fineghal - Slashdot User

Comment O my dear Economics: (Score 1) 504

by fineghal on Saturday December 20, 2008 @09:49PM (#26187929) Attached to: An In-Depth Look At Game Piracy

Whenever I see one of these articles I always wish for the ability to post images.

Or more accurately a supply/demand curve. (I'm going to use some slight inaccuracies to make a point)

If the price-point is ZERO then demand is essentially infinite.

Piracy is merely an example of this.
If the movie I want cost $5 I will buy it, and so will a couple of 100K people. If it cost $50 I won't. Same bloody thing. Just because something is pirated doesn't mean a sale is lost.

Comment Re:The creation and transfer of funny money (Score 1) 403

by fineghal on Sunday October 12, 2008 @01:21PM (#25346195) Attached to: The Rise of the (Financial) Machines

I would also suggest William Jennings Bryan's so-called "Cross of Gold" speech.

"If they dare to come out in the open field and defend the gold standard as a good thing, we shall fight them to the uttermost, having behind us the producing masses of the nation and the world. Having behind us the commercial interests and the laboring interests and all the toiling masses, we shall answer their demands for a gold standard by saying to them, you shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold."

Submission + - Legal problems for Wikipedia

Submitted by

ToiletDuck

on Monday March 26, 2007 @12:38AM

ToiletDuck writes: "The Wikimedia Foundation has been named in a lawsuit filed by literary agent Barbara Bauer, apparently over her less-than-complimentary Wikipedia biography (mirror). The lawsuit comes in the wake of the resignation of Brad Patrick, Wikimedia's General Counsel and Executive Director. When questioned about Wikipedia's liability in an interview with GC South last year, Patrick stated 'Our belief is that since every post is attributed to an individual, is time-stamped and is retained in the database, the foundation itself is not publishing that content. We view individual editors as responsible and have prominently displayed on every edit page that individuals are responsible for their own contributions. We take the position that we are a service provider and are protected under section 230 [of the Communications Decency Act].' Should Wikipedia be liable for defamatory information added by its volunteer editors?"

Submission + - Ubuntu running on the Xbox 360

Submitted by

Anonymous Coward

on Sunday March 25, 2007 @11:46PM

Anonymous Coward writes: "Cpasjuste has managed to get Ubuntu (comunity developed Linux-based operating system) running on the Xbox 360. It contains all the standard applications such as a WEB BROWSER, spreadsheet software, instant messaging software and more. To get it running King Kong is required as well as the vulnerable kernels. Read more about it here at: http://forums.maxconsole.net/showthread.php?p=4670 13#post467013 The news stub can be found here: http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=15411"

Submission + - Scientists powering batteries with soda, tree sap

Submitted by

BobB

on Sunday March 25, 2007 @11:22PM

BobB writes: "St. Louis University researchers have concocted batteries fueled by almost any kind of sugar, from tree sap to flat soda, and that could be used to power everything from computers to cellphones. Their thinking: If sugar can jack up the human body, why not electronics? http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/1288 6"

Submission + - Software Start-ups: What Worked and What Did Not

Submitted by Andareed on Sunday March 25, 2007 @09:52PM

Andareed writes: Many people have the technical talent to create a software product but lack the business knowledge needed to start a successful software company around their product. Renowned economist Larry Smith discusses what is needed to create a successful software company. Smith also gives examples of software companies that have failed and software companies that have succeeded, and explains why they were unsuccessful or successful.

Submission + - PS3 Cell Processors Making Their Mark in F@H

Submitted by

Shadyman

on Sunday March 25, 2007 @07:06PM

Shadyman writes: "PS3s are dominating the Folding@Home scoreboards. According to Engadget, "Cell processors have more than tripled the project's power even though they only account for around 13% of the total machines grinding away at any given time." If you have a PS3, join in the Sunday Night Foldathon! Check out the whole story at Engadget."

Submission + - Xbox 360 boots Ubuntu Linux

Submitted by curry684 on Sunday March 25, 2007 @06:21PM

curry684 writes: After a security hole was uncovered last month, it was only a matter of time before someone would succeed in booting a Linux distro on the system:

That's Ubuntu, running our favorite Mozilla Firefox web browser in the Gnome desktop environment, and a console window dumping the system's processor info, showing a sweet total of 3 Xenon CPUs running at an approximated 3192Mhz.
Video and screenshots are supplied for your leisure.

Submission + - Digg.com Accounts Compromised

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 25, 2007 @02:29PM

An anonymous reader writes: There is a cross-site scripting vulnerbility on the registration page of popular social networking site Digg.com. The hole allows cookies and sessions of logged-in users to be hijacked, compromising the account. The exploit can be triggered simply by a user clicking a maliciously-crafted link. A full explanation and sample exploit code is available here

Journal Journal: Corn Can't Solve Our Problems- Other biofuels more efficient 1

Journal by zipz0p on Sunday March 25, 2007 @01:15PM

According to this Washington Post article, the nation's craze with ethanol and corn-based bio-fuels is not based on a good analysis. It has recently been shown by a team at the University of Minnesota that prairie grasses would be a more efficient and sustainable source of bio-fuels. It appears that growers and politicians alike have jumped the gun by jumping on corn as a bio-fuel.

Submission + - Online Gamers Can Now Pay With Their Blood

Submitted by

Weather Storm

on Sunday March 25, 2007 @12:56PM

Weather Storm writes: "According to weirdasiannews.com, a game company called Moliyo, which runs multiple online games in China, has given roughly 120,000 hackers banned from one of its games, Cabal Online, the chance to play once again. The price? A pint of blood. Any banned player that shows up to a blood drive in Nanjing and donates a pint of blood will have their accounts unlock. In a response to a shortage of donors, Chinese hospitals and Moliyo developed an ingenious method of enticing gamers to give the gift that truly keeps on giving. About a hundred of the guilty have stepped forward."

Submission + - SSH Security Primer: Client Security

Submitted by nitsudima on Monday February 19, 2007 @04:51PM

nitsudima writes: John Tränkenschuh provides a quick survey of SSH client security issues and suggested configurations for the reference SSH distribution, OpenSSH.

Submission + - LinuxWorld: Managing mixed source software stacks

Submitted by

Jane Walker

on Monday February 19, 2007 @03:22PM

Jane Walker writes: "Get a Linux architect's opinion of Vista and four tips on managing a data center's mix of open and closed source software stacks in this report on Russell Pavlicek's LinuxWorld workshop."

Submission + - Anti-DRM Petition Response From Downing Street

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 19, 2007 @03:15PM

An anonymous reader writes: Downing Street have released a statement in response to a petition on their website.
It states that all products with DRM should be labelled on how the product can be used or not used.

It is clear though that the needs and rights of consumers must also be carefully safeguarded. It is reasonable for consumers to be informed what is actually being offered for sale, for example, and how and where the purchaser will be able to use the product, and any restrictions applied.

It also references the Gowers Report [PDF warning] published December 2006 and the recommendations proposed in the report.

Recommendations include introducing a limited private copying exception by 2008 for format shifting for works published after the date that the law comes into effect. There should be no accompanying levies for consumers. Also making it easier for users to file notice of complaints procedures relating to Digital Rights Management tools by providing an accessible web interface on the Patent Office website by 2008 and that DTI should investigate the possibility of providing consumer guidance on DRM systems through a labelling convention without imposing unnecessary regulatory burdens

Submission + - What Do Geeks Want Out Of Social Networking?

Submitted by

Praedon

on Monday February 19, 2007 @02:44PM

Praedon writes: "I run a Social Networking site called Geekalize, which is geared toward gamers, programmers, IT, etc. My goal here, is to bring a GOOD name to social networking and raise the bar, where there are such low standards elsewhere at other sites. I have focused on integration using YouTube API, I have spent countless hours browsing the web for new and unique things, but creativity can only go so far.

So I am calling on you, Slashdot, to speak your mind about social networking for geeks (and nerds!), and to give all the constructive feedback that you possibly can on what the standards should REALLY be for a social networking site 100% driven by the members."

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