Man, the more I read about this crap, the gladder I am that I don't live over there. America has gotten pretty bad about some things lately, but not THIS bad.
So, we can reasonably expect that they may try blocking 3rd party external hard drives out of Windows in the future. This makes me vary wary of buying another PC.
Wow. This is so hilariously wrong that I literally laughed out loud when I read Toyota's description of the program. It sounds like something from SNL (when SNL used to be good).
Now excuse me while I go use this prank on someone.
The thing that gets me is how irrationally reactive corporations can be to this kind of stuff. It's perfectly understandable for an individual to go gut-reaction and freak out, but when you have a table of supposedly intelligent people trying to decide on a course of action, how are they so blinded so as not to think of better courses of actions than to sue, when that is often the worst thing they can do?
I don't have the answer, but my guess is that it comes down to businesses letting the legal department run things. The lawyers see these infractions in purely legal terms: it is illegal, therefore we must sue. Whereas if the marketers were allowed to address the problem (and if they did so from a marketing standpoint), many cases of copied work can be turned around for their benefit.
...Also, there's what Anonymous Coward said just below me: The people using adblockers aren't going to click ads anyway. Although I have to think Adsense would be _slightly_ more profitable if the adblockers weren't used (you'd think maybe one in a million times those same users might happen to see an ad that catches their attention), but it wouldn't be enough to make any difference.
Also, as far as ad blockers go, I don't have any hard numbers (or any numbers whatsoever), but I doubt a high percentage of people use them. Furthermore, I decided that, though I ignore 99.99% of all ads, eventually there is one that catches my eye that I actually click on.
Either way, I don't see it being a big deal. Ads aren't all that profitable anyway. The best way to make money is to actually charge for something.
Ads can add value in some cases. Chris Anderson notes in "Free" that he polled visitors to his blog (on high-tech model airplanes or something of the sort) whether they would rather him take away the ads. Most of them said No, since the ads that pop up in his site are for products that are generally difficult to find.
As far as brands not figuring out how to use internet ads/banners effectively, that's true, but at the same time you have to give them a little credit. You have to be really creative to come up with engaging content for such a small area of on-screen real estate.
I am prevented from posting a comment containing my thoughts on this matter. I am also prevented from explaining what this matter is or from identifying the source of said prevention. I am legally allowed only to say that there has been a prevention and that it may or may not have involved commenting on a matter.
Honestly, I don't see the appeal, either. Pretty cool concept that you can store lots of books on it, but that's it. Far too expensive, and much less versatile than a real book (would you ever take one of these near a beach?).
I downloaded the Kindle app on my iPhone, though (in order to get Chris Anderson's book for free), and I will say that it's nice to not need a stupid book light to read at night. That's pretty much it.
On the post: EU Parliament Pressured By France, Removes Clause That Bans Kicking People Off The Internet
On the post: Microsoft Wants To Block Out 3rd Party Storage
PCs next?
On the post: Bad Idea Central: Toyota Sued After Viral Marketing Attempt Convinced Woman She Was Being Stalked
High-larious
Now excuse me while I go use this prank on someone.
On the post: It's Natural To Freak Out Over Someone Copying Your Stuff... But It Doesn't Make It Rational
Corporations
On the post: Ad Blindness Rules: Even Fewer People Clicking Ads
Re: Re: [TDR]
On the post: Ad Blindness Rules: Even Fewer People Clicking Ads
Re: [TDR]
Also, as far as ad blockers go, I don't have any hard numbers (or any numbers whatsoever), but I doubt a high percentage of people use them. Furthermore, I decided that, though I ignore 99.99% of all ads, eventually there is one that catches my eye that I actually click on.
Either way, I don't see it being a big deal. Ads aren't all that profitable anyway. The best way to make money is to actually charge for something.
On the post: Ad Blindness Rules: Even Fewer People Clicking Ads
As far as brands not figuring out how to use internet ads/banners effectively, that's true, but at the same time you have to give them a little credit. You have to be really creative to come up with engaging content for such a small area of on-screen real estate.
On the post: Freedom Of The Press? UK's The Guardian Barred From Reporting On Parliament
On the post: Public Enemy Trying To Get A Little Help From Its Friends
Re: Re: Re: @Robert Ring
On the post: Public Enemy Trying To Get A Little Help From Its Friends
...uhh
On the post: AP Wants To Charge For Scoops
But...
On the post: Did The FTC's New 'Blogger' Guidelines Just Change The Way All Book/Music Reviews Must Be Conducted?
On the post: Creative Web Destruction: Sites Go Away
On the post: Do Morons In A Hurry Shop For iPhones At Woolworths Down Under?
On the post: That Whole Watch An Ad To Get Content Thing? Patented... And The Patent Holder Has Been Suing
On the post: Will People Pay CNN To Help Them Report The News?
Re: Re: Re:
On the post: Doctors In Tennessee Have Been Faxing Patient Info To The Wrong Place For Years
The second he contacts newspapers with the names of the doctors' offices/hospitals, I can almost guarantee the problem will be solved.
On the post: Pro Tip: If You Run A Prison, Maybe Don't Give The Guy In Jail For Computer Fraud The Job Of Reprogramming Your Computers
On the post: The Myth Of Crowdsourcing... Or Misunderstanding Crowdsourcing?
On the post: Kindle Flunking Out Of Princeton?
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