Is Google? Now, Google is based in the US, not Sweden, so it has to abide by American laws, so there is actually legal basis for requiring them to block content.
Google indexes everything. I just searched now for "warez" sites and "serials" and found several sites listing what appear to be actual serial numbers, and actual install images (I didn't install or try them - I have MSDN subscriptions and Adobe CS2 at the office, and primarily run Linux at the office and at home anyhow - no need for "warez").
Someone will say "yeah, but TPB requires users to actively submit sites" - - however, one may elect to manually submit sites to googlebot, and one has to actively post content to web sites, etc. and "serials" and "warez" and "war3z" are very easy for Google to flag for examination by humans, so one could very well argue that Google is every bit as "evil" as TPB was - MORE so, because what TPB did in Sweden was actually LEGAL under local laws (the court is obviously corrupt - were officials to want to solve the problem legally, they would have asked the legislature there to introduce laws which banned LINKS TO "illegal" copyrighted works).
Also, since TPB does not operate in the US, and Google does, the legalities are completely different. It could be argued that since google "could" flag certain keywords (serials, serialz, warez. war3z. install keys, etc.) for manual inspection before inclusion that they are responsible, since Google actively goes out to scrape and index the content - and in the case of the google cache, actually repost those "stolen"[sic] serial numbers/install keys.
TPB refused to remove torrent files, because the way the local laws where they operated read, they simply didn't have to. The current case with its verdict is an illegal one and I hope that they win on appeal. It IS a problem that needs to be fixed, but the government needs to fix it in a LEGAL manner, not overlook the law because TPB squeaks by on technicalities. If you prosecute someone DESPITE technicalities, you are not a nation of laws, but a lawless, tyrannical nation and deserve to be overthrown either by the vote or other means. This takes an awakening by the populace and realizing that the need to vote for people who consider the need of the well-being and long-term survival of one's own nation overrules the needs of others.
This goes for any lawless nation. As a completely off-topic aside: I hope the United State is taken over by the VOTE in the next election by citizens waking up and voting out incumbants, and not electing socialists or communists or fascists/neocons into office - nor puppets of bankers or corporate America. I want the government OF the people, working FOR the people -- not the government of the people working the people over. We need moderates who can read and understand the Constitution to be our public servants - not our public servants becoming our master. What makes a GREAT leader? A person who serves. It doesn't take a radical group to overthrow and stir things up: it simply takes responsible voters.
The typeface isn't the problem. In fact, I rather like it. It is a well-designed typeface, very readable, and appropriate for playful images - projects like children's books, comic books, children's toys and clothing, and the like. You know. its intended purpose.
The problem is, the typeface (a "typeface" is an outline/shape - it's not a "font" until it has size and weight, kerning, etc. attributed to it) has become used for things where it is completely inappropriate: the main text in "professional"[sic] web sites, books, official documents, advertisements, and so forth.
I use the typeface on occasion - but only where it's appropriate. In nearly every case where I see Comic Sans used, Helvetica or Arial or even Verdana would be far more appropriate. I won't stop using the Comic Sans typeface where it is appropriate (dialog for comic/clip art/line art images/strips, for example) but I have never nor would I ever plaster it all over the place.
No one typeface is intended to be used for all circumstances. The type of user who would use Comic Sans in a professional document is the same kind of "designer"[sic] who would mix typefaces from four or five (or more) different font families in a single document; you know, as if they were creating examples of how NOT to use typefaces.
Just as with guns, the problem isn't fonts; the problem is people.
Oh, and you're curious about my nit-picking about "font" vs. "typeface?" I'm not in the wrong here. See:
Sorry, the DoJ only cares about those evil "pirates" and also those "ter'rists" who use this nefarious operating system called "Linux" and talk about some evil ter'rist plot called "open source." There is no funding for the DoJ to enforce antitrust laws, because Barack has spent over $10TRILLION ensuring that billionaires and multi-millionaires keep their bloated salaries as they continue to drive their companies into the ground, and also giving free houses, drivers licenses, health care, and college tuition to illegal aliens (er, sorry, that was not PC. I mean "undocumented immigrants").
One thing you're missing; you couldn't realistically build enough capacity to meet the "increased load".
They can't? Then why is Comcast promising 50+mbps by the end of the year in many metropolitan areas?
In your analogy it would be like the people who show up to eat lobster also bring a bucket and take a few dozen home to feed their neighbors!
That's a poor analogy. In fact, it's a straw man. That is not what is going on here, You're saying business service with that analogy, but Comcast, Cox, TW, etc. run their commercial offerings on a separate network - at least according to the sales reps.
Face it, if the bandwidth fairy dropped a 100M full duplex internet connection on you tonight you'd likely be maxxing it out by tomorrow dinner.
So, what you're saying is: shame on us if we believe you when you say your restaurant is all-you-can-eat?
Running an ozone generator in each cab when it's in for maintenance will do the truck. A negative ion generator running in it 24/7 would also work but ion generators that actually work are a little too large to mount permanently. Maybe they could contract Sharp to develop a "plasmacluster" unit to fit in the AC evaporator box?
I put X on servers whenever possible. Why? Sometimes it is easier to work with multiple xterms side by side rather than having to switch from virtual console to virtual console.
* You lose the address/command line bar (in the taskbar - you might not even know it's available in XP because it isn't on by default) * Some software won't install on SP3 * It runs slightly slower * It breaks some drivers (I ran into the same problem someone else did on my Latitude - well, before the latitude finally croaked)
You would think so, but Microsoft made MSIE a required system component for many system components even on the server platform, including Microsoft Update, the online help viewer, and some of the monitoring and administration tools, not to mention certain views of explorer (as in the desktop/file explorer).
Why? So they could squeak around antitrust issues and claim that MSIE is an integrated part of the OS and cannot be separated. You COULD remove MSIE but you lose key functionality in the process.
The problem with Windows extends all the way back to PC-DOS 1.0: backwards compatibility where "root" access was assumed by every program, and Microsoft has never had the balls to draw a line and say "Sorry, but this is the end of the line for Windows." OS/2 could have been that point, but we all know where that went. NT (M$'s fork after the IBM-MS divorce) was another opportunity and they dropped the ball then. Hell, at one point Xenix (SCO Unix) could have been that clean break.
There was also the YF-12A model (three of them IIRC) built as an interceptor (it was to carry munitions and be deployed as the F-12B), but which was allegedly used by NASA for "high-altitude atmospheric research."
There is a funny story about the SR-71 in the book Sled Drivers: a light aircraft requested a speed check, then someone else showing off a faster general aviation craft decided to show off and request a check, then a fighter pilot who overheard then requested a check. The penis-waving contest was ended real quick because an SR-71 pilot happened to be an area and HE also requested a speed check. Do any of you here have that book on hand so you can post the exchange?:-)
I was kidding. Maybe the lack of a;-) didn't make it clear. I realize that a lot of (most?) kit cars lack 5mph bumpers, crumple zones, airbags, and all that other crap that increases the cost of cars by 100% today.
Likewise, their affiliates and ultimately their customers can voice their opinion and follow up by voting with their wallets, as they are free to do so. Amazon can respond by catering to customer preferences or they can go the way of the dodo.
He was a treasonous militant who targeted a government building.
There is a difference.
Granted, there were civilians and children there, but that is often true with strictly military targets as well (well, children are less likely to be there but there is a high likelihood of civilian presence).
. . . which is why Excel has bugs in its math routines. Developers! are spending time on easter eggs rather than coding a quality product!
Hey Microsoft, how about this for an M$ Office easter egg:
* no known fatal defects
* a decent, logical GUI not designed by a geek with ADD/ADHD
That one would please everyone, and you know, like other easter eggs, the average user won't notice it. Why? Because the second your product works well, it ceases to be on the customer's mind.;)
Seriously though, is it getting just so utterly bullshit that they list Slashdot as a potential terrorist hangout? I mean, really? Is the government this god damned stupid? I suppose in the back of my mind I always knew it was, but wow.
Is there really any doubt that the American government, and indeed, the populace in general, really is that stupid?
In the '90s rather than electing Ross Perot to the presidency, we chose that oversexed ass clown Bill Clinton
Then, we replaced him with that poor down syndrome individual, George Duhbya Bush. Granted, we only barely dodged the bullets of having a tree-worshipping pantheist (Al Gore) for President, and a media-whoring playboy (Kerry) for president, so I guess it could have been worse.
And now, we have socialist, anti-American Barack Hussein Obama, an Islam sympathizer, who thinks the best way to bring us back to prosperity is to raise taxes as our president. But then again, he's a better choice than Hillary Clinton, who isn't merely socialist, but a communist at heart with her "it takes a village" bullshit.
Here in Taxachusetts we keep reelecting that flaming hothead socialist Barney Frank and the would-be fascist (not to mention verified murderer) Ted Kennedy to Congress.
Yes, the government really is that stupid, and yet, we're even more stupid for putting these ass clowns into office in the first place. We need to smarten up on election day if we want an intelligent government.
So, like, does that mean I am a terrorist because I am a slashdotter?
Let's see, where is the checklist. OK here we go:
I am/I do:
* a Ron Paul supporter
* carry a copy of the Constitution with me (in my PDA)
* carry controversial religious texts with me (the CJB and NASB translations of the Bible in my PDA and on my laptop)
* carry texts written in a middle-eastern language on my laptop (the tenach, or "Jewish Bible," or "old testament" if you wish)
* am a libertarian
* I have watched America: Freedom to Fascism and have read both Gary Kah's and William Cooper's books
* believe the second amendment means what it says: the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, and am mystified as to why "shall not be infringed" is so fucking hard for politicians to comprehend (although I do not own a gun. I've fired guns though, and had a lot of fun doing it. Even shot apart a junk car one time!)
* had a chemistry set and also built electronic devices from scratch, including timer devices (see next point)
* built pipe bombs (well, honestly, my brother and dad (and a few police officer friends of my dad) made them. I improved my brother's designs because he wanted a bigger boom) and model rockets with my brother and blew up mounds of dirt on my parents' property back in the 80s. (that would get me and my brother arrested nowadays. Back then the cops would come over and make and set off those homemade fireworks with us!)
* am patriotic/nationalist and believe we have a responsibility to put our own national interests (and those of our allies/friends) ahead of the "global community"
and now:
* am a slashdotter
And yet, I'm not a criminal. I have never shot anyone, engaged in conspiracy to blow any buildings up, or blow anyone up. I'm not an illegal alien.
I just believe I have the right to engage in academic interests and hobbies, have the right to own any weapon which could be used to hold tyranny at bay or to protect myself, and an am "American citzen" not a member nor supporter of the "global community" in the sense that one-world-government types would like to consider me.
Also:
* I believe tolerance is being mature enough to agree to disagree, not thinking that all "truths"/"opions"/"facts" are equally valid and true.
* I support the right to believe in Jesus (like I do), Allah (which is bullshit but believe it if you like), Shiva, ceiling cat, or flying spaghetti monster. I won't try to force you to believe what I belive, I certainly won't threaten to kill you if you won't believe what I believe, but if you want to kill me and/or destroy my country and destroy Israel and actually intend to do it, I want you dead. You have no business going around killing people just because they disagree with you, but deserve nothing better than being dragged through city streets then covered in salt if your goal is to kill innocent people.
I am fed up with criminals being treated as victims, and people who stand up for TRUTH (not "truths"), Justice, and the American Way (TM) being labeled terrorists and being harassed at airports and in government buildings. I'm SICK of criminals being raised up and given special protection, and being allowed to sue the real victims (their targets for burglary, armed robbery, etc.) if they're injured in the process, or shot in the process. If you're a scumbag burglar, terrorist, thief, etc. you deserve to be shot, or you deserve to slip and fall and cut yourself and bleed to death, or, if the person gets their bare hands on you and takes your weapon from you, that person should be able to beat the living crap out of you and you should NOT be able to sue.
I am sick of preferential treatment being given to illegal ALIENS. Note: I do not refer to those assholes as illegal "immigrants" or even "crimigrants" because using the term "immigrant" in any context with regard to those thieving bastard
At least with hard drives you can often get the drive up and running long enough to pull the data off if you put it in the freezer overnight, or encase it in dry ice. Or, if it's a board problem, if you have another drive with the same firmware rev, swap the controller. Very worst case, you can send the drive to a recovery lab and get your data back.
Not so with flash. When it fails, the data is GONE.
TPB is not based in the US. US law does not apply. The laws which apply are the laws in the country it resides, just as Russian law drives allofmp3/mp3sparks, not US law.
It may not be legal for us to set up such a service in the US and encourage posting of links to torrents of "pirated" content, but TPB is not in the US.
When it is legal there, why SHOULD they be concerned about the "what if we were operating in the USA" scenario?
Right. Because every file TPB has is legally able to be there.
US law is not international law, and even as an American I thank God for that because our patent and copyright laws (and our entire legal system in general for that matter) is now rooted in insanity, and completely ignores the guidelines the Constitution establishes for intellectual property laws. Intellectual property is public domain, but the creator is granted a temporary monopoly on that property as an incentive to create more intellectual property (sciences and useful arts) for the public good. It was never intended to provide an eternal gravy train from a shitty drawing of a mouse.
* links to public domain content
* links to legal "copyrighted content"
* links to unauthorised "copyrighted content"
* links to open source content
* links to creative commons-licensed content
Google:
* links to public domain content
* links to legal "copyrighted content"
* links to unauthorised "copyrighted content"
* links to open source content
* links to creative commons-licensed content
Yahoo:
* links to public domain content
* links to legal "copyrighted content"
* links to unauthorised "copyrighted content"
* links to open source content
* links to creative commons-licensed content
So, facebook ought to ban both Google and Yahoo.
As an aside: if you draw, photograph, type, speak & record, or write it, it's copyrighted automatically so "linking to copyrighted material" is a BS cop-out, not to mention an attempt at social engineering to get people to accept that sharing "copyrighted material" is bad. It's not. In fact many forms of copying is legal - AND COMPENSATED. Ever download an.mp3 and burn it to an audio CD disk? Years ago, did you ever record radio to an audiocassette? Do you ever store ANYTHING on DAT? If so, the RIAA has been compensated the price they agreed to for those works, because those media have levies associated with them.
Slashdot Mirror
Is Google? Now, Google is based in the US, not Sweden, so it has to abide by American laws, so there is actually legal basis for requiring them to block content.
Google indexes everything. I just searched now for "warez" sites and "serials" and found several sites listing what appear to be actual serial numbers, and actual install images (I didn't install or try them - I have MSDN subscriptions and Adobe CS2 at the office, and primarily run Linux at the office and at home anyhow - no need for "warez").
Someone will say "yeah, but TPB requires users to actively submit sites" - - however, one may elect to manually submit sites to googlebot, and one has to actively post content to web sites, etc. and "serials" and "warez" and "war3z" are very easy for Google to flag for examination by humans, so one could very well argue that Google is every bit as "evil" as TPB was - MORE so, because what TPB did in Sweden was actually LEGAL under local laws (the court is obviously corrupt - were officials to want to solve the problem legally, they would have asked the legislature there to introduce laws which banned LINKS TO "illegal" copyrighted works).
Also, since TPB does not operate in the US, and Google does, the legalities are completely different. It could be argued that since google "could" flag certain keywords (serials, serialz, warez. war3z. install keys, etc.) for manual inspection before inclusion that they are responsible, since Google actively goes out to scrape and index the content - and in the case of the google cache, actually repost those "stolen"[sic] serial numbers/install keys.
TPB refused to remove torrent files, because the way the local laws where they operated read, they simply didn't have to. The current case with its verdict is an illegal one and I hope that they win on appeal. It IS a problem that needs to be fixed, but the government needs to fix it in a LEGAL manner, not overlook the law because TPB squeaks by on technicalities. If you prosecute someone DESPITE technicalities, you are not a nation of laws, but a lawless, tyrannical nation and deserve to be overthrown either by the vote or other means. This takes an awakening by the populace and realizing that the need to vote for people who consider the need of the well-being and long-term survival of one's own nation overrules the needs of others.
This goes for any lawless nation. As a completely off-topic aside: I hope the United State is taken over by the VOTE in the next election by citizens waking up and voting out incumbants, and not electing socialists or communists or fascists/neocons into office - nor puppets of bankers or corporate America. I want the government OF the people, working FOR the people -- not the government of the people working the people over. We need moderates who can read and understand the Constitution to be our public servants - not our public servants becoming our master. What makes a GREAT leader? A person who serves. It doesn't take a radical group to overthrow and stir things up: it simply takes responsible voters.
The typeface isn't the problem. In fact, I rather like it. It is a well-designed typeface, very readable, and appropriate for playful images - projects like children's books, comic books, children's toys and clothing, and the like. You know. its intended purpose.
The problem is, the typeface (a "typeface" is an outline/shape - it's not a "font" until it has size and weight, kerning, etc. attributed to it) has become used for things where it is completely inappropriate: the main text in "professional"[sic] web sites, books, official documents, advertisements, and so forth.
I use the typeface on occasion - but only where it's appropriate. In nearly every case where I see Comic Sans used, Helvetica or Arial or even Verdana would be far more appropriate. I won't stop using the Comic Sans typeface where it is appropriate (dialog for comic/clip art/line art images/strips, for example) but I have never nor would I ever plaster it all over the place.
No one typeface is intended to be used for all circumstances. The type of user who would use Comic Sans in a professional document is the same kind of "designer"[sic] who would mix typefaces from four or five (or more) different font families in a single document; you know, as if they were creating examples of how NOT to use typefaces.
Just as with guns, the problem isn't fonts; the problem is people.
Oh, and you're curious about my nit-picking about "font" vs. "typeface?" I'm not in the wrong here. See:
http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/fonts.asp
http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/theyre-not-fonts
http://desktoppub.about.com/b/2005/05/02/2-minute-tutorial-font-vs-typeface.htm
http://www.publish.com/c/a/Graphics-Tools/Font-vs-typeface/
http://fontfeed.com/archives/font-or-typeface/
Sorry, the DoJ only cares about those evil "pirates" and also those "ter'rists" who use this nefarious operating system called "Linux" and talk about some evil ter'rist plot called "open source." There is no funding for the DoJ to enforce antitrust laws, because Barack has spent over $10TRILLION ensuring that billionaires and multi-millionaires keep their bloated salaries as they continue to drive their companies into the ground, and also giving free houses, drivers licenses, health care, and college tuition to illegal aliens (er, sorry, that was not PC. I mean "undocumented immigrants").
They can't? Then why is Comcast promising 50+mbps by the end of the year in many metropolitan areas?
That's a poor analogy. In fact, it's a straw man. That is not what is going on here, You're saying business service with that analogy, but Comcast, Cox, TW, etc. run their commercial offerings on a separate network - at least according to the sales reps.
So, what you're saying is: shame on us if we believe you when you say your restaurant is all-you-can-eat?
Comcast sucks, but Verizon is worse. :(
Running an ozone generator in each cab when it's in for maintenance will do the truck. A negative ion generator running in it 24/7 would also work but ion generators that actually work are a little too large to mount permanently. Maybe they could contract Sharp to develop a "plasmacluster" unit to fit in the AC evaporator box?
I put X on servers whenever possible. Why? Sometimes it is easier to work with multiple xterms side by side rather than having to switch from virtual console to virtual console.
Oops. /s/Sometimes/Often/ /s/Somtimes/Usually/ /s/Usually/<b>Usually</b>/
Oops again.
Oops yet again.
* You lose the address/command line bar (in the taskbar - you might not even know it's available in XP because it isn't on by default)
* Some software won't install on SP3
* It runs slightly slower
* It breaks some drivers (I ran into the same problem someone else did on my Latitude - well, before the latitude finally croaked)
You would think so, but Microsoft made MSIE a required system component for many system components even on the server platform, including Microsoft Update, the online help viewer, and some of the monitoring and administration tools, not to mention certain views of explorer (as in the desktop/file explorer).
Why? So they could squeak around antitrust issues and claim that MSIE is an integrated part of the OS and cannot be separated. You COULD remove MSIE but you lose key functionality in the process.
Amen.
The problem with Windows extends all the way back to PC-DOS 1.0: backwards compatibility where "root" access was assumed by every program, and Microsoft has never had the balls to draw a line and say "Sorry, but this is the end of the line for Windows." OS/2 could have been that point, but we all know where that went. NT (M$'s fork after the IBM-MS divorce) was another opportunity and they dropped the ball then. Hell, at one point Xenix (SCO Unix) could have been that clean break.
Can I safely run it without antivirus software and expect my system to not get rooted within days? No? Thanks, but I'll stick with *nix.
. . . yeah, but they'll make up for it in volume! ;)
There was also the YF-12A model (three of them IIRC) built as an interceptor (it was to carry munitions and be deployed as the F-12B), but which was allegedly used by NASA for "high-altitude atmospheric research."
There is an article about it on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_YF-12
There is a funny story about the SR-71 in the book Sled Drivers: a light aircraft requested a speed check, then someone else showing off a faster general aviation craft decided to show off and request a check, then a fighter pilot who overheard then requested a check. The penis-waving contest was ended real quick because an SR-71 pilot happened to be an area and HE also requested a speed check. Do any of you here have that book on hand so you can post the exchange? :-)
I was kidding. Maybe the lack of a ;-) didn't make it clear. I realize that a lot of (most?) kit cars lack 5mph bumpers, crumple zones, airbags, and all that other crap that increases the cost of cars by 100% today.
Kit car "manufacturers" and even experimental aircraft "manufacturers" regularly develop vehicles for under $50K so I don't see the big deal.
Likewise, their affiliates and ultimately their customers can voice their opinion and follow up by voting with their wallets, as they are free to do so. Amazon can respond by catering to customer preferences or they can go the way of the dodo.
He was a treasonous militant who targeted a government building.
There is a difference.
Granted, there were civilians and children there, but that is often true with strictly military targets as well (well, children are less likely to be there but there is a high likelihood of civilian presence).
. . . which is why Excel has bugs in its math routines. Developers! are spending time on easter eggs rather than coding a quality product!
Hey Microsoft, how about this for an M$ Office easter egg:
* no known fatal defects
* a decent, logical GUI not designed by a geek with ADD/ADHD
That one would please everyone, and you know, like other easter eggs, the average user won't notice it. Why? Because the second your product works well, it ceases to be on the customer's mind. ;)
Why not profile people who attend mosques?
While it's true that not all Muslims are terrorists, so far, all the terrorists have been muslims!
Is there really any doubt that the American government, and indeed, the populace in general, really is that stupid?
In the '90s rather than electing Ross Perot to the presidency, we chose that oversexed ass clown Bill Clinton
Then, we replaced him with that poor down syndrome individual, George Duhbya Bush. Granted, we only barely dodged the bullets of having a tree-worshipping pantheist (Al Gore) for President, and a media-whoring playboy (Kerry) for president, so I guess it could have been worse.
And now, we have socialist, anti-American Barack Hussein Obama, an Islam sympathizer, who thinks the best way to bring us back to prosperity is to raise taxes as our president. But then again, he's a better choice than Hillary Clinton, who isn't merely socialist, but a communist at heart with her "it takes a village" bullshit.
Here in Taxachusetts we keep reelecting that flaming hothead socialist Barney Frank and the would-be fascist (not to mention verified murderer) Ted Kennedy to Congress.
Yes, the government really is that stupid, and yet, we're even more stupid for putting these ass clowns into office in the first place. We need to smarten up on election day if we want an intelligent government.
So, like, does that mean I am a terrorist because I am a slashdotter?
Let's see, where is the checklist. OK here we go:
I am/I do:
* a Ron Paul supporter
* carry a copy of the Constitution with me (in my PDA)
* carry controversial religious texts with me (the CJB and NASB translations of the Bible in my PDA and on my laptop)
* carry texts written in a middle-eastern language on my laptop (the tenach, or "Jewish Bible," or "old testament" if you wish)
* am a libertarian
* I have watched America: Freedom to Fascism and have read both Gary Kah's and William Cooper's books
* believe the second amendment means what it says: the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, and am mystified as to why "shall not be infringed" is so fucking hard for politicians to comprehend (although I do not own a gun. I've fired guns though, and had a lot of fun doing it. Even shot apart a junk car one time!)
* had a chemistry set and also built electronic devices from scratch, including timer devices (see next point)
* built pipe bombs (well, honestly, my brother and dad (and a few police officer friends of my dad) made them. I improved my brother's designs because he wanted a bigger boom) and model rockets with my brother and blew up mounds of dirt on my parents' property back in the 80s. (that would get me and my brother arrested nowadays. Back then the cops would come over and make and set off those homemade fireworks with us!)
* am patriotic/nationalist and believe we have a responsibility to put our own national interests (and those of our allies/friends) ahead of the "global community"
and now:
* am a slashdotter
And yet, I'm not a criminal. I have never shot anyone, engaged in conspiracy to blow any buildings up, or blow anyone up. I'm not an illegal alien.
I just believe I have the right to engage in academic interests and hobbies, have the right to own any weapon which could be used to hold tyranny at bay or to protect myself, and an am "American citzen" not a member nor supporter of the "global community" in the sense that one-world-government types would like to consider me.
Also:
* I believe tolerance is being mature enough to agree to disagree, not thinking that all "truths"/"opions"/"facts" are equally valid and true.
* I support the right to believe in Jesus (like I do), Allah (which is bullshit but believe it if you like), Shiva, ceiling cat, or flying spaghetti monster. I won't try to force you to believe what I belive, I certainly won't threaten to kill you if you won't believe what I believe, but if you want to kill me and/or destroy my country and destroy Israel and actually intend to do it, I want you dead. You have no business going around killing people just because they disagree with you, but deserve nothing better than being dragged through city streets then covered in salt if your goal is to kill innocent people.
I am fed up with criminals being treated as victims, and people who stand up for TRUTH (not "truths"), Justice, and the American Way (TM) being labeled terrorists and being harassed at airports and in government buildings. I'm SICK of criminals being raised up and given special protection, and being allowed to sue the real victims (their targets for burglary, armed robbery, etc.) if they're injured in the process, or shot in the process. If you're a scumbag burglar, terrorist, thief, etc. you deserve to be shot, or you deserve to slip and fall and cut yourself and bleed to death, or, if the person gets their bare hands on you and takes your weapon from you, that person should be able to beat the living crap out of you and you should NOT be able to sue.
I am sick of preferential treatment being given to illegal ALIENS. Note: I do not refer to those assholes as illegal "immigrants" or even "crimigrants" because using the term "immigrant" in any context with regard to those thieving bastard
How Does Flash Media Fail?
Catastrophically.
At least with hard drives you can often get the drive up and running long enough to pull the data off if you put it in the freezer overnight, or encase it in dry ice. Or, if it's a board problem, if you have another drive with the same firmware rev, swap the controller. Very worst case, you can send the drive to a recovery lab and get your data back.
Not so with flash. When it fails, the data is GONE.
TPB is not based in the US. US law does not apply. The laws which apply are the laws in the country it resides, just as Russian law drives allofmp3/mp3sparks, not US law.
It may not be legal for us to set up such a service in the US and encourage posting of links to torrents of "pirated" content, but TPB is not in the US.
When it is legal there, why SHOULD they be concerned about the "what if we were operating in the USA" scenario?
US law is not international law, and even as an American I thank God for that because our patent and copyright laws (and our entire legal system in general for that matter) is now rooted in insanity, and completely ignores the guidelines the Constitution establishes for intellectual property laws. Intellectual property is public domain, but the creator is granted a temporary monopoly on that property as an incentive to create more intellectual property (sciences and useful arts) for the public good. It was never intended to provide an eternal gravy train from a shitty drawing of a mouse.
Let's compare:
Piratebay:
* links to public domain content
* links to legal "copyrighted content"
* links to unauthorised "copyrighted content"
* links to open source content
* links to creative commons-licensed content
Google:
* links to public domain content
* links to legal "copyrighted content"
* links to unauthorised "copyrighted content"
* links to open source content
* links to creative commons-licensed content
Yahoo:
* links to public domain content
* links to legal "copyrighted content"
* links to unauthorised "copyrighted content"
* links to open source content
* links to creative commons-licensed content
So, facebook ought to ban both Google and Yahoo.
As an aside: if you draw, photograph, type, speak & record, or write it, it's copyrighted automatically so "linking to copyrighted material" is a BS cop-out, not to mention an attempt at social engineering to get people to accept that sharing "copyrighted material" is bad. It's not. In fact many forms of copying is legal - AND COMPENSATED. Ever download an .mp3 and burn it to an audio CD disk? Years ago, did you ever record radio to an audiocassette? Do you ever store ANYTHING on DAT? If so, the RIAA has been compensated the price they agreed to for those works, because those media have levies associated with them.