I actually think the best suggestion for a new top level domain in the document is a TLD devoted to material of an 'adult' nature. Such a domain is one of the few I think would gain rapid support among it's target community. We all hope the Internet will remain relatively free of control, but the nay-sayers continue to point out that the net is full of pornography etc. A new TLD for new sites and hopefully a reasonable degree of migration of existing adult material will serve to provide a degree of separation. The average adult (male at least) probably knows where the local adult store is in town and can make the choice for themselves. With a designated TLD the same will hopefully become true of the internet, this I feel will weaken the argument of the censors without reducing freedom. And besides, if your that way inclined you'll know where all the good stuff is.
Every CDR system I have seen suffers from bounce, unless your machine is sat on concrete it's pretty inadvisable to jump around in the same room as a write in progress, and shaking the machine about is a definite no-go. So how would a CDR camera work? Unless this drive uses a CDRW or perhaps a load of flash for temporary storage which is written to the drive all in one go.
Making money is all about supply and demand, and I for one think Bedouin have it right that their will be a resurgence in demand for text adventures. Hitchhikers guide, leather goddesses of phobos and just a few of the games that many of us remember with fondly. If games like that can be brought to a new audience on cell phones and pda's then great, and if the original authors (and the authors of new titles) can make some coin-of-the-realm from it then that's even better.
Simply shouting that text adventures don't sell anymore doesn't really cut it as an argument, what sells is what sells. For to long gaming has been totally dominated by flash graphics, the old craft of weaving a story can still be just as enjoyable.
It may be of interest that I was recently contracted to code a customized client for a text mud (for the pc/dreamcast). In the intervening time I have spent a bit of time online with one of the mud's servers and found the mud culture to be alive and well (If not somewhat smaller than 10 years ago). The text renaissance is coming and I for one am already making some money out of it.
MR. GARBUS: If that is so, then we don't get into any disagreement about confidentiality.
MR. GOLD: That's not good enough, because, among other things, I don't want to wake up and see this transcript in the newspaper tomorrow, and I have reasons to believe that that is a possibility, but I won't get into that thoroughly. In light of this discussion, I have designated the entire transcript as confidential.
"When in 3D mode it produces one line of light for every two columns of pixels on the LCD. Imagine that the columns are divided into two groups. One group being the even numbered columns and the other being the odd numbered columns. When you sit directly in front of the display or in certain positions off to the side, your left eye sees these light lines through the odd columns of pixels, while your right eye sees them through the even columns. So, each eye sees only half of the pixels."
Since they are using more or lass standard flat panel LCD's this more or less halves the horizontal resolution. The unfortunate fact here is for stereo imaging you need all the horizontal depth you can get. Since the perceived depth is relative to the horizontal offset of the two images, the dumber of depth steps becomes limited.
The offset between image components is limited to the distance between eyes (this would be perceived as infinite depth), this distance is approximately 3 inches. The resolution (once halved) is about 30 pixels per inch giving a maximum offset of difference of about 90 pixels. The translates to about 90 discrete steps of depth although this can be smoothed of somewhat with anti-aliasing it could really do with some more horizontal resolution. That said, I still want one.
If John Travolta from the infamous church of scientology is involved, surely you risk getting sued by saying anything bad about the film.
On a side note, a couple of friends want to go and see this (It's only just been released here in the UK), is it really that bad? Should I avoid it like the plague or does it have at least some redeeming features
Many other areas of development seem to be drifting closer to using natural models, the pharmaceutical industry has almost always depended on examining natural processes, earlier today slashdot posted a news item about scientists attempting to replicate the mechanism on a gecko's feet that allows it to grip. It seems only natural that electronics and micro-manufacture has a thing or two to learn for natural processes, after all, many of the things we strive for with the continuing development of technology have been done for countless years in the simplest of cells.
The relevance of this work to nanotechnology particularly interests me. If you haven't read Eric Drexler's book 'Engines of Creation' it's something you should check out. The book discusses nanotechnology and suggests several things that should be done to prepare for it, none of which anyone has taken the slightest notice of (as far as I can tell). Does anyone else fear what may happen if true nanotechnology is developed in the near future without the slightest move to control it? Once it is here, it's far to late for control.
The EU has already ruled that a purchasing services such as web hosting inside the EU should be subject to sales tax since the service technically takes place within the EU. Surely this produces the possibility of a single service being subject to the sales tax of multiple countries (especially if other countries follow suit). The fact that the Us have already raised objection, in reality means it is likely this will never become law, the suggestion that the EU can force US (and other nations) companies to register as collectors of EU VAT is preposterous at best, idiotic at worst. The proposal would require the companies to register at any EU country and pay tax at that country rate. As the news item states, different countries within the EU have different rates of sales tax, isn't it obvious that if this happened all the companies would register in the state with the lowest level of tax? If I was a gambling man I would be willing to bet $50 that this was proposed by someone representing a low sales tax state, any takers? On a side note, proposals like this further heighten my concern that the WU is attempting to shoot itself in the foot with regard to the E-Commerce revolution. How can we (inside the EU) possibly expect to compete with US businesses online if the regulators fail to understand the intricacies of what makes the internet great? Companies within the EU are already crippled by having to charge sales tax on e-commerce transactions, if the governments really want to address the balance they should lift sales tax on e-commerce entirely (at least as long E-transactions in the US are not subject from any kind of sales tax)
What inspired you to create a data haven (was it the work of Gibson's Neuromancer series?) and do you think there is a long term future for the data haven concept, perhaps moving from offshore to orbital havens?
I had a look at the stop AT&T website and it seems a little strange, naturally I can understand the fear of anyone gaining a monopoly over the internet, but the 30% law you guys have in the US (Which seems to be being appropriately enforced in this case) would prevent that. The webs sites also states "And we need your help to keep big cable companies like AT&T from gaining a monopoly over the Internet". This struck me as a little strange, more than one company can't have a monopoly over the same area, obviously I must then assume that the site is against companies having a monopoly over a confined geographic area. Unfortunately, because of the way cable financing works it's almost impossible for this not to happen, large numbers of companies laying different sets of cable to your street is financially prohibitive.
Instead what is needed is some kind of regulation giving access to the existing cables (at a fair prices) to other companies. One of the most interesting things set to happen here in the UK in the next couple of years is the opening of the local telephone cables, our regulatory authority (OFTEL) is giving anyone access to the actual wires that run to peoples houses. This allows for a decent level of competition without a massive investment in infrastructure.
The way I understand it is the law protects the right to parody, but in this case a picture of an actual (although modified) Barbie doll. In addition the trademarked Barbie name is used. However, let us suppose someone took a picture of their child playing with a Barbie doll, posted the picture online with a comment stating what the image showed. Once again we have an actual picture online with use of the trademarked name in a situation where no one would consider the law to be broken. What we have here is a question of fair use, the Barbie I presume was properly paid for. I personally feel you are safe, but my opinion doesn't truly matter here. The real question is do you have both the means and the will to fight this. The nasty truth behind this and many other court cases that have received slashdot discussion in recent months is that a large corporation like Mattel can push and bully with little resistance from the man on the street. If (as seems the case) your wpp is prepared to fold under a little pressure their may be very little you can do about it apart from find a new hosting company. That said I was quite impressed that they wrote to you and asked instead of just taking the site down (which many seem to do these days).
This is a slight side track to the original question but recently I have started to feel strongly that a small alteration to current monopoly law could allow everyone to compete on a level playing field. I have found their to be some misunderstanding as to the purpose of monopoly law, it is not illegal to hold a monopoly but it is illegal to abuse one. I would propose that once a monopoly in an area such as software/operating systems had been established (such as in the current Microsoft case) the company in question should be forced to open it's specifications to file formats, protocols and other proprietary systems that limit interoperability.
If Microsoft were forced to open all it's specifications it be far easier to build an office environment in which other systems played a more crucial role. I personally feel that options currently on the table to deal with Microsoft's abuse of power could adversely affect the software industry in ways that will harm everyone. If instead the kind of forced sharing of information I propose was in place the balance of power would change gradually. Software would appear that could talk to an exchange server alongside server software that outlook is happy communicating with.
I don't want to see MS free offices in favor of some other emerging stronghold of power, instead a rich environment where software from many different sources can be used without serious compatibility issues would be infinitely preferable. For the time being this is just pipe dream I know, but that is no reason not to try.
Yes I know, but the extra bit on green has virtualy no effect. 32k modes and 64k modes are almost identical in color quality. I did say "1 bit per color component" as the difference between 12 and 15bit, I felt it safe to ignore the 16th bit as I feel this is as much marketing rubish as the original issue.
Most laptops claim a full 16 bit color range but in all honesty most flat screen technologies are not capably of that fine color control, for HP to stand up and admit that their marketing exaggerated the capabilities of their hardware is really quite refreshing. After all what is being discussed is just 1 bit of color accuracy per color component.
4000 colors? Who could possibly need that much! 16 colors and 32k of ram should be enough for any man.
This kind of display effectively displays a stereo pair without the need of special glasses etc. Every example I have ever seen requires the viewer to be in a relatively constrained angle to the monitor to receive a true effect. The best 3d I have experienced was a pair of polarized projectors (one horizontal, one vertical) with a passive set of polarized glasses, a camera would track the viewers motion and redraw the scene appropriately, the affect was very much like looking through a window.
Does any one know of any other 3d visualization system being developed, any links would be most appreciated.
No, I wasn't trying to say that google makes a good poster boy for open-source, but it is a great example of large organizations embracing the fruits of open source labor. Linux has gone through a lot of media exposure in recent months due to it's current 'fashionable' status, what is actually need to maintain linux's spot in the media world is examples of linux doing real world jobs. Large companies like google making public statements that they use a massive linux installation to solve a problem because it's the best tool for job are not going to hurt.
I would be interested to hear more about "The troubles that go on at Google behind the scenes are bound to become public knowledge very very soon.", without further information I'd like to think that linux would not get a 'black eye' over any problems within google, but you seem to know more about this than me.
It's nice to see some good Linux publicity happening, Google is fast becoming the most respected search engine around, their clean and uncluttered interface is drawing people away from the more traditional search engines where it seems you have to download more portal c$&p every day. It seems poetic the google is becoming an ambassador for linux by showing up their bloat laden competitors in the search engine market, while linux does the same in the OS market.
The internet has traditionally been free, in recent years/months we have seen an increase in attempts to control the internet via legislation, patents and law suits. The problem is that whilst the internet has seen a large influx of everyday joe's and suits the real power behind the net is as always the people who write the software. Gnutella and software systems like it are part of the fight back. Previously online systems have been centralized due to simplicity and the lack of reason to build them any different. Since we are now entering a time when the freedom we used to take for granted online is under threat new software systems that are nearly impossible to regulate are inevitable. If the various governments and organizations had paid attention to the cherished principles of the net perhaps we could have found a way to limit the pedophiles and professional pirates that they seem so paranoid about without compromising the net's principles to much.Instead the MPAA, the RIAA and all the other control freaks decided they wanted to make a war out of it, and a way they will get.
The chip itself is nothing special. What this means politically to the industry is a different matter entirely, everything we have seen with DeCSS and such shows that the movie industry is seeking to control video distribution formats, the existence of a loss-less digital out on domestic DVD player will further take control from them. The MPAA's paranoia against piracy is based on an unproven premise, that's is if it is possible to pirate then people will pirate. I disagree with this premise, the vast majority of people are honest who simply want to be able to buy a recording and play it back at their convenience. The people out there who are intent on pirating will do so regardless of what the authorities say or do. The final element in this particular equation is the home cinema buffs, the people who will do and pay almost anything to have the highest quality sound and video in the home. This kind of system will be demanded by them, they will flash their American Express platinum cards until a hardware vendor caves and gives it to them, then it's the express elevator to the budget store on the high street for the technology.
If this kind of thing interests you, id did these two cartoons surounding the original love-bug virus. 6th May, 8th May.
No, it's something else
on
Boo No More
·
· Score: 4
No, I don't think this is the start of the economic bubble bursting. This is a sign of an even more disconcerting issue for us Europeans. For the last couple of years our governments have been telling us the big Internet boom that has swept the states is going to happen over here (just a little later). This unfortunately is not entirely true, one of the great things the internet has done is sweep aside international barriers, you don't need one large book/sport ware/whatever vendor in each region for the internet, you just need one globally. The Internet bomb has not just been delayed in Europe it is not going to happen (to the same degree anyway). The US dominates the internet and change will be slow, factors like the metering of internet calls in most of Europe have slowed the take up speed and pushed us out of the critical window where we could take part in the 'boom' (UnMetered tariffs are appearing now but it is to little to late).
OK, ok, everyone point fun at me for being dyslexic! And anyway, how do you know they weren't falling over chickens!
Ok, so I'm dyslexic and get the spelling of words wrong sometimes (which a spell check helps with) and sometimes use the wrong word (which it doesn't) but there is a deeper issue here. Language is simply a means of communication, if the message is communicated then it has done it's job. Furthermore language is not defined by text books and dictionaries, these books record it. There is only something wrong with a statement when it fails to convey the intended message, not when a word is incorrectly spelt or a comma is out of place.
Referring to me as 'an ignorant looser' is nothing short of bigotry, if you really want a discussion I suggestion come out from behind the aptly named 'anonymous coward' hiding place, reveal your identity and discuss the matter without resorting to insult.
I find it quite amusing that the site that has entered legend for it's own specialized form the of the DDOS (the slashdot effect) has itself fallen fowl of the more malicious variety.
Congratulations on getting the new servers up and running, I've just moved my badtech cartoon site to digital nation (The old location of the slashdot servers).
If M.C. is reading this: we know that Microsoft sent you a $500 check for your kind restoration of Hotmail. I also remember that you attempted to auction the check of on eBay to raise some money for charity. Can you tell us how much you managed to raise (I expect you had a fair number of fake bids) and where the money went.
Slashdot Mirror
I actually think the best suggestion for a new top level domain in the document is a TLD devoted to material of an 'adult' nature. Such a domain is one of the few I think would gain rapid support among it's target community. We all hope the Internet will remain relatively free of control, but the nay-sayers continue to point out that the net is full of pornography etc. A new TLD for new sites and hopefully a reasonable degree of migration of existing adult material will serve to provide a degree of separation. The average adult (male at least) probably knows where the local adult store is in town and can make the choice for themselves. With a designated TLD the same will hopefully become true of the internet, this I feel will weaken the argument of the censors without reducing freedom. And besides, if your that way inclined you'll know where all the good stuff is.
Every CDR system I have seen suffers from bounce, unless your machine is sat on concrete it's pretty inadvisable to jump around in the same room as a write in progress, and shaking the machine about is a definite no-go. So how would a CDR camera work? Unless this drive uses a CDRW or perhaps a load of flash for temporary storage which is written to the drive all in one go.
Making money is all about supply and demand, and I for one think Bedouin have it right that their will be a resurgence in demand for text adventures. Hitchhikers guide, leather goddesses of phobos and just a few of the games that many of us remember with fondly. If games like that can be brought to a new audience on cell phones and pda's then great, and if the original authors (and the authors of new titles) can make some coin-of-the-realm from it then that's even better.
Simply shouting that text adventures don't sell anymore doesn't really cut it as an argument, what sells is what sells. For to long gaming has been totally dominated by flash graphics, the old craft of weaving a story can still be just as enjoyable.
It may be of interest that I was recently contracted to code a customized client for a text mud (for the pc/dreamcast). In the intervening time I have spent a bit of time online with one of the mud's servers and found the mud culture to be alive and well (If not somewhat smaller than 10 years ago). The text renaissance is coming and I for one am already making some money out of it.
MR. GARBUS: If that is so, then we don't get into any disagreement about confidentiality.
MR. GOLD: That's not good enough, because, among other things, I don't want to wake up and see this transcript in the newspaper tomorrow, and I have reasons to believe that that is a possibility, but I won't get into that thoroughly.
In light of this discussion, I have designated the entire transcript as confidential.
"When in 3D mode it produces one line of light for every two columns of pixels on the LCD. Imagine that the columns are divided into two groups. One group being the even numbered columns and the other being the odd numbered columns. When you sit directly in front of the display or in certain positions off to the side, your left eye sees these light lines through the odd columns of pixels, while your right eye sees them through the even columns. So, each eye sees only half of the pixels."
Since they are using more or lass standard flat panel LCD's this more or less halves the horizontal resolution. The unfortunate fact here is for stereo imaging you need all the horizontal depth you can get. Since the perceived depth is relative to the horizontal offset of the two images, the dumber of depth steps becomes limited.
The offset between image components is limited to the distance between eyes (this would be perceived as infinite depth), this distance is approximately 3 inches. The resolution (once halved) is about 30 pixels per inch giving a maximum offset of difference of about 90 pixels. The translates to about 90 discrete steps of depth although this can be smoothed of somewhat with anti-aliasing it could really do with some more horizontal resolution. That said, I still want one.
If John Travolta from the infamous church of scientology is involved, surely you risk getting sued by saying anything bad about the film.
On a side note, a couple of friends want to go and see this (It's only just been released here in the UK), is it really that bad? Should I avoid it like the plague or does it have at least some redeeming features
Many other areas of development seem to be drifting closer to using natural models, the pharmaceutical industry has almost always depended on examining natural processes, earlier today slashdot posted a news item about scientists attempting to replicate the mechanism on a gecko's feet that allows it to grip. It seems only natural that electronics and micro-manufacture has a thing or two to learn for natural processes, after all, many of the things we strive for with the continuing development of technology have been done for countless years in the simplest of cells.
The relevance of this work to nanotechnology particularly interests me. If you haven't read Eric Drexler's
book 'Engines of Creation' it's something you should check out. The book discusses nanotechnology and suggests several things that should be done to prepare for it, none of which anyone has taken the slightest notice of (as far as I can tell). Does anyone else fear what may happen if true nanotechnology is developed in the near future without the slightest move to control it? Once it is here, it's far to late for control.
Would a robot using gecko insired technology be running S.u.S.E. ?
The EU has already ruled that a purchasing services such as web hosting inside the EU should be subject to sales tax since the service technically takes place within the EU. Surely this produces the possibility of a single service being subject to the sales tax of multiple countries (especially if other countries follow suit). The fact that the Us have already raised objection, in reality means it is likely this will never become law, the suggestion that the EU can force US (and other nations) companies to register as collectors of EU VAT is preposterous at best, idiotic at worst. The proposal would require the companies to register at any EU country and pay tax at that country rate. As the news item states, different countries within the EU have different rates of sales tax, isn't it obvious that if this happened all the companies would register in the state with the lowest level of tax? If I was a gambling man I would be willing to bet $50 that this was proposed by someone representing a low sales tax state, any takers? On a side note, proposals like this further heighten my concern that the WU is attempting to shoot itself in the foot with regard to the E-Commerce revolution. How can we (inside the EU) possibly expect to compete with US businesses online if the regulators fail to understand the intricacies of what makes the internet great? Companies within the EU are already crippled by having to charge sales tax on e-commerce transactions, if the governments really want to address the balance they should lift sales tax on e-commerce entirely (at least as long E-transactions in the US are not subject from any kind of sales tax)
What inspired you to create a data haven (was it the work of Gibson's Neuromancer series?) and do you think there is a long term future for the data haven concept, perhaps moving from offshore to orbital havens?
I had a look at the stop AT&T website and it seems a little strange, naturally I can understand the fear of anyone gaining a monopoly over the internet, but the 30% law you guys have in the US (Which seems to be being appropriately enforced in this case) would prevent that. The webs sites also states "And we need your help to keep big cable companies like AT&T from gaining a monopoly over the Internet". This struck me as a little strange, more than one company can't have a monopoly over the same area, obviously I must then assume that the site is against companies having a monopoly over a confined geographic area. Unfortunately, because of the way cable financing works it's almost impossible for this not to happen, large numbers of companies laying different sets of cable to your street is financially prohibitive.
Instead what is needed is some kind of regulation giving access to the existing cables (at a fair prices) to other companies. One of the most interesting things set to happen here in the UK in the next couple of years is the opening of the local telephone cables, our regulatory authority (OFTEL) is giving anyone access to the actual wires that run to peoples houses. This allows for a decent level of competition without a massive investment in infrastructure.
The way I understand it is the law protects the right to parody, but in this case a picture of an actual (although modified) Barbie doll. In addition the trademarked Barbie name is used. However, let us suppose someone took a picture of their child playing with a Barbie doll, posted the picture online with a comment stating what the image showed. Once again we have an actual picture online with use of the trademarked name in a situation where no one would consider the law to be broken. What we have here is a question of fair use, the Barbie I presume was properly paid for. I personally feel you are safe, but my opinion doesn't truly matter here. The real question is do you have both the means and the will to fight this. The nasty truth behind this and many other court cases that have received slashdot discussion in recent months is that a large corporation like Mattel can push and bully with little resistance from the man on the street. If (as seems the case) your wpp is prepared to fold under a little pressure their may be very little you can do about it apart from find a new hosting company. That said I was quite impressed that they wrote to you and asked instead of just taking the site down (which many seem to do these days).
This is a slight side track to the original question but recently I have started to feel strongly that a small alteration to current monopoly law could allow everyone to compete on a level playing field. I have found their to be some misunderstanding as to the purpose of monopoly law, it is not illegal to hold a monopoly but it is illegal to abuse one. I would propose that once a monopoly in an area such as software/operating systems had been established (such as in the current Microsoft case) the company in question should be forced to open it's specifications to file formats, protocols and other proprietary systems that limit interoperability.
If Microsoft were forced to open all it's specifications it be far easier to build an office environment in which other systems played a more crucial role. I personally feel that options currently on the table to deal with Microsoft's abuse of power could adversely affect the software industry in ways that will harm everyone. If instead the kind of forced sharing of information I propose was in place the balance of power would change gradually. Software would appear that could talk to an exchange server alongside server software that outlook is happy communicating with.
I don't want to see MS free offices in favor of some other emerging stronghold of power, instead a rich environment where software from many different sources can be used without serious compatibility issues would be infinitely preferable. For the time being this is just pipe dream I know, but that is no reason not to try.
Yes I know, but the extra bit on green has virtualy no effect. 32k modes and 64k modes are almost identical in color quality. I did say "1 bit per color component" as the difference between 12 and 15bit, I felt it safe to ignore the 16th bit as I feel this is as much marketing rubish as the original issue.
Most laptops claim a full 16 bit color range but in all honesty most flat screen technologies are not capably of that fine color control, for HP to stand up and admit that their marketing exaggerated the capabilities of their hardware is really quite refreshing. After all what is being discussed is just 1 bit of color accuracy per color component.
4000 colors? Who could possibly need that much! 16 colors and 32k of ram should be enough for any man.
This kind of display effectively displays a stereo pair without the need of special glasses etc. Every example I have ever seen requires the viewer to be in a relatively constrained angle to the monitor to receive a true effect. The best 3d I have experienced was a pair of polarized projectors (one horizontal, one vertical) with a passive set of polarized glasses, a camera would track the viewers motion and redraw the scene appropriately, the affect was very much like looking through a window.
Does any one know of any other 3d visualization system being developed, any links would be most appreciated.
No, I wasn't trying to say that google makes a good poster boy for open-source, but it is a great example of large organizations embracing the fruits of open source labor. Linux has gone through a lot of media exposure in recent months due to it's current 'fashionable' status, what is actually need to maintain linux's spot in the media world is examples of linux doing real world jobs. Large companies like google making public statements that they use a massive linux installation to solve a problem because it's the best tool for job are not going to hurt.
I would be interested to hear more about "The troubles that go on at Google behind the scenes are bound to become public knowledge very very soon.", without further information I'd like to think that linux would not get a 'black eye' over any problems within google, but you seem to know more about this than me.
It's nice to see some good Linux publicity happening, Google is fast becoming the most respected search engine around, their clean and uncluttered interface is drawing people away from the more traditional search engines where it seems you have to download more portal c$&p every day. It seems poetic the google is becoming an ambassador for linux by showing up their bloat laden competitors in the search engine market, while linux does the same in the OS market.
The internet has traditionally been free, in recent years/months we have seen an increase in attempts to control the internet via legislation, patents and law suits. The problem is that whilst the internet has seen a large influx of everyday joe's and suits the real power behind the net is as always the people who write the software. Gnutella and software systems like it are part of the fight back. Previously online systems have been centralized due to simplicity and the lack of reason to build them any different. Since we are now entering a time when the freedom we used to take for granted online is under threat new software systems that are nearly impossible to regulate are inevitable. If the various governments and organizations had paid attention to the cherished principles of the net perhaps we could have found a way to limit the pedophiles and professional pirates that they seem so paranoid about without compromising the net's principles to much.Instead the MPAA, the RIAA and all the other control freaks decided they wanted to make a war out of it, and a way they will get.
The chip itself is nothing special. What this means politically to the industry is a different matter entirely, everything we have seen with DeCSS and such shows that the movie industry is seeking to control video distribution formats, the existence of a loss-less digital out on domestic DVD player will further take control from them. The MPAA's paranoia against piracy is based on an unproven premise, that's is if it is possible to pirate then people will pirate. I disagree with this premise, the vast majority of people are honest who simply want to be able to buy a recording and play it back at their convenience. The people out there who are intent on pirating will do so regardless of what the authorities say or do. The final element in this particular equation is the home cinema buffs, the people who will do and pay almost anything to have the highest quality sound and video in the home. This kind of system will be demanded by them, they will flash their American Express platinum cards until a hardware vendor caves and gives it to them, then it's the express elevator to the budget store on the high street for the technology.
If this kind of thing interests you, id did these two cartoons surounding the original love-bug virus. 6th May, 8th May.
No, I don't think this is the start of the economic bubble bursting. This is a sign of an even more disconcerting issue for us Europeans. For the last couple of years our governments have been telling us the big Internet boom that has swept the states is going to happen over here (just a little later). This unfortunately is not entirely true, one of the great things the internet has done is sweep aside international barriers, you don't need one large book/sport ware/whatever vendor in each region for the internet, you just need one globally. The Internet bomb has not just been delayed in Europe it is not going to happen (to the same degree anyway). The US dominates the internet and change will be slow, factors like the metering of internet calls in most of Europe have slowed the take up speed and pushed us out of the critical window where we could take part in the 'boom' (UnMetered tariffs are appearing now but it is to little to late).
OK, ok, everyone point fun at me for being dyslexic! And anyway, how do you know they weren't falling over chickens!
Ok, so I'm dyslexic and get the spelling of words wrong sometimes (which a spell check helps with) and sometimes use the wrong word (which it doesn't) but there is a deeper issue here. Language is simply a means of communication, if the message is communicated then it has done it's job. Furthermore language is not defined by text books and dictionaries, these books record it. There is only something wrong with a statement when it fails to convey the intended message, not when a word is incorrectly spelt or a comma is out of place.
Referring to me as 'an ignorant looser' is nothing short of bigotry, if you really want a discussion I suggestion come out from behind the aptly named 'anonymous coward' hiding place, reveal your identity and discuss the matter without resorting to insult.
I find it quite amusing that the site that has entered legend for it's own specialized form the of the DDOS (the slashdot effect) has itself fallen fowl of the more malicious variety.
Congratulations on getting the new servers up and running, I've just moved my badtech cartoon site to digital nation (The old location of the slashdot servers).
If M.C. is reading this: we know that Microsoft sent you a $500 check for your kind restoration of Hotmail. I also remember that you attempted to auction the check of on eBay to raise some money for charity. Can you tell us how much you managed to raise (I expect you had a fair number of fake bids) and where the money went.