5.3.1.4 Custody Receipt. If CBP determines it is necessary to detain temporarily an electronic device to continue the search, the Officer detaining the device shall issue a completed Form 6051D to the individual prior to the individual's departure.
And so, I use a pay-as-you-go phone... that is just a phone. No software updates needed.... well, incidentally a watch too... that needs to be recharged regularly.
CO was complete and utter crap to me and my friends, because it felt like it was designed for the 8-12 yr old console crowd. COH is a mature game with a lot of great content in it.
A representative at PAX 2007 told us that they were in fact aiming to make the UI usable on a game console. They may have had to give that up. I have trouble imagining the full range of abilities being used from a controller.
On the other hand, you may be reacting to the fact that CO takes itself a lot less seriously than City of Heroes does. Missions like "How the Westside was won", heroes like Foxbat, Lunchador arena costumes....
But if you're not having fun while playing a game, something is wrong. Play what entertains you.
I'd like it very much if somebody would make a great big international organization for the protection of the individual. That way, there could be offices at every frontier. And whenever we're presented with something unpleasant, that we don't want to fill one of these idiotic questionnaires, we could say "Oh no, I'm sorry, it's against the rules of our organization to fill out that questionnaire." And they'd say "Ah, but it's the regulations," and we'd say, "Very well, see our lawyer," because if there were enough of us, our dues would pay for the best lawyers in all the countries of the world. And we could bring to court these invasions of our privacy, and test them under law. It would nice to have that sort of organization, be nice to have that sort of card.
Admittedly, I have never dealt with Steam in any way at all. I know nothing of them.
However: I think that you, too, have never had to call Steam CS on finding an authentication code refused. I think your experience with steam CSR might well be different than someone in the AC's position. Having said that, I have no information either way.
My last question stands, though: In the face of a remote authority accusing you of malfeasance, what is the proper response. That is, if you DID take the AC's story at face value, what response is proper. You've declared that taking the bad authentication code box back to the store is bad. What should have been done instead? Mind, there are scenarios where each of the three parties might be at fault: the customer, the store, or Steam.
Looked up your study. It describes the kWh cost of manufacturing. However, there are several things missing.
1) any information (outside of the words "industry accepted simulations") on how the figures they use were arrived at....Do they include mining/smelting costs? Do they include environmental cleanup of same? 2) any accounting for equipment maintenance.
Wind turbines aren't things you just plunk down, plug in, and replace in 25 years. Nor are solar cells. And more, are they talking about maximum lifespan for the product, or mean time between (replacement) failures?
From the description, it sounds like if it doesn't involve an electricity cost, they don't account for it. All in all, the page you refer to sounds more like a sales pitch than a scientific study. I find it unsatisfying. I don't, though, have anything more satisfying at hand.
How about one for defining which are the excesses and which are not?
I'm not saying we don't share in the responsibility. But the "great power"/"great responsibility" equation works the other way too. There are limits to collective responsibility.
... I think the term "Third World" has, over the years, acquired new and unique meanings. A trivial google search ("Define: third world") would seem to confirm that.
Your description of the origin of the term is, of course, welcome. Just not germane.
1) What keeps such scammers from simply leafing through a phone book, happening upon a cell phone number/name combination, and starting billing on that number?... okay, two, then. 2) If it takes more than just the phone number and name, what is the trigger that allows such organizations to commit this scam?... three! these questions three! 3) Assuming that one's name and phone number (as a combination) will eventually escape into cyberspace, how does one prevent this scam as a general rule? Or if prevention is impossible, what are the steps to mitigate it once it has happened?
I suspect you are an I-hate-DRM-fanboy and 90% of your games most likely come with root-kits instead of DRM (that may even be the reason that 'your' CD-Key was distributed online (I hear that mega-warez-IV distributes your CD-Keys for you as a helpful gesture).
Nice Ad Hominem there.
Of course you might have just made all of this up in an attempt to be one of those hip, happening, anti-DRM zealots who defend their rabid piracy by invoking the word 'freedom' in some catch-all phrase that appeals to all of the other 12 year olds who think they are hackers because they can use Winzip.
... and expanding it to include everyone else critical of Steam. Well done, sir. Well done. You've utterly discredited his story with your skepticism.
Seeing as you are so familiar with Steam, perhaps you can answer a few simple questions: 1) Does Steam cut off your use of all products you have registered with them, despite having originally authorized them? Ever?
2) If #1 is true, by what process can you regain use of those legally purchased products, the validity of which was never disputed?
3) In a dispute with Steam about authenticity of any product, what is the process to prove authenticity of your purchase against a one-sided assertion of invalidity by the corporation?
and more generally, 4) What is the proper reaction to a (any) customer service department that directly accuses one of civil crimes that one has not, in fact, committed?
If we look at the distributing right as well, we also have to look at the damages such distribution has done. IE How many copies were distributed by the defendant. For which no proof was given, aside from the single copy downloaded by the RIAA's agent. Which brings us back to damages over a single copy.
Only counting elected positions, are you? As I recall, there are plenty of other executive branch positions, and white house aid positions (which are probably not technically executive branch) that we hear from on a regular basis. Secretary of XXX, for instance, or Justice YYY.
My grandmother was a teacher (= government employee) ye long years ago. Was collecting both a teacher's pension and SSI. Grandpa had a WWI veteran's pension. But... most often, when one would go up (COLA), the other would go down.
Fancy that. Having to rely on the government for your retirement. Not all skittles and beer, folks.
> Does some other poor unfortunate Australian sole share his name with Stephen Conroy?
No, but there's an australian mackerel named John Howard, and three separate goldfish named Kevin Rudd. It is expected the goldfish will be devoured in a fraternity prank by the next adminstration.
And sometimes, security through obscurity works.... for long enough. Sure, you can disassemble megabytes of machine code. But if it takes man-years to read enough to know what it is doing, you still win if the people reading it take real-years to get practical results.
It's that you can't really know how much effort people are putting into defeating the obscurity, and how much success they are having until "too late", that makes security through obscurity so unreliable (and thus despised).
While ASCAP is "not for profit", it has paid employees, particularly its board of directors. This provides it motive to seek every drop of money it can, particularly if it is not "cost effective" to do so. The largest part of those costs are, after all, employee wages.
It has the muscle to extort money out of business owners even when it knows it is in the wrong; it is fully aware of the cost of defending a lawsuit, and that the vast majority of small businesses and performers cannot afford to do so. (And guess what? More overhead!)
This is by no means the first such story I've heard, even here on slashdot. If you've got potentially deep pockets and are high-profile, they may back off, but if you look sueable, they may sue to make an object lesson of you. Much like the RIAA.
Slashdot Mirror
$LAME_CAR_ANALOGY
$Snide_comment_about_GP
$Lameness_Filter_whine
5.3.1.4 Custody Receipt. If CBP determines it is necessary to detain temporarily an electronic device to continue the search, the Officer detaining the device shall issue a completed Form 6051D to the individual prior to the individual's departure.
And so, I use a pay-as-you-go phone ... that is just a phone. No software updates needed. ... well, incidentally a watch too... that needs to be recharged regularly.
CO was complete and utter crap to me and my friends, because it felt like it was designed for the 8-12 yr old console crowd. COH is a mature game with a lot of great content in it.
A representative at PAX 2007 told us that they were in fact aiming to make the UI usable on a game console. They may have had to give that up. I have trouble imagining the full range of abilities being used from a controller.
On the other hand, you may be reacting to the fact that CO takes itself a lot less seriously than City of Heroes does. Missions like "How the Westside was won", heroes like Foxbat, Lunchador arena costumes....
But if you're not having fun while playing a game, something is wrong. Play what entertains you.
How neatly you invert a sentiment from Orson Welles on privacy:
I'd like it very much if somebody would make a great big international organization for the protection of the individual. That way, there could be offices at every frontier. And whenever we're presented with something unpleasant, that we don't want to fill one of these idiotic questionnaires, we could say "Oh no, I'm sorry, it's against the rules of our organization to fill out that questionnaire." And they'd say "Ah, but it's the regulations," and we'd say, "Very well, see our lawyer," because if there were enough of us, our dues would pay for the best lawyers in all the countries of the world. And we could bring to court these invasions of our privacy, and test them under law. It would nice to have that sort of organization, be nice to have that sort of card.
Admittedly, I have never dealt with Steam in any way at all. I know nothing of them.
However: I think that you, too, have never had to call Steam CS on finding an authentication code refused. I think your experience with steam CSR might well be different than someone in the AC's position. Having said that, I have no information either way.
My last question stands, though: In the face of a remote authority accusing you of malfeasance, what is the proper response. That is, if you DID take the AC's story at face value, what response is proper. You've declared that taking the bad authentication code box back to the store is bad. What should have been done instead? Mind, there are scenarios where each of the three parties might be at fault: the customer, the store, or Steam.
We're talking farmers, not tailors, folks.
Sow: plant seeds.
Reap: harvest crops.
Sew: stitching cloth together.
Reap: Huh?
Good grief, kids these days. GET OFF MY VOCABULARY!
Looked up your study. It describes the kWh cost of manufacturing. However, there are several things missing.
1) any information (outside of the words "industry accepted simulations") on how the figures they use were arrived at. ...Do they include mining/smelting costs? Do they include environmental cleanup of same?
2) any accounting for equipment maintenance.
Wind turbines aren't things you just plunk down, plug in, and replace in 25 years. Nor are solar cells. And more, are they talking about maximum lifespan for the product, or mean time between (replacement) failures?
From the description, it sounds like if it doesn't involve an electricity cost, they don't account for it. All in all, the page you refer to sounds more like a sales pitch than a scientific study. I find it unsatisfying. I don't, though, have anything more satisfying at hand.
Got a practical plan for stopping those excesses?
How about one for defining which are the excesses and which are not?
I'm not saying we don't share in the responsibility. But the "great power"/"great responsibility" equation works the other way too. There are limits to collective responsibility.
... I think the term "Third World" has, over the years, acquired new and unique meanings. A trivial google search ("Define: third world") would seem to confirm that.
Your description of the origin of the term is, of course, welcome. Just not germane.
Perhaps you can answer a question for me...
1) What keeps such scammers from simply leafing through a phone book, happening upon a cell phone number/name combination, and starting billing on that number? ... okay, two, then. ... three! these questions three!
2) If it takes more than just the phone number and name, what is the trigger that allows such organizations to commit this scam?
3) Assuming that one's name and phone number (as a combination) will eventually escape into cyberspace, how does one prevent this scam as a general rule? Or if prevention is impossible, what are the steps to mitigate it once it has happened?
I suspect you are an I-hate-DRM-fanboy and 90% of your games most likely come with root-kits instead of DRM (that may even be the reason that 'your' CD-Key was distributed online (I hear that mega-warez-IV distributes your CD-Keys for you as a helpful gesture).
Nice Ad Hominem there.
Of course you might have just made all of this up in an attempt to be one of those hip, happening, anti-DRM zealots who defend their rabid piracy by invoking the word 'freedom' in some catch-all phrase that appeals to all of the other 12 year olds who think they are hackers because they can use Winzip.
... and expanding it to include everyone else critical of Steam. Well done, sir. Well done. You've utterly discredited his story with your skepticism.
Seeing as you are so familiar with Steam, perhaps you can answer a few simple questions:
1) Does Steam cut off your use of all products you have registered with them, despite having originally authorized them? Ever?
2) If #1 is true, by what process can you regain use of those legally purchased products, the validity of which was never disputed?
3) In a dispute with Steam about authenticity of any product, what is the process to prove authenticity of your purchase against a one-sided assertion of invalidity by the corporation?
and more generally,
4) What is the proper reaction to a (any) customer service department that directly accuses one of civil crimes that one has not, in fact, committed?
but they have no proof of any distribution.
Not even the one copy by MediaSentry?
If we look at the distributing right as well, we also have to look at the damages such distribution has done. IE How many copies were distributed by the defendant. For which no proof was given, aside from the single copy downloaded by the RIAA's agent. Which brings us back to damages over a single copy.
Perhaps he just thought you wouldn't mind taking the "Arrrrr" out of the name...
Aha! You're guilty of Printcrime! You're goin' to the slammer, bigtime!
and 2 in the Executive Branch.
Only counting elected positions, are you? As I recall, there are plenty of other executive branch positions, and white house aid positions (which are probably not technically executive branch) that we hear from on a regular basis. Secretary of XXX, for instance, or Justice YYY.
An observation from personal experience...
My grandmother was a teacher (= government employee) ye long years ago. Was collecting both a teacher's pension and SSI. Grandpa had a WWI veteran's pension. But... most often, when one would go up (COLA), the other would go down.
Fancy that. Having to rely on the government for your retirement. Not all skittles and beer, folks.
> Does some other poor unfortunate Australian sole share his name with Stephen Conroy?
No, but there's an australian mackerel named John Howard, and three separate goldfish named Kevin Rudd. It is expected the goldfish will be devoured in a fraternity prank by the next adminstration.
The word I used was "Copse", as in a stand of brush, or a small stand of trees. What a waste of a retort. Some people's vocabulary...
Assuming the plaintiff doesn't manage to bankrupt the defendant, or cause them to go out of business before completing the case...
I don't believe Palestine in any incarnation was party to the UN mandate. Did they have any voice at all in the UN?
"Palestine" was part of the Ottoman empire. Not a discrete legal entity.
So that justifies massacres and expulsions?
No, but it does justify Palestine not being a party to the UN mandate, which was the question asked.
What percentage are false alarms? Feel free to use scientific notation if you need to.
Sure, it's security through obscurity.
And sometimes, security through obscurity works. ... for long enough. Sure, you can disassemble megabytes of machine code. But if it takes man-years to read enough to know what it is doing, you still win if the people reading it take real-years to get practical results.
It's that you can't really know how much effort people are putting into defeating the obscurity, and how much success they are having until "too late", that makes security through obscurity so unreliable (and thus despised).
While ASCAP is "not for profit", it has paid employees, particularly its board of directors. This provides it motive to seek every drop of money it can, particularly if it is not "cost effective" to do so. The largest part of those costs are, after all, employee wages.
It has the muscle to extort money out of business owners even when it knows it is in the wrong; it is fully aware of the cost of defending a lawsuit, and that the vast majority of small businesses and performers cannot afford to do so. (And guess what? More overhead!)
This is by no means the first such story I've heard, even here on slashdot. If you've got potentially deep pockets and are high-profile, they may back off, but if you look sueable, they may sue to make an object lesson of you. Much like the RIAA.
Just as an aside, I found a reference saying that ASCAP does not automatically pay royalties for general live performances. I bet, though, that it still collects them. As you seem more informed about ASCAP particulars, would you care to speak about that?