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6051

Living Room / Re: Stiff sentence for sending child to wrong school district

« Last post by 40hz on February 29, 2012, 06:36 PM »

Yep. Happened in my home state two towns away from where I live.

People here are generally enraged about how she's being treated although the drug dealing, which supposedly went on for years prior to her sending her son outside her 'official' school district had a lot to do with her going to jail. Plus a prior conviction for robbing a local bank 10 years previously didn't help her much either.

Some local coverage can be found here and here.

This is one of those difficult (for me) cases. Is this somebody who may be bad but was legitimately trying to get her son out from under the circumstances of his birth. Or was this just somebody who was dealing drugs and wanted her kid out of the immediate area where she was dealing either to protect him - or just keep him out of sight and her hair.

Tough call. We'll never really know.

I personally think her kid would be better off not being with her IF she is dealing because the city she's from has major gang issues when it comes to drugs. Going after somebody's kid for purposes of intimidation, or to get revenge against a competitor, isn't exactly uncommon.

But if that was the State's primary concern, there are other far more serious things she could have been charged with. Hitting her so hard for 'defrauding' another school district smacks of maliciousness. Not to mention the fact those drug and prostitution charges appeared at a suspiciously convenient time considering what a political football her case was turning into on the national level.

But when you're a prosecutor I guess you pursue whatever charges you think you can make stick. Pretty sucky doing that IMO. But that's how it often works.

We are all of us pieces in many different hidden games.

"So it goes." 

6052

Living Room / Re: Rasberry Pi launches Wednesday Feb 29 - and is an instant sell-out as predicted

« Last post by 40hz on February 29, 2012, 03:20 PM »

You guys are the absolute worst thing to happen to my bank account, never mind the bl**dy Nigerian scam-mongers  

-4wd (February 29, 2012, 03:04 PM)

Might be the best thing actually!

Imagine a nice HD video player and home theater server for around $250 all in? Or finally doing that second home server you were thinking about doing just for the kids, but couldn't quite cost justify.

I'm personally imagining my life with thin client Linux boxes in almost every room of the house talking to a big honking (and probably expensive since I wouldn't do that using an R-Pi. At least I don't think I would...) personal cloud server hiding down in my basement.

I might also put an email server on one, a webserver on another,  and use a third as a soup-to-nuts firewall/router combo!

Hmm...I wonder if they'll eventually offer it in 6-packs?

6053

Living Room / Re: Software Alliance's FRAND proposes to have Free software outlawed in the EU?

« Last post by 40hz on February 29, 2012, 01:37 PM »

there has been a bit of a "bandwagon" lately here...

-tomos (February 29, 2012, 12:54 PM)

???

6054

Living Room / Re: Software Alliance's FRAND proposes to have Free software outlawed in the EU?

« Last post by 40hz on February 29, 2012, 12:40 PM »

You can disagree without being personal.

-mouser (February 29, 2012, 11:21 AM)

Agree. 

As a friend of mine so aptly put it: You can be passionate about something without having to get angry over it. So share your passions. And try not to give in too easily to the pleasure of self-righteous anger,

6055

Living Room / Re: Software Alliance's FRAND proposes to have Free software outlawed in the EU?

« Last post by 40hz on February 29, 2012, 12:26 PM »

Is blatant anti-EU racism, something which is becoming depressingly more common on DC.

-Eóin (February 29, 2012, 11:10 AM)

Point one: Funny. I've often felt the same way about what I consider US bashing on the part of DC members who live in the EU. But I don't dismiss what's said by them out of hand as nothing other than propaganda, spam, or lies.

Point two: I'm not sure the charge of racism is at all accurate since the EU does not constitute what's generally considered a racial group. The EU (like the rest of the world's nation states) consist of many different races and ethnic groups. So to speak of the EU (or the USA for that matter) as a monoculture is ludicrous.

When people criticize a nation, what they're really criticizing is its political rulers and institutions. Not the people residing within its borders.

In that most "representative" governments found in the western world are now anything but - it's an important distinction to keep in mind. Especially in an era when "national security" is becoming increasingly equated with hiding what's embarrassing to the current government's executive branch.

So to my mind, characterizing criticism of portions of the EU's political system as "anti-EU racism" is really a bit of a stretch. Feel free to disagree if you're so inclined.

Point three: As far as the FOSS people go, there's a bit more to their objection than you're giving it. Their objection is to the entire underlying argument for FRAND - because there really isn't any - other than to get everybody to accept a licensing scheme that very obviously favors commercial interests and interpretations of the notion of intellectual property.

I think the FOSS people quite frankly recognize FRAND for what it is: an attempt to let the proverbial camel get its head in their tent. Because once you accept such an interpretation and accept the need for such a license (any such license) the rest follows quite naturally. Microsoft is pulling this same thing with their assertion that Linux is infringing on their patent portfolio. Microsoft doesn't want to go to court and possibly (or likely) have many of those patents invalidated. What they prefer to do is target companies and distros one by one and twist their arms to sign licensing deals which acknowledge Microsoft's patents.

What Microsoft hopes to eventually do is assert its patent portfolio against any remaining holdouts once they believe they have a sufficient number of businesses signed up to claim they have established de facto acknowledgement of the validity of their patents. Once they have that, they will likely go to court and seek to enforce them against whoever still hasn't signed. The argument will go something like this:

 "Your Honor! If our patents are invalid as some here are saying, how do they explain the fact that so many major Linux based businesses - who also have the technical expertise to understand what the patents in question were granted for - have agreed both in principle and in fact to their validity? Why would they - being engineers and computer experts - seen fit to license from us - and furthermore to have paid the requested licensing fees - if they believed there was no merit to our claims?"


So when it comes to the free software crowd, it's not really so much they're objecting to the cost of getting a license. What they're objecting to is the argument such a license is needed to begin with. And that license is something the FRAND advocates have tried to position as a given rather than as a subject for further debate and clarification.

What FRAND is doing with this is very similar to the old sales trick of showing you something, and then handing you a pen and contract and saying "Would you prefer it in red or in blue?" before you even said you decided to buy it. It's called the "close on assumption" ploy. And it's one of a dozen sleazy techniques popular with less than ethical salesmen. You'd think the people involved in drafting far reaching legislation would be above such chicanery. But on the other hand...maybe not.

And the only rational adult response to such manipulative attempts is to step outside the frame the idiots are trying to put you in and say "None of the above."

FRAND asks how to best to implement a license they've already decided on. FOSS asks why is it necessary to go with such a license at all?

The real answer is because it would force FOSS to yield on all their objections about our current intellectual property laws and the problems with our patent and copyright system. In for a penny, in for a pound, as the saying goes. Once they accept such a license, FOSS and everything it stands for is effectively dead. FOSS knows that. And even more importantly, so do the proponents of FRAND. Which is why the FOSS world is not going to concede an inch on this without a fight. Nor is FOSS going to passively sit back and allow the FRAND advocates to define all the terms or frame the debate.

One of the first things an entrenched business does when it runs into outside innovation is to try to get the new thing declared illegal. Or failing that, to burden it with as many complex and costly regulations as possible. Because they know that size is an advantage when it comes to government regulatory requirements. They constitute a barrier to entry into a market since new and small companies often can't afford the business infrastructure needed to comply. Besides, stifling innovation and slowing change is much easier and safer than competing on merits anyway.

That's what FRAND is setting the stage to do. And I'm sorry of it's pissing some people off that the FOSS world isn't falling for it.

So be it.

Onward!

6056

Living Room / Re: Looking for opinions on changing ISP

« Last post by 40hz on February 29, 2012, 11:12 AM »

It's doable:
 (see attachment in previous post)


Oh sorry, you said admins...

-4wd (February 25, 2012, 10:43 PM)

Hmm...wonder if that lady "doin' the penguin" is somehow hooked up with this group:



 

6057

Living Room / Re: Software Alliance's FRAND proposes to have Free software outlawed in the EU?

« Last post by 40hz on February 29, 2012, 10:23 AM »

@ Eóin - So nice to have fellow DC members comments and opinions labelled as political propaganda, spam, and lies.

If you disagree with something (even strongly) it's generally considered the courteous thing to give reasons and rebuttals rather than resorting to insults and name calling. Especially when at a place like DC. Severe breech of etiquette that is.

 Enjoy your life. 

6058

General Software Discussion / Re: Why is it so hard to find a decent image organizer?

« Last post by 40hz on February 29, 2012, 09:31 AM »

@K.Murat - let me also welcome you to the DonationCoder forums. It's always good when a developer, or someone who works for one, joins in.

The specs on your product are very impressive. I'm downloading the single-user version as we speak. More out of curiosity than anything else since I'm not too involved in dealing with large photo collections. But I know two people who are, so I'll be giving them a heads up on your product. I'll also be sure to pass back anything they have to say about it if they do end up trying it.

Suggestion: there's an area on this forum where people and companies are invited to announce their software/product/service and share whatever information they think we should know about it. Link to it is here.

You might want to start a new topic about your products under that heading since there's a better chance it will be seen by more people who frequent this site than if you just mention them in an existing thread on a more general topic. Just be sure to read the rules for that section first.

So again, welcome. And thanks for bringing your product to our attention.

6059

Living Room / Rasberry Pi launches Wednesday Feb 29 - and is an instant sell-out as predicted

« Last post by 40hz on February 29, 2012, 08:12 AM »

If you've been following recent Rasberry Pi announcements you probably knew this was coming.  

From the fine folks over at OSnews:

Raspberry Pi launch turns into frenzy
posted by Thom Holwerda on Wed 29th Feb 2012 09:47 UTC

This morning, I experienced the nerd equivalent of a Black Friday $50 iPad sale. At 07:00 CET, the first batch of the much-anticipated Raspberry Pi went on sale, and while Raspberry Pi itself was very properly prepared, the two large international retailers actually selling the device weren't - despite warnings from Raspberry Pi about the enormous amount of traffic that would come their way, the two sites crumbled to dust within seconds. There's good news too - the cheaper model A has seen its RAM doubled at no additional cost.

Needless to say, I couldn't get my order in. But so what? They'll make more.

With demand for a piece of technology as 'right' as this, how could they possibly not?  

And if you don't know what Rasberry Pi is, or why it's such a big deal, you can read all about it here.
.

6060

Living Room / Re: Are Creative Commons Licenses Even Enforceable?

« Last post by 40hz on February 29, 2012, 05:17 AM »

The real problem with Creative Commons IMO is that they tried to keep it loose and on the honor system while at the same time trying to give it some legal 'teeth.'

That doesn't usually fly in a courtroom.

While I admire the motivation and the philosophy behind it, I can't help but think it's largely unworkable in its current incarnation. Mainly because it attempts to provide all the protections that a registry would provide - without actually maintaining a registry.

So whenever push comes to shove, it's extremely difficult to enforce CC provisions if a well-financed challenger stepped up to the plate over a given piece of creative work. And all assertions to the contrary on CC's website, it's still not a given. Most judges take a fairly dim view of assertions and appeals to justice in the absence of due diligence and an actual law to fall back on.

If CC wants to be taken seriously, it's going to have to get much more serious about what it's doing. Because right now it's more like a social club than a licensing organization. If you read the policy pages on the website, CC makes all sorts of claims and establishes a fairly specific set of rules. Then it negates it all with the following:

Can Creative Commons give legal advice about its licenses or other tools, or help with CC license enforcement?

No. Creative Commons is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or legal services. CC is similar to a self-help service that offers free, form-based legal documents for others to use. CC also provides a jurisdiction database where you can compare the international licenses (formerly known at the "unported licenses") and ports (adaptations of the international licenses for particular jurisdictions), and a license versions page where you can compare the differences between license versions.

The CC wiki has a list of lawyers and organizations who have identified themselves as willing to provide information to others about CC licensing issues. However, please note that CC does not provide referral services, and does not endorse or recommend any person on that list. CC's Affiliate Network may also be a good resource for information about the licenses in a particular jurisdiction, though they should not be contacted for legal advice, at least in their capacity as a member of our CC Affiliate Network.

Who gives permission to use works offered under Creative Commons licenses?

Our licenses and legal tools are intended for use by anyone who holds copyright to the work. This is often, but not always, the creator or author. Creative Commons has no authority to grant permission on behalf of those persons, nor does CC manage those rights on behalf of others. CC offers licenses and tools to the public free of charge and does not require that creators or other rightsholders register with CC in order to apply a CC license to a work. This means that CC does not have special knowledge of who uses the licenses and for what purposes, nor does CC have a way to contact authors beyond means generally available to the public.

If you would like to obtain additional permissions to use the work beyond those granted by the license that has been applied, you should contact the rightsholder.

Does Creative Commons collect or track works licensed under a CC license?

CC does not collect content or track works except by way of example. CC builds technical tools that help the public search for and use works licensed under our licenses and other legal tools. For instance, the CC Network allows creators and users to express their support for Creative Commons, and also provides a tool for creators to authenticate ownership of their works. CC also offers tools like CC Search to help the public discover works offered under Creative Commons licenses on the Internet via CC-aware search engines and repositories.

So ok...there's no registration, no tracking, no support, no legal assistance...just a bunch of 'feel-good' stuff about sharing and being open. All very noble. And I mean that in all sincerity. But it hardly gives a CC license issuer much to work with if somebody violates those rules. Because without an underlying law specifically for CC, or an organization that keeps track of registrations - and attempts to enforce the rules - you're basically just issuing your own personal license. Except in this case, it was written for you by CC.

Not very good protection. More along the lines of using "moral suasion" as they (used to?) teach in management school.

And any good attorney will tell you if you have genuine faith in the notion of "moral suasion" when dealing with business, they have a bridge on Brooklyn they'd like to sell you.

6061

Living Room / Re: Amazon pulls thousands of e-books... and the SFWA strikes back

« Last post by 40hz on February 28, 2012, 10:17 PM »

Oooooo! That's right. They did do that didn't they? (McMillan titles wasn't it?)

Thanks for reminding us Carol. That's something that "should (n)ever be forgot."

-40hz (February 28, 2012, 09:07 PM)

I am surprised you did forget.  Getting old aren't you.

-steeladept (February 28, 2012, 10:06 PM)

'fraid so.

6062

Living Room / Re: Amazon pulls thousands of e-books... and the SFWA strikes back

« Last post by 40hz on February 28, 2012, 09:07 PM »

What is not clear is if Amazon dropped IPG does that mean all the customers who have bought IPG product have had it removed from their Kindle accounts? Amazon did this before.

-Carol Haynes (February 28, 2012, 08:21 PM)

Oooooo! That's right. They did do that didn't they? (McMillan titles wasn't it?)

Thanks for reminding us Carol. That's something that "should (n)ever be forgot."

6063

General Software Discussion / Re: Superboyac is throwing in the towel: I'm going to transition to Linux

« Last post by 40hz on February 28, 2012, 08:50 PM »

The trouble with Linux discussion is as soon as a distro is mentioned then there are 400 conflicting suggestions.

-MilesAhead (February 28, 2012, 07:04 PM)

With all due respect Miles, that's not trouble. That's choice and informed opinion - which is what Linux is supposed to be about. Follow your own weird.

Mandrake/Mandriva has been a consistent no hassle distro since 2002, if not eariler. At any rate that's when I looked at 9.0. 9.1 they pretty much got the bugs out. Boot, choose, reboot, use.

Mandriva was a very rad and polished solution when it came out. Unfortunately, a series of bad business decisions and governance has put it in a very precarious position financially. Most informed people in the IT industry that follow Linux closely don't give it much hope of surviving long term. Here's one of several articles that cover this issue. Do a Google search if you want to see more. Most are saying just about the same thing.

From the Mandriva website:

← Decision postponed
Not this time
Posted on January 30, 2012 by Jean-Manuel Croset_0

Unfortunately, the bid proposed by the external entity has been refused by a minority shareholder and we cannot go for this solution. Fortunately, the financial situation – far better than expected – allow us to search for a new way to solve the current issue until mid-February. We’ll be able to count on the help of the Paris Region Economic Development Agency for this important move.

With an uncertain future, Mandriva is not a good choice to start using at this point. Especially since it is a unique and independently maintained fork of RedHat and with it's own exclusive software repositories. If it goes out of business, it's pretty much over for it's users.

So short of the French government doing a bailout, it doesn't look too good for Mandriva since February is now something like the third sudden death overtime for this distro.

If someone wants an OS that is very "Windows like" they should run Windows. You can't get more Windows like than that.

Here's where we're going to have to agree to disagree.

That attitude has done a lot to hold Linux back. There is nothing wrong with different OS windows managers having cultural or visual similarities. Because under the hood, all operating systems do the same things. And anything that promotes someone's ability to move from platform to platform and still get work done can't possibly be a bad thing.

So while it may be cool in some circles to insist that Linux is so totally different from everything else that you need to forget what you know about Windows (and all the skills you acquired using it) - the simple truth is that this argument doesn't hold water on the user level.

All modern  windows managers contain the same elements: windows, sliders, check boxes, cursors, icons, text boxes, radio buttons, spinners, a desktop metaphor, etc.

And guess what? They all pretty much work just the same. There are minor differences to be sure. But they're mostly just that:minor differences.

I've probably introduced a few hundred people to Linux and migrated several businesses and organizations over to it over the years. Guess what almost everybody says? "Hey! It's a lot like Windows!" Wanna know why? Because it is a lot like Windows. Especially if you use Gnome2. And even more especially if you use Mint.

I've booted a Mint live CD and told less tech savvy users it's a top secret beta release of Microsoft Windows which won't be coming out until late 2013. Then I turned them loose on it. Almost everyone could use it with no coaching after a little initial fumbling around getting used to where things were put. Most liked it. And about half thought it was better than Win7.

To me that's reason enough to start with something like Mint if immediate productivity and virtually no learning curve is your goal. You can always tackle Arch or Slackware later on if you want to get into the real (and fascinating IMHO) nitty-gritty of how Linux works. But in the meantime, you can get your work done and get as far away from MS Windows as possible.

Note: You probably can't BTW. Or at least I can't. Which is why I will probably always keep at least one laptop running some flavor Windows. Mainly because there's some stuff you just can't run efficiently - or at all - otherwise. But I also have a Mac Mini for exactly the same reason. I don't have to like it. But I do occasionally need to use it. (I'm sorry Mom! But it's my job!)

I personally prefer the elegant xfce environment for my window manager when I'm not working in a terminal session, which is where I spend about half my time. But I'm a geek so that doesn't count.

Right now, about the only people who are still insisting that their desktop and OS  is fundamentally different and unique from everyone else's is Apple with OSX.

Feel free to believe them if you want to.

On second thought, with the advent of Metro, Linux is more Windows-like than Windows.

So much for labels, huh? 

The point is that it's not Windows like. It's Linux like.

Maybe beneath the hood, and for a software developer, that's true. But for an enduser working off the desktop very much less so. I've studied a lot of OS and interface design. And I don't see it at all. So if someone can enlighten me about why it's "Linux-like" and not "Windows-like" on a non-trivial level, I'd be happy to hear it.

Anyway, enough of this nonsense. I've done this rant so often that even I get sick of listening to myself repeat it. So I'm gonna shut-up now.

The best advice I have for a new Linux user is to just start using something - and keep your eyes and mind open in the meantime.

Oh yes - and don't forget to have fun.

6064

Living Room / Re: Amazon pulls thousands of e-books... and the SFWA strikes back

« Last post by 40hz on February 28, 2012, 07:03 PM »

+1. Boycott. 

Oh wait! I can't. I never bought an ebook reader because I knew this would eventually happen. 

6065

Living Room / Re: Are Creative Commons Licenses Even Enforceable?

« Last post by 40hz on February 28, 2012, 06:44 PM »

You also can't rescind CC on something once you release it that way. That's spelled out in the CC terms. Like GPL - once you do it, it remains in effect in perpetuity. If that weren't the case, there'd be no point in having CC to begin with.

Which is also something to keep in mind if you're ever planning on selling a CC'd work to a publisher. Most will insist on an exclusive assignment of copyright and right to publish for the duration of your contract with them. If you've already CC'd your work, you can't grant them that. So think twice. CC is for people who genuinely want to share. It's not a marketing tool to get exposure or build a career with.

6066

Living Room / Re: Software Alliance's FRAND proposes to have Free software outlawed in the EU?

« Last post by 40hz on February 28, 2012, 06:38 PM »

^Well...why do we have to act as if these are our only two choices here? Why not say "none of the above, thank you."

There's nothing stopping them from just walking away from FRAND because it's such a crappy piece of legislation. But it's crappy legislation certain well-funded parties are intent on pushing through no matter what so I doubt they'll drop it.

Still...instead of attempting to define the impossible - or having judges do a case by case - why not just draft a rational law that isn't so blatant about the dirty deal it's trying to pull off.

Oh, right! That's because that dirty deal is the entire point isn't it?

6067

General Software Discussion / Re: Superboyac is throwing in the towel: I'm going to transition to Linux

« Last post by 40hz on February 28, 2012, 05:22 PM »

I prefer some of the newer distros to start on.

Instead of Slackware as a "run on bare metal" choice I'd go with Arch Linux if you really want to learn what it's all about on a very fundamental level. Good docs too.

Instead of Mandriva (who's future is still up in the air) I'd go with Linux Mint for an easy to use minimal hassle Linux that's very Windows like. A very polished and svelte distro, perfect for beginners - and more than powerful enough for an advanced user. Top user pick over at Distrowatch. And for good reason.

6068

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: 7 Days of Free Downloads from VideoBlocks.com

« Last post by 40hz on February 28, 2012, 01:44 PM »

But more importantly -- try to get hold of someone at videoblocks, let them know how upset and tricked you feel, and about how you are going to warn everyone never to use their site and spread the word on some popular computer forums!

-mouser (February 28, 2012, 01:38 PM)

Not a bad idea. Just don't be surprised if they pull a DMCA slap move or threaten a website with something to get your comments taken down. Something most sites will now do fairly automatically. It's becoming a very common tactic. I've had criticisms of various companies disappear from blog comments and web forums in the past. And in two cases, where I very politely (and privately via PM) complained about it to the site owners, all it did was get me kicked off their sites without further explanation or elaboration.

Welcome to the new reality of the web.

6069

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: 7 Days of Free Downloads from VideoBlocks.com

« Last post by 40hz on February 28, 2012, 01:32 PM »

Curt I would not give up so easily -- dispute it, complain loudly, yell and scream.

-mouser (February 28, 2012, 01:14 PM)

@Curt - Maybe you have some recourse under your country's equivalent of a consumer protection agency?

FWIW - I really though about giving that offer a try, but something about the website, and the way the terms were worded made me a little suspicious that this was one of those businesses that might really push the envelope on what they can legally get away with. When I checked the Ripoff Report and Complaints Board websites I saw enough to confirm my suspicions.

Sorry you got bit by them.

6070

Living Room / Re: Software Alliance's FRAND proposes to have Free software outlawed in the EU?

« Last post by 40hz on February 28, 2012, 01:29 PM »

EU bureaucrats making up this seemingly bonkers type of legislation

-IainB (February 28, 2012, 07:29 AM)

Care to elaborate?

-Eóin (February 28, 2012, 12:26 PM)

It's difficult to elaborate on. Mainly because the drafters of the proposed legislation repeatedly refuse to define the terms they're using in the law - or to be pinned down on exactly what they mean.

It's almost like asking the EU to sign a contract that's 50% blank page, with the assurances "we'll fill in all those little details later."

 

6071

General Software Discussion / Re: So, it has come to this. Pick an ecosystem -- Google, Microsoft, or Apple

« Last post by 40hz on February 28, 2012, 01:20 PM »

I think the possibilities created by something like Rasberry Pi in conjunction with Linux will be the only alternatives available if you don't want to buy into somebody's walled garden not too long from now.

But once that happens, the next step will be to get Linux and FOSS outlawed by locking down ALL hardware.

The easiest way to do that would be by requiring all computing equipment that can access a network be required to have a DRM chip. And then set conditions such that the Linux hardware world wouldn't be allowed to obtain one. The government may not (currently) have the legal authority to simply stop someone from designing and building an open computer. But they can prevent them from selling or deploying it of it doesn't conform with some other crazy law.

And lest you think it impossible, look at what happened when manufacturers attempted to introduce DAT tape recorder/players to the US market. Media franchises raised such a ruckus, and so much pressure was placed on importers and distributors, that DAT was effectively blocked from US consumers - despite the fact there was nothing illegal about owning or using one. Not that it didn't stop the recording industry from spreading widespread FUD through a disinformation campaign that it somehow was illegal. And it worked. Virtually nobody in the US would sell you a DAT tape system "just in case."

Of course once hardware is locked - and alternative platforms prevented from being deployed - then you will only have your choice of Microsoft, Apple - or everybody's favorite Judas: Google/Ubuntu.

Figure this will happen within the next 10-15 years since they've already 'educated"' most of our next generation to 'not care' about any of this.

Nothing sadder than seeing a genuine mechanism for liberty and freedom get crushed by corporate greed on one side, and public indifference on the other.

So it goes.

6072

General Software Discussion / Re: Need Disk Imaging tool that can restore from external HDD

« Last post by 40hz on February 28, 2012, 01:01 PM »

Have you looked at Clonezilla yet?

6073

Living Room / Re: Are Creative Commons Licenses Even Enforceable?

« Last post by 40hz on February 28, 2012, 12:54 PM »

Most of the court cases I'm aware of sidestep the issue by asserting the owner of a work licensed under creative commons is protected by the fact they already hold traditional copyright on their work by virtue of the fact they've created it. The courts then go on to interpret the creative commons as a covenant that adds additional conditions to that of a standard copyright.

From what I can tell, the courts are basically ignoring creative commons attempts to go around the traditional copyright laws by saying you have a copyright whether you want it or not. So in that respect, it's sort of moot. Because the courts will only recognize creative works as being copyrighted or in the public domain. It's one or the other. There's no in-between. Period.

Where you might have a problem is if you try to play games with CC by arguing the person who released a work under CC waived their remedies under existing copyright laws, and then also argue that the terms of CC are unenforceable.

So far, in those cases that have made it to US courts, the answer is: "Not so." Unless a work was placed in public domain, it's protected (by default) under copyright law no matter what.

Which only makes sense since CC can be taken (at best) to be a license or contract because no governing law created or specifically recognizes CC.

You don't get to create your own public laws. That's the Legislature's prerogative. Corporations and interest groups wouldn't be spending millions annually to get our legislative middle-men to "sponsor" a bill unless they had to.

All you can do, as a private citizen or organization, is either get a new law passed; or set specific conditions for something under existing law. Contracts do that. So CC is really more a license or contract than it is a replacement for a copyright - which is a very different thing even though the protections are similar.

My attitude is it's smarter to file for standard copyright and then grant permission to use your works as you see fit. It's much easier than trying to create an alternative to an existing law. An alternative that, in and of itself, has no legal status.

Just my 2¢

6074

Living Room / Re: What books are you reading?

« Last post by 40hz on February 28, 2012, 08:47 AM »

Just finished reading, and then re-reading Dragonfly by Frederic S. Durbin. (Yes. It's that good.)



If you like books like Ray Bradbury's October Country, The Halloween Tree, or Something Wicked This Way Comes (all highly recommended BTW) you'll enjoy this book too. It's the quintessential Halloween story narrated by a young "10 going on 11" girl named Bridget-Anne - although everybody calls her Dragonfly.



Dragonfly lives with her Uncle Henry, her town's slightly odd but marvelously wise undertaker:



With characters and a setup like this, how can you possibly go wrong?

This book ended up being a complete surprise. What at first seems to be your basic supernatural "save the world" adventure ends up being a very unusual and poignant coming of age story. Well worth a read although you might want to save it for Halloween week in order to get yourself immersed in the full atmosphere of the story.

(Note: with thanks to M.M. who recommended it and is my adviser on all things related to YA fiction.  )

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Living Room / Re: Amazon Signs Up Authors, Writing Publishers Out of Deal

« Last post by 40hz on February 28, 2012, 08:03 AM »

It (the ideology) doesn't make sense to me, as it stands, unless it is deliberate, in order to force people to move to high density population centres as per my quote:

So, the provision of non-statutory healthcare and non-essential services are being progressively rationalised and centralised to points in or near relatively high-density population centres.
That is probably likely to encourage a human migration out of the small towns/villages to the nearest city. They could become ghost towns/villages over time.

-IainB (January 09, 2012, 04:58 AM)

What you say about your client's X-ray travel would seem to support that - i.e., it could well be deliberate.

-IainB (February 11, 2012, 08:34 AM)

Robin Hood and every other outlaw learned the advantages of having a large forest nearby. People in cities are easy to deal with. People running around the countryside much less so. So why make it any easier for those who are out in the sticks to remain there? It's inefficient for the administration of public services. And we all know this lot is up to no good - if not today, then certainly tomorrow. Anti-social buggers!  

During the Viet Nam war, the South Vietnamese government and the US military adopted a policy of conducting "pacification actions" (which mostly meant destroying "suspect VC-friendly" villages and rural farms) with the overall goal of forcing the rural population to migrate into urban areas where they could be more easily monitored and controlled. (Not tinfoil hat btw. This has been verified by official documents that were obtained back when the FOIA was still taken seriously.)

So yes... There may be some vague governmental notion (in the absence of an actual long-term plan) that it's generally not a good idea to encourage people to remain living in less densely populated areas.

Besides, if things keep going the way they are in so much of the western world, that empty countryside is going to be needed very shortly.

For detention centers.