Slashback: Injunction, Waivers, Black Hole 137
Meanwhile, kids, make sure to join the Marines! An unnamed correspondent writes: "An update on a slashdot article from Oct 14: The video game industry has obtained a stay from the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. According to the article, "the city on Wednesday was ordered to hold off enforcement, temporarily at least, of its ordinance against children under 18 using violent or sexually explicit coin-operated video games." The CNN article can be found here."
Those whom the gods would destroy ... Sacrifice writes: "The Times tells the whimsical story of an inventor too overconfident in the difficulty of a puzzle he estimated would take a genius four years of work to complete; three possible solutions are being reviewed after only 16 months, and royalties aren't enough to cover the half million pounds he pledged, so has put his 67 room mansion up for sale to make good on his pledge (Lloyd's will pony up the other half)."
.. then only criminals will play emulated videogames. Ultra-protective reader FortKnox writes: "Although we've all heard about retro-gaming emulators and copyrights, this BBC article mentions a few of the copyright holder's that waived their copyrights to emulators. Its good to finally see some of these copyrights being waived to let us retro-gamers get our fix."
quintillions and jazillions (with inflation) general_re writes: "Carl Sagan's groundbreaking series "Cosmos" is finally available on VHS/DVD after many years. Although it isn't scheduled to ship until sometime next month, there's a reasonable discount for pre-orders. Many of you probably remember how awesome this series was (I first saw it when I was 9, and still remember it), and for those of you who haven't seen it, go see it. One caveat: after hunting around Project Voyager and carlsagan.com, nobody seems to be offering an official Carl Sagan commemorative bong. ;)"
Take that, evil wicked dirty spammer scumbags! And that! And that! rhea writes: "As an update to this article, Harris dropped the lawsuit they brought against MAPS for putting them on the RBL. Read the final word from MAPS. Paul Vixie: 1; Spammers: 0." The close of that "final word" is pretty biting:
Not that there's any truly good answer to spam, but MAPS represents about the sanest approach I've ever seen -- it's voluntary, it's factual, and it makes no bones about either one of those. Congratulations, Paul. Keep up the good work.In the final analysis, it would seem that the only thing which Harris has accomplished was getting one, possibly two ISPs (depending on AOL) out of more than a dozen ISP defendants to start accepting their email traffic, something which they could quite possibly have done without the expense and complication of filing a lawsuit.And, oh yes, they helped to prove MAPS' position that it is up to each individual subscriber to the RBL to decide for themselves whose email they will accept, and whose they will reject.
Harris remains on the RBL.
Wow MAGIC (Score:1)
Spammers lose again (Score:4)
--
Re:what's this copyright garbage? (Score:1)
The relevant section of the Constitution is that Congress shall have power "to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Author and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective
Writings and Discoveries;" - United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 8. I will agree that this was written to promote innovation, but the part referring to writings (the relevant one in this case) is usually interpreted more generally to just be encouraging artistic expression.
Del
ya, DRAGON WARRIOR! (Score:1)
Re:not quite (Score:1)
What, and polio has an incubation period of maybe a week? With AIDS, we're talking about a disease that can remain asymptomatic yet contagious for periods on the order of a decade. An effective quarantine program would require massive blood test screenings of either every individual in the country or selected "at risk groups" (and who gets to select those?). And if you miss just one person, you have a very good chance of epidemic pockets reemerging--you've sacrificed the liberty of all those people for absolutely no benefit.
You also seem to have forgoten that dissidents were rounded up by both the US and UK for the second world war. The case of Japaneese Americans was particularly bad.
In fact, I have not forgetten this. And it was particularly bad. Which is the point, isn't it?
It is far too early to tell what kind of parents homosexuals will be.
Hey man, just read the Salon article I linked to in my first post. It's been studied. . .
Haiku (Score:2)
Perhaps... and it isn't me. 575's male!
Re:Is this really on Slashdot? (Score:2)
When I went without work for the summer. No cash, little food, lost 1/5th of my body weight. Yeah, food is good, but its NOT the government's responsibility to fatten me up! I'd really rather have free speech, since I can earn money (and thus food), but how in the hell can one earn freedom? Ooops, nevermind, already know the answer to that one... send some lobbyists to washington heh...
As sick and insensitive as this is going to sound, I think the US is already too much of a welfare state, ESPECIALLY considering that the unemployment rate is so low (c'mon now, its not like people are starving because there is no place to get a job). It'd be different if we were in the middle of a depression or something, but in that case, the Gov't couldn't afford to feed everyone that NEEDED to be fed. So, our nice welfare state only works when we shouldn't need it.
Course, I wouldn't go so far to say that the Gov't should increase technology development at the expense of social services (thats just dumb), but on the other hand, technology creates jobs.
Welfare should be supplied to those completely unable to earn an income for theirselves (i.e. mentally handicapped or otherwise severely disabled).
I would think this would save the gov't enough money so they could do some things a bit more beneficial to the country as a whole... like improving education, and providing a way for people to get out of those overpopulated urban areas... I just can't understand why it is the government would rather send welfare checks to people in the ghetto, instead of helping them get the hell away from the drugs and gangs.
Re:Haiku (Score:2)
575 submits the post
Missing a line break
Re:Wealthy benefit? Richest 10% pay 90% of all tax (Score:1)
Wraithmaster
www.wraithmaster.com [wraithmaster.com] -- Chicken soup for the spleen.
Cosmos DVD...'International Edition'? (Score:1)
"Fully international edition - DVD Region Zero - playable everywhere"
Um, well it's great that its Region Zero and all, but it's also rather annoying that they see fit to call it an 'international edition', when their(www.projectvoyager.com) online ordering system doesn't even allow non-US orders...it would be nice if people overseas could actually _order_ this.
Anyone know if this will be available through the usual DVD distribution channels? I can't find it listed as a pre-order or anything on any of the larger sites..
Re:Wealthy benefit? Richest 10% pay 90% of all tax (Score:1)
Re:The Eternity Puzzle and Christopher Monckton (Score:1)
After the wonderful 'political' slashdot articles I expected this much of a pummeling of my karma if not more over this posting.
I still assert that it's biologically impossible for a gay couple to produce children and I eagerly await someone to prove me wrong. To create a child requires a sperm and an egg and when you've got those two then you are talking about a heterosexual situation. Two sperm or two eggs cannot combine to create a fetus (and probably not even coaxed to do it with current technology). Therefore my statement is true.. A gay couple cannot biologically produce offspring.
And finally I wrote my original aspestos coated nugget of a posting because I tire of a certain very vocal activist element using harrasment campaigns to silence those who have different views. They preach tolerance but are themselves intolerant. Would you start a boycot of Coke and call and harras all the networks to pull their adds and write congresspeople to pull their business licenses if you found out the president of coke favored windows over Linux? Why is it permisable to do the same thing to people or organizations who might have different but equally legitimate views than you?
Because Christopher Monckton believed that one course of action should be taken to stop the growth of AIDS, the same course of action they are using in Uganda right now to contain the Ebola outbreak you should know, he and any of his business contacts get continuously harrased to such a point that it actually ended his business venture and probably put his livelyhood at risk. All because one activist group was offended over his opinion.
*shug* feel free to mod this down to -1 and burn my karma if this applies to you. You'll just be proving my point.
-- Greg
Re:Wealthy benefit? Richest 10% pay 90% of all tax (Score:1)
Hey, if we're gonna live in a society whose government taxes its citizenry, I want it to be fair. What's wrong with that?
To all of y'all, where do you get your figures (by the way, don't just quote another article which has an agenda like you do. I wanna see an unbiased account of this stuff.
Well, ya got me here. I couldn't quote a really reliable source on those figures I gave. In fact, when I posted that, I suspected that someone might comment on my numbers... My reasoning was, "well, if he's gonna throw random figures around, I will too." Until he provides really good evidence for his 10%/90% thing, I reckon I'm under no obligation to do so myself. :)
I'm a guy who had to drop out of high school and work full time at age 15 . . . [life story snipped in interest of brevity] . . .I have brought a bunch of computers to an elementry school down there and have set them up with Spanish OS and things like that.
Well, this is very inspiring (honestly, no sarcasm intended), but I assure you that you are by no means a typical case. Many members of the underclass are so immersed in a culture of ignorance, violence, drugs, mass media hypnosis, and so on that a life like this isn't even conceivable to them.
I'm a computer hardware technician and I'm not comlaining about my life or trying to toot my horn but I'm tired of the government telling me that I'm not pulling my fair share . . . [long rant again snipped in the interest of brevity] . . . give the people a real tax cut and give us an INDIVIDUAL voice in where our taxes go, the agencies who don't get enough funding because no one wants them will be shut down and should be if that many people don't want them funded.
Your main point here seems to be that you believe you could do a better job of distributing your wealth (whether it be for charity or supporting governmental programs) than the government. Well, perhaps you, personally, could. You seem to be concerned for the welfare of others. However, you are quite the rarity in that respect. I made a quip in another comment in a different thread that went something like this: "On the news one morning... 'In a press release this morning, Bill Gates, RJR Nabisco, and Time-Warner announced a joint $900 billion program to supply food, shelter, and education to those in need.'" Unlikely at best, my friend. I don't trust human nature enough to let people decide how their wealth gets redistributed by themselves.
I'd like to conclude by saying that, while I may argue in this fashion, I'm only arguing within the current framework of our society. It is entirely possible that taxation is a poor means of redistributing wealth, and that capitalism itself is too fundamentally flawed to provide an equitable solution.
Oh, one last point regarding redistributing wealth in general. I have no qualms about doing this because most of the wealthy elite in this country did not in fact earn their wealth. The vast majority of it is the product of the toil (mental and physical) of others in their employ. For example, while Bill Gates may have had some original ideas for an operating system (oh, wait, no he didn't), that doesn't justify his current multi-multi-mult-billionaire status. That's all the work of his employees, and his hordes of lawyers. :)
Wraithmaster
www.wraithmaster.com [wraithmaster.com] -- Chicken soup for the spleen.
Re:Wealthy benefit? Richest 10% pay 90% of all tax (Score:1)
Wraithmaster
www.wraithmaster.com [wraithmaster.com] -- Chicken soup for the spleen.
bad, bad, darwin (Score:1)
Re:MAPS is forced censorship (Score:1)
I'm sorry, did someone hold a gun to your head and make you choose the ISP you use?
It is rather hypocritical that /. clamors for one form of censorware, but fights against another, the forced censorship of internet connections in public schools and libraries, which is also a decision which is made without the input of the user, and which also supposedly protects the user from something which is bad for them.
The government isn't forcing me to use MAPS. No one is.
What disturbs me most about MAPS RBL is the small number of people that make a decision to add a mail server to it, and the same small number that can make the decision to remove it in the future or retain it.
I know this is a hard concept to grasp, but you don't have to use it if you don't want to.
If the government were doing this, there would be an outcry, but when a private company does it, it's fine.
Because you don't have to use that private company.
Bottom Line: MAPS RBL is not voluntary for the user, just for the ISP.
Very few ISPs use MAPS. You are free to choose one that doesn't. If you choose one that doesn't, you are free to implement MAPS on your own. Are you using an obscure definition of "voluntary," because that's about as voluntary as a service gets.
Re:MAPS is forced censorship (Score:1)
Considering many people already underwrite their "free" internet access by agreeing to view ads, it doesn't seem like an unreasonable step. Not that I would go for that, but there are people who would.
Re:Is this really on Slashdot? (Score:1)
yeah you're right, that feels good
Re:Cosmos was awesome (Score:1)
every schoolchild should be shown the last episode of Cosmos. It's over a decade since I first saw it, and I still get those goosebumps
I've got the hardcover book of Cosmos, the one with the pictures in, not the lame mostly-text paperback. I can't bring myself to even look at that one picture in the last chapter. I think we both feel so spooked because Sagan gives you such an amazing sense of wonder, only to bring home how we could screw up 10+ billion years of hard work (locally) for essentially trivial reasons.
MAPS & Like (Score:3)
For those people who think MAPS & friends abuse their power this stinks.
I know for a fact that some of these groups do network scans (which they often claim they do not do); since they do most of the scans via private network accounts they don't get caught in log files. I also know that regardless of the results of network scans that they will list servers which they think MIGHT exist but which they cannot test. (If they cannot test it from random net account it should be inaccessable to anybody wanting to use it for a relay, right? Doesn't matter. They will ban it anyway.)
Organizations playing god don't deserve to be on the internet.
Re:Is this really on Slashdot? (Score:1)
Because it is a good lesson that many of todays up and coming technocrats need to learn?
I think the story you posted ALSO belongs on
this is a web page they add things to it, you can have a story with little social merit, and not take away from a story that may have great social merit?
Jeez, you must be one of those guys that thinks the comics should be removed from the newspaper because something "important" can go on those pages.
Cosmos (Score:3)
Here's an interesting quote from the website about the DVD edition:
Very cool. Also note that the soundtrack is avaiable on a 2 CD set as well. It has Vangelis's awesome score, along with all the bits of incidental music used throughout the series. Damn, I'm going to order me a copy right now!
Re:Is this really on Slashdot? (Score:1)
Seriously, rather than providing more welfare services, and thus raising taxes and lowering spendable income, why not reduce taxes so we can afford to feed our selves? It's a win-win situation -- citizens have more of their own money to spend on food, clothing, shelter, and the government gets to shed the responsibility of providing for the crackwhore baby factories.
Then again, that's just one man's opinion.
Thanks (Score:1)
Re:Cosmos DVD...'International Edition'? (Score:1)
Still, at least I have Zone Selector (wink, wink.)
Re:Now lets make sure... (Score:1)
I never said video games caused violent behavior.
we don't know how the human mind will process graphics with the high degree of realism that we are producing today, or the future.
just because violent games may not have caused someone to step over the edge, doesn't mean future games won't. What happens when technology gets to the point where you clip a connector to your ear, overide all your 'naturall' senses, then input 'virtual' sense to your brain?(technology thats being tested on rats right now, btw)
Don't forget about people who have a tenious grasp on reality as it is? don't you think that extra push that one gets from a video game might send one of those people over the edge?
games and music have an effect on humans.people often use music to sych them selves to do something. Whether its to ask someone out, or drive fast or shoot someone.
I am not talking good vs evil here, that is a totally diffrent topic, I'm talking about unbalanced mental states. Over sensory input is used for brain washing, to cause epileptic siezurs, mob mentality, etc....
we need studies on this sort of things. how much does the energy that games/music effect someone and for how long?
How many people are so close to the 'edge' that they shouldn't play games?
and we need studies that keep pace with current technology.
does playing a video game automatically mean you are going to have violent tendencies? probably not. does playing a game 16 hours a day, every day have a negative effect on a developing mind? probably.
. so which is it? let the customer decide, or let the parents decide, you can't have it both ways.
I would also like to say, that this has nothing to do with a kids intelligence. Many snipers have been very intelligent people. this has to do with how the brain process information, something we are just begining to understand.
as to your last qusetion: before I can answer it, how stable was that child before he started playing silent Scope?
Re:MAPS & Like (Score:1)
And it's funny, there have been a number of sites getting on MAPS lists which have *never* been used for spam.
While they may have multiple lists to try and keep these seperate, the problem is the users do not have control over which list is used.
Slashdot users start screaming and yelling the moment somebody wants to filter Internet access in public libraries; but they will happily sit back while somebody filters their e-mail.
Re:MAPS is forced censorship (Score:1)
My ISP uses MAPS, it tags the email for me, and even provides filters so I can filter it server side and choose what to do with it.
You were saying?
Re:MAPS & Like (Score:1)
- Is a single test on port 25 (i.e. testing for open SMTP relay) a "network scan"?
- Are 7 tests? Each testing for a different vulnerability?
- Port scanning all ports? What about 5 ports?
- Is a webcrawl bot a network scan? It's multiple connections to port 80.
Which list? RBL? RSS? DUL? MAPS RBL is not exclusively for those machines that send spam. But also for spam facilitators. If you own a website that's selling the latest release of Spamware 2000 then you're a candidate. Likewise an ISP's netblock where a spammer has IP hopped around in can also get listed in the RBL. This all spelled out in their policies. MAPS RSS? While I'm certain there might be errors in the database, I'd bet they're few. RSS is open relays that have been used to send spam (a sample is archived). It, however, excludes certain mailservers where the collateral damage would be too great. MAPS DUL? Well.. yes. But, the way it is designed to be used, it doesn't matter. It's designed to only be blocked from making direct SMTP TCP/IP connections. While they may have multiple lists to try and keep these seperate, the problem is the users do not have control over which list is used. You're right. It's not the user's equipment. It's the providers, who have full discretion as to how their equipment/bandwidth is used. You can just jump off the "user's rights" train now, cause it ain't gonna fly. You have "rights" on the steps of your local courthouse. Your "rights" on my equipment are severely limited. Claiming there's crossover is a red herring. Slashdot users start screaming and yelling the moment somebody wants to filter Internet access in public libraries; but they will happily sit back while somebody filters their e-mail. Slashdot users are smart enough to know the difference between blocking mail based on content and blocking mail based on a bad "track record" of responsible net behavior.--
Re:Is this really on Slashdot? (Score:1)
I can earn bread, can you earn speach?
ROM images (Score:2)
Amstrad behaved very well here - many years ago they released the Spectrum ROM code into the public domain, or at least allowed people to use it. But Acorn (the makers of the BBC Micro) kept a tight grip on the ROMs from 1981. Some say this was because the operating system on their 32-bit Archimedes machines (Arthur, which later became RISC OS) was originally a straight port of the BBC Micro's operating system, and had many features in common. But that's a pretty poor reason to stop people using the original 8-bit code for a machine which hasn't been sold since 1986.
Acorn kept this up until their eventual demise a couple of years ago. I don't know who inherited the copyright to the BBC ROMs - probably RISC OS Limited (who almost develop newer versions of RISC OS) or Pace Micro Technology (who make set-top boxes). They could do the world a favour, and themselves no harm, by letting emulator users run the original ROM images.
It's a start... (Score:1)
Oh well, at least I own Metroid, Mega Man, and Mega Man 2. That's all that *really* matters, right?
---
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate [ncsu.edu].
Re:Is this really on Slashdot? (Score:1)
well, yes you can. it's called respect and power.
I am born without food and have no right to any.
All the food produced in my country is sanctioned by the state and I have no free speech.
Frankly I'd rather eat first, then drink free beer
Re:Cosmos DVD...'International Edition'? (Score:1)
"7 NTSC DVD's...", "7 NTSC VHS tapes..."
That's great for USians and others who have access to TVs that are NTSC capable, but when's the PAL version coming????
Just my little whinge (and that's what she said too)
hitting on Anne Marie? Not yet. (Score:1)
(Besides, Anne Marie may be fictional, married, gay, asexual, or simply not like me
timothy
Re:The Eternity Puzzle and Christopher Monckton (Score:2)
Hmmm.. I've had diabetes for 20 years and I've not yet given it to anyone else. I didn't know cancer was contagious either. Where did you get this one from?
No winner against spam (Score:2)
MAPS didn't really win because there was no precedent set.
This battle is over, but there could be more. What's to stop these companies from doing this repeatedly until MAPS is broke? Nothing.
I'm happy MAPS won, but this won't go away until it's settled.
Re:Thanks (Score:1)
Re:Now lets make sure... (Score:1)
Why not let your kids carry guns? I mean it is there right? right?
maybe we should let 8 year olds be in porno movies?
Freedom of speech has nothing to do with video games. Its about a person being able to say what they feel without the government banning them.
It is not about letting people sell whatever they want to whomever they want, regaurdless of the consiquences.
America has set certian guidlines for minors. Is 18/21 arbitrary? to some degree yes, but a line has to be drawn somewhere. The fact is, minors have very little to no way to compare what is good and what is bad, because they have yet to develop a point of reference. That is why we need laws to protect minors.
Yes, video game/music/movies do effect people, espcially young minds that are still developing. the question is, how much?
I am a 1st generation video gamer. I have been playing video games since there where video games, but the degree of realism is at a point now that the brain is going to not be able to tell the difference. actual I should probably say the mind, but lets not quibble.
2 last comments:
1: the brain is basically on organic computer
2: GIGO
*puts on his flame retardant PJ's waits for incoming*
Re:Cosmos was awesome (Score:1)
Re:Thanks (Score:1)
Btw: Can I get a hug?
Sagan Pot link (Score:2)
http://www.2think.org/carlsagan.shtml
Re:PLAYING games is a crime? (Score:1)
Offending games hidden behind curtains... :-) (Score:2)
Who's the moro.... genius, who came up with this?
"Strip-quake" will be played by drunken, half-naked teens in malls all over town...
Misinformation (Score:2)
What's both interesting and saddening is that it seems like AIDS has been dealt with as if it's a political issue, not a disease that is a "problem for everyone."
I totally disagree - but then I actually know someone who has HIV as a result of a blood transfusion before there was adequate testing (and yes, the person in question is still alive after 15 years). And by the way - people are infected by HIV, they develop AIDS as the later symptoms.
Consider, if a form of smallpox returned, which had a relatively slow spread rate, but was still deadly. How would it be dealt with? Would doctors be required to not inform those in contact with the infected that they might be at risk. Would we allow them to donate blood, even though there was a checkbox indicating they were sick and the blood shouldn't be processed (mislabeling happens)? Would it be politicized rather than treated as a disease, with political correctness taking priority over public health?
I hope this is just your lack of knowledge about the transmission of HIV. If you work or live with someone with HIV you are at practically no risk during normal day to day activities. Shaking hands with this person will NOT infect you. Neither is kissing them likely to infect you - saliva does not carry the virus in any measurable levels. Only when there is blood-level contact between the HIV carrier and someone else is there any likelihood of transmission. Even in full sexual acts, the chance of transmission is only 40%. This differs sharply from the analogy you raise with Smallpox, which was both shorter in term and more easily transmitted. So I feel your argument comes over as being poorly informed.
Having said that, it is one thing to know all this stuff. It is quite another to deal with it in an ordinary day-to-day situation and actually treat the HIV-sufferer as a normal, healthy person, which until AIDS develops they are. I have the greatest respect for the carers, nurses and doctors who help people with HIV continue to live normal lives. I also take my hat off to the researchers who have managed to find drugs which have lifted the 10-year death sentence that HIV used to imply.
Re:hitting on Anne Marie? Not yet. (Score:1)
You Call that Old? (Score:1)
What's interesting about the article on video games is that it doesn't discuss you having ever purchased the games in first place and being able to legally reproduce them in other formats to play. (IE- I'm making a legitimate backup copy for archive purposes) But, in this case you are using your alternative backup- what it was designed for...
They accomplished more than that! (Score:1)
They accomplished a helluva lot more than just getting off of a few ISPs' deny access lists. Harris got themselves statically added to many more sysadmins' access lists to *deny* all harrisinteractive.com, including all of mine. This was big news on SlahDot after all. In fact, I imagine Harris set a record for getting statically added to the most mail access lists in a short period of time than any other domain (with the exception of maybe popsite.net which is nothing but spam). This would exclude what getting on one of MAPS' lists would do for you. Think about it...
Revolutionary Tool (Score:1)
Re:Who gives a fuck about legality (Score:1)
---
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate [ncsu.edu].
Re:It's a start... (Score:2)
I agree with the list of games in this thread (Blaster Master, Mega Man, Super Mario Bros. (1 and 3), the Zeldas (1 and 2), Contra, Metroid.
Now I have a few games to add:
Nintendo was the high point of console gaming (and damn close to the high point of all of digital gaming). The only thing I like nowadays is GT2 for Playstation, which is a truly awesome game. But it doesn't come close to my NES. Oh that I were twelve with my Nintendo again! We're goin' all the way, Ryu, all the way...
Thank you.
I do not belong in the spam.redirect.de domain.
Terry Anslow of ELSPA is a dolt (Score:1)
"By emulating a computer system or game, you are effectively reproducing a trademark and, without permission, that is an infringement of intellectual property rights."
(IANAL, duh.) By copying old ROMs, you're not reproducing trademarks! You might be breaching copyright laws, but not trademarks. Whadduh ideeot.
--Yekrats
Re:MAPS is forced censorship (Score:2)
I don't think its necessarily hypocritical. If you think about it, some kind of control or filtering is necessary. The problem most people have with filtering is that the decision of what is filtered is a closed process. People aren't allowed to provide input or to know what is being censored. If I understand it correctly, MAPS allows you to see what is blocked and it at least allows people more input than a more closed proprietary product does.
Also, the fact that the decision to use it is up to the ISP is at least better than everyone being forced to use a closed system. Individual users have a larger voice with their respective ISPs than they would with a large corporation or with the Federal government. The truth is, there probably isn't a perfect solution, but this is the best I've seen so far.
People Just don't Get It (Score:1)
Guy- "But officer I was only speeding because my parents were usually speeding when I grew up. It was a bad influence on me."
Officer- "Okay, you're free to go."
Take the Columbine (sorry to resurrect something like this) situation. The media looked for a convenient scapegoat. It was the evil computer games they played and that horrific music. Give me a BREAK! Listening to music and playing GAMES, major emphasis on the word game [which Webster defines: Game- activity engaged in for diversion or amusement] doesn't make me want to go out and beat the crap out of people or worse.
When it comes to something like that, or for things in general it comes down to being the parents responsibility to raise they're children properly. Parents, take an active role in your child's activities. Don't just "pass the buck!"
Elite: Retro-Gaming (Score:2)
As for emulation, the old Sinclair Spectrum is perfectly legally emulable: Amstrad (holder of they copyright of the ROM) said basically "go ahead and use it, so long as you don't do it commercially". There is hope out there for retro games.
Re:You Call that Old? (Score:1)
Re:Now lets make sure... (Score:1)
Well, rather than let the government tell us what our kids can and can't see, why don't we just educate them to know better?
Shit, I've been playing Street fighter and Mortal Kombat and Killer Instinct for years... I haven't ripped someone's spine out yet, I haven't even gotten into a FIGHT in like 10 years, despite loads of money gone into games.
The long term affects of video games are at best unclear, while the long term affects of alcohol and tobbacco are WELL documented, especially the affect of them on kids.
And what you're basically saying is that kids are too stupid to know when a game is a game, and not real life. That's complete bullshit. I can tell you right now that kids know the difference between those damned polygons on the screen and the flesh and blood next to them.
They know that in real life, Gunjack would kick Panda's ass because he's a fucking ROBOT.
And as far as knowing good and bad, where are the parents in the formula? I always thought that teaching good vs evil was the job of the parents, not the government, I mean, otherwise, it would be better to just stick our kids in government housing for 18 years and let Uncle Sam tell them what's going on.
Let the customer decide what is right for them, and let the government work on the important shit like education, roads, and national defence.
Think about it... who are you more afraid of: a foreign terrorist sneaking in through lax security and letting off sarin gas in a NY subway, or some 14 year old playing Silent Scope?
Re:The Eternity Puzzle and Christopher Monckton (Score:1)
As if biological impossibility had anything to do with raising children these days. Ever heard of a sperm bank? Ever heard of adpotion? Last time I checked, there were plenty of gay families raising children.
Plus, just because OutRage! is a gay organization doesn't mean only gays would participate in the boycott. HIV/AIDS is a problem for everyone, not just homosexuals.
Anyway, staging a boycott is more about the bad press than anything else. The original boycotters make enough noise to pique the interest of the larger community.
If you're not wasted, the day is.
Re:The Eternity Puzzle and Christopher Monckton (Score:3)
No, it is not. Though it might seem a workable (I won't say good) idea on the surface, it's scary to think of the governmental mechanisms that need be in place for such a policy to be implimented with adequate swiftness and thoroughness. Any government that could elimate aids victims swiftly enough to stop the spread of the disease could just as easily eliminate dissentors swiftly enough to stop the spread of free thought.
it's biologically impossible for a gay couple to produce children.
Wrong. Gay men can produce children just as well as any other men; all they need is a cooperative woman to be the mother. It's even easier for lesbians, who require only sperm, which is readily available. And on top of it all, homosexuals tend to make excellent parents. [salon.com]
(OT) How society deals with epidemics (Score:5)
"HIV/AIDS is a problem for everyone, not just homosexuals."
What's both interesting and saddening is that it seems like AIDS has been dealt with as if it's a political issue, not a disease that is a "problem for everyone."
Consider, if a form of smallpox returned, which had a relatively slow spread rate, but was still deadly. How would it be dealt with? Would doctors be required to not inform those in contact with the infected that they might be at risk. Would we allow them to donate blood, even though there was a checkbox indicating they were sick and the blood shouldn't be processed (mislabeling happens)? Would it be politicized rather than treated as a disease, with political correctness taking priority over public health?
I intend no insult or accusation to someone with such a disease. I wouldn't wish it upon anyone; I don't think anyone who has AIDS 'deserves' it as some have horribly said. Nor do I think quarantines are the answer, nor making them social outcasts. But I think AIDS should be handled as a disease and not as a political/minority-rights/voting issue.
As always, this is just my perception from events over the past decade, talking with doctors, and listening to the voices in my head.
-----
D. Fischer
MAPS is forced censorship (Score:2)
It is rather hypocritical that
What disturbs me most about MAPS RBL is the small number of people that make a decision to add a mail server to it, and the same small number that can make the decision to remove it in the future or retain it. If the government were doing this, there would be an outcry, but when a private company does it, it's fine.
Bottom Line: MAPS RBL is not voluntary for the user, just for the ISP.
--
[offtopic] HIV (Score:1)
By the time it was discovered that AIDS was caused by a virus, HIV had spread far enough that it was already a pandemic in the making. It is not reasonable to assume that ANY quarantine procedures would have prevented its emergence in the population.
In fact, considering the mutagenic nature of HIV, and the long gestation time, quarantine may have the unintended effect of pressuring the virus to mutate into new, less easily detected strains with longer gestation times. HIV is adapted for slow and steady emergence in a population, whereas quarantine tends to be more effective for "hot" viruses like Ebola, which infects and kills rapidly.
Global testing of individuals is impractical, but necessary for any quarantine strategy to eliminate the virus from the population. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that it wouldn't cross over again into humans from the wild, unless we kill all the monkeys (something that SIV has not done, BTW.)
Therefore, vaccination on a massive scale, much like with small pox, is probably the only viable method for eliminating HIV, assuming an effective vaccine for all strains can ever be produced. Otherwise, we can only continue to deal with the symptoms of a disease that is here to stay.
And despite viral threats like HIV, antibiotic resistant tuberculosis is probably what is really going to be killing us all in the future.
Re:Mmmm Cosmos on DVD... (Score:1)
Whoa!
It's like deja vu, all over again!
t_t_b
--
I think not; therefore I ain't®
Re:Thanks (Score:1)
It reminds me of my several years of bipolar affective disorder, manic depression, when I would at times wander barefoot through concrete suburbs, reeling about like a drunk, then open the bible at random and read something that I would interpret as imputing my personal condemnation.
-- Anne Marie
Re:The Eternity Puzzle and Christopher Monckton (Score:1)
Wraithmaster
www.wraithmaster.com [wraithmaster.com] -- Chicken soup for the spleen.
Re:Typical Brit (Score:1)
You mean in the way chickens can't vote?
Or that Bush will batter and deep fry us and serve us in his multinational cannibalistic fast food chain?
Would an American voting for Al Gore be like chickens voting for....what? What do chickens really want? What will it take to swing that chicken vote?
Exactly what presidential candidate is chicken friendly?
Which one is TOO chicken friendly?
Face it, all creatures either ignore chickens, or eat them. Oh, I suppose they comfort themselves at night, in their little chicken beds, that they can make a difference in the world. But all a chicken can really do is peck at things and lay eggs. So when you go to the henhouse, and move among their trusting hearts like a wolf among, er, chickens. Take a moment to reflect how a chicken fits in the great universal scheme of things.
As your dinner.
Later
Erik Z
well... (Score:2)
Most people would disagree with you.
Re:Thanks (Score:2)
Consciousness is not what it thinks it is
Thought exists only as an abstraction
Re:Vote for Bush! "Because it's time for a change. (Score:1)
Re:WHAT THE HELL (Score:1)
Well, yes and no. The US probably couldn't invade and take over ther PRC, but if worse came to worst, the US could go nuke and destroy them, and the PRC certainly could not invade the US. Loads of PLA troops would have to somehow get to the US, past SSNs, carrier battle groups, and the USAF, without any log-range air support etc. of their own. Not too likely. Now, if the PRC really wanted to get Taiwan back, it would be hard/impossible to stop them, and we could never liberate the peasants and install our own regime miltarily. It more comes down to how interventionist you want your foreign policy to be.
Re:You forgot some games... (Score:2)
Final Fantasy 4 is one of 2 games that has actually brought tears to my eyes.
The UW-Madison Film (Score:1)
My favorite part was the "soundtrack," which consisted of some folkie with a guitar singing the names of the different components of the reactions. It doesn't sound too funny, but you had to hear the enthusiasm in his voice as he shouted out "t-RNA!"
Thanks for the memory.
--
Re:The Eternity Puzzle and Christopher Monckton (Score:1)
I wouldn't even call it workable. If I recall correctly (and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong), HIV can go for months in the bloodstream without even being detected. So even if some government was cruel enough to quarantine people with AIDS, it wouldn't get rid of the disease. The first wave would get rid of people with obvious symptoms and those who have been infected for awhile. The disease would still circulate though.
It would become an undetectable threat that, when detected, would be an instant death sentence. (What kind of health care do you think society would want to provide to a quarantined group of "infectious threats." And a government that would quarantine individuals based on a disease they have is just a short hop from simply killing them. (Again, once you make someone an outcast it dehumanizes them and making them viewed as "expendable.")
Sounds to me like a slippery slope leading towards Nazi Germany. And if anyone thinks that it wouldn't affect them, I suggest they read "Then they came for me" by Pastor Martin Niemller:
"First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak up because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak up because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak up because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I did not speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me."
So to the person who said "Is it reasonable to trade the freedom of a few thousand...for the lives of the millions": Just remember, which thousand are sacrificed can easily change from a group you don't belong to, to a group you do belong to.
ORBS is not a friend of MAPS (Score:2)
-russ
Get your email elsewhere (Score:2)
-russ
Re:It's a start... (Score:1)
I also have Ninja Gaiden 3, actually; they're all awesome. Go Ryu Hayabusa! I can't remember her name, I want to say 'Linda' or 'Jane' or something, but I could check.
Actually, if you liked Ninja Gaiden... do you remember Strider? I loved that game for the NES. The arcade version was pretty, but it came nowhere near the NES version for plot and puzzle solving and whatnot.
---
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate [ncsu.edu].
Re:MAPS & Like (Score:1)
Organizations playing god don't deserve to be on the internet.
I agree with that. But it's not MAPS who is playing God. There is certain other organization [networksolutions.com] that frequently attempts to do so.
___
Re:MAPS & Like (Score:1)
What a #$^%@&^!'ed up comment.
Participation in MAPS is voluntary.
Believing in GOD is voluntary.
Just because you don't hold the same ideals or beilefs as those who CHOOSE to use MAPS (or believe in GOD) doesn't mean that everyone should be denyed the right to CHOOSE based on your beliefs.
Re:WHAT THE HELL (Score:1)
Finally, I'd like to ask, what relevance does someone's sexual orientation have to their views on America's bloated military? Or Linux, or the PRC (where, coincidentally, I doubt Linux is very popular)? Your homophobic remark only serves to get you mentally filed in the "bigot" bin. If you're going to argue against homosexuality, do it respectfully and logically, not at random.
Wraithmasterwww.wraithmaster.com [wraithmaster.com] -- Chicken soup for the spleen.
Re:Cosmos was awesome (Score:2)
However...
The miserable, well-poisoning donkey blowers are only making the DVD available (as far as I can see) to denizens of the US. What about us humble Irishmen? How do we get it? DVD express (usually so reliable) never heard of it. Nor did DVD empire.
If any kind soul knows of a site that'll sell it to foreigners, I'd appreciate a note.
Y'know, when this happened with the boxed set of Urusei Yatsura movies, I was pissed off. But denying Cosmos to the Rest of The World isn't just annoying, it's positively criminal.
Too Gracious To Be True (Score:1)
"We could have been sitting pretty but it has worked out well for the winner who will be richer than I am."
Re:MAPS is forced censorship (Score:1)
Wraithmaster
www.wraithmaster.com [wraithmaster.com] -- Chicken soup for the spleen.
Re:Wealthy benefit? Richest 10% pay 90% of all tax (Score:2)
This whole attitude that the rich are entitled to something because they're rich strikes me as arrogant in the extreme. You know why the richest 10% pay 90% of all taxes? Because the richest 1% has 99% of the money. And, if my calculations are correct, that leaves the rest of us paying, proportionately, oh, ten times as much in taxes.
Wraithmaster
www.wraithmaster.com [wraithmaster.com] -- Chicken soup for the spleen.
Quirky Science Films (Score:2)
How about The Mechanical Universe [learner.org]? If you missed it the first time around, Real-player clips are available here [learner.org]. If nothing else, look for the early-eighties animation; stay for the fun of it.
Or how about Powers of Ten [eamesoffice.com]? (Both the rough sketch, with the cool relativity clock, and the final in color, with SEM photos, instead of drawings, are great.)
For a change, consider Why Man Creates [pyramidmedia.com]. This thing did win the Academy, and it deserved it. Darned funny, trenchant, moving, and scary.
If you want to go further back, how about all the Bell Science films, including Hemo the Magnificent [videoflicks.com]. Darned patronizing in places, but they got many of us kidniks started in science.
And then there's the film that got away... My husband remembers the one he saw at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1978 or 1979. His pupils still dilate as he laughs about the use of student volunteers to model ADP/ATP cycles, complete with CO2 fire extinguishers to show energy being given off. Titles gratefully accepted.
PLAYING games is a crime? (Score:3)
the playing of "classic games" is a crime
That's not quite what they meant, of course, but the fact is that many companies would like to make it a crime to play these games (even if you actually legally own them. See all the complaining about emulators, even if you're using it for your own games.) It's this part that really annoys me about the attitude of the game companies ... they want you to buy their new (and generally not very good) games so badly that they want to remove the chance to play these older games. A video game is a work of art, and it seems like a shame that they would effectively destroy them because they're incapable of otherwise turning a profit.
I don't think that, legally, we'll be able to make any ground on this issue ... at least, until somebody manages to get copyright law reverted to a somewhat sane state ... but until then, I hope that the little 'rebellion' keeps going strong.
Oh yeah? (Score:2)
I just made a liar out of Timothy.
Yeah but. . . (Score:3)
But here it seems more like
Slashdot: 0; Spammers 9
But you can test for the use of the RBL (Score:2)
-russ
Re:Is this really on Slashdot? (Score:2)
I think the idea of bringing the Internet to countries with 4% literacy rates is sketchy at best. Electricity, water, roads, sufficient food supply & distribution of same, and universal public education in the 3 R's would all be a better start.
OTOH, the 'Net can be a valuable tool for revolutionaries, and a great way to exchange information under the noses of the oppressive & greed-headed regimes that tend to lead countries to third-worldness to begin with.
Anyway, I guess I think it couldn't hurt, it might help, but there are other things that might help more.
OK,
- B
Re:Ahem! Perhaps NADER should be mentioned. (Score:2)
Re:MAPS & Like (Score:2)
The reference to "network scans" (in itself a subjective term) is referring to ORBS [orbs.org] and, possibly, the now-defunct IMRSS. See my previous post [slashdot.org] for information on the differences between the various anti-spam IP lists. Neither of these lists has anything to do with MAPS [mail-abuse.org]. MAPS considers active networking scanning abusive. However, having received a spam, then testing to see if the offending machine is an open relay would not be considered a "network scan". Note: I am not an employee of MAPS. I do not speak for MAPS in any capacity. Rather, from a position of familiarity with their policies.
--
Re:Is this really on Slashdot? (Score:2)
Wraithmaster
www.wraithmaster.com [wraithmaster.com] -- Chicken soup for the spleen.
Re:Is this really on Slashdot? (Score:2)
From the prev. poster: "load of plastic polygons that you have to fit into a hexagon shape. All the pieces are the same plain featureless green."
Ahh... At first I was wondering why 'validation' was more complicated than comparing allegedly complete puzzle to boxtop. I mean, I know six-year olds that can do that.
Of course, if all the pieces are the same color, and the pieces are put together, then what more is there for the 'validators' to do than look at it and say, "Yup. That thar puzzle is plumb put together." -- no need to even look at the boxtop, unless you *really* wanted to make sure that it is supposed to be solid green.
:)
-----
D. Fischer
7th Circuit decision is pleasant but no surprise (Score:5)
TheSeventhCircuit |topornographyin |excitedaboutabig
Appealshasastrong |general,sincethe |precedent,,remember
trackrecordonfree-|ordinanceswept |thattheSupreme
speechrightsevenfor|broadlyandwould've |Court rarelyhears
sexuallyexplicit |evencoveredsuch |caseslikethisone
speech. AmericanBook|----------------------|unlesstheycom
Sellersv.Hudnutcame|TheSeventhCircuitof|fromCon
outofthe7thCircuit|Appealshasastrong|--localpol
andstruckdownthe |trackrecordonfree-|rarelytouchedonce
Indianapolisordinance|speechrightsevenfor|they'
againstpornography |sexuallyexplicit |bytheintermediate
deemeddegradingto |speech. |appealscourts. On
women(regardlessof |----------------------|theotherhand,the
howmuchpainthe |artisticworksas |Rehnquistcourthas
womenexperience,it's|Shakespeare'sand |beenespecially
stillconsidered |others'). Butbefore|attentivetoparents'
speech--aresultI |you1stamendment |"rights"oflate,so
actuallyagreewithin|mavensgettoo |nothingisassured.
spiteofmyopposition|
Re:7th Circuit decision is pleasant but no surpris (Score:2)
Retro games ok? Awesome! (Score:3)
Anyone who appreciates such gestures should voice their support. Send mail thanking Ian Bell [mailto], and check out his web site [clara.net]. Do the same for Jeff Minter by following the links above. And hunt down these guys' circa-1980-hot-shot-game-programmer peers, show some love and relive the old days of 8-bit.
If you're not wasted, the day is.
Re:Is this really on Slashdot? (Score:2)
But then, Linux Weekly News has been covering it pretty well. Maybe the boys here figure that putting it on
Oh, and when I said "conference" previously, I meant "bending-over-and-kissing-our-own-asses".
what's this copyright garbage? (Score:2)
I'm surely no lawyer, but i'm pretty sure that the copyright is only to reserve the right for enough time to make profits off of the copyrighted noun. once the copyright holder has stopped attempting to make profits on the object, he or she has, in effect, relenquished hold on the 'right to copy.'
also, the copyright is to promote something like scientific development, invention, and innovation. its been a while since ive read the law its self. but once the copyright is stifling creativity and development, or even our simple enjoyment, by preventing others from using (example) these emulators and ROMs, then the copyright is working at cross purposes.
when you stop using your copy right, then it shouldn't still exist. keeping others from using it, and yet not using it your self, i can't think of anything to compare it to other than greediness. if a certain company gives up on selling or servicing a product, then the company does not deserve the right to claim it. if they want to claim it, then they should have a reason for maintaining the copyright (such as selling me my favorite 8-bit nintendo with complete mario brothers game set) .
just a few pennies i had kicking around.
The Eternity Puzzle and Christopher Monckton (Score:5)
The puzzle developed by Christopher Monckton is The Eternity Puzzle [eternity-puzzle.co.uk]. (Also check out this unoffical page [mathpuzzle.com]). Interestingly enough, there was a distributed computing project [swissknifesoftware.com] designed to solve the puzzle, but the effort was suspended after the threat of legal action. [swissknifesoftware.com] And the game in question was boycotted after Monckton urged that the entire population of the United States and Britain should be compulsorily tested for HIV, and that everyone with the virus should be forcibly quarantined for life. [nz.com]
Cosmos was awesome (Score:3)
I loved it. Sagan did such a good job of illuminating the wonders of science and our world. The whole series is organized wonderfully, and Sagan himself is so enthusiastic about the subject matter..
If you haven't seen it, snatch up a copy when it comes out. Geez I get goosebumps just thinking about it... SHows how geeky i am..