Comment Profit? (Score 1) 964
you're saying "1. We're not... 2. We're owned... 3. We're either... 4. We're probably
I see 1 through 5 and I see 7, but what's number 6?
Comment IE 6? (Score 1) 423
If the ballot goes by market share, does that mean the top slot goes to IE6?
Comment Appendix. Huh. What is it good for? (Score 1) 337
I recall reading somewhere [citation needed] that, rather than being completely useless and best removed, the appendix serves as a back-up repository of useful/necessary intestinal bacteria.
Comment Re:Cows are fractal . . . (Score 1) 152
just stick a cow [model] into a blender and render to whatever resolution you would like.
Cow frappe?
The
Comment Re:700 pounds -- goodbye safety standards! (Score 1) 319
A car that will never sell anywhere in the US due to total inability to pass crash safety test. I'm actually surprised that it can be sold anywhere in the first world, to be honest.
Unable to pass crash safety tests that are calibrated to being pummeled by a Hummer sailing along at least 15 mph over the posted limit, or crash safety tests that are calibrated to similarly-sized vehicles operating within the posted safe limits? Cuz, you know, if we're comparing apples to oranges anyhow, I'll point out that a SUV probably wouldn't stand up so well to being rolled over by an M1A1 Abrams main battle tank, so you should be surprised they can be sold anywhere in the first world as well.
Comment coitus interruptus? (Score 1) 607
Flus are annoying, they show up wether you want them to or not, right in the middle of something else you were doing.
I thought you were going to say "Telemarketer Flu"
Comment DMCA Angle (Score 1) 315
Wouldn't the standard way to abuse the DMCA be to put some kind of trivial "Copy/access protection scheme" on the material being turned in? The teacher is given the necessary tool to unlock/access the content, but anyone else accessing the content (without the student's permission, of course) is bypassing/circumventing an access control feature.
Comment Can he do that? (Score 1) 1
I didn't realize that CEOs were allowed to act non-reprehensibly. What's the catch?
Submission + - Swedish ISP Deletes Customer ID Info (thelocal.se) 1
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "A Swedish internet service provider, Bahnhof, has begun deleting customer identification information in order to prevent its being used as evidence against its customers under Sweden's new legislation against copyright infringement via peer to peer file sharing. According to this report on 'The Local', it is entirely legal for it to do so. The company's CEO, Jon Karlung, is identified as 'a vociferous opponent of the measures that came into force on April 1st', and is quoted saying that he is determined to protect the company's clients, and that 'It's about the freedom to choose, and the law makes it possible to retain details. We're not acting in breach of IPRED; we're following the law and choosing to destroy the details.'"
Comment Loop prevention? (Score 1) 354
So, would this do anything to prevent dumbness such as http://tinyurl.com/c6p4yl ?
Submission + - Judge Orders Record Company Execs to Duluth (blogspot.com)
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "Lest there be any doubt that District Judge Michael J. Davis, presiding over the Duluth, Minnesota, case, Capitol Records v. Thomas, really does 'get it' about the toxic effect the RIAA, its lead henchman Matthew Oppenheim, and their lawyers have had on the judicial process, all such doubt should be removed by the order he just entered (PDF). It removes control of the decisionmaking process from the RIAA, Oppenheim, and the lawyers. In the order Judge Davis spells out, in the clearest possible terms so that there can be no misunderstanding, that at the extraordinary 2-day settlement conference he has scheduled for later this month, each record company plaintiff is ordered to produce an 'officer' of the corporation, or a 'managing agent' of the corporation, who has corporate, decisionmaking, 'power'. The judge makes it clear that no one who has 'settlement authority' with any limits or range attached to it will be acceptable. This means that 'RIAA hitman' Matthew Oppenheim will not be able to control the settlement process as he has been permitted by the Courts to do in the past."
Submission + - RIAA Sued for Fraud, Abuse & Legal Sham (torrentfreak.com)
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "It's been a rough week for the RIAA as massive layoffs are about to cost many employees their job. On top of that, the anti-piracy outfit is being sued in North Carolina for abusing the legal system for its war on piracy, civil conspiracy, deceptive trade practices, trespassing and computer fraud, in SONY BMG Music Entertainment v. Moursy. Named along with the record companies as defendants on the counterclaims are Safenet (formerly known as MediaSentry) and the RIAA. This case first started out as 'LaFace Records v. Does 1-38' until the court required the RIAA to break it up into 38 separate cases, then it morphed into 'SONY BMG Music Entertainment v. Doe'. Only after the RIAA finally got its 'expedited' discovery did it become SONY v. Moursy. And from the looks of things, it has a long, long way to go. The RIAA hasn't even filed its answer to the counterclaims, yet, but is making a motion to dismiss them on the grounds of legal insufficiency. Sound like a good investment of record company resources, anyone?"
Comment Maybe if they paid for my connection usage... (Score 1) 900
How many of you pay upkeep costs to maintain (an internet connection | a vehicle)?
When I use my (internet connection | vehicle) to acquire something I want which is necessarily only accessible using such a connection, like (email | groceries), fine.
If I am required to (drive to the store | use my 'net connection) every ten days to re-activate my (food processor | offline, single-player game) - an item with no intrinsic need for (extracurricular driving | an internet connection) - I think the costs should be billable to the manufacturer.
Sure, you can put a label on the (appliance | game) that says "(reliable means of transportation | internet connection) required", but it's required because you want to require it for your benefit, not because it is an intrinsic requirement for (items which process food | offline single-player games).
I'm not interested in using my resources to cover the expenses incurred by requirements which exist solely for your benefit. Your bill for this 10-day-span's (driving | connection), and associated costs such as printing and postage, will be arriving shortly.
When I use my (internet connection | vehicle) to acquire something I want which is necessarily only accessible using such a connection, like (email | groceries), fine.
If I am required to (drive to the store | use my 'net connection) every ten days to re-activate my (food processor | offline, single-player game) - an item with no intrinsic need for (extracurricular driving | an internet connection) - I think the costs should be billable to the manufacturer.
Sure, you can put a label on the (appliance | game) that says "(reliable means of transportation | internet connection) required", but it's required because you want to require it for your benefit, not because it is an intrinsic requirement for (items which process food | offline single-player games).
I'm not interested in using my resources to cover the expenses incurred by requirements which exist solely for your benefit. Your bill for this 10-day-span's (driving | connection), and associated costs such as printing and postage, will be arriving shortly.
Submission + - To find DMCA violations you must violate the DMCA (ucsd.edu)
meese writes: staple is a tool that cryptographically binds data using an All-or-nothing transform. Why might that be interesting? Because it might allow for this scenario: to check for DMCA violations, a content owner would have to violate the DMCA themselves.
The basic transformation is keyless, but all the data is required to reverse it. The tool can also throw away part of its internal key, making the data decipherable only with the key or via brute force attack. If a content publisher, Alice, wants to check for copyright violations by another party, Bob, she could be thwarted: Bob could staple Alice's file with one of his own and discard part of the key. To check for copyright violation, Alice must brute force the stapled file (possibly violating the DMCA), which protects Bob's file. The FAQ has some more detail.
The basic transformation is keyless, but all the data is required to reverse it. The tool can also throw away part of its internal key, making the data decipherable only with the key or via brute force attack. If a content publisher, Alice, wants to check for copyright violations by another party, Bob, she could be thwarted: Bob could staple Alice's file with one of his own and discard part of the key. To check for copyright violation, Alice must brute force the stapled file (possibly violating the DMCA), which protects Bob's file. The FAQ has some more detail.
