If you search and download a copywritten song, it does not matter if you actually get that copywritten song. Your action is what is important, and what the charges you face will be based on. It does not matter what song you actually ended up with.
Criminal or civil offenses do not matter, and it is irrelevant to make that distinction.
Legal precedent backs them up. If you buy what you *think* is a bag of cocaine from an undercover cop, you are as guilty as if you bought an *actual* bag of cocaine. So it doesn't matter if what you are downloading is what you think you are downloading. The act itself is the issue. Not the substance/product.
1) The materials that are being used, are already in use widely throughout the globe, in exactly the same fashion.. IE Flourescent bulbs. So the cost of disposing of them is nothing new. Further more, they last longer, so they have to be disposed of less. Further still, the savings in electricity on a household level is GREATER than the cost of disposing of the same bulbs. Further STILL, the savings on a country-wide level, by reducing the amount of electricity consumed by the inhabitants, reduces the demands on electricity. Imagine no more brown outs in California...
2) Claims about these things have been proven over and over... by at least one person responding to my post, and countless others. Once bitten, twice shy? Shall I start to cite examples of where this technology we are communicating with has failed in the past? How about cars? How about the television? How about... you name it. The more people that get on the band wagon, the more the price will drop for the bulbs individually, and the faster the efficiency will be increased by further research and development. Do we give up on solar energy, because early solar panels were not as efficient as ones you can purchase now? Is that what you are trying to get me to believe?
3) If someone needs an INSTANT ON light for a specific purpose, then they should use a bulb that turns on instantly. However, the truth is that most people do NOT need a light that turns on without any delay whatsoever. By most, I mean the majority of people out there that use electric light. THOSE people, if they switched over, would save money on their electric bills, as well as reduce their country's electrical demand. See #1. Otherwise, let the minority continue to use their instant on bulbs for their instant on needs. The tecnhology will improve to remove the delay altogether.
4) When the item costs 8 times what it is replacing, and lasts10 times as long... guess what? the MATH says it is better to make that initial investment and pay the 8 times cost. DUH!
Instead of letting ignorance rule YOUR particular thoughts, do a little research, and try listening to the people who are actually using these bulbs wisely... If we listened to people like yourself and those who complain about the delay and color quality, then we would not have things like computers to have this argument on.. for people have been complaining about boot times, monitor quality, etc.. for years. But we didn;t give up on computers, now did we?
Sheesh. I can't believe you got moderated up either.
I concede that the bulbs take time to achieve full brightness. But I won't accept your observation that the room stays in darkness for 2 seconds before ANY light comes out of the bulbs at all. Nor do they start at 10% and slowly work their way up. More like starting at 60% to 70% when switched on, then increasing on a curve to full brightness. However, by the time you flick the switch, walk to your chair, sit down, and get comfortable, the bulb will have been lit up to the brightness it should be at.
Thanks for pointing out the different temperature bulbs, and how they provide different shades of "white" light. Good points for those who think that CF bulbs all look the same.
Indeed it has been ingrained into our heads. Proving that we can just as easily adjust to THIS new thing, as we adjusted to THAT old thing.
The sun does not come on instantly, from our point of view. It eases into position, gradually filling the sky with brightness, and even then, after it has cleared the horizon, the day still gets brighter until it is directly overhead. THAT has been ingrained into our heads moreso than incandescent bulbs.
I think human preference for lower utility bills, lower fossil fuel useage, lower ecological damage and overall smarter energy useage sould take precedence over human preference for "I want it all and I want it NOW!"
But air purifiers DO alter the smell of the air in the area where they are used. Granted, most of the time it is for the better. However, we deal with different shades of light color all the time... from the sun, to a multitude of different indoor environments. And considering that very few people have daylight equivalent bulbs (grow bulbs, etc.), most are already using something that is NOT the same as sunlight.
You can get CF bulbs in shades other than the blue-white that we normally associate with flourescent bulbs.
Now, if that generator that gave a screechy whine (or alternator/serpentine belt that squeals, computer fan that is slightly loud, power inverter that is just a bit noisy, etc) cuts your electric bill in half or more, I sure would write a "scathing diatribe in support" of it.
"The search for perfection is all very well, but to look for heaven is to live here in hell."
The art of compromise is to GIVE up a little to GET a little. Existing in a world with other people means compromise.
Are you freaking serious? The delay was too long? Have you become so immersed in the current culture of Instant Gratification, that when you weigh the individual bonuses and global bonuses of using these bulbs, against the minor annoyances of how long the bulb takes to achieve brightness and the exact color of "white" light that the bulb throws off (Ok, that wasn't YOU, but I'm replying to other freaks who agreed against the bulbs.. sue me)
Come ON! Let's see.. the bulbs use an incredibly small amount of electricity compared to regular incandescent bulbs.. so you get to save money there. Don't need to save money? I'll give you an address you can throw money at. I'm only one of the MILLIONS of people who could use that money you are throwing away by not switching to CF bulbs.
Don't like a "whiter" light? You prefer the yellowed light from incandescents? Ok, sure it is a "warmer" tone.. that is because it is created by a glowing filament... it is a "white" light born of a red light... you know... red as in infrared, red as in burning, red as in fire and heat.. remember playing with metal and campfires, getting a piece of metal glowing brightly orange, or even white hot (if the fire was hot enough). Seeing a common theme of wasted energy here, thrown off in HEAT that is unnecessary to the process of providing light? I say unnecessary, because if you want heat, use a blanket. Not a light bulb.
You bathe your head in more radiation coming from your cell phone. You are in no danger from your CF light bulb.
I just can't believe people are whining "But it takes soooo long for it to light up. WAH! Mommy! Make the bulb light faster!" It takes longer for a web page to load with broadband, than it takes for the light to come on. Christ, it takes less than a second. Time measured in Microseonds. Why aren't you whining about how seconds it takes your car to start between turning the key and actual ignition? WHy aren't you whining about how long it takes the BIOS to check your drives before booting begins off the harddrive? Why aren't you whining about how long it takes your OS ((Linux or Windows) to boot? My God. Is 30 seconds just way way too long to melt butter for you as well?
As far as the color of the light goes... get a life. There is more variation in the shade of white in the background of this freaking web page, from computer monitor to computer monitor, than there is in the difference between regular bulbs and CF bulbs. And if you are complaining about the color, and you DON'T have a specific color profile set up for your monitor, as well as the exact INF file for your monitor, and programs like Adobe color correction running, AND an accurate, less than 4 month old AFGA color chart nearby to check your monitor color reproduction against.. you have no right to talk about the shade of white.
Stop burning paper money and get with the program. And go buy some damn CF bulbs. At Walmart!
Wow
And which administration do we blame for the Ice Age.
Although I do believe that we humans, with our industrialization did indeed contribute to a global rise in temperature, the planet itself normally goes through temperature shifts. See, it pays to know our history. Not just a limited view of it.
What? Warming you say must have been caused by the addition of Greenhouse gasses? That warming could only be blamed on humans and the damage they caused? Hmm... how did the earth get OUT of the last Ice Age? Didn't that involve warming? Wasn't there a distinct LACK of industrialization when we came out of the last Ice Age?
But but but... what about these islands that have "sunk", right? You do want to point out that THIS must have been the direct cause of our own human failings and our not taking care of our environment... right? Well, agaiin, I direct your attention to history, and the fact that, again, our planet goes through all kinds of miraculous changes in geography, all on it's own, without our assistance. How much land was lost (and gained) by tectonic shifts... you know, the kinds of tectonic shifts that created our current continental structures.
Maybe we did hasten the process. We didn't cause the process. We certainly aren't going to be able to stop the process.
If the RIAA was paying companies to distribute junk files that were named after legitimate songs, and then attempted to turn around and point to the existance of those "junk" files that appeared to be real songs as proof of people downloading illegally distributed music, that would make the RIAA guilty of fabricating evidence to assist their case.
It would not be the first time an organization (any Police force, for example) used a fake material (something that looked like cocaine) in a sting operation, for just the act of buying what you THINK is cocaine from an undercover operator, is enough to get you convicted of the same crime as ACTUALLY purchasing real cocaine.
This is different though. If the RIAA was simply distriuting junk files, then monitored who downloaded the junk files to prosecute them, that would be a sting operation similar to the one I laid out above. Based on precedent, that would be completely legal of them. If, however, the RIAA is distributing junk files, then throwing a screaming fit for prosecution based on just the existance of those junk files, that is the same as planting a gun on someone to implicate them in a crime they did not commit.
COnsidering how much trouble the RIAA would get in if they were attempting to ENTRAP people, and combined with the fact that there are more than enough people currently downloading music illegally at this very moment, I highly doubt that the RIAA is paying companies to distribute junk files.
If the RIAA provides screenshots of a P2P program screen, showing that a particular song is being downloaded BY 200 people, while it is also being seeded by another 150, I'd say that is proof of the fact that 150 people have a questionable file, and another 200 are getting it illegally. I don;t believe they have to actually go to one of those person;s house, and watch the song download.
Well, the United States Federal Department of Labor disagrees with you. The Federal Minimum wage does not apply to every state.
Of course, you would know that if you had actually gone to the department of labor website, when I gave you the link, instead of just assuming that your personal opinion was law.
so, your posting this tidbit of information is because you think it is the same for everyone else?
Or because you want to rub it in the faces of the majority of people who have to commmute 10 to 30 miles each way to work, in several hours of traffic? OH wait... you are one of THOSE people, who believes all those rush hour traffic jams in every major city in the USA don't really exist... that those traffic jams are just some kind of scare tactic to keep unsuspecting people like yourself off the streets.
Right?
Please. Don't even pretend to be as ignorant as you are coming across. You KNOW that you are way WAY outside the curve as far as your gas useage and commuting distance are concerned. You are just looking to stir up some shit.
So let me get this straight. I give you a link to the DEPARTMENT OF LABOR's web site, showing you THEIR information. In case you did not realize, that is the US Government's Department of Labor. That's why the site is www.dol.gov. NOw, there IS one state where the State minimum wage is lower than the Federal.. that's Kansas. Otherwise, there are indeed 6 states where there is no Federal or State minimum. Actually LOOK at the information before you speak as to what you THINK it really means.
And those jobs are not limited to the crappiest, teenager jobs. As I have said, I first learned about this when I was looking for a job in New Orleans, back in 2000. I stood in line for more than 3 hours, with other ADULTS looking for real work, and this, was all so I could sit down at a terminal and look through all the available jobs, just like everyone else. And the jobs paid between $$ and $5 an hour. Yes, this was an official State employment agency. Yes, it was the same place where you filled out your Unemployment forms.
That said, ok, you don't drive nearly as much as most people. You only use 5 gallons a week, and you only have a 10 gallon tank. Do you believe you are typical, or do you think you are actually better off than most? Guess what? You are actually better off than most.
How would you feel if milk tripled in price to $12 a gallon?
Sorry, the world isn't as rosey as you might think.
you are being sarcastic about the ironclad logic there, right? I hope to god you are...
First Schmuck5000 says that Bungie should have built an anti-cheating engine into the game to prevent cheating. Then he says that no company should do this, because cheaters will always find a way around it.
In games like Freelancer, what you suggest was done over and over again. Servers were set up so that those who wanted to mod their clients before connecting to gain an unfair advantage (disallowed weapons, faster ships, impervious hulls, etc) could do so and play al they wanted, with other modders/cheaters.
It doesn't work.
Apparently part of the modder/cheater mentality is not only to have an advantage over the other players, but to exploit that advantage in the FACE of those who are trying to play an honest game. Kind of a huge "Look how much better I am than you. What a loser you must be." kind of attitude.
Right, but, for example, back in 2000 in New Orleans, a very major city, I spent more than 3 hours in line at the unemployment office (multiple times) just to look through jobs that were paying between $4 and $5 an hour.
That link I gave, and those states I listed have no FEDERAL minumium wage, as well as no STATE minimum wage. That means if a job in one of those states wants to pay only $3 an hour, they can.
Yes, it often happens in the political discussions when a moderator disagrees with you as opposed to when you are actually a troll, redundant, or off-topic, and would rather see your post have a zero so fewer people can see it, instead of intelligently debating with you.
In other words, exactly how your post should have been modded? I mean, considering it is of topic and should be seen by as few people as possible... especially considering how your post is a response to someone's SIG, and not even their post.
However, On the topic...
Comparing gas prices to other commodities seems to be a little odd. Let's say Mr. Smith has a car with a 15 gallon tank. In the Heyday of only a dollar a gallon, that was a nice tidy, simple $15 dollar fillup. Today, at $3.30 a gallon, that's $49.50. Ok, that's only an increase of $34.50. But back in creaky old 1998, when you could still get Gasoline for under a buck a gallon... EVERYTHING else did not also cost 3 times less than it does now. We don't make 3 times as much money now as we did in 1998.
Of course, how many times you have to fill your tank every week depends on a huge number of factors, so that answer is going to vary greatly from person to person. But now, paying that additional $30+ per fill up really adds up. At a modest once a week fillup, that's more than $120 per month additional. Twice a week, $240. Three times a week, $360. For all the people who were just scraping by... those people who did not make oodles of extra cash per month, higher gas prices mean less money for other things, like food.
Gasoline ranks pretty high in the priority list too. YOu need to pay your Rent, so you can keep an address and a job. You have to pay your utilities so your alarm clock can continue to get you up on time for that job. And then there is Gasoline. You need to make sure you can get some, so you can continue to get to work, as well as go get groceries, as well as try to find a cheaper apartment to live in, etc...
That 3x modifier also applies to home heating oil too. Except it was a much sharper rise in a much shorter period of time. What used to cost a homeowner $800 to heat the home for just the winter, now costs more than $2400 for that same, short, 3 month span. And in the worst month, January, when that same Homeowner would be looking at two 200 gallon tank fillups (once at the beginning of the month, and once near the end of the month) what used to be $400, is now $1200. Ask any homeowner. Coming up with an additional $800 in January is never easy. The worst part about home heating oil as well, is that this price of just around $3 per gallon, is the off season price. That's the price if you PRE_PAY for your fuel ahead of time. If you have to call and pay for that Oil delivery in the winter time, as opposed to planning for it, it will cost you even MORE.
Who the hell can afford to have to make the equivalent of ANOTHER house payment every year? Who can afford to have their car insurance double (or even triple) in price per year? Because that is what paying these prices for Gasoline, Diesel, and Heating Oil are doing. Only filling that 15 gallon tank in the car one a week? You are paying $1440 more a year now than in 1998. Twice a week? $2880 more. Did your wages triple as well since 1998? Did you even get the equivalent of $3000 in raises between then and now? Do you pay triple in rent (or in mortgage payments) now, as opposed to less than a decade ago?
Of course, the killer is that although gas prices have tripled, we still have 6 states in the US that do not have ANY minimum wage regulations. http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm Arizona, Louisana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Back in 1998, you could and DID find jobs that paid $4 or $5 an hour (not some backwoods ranch hiring stall muckers... I'm talking about mainstream jobs in major cities like Phoenix
so would picture equasions that use words instead of numbers be an option? We've seen a game show based on the concept. The puzzles could be simple...
something like.. (Picture of a Ball) - B + (everything - some) = almost. So the answer to the Captcha, that which would be typed in the form field to pass, would be "almost". I'm sure that people can think of many more simple puzzles. Some could even be specific to the site, as has been mentioned. an 80's content based site, could use (picture of Banana) + (picture of a Ram's head) + A = Bananarama. Silly.. maybe. Childish? Depends on the puzzle. Something that can be figured out with an algorithm by a computer? Doubtful, especially if you combine the current methods used to obscure Captchas with the pictures in such a puzzle.
to all those screaming about how MP3 should be free and yadda yadda... let them go to work at their jobs, without getting paid at all. Let them have all their efforts be recognized, praised and placed in heavy demand all over the world, and then not get a dime. But most of all, let them not get paid at their current jobs. That way, when they end up broke and homeless, they finally understand what it's like to have your ideas stolen.
Yeah, exactly like that. Then, don't use the proprietary format anymmore. Then, whenever you see someone complaining about how the priorietary format costs money, assist in shouting them down, as well as directing them to vorbis.
"If the police can't get a conviction, then there is doubt that the person committed the crime. This is intentional, as it is better to miss a guilty man than imprison an innocent one."
Easiest example that proves this wrong, is a guilty individual fleeing jurisdiction. Most popular example is the OJ Simpson case. The rest, I adressed in other post.
Guilt or Innocence is whether or not you did it. Conviction just means you got the blame and the punishment. That is how Innocent people can get convicted of a crime, and guilty can go free. Conviction is the end result of a procedure with a lot of checks and balances.
If you reduce the punishment severly, as in a civil registry and designated areas that are off limits for residence, you sould be able to relax the procedure to get on the list as well. I know it can be a potentially bad thing, but the potential is very very low.
Slashdot Mirror
Not quite. You seem to be missing my point.
If you search and download a copywritten song, it does not matter if you actually get that copywritten song. Your action is what is important, and what the charges you face will be based on. It does not matter what song you actually ended up with.
Criminal or civil offenses do not matter, and it is irrelevant to make that distinction.
Legal precedent backs them up. If you buy what you *think* is a bag of cocaine from an undercover cop, you are as guilty as if you bought an *actual* bag of cocaine. So it doesn't matter if what you are downloading is what you think you are downloading. The act itself is the issue. Not the substance/product.
Well, I'll address your points as numbered.
1) The materials that are being used, are already in use widely throughout the globe, in exactly the same fashion.. IE Flourescent bulbs. So the cost of disposing of them is nothing new. Further more, they last longer, so they have to be disposed of less. Further still, the savings in electricity on a household level is GREATER than the cost of disposing of the same bulbs. Further STILL, the savings on a country-wide level, by reducing the amount of electricity consumed by the inhabitants, reduces the demands on electricity. Imagine no more brown outs in California...
2) Claims about these things have been proven over and over... by at least one person responding to my post, and countless others. Once bitten, twice shy? Shall I start to cite examples of where this technology we are communicating with has failed in the past? How about cars? How about the television? How about... you name it. The more people that get on the band wagon, the more the price will drop for the bulbs individually, and the faster the efficiency will be increased by further research and development. Do we give up on solar energy, because early solar panels were not as efficient as ones you can purchase now? Is that what you are trying to get me to believe?
3) If someone needs an INSTANT ON light for a specific purpose, then they should use a bulb that turns on instantly. However, the truth is that most people do NOT need a light that turns on without any delay whatsoever. By most, I mean the majority of people out there that use electric light. THOSE people, if they switched over, would save money on their electric bills, as well as reduce their country's electrical demand. See #1. Otherwise, let the minority continue to use their instant on bulbs for their instant on needs. The tecnhology will improve to remove the delay altogether.
4) When the item costs 8 times what it is replacing, and lasts10 times as long... guess what? the MATH says it is better to make that initial investment and pay the 8 times cost. DUH!
Instead of letting ignorance rule YOUR particular thoughts, do a little research, and try listening to the people who are actually using these bulbs wisely... If we listened to people like yourself and those who complain about the delay and color quality, then we would not have things like computers to have this argument on.. for people have been complaining about boot times, monitor quality, etc.. for years. But we didn;t give up on computers, now did we?
Sheesh. I can't believe you got moderated up either.
I concede that the bulbs take time to achieve full brightness. But I won't accept your observation that the room stays in darkness for 2 seconds before ANY light comes out of the bulbs at all. Nor do they start at 10% and slowly work their way up. More like starting at 60% to 70% when switched on, then increasing on a curve to full brightness. However, by the time you flick the switch, walk to your chair, sit down, and get comfortable, the bulb will have been lit up to the brightness it should be at.
Thanks for pointing out the different temperature bulbs, and how they provide different shades of "white" light. Good points for those who think that CF bulbs all look the same.
Indeed it has been ingrained into our heads. Proving that we can just as easily adjust to THIS new thing, as we adjusted to THAT old thing.
The sun does not come on instantly, from our point of view. It eases into position, gradually filling the sky with brightness, and even then, after it has cleared the horizon, the day still gets brighter until it is directly overhead. THAT has been ingrained into our heads moreso than incandescent bulbs.
I think human preference for lower utility bills, lower fossil fuel useage, lower ecological damage and overall smarter energy useage sould take precedence over human preference for "I want it all and I want it NOW!"
Well, I had to stay somewhat on topic, so maybe walmart isn't the place to get the bulbs... as long as you get them somewhere else.
But air purifiers DO alter the smell of the air in the area where they are used. Granted, most of the time it is for the better. However, we deal with different shades of light color all the time... from the sun, to a multitude of different indoor environments. And considering that very few people have daylight equivalent bulbs (grow bulbs, etc.), most are already using something that is NOT the same as sunlight.
You can get CF bulbs in shades other than the blue-white that we normally associate with flourescent bulbs.
Now, if that generator that gave a screechy whine (or alternator/serpentine belt that squeals, computer fan that is slightly loud, power inverter that is just a bit noisy, etc) cuts your electric bill in half or more, I sure would write a "scathing diatribe in support" of it.
"The search for perfection is all very well, but to look for heaven is to live here in hell."
The art of compromise is to GIVE up a little to GET a little. Existing in a world with other people means compromise.
OMG!
Are you freaking serious? The delay was too long? Have you become so immersed in the current culture of Instant Gratification, that when you weigh the individual bonuses and global bonuses of using these bulbs, against the minor annoyances of how long the bulb takes to achieve brightness and the exact color of "white" light that the bulb throws off (Ok, that wasn't YOU, but I'm replying to other freaks who agreed against the bulbs.. sue me)
Come ON! Let's see.. the bulbs use an incredibly small amount of electricity compared to regular incandescent bulbs.. so you get to save money there. Don't need to save money? I'll give you an address you can throw money at. I'm only one of the MILLIONS of people who could use that money you are throwing away by not switching to CF bulbs.
Don't like a "whiter" light? You prefer the yellowed light from incandescents? Ok, sure it is a "warmer" tone.. that is because it is created by a glowing filament... it is a "white" light born of a red light... you know... red as in infrared, red as in burning, red as in fire and heat.. remember playing with metal and campfires, getting a piece of metal glowing brightly orange, or even white hot (if the fire was hot enough). Seeing a common theme of wasted energy here, thrown off in HEAT that is unnecessary to the process of providing light? I say unnecessary, because if you want heat, use a blanket. Not a light bulb.
You bathe your head in more radiation coming from your cell phone. You are in no danger from your CF light bulb.
I just can't believe people are whining "But it takes soooo long for it to light up. WAH! Mommy! Make the bulb light faster!" It takes longer for a web page to load with broadband, than it takes for the light to come on. Christ, it takes less than a second. Time measured in Microseonds. Why aren't you whining about how seconds it takes your car to start between turning the key and actual ignition? WHy aren't you whining about how long it takes the BIOS to check your drives before booting begins off the harddrive? Why aren't you whining about how long it takes your OS ((Linux or Windows) to boot? My God. Is 30 seconds just way way too long to melt butter for you as well?
As far as the color of the light goes... get a life. There is more variation in the shade of white in the background of this freaking web page, from computer monitor to computer monitor, than there is in the difference between regular bulbs and CF bulbs. And if you are complaining about the color, and you DON'T have a specific color profile set up for your monitor, as well as the exact INF file for your monitor, and programs like Adobe color correction running, AND an accurate, less than 4 month old AFGA color chart nearby to check your monitor color reproduction against.. you have no right to talk about the shade of white.
Stop burning paper money and get with the program. And go buy some damn CF bulbs. At Walmart!
Wow And which administration do we blame for the Ice Age. Although I do believe that we humans, with our industrialization did indeed contribute to a global rise in temperature, the planet itself normally goes through temperature shifts. See, it pays to know our history. Not just a limited view of it. What? Warming you say must have been caused by the addition of Greenhouse gasses? That warming could only be blamed on humans and the damage they caused? Hmm... how did the earth get OUT of the last Ice Age? Didn't that involve warming? Wasn't there a distinct LACK of industrialization when we came out of the last Ice Age? But but but... what about these islands that have "sunk", right? You do want to point out that THIS must have been the direct cause of our own human failings and our not taking care of our environment... right? Well, agaiin, I direct your attention to history, and the fact that, again, our planet goes through all kinds of miraculous changes in geography, all on it's own, without our assistance. How much land was lost (and gained) by tectonic shifts... you know, the kinds of tectonic shifts that created our current continental structures. Maybe we did hasten the process. We didn't cause the process. We certainly aren't going to be able to stop the process.
If the RIAA was paying companies to distribute junk files that were named after legitimate songs, and then attempted to turn around and point to the existance of those "junk" files that appeared to be real songs as proof of people downloading illegally distributed music, that would make the RIAA guilty of fabricating evidence to assist their case.
It would not be the first time an organization (any Police force, for example) used a fake material (something that looked like cocaine) in a sting operation, for just the act of buying what you THINK is cocaine from an undercover operator, is enough to get you convicted of the same crime as ACTUALLY purchasing real cocaine.
This is different though. If the RIAA was simply distriuting junk files, then monitored who downloaded the junk files to prosecute them, that would be a sting operation similar to the one I laid out above. Based on precedent, that would be completely legal of them. If, however, the RIAA is distributing junk files, then throwing a screaming fit for prosecution based on just the existance of those junk files, that is the same as planting a gun on someone to implicate them in a crime they did not commit.
COnsidering how much trouble the RIAA would get in if they were attempting to ENTRAP people, and combined with the fact that there are more than enough people currently downloading music illegally at this very moment, I highly doubt that the RIAA is paying companies to distribute junk files.
If the RIAA provides screenshots of a P2P program screen, showing that a particular song is being downloaded BY 200 people, while it is also being seeded by another 150, I'd say that is proof of the fact that 150 people have a questionable file, and another 200 are getting it illegally. I don;t believe they have to actually go to one of those person;s house, and watch the song download.
God, YOU really are the idiot.
You know what the Department of Labor is, right?
You know what it means when the Department of Labor says that there are 6 states with no federal OR state minimum wage minimums, right?
You know how to actually LOOK at the Department of Labor's website, right?
You know how to read the information directly from them, right?
Stop assuming that your personal opinion is law, and actually look it up for yourself, if you don't like the link I gave you to the information.
Well, the United States Federal Department of Labor disagrees with you. The Federal Minimum wage does not apply to every state.
Of course, you would know that if you had actually gone to the department of labor website, when I gave you the link, instead of just assuming that your personal opinion was law.
so, your posting this tidbit of information is because you think it is the same for everyone else?
Or because you want to rub it in the faces of the majority of people who have to commmute 10 to 30 miles each way to work, in several hours of traffic? OH wait... you are one of THOSE people, who believes all those rush hour traffic jams in every major city in the USA don't really exist... that those traffic jams are just some kind of scare tactic to keep unsuspecting people like yourself off the streets.
Right?
Please. Don't even pretend to be as ignorant as you are coming across. You KNOW that you are way WAY outside the curve as far as your gas useage and commuting distance are concerned. You are just looking to stir up some shit.
So let me get this straight. I give you a link to the DEPARTMENT OF LABOR's web site, showing you THEIR information. In case you did not realize, that is the US Government's Department of Labor. That's why the site is www.dol.gov. NOw, there IS one state where the State minimum wage is lower than the Federal.. that's Kansas. Otherwise, there are indeed 6 states where there is no Federal or State minimum. Actually LOOK at the information before you speak as to what you THINK it really means.
And those jobs are not limited to the crappiest, teenager jobs. As I have said, I first learned about this when I was looking for a job in New Orleans, back in 2000. I stood in line for more than 3 hours, with other ADULTS looking for real work, and this, was all so I could sit down at a terminal and look through all the available jobs, just like everyone else. And the jobs paid between $$ and $5 an hour. Yes, this was an official State employment agency. Yes, it was the same place where you filled out your Unemployment forms.
That said, ok, you don't drive nearly as much as most people. You only use 5 gallons a week, and you only have a 10 gallon tank. Do you believe you are typical, or do you think you are actually better off than most? Guess what? You are actually better off than most.
How would you feel if milk tripled in price to $12 a gallon?
Sorry, the world isn't as rosey as you might think.
you are being sarcastic about the ironclad logic there, right? I hope to god you are...
First Schmuck5000 says that Bungie should have built an anti-cheating engine into the game to prevent cheating. Then he says that no company should do this, because cheaters will always find a way around it.
Ironclad logic??
In games like Freelancer, what you suggest was done over and over again. Servers were set up so that those who wanted to mod their clients before connecting to gain an unfair advantage (disallowed weapons, faster ships, impervious hulls, etc) could do so and play al they wanted, with other modders /cheaters.
It doesn't work.
Apparently part of the modder/cheater mentality is not only to have an advantage over the other players, but to exploit that advantage in the FACE of those who are trying to play an honest game. Kind of a huge "Look how much better I am than you. What a loser you must be." kind of attitude.
Right, but, for example, back in 2000 in New Orleans, a very major city, I spent more than 3 hours in line at the unemployment office (multiple times) just to look through jobs that were paying between $4 and $5 an hour.
That link I gave, and those states I listed have no FEDERAL minumium wage, as well as no STATE minimum wage. That means if a job in one of those states wants to pay only $3 an hour, they can.
In other words, exactly how your post should have been modded? I mean, considering it is of topic and should be seen by as few people as possible... especially considering how your post is a response to someone's SIG, and not even their post.
However, On the topic...
Comparing gas prices to other commodities seems to be a little odd. Let's say Mr. Smith has a car with a 15 gallon tank. In the Heyday of only a dollar a gallon, that was a nice tidy, simple $15 dollar fillup. Today, at $3.30 a gallon, that's $49.50. Ok, that's only an increase of $34.50. But back in creaky old 1998, when you could still get Gasoline for under a buck a gallon... EVERYTHING else did not also cost 3 times less than it does now. We don't make 3 times as much money now as we did in 1998.
Of course, how many times you have to fill your tank every week depends on a huge number of factors, so that answer is going to vary greatly from person to person. But now, paying that additional $30+ per fill up really adds up. At a modest once a week fillup, that's more than $120 per month additional. Twice a week, $240. Three times a week, $360. For all the people who were just scraping by... those people who did not make oodles of extra cash per month, higher gas prices mean less money for other things, like food.
Gasoline ranks pretty high in the priority list too. YOu need to pay your Rent, so you can keep an address and a job. You have to pay your utilities so your alarm clock can continue to get you up on time for that job. And then there is Gasoline. You need to make sure you can get some, so you can continue to get to work, as well as go get groceries, as well as try to find a cheaper apartment to live in, etc...
That 3x modifier also applies to home heating oil too. Except it was a much sharper rise in a much shorter period of time. What used to cost a homeowner $800 to heat the home for just the winter, now costs more than $2400 for that same, short, 3 month span. And in the worst month, January, when that same Homeowner would be looking at two 200 gallon tank fillups (once at the beginning of the month, and once near the end of the month) what used to be $400, is now $1200. Ask any homeowner. Coming up with an additional $800 in January is never easy. The worst part about home heating oil as well, is that this price of just around $3 per gallon, is the off season price. That's the price if you PRE_PAY for your fuel ahead of time. If you have to call and pay for that Oil delivery in the winter time, as opposed to planning for it, it will cost you even MORE.
Who the hell can afford to have to make the equivalent of ANOTHER house payment every year? Who can afford to have their car insurance double (or even triple) in price per year? Because that is what paying these prices for Gasoline, Diesel, and Heating Oil are doing. Only filling that 15 gallon tank in the car one a week? You are paying $1440 more a year now than in 1998. Twice a week? $2880 more. Did your wages triple as well since 1998? Did you even get the equivalent of $3000 in raises between then and now? Do you pay triple in rent (or in mortgage payments) now, as opposed to less than a decade ago?
Of course, the killer is that although gas prices have tripled, we still have 6 states in the US that do not have ANY minimum wage regulations. http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm Arizona, Louisana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Back in 1998, you could and DID find jobs that paid $4 or $5 an hour (not some backwoods ranch hiring stall muckers... I'm talking about mainstream jobs in major cities like Phoenix
so would picture equasions that use words instead of numbers be an option? We've seen a game show based on the concept. The puzzles could be simple...
something like.. (Picture of a Ball) - B + (everything - some) = almost. So the answer to the Captcha, that which would be typed in the form field to pass, would be "almost". I'm sure that people can think of many more simple puzzles. Some could even be specific to the site, as has been mentioned. an 80's content based site, could use (picture of Banana) + (picture of a Ram's head) + A = Bananarama. Silly.. maybe. Childish? Depends on the puzzle. Something that can be figured out with an algorithm by a computer? Doubtful, especially if you combine the current methods used to obscure Captchas with the pictures in such a puzzle.
... especially when a great deal of those laughing at the useage of the word "tube" will themselves use the word "pipe" in the same context.
after reading this reuters article, my guesses were pretty close after all.p e=newsOne&storyid=2006-09-05T092812Z_01_SP34161_RT RUKOC_0_US-AUSTRALIA-IRWIN.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsArt-R1 -MostViewed-1
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?ty
Go figure.
right on.
Mod up.
to all those screaming about how MP3 should be free and yadda yadda... let them go to work at their jobs, without getting paid at all. Let them have all their efforts be recognized, praised and placed in heavy demand all over the world, and then not get a dime. But most of all, let them not get paid at their current jobs. That way, when they end up broke and homeless, they finally understand what it's like to have your ideas stolen.
Yeah, exactly like that. Then, don't use the proprietary format anymmore. Then, whenever you see someone complaining about how the priorietary format costs money, assist in shouting them down, as well as directing them to vorbis.
"If the police can't get a conviction, then there is doubt that the person committed the crime. This is intentional, as it is better to miss a guilty man than imprison an innocent one."
Easiest example that proves this wrong, is a guilty individual fleeing jurisdiction. Most popular example is the OJ Simpson case. The rest, I adressed in other post.
Guilt or Innocence is whether or not you did it. Conviction just means you got the blame and the punishment. That is how Innocent people can get convicted of a crime, and guilty can go free. Conviction is the end result of a procedure with a lot of checks and balances.
If you reduce the punishment severly, as in a civil registry and designated areas that are off limits for residence, you sould be able to relax the procedure to get on the list as well. I know it can be a potentially bad thing, but the potential is very very low.
different beasts