At my glacial pace, I am finally thinking of starting a blog. It occurred to me that I have a wealth of comments I have posted over the years here. Give us a "12-click" method that exports all of your comments out into your choice of a few file types.
For a site that talks about the evils of lock-in, I made a half hearted attempt to neo-google (Startpage) my comments from Slashdot by using a web search engine.
Done right it's cool, but apparently Slashdot's first videos have struggled a little.
The news types like it because the "content" is almost un-copyable as is; it's like Talking Head DRM. It also traps the viewer who can't use any active reading skills on it.
Meanwhile on Chessbase the new hotness is chess videos. While I haven't bought one, if it didn't come with additional actual raw games & annotations, then the video itself for some $60 would be a total rip-off. It's a way to double your price tag at 1/100th of the content.
Others are stuck in some 90's mentality of "ooh, let's leverage our Multimedia!"
ISP's like it because it jacks up bandwidth use right into their bandwidth caps.
My view is that whatever Do Not Track tools Google has/used to have, either now or very soon they will be eclipsed by the "we will track you more" anti-privacy policy.
"Yahoo has a backbone" - "April Fools! They are just as evil as they were yesterday".
Let's *suppose* it's not a prank. Yahoo has a chance to make a comeback by being Not-Google. Make a legit declaration verified by auditors that privacy protection really is in place as much as they can.
I would die laughing if the answer to Google's evil is... wait for it... Yahoo.
I'll go a step more basic and say that just basic file handling from documents and using application features up through basic password security (no, don't "leave me logged in for two weeks"), basic printing ("will you stop sending "fit paper to pdf page size" 8.06 X 11.35 paper requests to my print queue?") etc.
When they can do that stuff properly then let them have the clever theory.
I realized long ago that this was a losing battle, and I don't have the chops to quadra-encode stuff through darknet-layered Triple Encrpyted Forked-TOR routers etc.
So the best I could do was not sign up for either Facebook or G+, accept that Mom has posted about 5 pics of me on her page of Facebook, and this handle is my Universal Web Brand that anyone with smarts can figure out in an hour. But I have five emails, 1 to segregate "opted in Business semi-spam", my one for this identity, my family one, and two more for obscure uses.
So one day if people did a look-up on my real name they'd get a few Resume-Sanitized results, but not a lot more. My tone for my "Web Brand" is some 95% PG13, so yes, with exhaustive work you MIGHT catch me getting fiery, but it took you $1000 of analysis labor to find it. I run some Adult recreation under further separated handles.
I used to hate cell phones back when it was "OMG what if you needed an Emergency call?" Stupid pieces of junk.
Then I found an option to convert an iPhone to an AT&T GoPhone plan. Saved me $1500 so far. Because I never call anyone, but i dial my bank, and it doesn't autodial in my pocket and it had a calculator and Shredder (Chess) Mobile. End of Line.
Not really, except maybe donations and a stipend for food.
The point of Star Trek Phase II was that it is one of the best attempts at fan-indie TV, and they were originally granted lenient copyright clearance precisely because they had no real commercial ambitions - they just wanted to both provide new actors some work and the fans some new stories. The original actors got involved and volunteered for some episodes.
That's why this story is irritating, it's pure "Sit On It" Copyright Meanness.
And there's two more behind that, back in the "cyber security" packaging again, and those are even more obscure.
Those are even just the "big packaging engines" to sell these bills. Lately they're getting ludicrous, like the recent move to *kill* the amendment that *stops* employers from asking for your Facebook logins.
Or how about the new Troll trick of using Florida law to attempt to get your name from your ISP for troll-suit purposes. Those got barely stopped last week by a couple of awake judges, but it is partially working.
And there's been a couple stories that back to my original theme, "wrap it so ludicrously that it sends a reviewer into a mental coma". Like the one that..wait for it... *wants to build a national database of cars, owners, and GPS locations in real time* (yikes!) so they can... wait for it... deny gasoline people who haven't registered for insurance.
The new secret is to propose stuff so preposterous that it numbs the sanity checkers into a coma and then gets passed. I mean, don't "promote religious tolerance", ban everybuddy's favorite prehistoric animal, Dinosaurs, because... wait for it... a TurboFundy Christian might be upset.
Sorry, no, he should not be kicked out of school "just for saying nasty things". The school can put its halo on and claim "all comments are those of students and he will be reprimanded". But don't kick him out, because that's financial fraud.
"Let's charge you 200,000 pounds for your education, then use any cheap excuse not even to give you the lousy slip of paper at the end."
Slashdot Mirror
And I want my comments back!
At my glacial pace, I am finally thinking of starting a blog. It occurred to me that I have a wealth of comments I have posted over the years here. Give us a "12-click" method that exports all of your comments out into your choice of a few file types.
For a site that talks about the evils of lock-in, I made a half hearted attempt to neo-google (Startpage) my comments from Slashdot by using a web search engine.
This is one of the sneakier tricks emerging.
Done right it's cool, but apparently Slashdot's first videos have struggled a little.
The news types like it because the "content" is almost un-copyable as is; it's like Talking Head DRM. It also traps the viewer who can't use any active reading skills on it.
Meanwhile on Chessbase the new hotness is chess videos. While I haven't bought one, if it didn't come with additional actual raw games & annotations, then the video itself for some $60 would be a total rip-off. It's a way to double your price tag at 1/100th of the content.
Others are stuck in some 90's mentality of "ooh, let's leverage our Multimedia!"
ISP's like it because it jacks up bandwidth use right into their bandwidth caps.
I thought of the one day effect too, but if you're going to drink at home while working, keep your work typo free! It's an honor code.
Illustrative xkcd
http://xkcd.com/323/
You might have been whooshed.
There was this craze a while back (not sure who it started with) to label everything "My ___". My Documents in Windows, MySpace, My____
So of course Yahoo followed suit with a My Yahoo section. http://my.yahoo.com/
I invented a perpetual motion machine!
Get arrested for posting a nude picture of yourself. Then that law approved by the Supreme Court that demands a strip search for any arrest kicks in!
Careful, you just might get what you ask for and the copyright side is as bad or worse - the code would be locked up forever.
I think you're right - I almost fell for it this morning before I was awake.
But it's scary how intelligent discussions arise out of April Fools!
Heh he could have changed about 5 words and sold it to the government!
"Terrorists around you" (everybody!)
My view is that whatever Do Not Track tools Google has/used to have, either now or very soon they will be eclipsed by the "we will track you more" anti-privacy policy.
Yeah, I ranted about that earlier.
"Yahoo has a backbone" - "April Fools! They are just as evil as they were yesterday".
Let's *suppose* it's not a prank. Yahoo has a chance to make a comeback by being Not-Google. Make a legit declaration verified by auditors that privacy protection really is in place as much as they can.
I would die laughing if the answer to Google's evil is ... wait for it ... Yahoo.
I'll go a step more basic and say that just basic file handling from documents and using application features up through basic password security (no, don't "leave me logged in for two weeks"), basic printing ("will you stop sending "fit paper to pdf page size" 8.06 X 11.35 paper requests to my print queue?") etc.
When they can do that stuff properly then let them have the clever theory.
I'm getting lost in the meta-humor.
Has no one else noticed/bothered to point out that this is the very first story published on April Fools?
So wait - on April 2 they release it as "Haha, **AA has NOT targeted those companies".
To which the elephant in the room is "... yet".
**AA goes "Ooh, neat, let's do that!' "
So then April 4'ths news is "D'oh! Now it IS news, therefore our April Fools joke is prophetic!"
Either that, or they get to say "yes, this really is news, but we purposely waited to post it on April Fools to obfuscate it."
I realized long ago that this was a losing battle, and I don't have the chops to quadra-encode stuff through darknet-layered Triple Encrpyted Forked-TOR routers etc.
So the best I could do was not sign up for either Facebook or G+, accept that Mom has posted about 5 pics of me on her page of Facebook, and this handle is my Universal Web Brand that anyone with smarts can figure out in an hour. But I have five emails, 1 to segregate "opted in Business semi-spam", my one for this identity, my family one, and two more for obscure uses.
So one day if people did a look-up on my real name they'd get a few Resume-Sanitized results, but not a lot more. My tone for my "Web Brand" is some 95% PG13, so yes, with exhaustive work you MIGHT catch me getting fiery, but it took you $1000 of analysis labor to find it. I run some Adult recreation under further separated handles.
Some tricks are nastier than others.
I miss the days when they just had pork spending.
It depends on your timing.
I used to hate cell phones back when it was "OMG what if you needed an Emergency call?" Stupid pieces of junk.
Then I found an option to convert an iPhone to an AT&T GoPhone plan. Saved me $1500 so far. Because I never call anyone, but i dial my bank, and it doesn't autodial in my pocket and it had a calculator and Shredder (Chess) Mobile. End of Line.
Total Fees: about $300 per year.
Has anyone really scrutinized this bill?
Is it parading around in another nice name but containing more nasty tricks?
The other bills just reeked of pure evil. Is this wrapping the evil up in obfuscating layers?
Not really, except maybe donations and a stipend for food.
The point of Star Trek Phase II was that it is one of the best attempts at fan-indie TV, and they were originally granted lenient copyright clearance precisely because they had no real commercial ambitions - they just wanted to both provide new actors some work and the fans some new stories. The original actors got involved and volunteered for some episodes.
That's why this story is irritating, it's pure "Sit On It" Copyright Meanness.
And there's two more behind that, back in the "cyber security" packaging again, and those are even more obscure.
Those are even just the "big packaging engines" to sell these bills. Lately they're getting ludicrous, like the recent move to *kill* the amendment that *stops* employers from asking for your Facebook logins.
Or how about the new Troll trick of using Florida law to attempt to get your name from your ISP for troll-suit purposes. Those got barely stopped last week by a couple of awake judges, but it is partially working.
And there's been a couple stories that back to my original theme, "wrap it so ludicrously that it sends a reviewer into a mental coma". Like the one that ..wait for it ... *wants to build a national database of cars, owners, and GPS locations in real time* (yikes!) so they can ... wait for it ... deny gasoline people who haven't registered for insurance.
Yep.
Wow #1: The title. It's not even evil media corps this time, it's got a different and nastier packaging.
Wow #2: That you hadn't heard of it. Not even on here. I submitted a story on it once to the firehose and it was blocked.
You tell me. As an honest quiz question, do you know the fate of PC-FIPA HR1981?
Remember the run up to busting SOPA? PC-FIPA is *worse* yet I have barely seen any articles on it.
And we also almost missed the boat on ACTA too. I think we finally woke up barely in time to stop that one too, but it got a lot farther.
The Corporations of course. So there's no catch-22 at all.
The new secret is to propose stuff so preposterous that it numbs the sanity checkers into a coma and then gets passed. I mean, don't "promote religious tolerance", ban everybuddy's favorite prehistoric animal, Dinosaurs, because ... wait for it... a TurboFundy Christian might be upset.
Sorry, no, he should not be kicked out of school "just for saying nasty things". The school can put its halo on and claim "all comments are those of students and he will be reprimanded". But don't kick him out, because that's financial fraud.
"Let's charge you 200,000 pounds for your education, then use any cheap excuse not even to give you the lousy slip of paper at the end."
"The lawsuits of the many outweigh the lawsuits of the one."
The Streisand Force is weak with us today.