Aussie banks are extortionately profitable because they have been illegaly colluding for decades to monopolise the sector and marginalise any competition to the point they are scared of imaginary competition from two decidedly non-banks.

I'm not really pro or anti piracy, I think we have to move beyond somehow. One of the most powerful features of digital works is the ability to endlessly reproduce them for a minimal cost. Before this though, I was pirating VHS tapes and casettes as a kid and didn't really see it as harming anyone. I think I was wrong about that, but I'm not positive. I don't pirate anymore, as I've found plenty of sources that let me download legitimately more media than I could ever listen to or watch. I also still try-before-I-buy thanks to seeing youtube clips etc.

I think overall copying is positive as it allows a grand and rapid spread of art and culture at a pace never seen before. Finding a way to utilise that, like open source and creative commons do, while still adequately compensating artists would be my goal. I'd say I'm anti-piracy, but pro-copying.

Ignoring the legal quagmire, can I ask, did you ever purchase something you had already pirated? I only ask because I've never seen a negative response yet, indicating piracy increases sales.

The motion is a factor of windspeed, so a windspeed of 0 wound imply no motion. It's not free energy, just efficient use of the groundspeed/windspeed differential.

No, that is a unique problem with the USAs parliamentary system, and citizens damaging other citizens property is very different.

No problem, this is an issue where brains are twisted regularly. The against the wind cart can be seen on youtube and such, it's fairly basic really, but this brainfuck seems to allow faster than incoming wind by using the delta of windspeed and groundspeed, ok my brain just melted halfway and I have to stop.

I guessed you didn't RTFA but since this is slashdot that's ok :) Even totally ignoring the DDoS he still did serious damage and should be punished. You can't just run a botnet that harvets names, passwords and credit cards and expect to escape punishment.

The thing is they can clearly describe the mathematics, the problem is this doesn't make it any less counter-intuitive.

Yes, you can easily attach a windmill to a cart and travel directly into the wind. Whether you can do this faster than the incoming wind, well my brain would melt trying to figure that one out.

It's not perpetual motion, it's just efficient use of the avaliable energy. I have a hard time explaining it though as does everyone I think. The trick is that the wheels drive the prop, which pulls the cart, which drives the wheels, not the other way around. A prop works just fine in a headwind, so going at or faster than downwind presents no problems.

Factor in his botnet, harvesting credit card data etc. on top of the DDoS and I can see why 30 months was reached.

Civil disobedience is one thing, vandalism another. No-one should have the right to ddos another.

Like every slashdot story about how oppresive Australia is, this will never pass the House let alone the Senate. Sure, they want an opressive Orwellian regieme but somehow our parliamentary system actually seems to work and put a stop to the idiocy before it gets close to becoming law.

As an Australian, I have to differ. I prefer someone who's trying to push me advertising over someone who's out to take my liberty.

AFAIK they can't vote for the president though unless they move to one of the 50 states. They get to vote for their local government and one non-voting seat in Congress.