Comment Re:Pre-1972 sound recordings (Score 1) 171
You're assuming that sound recordings are treated in the same manner as other copyrighted works.
Damnit, Jim! I'm a writer, not a musician!
Comment Re:Some content should be avoided... (Score 1) 171
From the Royalty Free Music Website:
Because copyright is by no means eternal, eventually all creative works will fall into the public domain. For music, there are very specific laws that govern when a piece or song lapses into the public domain. If the Copyright Office has no confirmation that a composer or song-writer is still living and it has been 75 years since the first copyright protection order was granted, or 100 years since the recognized creation date of the piece, it becomes public domain. The reasoning behind this occurrence is both that copyright protection has expired or the creator of the piece is presumed dead. Therefore, it would be assumed that any piece of music copyrighted in 1930 or earlier written by an American songwriter or composer presumed dead by the Copyright Office is now part of the public domain.
Please note that I'm quoting the above under the fair use provision of the copyright law.
Comment Re:Some content should be avoided... (Score 1) 171
Actually, it was "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" that got me banished from the MP3 server. Patsy Cline was no match for the Back Street Boys.
Comment Re:Some content should be avoided... (Score 1) 171
Patsy Cline died in 1963. If the copyrights for her songs were renewed, the songs published before 1964 will enter the public domain in 2058. However, if her estate didn't renew the copyrights, the songs are now in the public domain. The songs I ripped in particular were the old religious hymns, say, "Just A Closer Walk With Thee," that's been in public domain for decades. Those MP3s got deleted from the file server within five minutes, as I fully expected to happen. Patsy Cline is no match for the Back Street Boys.
Comment Re:Some content should be avoided... (Score 3, Informative) 171
Mickey Mouse was invented in 1928, after that there is no public domain.
Unless Congress extends the copyright law for another 20 years, the Mickey Mouse copyright is scheduled to expire in 2023. Unless the Disney CORPORATION lobbies Congress again and/or files a trademark application, Mickey Mouse will enter the public domain.
Comment Re:Some content should be avoided... (Score 1) 171
This incident happened in 1999 and preceeded the Sony BMG v. Tenenbaum case in 2003. If I'm not mistaken, the Patsy Cline music from the 1950's were in the public domain. Hence, no copyright violation.
Comment Some content should be avoided... (Score 5, Funny) 171
When I worked at a video game company prior to the dot com bust, one of the QA supervisors kept pestering me to contribute to the internal MP3 server. So I did. I brought in my collection of Patsy Cline CDs, ripped on my workstation, and transferred to the MP3 server. My contribution to the communal music collection was deleted within five minutes and the supervisor stopped pestering me.
Comment Re:Windows 1010? (Score 1) 644
The eight-bit retro look is coming back in style these days. New name should be Windows Minecraft.
Comment Re:Missed opportunity (Score 1) 644
Looking forward to all the naughty bits in WinXXX when it comes out.
Microsoft Announces Windows 10 644
Today at a press conference in San Francisco, Microsoft announced the new version of their flagship operating system, called Windows 10. (Yes, t-e-n. I don't know.) With the new version of the operating system, they'll be unifying the application platform for all devices: desktops, laptops, consoles, tablets, and phones. As early leaks showed, the Start Menu is back — it's a hybrid of old and new, combining a list of applications with a small group of resizable tiles that can include widgets. Metro-style apps can now each operate inside their own window (video). There's a new, multiple-desktop feature, which power users have been demanding for years, and also a feature that lets users easily grab objects from one desktop and transfer it to another. The command line is even getting some love. The Technical Preview builds for desktops and laptops will be available tomorrow through the Windows Insider Program. They're requesting feedback from customers. Windows 10 will launch in late 2015.
Comment Re:No touchscreen by default (Score 1) 182
Could you really consider it a tablet if you have to plug a mouse in for it to work?
Mount it on the wall above your desk, plug in a keyboard and mouse, and use it as a cheap PC.
Comment Re:try SLASH (Score 1) 57
I tried to search for that story but couldn't find it. Flipping a 16- or 32-bit counter is a far more likely scenario. A 24-bit counter is/was incomprehensible.
Comment American new car companies since WW2 (Score 1) 267
I view Tesla as the best bet for a completely new American car company in a long time.
The U.S. Big Three have been around for eons. After World War 2 Hudson and Nash were hurting, merged to form American Motors, and went bust. Packard and Studebaker were hurting, merged, and went bust. Kaiser/Frazer tried, and went bust. De Lorean tried and got in to all sorts of trouble. Nobody seemed to be able to launch a new car company and make it work.
Tesla, on the other hand, seem to have cracked it. They're selling all the cars they can make. I see lots of them around here (Vancouver).
...laura
Comment Re:M$ Hardware (Score 1) 47
I loved the Microsoft Sidewinder game controller for the PC back in the day.
Comment Re:try SLASH (Score 1) 57
It could have been a 16-bit field. With the amount of traffic that Slashdot gets, the field was small enough to exceed the limit sooner rather than later. Hence the site crashed. This was an "Oh, doh!" programming moment if there was ever one.
