morphing the theory to accept new evidence, but then the problem isn't that the theory is unfalsifiable. It's that the theory is undefinable.
Unfortunate example. There are hundreds if not thousands of WWII games. Nobody is bitching about them.
The 26" TV in 88 would be $400, now it's $150.
My $30 dvd burner is way better than my $200 80s vcr.
It's plain that in general, consumer electronics have gotten better and cheaper. I don't see how pointing to "inflation" as an upward force on electronics prices is coherent.
10 years ago I bought a $2k pc that was good enough to compile code and browse USENET. Now I'd pay about $300, less used. There wasn't as much of a used PC market back then.
10 years ago a 25" TV was about $300. Now it'd be a better tv for half the money.
I remember paying $200 for a vcr and thinking it was a good deal. Now a dvd burner is $30.
Anyway, inflation is a variable beast, you can't use a calculator with one number in it on all product categories.
I've been lucky, still have my 8 year old TV, my 10 year old microwave, my 6 year old computer (along with my new one) Even my lexar mp3 player is on its 2nd year. I repaired my dryer recently (blown thermo-safety) Large appliances are still repairable. It makes me sad that small ones aren't. Where would all the toasters go? Silicon Heaven?
No, no, no, my point is that prices decline in every other segment except this one. People should be upset that console prices haven't dropped as fast as every other electronic device, not pointing out that "it isn't the priciest one ever especially if you adjust for inflation."
What the hell does inflation-adjusted have to do with consumer electronics? What a completely retarded justification.
My Kool-Aid (Archangel Doorknob) claims that your Kool-Aid misspelt Xerox PARC. And, the internet was invented by SEGA but they dismissed it as unprofitable.
You use a terminal. Connected to a mainframe. Running lynx.
The 80s are back! Let's do it right!
I always wondered.
Firstly, you ignored my point that copyright is more strict now than ever before. Is there a limit to what is acceptable? What if we had to pay for every show being broadcast whether we watched it or not?
What is the difference between dvr-ing a tv show and watching it without commercials and pirating it and watching it without commercials? What creators get paid? and how?
Are you depriving some corporation if you make a sandwich during commercials?
What is your position on timeshifting shows?
You come off as a corporate shill or copyright lawyer. I'd like to understand your point of view, but you're not doing a very good job.
I'd expect the cheapest dell to be exactly the same price as the cheapest dell with an equivalent processor.
I play Jardinains! and old commodore 64 games, ones I bought back in the day. (played on an emulator these days) Modern games are very boring to me.
Anyway, I've watched copy protection come and go for 30 years. It's always hacked. Every time. And, the more oppressive it is the more I celebrate when it gets hacked.
I mainly infringe copyright by downloading tv shows like Battlestar Galactica. I can't feel very guilty about that, since otherwise I'd dvr it and watch it when I wanted without commercials anyway. I don't really see any difference. I freely admit that it is copyright infringement, even dress up like a pirate sometimes. But it isn't different in any material way, so it's not an ethical problem for me personally.
You seem to want to give away our rights, but I remember when people fought for the right to have vcrs, tape recorders, and backup media for fragile 5 1/4" diskettes. Copyright is untenable currently, and I root for the pirates. Hopefully the pendulum will swing back towards a more equitable copyright system, but until then I have nothing but contempt for efforts to further erode the situation.
Once balance is restored, however, the equation has been changed. I no longer feel sorry for any copyright infringement that may occur.
After all, taking away this right is pretty much an act of war. An act of treating your customers as if they were filthy criminals.
Well, there was 325mg of caffeine, anhydrous. You're thinking of tablets, which would have binding agents etc.
While straightening everything out, one of the banks gave me a hard time. Apparently losing my wallet counted as "suspected fraud" and this "suspected fraud" made them cancel my account. A second bank warned me that it was ok this time, but I should try extra hard not to lose any more wallets.
Yes, it is easy to defraud your credit card companies. Once or twice.
Anyway, I often sign my cards with an illegible scribble, just to be funny.
Budget has different meanings. Not everyone needs a high end gaming box.
Life is way easier if you aren't always in such a hurry.
Paisley Park is the best they could come up with for a reason to buy monster cable?!?
You shouldn't get equipment that is missing features, or that has easily perceptible video/sound quality problems. Aside from that, buy on price. It'll only get better and cheaper. Don't act like it's an investment. It's a commodity that is constantly and rapidly dropping in value.
I finally got rid of the last one here this year, and threw a sad little party. Once they don't shutdown cleanly, things erode more rapidly until it's barely bootable.
Here's a link
I hate Sony my own darn self, but let's not make shit up, ok?
Not to mention the Curies. True American Heroes! (I know they're French...nobody on /. has a sense of humor lately)
We've got a 70s Instron at my work that is nearly identical to the one in the movie. We use it for compression testing, but it'll do both.
It wasn't always illegal. It might not be illegal currently, depending on local laws. Legality aside, ethically I think backups are acceptable. Discs aren't indestructable, and the publisher won't replace damaged media.