uqbar writes:
"The corporate culture jammers at ®TMark have released Cuehack which takes the CueCat and finds out dirt on the company whose barcode you scanned." It's a Windows app, so I'm not able to run it. Neither do I have a CueCat -- but apps like this make me smile.
Uh..okay (Score:1)
If you break it down they are just anothere tech company who is looking for a unique idea to make a buck with, they haven't harmed anyone. This seems to just go a bit too far, sure I guess it's within the law, but at what point do we look at our morals and maybe move on from this.
It's not as if this is illegal or anything, but .. (Score:1)
Seriously, why do this?
The Digital Convergence people were nice enough to give away a pretty cool little toy for free, and then what do people do? They turn right around and use this cool toy to bludgeon DC to death. Sometimes I'm ashamed to be a Linux user.
Yes, I know
I like Linux. I use it all the time. I want to continue to use it all the time. And I have to be honest here: things like this do not help us. When we essentially take a crap on somebody who's trying to do us a favor by giving us a neat gadget for free, this gives the Bill Gates of the world some ammunition. It lets them point at us and call us names like "juvenile, snotty, and subversive." Some of you may revel in being referred to in these terms, but I can assure you I do not.
Re:4 of 5 Slackware developers laid off (Score:1)
Re:against Googles TOS? (Score:1)
Have I made my point yet? These licenses are bogus. Even if you make the argument that since it is their service, they can dictate how you use it.. My post is a service. It conveys information, conveys an idea. Their service conveys informations; it conveys links to other sites.
But hey, maybe this will all change when a group of overpriced lawyers argue until a Judge makes an unfair ruling, making crap TOS'es and Licenses legal. Oh wait, UCITA. Doh.
Re:Why? Is there a point? (Score:4)
That's the problem with most of the public nowadays. They are consumers rather than citizens. They don't care whether their gizmos/food come from, they just want to enjoy it, without regards to their social/health/ecological impacts, at home or abroad.
--
Re:i don't get this product.. (Score:2)
...for evil!
K.
-
Re:Now how does this square with the patents? (Score:1)
Re:i don't get this product.. (Score:1)
Re:i don't get this product.. (Score:2)
Re:It's not as if this is illegal or anything, but (Score:1)
Because it's funny as hell, and it makes a effective political statement.
The Digital Convergence people were nice enough to give away a pretty cool little toy for free, and then what do people do?
To butcher a common aphorism, the CueCat is only free if your privacy has no value. Don't you find a product whose sole purpose is to provide marketers info about which products you own just a little bit underhanded?
It's not illegal to call your mother unimaginable names, [...] But you don't see people doing this, right? Well, why not? After all, it's not illegal, is it?
You don't, and the reason is that your mother doesn't try treat you like a gullible consumer, waiting to be exploited. The whole CueCat scheme is right up there with 'MAKE $$$ FAST' in terms of the way it views its marks... er, users.
When we essentially take a crap on somebody who's trying to do us a favor by giving us a neat gadget for free, this gives the Bill Gates of the world some ammunition.
Give us? Who is 'us'? Did Digital Convergence come out with a Linux version of there software while I wasn't looking? And even if they have, does the fact that they are trying to exploit Linux users with their Trojan Cat mean that we owe them any favors?
It lets them point at us and call us names like "juvenile, snotty, and subversive."
BFD. I'd rather be thought of a juvenile, snotty, and subversive, than as a corporate sheep who does whatever his television tells him to.
Re:i don't get this product.. (Score:1)
Left claw North! RIGHTCLAWSOUTH!!
I've seen your sig, and I really must know ... what on Earth is RIGHTCLAWSOUTH?
---
Re:Why? Is there a point? (Score:1)
Thus the hack: it is an attempt to give people the opprotunity to learn more about the world around them and how various corporations operate.
eric
i don't get this product.. (Score:2)
Who in their right mind would actually use it? We recieved one for free and I won't let it touch my computer.
--------------------
Would you like a Python based alternative to PHP/ASP/JSP?
Trademark violation? (Score:1)
Re:4 of 5 Slackware developers laid off (Score:1)
It's about buying your competitors and then deepsixing them. That's the Wind River bizplan.
Re:Why? Is there a point? (Score:1)
Some people are more careful about what they eat. [explodingdog.com]
< tofuhead >
--
Re:Why? Is there a point? (Score:2)
Re:no (Score:1)
Also, i have never written my own device driver, but have used linux for years! Woah!!!
Soon or later, you will stop trolling.
Re:no (Score:1)
Re:no (Score:1)
Ahhh...but then you have to reinstall Win2K as it installs a different Hardware Abstraction Layer (hal.dll) depending upon whether ACPI support in your BIOS is on or off. All this fsck-ing effort, just because Win2K won't leave my IRQs alone and let me tell it what they are :-P If I didn't want to play the occasional game, I'd wipe my Winblows partition and just boot Debian all the time.
Where do I ... (Score:1)
... find the barcode for slashdot moderators?
(Mod me as Ironic!)
RTMark is a bunch of Spamming Communists (Score:1)
(Incidentally, the "phone in sick" day is on 4/20, so I know what a lot of people might be doing instead of going to work :) )
Their spam says, helpfully, "This message is not commercial. Get off our list by writing mailto:remove@rtmark.com...". Uh, thanks anyways, but what makes you think that I want to receive your damn email in the first place? My response: "This message is not commercial. Fuck Off!"
I know that communism ("May Day" features prominently in the message which I won't write about to avoid doing their work for them) is a tough sell around the world, along with pr0n, x10, and other annoying things, so I can understand why they feel that they have to go to any length to impose themselves on others, but come on. GO AWAY.
The only thing worse than capitalist spam is communist spam. It's like a fucking religion.
All your life... (Score:2)
Re:Better hack.. (Score:2)
- - - - -
It's written in Perl! (Score:2)
- - - - -
Re:boarders.com (Score:2)
i finished the script anyways
Better hack.. (Score:3)
I'm trying to take this, query boarders.com and dump the info back into a database to catalog my 3k cd collection. I need help on parsing a url like: http://search.borders.com/fcgi-bin/db2www/search/
If you can help great, I know most of you need something better to do with your time
Mirror Early? Oh yes. =) (Score:2)
The site has been slashdotted up the ass -- the original archive is mirrored above.
------------
CitizenC
Re:against Googles TOS? (Score:1)
This isn't a question of using Goggle, but a question of google asking them to stop. That was my point. I'm sorry if this wasn't more clear.
K5 is one example. Unfortunatly, I don't remember what it was they did (some sort of search engine battle or some such?)
Re:against Googles TOS? (Score:1)
And not having enough coffee.
against Googles TOS? (Score:5)
Then it does a Google web search for somecompany and a randomly chosen topic of potential interest
But
http://www.google.com/terms_of_service.html [google.com] shows:
The Google Search Services are made available for your personal, non-commercial use only. You may not use the Google Search Services to sell a product or service, or to increase traffic to your Web site for commercial reasons, such as advertising sales. You may not take the results from a Google search and reformat and display them, or mirror the Google home page or results pages on your Web site, or send automated queries to Google's system without express permission from Google. If you want to make commercial use of the Google Search Services you must enter into an agreement with Google to do so. Please contact bizdev@google.com for more information.
Unfortunatly (?) I don't have a "Clue"Cat so I'm not sure of the output from CueHack. Can anyone comment on this?
The only reason I bring it up is that I've seen other sites shut down because of fun uses of Google search results due to the TOS.
Re:Read the TOS (Score:1)
Embrace and Extend... (Score:1)
Re: your "editorial comment" (Score:1)
Storybook Life (Score:2)
Finally (Score:1)
Who wants in the pool? (Score:1)
Me thinks we should have CueLiza (Score:1)
(scans Ricky Martin CD)
How do you feel about Livin' La Vida Loca?
re: your "editorial comment" (Score:1)
The only thing worse than a GNU/Linux weenie is a GNU/Linux weenie who pretends that he doesn't use the good ole' Win32 every so often. Taco does this all the time, making the type of comments in one article that you just made ("too bad I can't run this app because I'm a l337 lun1x lu53r! h4w h4w, w1nd0ze 5uck5.") and then talking about how he participates in Windows/Mac activities next ("I just love watching crappy anime DVDs and playing the hottest new games on my PC!"). LOL...
This site would be so much better if you would drop the fassad, drop the Gates/Borg icon, and drop the anti-Microsoft bullshit. Slashdot has never had a very pro-Microsoft attitude, but in the past year it's just become a place to flame Microsoft and four-letter gov't media organizations.
Remember, kids, Windows: 17 0wn5 j00!
--
Pristine cuecat (Score:2)
Re:It's not as if this is illegal or anything, but (Score:3)
For these reasons, I think they are actually asking for punishment. If they did none of these, I would agree with you. But they did, so I don't.
A little dissapointing (Score:1)
Alexa, the original version (Score:2)
Now, it's basically a gimmick to divert you to merchants who pay Alexa. Sad.
Java Drivers (Score:5)
There are some open source Java drivers for CueCat at:
http://www.popbeads.org/Software/CCScan [popbeads.org]
Re: your "editorial comment" (Score:2)
Re:no (Score:1)
Hey, dont tease them with that `life` stuff! (Besides, some of them have tried it, and its just too damn icky!)
Oh boy (Score:4)
Re:Uh..okay (Score:1)
On the other hand, a company that immorally claims rights that it does not legitimately have, that hires scumbags to send threatening letters to people who are acting within their legal rights, that gives away items and then claims to still own or control them. That company should be skinned, have its pelt nailed to the barn door as a warning to others, and have its :CueCat carcass thrown into the ditch for the dogs to eat.
Next question?
Re:Why? Is there a point? (Score:1)
Re:Purchasing Behaviors(?) (Score:2)
mmmm....
cheese...
Re:Finding dirt on someone... (Score:1)
Yup - every time he looks in the mirror...
Re:no (Score:1)
I'm running a gf2mx, sblive, nic all on irq 11 through acpi, no hitches.
You can go to your bios and tell it "NO" for plug and play OS, and "NO" for ACPI support, and win2k will go into legacy mode and let you set irq's yourself.
Re:Now how does this square with the patents? (Score:1)
Re:4 of 5 Slackware developers laid off (Score:2)
for folks that ask me which snmp agent to buy, I always say to AVOID windriver/epilogue. they clearly don't care about their snmp business anymore (I have firsthand battle stories to tell, but too long for this forum.)
--
Re:What CueCat should have done... (Score:1)
Digital Convergence running wild (Score:4)
Every now and then I like to get the latest news [digitalconvergence.com] about how CueCat is taking over the world. For example, recent Digital Convergence press releases reveal the following juicy tidbits:
(Follow the link above if you think I made these up.)
Good to see that $100 million [zdnet.com] in startup funding for Digital Convergence is paying off in spades!
Re:Why? Is there a point? (Score:1)
Re:Why? Is there a point? (Score:4)
Yes, you can get a lot of this information other places, like searching the net, or hitting Consumer Reports. Some of it's actually fairly difficult to get (and this CueHack won't get it). The idea is most people only see the big billboards and TV ads, because that's what corporations pay for (of course). We, as non-corporations, don't have multimillion dollar marketing budgets-- how do we make our voices heard? This is one more creative way of getting the other side of the story heard.
Does it work? Sometimes. You're reading this, anyway. Maybe a few people will see the article on
Finding dirt on someone... (Score:1)
**notices a really stupid ad made by the White House**
**Takes the CueHack and scans the provided bar code**
**CueHack then informs me that someone in the white house has page viewed the goatse.cx site over 100 times**
**Vomits in disgust**
Re:against Googles TOS? (Score:1)
That is, if you ignore the very first sentence in the TOS:
Welcome! By using Google's search engine services, ("Google Search Services") you agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions (the "Terms of Service").
Yes, even companies besides Microsoft have TOS agreements.
Re:against Googles TOS? (Score:1)
Re:against Googles TOS? (Score:3)
"That is, if you ignore the very first sentence in the TOS:"
A person who does not agree to the terms of service is perfectly free to ignore the first sentence of the terms of service, since no sentence in the terms of service is binding on a person who does not agree to the terms of service.
Furthermore, Google does not even ask you to agree to the terms of service as a condition of using their service. I just visited www.google.com and did a search and did not see anything asking me to agree to anything or even a link to their terms of service or other legal information.
So why would you think that a sentence written somewhere is binding upon somebody who perhaps never saw it, never agreed to it, and was never asked to agree to it? What is the rule you are using -- 'Anything a big company writes is law'?
try using wine next time (Score:1)
What CueCat should have done... (Score:1)
Re:i don't get this product.. (Score:1)
---
Thank you very much (Score:1)
Purchasing Behaviors(?) (Score:3)
Why does this sound like rat in the maze sort of psychiatric mind control thought experiment? As a business plan for the marketing types?
CueHack "hacks" (opens up) this closed system by using it another way. It allows you, the consumer, to experience the same wholesome scanning pleasure as you do with the normal CueCat software, but displays other kinds of information about the companies - information that you would likely have run across if you had done a web search about the company, but that the company might prefer that you, the consumer, not see. This could be information about corporate abuse, boycotts against the company., even how much money the company is making, their corporate image as presented to shareholders, etc.
Freedom, now that is a dangerous option for the consumer. Looks like marketing is trying harder and harder to take it away from the rats in the cage.
Heck we even have folks promoting the model of life as "We are Mice in a Maze" (not the real title, but the book referanced is reviewed here [usatoday.com], webpage here [usatoday.com], parodied here [cutcheese.com].)
That's a nice little mouse. Enjoy your life in the maze. Nothing outside the maze is important. Learn to love the maze. The maze is your friend. Here, have some cheese.
Check out the Vinny the Vampire [eplugz.com] comic strip
Now how does this square with the patents? (Score:2)
(I am not a lawyer)
I like this one. Rather than go one-on-one with the DC people with regards to the patents, it does an end-run by expanding the scope of the information returned. In my reading of the various patents, this goes beyond the four corners of the claims by looking up "dirt" as well as serving up the direct link.
Will K&K go after these people? I suspect so. The idea of doing a search on the domain name coupled with derogatory terms isn't covered by the claims of the DC patents, but it would serve to dilute the value of Cues, and so DC may launch a pre-emptive strike.
Now, these people would be well served to file a patent on the idea, to protect them from claims of infringement...
Re:So sue me... (Score:1)
http://www.kuro5hin.org/?op=displaystory;sid=2001
Hopefully this is something similar to what you are looking for.
--Demonspawn
Re: your "editorial comment" (Score:1)
You have to understand, that this is a pro-linux site. I have been a visitor for about two years now, and it's all taken in good fun. Most of the time Microsoft deserves what they get.
But windows IS a valid operating system, despite wht anyone says. You can mod me down to -400, if you really want to, but it won't change a thing.
I love linux. It is rivalling windows now, and will become a leading consumer operating system. But hating windows just because it's windows isn't right.
The "I deleted my windows partition, only use Linux, woe is me I can't play Diablo II/ The Sims / CueHack" interjection is rediculous. I can't think of a single reason not to create a 2 GB partition to Win32, just in case I need it. And people accuse others of being closed-minded. Huh.
But don't go soft on me either. I want you to kick Microsoft in the pants when they find a security hole in IE and Outlook. And to further dilute my point, the Bill Gates/Borg icon is cool. Nothing against it.
- Ando
Funny funny (Score:2)
Not one Windows box? (Score:1)
God knows theres enough apps for linux to last a lifetime, but to ignore all else seems silly.
Re:Why? Is there a point? (Score:1)
>That's the problem with most of the public nowadays
Why? 99% of the boycotts/lawsuits/labor disputs/etc I think are horsecrap. It's getting to the point where I'll search out companies with the cajones to stand up to the professional whiners so I can give them my business.
The real problem are the idiots out there who hear there is a boycott of Fred's Frankfurters and avoid the company. Never mind it's PETA doing the boycotting...
All your boogers are belong to us
bar code (Score:1)
Re:Better hack.. (Score:1)
Scanned... (Score:3)
Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA, Earth, Sol System - All your space are belong to us
--
Should I be impressed? (Score:1)
What's so impressive about this? It's far too random and anyone can just skip to the chase by going to google.com and doing a "boycott, etc." search without the bother of a cue-cat & this Win program.
web analysis? (Score:1)
\(^_^)/
Re:i don't get this product.. (Score:1)
This, of course, would probably be illegal, so don't try this at home kids.
Do munitions have UPC barcodes?
Re:RTMark is a bunch of Spamming Communists (Score:1)
It would certainly beat those pansy "reality" shows.
And we could brand the "ball" with a UPC code, and scan him with a Cuecat to keep it on topic.
Re:Danger Will Robinson! (Score:1)
Re:no (Score:2)
Just change the driver for the HAL via Device Mgr. If that doesn't work, run SysPrep to remove settings and then change your BIOS--it'll rerun PnP setup. BTW, though, ACPI is a much better solution than those damn IRQs anyway.
Cuehack is not an original name. I made it (Score:3)
http://cyberkni.peon.net/software.html [peon.net]
http://cyberkni.hypermart.net/software.html [hypermart.net] *mirror*
I used that name about a year ago. I think the author of this application needs to learn to check to see if a name is in use before he goes and tries to take it. Anyone have any suggestions? Maybe it should be called YAC yet another cuehack.
Dan V.
Re:So sue me... (Score:1)
Mister Black, you are wrong for resisting the tempation.
If you have the time and ability to play counter-strike all day then by all meanse you should be polaying counter-strike ALL DAY.
I only wish I had your luxury. Counter-strike is the greates game ever made.
Yet another example... (Score:1)
Open platforms allow creativity to flourish
It is very much the right of DC to demand that their CueCat be based on a closed proprietary platform. However, it is the duty of people with different uses for it to show the true extent for which the device can be used.
Read the TOS (Score:2)
The CueHack doesn't appear to be selling anything or making money off users so it could hardly be considered commercial. If CueHack is non-commmercial then Google's service is available for their use.
Re:Purchasing Behaviors(?) (Score:2)
Or... you could not use it. I don't tend to read magazines next to my computer and I have a CueCat still in the package that I got from Slickdeals [slickdeals.net]. As for marketing in general, you could do what most people do... flip past the ads in magazines, take a piss during the commercials, and change the station on the radio.
Marketing people aren't my favorite people, especially in my company, but they aren't evil. They're people who are trying to drum up business with a hook. In short, if you feel like a mouse in a maze, don't go after the cheese. They'll build the next maze around a different mouse.
Re:Storybook Life (Score:1)
So sue me... (Score:1)
I want to build my own TiVO like system which can record and playback TV (I don't care about favorites or whatever, I just want it to record and playback TV -later I'll add DVD playback and mp3 player functions too). Can anyone point me to websites of people doing a project like this? Please help, I need something to do to keep me off the streets and from playing counter-strike all day long.
Thanks,
Mister Black
I am become death, the destroyer of worlds
Apathy:eat your bush (Score:1)
It is very disheartening to see how many people say they do NOT care about company xyz's behavior.
This is exactly how corporations with an agenda get away with all they get away with. What a waste of skin...
Re:i don't get this product.. (Score:1)
DennyK
Danger Will Robinson! (Score:1)
Portions of our genome are already being patented and copyrighted. That's a start. We need a large corporation to underwrite the copyrighting of the entire genome, so that it can be declared intellectual property and be safe from these kinds of intrusions. It might even be a good idea to encrypt the genome so it can't be stolen (since modern encryption technologies like SDMI have proven to be unbreakable), and so that no one can identify us from our cells without our private key.
I don't have a CueCat either (Score:1)
This precious thing (Score:1)
Oh yeah, thanks goes to those precious CueCat makers. They really didn't know the service they did to mankind when they made that little toy.
Why? Is there a point? (Score:3)
Personally I don't care if Campbell's Soup is being sued or has lousy profits, I just want to eat my can of soup and go on with life.
It's kind of interesting how they mention the debocle with Digital Convergence threatening people that wrote Linux drivers for the Cat, and then only have a Windows version of the software. With no source available. Jumping on the ol' "let's make money with this Linux thing" bandwagon? If the Linux version was so easy, why didn't they make one... and where's the source?
the gee whiz factor is a drag (Score:1)
Oh, I know, I know...but it brings to mind oohing and aaahing at a jerky, crunchy one inch window of oinline streaming video while sitting next to a wide-screened television hooked up to a kzillion-channel satellite.
Re:Better hack.. (Score:1)