Just that. Too funny. I don't know anybody who doesn't have nearly the entire Beatles discography stashed somewhere, and most of those people would have been more than happy to pay for it. In fact, most of those people have paid for that same content several times over replacing worn out albums, then 8-track tapes, then cassettes, then disks.
Most of them don't feel a twinge of guilt over "pirating" what they have, either, having already paid for the rights, artwork, royalties, distribution, and myriad other costs so many times.
35 hours per minute is 35x60 minutes (2100 minutes) per minute. A minute's worth of low-res video = roughly 4MB, so 2100 minutes times 4MB is 8400MB of data per minute, which translates into 504GB/hr (8400x60). Over the course of a year, that works out to over 4 exabytes (8760x504 or hours/year times GB/hr). That's huge! Even if they buy 1TB drives, they'd have to buy (and have spinning) roughly 4 million drives/yr. And don't forget that's all gotta be backed up somewhere.
Then, think about how much data the gummint is stashing. I suspect it's substantially more. Then consider Yahoo!, Microsoft, Dell, HP, et al. It's no wonder HDDs are so cheap. They've got to reproduce like insects!
How much time/money Microsoft has invested in Silverlight has little to do with its adoption or efficacy. Look how many billions they spent repainting Windows to give the illusion of a "new" OS called "Vista", only to realize a major disappointment. That's just one of many misfires they've had over the years.
What did they think, that old, disadvantaged and/or financially challenged folks can afford high-speed broadband, but not TV? Those would be the very people who aren't switching, if they've even got cable TV service to begin with.
The degree to which the entertainment industry can engage in self-delusion never ceases to amaze me. I mean, it shouldn't even take 5 seconds thought, let alone polls or studies for this kind of data to be clear. I wonder if they have to do a poll every day to find out if gravity still exists?
Regardless of what artists can do, good, bad, or indifferent, BitTorrent needs to engage/encourage any activity that shows it's not merely a way to break copyright. As it is, it looks to some like some kind of dope dealer, only existing to facilitate the misguided behavior of others. As such, it's easier to simply outlaw their existence in a misguided and ineffective effort to control that behavior.
Thing is, bittorrent is an excellent way to exchange large files at low cost. The F/OSS community, for instance, makes heavy use of it to distribute software. This is literally free stuff that the authors/owners want to be spread around (or at least don't care if it is), but due to lack of compensation aren't usually willing to sponsor large server farms and administrative oversight to do it. Bittorrent is the perfect solution. Spread the time/cost over a large base to the point where it isn't even noticed, and everybody's happy.
"We've already covered the bizarre story of Homeland Security effectively working for Disney in seizing some domains of sites that were used to file share movies (way, way, way outside of Homeland Security's mandate), and covered the sneaky attempt to defend those moves by conflating copyright infringement online with counterfeit drugs being sold online."
Perhaps the DHS feels that enforcing IP laws is pertinent to their mission since the US produces little else anymore, so protecting our only export other than dollars is essential to national security, inasmuch as a functional economy is essential to upholding the imagined value of a dollar.
We're essentially a service economy now, which amounts to a humongous circle-jerk. I pay you so you can pay him so he can pay his supporter so his supporter can pay me, with the government in the middle every step of the way brushing off crumbs into their accounts. Nobody produces anything, they just do things, like mainly think. Lose grip on your thinking, and you're all done.
Back when we made things like cars, trucks, chemicals, furniture, food, clothing, consumer goods, etc., we had things to sell to other countries. Now? Not so much. We got movies and music of questionable value, but certainly of greater value than what most other countries produce. Problem is, it's just thought. Nothing tangible, or scarce enough to raise its value. Other countries produce tangible goods, so they have something to trade.
It's a sad state of affairs we're in. I'm almost glad I'm dying soon. Ain't no flying cars anyway [grin]
When they can spend millions stashing tweets, you know the government has officially jumped the shark on frivolous spending. As if there were any question...
Anyway, if they want to piss away millions on making a game revolving around something they clearly don't understand, why not turn it into a jobs program, rather than hire Microsoft to create it? They'll just piss money away for a couple years and come out with some garbage that'll only run on Windows, and then only for a few minutes before crashing harder than Obama's numerous idiotic ideas for stimulating the economy. Then, who'd want to play the stupid thing? They wouldn't even be able to give it away.
Windsor's crime rate relative to Detroit's is so low, you could almost say there's no such thing as crime in that city. Their annual rates are lower than the daily rates for Detroit. For example, in 2007, their annual homicide rate was 1.2 per 100,000 people. So, they're understandably sensitive about appearing to be similar to the rathole they exist so close to.
You can see some of their stats at http://www.citystats.ca/city/Ontario/Windsor.html if you're interested.
I think you're right. I know in my case, I'm much more likely to see what they have to say at National Review than The Huffington Post.Those idiots at THP just don't know what they're talking about
But, what's a mother to do? There isn't a source extant that doesn't add bias to their reporting/repeating/interpreting. It's unavoidable.
I haven't subscribed to a print paper in well over 10 years. Last time I bought one was because it was cheaper than a tarp when I needed to do some painting.
I suspect the reason to any of these dingbats wants you to use specific viewers is so they can track your behavior. If they let you use whatever browser you want, usage data may not get back to them because their scripts get intercepted or blocked.
It's the only thing that makes sense. None of these guys develop viewers to make the users happy - why would they? There are a jillion of them out there already. There's no sense in reinventing the wheel, especially when you consider what it costs to do so. But, if you consider that they develop viewers to make themselves happy from a control and data collection standpoint, then you can see a motivation.
I think I must have a special account, too. I didn't get any "automatic" connections, and I was able to opt out of the whole thing as well.
I don't think it's a good idea, but I never thought Facebook or MySpace would take off, either. Shows how much I know. Apparently, a great many people are more than willing to share a lot more information than they should. Maybe I'm too private, or perhaps even paranoid or anti-social, but I don't want people to know every single thing about me and/or my friends, right down to reading our mail.
I hate to make ad hominem attacks, and I'm not a psychiatrist, but the more I hear/read of what Mr. Murdoch says, the more convinced I become that the poor man is losing his grip.
Doesn't he have boards of directors or advisors or somebody to sorta guide him along? If nothing else, get him out of the spotlight. Regardless of what people may think of the various media organizations he owns/controls, he's making them lose credibility by association.
I tried posting a comment on the Examiner site, and it appears to have fallen into a black hole. Apparently, they only want to give the impression that they care what you have to say. They don't actually want to expose it.
Good points, but I don't think the story is about consumer angst or indignation. It's about an artist whining/worrying that he's getting cheated when it's highly unlikely he is. As Mike points out, it's more likely he's benefiting from the competition, if there's any effect at all.
I know the reality is different, but I wonder if the newspapers are worried that today's reader gets 90% of their news from the story's headline. Assuming someone reads past that, the rest of the story is usually in the first paragraph. So, if the aggregators snatch the headline and first paragraph, they've got pretty much the whole thing and nobody will click through to read the filler tripe.
Not that the newspapers care if you read the copy in the first place, but they do want you to see the ads and give their servers a chance to do their spyware thing.
Mike said: "The thing is, the evidence actually suggests he's wrong. People who first become interested in such "bottom up" knowledge, often go on to seek out the "thoughtful, considered editorial."
It's true. I happen to subscribe to his magazine for that very reason. It's a superior publication that treats its subject matter in way you can't easily find anywhere else.
I'm surprised he'd pick "Gourmet" magazine to defend or point to as an example of what we'll lose as a result of easy access, as it's the very type of supermarket rack fodder that many people try to avoid. I foolishly subscribed to it for one year, and let the subscription lapse. I'm not surprised it's going out of business - it's not worth the price of admission. I'm not sure I'd accept a subscription to it even for free, as it would add to my waste removal problem.
Mike said: "I am honestly curious how patent system defenders, who are also programmers, can defend this."
I certainly can't speak for all programmers, but I'm quite sure that the subset of programmers who also support software patents is quite small. You simply can't be as shortsighted and oblivious to reality as you'd have to be in order to support software patents and still be a programmer at the same time.
The only way I could see that being true would be perhaps in the case of a novice programmer who "discovers" the binary sort or the linked list, and is naive enough to think nobody's ever thought of it before or that it wouldn't be obvious to the first person who developed a need for the algorithm. A child like that might believe he could run to the patent office and lock that little bit of prescience down in order to get rich, never realizing that it's the equivalent of giving someone directions to get from Michigan to Ohio. There are a million ways to do it; simply documenting the idea that you can do it is foolish in the extreme, and undeserving of patent protection.
The reason the whiners are losing share isn't Craig's List, Google, or Pirates. It's SUPER INTELLIGENT TALKING MICE! Yes, that's right boys and girls. Super intelligent talking mice are invading households all over the world, sneaking into dens, bedrooms, family rooms and studies, and whispering all there is to know about everything into the ears of everyone who can hear. I'm not making this up.
It doesn't seem like this would impact the reporters who are just trying to earn a magnanimous living, but think about it. Would you read the news again if you already knew the whole story? Of course not. As a result, pageviews, clickthoughs, and ad sales are at an all-time low all across the mainstream media. Sad, but true.
Congress needs to Act Now, and nip this in the bud. NIP IT! Otherwise, before you know it there won't be any alternative to commercial cat litter, hamster cage nesting material, or fish wrap.
On the post: Beatles & Apple Finally Going To Let You Pay Money For The Beatles Songs You've Been Pirating For Years
Too funny
Most of them don't feel a twinge of guilt over "pirating" what they have, either, having already paid for the rights, artwork, royalties, distribution, and myriad other costs so many times.
Silly humans.
On the post: Amount Of Video Content Uploaded To YouTube Increasing At An Astounding Rate
No wonder HDDs are so cheap
35 hours per minute is 35x60 minutes (2100 minutes) per minute. A minute's worth of low-res video = roughly 4MB, so 2100 minutes times 4MB is 8400MB of data per minute, which translates into 504GB/hr (8400x60). Over the course of a year, that works out to over 4 exabytes (8760x504 or hours/year times GB/hr). That's huge! Even if they buy 1TB drives, they'd have to buy (and have spinning) roughly 4 million drives/yr. And don't forget that's all gotta be backed up somewhere.
Then, think about how much data the gummint is stashing. I suspect it's substantially more. Then consider Yahoo!, Microsoft, Dell, HP, et al. It's no wonder HDDs are so cheap. They've got to reproduce like insects!
On the post: Oh Look, Microsoft Is De-Prioritizing Silverlight
On the post: Turns Out TV Cord Cutters Are, In Fact, Young, Educated And Employed
No surprise
The degree to which the entertainment industry can engage in self-delusion never ceases to amaze me. I mean, it shouldn't even take 5 seconds thought, let alone polls or studies for this kind of data to be clear. I wonder if they have to do a poll every day to find out if gravity still exists?
On the post: BitTorrent Begins Directly Promoting Content Creators Willing To Embrace New Forms Of Distribution
Thing is, bittorrent is an excellent way to exchange large files at low cost. The F/OSS community, for instance, makes heavy use of it to distribute software. This is literally free stuff that the authors/owners want to be spread around (or at least don't care if it is), but due to lack of compensation aren't usually willing to sponsor large server farms and administrative oversight to do it. Bittorrent is the perfect solution. Spread the time/cost over a large base to the point where it isn't even noticed, and everybody's happy.
On the post: Can The Operators Of A Site Targeted By Homeland Security Crowdsource A Defense?
DHS Mandate
"We've already covered the bizarre story of Homeland Security effectively working for Disney in seizing some domains of sites that were used to file share movies (way, way, way outside of Homeland Security's mandate), and covered the sneaky attempt to defend those moves by conflating copyright infringement online with counterfeit drugs being sold online."
Perhaps the DHS feels that enforcing IP laws is pertinent to their mission since the US produces little else anymore, so protecting our only export other than dollars is essential to national security, inasmuch as a functional economy is essential to upholding the imagined value of a dollar.
We're essentially a service economy now, which amounts to a humongous circle-jerk. I pay you so you can pay him so he can pay his supporter so his supporter can pay me, with the government in the middle every step of the way brushing off crumbs into their accounts. Nobody produces anything, they just do things, like mainly think. Lose grip on your thinking, and you're all done.
Back when we made things like cars, trucks, chemicals, furniture, food, clothing, consumer goods, etc., we had things to sell to other countries. Now? Not so much. We got movies and music of questionable value, but certainly of greater value than what most other countries produce. Problem is, it's just thought. Nothing tangible, or scarce enough to raise its value. Other countries produce tangible goods, so they have something to trade.
It's a sad state of affairs we're in. I'm almost glad I'm dying soon. Ain't no flying cars anyway [grin]
On the post: Steve Ballmer Tasked With Fixing The Deficit -- With A Video Game
Anyway, if they want to piss away millions on making a game revolving around something they clearly don't understand, why not turn it into a jobs program, rather than hire Microsoft to create it? They'll just piss money away for a couple years and come out with some garbage that'll only run on Windows, and then only for a few minutes before crashing harder than Obama's numerous idiotic ideas for stimulating the economy. Then, who'd want to play the stupid thing? They wouldn't even be able to give it away.
On the post: Canadian City Asks Google To Reshoot Street View Shots To Get Rid Of Crime Scene
Windsor's crime rate
On the post: Once Again: People Want To Share The News
Re:
But, what's a mother to do? There isn't a source extant that doesn't add bias to their reporting/repeating/interpreting. It's unavoidable.
I haven't subscribed to a print paper in well over 10 years. Last time I bought one was because it was cheaper than a tarp when I needed to do some painting.
On the post: YouTube Joins Hulu In Letting Content Holders Block Access For TV-Connected Devices
Script blockers
I suspect the reason to any of these dingbats wants you to use specific viewers is so they can track your behavior. If they let you use whatever browser you want, usage data may not get back to them because their scripts get intercepted or blocked.
It's the only thing that makes sense. None of these guys develop viewers to make the users happy - why would they? There are a jillion of them out there already. There's no sense in reinventing the wheel, especially when you consider what it costs to do so. But, if you consider that they develop viewers to make themselves happy from a control and data collection standpoint, then you can see a motivation.
On the post: Missed Use Case? Google Buzz Reveals Who You Chat With The Most To Everyone
Opt out
I don't think it's a good idea, but I never thought Facebook or MySpace would take off, either. Shows how much I know. Apparently, a great many people are more than willing to share a lot more information than they should. Maybe I'm too private, or perhaps even paranoid or anti-social, but I don't want people to know every single thing about me and/or my friends, right down to reading our mail.
On the post: Seriously: Where Is The Link Between Copyright Infringement And Terrorism/Organized Crime
On the post: Does French Three Strikes Law Also Mandate Movie Release Windows?
On the post: Rupert Murdoch: Feds Should Stay Out Of News Business, Except, Of Course To Smack Down Google For Sending Me Traffic
I'm not a psychiatrist, but...
I hate to make ad hominem attacks, and I'm not a psychiatrist, but the more I hear/read of what Mr. Murdoch says, the more convinced I become that the poor man is losing his grip.
Doesn't he have boards of directors or advisors or somebody to sorta guide him along? If nothing else, get him out of the spotlight. Regardless of what people may think of the various media organizations he owns/controls, he's making them lose credibility by association.
On the post: Romance Publishing Giant Offering Ebooks Without DRM; Reporter Upset By This
Comment are unwelcome
On the post: Firebowls, Copyright And Crowdfunding (Oh My)
Re: wait a sec
On the post: Embracing Traffic From Those Darn Aggregators
Soundbites Rule
Not that the newspapers care if you read the copy in the first place, but they do want you to see the ads and give their servers a chance to do their spyware thing.
On the post: Cook's Illustrated Editor: I Wish All Those Amateurs Out There Would Just Shut Up
Bottom up
It's true. I happen to subscribe to his magazine for that very reason. It's a superior publication that treats its subject matter in way you can't easily find anywhere else.
I'm surprised he'd pick "Gourmet" magazine to defend or point to as an example of what we'll lose as a result of easy access, as it's the very type of supermarket rack fodder that many people try to avoid. I foolishly subscribed to it for one year, and let the subscription lapse. I'm not surprised it's going out of business - it's not worth the price of admission. I'm not sure I'd accept a subscription to it even for free, as it would add to my waste removal problem.
On the post: Eolas Is Baaaaaaaaack; And It's Suing Everyone Over Embeddable Web Widgets
Patent Defending Programmers
I certainly can't speak for all programmers, but I'm quite sure that the subset of programmers who also support software patents is quite small. You simply can't be as shortsighted and oblivious to reality as you'd have to be in order to support software patents and still be a programmer at the same time.
The only way I could see that being true would be perhaps in the case of a novice programmer who "discovers" the binary sort or the linked list, and is naive enough to think nobody's ever thought of it before or that it wouldn't be obvious to the first person who developed a need for the algorithm. A child like that might believe he could run to the patent office and lock that little bit of prescience down in order to get rich, never realizing that it's the equivalent of giving someone directions to get from Michigan to Ohio. There are a million ways to do it; simply documenting the idea that you can do it is foolish in the extreme, and undeserving of patent protection.
On the post: Is There Really A 'Piracy' Problem For Newspapers?
Data Sinks
It doesn't seem like this would impact the reporters who are just trying to earn a magnanimous living, but think about it. Would you read the news again if you already knew the whole story? Of course not. As a result, pageviews, clickthoughs, and ad sales are at an all-time low all across the mainstream media. Sad, but true.
Congress needs to Act Now, and nip this in the bud. NIP IT! Otherwise, before you know it there won't be any alternative to commercial cat litter, hamster cage nesting material, or fish wrap.
Next >>