Those partners aready got paid for that copy. Since that used one is being sold and no copies are on the market, no new revenue belongs to the partners. Deal with it. The books balance.
Yep. That's really not much different than buying used music and movies. You don't see the RIAA and MPAA affiliates demanding a cut of each sale of their CDs, LPs, Cassettes, 8-Tracks, DVDs, laser discs, CEDs, and video tapes that get sold at pawn shops or thrift stores, do you?
Because everybody knows, nothing holds value like an old Microsoft distribution! Yes, I'm sure IT professionals nationwide are dying to get ahold of Windows 95 disks
Windows 95 doesn't seem to be worth much, except perhaps the floppy disk versions). However, old MS OSes that do seem to retain some worthwhile value are 98SE, ME, and even WfW 3.11. Also, versions of Office (from 95 on up) tend to do fairly well on the used market.
I'm hoping there's enough of my corpse left for the Valkiries to carry me back to Valhalla, to spend Eternity drinking and whoring with Thor and that bunch; I'm sure Heaven would be fucking boring.
1. Secretly set up a webcam in principal's office. 2. Arrange for cute but stuck-up, spoiled brat cheerleader to end up in principal's office for disciplining (preferably on one of the days when the cheerleaders wear their uniforms to school) 3. Broadcast resulting entertainment on a pay-per-view web site. 4....? 5. Profit
Of course, back when I was in jr. high and high school (early to mid-80s), the technology for the above business model didn't exist yet: no web cams, no Web or publically accessible Internet, and no computer hardware that would be able to handle such a production (the TRS-80s we had just didn't have the horsepower to manage an enterprise like this.)
You're right... the current education system encourages passiveness instead of interaction, i.e. discussions, debates, etc.
I suspect that the U.S. educational system is set up mostly to grow generation after generation of sheeplike consumers. It would not be good for the powers that be if our kids entered into the adult world with the ability to think for themselves and make decisions based on anything other than what they are spoonfed by the advertisers on TV, radio, and the commercial portions of the Internet.
Senator: Sir, I have before me posting alledged to be by you on a computer web service referred to as slashdot. Are you familiar with that? Nominee: Uh, yes Sir. Senator: Are these postings labelled as from one 'FukMonkey345' yours? Nominee: Sir I can assure you that was a long time ago. Senator: Sir, remember you are under oath, I have evidence here that you claimed that you 'Welcome the nerd overlords?' Who are these folks? Senator: You also stated that 'In Soviet Russia they own you'? What is this commie loving talk? Senator: Do you have a prejudice against us old people? There are frequent references in the record to 'In Korea only old people use...'. Senator: Finally, what did you mean when you claimed 'All you base are belong to us'?
Nominee: Sir, I am afraid that I have no choice now but to mod you down. -1 Troll Senator: Wha?...
Nominee then gets appointed to whatever position he was running for, because suddenly, very few people can now see or hear the asshat Senator who was grilling him about his Slashdot activities. And there is much rejoicing in the name of His Noodly Appendage.
should makers of cars be held financially responsible for every bit of damage caused by missles hitting them, just because they didn't make the cars out of indestructable materials?
I truly hope they don't start making cars out of indestructible materials, because after having to deal with so many idiot drivers out there over the years, I'm actively lobbying for a law to make Sidewinder missiles legal for personal use... At least, for my personal use.:D
Specifically, the mitzvah that tells us to not take G-d's name in vain.
I've often wondered if that command has been greatly misinterpreted. Is it possible that taking God's name in vain might actually refer to using God to justify self-serving actions? Examples could be:
1: "God told me that if I don't raise 1 million dollars by April 1st, he will take my life." 2: "God told me to invade Iraq."
Full disclosure: I am a fundamentalist Christian, and I believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible.
So you are okay with the genocide and countless other atrocities that that cosmic horror you worship sanctioned over the millenia according to that bible that you believe in so literally?
The problem isn't that the christians want to teach their myths, it's that if the christians are allowed to do that then what about the muslims, the jews and raelians?
What about the FSM? Will the pastafarians have to be left out in your new inclusive system?
If you include the teachings of the noodly creator then what about the followers of the invisible pink unicorn?
Ah, and don't leave out the beliefs of the Jatravartids, who believe that the universe was sneezed from the nostrils of the Great Green Arkleseizure, and who live in fear of the Coming of the Great White Handkerchief.
Personally, I'd go along with something ranton mentioned in another post--a class specifically called 'The origin of life' where all theories could be covered.
How about being a little more inclusive there, and calling it something like:
'The origin of life' where all theories, hypotheses, speculations, viewpoints, legends, and myths could be covered.'
Did you not click on the link? That's a God-impressing tower if I ever saw one.
I don't know if the Christian/Jewish/Islamic god would be impressed, but I have a feeling some of the other party-animal deities might take an interest in that; like Inanna or Aphrodite, for example.
The God of the Bible is often portrayed not as taking action himself, but instead by working through others.
And that would provide him with immunity from prosecution for numerous acts of genocide, rape, murder, looting, and countless other war crimes. It is always best to have your minions do your dirty work for you instead of actually being the one to swing the sword and thrust the spear yourself.
What about on-line retailers? A lot of times they have even better deals and I don't think Wal-Mart will price-match those. And even if they did, there is the advantage of not having to pay sales tax to on-line retailers
I don't know about Wal-Mart, but Best Buy will do this. This past summer, I managed to get the Firefly DVD set at a nice discount at Best Buy, because they were willing to price match Amazon.
I still had to pay sales tax, but at least I didn't have to wait a week for delivery. And had I been better at the math, I probably could have quickly calculated what Amazon's price would have been minus my state's sales tax and get it for exactly what the quoted price on Amazon was.
# QuantumLink, a 2D virtual world with avatars. (With Commodore 64 clients at 300 baud! What a cram job.)
Ah, QuantumLink, the oldest commercial online service still in existence. Of course, it has changed considerably since the old days, and is no longer called QuantumLink. Nowadays, Q-Link is better known as AOL. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Case
Another one I remember reading a lot about back in the old TI-99/4a days was The Source. Anyone know when that one died?
That's why when asked for a zip code, I always say "that'll be 20% discount, please"... or "sure, I'll trade it for your phone number", if the casher looks are worth it.
My ZIP code isn't that big a deal, since it's shared with several thousand other people. However, I always refuse to give out my phone number to retailers (this usually happens at Toys R Us.) I used to just lie and say I don't have one. But now, I just outright politely say that I prefer not to give out that information. As always, the cashiers are quite understanding at my reluctance to give my number, and that has occasionally generated brief discussions about telemarketers and the National Do Not Call list.
The other thing, lying about your SSN for credit or government is illegal, otherwise, it doesn't matter - even medical doesn't need it. How do I know? Well, unless it's for credit or for government stuff (Taxes especially) I either plead stupid or just "accidently" write down the wrong SSN. Oops! So far, nobody has ever called me on it, including the medical folks! It's bullshit! People are just collecting it because they can.
I've never tried this for serious stuff like medical and dental. But every time I have filled out a membership application for a video store, I always write in the block for my SSN 'PRIVACY ACT'. It's my subtle way of saying that "Unless you are contributing to my retirement, my SSN is none of your fucking business."
Surprisingly, no one has ever given me any hassles over refusing to give out this info.
# On every third FRIDAY, you will report to our company CAFETERIA and cook and serve FOOD to us.
I accept this term. However, be advised that on said Fridays, the food which I will be cooking and serving to you will be meat dishes only. And by reading this message, you are agreeing to require without exception all personnel in your employ who are of Catholic faith to dine only in your company cafeteria that day, and consume no food other than what I and my minions serve.
In the current situation, if you *WANTED* to play this particular CD on your system, and it needed to be installed from an ADMIN/ROOT account then you are stuck in the position of either NOT installing it at all, or allowing it to do ANYTHING it wants in admin/root.
There is a third option.
Put your original CD in a safe place, then fire up gtk-gnutella and download the CD in a format that is not DRM encumbered.
B) Skip option A and go directly to pulling the already ripped, no DRM nonsense MP3s off of a file sharing service. Which I can then easily play on my computer / MP3 players.
One other additional step that you can add is to then pay the buck or two at a thrift store, yard sale, pawn shop, or any other place that sells used music and buy the original without having to fork over any money to Sony or the RIAA (they already got their cut the first time it was sold). I don't know if this has ever been tried in any court, but it seems like this might be a way to legitimize one's collection of downloaded music, since you can show that you have the originals (no matter what format it may be in).
Title : US Constitution with the Declaration of Independence Size: 123Ko Price
3,86 / 4,65 $
Caution : this ebook is copy protected with Microsoft DRM 5 system ("owner exclusive ebook(s)"). This means that it will be possible to read it only on the devices activated with the same Microsoft Passport account. Reading requires the last version of Microsoft Reader, which runs only on PC computers equipped with Windows 95 or later and on Pocket PC PDA's equipped with Pocket PC 2002 or later. This ebook cannot be lent, nor printed. Text-to-Speech add-on is not available.
Fortunately, both the Constitution and the Declaration can be downloaded free and without any DRM.
Nope. Examine the license for your "operating system" - it pretty much allows for anyone to install anything they like on your machine. This is how Microsoft avoid being perpetually sued. There is probably also a "license" invoked when you remove the shrink-wrap from the Sony product.
I just examined the license for my operating system. I saw nothing there that allows for anyone to install whatever the hell they want on my computer. Check it out for yourself.;)
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
Version 2, June 1991
Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.
Preamble
The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software--to make sure the software is free for all its users. This General Public License applies to most of the Free Software Foundation's software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it. (Some other Free Software Foundation software is covered by the GNU Lesser General Public License instead.) You can apply it to your programs, too.
When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs; and that you know you can do these things.
To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid anyone to deny you these rights or to ask you to surrender the rights. These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for you if you distribute copies of the software, or if you modify it.
For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis or for a fee, you must give the recipients all the rights that you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source code. And you must show them these terms so they know their rights.
We protect your rights with two steps: (1) copyright the software, and (2) offer you this license which gives you legal permission to copy, distribute and/or modify the software.
Also, for each author's protection and ours, we want to make certain that everyone understands that there is no warranty for this free software. If the software is modified by someone else and passed on, we want its recipients to know that what they have is not the original, so that any problems introduced by others will not reflect on the original authors' reputations.
Finally, any free program is threatened constantly by software patents. We wish to avoid the danger that redistributors of a free program will individually obtain patent licenses, in effect making the program proprietary. To prevent this, we have made it clear that any patent must be licensed for everyone's free use or not licensed at all.
The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and modification follow. TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION
0. This License applies to any program or other work which contains a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it may be distributed under the terms of this General Public License. The "Program", below, refers to any such program or work, and a "work based on the Program" means either the Program or any derivative work under copyright law: that is to say, a work containing the Program or a portion of it, either verbatim or with modifications and/or translated into another language. (Hereinafter, translation is included without limitation in the term "modification".) Each licensee is addressed as
Slashdot Mirror
Yep. That's really not much different than buying used music and movies. You don't see the RIAA and MPAA affiliates demanding a cut of each sale of their CDs, LPs, Cassettes, 8-Tracks, DVDs, laser discs, CEDs, and video tapes that get sold at pawn shops or thrift stores, do you?
Windows 95 doesn't seem to be worth much, except perhaps the floppy disk versions). However, old MS OSes that do seem to retain some worthwhile value are 98SE, ME, and even WfW 3.11. Also, versions of Office (from 95 on up) tend to do fairly well on the used market.
Or alternatively...
1. Secretly set up a webcam in principal's office.
2. Arrange for cute but stuck-up, spoiled brat cheerleader to end up in principal's office for disciplining (preferably on one of the days when the cheerleaders wear their uniforms to school)
3. Broadcast resulting entertainment on a pay-per-view web site.
4.
5. Profit
Of course, back when I was in jr. high and high school (early to mid-80s), the technology for the above business model didn't exist yet: no web cams, no Web or publically accessible Internet, and no computer hardware that would be able to handle such a production (the TRS-80s we had just didn't have the horsepower to manage an enterprise like this.)
I suspect that the U.S. educational system is set up mostly to grow generation after generation of sheeplike consumers. It would not be good for the powers that be if our kids entered into the adult world with the ability to think for themselves and make decisions based on anything other than what they are spoonfed by the advertisers on TV, radio, and the commercial portions of the Internet.
Nominee: Sir, I am afraid that I have no choice now but to mod you down. -1 Troll
Senator: Wha?...
Nominee then gets appointed to whatever position he was running for, because suddenly, very few people can now see or hear the asshat Senator who was grilling him about his Slashdot activities. And there is much rejoicing in the name of His Noodly Appendage.
I've often wondered if that command has been greatly misinterpreted. Is it possible that taking God's name in vain might actually refer to using God to justify self-serving actions? Examples could be:
1: "God told me that if I don't raise 1 million dollars by April 1st, he will take my life."
2: "God told me to invade Iraq."
So you are okay with the genocide and countless other atrocities that that cosmic horror you worship sanctioned over the millenia according to that bible that you believe in so literally?
Ah, and don't leave out the beliefs of the Jatravartids, who believe that the universe was sneezed from the nostrils of the Great Green Arkleseizure, and who live in fear of the Coming of the Great White Handkerchief.
How about being a little more inclusive there, and calling it something like:
'The origin of life' where all theories, hypotheses, speculations, viewpoints, legends, and myths could be covered.'
I don't know if the Christian/Jewish/Islamic god would be impressed, but I have a feeling some of the other party-animal deities might take an interest in that; like Inanna or Aphrodite, for example.
And that would provide him with immunity from prosecution for numerous acts of genocide, rape, murder, looting, and countless other war crimes. It is always best to have your minions do your dirty work for you instead of actually being the one to swing the sword and thrust the spear yourself.
I can get you a better deal and sell you property rights to Uranus.
Forget Pluto though. That's Disney's territory.
Damn. You beat me to it. And don't forget...
"And I believe that they should allow all foreigners into this country, provided they can speak our native language... Apache."
I don't know about Wal-Mart, but Best Buy will do this. This past summer, I managed to get the Firefly DVD set at a nice discount at Best Buy, because they were willing to price match Amazon.
I still had to pay sales tax, but at least I didn't have to wait a week for delivery. And had I been better at the math, I probably could have quickly calculated what Amazon's price would have been minus my state's sales tax and get it for exactly what the quoted price on Amazon was.
Ah, QuantumLink, the oldest commercial online service still in existence. Of course, it has changed considerably since the old days, and is no longer called QuantumLink. Nowadays, Q-Link is better known as AOL. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Case
Another one I remember reading a lot about back in the old TI-99/4a days was The Source. Anyone know when that one died?
My ZIP code isn't that big a deal, since it's shared with several thousand other people. However, I always refuse to give out my phone number to retailers (this usually happens at Toys R Us.) I used to just lie and say I don't have one. But now, I just outright politely say that I prefer not to give out that information. As always, the cashiers are quite understanding at my reluctance to give my number, and that has occasionally generated brief discussions about telemarketers and the National Do Not Call list.
I've never tried this for serious stuff like medical and dental. But every time I have filled out a membership application for a video store, I always write in the block for my SSN 'PRIVACY ACT'. It's my subtle way of saying that "Unless you are contributing to my retirement, my SSN is none of your fucking business."
Surprisingly, no one has ever given me any hassles over refusing to give out this info.
I accept this term. However, be advised that on said Fridays, the food which I will be cooking and serving to you will be meat dishes only. And by reading this message, you are agreeing to require without exception all personnel in your employ who are of Catholic faith to dine only in your company cafeteria that day, and consume no food other than what I and my minions serve.
Coridally,
Satan.
There is a third option.
Put your original CD in a safe place, then fire up gtk-gnutella and download the CD in a format that is not DRM encumbered.
One other additional step that you can add is to then pay the buck or two at a thrift store, yard sale, pawn shop, or any other place that sells used music and buy the original without having to fork over any money to Sony or the RIAA (they already got their cut the first time it was sold). I don't know if this has ever been tried in any court, but it seems like this might be a way to legitimize one's collection of downloaded music, since you can show that you have the originals (no matter what format it may be in).
Fortunately, both the Constitution and the Declaration can be downloaded free and without any DRM.
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/5
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1
I just examined the license for my operating system. I saw nothing there that allows for anyone to install whatever the hell they want on my computer. Check it out for yourself. ;)
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
Version 2, June 1991
Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.
Preamble
The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software--to make sure the software is free for all its users. This General Public License applies to most of the Free Software Foundation's software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it. (Some other Free Software Foundation software is covered by the GNU Lesser General Public License instead.) You can apply it to your programs, too.
When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs; and that you know you can do these things.
To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid anyone to deny you these rights or to ask you to surrender the rights. These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for you if you distribute copies of the software, or if you modify it.
For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis or for a fee, you must give the recipients all the rights that you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source code. And you must show them these terms so they know their rights.
We protect your rights with two steps: (1) copyright the software, and (2) offer you this license which gives you legal permission to copy, distribute and/or modify the software.
Also, for each author's protection and ours, we want to make certain that everyone understands that there is no warranty for this free software. If the software is modified by someone else and passed on, we want its recipients to know that what they have is not the original, so that any problems introduced by others will not reflect on the original authors' reputations.
Finally, any free program is threatened constantly by software patents. We wish to avoid the danger that redistributors of a free program will individually obtain patent licenses, in effect making the program proprietary. To prevent this, we have made it clear that any patent must be licensed for everyone's free use or not licensed at all.
The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and modification follow.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION
0. This License applies to any program or other work which contains a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it may be distributed under the terms of this General Public License. The "Program", below, refers to any such program or work, and a "work based on the Program" means either the Program or any derivative work under copyright law: that is to say, a work containing the Program or a portion of it, either verbatim or with modifications and/or translated into another language. (Hereinafter, translation is included without limitation in the term "modification".) Each licensee is addressed as
Don't you mean humpback whales? Turn in your pocket protector. :p