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4576
Living Room / Re: Amazon closes woman's account and wipes her Kindle
« Last post by Renegade on October 22, 2012, 01:47 PM »
Look at the trading license on a US DVD or BluRay and it more than likely says it cannot be sold, lent or hired outside North America but Amazon happily break that rule - presumably because there is no mechanism for manufacturers to track those products!!

Soon.jpg ...
4577
To get the joke, you have to visit the site:

http://www.romneytaxplan.com/

;)
4578
Living Room / Re: Amazon closes woman's account and wipes her Kindle
« Last post by Renegade on October 22, 2012, 09:49 AM »
And from other sites I've seen, it seems that the prevailing wisdom is that its because of copyright.  She lives in Norway.  And bought from Amazon.co.uk, which is against their rules.  But there is no Amazon for Norway.  And they originally let her purchase. (ref Forbes)

From the article:

The issue here, it seems, is that Linn bought content from Amazon.co.uk while she resides in Norway. This, according to Amazon, is in breach of the rules.

Uh... Relevance, Mr. Amazon? (Or is that Ms. Amazon?) :P

A 10 year old walks into a store and buys a bottle of whiskey and a pack of cigarettes. It's pretty much the fault of the store keeper there.

If Amazon allows people to "break the rules", isn't it complicit there?

And besides, what relevance does being in <insert country here /> have?

Along a border crossing, you walk across to a store where what you want is a bit cheaper. Does the store keeper tell you that you can't buy anything?

"We don't serve yer kind here! Now git lost!"

Really? Is the world that insane?

Vomit or cry... Not sure what to do here...
4579
Living Room / Re: Amazon closes woman's account and wipes her Kindle
« Last post by Renegade on October 22, 2012, 09:36 AM »
And this is why I got an Android to read on...

I have an iPad, but I'm not so sure that it's the device more than it's the software and DRM.

I think you're right there.

My wife has an iPad, and we got that for her well before I got my tab. But, it was just far too difficult to use for me as I absolutely refuse to install iTunes, and anything that I'd want to put on it was on my Windows machine, and I'm just that pig-headed and stubborn. If I can't plug it into any old box and use it like a USB drive, then I'm not going to be happy, and nothing other than full access to the file system will make me happy. And I certainly wasn't going to install a piece of software to fix what for me was a fatal flaw. So, I was very unimpressed with the iPad as I really only wanted to read materials that I downloaded and that were DRM free, e.g. I buy a good number of books from O'Reilly, and really enjoy their DRM-free books - they have me as a loyal and repeat customer.

But there's no reason at all why the iPad couldn't be the way I want -- so you're 110% right -- it's the software & DRM, not the hardware. But, phones, tablets, and phablets are pretty much locked to whatever OS they come with. I'm sure there are people out there hacking away, and can run whatever they want on <insert device here />, but... for consumer-level, human, non-uber-geek purposes, the OS becomes a major decision.

This whole thing just makes "app stores" all the less attractive, because that kill switch is built in there, and they do use it. Apple, Amazon, MS, Google, Samsung, whoever. Not so sure I really trust many of these guys. Amazon, Apple and MS are the most dangerous there, I think. Google? Not so sure they're that bad. Samsung? We'll see. Their app store isn't that popular yet. Others? Sigh... Who knows?

But being able to sideload - I think that's a big deal.
4580
Living Room / Re: Amazon closes woman's account and wipes her Kindle
« Last post by Renegade on October 22, 2012, 08:48 AM »
And this is why I got an Android to read on...

Thanks for posting those articles. I'll remember that about Amazon.
4581
Living Room / Re: People Turning on Trolls?
« Last post by Renegade on October 22, 2012, 04:32 AM »
Saw this:

internet-troll-20110516-102141.jpg

Topical anyways.
4582
Living Room / Re: Dumbing-down of the educational system?
« Last post by Renegade on October 22, 2012, 01:23 AM »
Apparently students also need help to cheat now:

http://atlanta.cbslo...theyre-dumb-as-hell/

A former fifth-grade teacher implicated in a cheating scandal reportedly gave students the illegal assistance because she thought they were “dumb as hell.”

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, math teacher Shayla Smith was accused of offering students the answers to a test they were taking at the time. She had reportedly been responsible for supervising them while the tests were being completed.

Schajuan Jones, who taught a fourth-grade class across the hall from Smith’s former room, overheard her talking to another teacher about the test.

“The words were, ‘I had to give your kids, or your students, the answers because they’re dumb as hell,’” Jones was quoted as saying about the interaction between Smith and the unidentified third teacher.

Good for a laugh/cry. :P
4583
Living Room / People Turning on Trolls?
« Last post by Renegade on October 21, 2012, 11:35 PM »
Just saw this:

http://www.guardian....-internet-age-trolls

A new internet age? Web users turn on 'trolls'

Two recent online 'outings' suggest that attitudes towards online anonymity may have shifted


When mourners arrived at the peace park in Maple Ridge, Vancouver, to pay tribute to Amanda Todd this week, few could have realised quite how widely the effects of the 15-year-old's death were being felt.

News of her suicide, apparently as a result of years of cyberbullying, provoked the internet vigilante group Anonymous to reveal the personal details of the man it says tormented her under an online pseudonym.

It came in the same week that an American journalist outed the real-life identity of one of the "biggest trolls on the web" as Michael Brutsch, a man accused of posting sexualised images of underage girls and graphic images of domestic violence on Reddit, the hugely popular open-source website now considered so influential it recently hosted a question and answer session with Barack Obama.

Does this represent a turning point in the history of the web, when the cloak of anonymity was torn away from internet trolls?

"This has been a wake-up call to the people who participate in these online communities to really think through what their responsibilities are," said Zeynep Tufekci, of the centre for information technology policy at Princeton University. The events surrounding the exposure of Brutsch's identity, as well as that of Todd's alleged tormentor, represent a sea change, according to Tufekci. "People are realising they cannot afford to have this 'live and let live' ethos to what is posted on their site. I feel like this is a social movement on a par with the Arab spring."

Figured a few people may be interested.

Will we see a more polite Internet going forward? Dunno.
4584
Living Room / Re: 3D Printing Under Attack
« Last post by Renegade on October 21, 2012, 08:40 PM »
Slashdot has a story about a (partially) 3d printed plane and it mostly went through, but the slashdot thread went all "over priced, meh". When you can't file the lawsuit, slam it in social media!

http://news.virginia...fly-printed-airplane


That was pretty cool! :)

It won't be overpriced for long, unless some idiotic legislation gets passed to tax 3D printing materials for "copyright" and "patent" infringement the way blank CDs are taxed.
4585
Living Room / Re: Dumbing-down of the educational system?
« Last post by Renegade on October 21, 2012, 08:39 AM »
In Victory for Common Sense, Minnesota Will Allow Free Online Courses After All

Chalk one up for sanity! :D (An exceedingly rare event today!)
4586
Living Room / Re: The Free Videos Thread
« Last post by Renegade on October 21, 2012, 08:11 AM »
I originally posted about the Drone web series here:

https://www.donation...ic=32369.0;topicseen

Episode 4 is out now. :)



Here's the playlist: http://www.youtube.c...t=PL6BF5DAE7D4915461

Enjoy!
4587
Living Room / Re: 3D Printing Under Attack
« Last post by Renegade on October 21, 2012, 07:00 AM »
And the FSF steps into the foray:

http://www.techdirt....y-that-matters.shtml

Free Software Foundation Certifies 3D Printer -- And Why That Matters

from the I'm-sorry,-Dave,-I'm-afraid-I-can't-do-that dept

Last week Mike wrote about a new patent from Intellectual Ventures that seeks to assert ownership of the idea of DRM for 3D printing. The article in Technology Review that Techdirt linked to explains how things would work:

"You load a file into your printer, then your printer checks to make sure it has the rights to make the object, to make it out of what material, how many times, and so on," says Michael Weinberg, a staff lawyer at the nonprofit Public Knowledge, who reviewed the patent at the request of Technology Review. "It’s a very broad patent."

That's a pretty obvious approach, which any halfway competent engineer would come up with, so it's hard to see how it was ever granted a patent. But leaving aside this familiar problem with the patent system, there's an important issue skated over in the above explanation. It assumes that the printer has the power to disobey you -- that is, to refuse to print out an object that you want, because of the DRM in the file describing it, or because it doesn't have DRM at all. This parallels the situation for computers, where DRM is based on the assumption that your computer is not fully under your control, and has the ability to ignore your commands. That's one of the reasons why free software is so important: it is predicated on the idea that the user is always in control.

Against the background of the new 3D-printing patent, this announcement from the Free Software Foundation (FSF) that it has recently certified a 3D printer made by Aleph Objects as "respecting the user's freedom", takes on a particular significance:

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) today awarded its first Respects Your Freedom (RYF) certification to the LulzBot AO-100 3D Printer sold by Aleph Objects, Inc. The RYF certification mark means that the product meets the FSF's standards in regard to users' freedom, control over the product, and privacy.

Here are the FSF's criteria for making the award:

The desire to own a computer or device and have full control over it, to know that you are not being spied on or tracked, to run any software you wish without asking permission, and to share with friends without worrying about Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) -- these are the desires of millions of people who care about the future of technology and our society. Unfortunately, hardware manufacturers have until now relied on close cooperation with proprietary software companies that demanded control over their users. As citizens and their customers, we need to promote our desires for a new class of hardware -- hardware that anyone can support because it respects your freedom.

That is, in making the award, the FSF has established that the LulzBot remains fully under the user's control.

Until now, that hasn't been an issue -- there's no practical way to stop someone from simply downloading a file and then printing it out on a compatible 3D printer. But the patent from Intellectual Ventures is the first step towards a time when users of 3D printers will be confronted with issues of control in exactly the same way that computer users are today.
4588
Living Room / Re: Dumbing-down of the educational system?
« Last post by Renegade on October 21, 2012, 06:50 AM »
More in the education silliness department...

http://www.techdirt....thout-approval.shtml

Old Regulations Strike Again: Minnesota Says It's Against The Law To Offer Open Courseware Class Without Approval

from the oh-come-on dept

Every day, it seems, we hear of yet another story of silly out-of-date regulations, which may have had a reasonable purpose initially, getting in the way of perfectly legitimate innovation. For example, there's been a massive growth in "open courseware" or open education programs, that put various educational classes online for everyone to benefit. They're not designed to replace the degrees of college, but rather to just help people learn. One of the biggest ones, Coursera, recently told people in Minnesota that they could no longer take Coursera classes, due to ridiculously outdated Minnesota regulations:
Notice for Minnesota Users:

Coursera has been informed by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education that under Minnesota Statutes (136A.61 to 136A.71), a university cannot offer online courses to Minnesota residents unless the university has received authorization from the State of Minnesota to do so. If you are a resident of Minnesota, you agree that either (1) you will not take courses on Coursera, or (2) for each class that you take, the majority of work you do for the class will be done from outside the State of Minnesota.
4589
Living Room / Re: DRONE - web video series
« Last post by Renegade on October 21, 2012, 06:23 AM »
BTW - Episode 4 is out now - the link above works for the series.
4590
Ghost in the machine (something like that)

+1

I know a good exorcist if you need... ;D
4591
If a customer feels they are being wrongly accused, they can ask for a review, which will cost them $35 according to the Verge.

Thank you for your letter.

Please note that the use of my mailbox is subject to usage fees. Your unsolicited and unauthorized use carries with it a small additional surcharge in addition to some minor penalties.

You may remit the amount you owe, USD $150,000.00 (i.e. the cash equivalent to about 1 song), to <bank account details>, on or before the due date, i.e. today. Late fees and interest charges apply.

Also find enclosed, a payment for $35 for a case review. Your acceptance of payment is considered full acceptance of the terms of this communication.

Thank you in advance for your kind cooperation.

4592
Living Room / Re: Dumbing-down of the educational system?
« Last post by Renegade on October 20, 2012, 10:02 PM »
I've viewed quite a few videos from Khan, and like them. The Gates thing though... Hmmm...
4593
Living Room / Re: Warrantless Wiretapping
« Last post by Renegade on October 20, 2012, 09:11 PM »
Just how insane does this all get?  :huh:

  I fear we have only seen the tip of the iceburg.  When our own government refuses to follow the Constitution of the U.S., we have become a police state.  Sad how the gov't and rich can get away with it, but yet any average Joe goes against the Constitution and he/she goes directly to jail.

Which is why Bernie Madoff was prosecuted - he stole from rich people. They count. We don't.
4594
Living Room / Re: Dumbing-down of the educational system?
« Last post by Renegade on October 20, 2012, 05:50 AM »
I just read this:

(FAIR WARNING: This is likely to disrupt part of most people's world views.)

http://www.globalres...-schoolhouse/5308822

I didn't know that the Khan Academy was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Anyways, the article has some interesting things to say about the current and future state of education.
4595
Developer's Corner / MonoGame for RASPBERRY PI!
« Last post by Renegade on October 20, 2012, 05:19 AM »
Well, this should make C# game devs happy:

https://twitter.com/...s/258707113218551809

@CannibalCat696 Why not leverage their XNA codebase with MonoGame.Today we announced Raspberry Pi support, to go with iOS,Android,Windows8!

http://monogame.codeplex.com/

What is MonoGame?

MonoGame is an Open Source implementation of the Microsoft XNA 4 Framework. Our goal is to allow XNA developers on Xbox 360, Windows & Windows Phone to port their games to the iOS, Android, Mac OS X, Linux and Windows 8 Metro.  PlayStation Mobile development is currently in progress.

In a word... wow.

Xbox 360
iOS
Android
Mac OS X
Linux
Windows 8
Raspberry PI
PlayStation Mobile coming soon...

What are they missing? Kitchen Sink OS v1.0? :P
4596
Living Room / Re: Court Rules Mobile Phones Cause Cancer
« Last post by Renegade on October 20, 2012, 05:17 AM »
My question is: Why is a court deciding this? Shouldn't something like this be left up to science, rather than law? :huh:
Well, no, not necessarily.
It is possible that the bias is so heavy on either side of the argument, and the stakes so $high, that the associated so-called "scienctific research" cannot be trusted - e.g., you might never know for sure whether the researchers had been bought off or paid to arrive at a "proof" to a preferred hypothesis.
Under such circumstances, it might seem better to let the issues be properly adjudged in a court of law, and what better standard bearer for objectivity than Italy's Supreme Court in Rome? Italy being known worldwide for things such as, for example, it's impeccable laws, incorruptible judges, negligible corruption in society, low crime rate, and scientific and judicial due process?
For example, it was via an Italianate court that, in July 1633, the final interrogation of Galileo Galilei at the hands of the Inquisition ended with a banishment sentence and him being forced to recant his heretical theory that the Earth moved around the Sun...Oh, but wait...

Hahahahaha~! ;D

And down the rabbit hole we go...
4597
Living Room / Re: The Free Videos Thread
« Last post by Renegade on October 20, 2012, 05:15 AM »
I left out an important word there :-[
what I meant to say was that if you were going to post a controversial video, I think the thread deserves an appropriate (i.e. related) title.

Ah - no - that wasn't my intent at all. My intent was to start a thread to post free videos in - videos that are free to watch and share. I just started with 1 video and 1 page with more. I wasn't trying to start a thread on cancer cures.

I know a few other people here know other sites and videos, and was hoping they'd jump in and post more free videos/films/documentaries/shows/etc.

That's what I meant here:

Well, we've heard a few people talk about boycotting the mainstream media sources and all that, so it's probably about time for a thread dedicated to FREE VIDEOS and free sources of videos~! :D
4598
Living Room / Re: The Free Videos Thread
« Last post by Renegade on October 20, 2012, 01:30 AM »
I dont really understand - isn't every video on youtube and or vimeo etc 'free' - that is, until it's taken down, or blocked (see below).


Well, yes and no. I more or less meant "free" videos as in those that the producers put out there for free, as opposed to those that are purely commercial in nature, and if they are free, it's not the intent of the producer to have them available for free.


I unfortunately cant make any comment on the video cause I cant see the beggar (again below), but if f you're going to post a controversial video, I think it deserves an appropriate title ;)


I put the title as the producer has it, with a description. Not sure what else I can do. It's their perogative to give it a name - not mine. ;)

Sorry that you couldn't view it. :( It's quite good.


Wasn't there a guy in Texas who claimed to have a cancer cure, and who the FDA tried to supress for years - there was a thread with a bit of discussion about him somewhere (found it).
 (see attachment in previous post)
( here we have the future already :-\ )


Yep. He has a very different approach. A patentable one. :)

That film is also quite good. I have the DVD, and bought it for a family member with cancer... Unfortunately, it's basically impossible to tell someone with cancer that there's a cure. They'd rather have expensive poison injected and be bombarded with radiation until they die than try something that has worked for other people but that doesn't have the blessing of the high and mighty oncology department... Sigh...
4599
Living Room / Court Rules Mobile Phones Cause Cancer
« Last post by Renegade on October 19, 2012, 10:56 PM »
Well, it's not like the rumors haven't been around for a while, but this time the mobile phone cancer thing is coming out of a court:

http://www.telegraph...rs-court-rules..html

Innocente Marcolini, 60, an Italian businessman, fell ill after using a handset at work for up to six hours every day for 12 years.

Now Italy's Supreme Court in Rome has blamed his phone saying there is a "causal link" between his illness and phone use, the Sun has reported.

4600
Living Room / Re: What will be your next computer?
« Last post by Renegade on October 19, 2012, 10:46 PM »
So to put it briefly, my experience has probably been similar to yours -- unsatisfactory reading experience in an absolute sense.  However, not having to be in front of a pc to read pcs has made it still worthwhile.

Yep. That pretty much sums it up. At least they're available off the desktop/laptop, even if they are sub-optimal. I tried on my phone... pain pain pain...
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