Posts by Steve Barnes
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Got my first CD in '86 and built my first server in '93, I think. The intervening years were mostly spent at the Gluepot.
Details are a bit vague for some reason :-P
Musicmatch jukebox was my first ripper and hard drive space was accumulated from friends in graphics and software companies constantly upgrading their gear and me getting the castoffs.
Early adaptasaurus. -
Really? Because at the time they were no easier to copy than tapes or vinyl. It was several years before the first burners became commercially available.
I never got the whole "Burning" thing. It was "Ripping' that got to me. CDs were never the "indestructible" medium we were led to believe they were. As soon as I got a new CD I'd rip it to my server and keep the original as back up.
Back then you were lucky if you could rip at 2X but it was still better than the old 2X tape copies and , being on a server, much easier to search and playlist. The bollox thing here was that what I was doing was "illegal"
I still have thousands of CDs that have only been "played" once and they're all mine, mine I tell you. -
the companies were very aware at the time of the move of the 'dangers' of copying. It was used as a reason for making CDs MORE expensive,
I would have thought making CDs cheaper would have reduced the need to copy but then I think that rain is wet, so what would I know.
that horse is well down the road.
Damn it Rob. What am I going to do with this stable door now?.
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One of the things that has occurred to me on the subject of rights to digital material is that it was the distribution end of the music industry that thought it was a good idea to digitise content.
"The new format, CD" it made their end of the deal a lot more lucrative., easier to edit and easier to copy (less lossy than analogue)
Without DRM it was a bit like putting all your worldly goods out on the street and telling people not to take them. Sure, stealing by finding has always been an offence (all be it a hard one to prosecute) but your loss would not be covered by your insurance because you failed to keep your goods secure.
With DRM you stand to corrupt the copies that your customers have legally obtained, not a good look for any business.
So, digitising content may improve your bottom line in units shifted and in cost per unit but without that security you have very little chance of monetising the material in an effective way.
If the industry had just stuck with analogue the problem would not have reached the proportions it has now, it is highly unlikely that individuals would have digitised and pirated the content, it would have been larger organisations and they would have been easier to police.
The same applies to the printed word but with the added proviso that the book, or magazine, format is so far from the screen format that comparison is tenuous at best. As for the bullshite about talking books, gimme a break, the percentage of loss is more than made up by the public good. It is not and never should be all about money.
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"Oh my God, the CEO's painted his cock blue again"
"Bugger"
What the hell are we going to do Mandy? people are starting to talk"
"Geez, I dunno Shonya but it takes me back to the days when we were known as 'The Airline that really does Give a Fuck"
"Quick, do that hand wavey thing you used to do, I'll paint the rest of him to match"
"Good on yer mate, its a hard road finding the... go get the big brush"
"Oh fuck where's the paint"
"I gave it to the captain and he threw it out the window"
"Geez Ralph, pull a stunt like that again an I'll go an work for Brian Air"
"Sorry Mandy, I'll never tell them you Blue me"
"Geez Ralph, your such a sweetie, now about that pay rise..." -
Back again, this bit rankles me.
then is it fair that the rest of the community meets the cost of that risk?"
Yes Smiffy, To each acording to their needs, from each according to their ability.
You know, principles. Remember principles? you know, those things that go with civilised society, those things that stop uis sliding back into the mire that is the law of the jungle not your "one ring (peice) to rule them all" philosophy, your Calvinistic "God gave me the ability to treat you like shit and I must follow my god" bollocks.
</rant> -
And while I;m here.
Nick Smiff on changes to ACC regarding the age and safety of vehicles."If there's a greater risk associated with it then that's just what goes with it. People are making choices every day as to the risks they choose to take and if they choose to be in an older, less safe car, then is it fair that the rest of the community meets the cost of that risk?"
I like the choice bit. Like you can choose whether to pay the extra $160 a year or just spend an extra $10-20,000 on a later model car.
And what of the big late model Merc driven by that blue rinsed old hag from Parnell smashing into your reliable old Starlet, you gotta pay for that?. -
Hmm,
Two paragraphs from the same paper on the same subject* Introduces a policy-only examination order power, where people believed to have information about offending can be made to answer questions.
* Introduction of "examination order" power, where people believed to have material information about offending can be forced to answer questions.
Made or Forced, whatever. Either is still against the Geneva convention, which sadly, does not apply unless you are actually at war.
Rather a Nanny State than a Big Brother State anyday. -
Ah, well, of course a computer is a tool, and if you want to go turning it into a glorified jukebox, then that's your lookout.
Ah, but. Linux is fine, as a tool, its just that when I take a break from work I have a world of entertainment at my fingertips. I am linked to the world from the comfort of my couch and control it all with a click and a scroll of the cordless mouse.
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Which drivers didn't you have exactly?
ATI HDMI audio driver. Seems to be non existent for Ubuntu.