The people of the south are often the butt of jokes regarding odd sensibilities. I always thought these to be unfair exaggerations. Not any more. I guess Sarah Palin needs to sign up - and every Republican.
It could be argued that the "Russian Soul" story reflects a hatred of anyone else's prosperity, no matter how basic and minor rather than joy in another's sorrow. But, I really like the joke.
The joy of the misery of others is universal. The Germans call it schadenfreude and consider it a universal character flaw. The Russians consider it human nature and is very well expressed in a classic Russian joke:
A reporter from Moscow is sent on assignment to travel the country and write an article on "What is most wanted deep in the soul of a typical Russian?". One day the reporter is driving through the country and stops when he sees a farmer working in his field near the road. The reporter asks the farmer to tell him what he wants the most, deep down is his soul. "Well," says the farmer. "I want three things: First I want peace and love throughout the world. Second, I want health and prosperity for all mankind." The reporter writes this down with glowing admiration of the man. "And what is the third thing?" asks the reporter in anticipation of a great revelation for his story. "Thirdly, and most of all..." says the farmer with great resolve, "I want my neighbors cow to die."
Google should simply agree and cut off access for any server Telefonica operates. Telefonica should agree to STFU about 2 hours/20,000 complaints later.
This is why I install auditing systems into every database system I design - systems I can't even bypass. When the system records every query, what was accessed, the time, the location (of the computer/terminal), and the logged in user the abuse goes way down, at least after the first person gets caught.
The problem with government is that they control access to the auditing records and hide behind 'national security concerns'.
The idea of the Internet that I envision is to allow everyone access to everything that is known in real time - perfect knowledge.
But, music and movies are entertainment and not knowledge. There has to be a way to separate the issues so knowledge is not controlled by corporations like Sony controls a Britney Spears track. Even the dimmest of law makers should be able to tell the difference.
Or Chapter 13, but both are usually very difficult to do due to a need to prove 'undue hardship'.
Anyway, this whole episode is getting silly. Fine her an arbitrary figure based on a need for deterrence proportional to her income. The $100 per track mentioned above sounds reasonable.
Bankruptcy does not eliminate liabilities such as a court judgment, child support, taxes, some government loans, or certain legal obligations. It only can be used to write off personal or commercial debt.
Even if you could it removes your ability to get any credit for seven years.
Software is sold by allowing free downloads of a limited time or reduced feature version of the product. It makes sense that downloaders get an unauthorized version first and then, when it's decided that the music is worth it, buy a legal copy that will generally (hopefully) be of far better quality.
I have never understood why anyone believes the rubbish published by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) or the RIAA or MPAA that calculates losses solely on the basis of the presumption that an unauthorized download is a lost sale. As someone stated earlier: 99% of everything on the Web is crap. Most downloads are of material that would not have been purchased.
All of the music I listen to I own the original CD of, but I knew what I was buying first.
I'm not sure there is music on MTV any longer. I can not recall a single time in the past year that I have seen/heard a single bit of music when I stop on MTV while channel surfing. They mostly have programs with brainless twenty-somethings acting like total douche-bags.
I guess you don't have to pay royalties for douche-baggery.
It looks like this is a long running theme of Fuhrmann's work. In 2005 he was doing PR against free dailies. It looks like the argument is a strawman. What the German newspapers want is to remain in power and stop any change in the current structure giving them total control. Just like Time and other journals it seems they did not anticipate the Internet and are attacking Google because they have the most money (ala Steve Dallas).
Hans-Joachim Fuhrmann, member of the board of the BDZV (German Newspaper Publishers’ Association).
newspaper techniques: Why is the German market especially problematical for the introduction of free newspapers?
Hans-Joachim Fuhrmann: Free newspapers are by nature problematical, independent of national markets. They are in total contradiction to the principle that journalistic quality has its price and therefore should not be given away.
Google has money.
Germany needs money. We need money to expand our glorious fatherland as is our Aryan birthright. We must take the money from Google that Germany requires!
Now substitute 'Poland' for 'Google' and 'land' for 'money' and it's 1939 all over again, but this time with lawyers.
I wonder when they start making IT workers tape yellow stars to their pocket protectors?
Google should cut German periodicals off completely for a couple of months to show the publishers what really poor revenue is like.
Microsoft's free Anti-Virus tools are Essential's and/or Defender. I have used both for several months and they have worked very well and solved several problems. I have several complaints about MS but these products are not in the list.
No, you did not say it was wrong to do so, just ill advised. However, a business deal is wrong (IMHO) if it places limited short term gains ahead of customer retention.
Have you ever tried to de-install McAfee? It is a virus!
The copyright infringement might be valid but after examining the offering of American Reading Company the A.R.C. 100 Book Challenge is an 'education' package for schools including workbooks, incentive prizes, and the reading materials. LibraryThing's 100 Book Challenge is a club and not selling anything except membership to individuals. This looks like apples and oranges, however, I have heard that a copyright undefended is a copyright lost and A.R.C. has an apparently huge financial reason to defend its turf. In one case an American Reading Company education package was listed at $3500 for 30 students. $117 a child can buy an entire school year in most countries.
The underlying problem I observe is more serious. Prepackaged corporate built education, spoon fed to teachers that can not or will not design courses is a little too Big Brother for my tastes. I remember the endless flows of crap and factoids (a 'Factoid' means something presented as fact that is erroneous, not a little fact - there's no such thing) presented to me in grade, middle, and high school that were substituted for information, free thought, discipline, critical thinking, and logic.
The reference material supplied by text book companies like American Reading Company were just as bad: Biology Books that called the American bison a buffalo, music books containing nothing that was not copyrighted by Disney - Disney subsidized the cost of the materials. It seems that educational supply corporations try to make money by saving on the research and fact checking or make you learn to be good consumers of their products in the future. Perhaps what American Reading Company is offering is a good product, but I can not understand why it is needed. I simply went to the library and read and, hopefully, questioned, everything could.
There sure wasn't much thinking being taught then and there does not seem to be a great deal of improvement today. The system still seems to be designed to produce thoughtless consumers of beer, cars, media, fast food, God, and nationalism instead of thinking individuals.
Google 'saved' us from Microsoft - who will save us from Google?
Seriously, Google is venturing into a market they do not have a great deal of experience in. I would be extremely surprised if they did not have problems and complaints.
This is why I have a basic $50 cell phone with a pay as you go no contract network access. The smart phone market is relatively new and there are a lot of growing pains to be worked through.
On the post: If You're Subversive, And Live In South Carolina, Please Register With The State Gov't
OMG
On the post: Spanish ISP Telefonica Claims Google Gets Free Bandwidth; Says Google Should Pay Up
Re: Re: Bad Things to others = Fun
On the post: Spanish ISP Telefonica Claims Google Gets Free Bandwidth; Says Google Should Pay Up
Re: Bad Things to others = Fun
A reporter from Moscow is sent on assignment to travel the country and write an article on "What is most wanted deep in the soul of a typical Russian?". One day the reporter is driving through the country and stops when he sees a farmer working in his field near the road. The reporter asks the farmer to tell him what he wants the most, deep down is his soul. "Well," says the farmer. "I want three things: First I want peace and love throughout the world. Second, I want health and prosperity for all mankind." The reporter writes this down with glowing admiration of the man. "And what is the third thing?" asks the reporter in anticipation of a great revelation for his story. "Thirdly, and most of all..." says the farmer with great resolve, "I want my neighbors cow to die."
On the post: Spanish ISP Telefonica Claims Google Gets Free Bandwidth; Says Google Should Pay Up
Just cut them off
On the post: CBC Gets Two Stories About George Lucas Totally Mixed Up
Re: Re: Damn It! That was Entertainment Gold
On the post: CBC Gets Two Stories About George Lucas Totally Mixed Up
Damn It! That was Entertainment Gold
The funniest production of the CBC in years and they delete it!
They did acknowledge the mistake in a note.
On the post: UK Whistleblowers Highlight The Dangers Of Widespread Police Surveillance/Database
Watching the Watchers
The problem with government is that they control access to the auditing records and hide behind 'national security concerns'.
On the post: Has The Recording Industry Reached The Bargaining Stage Of Grief?
Re: Do you like movies about...
On the post: Give A Man A Fish... And Make It Illegal To Teach Fishing
Perfect Knowledge
But, music and movies are entertainment and not knowledge. There has to be a way to separate the issues so knowledge is not controlled by corporations like Sony controls a Britney Spears track. Even the dimmest of law makers should be able to tell the difference.
On the post: Court Reduces Award In Jammie Thomas-Rasset Case From $80,000 Per Song To $2,250
Re: tick ... tock ........
Anyway, this whole episode is getting silly. Fine her an arbitrary figure based on a need for deterrence proportional to her income. The $100 per track mentioned above sounds reasonable.
On the post: Court Reduces Award In Jammie Thomas-Rasset Case From $80,000 Per Song To $2,250
Re: bankruptcy
Even if you could it removes your ability to get any credit for seven years.
Bummer.
On the post: What The IFPI Report Left Out: Its Own Study Showed That File Sharers Do Buy
It Makes Sense to Download Before You Buy
I have never understood why anyone believes the rubbish published by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) or the RIAA or MPAA that calculates losses solely on the basis of the presumption that an unauthorized download is a lost sale. As someone stated earlier: 99% of everything on the Web is crap. Most downloads are of material that would not have been purchased.
All of the music I listen to I own the original CD of, but I knew what I was buying first.
On the post: Prisons And Hair Dressers Latest To Push Back On Ridiculous Collection Society Demands
Re: Re: Re: Re: Great - MTV
I guess you don't have to pay royalties for douche-baggery.
On the post: German Publishers Go After Google; Apparently Very Confused About How The Internet Works
Re: Yup!
Hans-Joachim Fuhrmann, member of the board of the BDZV (German Newspaper Publishers’ Association).
Interview from 14.11.2005:
http://www.ifra.com/website/ntwebsite.nsf/0/EE365BA82BDF8A7BC12570B90057AFEE?OpenDocu ment&3&R&MIAJOI-6JNFCH
newspaper techniques: Why is the German market especially problematical for the introduction of free newspapers?
Hans-Joachim Fuhrmann: Free newspapers are by nature problematical, independent of national markets. They are in total contradiction to the principle that journalistic quality has its price and therefore should not be given away.
On the post: German Publishers Go After Google; Apparently Very Confused About How The Internet Works
The Fourth Reich
Germany needs money. We need money to expand our glorious fatherland as is our Aryan birthright. We must take the money from Google that Germany requires!
Now substitute 'Poland' for 'Google' and 'land' for 'money' and it's 1939 all over again, but this time with lawyers.
I wonder when they start making IT workers tape yellow stars to their pocket protectors?
Google should cut German periodicals off completely for a couple of months to show the publishers what really poor revenue is like.
On the post: Facebook Requires McAfee Scan If There's A Security Breach? Is This Security Or A Marketing Program?
Re: Microsoft's free Anti-Virus tool
http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/
On the post: Facebook Requires McAfee Scan If There's A Security Breach? Is This Security Or A Marketing Program?
Re: Re: how is business deals wrong?
Have you ever tried to de-install McAfee? It is a virus!
On the post: Be Careful Challenging Others To Read 100 Books, As You Might Infringe On Someone's Trademark
Education as Control and Profit
The underlying problem I observe is more serious. Prepackaged corporate built education, spoon fed to teachers that can not or will not design courses is a little too Big Brother for my tastes. I remember the endless flows of crap and factoids (a 'Factoid' means something presented as fact that is erroneous, not a little fact - there's no such thing) presented to me in grade, middle, and high school that were substituted for information, free thought, discipline, critical thinking, and logic.
The reference material supplied by text book companies like American Reading Company were just as bad: Biology Books that called the American bison a buffalo, music books containing nothing that was not copyrighted by Disney - Disney subsidized the cost of the materials. It seems that educational supply corporations try to make money by saving on the research and fact checking or make you learn to be good consumers of their products in the future. Perhaps what American Reading Company is offering is a good product, but I can not understand why it is needed. I simply went to the library and read and, hopefully, questioned, everything could.
There sure wasn't much thinking being taught then and there does not seem to be a great deal of improvement today. The system still seems to be designed to produce thoughtless consumers of beer, cars, media, fast food, God, and nationalism instead of thinking individuals.
Sorry for the off topic rant.
On the post: Once Again, Google's Customer Service Is Becoming An Issue
Get Big Enough and Everyone Hates You
Seriously, Google is venturing into a market they do not have a great deal of experience in. I would be extremely surprised if they did not have problems and complaints.
This is why I have a basic $50 cell phone with a pay as you go no contract network access. The smart phone market is relatively new and there are a lot of growing pains to be worked through.
On the post: Who's Behind The False Rumors That Facebook Might Start Charging?
Re: charging for access to articles
Complete stupidity will require a major credit card and a loan guarantor.
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