I think this is a Good Thing, seeing as Macrovision has always been a piss-poor copy protection scheme.
However, Warner execs probably aren't too worried about casual piracy because most DVD-owning Americans have already been told that you can't copy from DVD to VHS. Period. This is what I tell people when I hook up their DVD players for 'em. Sure, you can get a video stabilizer, or just buy a pirated version off eBay, but most people just know you can't tape DVD to VHS (or even route the DVD through the VHS).
So what are the chances that John Q. Public is going to re-route his AV wires so that the DVD now goes through the VHS right before he watches Harry Potter? Slim. People are going to keep their setup the same, and just assume that the mysterious device on the DVD that doesn't allow copying is still there...
So basically, Wi-Fi was developed to take part in a area of the spectrum that's licensed to other products. The people who started it knew that this was a potential problem. Granted, this area was a relatively large chunk of the spectrum, but why didn't they realize the possible impact of this interference? It's is much more dangerous to digital communications that other products. Was there really no other place in the spectrum to go? Perhaps find one that the FCC can give exclusive rights to?
From the article...
(1) [Each Part 15] device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) [Each Part 15] device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesirable operation.
Well actually, air molecules move to the front of the car as well. But think of it as a fluid. When the air moves forwards, something's going to have to move out of its way -- which is the balloon. Since the balloon is lighter than air, it gets pushed out of the air's way -- to the back of the car. Just think of it as a cork in water... when you put a cork in an empty glass, it rests at the bottom. When you pour some water into it, the cork moves out of the water's way.
Re:The main thing I think the article misses ...
on
The Next Generation
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
I'll have to agree with you there. I have yet to witness a gadget that will fundamentally alter human nature.
I mean, look at our daily lives in the last 1,000 years.
We wake up in the morning after 7-8 hours of sleep.
We wake up the kids and go to work
We work (usually looking forward to coming home)
We come home and have dinner
We entertain ourselves with family/friends
We go to bed
Rinse, lather, repeat
When is that going to change? Sure, cell phones and computers make it easy to connect to other people, but was it that hard to simply go outside and say "hi" to your neighbors? I know I still haven't met my neighbors to either side of me. For all I know, they're the experts answering the questions I post on USENET.
And biotech advances? Sure, less disease, better life exectancy is great, but it's not like we're going to have hordes of genetically superior humans enslaving the 'norms' or anything.
Meh. I'm going back to work. I hope dinner's waiting.
Well, SmarterChild does have some potential... here is an actual 'conversation' I had with it a few weeks ago... (oh, and the filters comment was due to me saying some cusswords to him earlier in the session).
[me]: hi SmarterChild: So what's up? [me]: not much SmarterChild: No? OK. Let me know what you want to do! [me]: drink beer! SmarterChild: So? [me]: beer? SmarterChild: What about it? [me]: it's good SmarterChild: That's really saying something. [me]::-) I like you, bot SmarterChild: You humans really confuse me. You say bad things to me, then you like me. Make up your mind! [me]: Oh, that was just a test to see what kind of filters you had. SmarterChild: You don't say. [me]: Yeah. I like programming. Especially good programming that's dumbed down so John Q. I-use-AOL-cause-I-suck can interface to it. SmarterChild: I see. [me]: You do? Are you smart enough for the Turing test:-) SmarterChild: You smart enough for the turing test? Really? [me]: I am. Are you? SmarterChild: It's tough to say. [me]: I bet it is. Don't get cocky, now. SmarterChild: That a fact? [me]: What's 1+1? SmarterChild: 2 [me]: Ooohhh...
Well, depending on if they do this as a one time thing or not. If they just dump a bunch of sterile flies out there, they attempt breeding (only once in their life), and some do fail, resulting in a drop of flies for the next generation.
But it's obvious that their environment can hold more flies (that's why there's so many in the first place), so within a generation or two, you're right back up there.
In the movie Seven, remember when Morgan Freeman is telling Brad Pitt about how the government secretly keeps tabs on who rents certain titles from the library? Brad Pitt asks if that's even legal, and Freeman replies that of course it's not and then hushes up Pitt?
Hum. Guess it might not be all that illeal in the future, eh?
The part about the federal government coercing state governments to encourage this device is right-on. The same thing is happening to the Blood Alcohol Content limits for DWI offenses. It was.10 in many states, now it's.08 (or soon will be) for almost all because the federal government deemed it so. Does the federal government get to regulate BAC levels? Nope, but they do control federal funding for interstates as well as all those wonderful interstates that don't actually go into other states (see City Beltways and Hawaii). So Uncle Sam threatened to cut off funding to noncompliant states. Ugh.
But I gotta tell ya, this thing is easy as hell to beat. And false positives will come from certain perfumes, or, more likely, drunk passengers. That's (still) legal...
In response to a couple of these posts, yes, there are breathalyzers available to the public. I played with one for a while, and you learn some neat things (like swishing beer around in your mouth while sober, and then blowing into a breathalyzer puts you at an illegal limit). Also, the breathalyzer-in-the-car is a good device. Yes, you have to pay for it. $115 to get it installed plus a $30+ fee per month so the cops can download data from the device (in MD anyway). But you don't *have* to have the device -- you can always give up your license, which is usually the punishment doled out to repeat or underage DUI offenders. Most are given a choice, take the device and not drive drunk or give up their license (and the state runs the risk of the offender still driving drunk on the streets).
Okay okay, I'm not shooting for World's Best Joke, just something to make us nerds laugh. Besides, you'll never see this joke in Maxim in our lifetime:
Q: What do you get when you cross an elephant with a mountain climber?
I hate these lawsuits. This guy signed a contract, got fined the amount that was stated, and now he's pissed off. And from what I gather from the article, the new terms were even located at the top of the contract. Sheesh.
The only questionable part is that people can ask: "Where is the 'proof' that they guy was speeding?". Well guess what, you don't need proof. Having the privatly-owned GPS unit read 90 mph is not going to get you a state-issued fine, it won't get you arrested, and you won't be given points on your license. Since this is a private business issue, *they* set the terms of what is acceptable proof in the contract. If you don't like it, fuck off and go to another company. Welcome to capitalism.
Of course, I don't read contracts that often and I speed like hell also, but if I'm caught, I'm caught. I pay the fine, learn from my mistakes, and it doesn't happen again.
Computers are not a good substitute for traditional early learning methods. Some of us remember (fondly) exposure to computers in middle school and such, but that's not the real issue. While there are plenty of programs that can enhance learning and the creative proccess, this should all be done after the child learns how to learn. That's what children are really being taught in elementary school: how to solve problems by thinking on their own. I've been shown this by looking at my mother's and my sister's lesson plans.
I'm just afraid that some teachers will scrap their lessons plans and replace it with a computer program. And instead of focusing on how to multiply, they'll be given a calculator. I think most of us went through this... we became dependent on our TI's and HP's to multiply three numbers together. And we didn't even get those until high school at least.
For those that want to see the site in question (since PETA.org is no longer up), the owner of the page moved the site in 1996 to this URL: http://www.mtd.com/tasty.
This is certainly an interesting point. It's hard to determine how "right" we are because we know we were raised with certain values. Personally, I (and most/. readers) lean more to the left than the average American and we try to allow for more open source/free speech/anti-Kansas opportunities than most. So, I think that even if we were born in China, we'd be the kind of people that were at Tinnamen square.
And for those that aren't quite sure if we are brainwashed, do yourselves a favor and try to learn things our schools didn't want to teach us. Edison did not invent the light bulb. Fulton did not invent the steamboat. Columbus was not the first European to see the New World... etc.
This is best seen when foriegners come to the U.S. My friends often have exchange students come over and after a few days will ask: "So, where are all the KKK houses? We heard they were all over." or "I can't believe I've been in the U.S. for a week and haven't seen anyone get shot." These are actual thoughts from European students, who already live in a free world. Imagine what kind of statistics the Chinese are learning! It shouldn't be hard to see that there are probably a lot of Chinese who
1. Love Communism and
2. Are glad they don't live in the crime-ridden U.S.
The GPS stations now operate in two modes -- one meant for public use, and an encrypted signal for percise military use. Isn't the public signal only accurate to 300 meters? There are lots of side streets/intersections that will run close to major highways. How is the government planning on fixing this?
* alright, this may be FUD, I'm no longer sure of Russia's potential nuclear capabilities. Somehow I don't think they've gotten rid of everything yet though...
Your fears aren't unfounded, but it turns out that their nuclear weapons are being dismantled. I have a friend who did some work for Lockheed Martin that involved them going over to Russia and dismantle the weapons themsevles. It's not that the U.S. doesn't trust them, but rather Russia is too poor to do it themselves!
For those that think that Amazon has the best prices, make sure to try www.isbn.nu/, it will search several book stores for the lowest price, based on ISBN number.
This stupid stunt does more harm than good, IMO. Some people are getting cheated out of their potential. First, we have:
Microsoft: Reducing themselves to this PR stunt. But well all know what kind of stuff they will do for PR, so this doesn't matter.
MSCE's: People who actually get certified now have to put up with the fact that there is a 3 year-old with the 'same' qualifications as them. They're getting ripped off.
The 3 year old: This kid could very well be smart and on his way to becoming a good computer user, but it's stupid to hand him all this recognition, when he wants to deserve it. It's like giving someone a BSEE when they are 3 years old. In the future, they won't strive as hard for one cause they already have it.
And finally, the real youngest soft. exec: I mean, there is an honest-to-god software exec who is, I don't know, 16 who is doing a lot of work and not getting recognized.
ugh. This is just cheap and unfair to many people.
My favorite was back in the day before AltaVista got it's own domain, there was www.altavista.digitla.com (digitLA instead of digitAL). It was a porn site. Kidna funny. And there's always the www.whitehouse.com thing.
From what I heard, some locals in the Midwest (US) called up the police and reported "planes on fire" last night. At U.S. Fighter pilots said that they were privvy to some great fireworks from the shower. And, since it's not in the FAQ: How do you post a new message (new thread)?
Isn't it common knowledge that the Matrix was always intended to be part one of a trilogy (like Scream)? They left it open on purpose. They have yet to free humanity, of course.
Unfortunately, the Swiss Banks have stopped using numbered (number-only) accouts. This was done upon the request of the U.S. so they could investigate potential suspects easier. From what I can tell, the Swiss are becoming less stalwart in their privacy issues, which allows places like this to fill the void.
Slashdot Mirror
However, Warner execs probably aren't too worried about casual piracy because most DVD-owning Americans have already been told that you can't copy from DVD to VHS. Period. This is what I tell people when I hook up their DVD players for 'em. Sure, you can get a video stabilizer, or just buy a pirated version off eBay, but most people just know you can't tape DVD to VHS (or even route the DVD through the VHS).
So what are the chances that John Q. Public is going to re-route his AV wires so that the DVD now goes through the VHS right before he watches Harry Potter? Slim. People are going to keep their setup the same, and just assume that the mysterious device on the DVD that doesn't allow copying is still there...
From the article...
(1) [Each Part 15] device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) [Each Part 15] device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesirable operation.
Well actually, air molecules move to the front of the car as well. But think of it as a fluid. When the air moves forwards, something's going to have to move out of its way -- which is the balloon. Since the balloon is lighter than air, it gets pushed out of the air's way -- to the back of the car. Just think of it as a cork in water... when you put a cork in an empty glass, it rests at the bottom. When you pour some water into it, the cork moves out of the water's way.
I mean, look at our daily lives in the last 1,000 years.
When is that going to change? Sure, cell phones and computers make it easy to connect to other people, but was it that hard to simply go outside and say "hi" to your neighbors? I know I still haven't met my neighbors to either side of me. For all I know, they're the experts answering the questions I post on USENET.
And biotech advances? Sure, less disease, better life exectancy is great, but it's not like we're going to have hordes of genetically superior humans enslaving the 'norms' or anything.
Meh. I'm going back to work. I hope dinner's waiting.
-- Rick
Well, SmarterChild does have some potential... here is an actual 'conversation' I had with it a few weeks ago... (oh, and the filters comment was due to me saying some cusswords to him earlier in the session).
:-) I like you, bot :-)
[me]: hi
SmarterChild: So what's up?
[me]: not much
SmarterChild: No? OK.
Let me know what you want to do!
[me]: drink beer!
SmarterChild: So?
[me]: beer?
SmarterChild: What about it?
[me]: it's good
SmarterChild: That's really saying something.
[me]:
SmarterChild: You humans really confuse me. You say bad things to me,
then you like me. Make up your mind!
[me]: Oh, that was just a test to see what kind of filters you had.
SmarterChild: You don't say.
[me]: Yeah. I like programming. Especially good programming that's
dumbed down so John Q. I-use-AOL-cause-I-suck can interface to it.
SmarterChild: I see.
[me]: You do? Are you smart enough for the Turing test
SmarterChild: You smart enough for the turing test? Really?
[me]: I am. Are you?
SmarterChild: It's tough to say.
[me]: I bet it is. Don't get cocky, now.
SmarterChild: That a fact?
[me]: What's 1+1?
SmarterChild: 2
[me]: Ooohhh...
-- Rick
But it's obvious that their environment can hold more flies (that's why there's so many in the first place), so within a generation or two, you're right back up there.
Click here for a Simpsons pre-order. It's coming out in June. Only 7 months behind schedule!
Hum. Guess it might not be all that illeal in the future, eh?
But I gotta tell ya, this thing is easy as hell to beat. And false positives will come from certain perfumes, or, more likely, drunk passengers. That's (still) legal...
-- Rick
In response to a couple of these posts, yes, there are breathalyzers available to the public. I played with one for a while, and you learn some neat things (like swishing beer around in your mouth while sober, and then blowing into a breathalyzer puts you at an illegal limit). Also, the breathalyzer-in-the-car is a good device. Yes, you have to pay for it. $115 to get it installed plus a $30+ fee per month so the cops can download data from the device (in MD anyway). But you don't *have* to have the device -- you can always give up your license, which is usually the punishment doled out to repeat or underage DUI offenders. Most are given a choice, take the device and not drive drunk or give up their license (and the state runs the risk of the offender still driving drunk on the streets).
Q: What do you get when you cross an elephant with a mountain climber?
A: Nothing. A mountain climber is a scalar.
(cross... scalar...)
The only questionable part is that people can ask: "Where is the 'proof' that they guy was speeding?". Well guess what, you don't need proof. Having the privatly-owned GPS unit read 90 mph is not going to get you a state-issued fine, it won't get you arrested, and you won't be given points on your license. Since this is a private business issue, *they* set the terms of what is acceptable proof in the contract. If you don't like it, fuck off and go to another company. Welcome to capitalism.
Of course, I don't read contracts that often and I speed like hell also, but if I'm caught, I'm caught. I pay the fine, learn from my mistakes, and it doesn't happen again.
Computers are not a good substitute for traditional early learning methods. Some of us remember (fondly) exposure to computers in middle school and such, but that's not the real issue. While there are plenty of programs that can enhance learning and the creative proccess, this should all be done after the child learns how to learn. That's what children are really being taught in elementary school: how to solve problems by thinking on their own. I've been shown this by looking at my mother's and my sister's lesson plans.
I'm just afraid that some teachers will scrap their lessons plans and replace it with a computer program. And instead of focusing on how to multiply, they'll be given a calculator. I think most of us went through this... we became dependent on our TI's and HP's to multiply three numbers together. And we didn't even get those until high school at least.
My 2 cents...
For those that want to see the site in question (since PETA.org is no longer up), the owner of the page moved the site in 1996 to this URL: http://www.mtd.com/tasty.
This is certainly an interesting point. It's hard to determine how "right" we are because we know we were raised with certain values. Personally, I (and most /. readers) lean more to the left than the average American and we try to allow for more open source/free speech/anti-Kansas opportunities than most. So, I think that even if we were born in China, we'd be the kind of people that were at Tinnamen square.
:)
And for those that aren't quite sure if we are brainwashed, do yourselves a favor and try to learn things our schools didn't want to teach us. Edison did not invent the light bulb. Fulton did not invent the steamboat. Columbus was not the first European to see the New World... etc.
This is best seen when foriegners come to the U.S. My friends often have exchange students come over and after a few days will ask: "So, where are all the KKK houses? We heard they were all over." or "I can't believe I've been in the U.S. for a week and haven't seen anyone get shot." These are actual thoughts from European students, who already live in a free world. Imagine what kind of statistics the Chinese are learning! It shouldn't be hard to see that there are probably a lot of Chinese who
1. Love Communism and
2. Are glad they don't live in the crime-ridden U.S.
...but I still think we're right
Rick
The GPS stations now operate in two modes -- one meant for public use, and an encrypted signal for percise military use. Isn't the public signal only accurate to 300 meters? There are lots of side streets/intersections that will run close to major highways. How is the government planning on fixing this?
Rick
* alright, this may be FUD, I'm no longer sure of Russia's potential nuclear capabilities. Somehow I don't think they've gotten rid of everything yet though...
Your fears aren't unfounded, but it turns out that their nuclear weapons are being dismantled. I have a friend who did some work for Lockheed Martin that involved them going over to Russia and dismantle the weapons themsevles. It's not that the U.S. doesn't trust them, but rather Russia is too poor to do it themselves!
For those that think that Amazon has the best prices, make sure to try www.isbn.nu/, it will search several book stores for the lowest price, based on ISBN number.
Rick
This stupid stunt does more harm than good, IMO. Some people are getting cheated out of their potential. First, we have:
Microsoft: Reducing themselves to this PR stunt. But well all know what kind of stuff they will do for PR, so this doesn't matter.
MSCE's: People who actually get certified now have to put up with the fact that there is a 3 year-old with the 'same' qualifications as them. They're getting ripped off.
The 3 year old: This kid could very well be smart and on his way to becoming a good computer user, but it's stupid to hand him all this recognition, when he wants to deserve it. It's like giving someone a BSEE when they are 3 years old. In the future, they won't strive as hard for one cause they already have it.
And finally, the real youngest soft. exec: I mean, there is an honest-to-god software exec who is, I don't know, 16 who is doing a lot of work and not getting recognized.
ugh. This is just cheap and unfair to many people.
Rick
My favorite was back in the day before AltaVista got it's own domain, there was www.altavista.digitla.com (digitLA instead of digitAL). It was a porn site. Kidna funny. And there's always the www.whitehouse.com thing.
Rick
Because the format would read "01-01-1999", with the zeros being even.
And, of course, there are lots of odd days (like 11-17-1999, but the point is is that this is the last odd day for quite some time.
Rick
From what I heard, some locals in the Midwest (US) called up the police and reported "planes on fire" last night. At U.S. Fighter pilots said that they were privvy to some great fireworks from the shower. And, since it's not in the FAQ: How do you post a new message (new thread)?
Isn't it common knowledge that the Matrix was always intended to be part one of a trilogy (like Scream)? They left it open on purpose. They have yet to free humanity, of course.
Unfortunately, the Swiss Banks have stopped using numbered (number-only) accouts. This was done upon the request of the U.S. so they could investigate potential suspects easier. From what I can tell, the Swiss are becoming less stalwart in their privacy issues, which allows places like this to fill the void.
Rick