Thanks a lot, Hubert. I was all ready to sit down and actually clean my desk of about two years' worth of crap, and then you come along with this hare-brained idea that dares to be different.
Needless to say, the desk will remain uncleaned tonight, while I figure out how to get the HTTP server running:)
Authors have already received their cut of used book proceeds...when it was sold new. We live in a world where buying and selling is a normal, everyday occurrence. What makes the Authors' Guild believe that its members are somehow sacrosanct in that they must profit from every transaction between two entities? To me, this is just a money grab, an attempt to take a piece of pie which isn't theirs to begin with.
If the Authors' Guild is having such a tizzy about this, maybe they should also go after Half-Price Books, and every ripoff college textbook chain that sells their used books at a 100% markup over what they bought them back for.
I, too, work for a company that has made a choice to deal with proprietary software. And you know what? I can sleep at night knowing that I've done everything I can to try and convince them that their way is the wrong way, and will eventually come back to haunt them.
Looks like the consummate haunting is close at hand, and I guess they'll just have to deal with it.
And without sounding too facetious, whose fault is that? If 99% of the world has allowed themselves to be snookered into that position, then they should be willing to either (1) accept their fate or (2) bust the chains. Some of us have made a conscious effort to wean ourselves away from this corporate-sponsored slavery, in part to protect ourselves from the very abuse we're talking about here. If anything, this should be a wakeup call to the 99% that they are basically being made to lie in the bed they've made for themselves.
...and protected media wants to be protected, right? I mean, if you have a hard drive that has reserved some space in order to implement copy protection on data that has been specifically identified as copy-protected, how will this possibly affect any other data that isn't specifically encoded as copy-protected?
Sure, this will mean that all those MP3's you've been downloading off the web might have some trouble residing on one of these "new" ATA devices, but someone please explain how one of these devices would possibly impact a user who simply doesn't make use of copy-protected data?
I'm not saying this isn't a bad idea...I think it sucks that hardware manufacturers are being forced to cave into software demands (much like Intel did years ago with its "protected access mode" on its CPUs to assuage M$), and I don't believe the RIAA/MPAA cartel should wield as much power as they seem to over data replication issues. But I'm still waiting for someone to stop yelling "The sky is falling!" and show me exactly how this will affect someone who uses free software in lieu of proprietary software.
...at least as far as WordStar is concerned: Some authors still prefer using WordStar for "serious" work. This essay, written by SF writer Robert J. Sawyer, gives a comprehensive history of WordStar.
I should have qualified my "boycott NSI" statement by suggesting an alternative root system, such as Opennic. There's a lot of progress being made in pulling together all the separate alternate DNS roots into one comprehensive root that can resolve all the alternate NICs as well as the ICANN NICs.
This all really goes back to the debate about whether domain names are property, and if one can "own" the rights to a domain name. In
the case of a trademark, such as Microsoft, try that one at Register.com and see what it says
This is actually a misconception. "Microsoft" is a trade name, not a trademark (because it doesn't identify any specific physical commodity). Under U.S. law, trade names are not registerable.
Of course, Microsoft's lawyers would financially drain anybody who was foolish enough to think they could actually fight this and win. So it's just an academic exercise in the end.
It's good to see NSI get what's coming to them. Although, in the end, only the lawyers will make money off the whole gangbang. But it will be fun to watch.
In the meantime, boycott NSI and use one of the alternative registrars, like Gandi. The cost is reasonable ($10), and seem to be fairly quick at getting things set up (less than a few hours in my experience).
So the point of the article is that a bunch of millionaires who were in the right place at the right time when the Internet boom hit are going to be society's saviors, righting all that is wrong with our world? That these individuals have suddenly become imbued with omniscience because they are not only hackers, but rich hackers?
Is that the point I was supposed to get from this article? So a guy buys a nightclub in a city I don't care about. Sounds like this was written by someone with a bad case of penis envy.
Re:The problems are...
on
eLection '04
·
· Score: 1
Instituting such a system would obviously require more than two independent logging sources, because if one is incorrect, how do you know which one is correct?
Besides the obvious redundancy requirements, though, there will need to be legislation passed which will prevent delaying the election process via legal tactics (lawsuits, court orders, etc.) in the event all independent sources don't match up. After all, anything saved to a physical medium is prone to corruption during the actual transfer of data. So if three independent data repositories are used, agreement between two of them should be legally binding and not subject to dispute in any court.
One of the tenets set forth by Mike Gancarz in The Unix Philosophy is to implement the "90% solution." Implicit in this recommendation is the suggestion that efforts can be best directed towards other projects rather than focusing on the "100% solution." Given the myriad text editors that are already out there (including yours), don't you think that developer efforts would be better utilized by focusing on a small core of efficient tools, rather than reinventing the wheel?
CNN is way behind the ball on this one...Applelust had an editorial on this back in June.
The underhanded way in which Congress routinely hides laws with far-reaching impact in things like appropriations bills (when was the last time you perused one?) is thoroughly disgusting. It perverts the entire idea of a democracy.
Or, if all candidates will be fielding the same questions:
Do you favor taking away the freedom to own firearms from otherwise law-abiding citizens, or stricter enforcement of federal laws which already carry harsh sentences for crimes committed with firearms?
You are running on a virulently anti-gun platform which would, in effect, take away a freedom from otherwise law-abiding citizens. Why not push for enforcement of the already strict federal laws which cover crimes committed with firearms? The federal government has been so lax in this area that some cities (Richmond, VA and Ft. Worth, TX, to name two) have taken it upon themselves to apply federal sentencing standards to firearms-related crimes, proof that the Clinton administration has not seen fit to punish gun-carrying criminals to the fullest extent allowed by federal law.
Unfortunately, until the use of encryption become the norm, rather than the current exception, law enforcement agencies will continue to devote special attention to individuals who insist on using encryption to protect their privacy. It's a well-known fact in law enforcement circles that only people who have something to hide use encryption.
Slashdot Mirror
Needless to say, the desk will remain uncleaned tonight, while I figure out how to get the HTTP server running :)
Who died and made ICANN boss? Support OpenNIC.
If the Authors' Guild is having such a tizzy about this, maybe they should also go after Half-Price Books, and every ripoff college textbook chain that sells their used books at a 100% markup over what they bought them back for.
[0-9]+
Seems as if the lame excuse for cut and paste functionality under a DOS window running cygwin bash failed to copy it correctly.
Believe me, I didn't search and copy for the numbers manually...
Looks like the consummate haunting is close at hand, and I guess they'll just have to deal with it.
And without sounding too facetious, whose fault is that? If 99% of the world has allowed themselves to be snookered into that position, then they should be willing to either (1) accept their fate or (2) bust the chains. Some of us have made a conscious effort to wean ourselves away from this corporate-sponsored slavery, in part to protect ourselves from the very abuse we're talking about here. If anything, this should be a wakeup call to the 99% that they are basically being made to lie in the bed they've made for themselves.
Sure, this will mean that all those MP3's you've been downloading off the web might have some trouble residing on one of these "new" ATA devices, but someone please explain how one of these devices would possibly impact a user who simply doesn't make use of copy-protected data?
I'm not saying this isn't a bad idea...I think it sucks that hardware manufacturers are being forced to cave into software demands (much like Intel did years ago with its "protected access mode" on its CPUs to assuage M$), and I don't believe the RIAA/MPAA cartel should wield as much power as they seem to over data replication issues. But I'm still waiting for someone to stop yelling "The sky is falling!" and show me exactly how this will affect someone who uses free software in lieu of proprietary software.
...at least as far as WordStar is concerned: Some authors still prefer using WordStar for "serious" work. This essay, written by SF writer Robert J. Sawyer, gives a comprehensive history of WordStar.
I should have qualified my "boycott NSI" statement by suggesting an alternative root system, such as Opennic. There's a lot of progress being made in pulling together all the separate alternate DNS roots into one comprehensive root that can resolve all the alternate NICs as well as the ICANN NICs.
This is actually a misconception. "Microsoft" is a trade name, not a trademark (because it doesn't identify any specific physical commodity). Under U.S. law, trade names are not registerable.
Of course, Microsoft's lawyers would financially drain anybody who was foolish enough to think they could actually fight this and win. So it's just an academic exercise in the end.
In the meantime, boycott NSI and use one of the alternative registrars, like Gandi. The cost is reasonable ($10), and seem to be fairly quick at getting things set up (less than a few hours in my experience).
May I also suggest OpenNIC as a democratic alternative to ICANN.
Is that the point I was supposed to get from this article? So a guy buys a nightclub in a city I don't care about. Sounds like this was written by someone with a bad case of penis envy.
This type of system is already in place in Texas.
Besides the obvious redundancy requirements, though, there will need to be legislation passed which will prevent delaying the election process via legal tactics (lawsuits, court orders, etc.) in the event all independent sources don't match up. After all, anything saved to a physical medium is prone to corruption during the actual transfer of data. So if three independent data repositories are used, agreement between two of them should be legally binding and not subject to dispute in any court.
Then do something about it. Support OpenNIC.
One of the tenets set forth by Mike Gancarz in The Unix Philosophy is to implement the "90% solution." Implicit in this recommendation is the suggestion that efforts can be best directed towards other projects rather than focusing on the "100% solution." Given the myriad text editors that are already out there (including yours), don't you think that developer efforts would be better utilized by focusing on a small core of efficient tools, rather than reinventing the wheel?
The underhanded way in which Congress routinely hides laws with far-reaching impact in things like appropriations bills (when was the last time you perused one?) is thoroughly disgusting. It perverts the entire idea of a democracy.
Do you favor taking away the freedom to own firearms from otherwise law-abiding citizens, or stricter enforcement of federal laws which already carry harsh sentences for crimes committed with firearms?
You are running on a virulently anti-gun platform which would, in effect, take away a freedom from otherwise law-abiding citizens. Why not push for enforcement of the already strict federal laws which cover crimes committed with firearms? The federal government has been so lax in this area that some cities (Richmond, VA and Ft. Worth, TX, to name two) have taken it upon themselves to apply federal sentencing standards to firearms-related crimes, proof that the Clinton administration has not seen fit to punish gun-carrying criminals to the fullest extent allowed by federal law.
Bill Parish has been tracking the creative accounting practices of Microsoft and Cisco for months now.
Just you all wait until my patent for electron transfer goes through. I'll have the whole world in my hands...
Yeah, but the people who aren't paying attention to url's probably aren't reading /. either.
Unfortunately, until the use of encryption become the norm, rather than the current exception, law enforcement agencies will continue to devote special attention to individuals who insist on using encryption to protect their privacy. It's a well-known fact in law enforcement circles that only people who have something to hide use encryption.
That should be "c-pound," as in code by the pound.