I think you're confused at the message. No one is complaining at getting permission; the story starts out with someone trying to play by the rules-- the message is that it is so complicated to do something so simple that most people say "fuck it" and do what they want. You're not seriously arguing that this is an efficient process, are you?
The "way it works" is that the people who play by the rules get shafted and the people who say "fuck the system" are successful.
How about we meet in the middle, though? If you pay taxes on your property, people have to ask permission to use it. Deal? (hint, you don't know what property means)
This reminds me of the book The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison when the protagonist is attempting to get a job with his "recommendation letter" which instructs the business owners to keep stringing him along until he gives up. (I'm paraphrasing)
They could save a lot of money if they just hired one guy to answer the phone and tell people "No."
..unless their plan is to waste other people's time, too.
You might be able to convince me that it started out that way, but to say that it still is today is willful ignorance at best, and outright deception at worst.
From reading the few comments so far, it seems we need a good old fashioned education campaign on the difference between privacy and anonymity. Sheesh.
This debate could be better phrased as "Should police need a warrant to obtain information you've shared with a third party?"
It doesn't change the answer, for me, but it might for some people who are on the fence. I still think any time the police require information from a third party, that party should have the ability to say "No" unless the police have a warrant.
Thanks, I'll check that out, as that does appear to be my ereader type.
The formatting issue is due to the format of the text book. For whatever reason, they throw little pockets of semi-unrelated information randomly on pages (I'm not entirely unconvinced it's not simply to cause trouble when changing formats!) Calibre sees these little blocks of unrelated text and tries to shoe-horn them into the main text. It's pretty much on every page of the textbook so far, so it would literally be every page I'd have to comb through to take out that crap.
I rooted (the Android version of jailbreaking, btw) my first Nook, which was a Gen1, I think. I now have the "touch" Nook, which is just a simple ereader, and that's all I want. I usually read on my tablet or my phone, and reserve the ereader for when I'm reading in direct sunlight, like at a park or the beach.
Either way, rooting my Nook won't magically allow it to work with the DRM'd textbooks. I recently purchased an ebook textbook from Amazon and stripped the weaker DRM from it, since Kindle's native app on my tablet doesn't support textbooks. (seriously, wtf?) The stripped/converted textbook was formatted horribly, and I didn't feel that I should have to go through, page by page and fix the ebook I paid money for. For this class, I'm just VNC to my computer at home and read it on the windows kindle app that supports the textbook.
Rest assured, I will just buy the physical book and pirate the textbook from here on out. That first part may be optional. I'm pretty annoyed at the entire situation.
I have owned *two* Nooks, and I also bought my wife one. I am seriously considering buying a Kindle, because of B&N's "screw the customer" attitude, especially regarding e-textbooks. (Though, Amazon's is only slightly better.)
For B&N with e-textbooks, you are limited to how many computers (not devices, since last I checked the actual Nook and their apps weren't capable of displaying textbooks, by design) and they limit how many times you can download it, and how much you can copy and paste in a day.
It's absolutely ridiculous. If I wanted to pirate the damn textbook, I would. I'm paying money, and I'm treated like a criminal.
For the record, I only chose the Nook because it was built on Android. I foolishly forgot that Android != Open platform.
You're right. Since I stopped playing WoW, I haven't needed my computer. It's a laptop, but for all intents and purposes, it's a headless server. The only thing I do with it is stream media to one of my two Google TVs, or my Android phone, or my Android tablet. If I need a "real" browser, I use my chromebook.
It may be anecdotal, but I have noticed that it is easy to go without a smartphone until you have a smartphone. After that, you get so used to having nearly constant, instant access to most of the world's knowledge (and cat videos!) that it's impossible to go back to not having it. At least, judging from the people who said they "didn't need a smart phone" who I convinced to get one anyway. That's what I don't get about the people who insist they don't need a smart phone; it sounds, to me, the same way it would sound if someone said they didn't need running water; of course not, but it sure makes things so much easier.
On the post: Dear Permission Culture: This Is Why No One Wants To Ask For Your OK
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
On the post: Dear Permission Culture: This Is Why No One Wants To Ask For Your OK
Re: Re: Re: Re:
On the post: Dear Permission Culture: This Is Why No One Wants To Ask For Your OK
Re: Baldy going where no hariy man has gone before.
On the post: Dear Permission Culture: This Is Why No One Wants To Ask For Your OK
Re:
The "way it works" is that the people who play by the rules get shafted and the people who say "fuck the system" are successful.
How about we meet in the middle, though? If you pay taxes on your property, people have to ask permission to use it. Deal? (hint, you don't know what property means)
On the post: Dear Permission Culture: This Is Why No One Wants To Ask For Your OK
Refactoring.
They could save a lot of money if they just hired one guy to answer the phone and tell people "No."
..unless their plan is to waste other people's time, too.
On the post: We Should Stop Calling Fair Use A 'Limitation & Exception' To Copyright; It's A Right Of The Public
Re: Re:
On the post: You Don't Own What You Buy, Part 15,332: Cisco Forces Questionable New Firmware On Routers
Eh.
On the post: Charles Carreon Keeps Digging & Digging: Inman And IndieGoGo Hit Back
Fuck.
On the post: Announcing The Declaration Of Internet Freedom
Re: Re: Education
//I'll shut up now.
On the post: Announcing The Declaration Of Internet Freedom
Education
On the post: Debate Club: Should Police Need A Warrant To Get Your Location From Your Mobile Phone Provider?
Rephrase
It doesn't change the answer, for me, but it might for some people who are on the fence. I still think any time the police require information from a third party, that party should have the ability to say "No" unless the police have a warrant.
On the post: Charles Carreon Sues Matthew Inman... And The Charities He's Raising Money For
Re: Re: Re:
On the post: Charles Carreon Sues Matthew Inman... And The Charities He's Raising Money For
Re: Re: Re: other places to find tech news
Well done, sir.
On the post: Charles Carreon Sues Matthew Inman... And The Charities He's Raising Money For
Re: other places to find tech news
In case you're not a troll: http://bit.ly/KfwmMF
Have a great day.
On the post: Barnes & Noble: Ebooks Should Be Expensive So Amazon Won't Kill Us And Make Ebooks Expensive
Re: Re: Re: Re: Stupid B&N
The formatting issue is due to the format of the text book. For whatever reason, they throw little pockets of semi-unrelated information randomly on pages (I'm not entirely unconvinced it's not simply to cause trouble when changing formats!) Calibre sees these little blocks of unrelated text and tries to shoe-horn them into the main text. It's pretty much on every page of the textbook so far, so it would literally be every page I'd have to comb through to take out that crap.
On the post: Barnes & Noble: Ebooks Should Be Expensive So Amazon Won't Kill Us And Make Ebooks Expensive
Re: derp
So, maybe not the same old story?
On the post: Barnes & Noble: Ebooks Should Be Expensive So Amazon Won't Kill Us And Make Ebooks Expensive
Re: Re: Stupid B&N
On the post: Barnes & Noble: Ebooks Should Be Expensive So Amazon Won't Kill Us And Make Ebooks Expensive
Re: Re: Stupid B&N
Either way, rooting my Nook won't magically allow it to work with the DRM'd textbooks. I recently purchased an ebook textbook from Amazon and stripped the weaker DRM from it, since Kindle's native app on my tablet doesn't support textbooks. (seriously, wtf?) The stripped/converted textbook was formatted horribly, and I didn't feel that I should have to go through, page by page and fix the ebook I paid money for. For this class, I'm just VNC to my computer at home and read it on the windows kindle app that supports the textbook.
Rest assured, I will just buy the physical book and pirate the textbook from here on out. That first part may be optional. I'm pretty annoyed at the entire situation.
On the post: Barnes & Noble: Ebooks Should Be Expensive So Amazon Won't Kill Us And Make Ebooks Expensive
Stupid B&N
For B&N with e-textbooks, you are limited to how many computers (not devices, since last I checked the actual Nook and their apps weren't capable of displaying textbooks, by design) and they limit how many times you can download it, and how much you can copy and paste in a day.
It's absolutely ridiculous. If I wanted to pirate the damn textbook, I would. I'm paying money, and I'm treated like a criminal.
For the record, I only chose the Nook because it was built on Android. I foolishly forgot that Android != Open platform.
On the post: Insanity: Apple Rejects Podcatching App Because It Has Flattr Integration
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
It may be anecdotal, but I have noticed that it is easy to go without a smartphone until you have a smartphone. After that, you get so used to having nearly constant, instant access to most of the world's knowledge (and cat videos!) that it's impossible to go back to not having it. At least, judging from the people who said they "didn't need a smart phone" who I convinced to get one anyway. That's what I don't get about the people who insist they don't need a smart phone; it sounds, to me, the same way it would sound if someone said they didn't need running water; of course not, but it sure makes things so much easier.
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