Comment Re:Or in other words... (Score 3, Informative) 203
I was quite shocked recently to find out that ACPO is a private company.
http://www.acpo.police.uk/about.html: "The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) is not a staff association
Comment Re:I don't get it (Score 1) 231
> you have to pay a television licence fee in the UK, even if you NEVER watch the stations financed by that licence.
Not so. I never watch the stations financed by that licence, but I don't pay the fee.
The secret is, you only have to pay if you have a TV.
Comment Re:What the hell? (Score 1) 653
> As for recognizing that they hold some form of authority over you, well, there's an old joke:
> Q. What do you call a six foot negro with a seven foot spear?
> A. Sir!
>
> The simple fact that police carry lethal weapons has more than a little to do with the "sirs"...
Got it.
Comment Mactini Nano (Score 1) 177
Looks as promising as the Mactini Nano!
Comment Introversion and Extroversion (Score 2, Interesting) 639
No-one's mentioned introversion / extroversion yet? Briefly,
75% of people are extroverts. They gain energy from social interaction.
25% of people are introverts. They lose energy from social interaction, but gain energy from solitary cogitation.
75% of intellectuals are introverts, and only 25% are extroverts. This is probably why the 'socialising for nerds' class is necessary.
Comment Snail mail ? (Score 1) 115
I wonder if they're going to steam open every letter sent in the UK, and photocopy the contents?
Comment Re:What's the definition of green? (Score 1) 165
> Environmentalism is the new Victorianism. Everyone ties on a green corset and pretends we're virtuous.
Right, that's going to be my new
Thanks!
Comment Advertising Blitz (Score 1) 439
If only advertising could be better targetted. There are garish billboards everywhere, many of which don't apply to lots of the folks who see them.
Advertising directed only at the folk who actually might use the product or service, would give us all back some minutes/hours every day.
Comment Re:The terrorists have won! (Score 1) 206
> Our dumb (tm) drug laws are largely responsible [f]or this.
You think?
Comment Re:Remember when eggs were bad for you? (Score 1) 224
I only ever used margerine on toast. One day I ran out, and had to spray olive oil on instead using a little spray bottle I got off Amazon.com. I can spray olive oil much more sparingly then spreading margerine.
I haven't bought any margerine since.
Comment Re:Missing option? (Score 1) 517
I was reading a web page about a DIY project and the author had written:
"I followed my usual rules, and bought everything online so as not to have to speak to anyone."
when it occurred to me that I do much the same thing myself. I get groceries delivered, buy clothes from http://www.rohan.co.uk/, and prefer to pay delivery fees rather than buy a tube ticket and spend a Saturday looking for an item around town.
This is more so as to maximise my free time than to avoid people, but I know how he feels.
IRS Looking at Google/Mozilla Relationship 261
ric482 writes "With the release of the Mozilla Foundation's 2007 financial report, questions have been raised by the IRS, who are due to perform an audit on the non-profit organization behind the massively popular Firefox browser.
Last year, the Foundation received $66 million of its total $75 million revenue (88 percent) from search engine maestros Google, so the IRS are looking for blood over the organization's tax exempt status. Back in 2006, Mozilla got $59.5 million from Google — around 85 percent of the organization's revenue.
Google and Mozilla are part of a 'you scratch my back, I'll pay your bills' sort of agreement, with the Google search bar firmly placed in the toolbar, and on the default homepage. Things were a bit rocky a couple of months back when Google unveiled the Beta-run of its Chrome browser, but Mozilla and Google hugged it out and sealed a deal that will last for another three years. That deal will expire in November 2011."
Comment Re:The *French* recording companies suing P2P apps (Score 1) 326
Yes, I have.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_Safari
It's a great album, that I bought on CD twice before downloading.
Submission + - How many slashdotters have a Pilot's licence?
permaculture writes: "Licence held?
Licensed Pilot
Licensed Sailor
Licensed Driver
Not licenced"
Submission + - Pandora will stop streaming to the UK on Jan 15th (pandora.com)
permaculture writes: "This email arrived today, indicating that the Music industry isn't softening its attitude to streaming music on the internet.
___________________________________________________
hi, it's Tim,
This is an email I hoped I would never have to send.
As you probably know, in July of 2007 we had to block usage of Pandora outside the U.S. because of the lack of a viable license structure for Internet radio streaming in other countries. It was a terrible day. We did however hold out some hope that a solution might exist for the UK, so we left it unblocked as we worked diligently with the rights organizations to negotiate an economically workable license fee. After over a year of trying, this has proved impossible. Both the PPL (which represents the record labels) and the MCPS/PRS Alliance (which represents music publishers) have demanded per track performance minima rates which are far too high to allow ad supported radio to operate and so, hugely disappointing and depressing to us as it is, we have to block the last territory outside of the US.
Based on your email address, we believe you may be listening from the UK. If you are in fact listening from the U.S., please disregard this email.
It continues to astound me and the rest of the team here that the industry is not working more constructively to support the growth of services that introduce listeners to new music and that are totally supportive of paying fair royalties to the creators of music. I don't often say such things, but the course being charted by the labels and publishers and their representative organizations is nothing short of disastrous for artists whom they purport to represent — and by that I mean both well known and indie artists. The only consequence of failing to support companies like Pandora that are attempting to build a sustainable radio business for the future will be the continued explosion of piracy, the continued constriction of opportunities for working musicians, and a worsening drought of new music for fans. As a former working musician myself, I find it very troubling.
We have been told to sign these totally unworkable license rates or switch off, non-negotiable...so that is what we are doing. Streaming illegally is just not in our DNA, and we have to take the threats of legal action seriously. Lest you think this is solely an international problem, you should know that we are also fighting for our survival here in the US, in the face of a crushing increase in web radio royalty rates, which if left unchanged, would mean the end of Pandora.
We know what an epicenter of musical creativity and fan support the UK has always been, which makes the prospect of not being able to launch there and having to block our first listeners all the more upsetting for us.
We know there is a lot of support from listeners and artists in the UK for Pandora and remain hopeful that at some point we'll get beyond this. We're going to keep fighting for a fair and workable rate structure that will allow us to bring Pandora back to you. We'll be sure to let you know if Pandora becomes available in the UK. There may well come a day when we need to make a direct appeal for your support to move for governmental intervention as we have in the US. In the meantime, we have no choice but to turn off service to the UK.
Pandora will stop streaming to the UK as of January 15th, 2008.
Again, on behalf of all of us at Pandora, I'm very, very sorry.
___________________________________________________"
___________________________________________________
hi, it's Tim,
This is an email I hoped I would never have to send.
As you probably know, in July of 2007 we had to block usage of Pandora outside the U.S. because of the lack of a viable license structure for Internet radio streaming in other countries. It was a terrible day. We did however hold out some hope that a solution might exist for the UK, so we left it unblocked as we worked diligently with the rights organizations to negotiate an economically workable license fee. After over a year of trying, this has proved impossible. Both the PPL (which represents the record labels) and the MCPS/PRS Alliance (which represents music publishers) have demanded per track performance minima rates which are far too high to allow ad supported radio to operate and so, hugely disappointing and depressing to us as it is, we have to block the last territory outside of the US.
Based on your email address, we believe you may be listening from the UK. If you are in fact listening from the U.S., please disregard this email.
It continues to astound me and the rest of the team here that the industry is not working more constructively to support the growth of services that introduce listeners to new music and that are totally supportive of paying fair royalties to the creators of music. I don't often say such things, but the course being charted by the labels and publishers and their representative organizations is nothing short of disastrous for artists whom they purport to represent — and by that I mean both well known and indie artists. The only consequence of failing to support companies like Pandora that are attempting to build a sustainable radio business for the future will be the continued explosion of piracy, the continued constriction of opportunities for working musicians, and a worsening drought of new music for fans. As a former working musician myself, I find it very troubling.
We have been told to sign these totally unworkable license rates or switch off, non-negotiable...so that is what we are doing. Streaming illegally is just not in our DNA, and we have to take the threats of legal action seriously. Lest you think this is solely an international problem, you should know that we are also fighting for our survival here in the US, in the face of a crushing increase in web radio royalty rates, which if left unchanged, would mean the end of Pandora.
We know what an epicenter of musical creativity and fan support the UK has always been, which makes the prospect of not being able to launch there and having to block our first listeners all the more upsetting for us.
We know there is a lot of support from listeners and artists in the UK for Pandora and remain hopeful that at some point we'll get beyond this. We're going to keep fighting for a fair and workable rate structure that will allow us to bring Pandora back to you. We'll be sure to let you know if Pandora becomes available in the UK. There may well come a day when we need to make a direct appeal for your support to move for governmental intervention as we have in the US. In the meantime, we have no choice but to turn off service to the UK.
Pandora will stop streaming to the UK as of January 15th, 2008.
Again, on behalf of all of us at Pandora, I'm very, very sorry.
___________________________________________________"
