Recent Posts

4176

Official Announcements / Re: I want to try an experiment on the site for March 2012

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 20, 2012, 08:08 PM »

Appreciate the thoughts, but 90 days is too long to live with ads on the site.

-mouser (February 20, 2012, 07:53 PM)

No reverse the order, 91 days ad free, then ads kick in.
The point is that "fly by night users" who only stay a month then drift off need a good impression, it's only the "budding regulars" who end up seeing ads.

4177

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: "CopySmart"

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 20, 2012, 08:01 PM »

Can I prevail on the mighty wisdom of DC to get one more feature? All I want left is an "Increment X Character from the left". So if you have a file "Donation Coder File 1 To Be Evaluated.txt", It would increment something like the 21st character from the left for its copies.
Donation Coder File 1 To Be Evaluated.txt
Donation Coder File 2 To Be Evaluated.txt
Donation Coder File 3 To Be Evaluated.txt
Donation Coder File 4 To Be Evaluated.txt

I may have exhausted poor Sqwire. I will probably donate soon. Help! : )

4178

Living Room / Re: The New SOPA/PIPA/ACTA

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 20, 2012, 07:56 PM »

I'll make this worse with the PC-FIPA Act. Once again, Lamar Smith at the helm. You don't want to know what the title means. Which is the point of my diatribe. Just trust me it's evil. Crush it. HR-1981 United States Congress House.

4179

Official Announcements / Re: I want to try an experiment on the site for March 2012

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 20, 2012, 07:52 PM »

Same here, fair enough. But non-supporting members may see it differently :-)

How about a small refinement: when someone registers (and you must register to post), they initially don't see ads - maybe for a month. A trial period, as it were. After a month (or whatever length of time), they start seeing ads unless they have donated. That way everyone can experience the ad-less site and make their choice.

That leaves out only unregistered visitors, who require a separate decision.

Potential problem with this solution is people complaining that OMG, DonationCoder has gone evil with ads! after they've been registered a month, just because they didn't read the ad policy when registering. That could be alleviated by injecting a short reminder on their login and posting screens, such as "You registered n days ago. In m days, dc will start showing ads on some of the pages you visit. Click here to learn why."

-tranglos (February 17, 2012, 01:19 PM)

This is interesting. Make it 91 days. Everyone is hooked on "30 days" because it's a round number. But that's not how the psyche really works. Anyone can get enthused about something for about 3 weeks-ish. In the modern "Sign up, post 30 comments, vanish" mentality, they weren't a quality audience anyway. I'm actually fading myself, having spent my initial spurt of energy.

So making it 91 days (To be cute) you leave the newbies with "It was free but I moved on", a nice feeling. Then the regulars start to think "Yeah, I need a few things coded, I better plan a little donation", but it takes a few weeks to really lock that in. I know I'm screwed either side of Rent Week. So then the 30 day timer is too fast. If they make it to 90 days, they're a member, I'm prob getting close; Then they can decide to deal with ads or "get on with it and Donate, at which point the ads go away".

4180

Living Room / Re: Products designed to fail, a documentary

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 15, 2012, 07:46 AM »

Hmm. I've been fairly lucky I guess not to have been burned too badly by this stuff. My home computer (which was custom built by a friend) is going on six years old, and in the computer world, 8 years is about the limit to ask of a comp before simple progress catches up with it.

4181

Living Room / Re: Anatomy of a Tear-Jerker: Very cool article on why songs give you chills

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 14, 2012, 01:08 PM »

Speaking of Octave Shifts, try this one :

http://www.youtube.c.../watch?v=hKkOZIfKcxM

4182

Living Room / Re: Anatomy of a Tear-Jerker: Very cool article on why songs give you chills

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 14, 2012, 01:05 PM »

If there is an underlying science to humanity's response to music, I sincerely hope it's never discovered. Seriously. I hope it never is.

There's enough systematic manipulation of humans by other humans going on already. Please don't give people additional sharp objects they can then go out and poke other people with.  

-40hz (February 13, 2012, 10:30 AM)

+10

For anyone that has looked at documents that go over how to manipulate people... well... they're out there if you like a good horror documentary.

-Renegade (February 13, 2012, 06:13 PM)

Heh I've written some of my own theories about music's effect on people, mostly to explore why I like or don't like certain songs. I am fairly "Mathematical" in my tastes. Construct a song with the correct ingredients such as powerhouse singer, good lyrics, and a few musical finesses. One of the reasons I tend not to like a lot of "Alternative" stuff is that the singer doesn't have enough power, and the lyrics are also often a bit bland. "So I was sitting on a park bench, eating an apple, thinking "baby, I wish I never yelled at you", but if I treat you right you'll be okay, won't you?"

The power singer can often cover for bad lyrics, and good lyrics can be sung slow (Pink Floyd), but if it's all scrambled, then it becomes blah.

Speaking of power singers, RIP Whitney.

4183

Living Room / Re: May I Have A Download Please?

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 14, 2012, 12:22 PM »

I was in a discussion with an author of an ebook who claimed to want to know about how sharing copies can increase exposure and then hopefully sales. His first email was all smiley. I looked, and page 3 had one of those typical "thou shalt not copy this" notices. I figured he didn't realize it was there, so I sent him a couple of emails about logistics, including the problem of the copyright page.

No answer. I sent another one. No answer. Considering his first email was lightning fast, this was becoming suspicious.

Yesterday I went ahead and created a second Creative Commons copy of the ebook and said, "Sorry you've been busy, look at this new copy, let's go!" Bang. Half an hour later came the answer "let's not". 

I'm havin' NONE of that stuff!

"All the fun of Viral Exposure while eating the cake of a theoretical Piracy lawsuit in pocket."

4184

Adventures of Baby Cody / Re: United States of America visit 2

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 11, 2012, 01:12 PM »

I have been waiting since day 1.  Cody has emailed me and let me know it is time for him to visit N.W. PA and get some Amish cooking. My turn....

-y0himba (November 22, 2011, 04:40 AM)

Baby Cody spent the holidays with y0himba.   

-skwire (January 10, 2012, 11:13 AM)

Where oh Where is Baby Cody Wintering now? : )

4185

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: "CopySmart"

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 11, 2012, 01:08 PM »

So can I beg and plead for this last feature to get added? Lord Skwire?

"Increment X character of the original file"?

4186

Living Room / Re: Is your online life in your will? (Backups, passwords, etc.)

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 11, 2012, 01:05 PM »

I have thought of some of this, and here's a few wrinkles.

First, the Deadman Switch risks being too aggressive. It might need to be a year! Because gawd knows I get enthused with stuff, then don't update it for 7 months. A False Positive on a Deadman Switch is a Bad Thing.

Second, the law is growing increasingly murky about liability of descendents to original's data liability, aka Copyright. In a perfect world, I'd rather leave my Next of Kin Whitelisted data (mostly!) immune from the likes of SOPA/ACTA.

There's soon going to be needed a third "Canary/Deadman" switch for if current representives are hauled away alive on bogus charges. This might need to be aggressive, such as your homepage login includes a "Canary pacifier" token, but if you don't log in for a month, it spills X data around the web.

4187

Living Room / Re: Can U Say Crap-O-Riffic??

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 11, 2012, 12:55 PM »

I feel for you... And yet again, we see why we estimate the time it will take in minutes, and budget hours... 
Some days I just hate computers...

-Renegade (January 08, 2012, 08:18 AM)

I did a database rebuild for my company this month, lightweight all told, but still, in those Management Meetings you have to stand by "It will take two weeks, is that what you want to hear?"

4188

N.A.N.Y. 2012 / Re: NANY 2012 Mugs, etc. -- All participants please read in

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 10, 2012, 05:06 PM »

Ever consider... maybe it's not a speech impediment?  And he... gulp... meant what he said?  Throws a whole new light on that picture...

-wraith808 (January 25, 2012, 11:17 PM)

It's what you get if you submit a nsfw app! 

4189

Official Announcements / Re: DC going offline to protest SOPA on Jan 18

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 10, 2012, 03:00 PM »

Freedom-Cody flew to Germany to help fight ACTA!

http://www.bbc.co.uk.../technology-16980451

Acta: Germany delays signing anti-piracy agreement

4190

Living Room / Re: Pawn to Queen 3

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 10, 2012, 02:55 PM »

It's little more than queen's pawn to queen's pawn 3 so far. An opening move. The real battle hasn't even begun yet. And the gloves won't come off until some time after that.

-40hz (February 07, 2012, 10:15 PM)

Stretching the chess analogy beyond safe limits:
So the Media Lobbies, with the advantage, are playing White? What's their meta strategy? To play the Queen Pawn systems a tempo down so that we get lulled into thinking they're beaten, or are they playing a King's Indian Attack aka a reversed defense as an offense? 

4191

Living Room / Re: When you make your 100'th Post

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 07, 2012, 08:28 AM »

I might make it to about 200 posts pretty soon, but then I'll slow down a little as  I ease up a bit.

4192

Living Room / Re: Would you buy me a $0.99 track on Amazon?

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 06, 2012, 08:05 PM »

I play a form of double satire by treating the law just like it's written, hopefully with the wink and smile that shows how absurd it is.

In general though, I'd rather just see a huge push for Creative Commons or similar, so that we take the Copyright engine out of play from the big companies.

4193

Living Room / Re: Through the Looking Glass - why SOPA/ACTA/PIPA were really created.

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 06, 2012, 08:03 PM »

Oh, I agree, we're eating out the center and running on inertia. We're a big country, that's in a way part of the problem, we can fake it for a few more years. Some of the smaller Euro countries are getting mashed in the problems we're 7 years out from facing. Greece, Ireland, etc.

I don't have an answer.

4194

Living Room / Re: Chilling Effects - BTjunkie Closes

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 06, 2012, 07:59 PM »

Ugly thing is, examples from 20 years ago sorta don't even apply, "that was then".

This new copyright crusade is accelerating fast, and you're right, .Gov was pissed at the SOPA reaction, so they pulled out the favors and showed 'em who's who.

4195

Living Room / Re: According To FBI, Internet Privacy Now Considered Suspicious

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 06, 2012, 07:55 PM »

Hopefully, the near future will get us back on track.

-Renegade (February 04, 2012, 10:03 AM)

I'd like that, but I gloomily predict we have a round where it gets FAR WORSE, before the final revolt that makes it better.

I'm thinking Matrix movies.

4196

Living Room / Re: No more Samsung HDDs

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 05, 2012, 06:45 PM »

That sounds confusing. They're doing some sort of complicated "we operate in opposite segments so let's consolidate so we don't fight each other."

4197

Living Room / Re: Would you buy me a $0.99 track on Amazon?

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 05, 2012, 06:44 PM »

I have emusic, is it on there?

I'll burn $1.98 and get TWO copies, then send you one. That ought to be close enough!

4198

Living Room / Re: According To FBI, Internet Privacy Now Considered Suspicious

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 04, 2012, 09:25 AM »

"a Terrorist,a Terrorist,a Terrorist,a Terrorist" - to the tune of the Developer's song.

"Come on! Get them!"

4199

Living Room / Re: The Pirate Bay - Domain Updates & Prison

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 04, 2012, 09:17 AM »

Well maybe if you granted other people copying privileges on top of your copyright, maybe. However, 90+% of all copyright messages say "copyright ____, all copying strictly prohibited blah blah". The point of my suggestion was that Creative Commons specifically encourages something to be shared by others.

Then you can work on the customer base marketing etc.

I glanced at your drum program, because I listen to pitch/speed changed music at work, and it seems to do better than Audacity, though it wasn't clear because the nuances were coming out differently on my test song.

P.S. The best suggestion I have seen for converting "copies to sales" is personally customizing your program for your customer/client. Depending on the work involved and/or your enthusiasm, anything from a special feature not found in the standard versions, to just the person's name/handle in the logo space. For example if your program could import tracker files and speed/pitch THOSE, that would be a lights-out feature.

4200

Living Room / Re: According To FBI, Internet Privacy Now Considered Suspicious

« Last post by TaoPhoenix on February 04, 2012, 09:07 AM »

This feels like they're ticked at losing the SOPA fiasco.

It's like playing monopoly with nothing but Go To Jail cards.