You know, you really shouldn't call attention to yourself like that. (Or maybe an AC supporter of yours is not really doing you any favors.)

For the record, those submissions you found on my firehose are there because I tagged them. That way, I can exclude that tag from my mainpage firehose filter, thus removing your posts from my view, without demoting it from public view.

I haven't moderated in years, and I don't really promote or demote in the firehose either. I like to use it to see what stories are just under the radar, because they're usually closer to the original spirit of Slashdot than what escalates to the main page today.

I never down-mod opinions I disagree with. I'll debate. I'll argue. I've stooped to trading insults on more occasions than I care to admit. I've walked away in disgust for long periods of time. I've used the "foe -6" preference and tag filtering to ignore people I don't want to deal with. But I will not use Slashdot's moderation tools to deny the other side of a debate their right to voice their position. Do unto others...

You can choose to believe this or not, Twitter. You probably won't, and I'll be disappointed, but no more than that. There's no sense in fretting things that are out of my control. I'm far from the only person you've had heated exchanges with over the years. (You should know. You have quite a list there.) There's not much to be done about that signal-to-noise ratio. The best any of us can do is to state our case, and this is mine.

iTunes converts WMA to AAC for use on the iPod. Apple singled out WMA format when they added that conversion feature, but now they just say "other formats" in their marketing materials. (Haven't read them in a while, since I've been an iPod user since the dark days of MusicMatch Jukebox on Windows.)

Complaining that iTunes on the iPod doesn't support Microsoft DRM doesn't pass my sniff test. I simply do not believe there is a customer in the world that would sue over that.

1. Joe Baggadonuts buys a PlaysForSure-compatible media player
2. Joe accumulates a large collection of PlaysForSure-encrusted songs
3. Joe's kid breaks the media player
4. Joe sees that iPod is "compatible" with Windows Media files
5. Joe buys an iPod
6. (Joe misses fine print stating that iTunes converts WMA to AAC)
7. (Joe misses fine print stating that iTunes will not convert DRM-encrusted WMA files)
8. Joe realizes that none of the songs he bought for his old player work anymore
9. LAWSUIT!

PJ can be a little paranoid sometimes. God bless her, she's got a good heart, but it occasionally outraces her brain.

Then again, have we seen this yet?

1. Joe Baggadonuts buys a PlaysForSure-compatible media player
2. Joe accumulates a large collection of PlaysForSure-encrusted songs
3. Joe's kid breaks the media player
4. Joe sees that Zune is also by Microsoft
5. Joe buys an Zune
6. (Joe misses fine print stating that Zune doesn't use PlaysForSure DRM scheme)
7. (Joe misses fine print stating that PlaysForSure licenses can't be converted to Zune Store)
8. Joe realizes that none of the songs he bought for his old player work anymore
9. LAWSUIT?

That's why those elevator rides take so long in Mass Effect. They added some news blurbs (which sometimes start quests) and conversations to fill the time, but they're mostly to hide long loads. A lot of players have complained about them, but I'll give BioWare credit for finding a way to use that time for plot and character development, not just a progress bar and some hint text.

I hear Dice used the same technique in Mirror's Edge, but without the witty bon mots from Wrex, it just wouldn't be the same.