What I'm suggesting is that if corporations/heirs want to control content past the original copyright statute limits, they should also be responsible for providing that the content they wish to protect is accessable. If they are unable or unwilling to do so, it should (after some reasonable period) enter the public domain so that other people can make use of it. To do otherwise goes against the original premise of copyright itself, which was to protect the creator/owner from competition. If there is no distribution by the creator/owner, such competion does not truly exist.
Perhaps my work is intended as a time- or space-limited experience. Perhaps I wanted to only release a special limited edition. Copyright isn't just about commerce, it's about granting control to creators and the right to distribute as they see fit.
Imagine if you will, a world where (for example) automobiles were only distributed for 5 years, and then protected by law from being created for the next 145 years. Would you seriously be ok with that?
Perhaps my work is intended as a time- or space-limited experience.
How about out of print books. They're copyrighted, so it's not legal to distribute them, but whomever it is that owns the rights won't sell you one either.
And since this is youTube, yes this also applies to movies/songs. If the content owners would like a monopoly on content, they should be required to sell the content.
"Our conception of copyright is hampering creativity, not enabling it."
I see this stated a lot, usually in an abstract sense. I can't think of any examples where copyright law has hampered my creativity -- if I want to see that movie or have a copy of that song, I either pay or don't, and go on with my life. Can you cite an example of how copyright law has hampered your creativity?
PNG is a cool format, but IE 5.X-6.0 does not understand how to render alpha-transparency. Just like it doesn't understand how to draw layers over hard form objects, or reliably stream images for dhtml, or I'm sure I could think of some more things that piss me off about it. It sucks, but people have to engineer sites to work with joe idiot's browser of choice.
Uh...PNGs are tiny. Slightly larger than Jpegs for photos but remember that they are lossless AND have more features like alpha-transparancy.
Its absolutely brilliant for cartoon and semi-realistic stuff.
Did you mean Final Fantasy IV or Final Fantasy XIV? Anyway, I'd say it really depends on your timeline. Atari, Coleco, Williams, Interplay, ID, Sir-Tech, Origin, SSI, etc. Those sure are Japanese companies. Oh wait...
Look at the history of the gaming industry, at who really made a difference. Nintendo. Namco. Konami. The arcade revolution, of which US companies mostly re-licenced or outright copied what was coming out of Japan. DDR. Katamari Damacy. Final Fantasy. The list is endless.
Which quickly fell to $200. As nice as the PS1 was at 3D, the Saturn had simply godlike 2D capabilities. Layer Section, Battle Garega, Terra Diver, Radiant Silvergun, etc. If you are into 2D shooters or tentacle porn, it remains the console to have. It's just too bad nobody outside of Japan ever got to see it for what it was.
I'd say the Saturn did poorly because it was twice as expensive as a PS1 ($400USD) and had inferior 3D capabilities. That and almost none of the really amazing 2D shooters ever made it to the US.
Yeah, but the Saturn did poorly because although it has twice the raw horsepower of a PS1, it's much much harder to code for (SuperH instead of MIPS; Two processors instead of one)
I don't think it's just American business culture, or we wouldn't be seeing Final Fantasy XXXVIII next year. As far as the games industry goes, it's just like the movie industry. The more cash it takes to produce titles, the more risk adverse the studios become, the more likely they are to stick to sequels and/or formula based titles.
Very very insightful. I couldn't agree more. American business culture simply does not reward risk-taking anymore. Look at what most public companies are spending their cash on right now: share price pumping, ie. stock buybacks. Is there no better use for that capital?
Considering GOOG is currently sitting at $427 a share, exactly how much more upside are you anticipating? I mean, it's a search engine. They sell ads, they have no recurring revenue stream. MSFT has a lock on 90% of the world's OS market, along with many other products that generate recurring revenue. I may not like Microsoft as a company, but it's certainly a lot less overvalued at current market prices. Ditto for TWX, which (despite poor management) owns vast quantities of content that will continue to generate recurring revenue for the forseeable future.
Since price is a good indicator of how the market feels, my read is that the PEG gives you a way of looking at how the market feels about reward, and P/E gives you a look at the risk. So you take on a whole lot less risk with Microsoft, but sacrifice some upside.
I don't recall claiming that I had it, however I'm quite likely to be a genetic carrier, as are most of the folks reading this thread....
Why does every nerd with poor social skills now claim Aspergers? Seriously, accept that you're nerds and get over it! Very few people actually have Aspergers and it takes a lot more than self-diagnosis for validity. God I'm getting sick of this.
Re:Poor social skills
on
IT and Divorce?
·
· Score: 0, Offtopic
In 1944, an Austrian pediatrician named Hans Asperger observed four children in his practice who had difficulty integrating socially. Although their intelligence appeared normal, the children lacked nonverbal communication skills, failed to demonstrate empathy with their peers, and were physically clumsy. Their way of speaking was either disjointed or overly formal, and their all-absorbing interest in a single topic dominated their conversations. Dr. Asperger called the condition "autistic psychopathy" and described it as a condition primarily marked by social isolation.[33] He also stated that "exceptional human beings must be given exceptional educational treatment, treatment which takes into account their special difficulties. Further, we can show that despite abnormality, human beings can fulfill their social role within the community, especially if they find understanding, love and guidance"
The problem stems from the fact that this is a civil trial, not a criminal one. beyond a reasonable doubt only applies for criminal cases. In a civil trial the judge makes a decision based on the evidence presented. Since many judges can barely tell the diference between a PC and a bread machine, the evidence doesn't necessarily have to bear up to hard scrutiny.
Incidentally, a near perfect example of the differences between criminal and civil law would be the OJ Simpson case. He was aquitted on the murder rap (criminal law), but he lost the civil suit.
Seriously, I've always wondered how someone can do it. The RIAA, this assistant principal...anyone.
How do they know, beyond a resonable doubt, who did it?
Seems like in this case you'd need logs from Myspace on what user and IP address did the deed. Then, you'd need logs from the ISP to match the IP to the account. Then, you'd need to prove which computer had that IP. And then, you'd need to prove who was actually on it at the time. And finally, wouldn't you have to prove that the box wasn't hacked/owned by someone else at the time?
The problem isn't lawyers per se. The problem is the increasingly vast number of laws on the books and how judges choose to interpret them. Twenty years ago a judge would have laughed you out of court if you say, tried to sue a manufacturer of toasters because they weren't clearly labeled as 'not intended for use underwater'.
Lawyers (and some plaintiffs) merely take advantage of the situation. And as a result, we get fun little brochures in everything we buy clearly outlining things a village idiot aught to be able to figure out.
WARNING: A risk of fire and electrical shock exists in all electrical appliances and may cause personal injury or death
Do not use appliance except as intended.
Do not place on or near hot gas or electric burner, or in a heated oven.
Do not place any part of this toaster under water or other liquid.
Unplug from outlet when not in use.
Unplug before cleaning.
Do not insert over-sized foods, metal foil packages, or metal utensils into the toaster.
Do not immerse in water
Do not physically hold down the toast lever.
and that's just the digest version...
Im not sure how I feel about jumping on the 'lets bash lawyers cause they are ruining America' bandwagon. Lets remember that lawyers are in abundance because of the demand. If America (yes, im American, so dont go off on a euro vs us tangent) wasnt so damn messed up, we wouldnt have as many law firms as gas stations.
The US already subsidizes cars that get high mileage. CAFE mileage standards dictate that any given car manufacturer must achieve an EPA rated 27.5 mpg for it's fleet in any given year or face stiff penalties. This only applies to cars, for trucks, the bar is set much lower (21.6mpg).
This means that for every Escalade (18.5) GM sells they need to make up the mileage difference (21.6-18.5=3.1) in Metros/Cavaliers/Aveo's. Since those cars aren't very desireable, they do it at a net loss.
Incidentally, CAFE standards also explain the vast proliferation of SUV's and Minivans. Since those vehicles are classified as trucks, they qualify for the lower mileage standards, thereby requiring less Aveos to be dumped on the market. Traditional estate/wagons would be more efficient, but since they must meet the car (27.5) mpg standards there is zero incentive to produce them.
There's also the fun fact that EPA estimates are complete BS, and for hybrids doubly so. If you floor the accelerator you are not getting anywhere near 40 MPG from your Toyota Prius, but EPA tests assume only gradual changes in speed. For many newer cars real world MPG and EPA MPG are off by at least 30%, and for hybrids I'd say closer to 50%.
destructive vehicle, be prepared to pay extra for it." What should be subsidized is cars that get over 40 MPG. Tthis should increase with time...but slowly. We don't yet know the total environmental cost of a hybrid. How long *will* the batteries last? What is it's REAL gas mileage as it ages? etc. And each vehicle design is slightly different, so global rules will tend to be incorrect.
Actually, I would be very surprised if Microsoft didn't terminate support for Windows 2000 when Vista rolls out. That's money in the bank, since all of those business customers will be shelling out for XP/2003/Vista.
I'm not saying it's logical from a technical perspective (since XP is basically 2000 with a rainbow brite interface), but from a business perspective..cha-ching baby.
retail cost of Vista. If you don't need new hardware, you simply don't upgrade yet. Microsoft hasn't stopped support for 2k or XP, so they certainly aren't forcing your hand. Stop the FUD.
Isn't that what our orbital weapons platform is for? I believe they're just looking for cheaper ways to keep it resupplied.
Oh, just what the U.S. needs: a way to secretly launch a nuclear warhead against an international target without the telltale rocket heat plume detectible by satellite. What are they calling it: a cold warhead?
There've been games about exchanging nukes before, but none of them were as popular as Defcon, and most of them didn't concentrate solely on nuclear exchange. I can't say if they were worse or better, since, not being a huge fan of Introversion's games, I never played Defcon.
But that's perfectly O.K. Didn't you know that any movies produced before 1923 are out of copyright? Anyone watching those will be unfairly marginalizing the current copyright protected remakes!
This sounds similar to a situation involving movies and books. In the case of movies, many old silent movies are being lost due to the unstable film stock that was used at the time. The films are literally disintegrating on the shelf and will be lost unless they can be transferred to a more lasting film stock.
"Socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor."
-Richard Brodsky
typically a giveaway to the wealthy and connected, in this case horse track owners. I am sorry no one cares about horses anymore, what a terrible tragedy that a business that no one goes to might not be viable anymore. I just think that if operating a game of chance is illegal for the rest of us, it should be illegal for the uber rich too.
Of all gambling slot machines are the absolute worst, they are mindless repetitive (some might say addictive) money pits with far worse odds to the player than card/table games. They represent no risk on the part of the house since the odds are guaranteed to play out in their favor.
Patent Law Attourney,
Insurance Adjuster,
Real Estate Agent,
CEO,
why the list goes on and on...
The problem is of course, is there ANYTHING productive left for US and other western societies to do, that they can compete in? It increasingly appears not.
This is not to say that the N64 didn't have plenty of must have games. Zelda and Goldeneye make the console worth owning all by themselves, and there are plenty of other good ones (Banjo Kazooie, Wave Race, Conker's BFD, Paper Mario, etc)
With the possible exception of Pong - Nintendo has ruled console Tennis games with an iron fist. First was Super Tennis for the SuperNes - still the best tennis game around - followed by N64 Mario Tennis. Not that anybody has really noticed seeing as Tennis games are just so rabidly popular...
Ah, are we forgetting that the asscrack high level managers have already done a cost/benefit analysis of this 'telecommuting' of which you speak and decided to let your replacement telecommute in from Bangalore?
How about a tax credit for telecommuting? Ding! Traffic goes away.
But see, that would take control away from asscrack middle managers who insist on being able to penalize people for failing to leave for work two and a half hours early (and therefore miss breakfast and time with family) to overcome miles of 5 MPH traffic and unreasonable traffic signals. All we have to do to solve 21st century traffic problems is to get the fuck OUT of the 19th century workplace.
Slashdot Mirror
And since this is youTube, yes this also applies to movies/songs. If the content owners would like a monopoly on content, they should be required to sell the content.
No mention of My Little Pony Runaway Rainbow or Strawberry Shortcake: Summertime Adventure? Inconceivable.
A planet where apes evolved from men?
Nova was the perfect woman. Beautiful, Compliant, Mute.
In 1944, an Austrian pediatrician named Hans Asperger observed four children in his practice who had difficulty integrating socially. Although their intelligence appeared normal, the children lacked nonverbal communication skills, failed to demonstrate empathy with their peers, and were physically clumsy. Their way of speaking was either disjointed or overly formal, and their all-absorbing interest in a single topic dominated their conversations. Dr. Asperger called the condition "autistic psychopathy" and described it as a condition primarily marked by social isolation.[33] He also stated that "exceptional human beings must be given exceptional educational treatment, treatment which takes into account their special difficulties. Further, we can show that despite abnormality, human beings can fulfill their social role within the community, especially if they find understanding, love and guidance"
Incidentally, a near perfect example of the differences between criminal and civil law would be the OJ Simpson case. He was aquitted on the murder rap (criminal law), but he lost the civil suit.
Lawyers (and some plaintiffs) merely take advantage of the situation. And as a result, we get fun little brochures in everything we buy clearly outlining things a village idiot aught to be able to figure out.
WARNING: A risk of fire and electrical shock exists in all electrical appliances and may cause personal injury or death
Do not use appliance except as intended.
Do not place on or near hot gas or electric burner, or in a heated oven.
Do not place any part of this toaster under water or other liquid.
Unplug from outlet when not in use.
Unplug before cleaning.
Do not insert over-sized foods, metal foil packages, or metal utensils into the toaster.
Do not immerse in water
Do not physically hold down the toast lever.
and that's just the digest version...
This means that for every Escalade (18.5) GM sells they need to make up the mileage difference (21.6-18.5=3.1) in Metros/Cavaliers/Aveo's. Since those cars aren't very desireable, they do it at a net loss.
Incidentally, CAFE standards also explain the vast proliferation of SUV's and Minivans. Since those vehicles are classified as trucks, they qualify for the lower mileage standards, thereby requiring less Aveos to be dumped on the market. Traditional estate/wagons would be more efficient, but since they must meet the car (27.5) mpg standards there is zero incentive to produce them.
There's also the fun fact that EPA estimates are complete BS, and for hybrids doubly so. If you floor the accelerator you are not getting anywhere near 40 MPG from your Toyota Prius, but EPA tests assume only gradual changes in speed. For many newer cars real world MPG and EPA MPG are off by at least 30%, and for hybrids I'd say closer to 50%.
I'm not saying it's logical from a technical perspective (since XP is basically 2000 with a rainbow brite interface), but from a business perspective..cha-ching baby.
-Richard Brodsky
Insurance Adjuster,
Real Estate Agent,
CEO,
why the list goes on and on...
Gekigangar Punch?
This is not to say that the N64 didn't have plenty of must have games. Zelda and Goldeneye make the console worth owning all by themselves, and there are plenty of other good ones (Banjo Kazooie, Wave Race, Conker's BFD, Paper Mario, etc)