You've just answered the question yourself: without a search warrant, the scope for abuse is immense.
Of course there are the usual, broad categories (terrorist, pedophiles, criminals, etc.) that make it sound as the sensible thing to do, but once you grant such sweeping powers, what's preventing the police to use them to spy on political opponents, activists, or anyone else who just happens to "think different"?
The whole idea of "hosted desktop apps" is dubious (and I'm not even considering the inevitable "rental fees", which is a whole 'nuther scam). It might work for little "one-time use" stuff, but no one would ever rely on them for day-to-day work.
Is is just me or we're slowly going back to square one? That is, to the days when all you had was a terminal connected to a time sharing system you paid to rent resources from?
If your e-commerce site leaves out any one of those 9 clauses, you're not infringing.
I might be wrong, but I don't see that many elements that an e-commerce site could leave out and still be fully functional. Actually, #1 to #8 are pretty much essential and #3 in particular is extremely broad and potentially troublesome:
3) in response to only a single action being performed, sending a request to order the item along with an identifier of a purchaser of the item to a server system;
Your run-of-the-mill cookie is commonly used to identify a purchaser (at least broadly speaking) and any shopping cart is using them in some way or another.
For example, if you're using a shopping cart ordering model, you're not infringing
This is really the heart of the patent, where they're basically preventing anyone else from coming up with alternatives to shopping cart, given #1 to #8 above.
Anyway, we're getting so carried away here that we're forgetting that this story is no about the patent per se, or patents in general, but the sleight-of-hand used to reinstate the 1-Click patent -- patent lawyers, don't you just love them?
I've always found a paper book to be more convenient than anything online.
Not only that, there's something very physical about holding a book in your hands -- not to mention that some of them smell good too -- and with e-books is not quite the same.
On the other hand, carrying around a 1200+ page book or, heaven forbid, trying to read one in bed is far from comfortable. And what about those times when you wish you had something to read with you, or you didn't know in advance that you wanted to read just THAT book? That's why it's nice to be able to carry a few around all the time. All in all, it's an acceptable compromise: you lose a little, you gain little.
That being said, this baby from Amazon fails completely to... kindle my interest. Sorry, couldn't resist!:P
That "spectacular failure" is selling about 300,000 copies per day.
Only because it (normally) comes preinstalled in every new PC and the average user doesn't know there are alternatives -- or couldn't care less about them.
In other words: every OS could boast the same sale figures... if it came preinstalled in every PC.
Sure, this sort of beats the write-once-run-anywhere mantra (not to mention that Series 60 phones are fairly high end) but when you target a specific family of devices the options are no longer so limited.
The companies listed below have licensed Java Platform, Micro Edition (Java ME) configurations and profiles and the associated Technology Compatibility Kits (TCK). Only Java ME technology licensees can claim compatibility with Java ME technology specifications and TCKs.
The list is quite long and of course includes the usual suspects.
The current setup that Sun provides has boatloads of backwards compatibility cruft and old API's like AWT
This may be true for desktops, but the version used on mobile phones and other handheld devices has no AWT (or Swing for that matter) and it's called
Java ME -- check the Platform Overview for the details if you like.
I wouldn't really mind being one of the experts while freeing up a large portion of the population to do whatever they want.
You mean starving/begging/stealing?
True, there are a lot of shitty jobs that people would happily do without but, let's face it, not everyone could possibly be employed as an expert -- even if they had the skills.
there are lots of people who would continue working because they were passionate about their jobs
I think it's far more likley that people work just because they need the money. I certainly do, or I would just have hobbies!
I'm not saying that you can't receive gratification (monetary or otherwise) from a job, only that you are lucky if/when you do. As I see it, it could be said that if you need to work to support yourself you are still a slave, but I digress...;-)
Ignoring the feasibility of it all, whose to say that they are looking at domestic data anyway.
Feasible? Yes. Practical? Maybe not. However, what defines "domestic data"? If you are communicating with someone in/from $rogue_state_of_choice is the communication any longer domestic? Or do you think they would be dropping just your half of the conversation?
So what if they are reading emails between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
And why should email between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia be routed through AT&T? Besides, Pakistan has been promoted to "good friend" (if not "best buddy") a few years ago, and Saudi Arabia has never been officially considered a rogue state. From Rogue State:
In late 1990s U.S. officials considered North Korea, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Libya as "rogue states". The U.S.-Pakistani alliance following the 9/11 terrorist attacks removed Pakistan from the list. The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan removed the country from the list, and Iraq followed suit after the U.S.-led 2003 invasion of Iraq. Libya achieved success through diplomacy and now is also not considered in the list.
It's called espionage. Not only is it perfectly legal, but it's something we SHOULD be doing.
First you doubt the feasibility of data snooping of such proportions and then you flatly contradict yourself by suggesting that it should be done?!? The mind boggles...
Not true. While 110W is indeed what's written on the power brick, measurements for my 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo Mac Mini report about 20W while idle and a little over 30W under load.
Also, it seems to me that except for dual ethernet, the Mac Mini is better equipped than the Fit-PC:
- 1 GB of RAM
- 120 GB Hard Disk
- DVI
- 4 USB, 1 Firewire 400
- Optical audio in/out
- Built-in 54-Mbps wireless networking
- Built-in Bluetooth 2.0
Oh, and a little thing called OS X!;-)
Don't get me wrong, I think the Fit-PC is an interesting and has its uses but, in my opinion, saying it's cheaper compared to the Mac Mini misses the point altogether.
i find it amusing that an article concludes that a product cobbled together by a few geeks for free in there spare time [...] can compete with the best product of a multi-billion dollar company
Although the report states 61.2% of the code has been contributed by individuals, it also mentions SUN, IBM, Red Hat, Silicon Graphics (!) and others as heavy contributors.
That being said, I don't care much for OS wars and I think it's great to have options (proprietary or otherwise).
I mean, many things that would be good for the environment are expensive and not financially viable (profit, profit, profit). Business, on the other hand, doesn't care much about the environment so, once again, how can you be an environmental economist? Short of being schizophrenic, that is!
Hmmm... let's see... that We7 makes it legal while getting music via P2P (in most cases) it's not?;-)
If you don't like the idea of (temporarily) ad-supported, non-DRMed music than you can also *legally* share with others, that's fine. Saying that
you can get the same (and a lot more, I'd wager) via P2P, on the other hand, it's like comparing apples to oranges.
If you want big as in "mind boggingly big" or maybe even Overwhelmingly Large, you may want to check ESO's next step: a 100-m optical telescope called OWL, Overwhelmigly Large Telescope -- and yes, this one of those "my telescope is bigger than yours" posts!:p
Although that's the (technical) aspect best suited for discussion here, the article clearly states:
Police last night told Tony Blair that they need sweeping new powers to counter the terrorist threat, including the right to detain a suspect for up to three months without charge instead of the current 14 days.
and, a bit further down:
They also want to make it a criminal offence for suspects to refuse to cooperate in giving the police full access to computer files by refusing to disclose their encryption keys.
Yes, they want to hold someone for up to three months without charge even if no private keys are involved -- and that's what should get you jumping on your chair right now!.
I'd rather wonder about the people so eager to wax lyrical about censorship in China or Iran... hello?;-)
As I see it, if you really are against censorship you better be it all the time -- even when the opinions being expressed make you jump on your chair.
Although some governments are clearly worse than others and enforce all-out censorship, it would be best not to take our current level of "freedom" for granted. Here's a couple of previous stories in case you missed them the first time around:
Slashdot Mirror
Of course there are the usual, broad categories (terrorist, pedophiles, criminals, etc.) that make it sound as the sensible thing to do, but once you grant such sweeping powers, what's preventing the police to use them to spy on political opponents, activists, or anyone else who just happens to "think different"?
RT
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Your Bookmarks. Anywhere. Anytime.
RT
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Your Bookmarks. Anywhere. Anytime.
Anyway, we're getting so carried away here that we're forgetting that this story is no about the patent per se, or patents in general, but the sleight-of-hand used to reinstate the 1-Click patent -- patent lawyers, don't you just love them?
RT
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Your Bookmarks. Anywhere. Anytime.
On the other hand, carrying around a 1200+ page book or, heaven forbid, trying to read one in bed is far from comfortable. And what about those times when you wish you had something to read with you, or you didn't know in advance that you wanted to read just THAT book? That's why it's nice to be able to carry a few around all the time. All in all, it's an acceptable compromise: you lose a little, you gain little.
That being said, this baby from Amazon fails completely to... kindle my interest. Sorry, couldn't resist! :P
RT
--
Your Bookmarks. Anywhere. Anytime.
In other words: every OS could boast the same sale figures... if it came preinstalled in every PC.
RT
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Your Bookmarks. Anywhere. Anytime.
Sure, this sort of beats the write-once-run-anywhere mantra (not to mention that Series 60 phones are fairly high end) but when you target a specific family of devices the options are no longer so limited.
RT
--
Your Bookmarks. Anywhere. Anytime.
The companies listed below have licensed Java Platform, Micro Edition (Java ME) configurations and profiles and the associated Technology Compatibility Kits (TCK). Only Java ME technology licensees can claim compatibility with Java ME technology specifications and TCKs.
The list is quite long and of course includes the usual suspects.
RT
--
Your Bookmarks. Anywhere. Anytime.
RT
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Your Bookmarks. Anywhere. Anytime.
What about this list of Networks Operatos and Carriers
Or the Java ME Device Table?
Or, for that matter, what about these phones from Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericcson just to name a few?
I agree that there's a lot NOT to like about Java, but calling it a failure it's just trolling... and I just fell for it!RT
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Your Bookmarks. Anywhere. Anytime.
RT
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Your Bookmarks. Anywhere. Anytime.
True, there are a lot of shitty jobs that people would happily do without but, let's face it, not everyone could possibly be employed as an expert -- even if they had the skills.
I think it's far more likley that people work just because they need the money. I certainly do, or I would just have hobbies!I'm not saying that you can't receive gratification (monetary or otherwise) from a job, only that you are lucky if/when you do. As I see it, it could be said that if you need to work to support yourself you are still a slave, but I digress... ;-)
RT
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Your Bookmarks. Anywhere. Anytime.
Feasible? Yes. Practical? Maybe not. However, what defines "domestic data"? If you are communicating with someone in/from $rogue_state_of_choice is the communication any longer domestic? Or do you think they would be dropping just your half of the conversation?
So what if they are reading emails between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
And why should email between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia be routed through AT&T? Besides, Pakistan has been promoted to "good friend" (if not "best buddy") a few years ago, and Saudi Arabia has never been officially considered a rogue state. From Rogue State:
It's called espionage. Not only is it perfectly legal, but it's something we SHOULD be doing.
First you doubt the feasibility of data snooping of such proportions and then you flatly contradict yourself by suggesting that it should be done?!? The mind boggles...
RT
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Your Bookmarks. Anywhere. Anytime.
Any chance to know the name of the game? Just curious, you know...
RT
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Your Bookmarks. Anywhere. Anytime.
http://www.symbian.com/phones/index.html
That being said, I agree that Mr. Forsyth statement is unfortunate -- to put it mildly.
RT
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Your bookmarks. Anytime. Anywhere
Not true. While 110W is indeed what's written on the power brick, measurements for my 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo Mac Mini report about 20W while idle and a little over 30W under load.
Also, it seems to me that except for dual ethernet, the Mac Mini is better equipped than the Fit-PC:
- 1 GB of RAM
- 120 GB Hard Disk
- DVI
- 4 USB, 1 Firewire 400
- Optical audio in/out
- Built-in 54-Mbps wireless networking
- Built-in Bluetooth 2.0
Oh, and a little thing called OS X! ;-)
Don't get me wrong, I think the Fit-PC is an interesting and has its uses but, in my opinion, saying it's cheaper compared to the Mac Mini misses the point altogether.
Actually, this is getting less and less true as companies are getting involved either directly or indirectly. For instance this article refers to a report by the European Commission on the Economic Impact of FLOSS and the numbers speaks for themselves.
Although the report states 61.2% of the code has been contributed by individuals, it also mentions SUN, IBM, Red Hat, Silicon Graphics (!) and others as heavy contributors.
That being said, I don't care much for OS wars and I think it's great to have options (proprietary or otherwise).
How can you be both at the same time?
I mean, many things that would be good for the environment are expensive and not financially viable (profit, profit, profit). Business, on the other hand, doesn't care much about the environment so, once again, how can you be an environmental economist? Short of being schizophrenic, that is!
If you don't like the idea of (temporarily) ad-supported, non-DRMed music than you can also *legally* share with others, that's fine. Saying that you can get the same (and a lot more, I'd wager) via P2P, on the other hand, it's like comparing apples to oranges.
1) The ad is about 10 seconds long and it's placed at the beginning of the song;
2) If you want a track with no ad, you have the option to buy the track at normal price;
Last but not least, and I haven't seen this mentioned so far:
3) After a period of time (4 weeks) you will have the choice to download the track 'ad free'.
Although more of a realtime strategy game than a proper RPG, Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive would fit the bill nicely. ;-)
Better than all the other alternatives?!? Are you being sarcastic or just plain brainwashed?
And that would be a good thing for Adobe? Am I missing the obvious, or do you know something I don't? ;-)
If you want big as in "mind boggingly big" or maybe even Overwhelmingly Large, you may want to check ESO's next step: a 100-m optical telescope called OWL, Overwhelmigly Large Telescope -- and yes, this one of those "my telescope is bigger than yours" posts! :p
Police last night told Tony Blair that they need sweeping new powers to counter the terrorist threat, including the right to detain a suspect for up to three months without charge instead of the current 14 days.
and, a bit further down:
They also want to make it a criminal offence for suspects to refuse to cooperate in giving the police full access to computer files by refusing to disclose their encryption keys.
Yes, they want to hold someone for up to three months without charge even if no private keys are involved -- and that's what should get you jumping on your chair right now!.
As I see it, if you really are against censorship you better be it all the time -- even when the opinions being expressed make you jump on your chair.
Although some governments are clearly worse than others and enforce all-out censorship, it would be best not to take our current level of "freedom" for granted. Here's a couple of previous stories in case you missed them the first time around:
Most Americans Want Gov't To Make Internet Safer
UN Wants To Regulate Internet