Posts by bruceld

Jobs drops hint on Google open video codec

just wow

I am truly amazed that one of the richest men in the world would have to rely on the opinion of a third year comp student to reinforce his opinion. I mean...a third year comp student. Really?

Should he ever again need a liver transplant I think he should get the opinion of a third year medical student.

But then, if the e-mail came from Mr. Jobs, he knows whats best for fanbois. He makes the right decisions for fanbois, and when he speaks all fanbois fall in to line. Since he has fanbois trained like seals, he naturally commands and expects the creators and holders of technology to do as they are told.

Mr. Jobs certainly has one amazing ego, and you'd think that his brush with death would have humbled him down to the same level as all of us human beings.

Google open sources $124.6m video codec

meh

It's the egos, greed and copyright ownership that slowing down the innovation of the interweb.

Let's face it, Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad are crippled and won't run Flash because it apparently sucks and Steve Jobs is only looking out for us (as we find out later Steve Jobs is create a competing product which will no doubt be patented and licensed out for a fee). Microsoft is so desperate for the fame spotlight that they partner up with the media corporations gladly allowing DRM in their WMC product but won't allow DivX/XviD support, etc. Neither company would ever give away something for free if it meant creating more balance in the technological ecosystem, at least not without profiting from it and adding to their ego.

This is cool that Google has done this. It'll be interesting to see where this leads. I always like how Apple and Microsoft think that sun rises and sets at their command. Well big boys, apparently no one is big enough to fuck with Google.

'Draw Mohammed' call prompts Pakistan Facebook ban

Amazing...

I'm atheist, I'm certainly not Muslim and I'm definitely not middle eastern.

I think it's offensive and ignorant to disrespect other peoples religion beliefs. If a religion doesn't want people to depict or make fun of their God, why would someone want to do that? I'll tell you why; they love the attention, they only do it because they think they're being cute or funny, and they think it's just a harmless prank that doesn't harm or hurt anyone. They think they are brave but in fact they are very cowards. You would expect this type of behavior from children that have not yet fully developed their moral or compassion skills. Contrary to the offenders belief, yes it apparently does harm and hurt others.

For all you men that think they're brave and think it's all funny, why not go to Texas, dress up like a woman and carry a sign that shows a gay-married black skinned Jesus wearing a gay pride t-shirt giving an abortion to a pregnant preteen? Let's see how brave you are and let's see how long you survive.

Apple building its own Flash, says rogue Tweeter

Title

Apple knows whats best for all of us. When Apple speaks, the world listens. When Apple decides what's best for us, we must never question them. When Apple wants money, we must give them all of our money.

Umm, yeah sure.

Hawking: Aliens are out there, likely to be Bad News

More likely...

Humans are just too much trouble to bother dealing with. We're far too primitive a species that we aren't work even keeping around. I think aliens would just destroy us without hesitation. Carrying on...

Mr. Hawking is way off the mark. Aliens that are capable of interstellar travel would be far more advanced than we are in such ways that are not even fathomable by our puny primitive human brains. The fact that they'd have to figure out the restrictions of time over vast distances where every planet/solar system/galaxy are all completely out of temporal sync with each other poses another significant problem. Humans assume that since WE live in this particular dimension of time, then it's therefore obvious that the entire universe and all its inhabitants live in the same time. This is false. We our out of sync with everyone and everything that exists off of our planet.

So, aliens would have to be compatible with our time otherwise we'd never even know that either of our species even exist. In addition, we also assume that aliens can live within our 'life sustaining zones' of temperature, radioactivity, gravity, pressure and other relative factors. Just by sheer calculations alone it is possible that alien species could be living in a different time dimension in severe temperatures of radiation within an intense gravitational field, making Earth an unlikely place for them to live.

As far as a species being exactly like us being able to live in our time dimension and environment, this is possible. But time is a factor in the equation that poses severe uncertainty for everyone. For all we know they are already here but have already arrived, existed and gone extinct within only a nano of a nano of a nano second. it is also possible that for them 1 second = 1 billion of our own Earth years making our planet an unsuitable place for them to live. Lastly, it is possible that they are not even in our time dimension and we already occupy the same space, but not the same time.

Just because we see and understand things a certain way doesn't mean it's the way of life for others in the universe. We don't really know anything about anything yet, but due to our immense arrogance we just think we do.

With all due respect Mr. Hawking, I'm surprised you haven't thought of all this. Tsk, tsk.

Koobface server pops up in China after HK takedown

errr

meassive bonnet?

Death row inmate claims allergy to lethal injection

Umm...yeah

Just so you all know...

All the guilty-criminal does in prison all day is eat, sh*t, do drugs, bum f*ck each other, read magazines, watch tv, form families and friendships with other prisoners, joke around with one another and play basketball "hoopies" all day high-fiving each other for doing such great work. Do they sit in the cells being depressed and feeling sorry for their victims and their families? Nope. If they were capable of feeling sorry for others they wouldn't be out raping and murdering children. They're only sorry that they got caught and nothing more.

These aren't "normal" people that work 5 days a week, that have families to support and that feel horrible when they hear or read about tragic crimes or incidents in the news. They have no conscience so therefore I can't understand why I should care about their existence. I say, let them die.

It has sucked when it is learned that an innocent person has been executed. Oh well, at least I was not the one who chose their punishment.

One fifth of humans say aliens walk among us

two cents...

I would have to look at this from a different angle asking reasons of more why and who. Let me pretend that I am an alien living amongst humans:

Are humans really all that interesting to me as an extra-terrestrial? If I were thousands or millions of years evolved and more advanced than humans, why would I want to live among humans? Humans can't even get along with each other and they seem to want to conquer and/or destroy everyone and everything. Humans are self-destructive and even selfishly destroy their environment as well as other species. It makes no sense that if I were an extra-terrestrial that I would choose to live amongst humans particularly if I were thousands or millions of years more advanced and evolved than them. Humans would attempt to conquer and destroy me.

If I were thousands or millions of years more advanced, I'd most likely be capable of telepathy, space travel and even time travel. My intelligence would be far more advanced that I would have to compare modern human intelligence to that of an earlier evolutionary ape swinging through the trees. Would you be able to explain binary code to your evolutionary ancestor that is swinging through a tree? Why would you even want to?

As an advanced alien species I'd have far more interesting things to do with my time such as exploring the universe instead of wasting my time living with a backwards and ignorant species.

If anything I would choose to simply study humans and then quickly move along elsewhere. I'd certainly do it from a distance and I would never want to interact with a human, never mind trying to live side by side with one. Heck I'd be mobbed, lynched, probed and mercilessly dissected quicker than a homosexual living in Iran. Why would an alien want that to happen to them?

It is unlikely that an alien that is thousands or millions of years more advanced would even want to bother living amongst us. We're not a good species to live with. What is more likely is that WE, or our future species that are thousands or millions of years more advanced (assuming we don't destroy ourselves before then), are going to be more willing to time travel back to us and want or dare to live with us. We would be more interesting to ourselves than to another species.

Humans think and believe that they are the height of evolutionary perfection and intelligence, and so naturally surely an alien species that is capable of space travel would admire us, envy us and want to interact with us. I think this is far from the truth.

I for one, if I were an advanced alien species, would never want to live amongst humans.

iPads sold out

Stunning

Let me see if I understand why I should buy the iPad:

- It doesn't support Flash.

- I can't install applications without the permission of Apple.

- Apple has already demonstrated with the iPhone/Touch App store that they stifle or dissallow competing software.

- Apple can remotely disable anything that I install.

- Ultimately Apple controls everything and I can't do whatever I want with it even though I "own" the product.

- If I dare try to install anything without Apples permission I must first "crack" the system, which of course violates the DMCA so then Apple can permanently brick my device.

- Hardware issues are not yet known. Is the device's screen prone to cracking if I store it in my backpack? How is the battery...is it going to explode on my lap when I'm on an airplane? Is Apple going to sign me a non-disclosure agreement and oppress me in order to get my device fixed by them?

No thanks. I think I'll pass. I'll let the Apple fanbois get suckered in to their marketing hype and steve jobs garbage rants.

Apple video shows Flashed iPad

Sad...

This is remarkably sad, but not surprising.

What are the real reasons?

Adobe is protecting their Flash source code and not sharing it with other OS corporations for obvious reasons. So why doesn't Adobe just optimize Flash themselves in their own labs to ensure that Flash works with Apple and Linux?

Does Apple have to pay out a licensing fee to Adobe if we want to see Flash content driving up the costs of Apple products?

Is Flash really that buggy? I know it runs decently on Windows, but sucks on Apple and simple does not run on Linux OS's.

Adobe is profiting from their online App Store. Flash can be used to create games and applications which may compete with Apple's own apps such as telephone software, etc. Does Apple see Flash as competition?

Does Apple only wants applications and games running on their system that only THEY can approve of and if you paid for it ONLY from Apple? What's with all of this absolute control over everything?

Flash has had issues with vulnerability problems. Does Apple believe that Flash can compromise their systems causing them to be hacked or jail-broken?

Is Apple secretly developing their own Flash killer that's going to compete with HTML 5, Flash and Silvermicrosoftwhatever?

I'm not sure how one can load their own MP3 or video collection to the iPad yet as the connectors are apparently proprietary or absent. Does Apple only want music and video content playing on their device that was only purchased through them? Has Apple received the usual DMCA warnings and legal threats from the media corporations that forbids them from making it easy for anyone to load up and play content that they have ripped themselves?

I'm not quite sure if Apple is being Florence Nightingale in trying to lead the way to force the planet to adopt HTML 5. I'm sensing something else is going on that Apple does not want to talk about, and I suspect it's related to their desire for controlling it's devices, users, security and their profit bottom line.

*shrug* I won't buy the iTampon...er...iPad. I've never felt comfortable with any corporation that isn't upfront about their objectives, deceptive and wants to control absolutely everything taking away my choices.

Steve Jobs uncloaks the 'iPad'

I never have any idea what to put as a title...

Don't worry. Apple is innovative. They'll put the multitasking and phone version in the iPad 2G. This is why they don't make their products upgradable because they wouldn't be able to sell their next version or product or new product.

I'll stick with my iPod Touch. It seems to do everything I need when I'm on the road.

New music file aims to sink piracy using blogs and Twitter

Interesting...umm

I'm 110% all for supporting the artists and NOT the media corporations. There are too many problems with this idea.

I might be missing something here, but I could see how this new format be interesting to indie artists that rely on the distribution of their music for absolutely free and without compensation, but rely solely on having their fans attend their concerts and buy their merchandise. I can't see anything wrong with unknown artists wanting their concert and merchandising info to be fed to their music files in the hopes to earn a living.

But, why not create MP3 ID4 that will do this instead?

I would NEVER support such a thing if it were flogged by Sony/WMG/EMI/etc. Fuck them.

As for the DRM. Indie and unknown artists need to understand that DRM will only destroy their chances. I'd also be concerned if the streaming information content distribution of this MusicDNA got hacked it could wreak havoc upon their fans and will drive them away permanently. That is very very dangerous.

In addition, what if someone created a virus that hunted down MusicDNA music files and hacked them to become spam relays or part of a botnet? What if they were hacked to spew porn, pharmaceuticals, gambling spam instead?

As a general rule, ANY closed format file is very bad for business.

Full-body scanner blind to bomb parts

Thermite/Thermate

Thermite/Thermate is metal, so therefore it would be detected by metal detectors.

It also has a unique signature that bomb sniffing dogs can detect, as would "puffer" machines.

My money is on terrorist "fat suits" which the full body scanner can be fooled. Body cavity concealment is an even more viable option. The last Batman movie gave a good idea; surgical implantation. The bad guys are always thinking of new ways of thwarting security efforts.

I guess full body x-rays, sniffer dogs and "puffer" machines are the best way to go then. X-rays are harmful if overused, and can damage DNA in everyone and are extremely harmful to pregnant women and children. Cancer anyone?

I think the main reason why the bad guys target the airliners is because if the airlines went out of business it could cause a multi-billion dollar collapse of the world economy. It would also cause such a disruption in world travel and it would affect business.

Oh man. It just gets worse and worse. I do like the idea of having ones on pilot license and private plane. *sigh*

Publisher asks Google, AT&T to unmask network intruder

Ummm

You would think a hacker would use a zombie/hacked computer to cover his/her trail. There are millions of computers around the world that are part of bot-nets, and any hacker can use one of the computers to do whatever they want so that there's never a trail leading back to them.

iPhone security cracked, smacked and broken

eww

They should start calling it msPhone

Pondlife scammers abuse Air France tragedy

Pondlife?

I'm confused. Perhaps it's a UK thing but comparing scammers to cute frogs, dragonflies, ducks and other pond life is being far too nice to scammers and far too mean to other pond life. Perhaps this is a cultural difference.

Pirate-pursuing lawyers get DDo$ money transfer slap

WOOHOO

To the anti-pirates/freetards,

Freetards and Pirates make the rules. If you don't like it, get over it and just be happy that you're making the music/movie executives and lawyers fatter and richer.

Take that up your poop chute.

Microsoft rebrands WGA nagware for Windows 7

Is Windows 7 RC ready? ummm

I spoke nothing but kind words about Windows 7 Beta even praising it all over the internet and to my friends and family.

I now have to think twice about Windows 7 RC. I could be doing something as innocuous as absolutely nothing, or browsing a web page. Suddenly, POOF, my screen goes black but the system lights are still on. The mouse or keyboard can not wake up my system forcing a hard reboot.

My system also occasionally freezes for several seconds for no apparent reason.

Hardware problem? Let me see; Windows XP worked fine, Windows Vista SP1 worked fine, Windows 7 Beta worked fine, and suddenly and only after Windows 7 RC is installed I suddenly get black screens, system freezes and pauses.

I will have to think twice about buying or recommending Windows 7.

RIAA settles for $7,000 after 4 years pursuing NY mum

The mafiaa are pleased

They're pleased that they managed to destroy a family.

Imagine the toll the stress must take on any family accused of piracy and being found guilty with or without evidence.

The RIAA/MPAA are a major threat to families. They must be stopped.

Abba star slates 'lazy, stingy' Pirate Bay fans

Mmm....freetard

I have used Google so many times to find torrented files that I can't even remember how many times...even more so than TPB (which I think I used once to replace my scratched Windows XP CD which I bought legally).

I'll betcha that Google gets MORE torrent hits than TPB days. Google is the winner, hands down.

There you go you big fat and rich lawyers for the IFPI...go get them. Go order all of Google's hardware and software confiscated for digital forensic evidence. Sue them for BILLIONS of dollars in "losses" (which aren't really losses because people who pirate would never have bought your crap anyways), and take down the entire search engine business like Yahoo!, Live Search, Webcrawler, etc. Go now! I bet they have trillions of dollars waiting for you!

Dangerous FASCIST precedence indeed. Talk about an organization that doesn't care if they destroy creativity by taking down the entire internet.

Pirate Bay prosecutor tosses infringement charges overboard

Pure entertainment...

Yes I agree. I think TPB could potentially WIN if they use the analogy of Google, Microsoft, British Telecom, Toshiba, Comcast, etc of being just as guilty as they are for promoting piracy for creating, promoting and further expanding the technology that is used by pirates. They're just about as guilty as the sun at the center of our solar system for making life possible on this planet because some of those lifeforms are pilfering music and movies. Just as guilty as as our universal BIG BANG event that created all matter in the universe, some of the matter went on to create some humans that are pirating music/movies. Good lord...yeah, the anti-piracy lawyers are going to win alright.

I remember seeing Telus's ads here in Canada boldly staying in their ads that with DSL you can download music and movies faster. Gee...so Telus is profiting from Piracy.

Landmark copyright trial against Pirate Bay gets underway

Backlash...

I can afford to buy movies, music, software, etc. I do so when and if I find something worthwhile to pay for, but then if I read the fine print; I don't even own what I paid for anyways, just a license to use it. I apparently have the right to keep a legal backup copy of what I paid for, but it's illegal to do it. Stupid isn't it?

Most intelligent human beings do not enjoy being controlled. They especially dislike super rich bullies that have the power to sue someone for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars even if they only earn $8.00 an hour, a single income family and have to support a disabled child. People don't like bullies that know how to manipulate our ignorance justice system so that someone can be convicted without a trial or proof of any wrong doing, even if they don't even OWN a computer or internet (identity theft/open wireless networks).

TPB is just as guilty as a map book, Google maps, or any other search engine that indicates an address or location of where I can physically walk in to a shop and steal a movie, CD or software. TPB is just as guilty as Microsoft and all computer/hardware manufacturers because they are all just as guilty at enabling people to pirate. Googling for a file name as well as .torrent also makes Google just as guilty as TPB because Google is hosting information that tells anyone where to locate a file that could potentially be copyrighted.

if the IFPI is successfully wins the case against TPB, this would set a very dangerous precedence against everything and everyone. It's been good that Sweden understands my previous paragraph, but the IFPI and all companies linked to them are very skilled at manipulating the ignorance of those that are employed in our justice systems.

I'm against large and super rich companies and their lawyers that will stop at nothing to ensure that they can get as rich and as fat as they possibly can at the expense of stepping on little people who truly can not afford to buy a movie or song. This is why there has always been a backlash against the MPAA and RIAA, and if they win this one, they're in for an even BIGGER backlash from people like me that can afford to buy their crap.

This is going to be a very bumpy ride...

Microsoft SKUs Windows 7 clarity

DRM?

Has everyone forgotten about the DRM "broadcast flag" that cripples video files recorded through Windows Media Center? No one has even mentioned this in the new version of Windows.

I had Vista preinstalled on 5 of my new computers and I promptly reformatted everything and installed XP instead. Then after Vista SP1 I gave it a spin, and everything seemed to be running smoothly and stable.

I actually started to enjoy using Vista until I started recording TV shows on Media Center, and then discovered I can't even watch them on another computer in the bedroom. It was then I really truly HATED Vista!

I mean, the largest computer software maker on the planet is suddenly deciding that my computer is a television VCR and automatically assumes that I'm going to burn TV shows and movies on to DVD and start selling them to black markets in China? F*CKING NOT! Maybe I just want to watch it on another computer, or maybe I want to save it for another time after, but none of that matters because even if I reformat everything, I can't watch everything that I recorded.

Vista SUCKS in these terms. But has anyone found out if this DRM bullshit is on Windows 7? Why doesn't microsoft just put a disclaimer when playing the video back for the first time saying "Windows 7 is computer software, and not a TV or VCR. Keep in mind that this program has a Broadcast Flag with limitations on how you may view/use this recording. Do you wish to honour the legal limitations, or do you wish to continue knowing that you are violating the broadcast flag limitations? YES OR NO" and then just strip the DRM crap from it if you say "no", but GIVE consumers the choice about what they wish to do with something that they obtained legally.

Seriously....!

Mac malware piggybacks on pirated iWork

I'm lucky...

I am using a Mac. I am NOT vulnerable to the same attacks that Microsoft software users are prone to. I am a MAC user! I am superior! My penis is bigger than yours! I am cooler than you are!!!

Oops...what the hull? Oh...this is a Mac virus. Ooopsie...

that was my bad....i am mactard

Steve Jobs dismisses death rumours

Umm k

As if Steve Jobs will ever tell the entire world that his cancer has reappeared. As if Steve Jobs would admit that he's going in for cancer surgery again so that the shares in his company would bottom out. As if Steve Jobs would tell the planet that he is at deaths door which would basically kill off Apple.

I really do hope he gets better soon. He has to provide a fix to my Apple iPod iTouch from constantly forgetting the time zone, time and date!

Grand Theft Auto IV PC debut gets SecuROM sideshow

not a good gift

I was going to buy a bunch of copies of this game for my nephews. I have now changed my mind. I don't want to give everyone the gift of a DRM-virus.

I'll just tell them to download the cracked version instead.

Stupid Rockstar...

Teen discussed suicide plan online 12 hours before webcam death

It's sad but...

There are different forms of suicide.

Someone who is in excruciating incurable pain and is going to die very soon.

Someone who is uncontrollably depressed and has done everything they can with drugs and therapy to make themselves feel just a bit better; but never can or ever will.

Someone who has seriously had their lives go downhill very fast and they really truly see no hope of ever making it through (even though others are far worse off than they are).

Someone who is just playing around and doesn't realize the true danger and it's unchangeable consequence.

Someone who thinks that everyone is against them; real or not; believes they are unloved and feels depressed about it (even though they haven't experienced life yet to make a proper realization).

Perhaps most people know someone in any of those categories. I do.

As for the f*ckt*rds that egged the kid on...what goes around comes around baby and you will get your chance to suffer one day either directly or indirectly..

As for those who tried to help...thanks for trying.

US teen tops himself live online

hmmm

I would imagine that those who were concerned would have to first find out what city he lived in, then contact the police there, then the cops would have to contact the admins for the web site, then the admins would have to surrender the IP address to them, then the police would have to contact the local ISP, and the ISP would have to surrender the customers address to the police.

Somehow I find it difficult to believe that all that can be done in hours. How long does it take to get an affidavit signed by a judge to force the ISP to reveal the customers name and address?

It can take days (not very likely), weeks, months and possibly even years to track down a spambot.

One-eyed woman wants techno-vision

Umm...

Let's just hope she doesn't get a faulty Lithium battery and have it explode in her eye socket.

This story is obviously a hoax, or the woman is completely stupid and loves publicity. I doubt that anyone would want to willingly and consensually insert an object inside their head that could explode.

Well, unless they had been brainwashed by someone of a certain religious background.

MS: Xbox will not go Blu

Blew-ray = MEH

I can get all the HD content from my HD cable receiver and my HD satellite receiver. Why would I want to spend hundreds of dollars on Blew-ray, and also have to reinvest in all of the DVD's I already own? Absolutely nonsense...

Only ass-kissing Sony lovers with small penises would insist that Blew-ray *IS* the future. That too is also absolute nonsense...

I'll stick to my awesome upconverting DVD player, HD cable and HD satellite receiver. Sony can kiss my blue-ass.

Spam swine break next-gen CAPTCHAs

spamorama

the solution is simple....set a limit to new free e-mail accounts registered to known subdomains and/or IP addresses of known sweat shop/spam countries.

simple isn't it?

Burned by Chrome - Fire put out

or perhaps....

it's just a way to get publicity

Cloned US ATM cards: Can they fool Brit self-service checkouts?

whose watching who?

What's to stop the 'mule' from simply keeping all the loot for himself? Scam artists ripping off a scam artist. I love this song.

China pardons iTunes (but not Sting)

Shocking...

It's amazing how a dictatorship can disconnect an entire country from accessing a service and websites, and yet no one can pull the plug on scam web sites.

Truly shocking...

Houston, we have a virus

for the Lintards and Mactards

I don't recommend they use Windows, Linux or Mac. Any tard with programming knowledge can hack them. They should design their own operating systems.

Anatomy of a malware scam

credit card processing

"What really annoys me is that banks haven't added this credit card processor to their list of dubious operators and thus give you a call before proceeding with the transaction."

These guys are sophisticated. They know what they're doing. They use fraudulently obtained information through identity theft, they open vendor accounts in their names, do their scams and pull out their profits before their accounts get shut down. They know that it can take weeks and even months for any financial services institution to detect that the accounts are being used fraudulently. Then the organized crime gang simply repeats the process. They most likely have tens of thousands and possibly millions of identity theft victims to choose from where they're getting thousands of fresh new ones everyday.

I'd say, the best way to nip this type of activity in the bud is to go after their web hosts (which themselves are probably involved in the scam), then perhaps even their uplink providers. Doing a traceroute shows exactly where and when data flows throughout the internet and can be followed through IP addresses. It is actually very possible to pull the plug on their web sites anywhere along the traceroute.

Why isn't anyone using this technique to track the criminals? Why aren't sysadmins in their uplinks pulling the plug on them? Maybe they're too busy browsing computer websites and forums and comment groups boasting about how superior they are on their macs and ubuntu systems. Tsk tsk.

I'm sure they're grateful for your suggestions...

I can see the authors of these web sites reading this article and now thinking "Oh wow. These idiots are making excellent suggestions! YES! Let's do the same thing for Ubuntu and for Mac OS X. Also, let's hire someone who can actually speak english to translate for us. Let's change everything now and we'll be rich tommorow!"

Good for them. Lazy organized crime gangs aren't as stupid as we think they are.

Microsoft Mojave 'outs' secret Vista lovers

ready...set

please insert your childish "linux/mac rules..microsoft sux" crap below.

Microsoft slams 'sensationalist' Vista analysis

My peni*..er...OS is bigger than yours

This whole anti-vista business has gotten quite tiresome by now. I wondered if the Applites and Linites might have tired of it by now, but apparently not.

I do not agree with MS's numbers. They are going on licenses, and still consider those who've downgraded to XP to be Vista customers. They also don't include the linux geeks who would never use Windows even if it were a stable, reliable and fully secure system. Naturally, all of this is absolute rubbish.

I personally do not have any real issues with Vista. My only real bitch about it is; what's with all the DRM? Apparently the almighty and powerful MS caved in to pressures from the RIAA and MPAA, and are now snuggly in bed together taking turns on eachothers butt holes.

As for those who are waiting for everyone to switch over to linux; if you're so eagre and truly wish it upon everyone, why not put your money where you mouth is so every boy, girl, mom, pop, grandma and grandpa (in other words everyone) can get the new OS to recognize and function with their scanners, printers, card readers, digital cameras, video cards, video capture cards, HD video capture cards and TV tuners, and so on? I mean not everyone understands geek speek, not everyone can understand all the cryptic linux user support groups and other types of "holier than thou" computer users around the world.

Really folks...I mean...REALLY!

Canucks kill second attempt at 'iPod tax'

We're pacifists...

I remember when I ran a small business. I'd try to go and buy some blank CD's to back up my business files, etc. Then they'd try to charge me the CPCC levy. Even though it was purely for business data, the CPCC accuses me...and everyone else like me of being a music pirate. No way to prove your innocence, no way to challenge being branded as a pirate and thief. I was stunned at how this organization that I will probably never see can have so much power, and to simply brand me a tried and convicted pirate without even knowing who I was.

I tell you I hate the CPCC through and through. I vowed then that I would completely encourage piracy to anyone I came across and gave them lots of copies of my MP3's on CD-R. Then I shared my entire collection online until someone had downloaded every single song releasing every track I ever owned in the wild so that everyone on the planet would have access to those files.

There.

RIAA hits paydirt: wins first music-sharing jury trial

Rich executives get richer

Heaven forbid you should have an unsecured wireless network. Imagine if someone decided to put copyrighted music and illegal porn on your computer and called the cops anonymously.

What amazes me the most is that most likely NONE of the money brought in successfully from any lawsuit will never reach the artist that they're protecting. Here in Canada, we have a crappy Canadian Copyright Levy on every blank CD purchased, even if you could provide proof that you are using it for business only to back up files. The CCRL implies that everyone is guilty of copyright infridgement, and I mean everyone, and somehow I doubt a penny of the levy actually reaches the artists.

Make no mistake, it's all going in the hands of the executives. They're the ones who are getting rich from all this, and I have yet to see one single famous music artist whose had to collect welfare just because of some 11 year old who downloads an mp3.

It's all bullship...COMPLETE BULLSHIT!

iTunes Plus - plus user details that is

irrelevant?

I believe most people complained because they couldn't use the music that they purchased to be cross compatible with other portable music players. Their complaint wasn't that they weren't allowed to flood the internet with music they purchased and giving it away to complete strangers around the world.

I applaud Apple for at least making some attempt to do whats best for consumers; that is to allow them to play their purchases wherever the see fit. As for having that right to share something that the consumer legitimately paid for, well then, why would anyone be idiot enough to give it a way to strangers?

*nodding head* As for the ability to hack the DRM and spoof the tags, big deal. You have to at least give kudos to Apple for taking that first major step towards being fair to consumers, and I highly doubt that the tagging of the files is really intended to stop piracy.