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Piracy

Sometimes It's OK To Steal My Games 438

Posted by timothy from the eternal-debate-continues dept.
spidweb writes "One Indie developer has written a nuanced article on a how software piracy affects him, approaching the issue from the opposite direction. He lists the ways in which the widespread piracy of PC games helps him. From the article: 'You don't get everything you want in this world. You can get piles of cool stuff for free. Or you can be an honorable, ethical being. You don't get both. Most of the time. Because, when I'm being honest with myself, which happens sometimes, I have to admit that piracy is not an absolute evil. That I do get things out of it, even when I'm the one being ripped off.' The article also tries to find a middle ground between the Piracy-Is-Always-Bad and Piracy-Is-Just-Fine sides of the argument that might enable single-player PC games to continue to exist."

Submission + - SPAM: "Ready to Assemble Kitchen Cabinets" stylish way.

Submitted by jerrod34morrison
jerrod34morrison writes: Ready to Assemble Kitchen Cabinets are nowadays on high demand as more and more people are coming with their desire to give reality to their dream of the most stylish and stunning cabinets for their kitchen. Besides personal requirement or dream, many commercial kitchens are being made up for commercial purposes and those need to be very stylish and fashionable.
Link to Original Source
The Military

Submission + - US deploys "heat-ray" in Afghanistan (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by Koreantoast
Koreantoast writes: The United States military has deployed Raytheon's newly developed Active Denial System (ADS), a millimeter-wave, "non-lethal" heat-ray to Afghanistan. The weapon generates a "burning sensation" that is supposedly harmless, with the military claiming that the chance of injury is at less than 0.1%; numerous volunteers including reporters over the last several years have experienced its effects during various trials and demonstrations. While US military spokesperson Lt. Col. John Dorrian states that the weapon has not yet been operationally used, the tense situation in theater will ensure its usage soon enough. Proponents of ADS believe the system may help limit civilian deaths in counterinsurgency operations and provide new, safer ways to disperse crowds and control riots, but opponents fear that the system's long-term effects are not fully known and that the device may even be used for torture. Regardless, if ADS is successful in the field, we'll probably see this mobile microwave at your next local protest or riot.
The Almighty Buck

Ars Technica Inveighs Against Ad Blocking 1051

Posted by kdawson from the paying-the-piper dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Ars Technica recently conducted a 12-hour experiment in which story content was hidden from users of popular ad blocking tools. Explaining the experiment, Ken Fisher appealed to Ars's readership: 'My argument is simple: blocking ads can be devastating to the sites you love. I am not making an argument that blocking ads is a form of stealing, or is immoral, or unethical, or makes someone the son of the devil. It can result in people losing their jobs, it can result in less content on any given site, and it definitely can affect the quality of content. It can also put sites into a real advertising death spin. As ad revenues go down, many sites are lured into running advertising of a truly questionable nature. We've all seen it happen. I am very proud of the fact that we routinely talk to you guys in our feedback forum about the quality of our ads. I have proven over 12 years that we will fight on the behalf of readers whenever we can. Does that mean that there are the occasional intrusive ads, expanding this way and that? Yes, sometimes we have to accept those ads. But any of you reading this site for any significant period of time know that these are few and far between. We turn down offers every month for advertising like that out of respect for you guys. We simply ask that you return the favor and not block ads.'"
Software

Submission + - DSA recently announced new requirements to improve (pass-test.co.uk)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Accordingly to recent news from DSA -

Proposals to improve skills and safety for new motorcycle riders, drivers of lorries and buses and new drivers who want to tow medium sized trailers were published today by the Department for Transport (DfT) in conjunction with the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

The measures are contained in a consultation on the implementation of new European requirements on driver testing, training, examination and licensing which come into force in 2013. Other motorists will not be affected.

The main aspects of the new requirements are:

Motorcyclists -

The current two categories of motorbike will be replaced with three — A1 (up to 125cc), A2 (up to 35Kw) and A (above 35Kw) — and new rules introduced for riders of larger bikes. Riders wanting to progress to larger categories of motorbikes will have to take additional training or a further test and there will be a rise in the minimum age from 21 to 24 for those wishing to start riding larger bikes without previous experience.

Trailer towing -

  New car and light van drivers wanting to tow trailers may also be affected. The consultation proposes that drivers will be able to tow a slightly larger trailer on a normal car driving licence (category B), if they take a further test or undertake training. There will also be a restriction on the overall size of the vehicle/trailer combination that can be driven on a category B+E licence entitlement (car/light van plus trailer).

Licence renewals for bus and lorry drivers — at present, drivers of medium-sized and large buses and lorries need to renew their licences every five years once they reach the age of 45. Over-45s also need to demonstrate their fitness to drive through a full medical report. From 2013, under-45s who drive these vehicles will also need to confirm medical fitness and renew their licence every five years. However, under-45s will not require a full medical report and will still only need to renew their photograph every 10 years. All other drivers and riders will continue to renew their driving licences every 10 years as is currently the case.

Driving examiners -

Compulsory initial qualification, periodic training and quality assurance checks for driving examiners will be required for driving examiners. The DSA already fulfils most of these requirements but the introduction of periodic training will enhance these existing arrangements.

Are you preparing for car theory test or motorbike theory test ?

You can download all official driving theory test questions including new case studies and how to prepare for driving test; driving test free download is also available.
Visit link -
You can choose either direct download to PC or can buy driving theory test CD from
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Driving theory test CD / download application contains ALL official DSA driving theory test multiple choice questions, mock theory test and hazard perception demo clips for car drivers and motorcyclists.
Application also contains other information about driving theory test, practical test etc.
You can try the theory test application before buying. Once you are happy you can buy theory test software (with motorcycle driving theory test questions, car driving theory test questions, hazard test clips) from herehttp://www.pass-test.co.uk/common/buy_now.aspx

Driving theory test & download program prices are very competitive, the prices almost 75% cheaper than the driving test CDs available in market. So why wait, spend less money and pass in first attempt.

Submission + - Australian R18+ Games Discussion Paper Released

Submitted by
The Solitaire
The Solitaire writes: "The Australian Government's discussion paper on the possibility of an R18+ rating for video games has finally been released — you can find it over at the Attorney General's Department website.

The Commonwealth Government has released a discussion paper which briefly summarises the key arguments for and against an R 18+ classification for computer games. Censorship Ministers have considered the issue of an adult classification for computer games on several occasions. However, they have not undertaken public consultation on this issue.
Submissions are being sought on whether the Australian National Classification Scheme should include an R 18+ classification category for computer games. Submissions can be made by downloading and completing the submission template. Submissions may also be mailed or faxed. The discussion paper and submission template contain the contact details for making a submission.

Just a word to anyone planning to write submissions: keep them civil — I know the poor guy who has to read them all."

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