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Good attempt to be balanced, Ren!

Every now and then I try.

I can see both sides of the fence there.

The terms don't outline what "unauthorised" means...

But if the user installs it, it is clearly "authorised". That's hardly a question.

...but ad blockers clearly interfere with the ad-related services and revenues on Android. Adblock Plus for instance includes YouTube ads among the banners and popups it blocks, which is surely not good for the Google property.

But how is it any different from blocking ads on a desktop/laptop? It's not. The only thing is that the people serving ads haven't "authorised" the ad blocker.

It seems to me that this is more corporate interference on users' property. Your phone belongs to YOU and not Google, so just how does Google get off saying what is and isn't authorised for your phone?

Then, there's whatever they want to put in their store... which makes sense. It's their store after all.

So, I can kind of see Google's point there. Google doesn't "authorise" the app, so that's the end of the story: Is the app "authorised" for the Google Play Store? Very similar to how Apple censors apps in their app store. Your house, your rules I suppose.

Guess it then comes down to whose house do you want to go over to?

I often find that I want to find a specific screenshot, but they just get lost in the many, many screenshots that I take. They're miserable to find.

However, I know the site or something about the screenshot that is automatically recorded in the text notes. If I could search that, it would save a lot of time.

[NOT]

Remember...This is NOT a complaint about the game, but instead, about Gameforge.

+1 there!

The game company is Bluehole Studio:

http://www.bluehole.net/english/main.html

I've actually done a lot of work for them on Tera, so I'm kind of biased. However, I must say that they have their act together very well, and I've done a lot of work for a lot of other game companies.

But, if anyone wants to give up on Tera, please do consider Cabal Online:

http://www.cabalonline.net/
http://www.cabalonline.com/

And yeah, I own stock in the company that produces it~! And, I used to work for the company! So I'm rooting for Cabal all the time!  

http://www.estsoft.com/

[Misplaced Worries]

I'm worried about a bunch of worry-warts getting all psychotic and doing crazy stuff.

isn't that what the postal service is for?

Hahahaha~!

But hey, I called it!

Dan Sperber - Social and Cognitive Scientist; CEU Budapest and CNRS Paris; Co-author (with Deirdre Wilson), Meaning and Relevance
Misplaced Worries

Worrying is an investment of cognitive resources laced with emotions from the anxiety spectrum and aimed at solving some specific problem. It has its costs and benefits, and so does not worrying.

I'm worried about a bunch of worry-warts getting all psychotic and doing crazy stuff.

Another example of how paying, law-abiding users are harmed by the copyright fascists.

 

Yuppers.

One fellow who always has something interesting to say on the topic:

http://falkvinge.net/

Everyone pretty much knows about the EFF, Tech Dirt and Torrent Freak, but Falkvinge is another there with some very insightful things to say.

I saw a Jean-Claude Van Damme flick - or maybe it was Stephen Segal - same stuff, different name ---- it was on a train. Pretty bad movie. Good for 14 year old boys though.

Well this weird thing called "sanity" would seem to say that, but this disturbing world of IP seems to involve strange phone calls on the "turquoise line" that suddenly makes impossible things happen. (See the ACTA-CISPA thread where the stomping on rights just won't quit.)

Interesting. I wonder how much the idea that these ideas have no physical manifestation has to do with it. After all, we're just talking about ideas... and you can't touch or feel an idea.

Just musing a bit there.

[I liked watching Zardoz!!!]

3:10 to Yuma was great! Both the original and the remake.

Now, I'm going to go out on a limb here...


I liked watching Zardoz!!!


I really did.

However, I watched it knowing the philosophy and ideology that it put forward. I'd read about it and the metaphor that it uses. So, when I went to watch it, I had that 20/20 hindsight already there. That made the movie different for me and actually enjoyable.

Do you get paid more if you sharpen the blade?

[EFF]

From the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation):
US Trade Office Calls ACTA Back From the Dead and Canada Complies

I'm tempted to say something very rude that involves a choice of one of several words, some of which are "gobbler" and "chokes".

[too big to jail]

Why can't companies just stick to doing things well rather than trying to play underhanded tactics?

Because there are NO consequences for their actions, except positive ones. It doesn't matter how unethical or illegal something is -- there's always an upside. The only decision to be made is weighing the risk of getting caught, and weighing the cost of potential fines against profit. e.g. A pharmaceutical company profits to the tune of $12 billion when it knows its drug is killing people. When they are caught, they pay just under $1 billion in fines for a tidy profit of $11 billion. Nobody ever goes to jail. There are numerous examples of outright illegal/immoral actions by companies and in pretty much every case it's better for them to be criminals as it's always profitable and there are no personal consequences. HSBC laundering drug money anyone? The examples go on forever.

There's a special term... "too big to jail."

Why should companies be ethical when it's profitable to be criminal with no negative consequences?

Movies with Sean Connery are practically all in the same league as the Clint Eastwood movies. 'In the Name Of The Rose' is a great movie from S.C.

*cough* Zardoz *cough*

 

Hahahahahah~! 

A wise old college professor of mine once said that when people demand new laws, it's invariably with the intent of regulating somebody else's actions or beliefs. Never their own. Because rules are for other people.

+1

The most dangerous people are the ones that KNOW what right/wrong is and what you *should* and *shouldn't* do. They're invariably out to save the world because nobody else is capable of running their own life without "guidance".

Aren't there anti-stalking laws?

Got it!

A very long time ago I temporarily lost the use of my right hand for a few weeks in a comparable situation.

Some things that worked for me were using my right elbow/forearm as pressure to hold things or using my legs to hold things while my left hand did the work, or at least tried. That's not much help though as I'm sure you've already been doing that.

I don't know of any technology to help there, though I dimly recall about some herbs or essential oils helping in recovery - don't hold me to anything - that's just a dim memory that you might want to check into.

Sorry. I wish I could help more. I do hope that you get better soon.

I currently have a smaller injury than yours on my thumb and cannot write properly or do simple things like peel a price tag off of something or open a jar... It's bloody frustrating.

[THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY]

Hang'em High

MAJOR ASS-KICKING FLICK! 

I used to have the sound track to that. Great music and amazing film!

High Plains Drifter
A Fistful of Dollars
For a Few Dollars More
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY <<<< Damned if that's not one of the best flicks ever!
The Outlaw Jose Wales

The Clint spaghetti westerns are just fantastic! Huge fan of them here!  

As for "Sniper", I really liked that when I first saw it, but I'm not sure that I'd like it if I saw it again. I think I've changed a lot, and that would colour my view of it.

"Gattaca" - Great flick!  Same for "Inkheart".

Too many other good movies mentioned above... I need to get back to drinking then sleeping.

[at amazon]

What worries me most about all this Big Data stuff is companies selling or swapping data. I don't really mind Amazon giving me offers based on my browse/purchase history at amazon, but I don't want that data going anywhere, and I don't want any outside data effecting those suggestions.

Worry. Worry a lot. Because Big Data are an incestuous bunch that spill their data loads all over each other in an orgasmic frenzy of marketing... Ummm... I'm starting to become a bit obscene. But I think I've nailed the point. (I really meant that stuff above -- it's coming.)

(A part of the work I do involves Big Data and profitability on a very large scale.)

Quite if you believe Hollywood everything from medical research to national defence is run on iMacs!

Almost, but not quite.

NCIS is a Microsoft show. I remember one episode where the boss and the computer geek are talking and one says something like, "Oh, I just stored it all securely on my SkyDrive blah blah blah *chokes on MS c*** in mouth*."

I just about wanted to vomit.


Oh, and there are other MS shows out there as well. Apple just understands propaganda better and does a better job of it.

OUCH! Sorry to hear that. I hope you heal soon!

A friend of mine used to type one-handed all the time. Mind you, he used his primary hand (right), however, the technique might work for you.

His strategy was to position and hover his hand in the middle of the keyboard, then from there he worked out what was fastest. I can't really tell you much more, but he was up to a respectable typing speed. He did have large hands though, which certainly help there. I think he used the ridges on the J and F keys to help orient his hand.

It's actually not different on the internet.  TV is having a hard time with DVRs and such that effectively are Ad-Blockers.  Adapt or die.

Or do the shameless product placements and dialog plugs that you see on NCIS, CSI, etc. etc. etc.

Mr. Meinert has an interest in several Seattle businesses--at least two of which are limited liability corporations.  However, it's not clear to me whether he's avoided enough personal responsibility to forfeit his right to ban Google Glasses at the 5 Points Cafe.  Just not sure how to measure that....   

Get a dart board, a piece of paper, thick magic marker, a tack, and a blindfold. That's a good start! (A friend to spin you around a bit is optional, but they should point you at the board to avoid any injury.) i.e. I don't have perfect answers, but I can still smell smoke.