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Criticism Won't Change the DMCA, but Breaking the Law Will
Topic: Society 3:43 pm EST, Nov  6, 2002

Here is the plan. Everyone who hates the DMCA has to illegally copy a movie or a song, and then tell both the Congress and the U.S. Copyright Office exactly what they did. We need 10 million or so confessed and unrepentant intellectual property pirates. That's too much illegal behavior to ignore (What could 10 million pirated copies of "Debbie Does Dallas" be worth?), but too many individual criminals to be prosecuted. Then, having pirated our movie or song, we also need to turn ourselves in to the authorities, clogging every hoosegow in America, facing our potential $10,000 fine, each of us demanding the jury trial we are guaranteed under the Constitution.

If we all do this, REALLY do it, the DMCA will be gone in a year. This follows the simple principal that if you or I drive 100 miles-per-hour on the highway, we get a ticket, but if EVERYONE drives 100 miles-per-hour, they change the speed limit. "They," whoever that is, can't afford to annoy so much of the population. We are, after all, the folks who elect all these officials who keep telling us what we can and can't do. But it isn't enough to just threaten to vote against your Congressman. To make the system really change we have to work it to death by all becoming criminals.

...

Most of Cringley's article this week ties back to last week's treatise on BayTSP, but this point is very intriguing. If something like this was coordinated properly, it probably would have an effect. Every system has its bounds, yes? Personally, I'm not willing to become a felon for something I don't believe in (leeching copyrighted material illegally) but if anyone is willing to wager their United States voting rights on something like what Cringely details, more power to you.

Here's an idea for a jamming mechanism for BayTSP's technology. Hit up some of the CDDB servers and grab all the titles, artists, song lengths, you name it. Encode complete garbage that sort of signatures like what it's supposed to be (spectrograms are your friend here...) and share it. Peer to peer this to death at every conceivable opportunity. Angelfire it. Geocity it. Just jam the fucking system, who needs it?

I could care less about downloading mass market consumer drivel copyrighted material, be it games, movies, music, goat porn, whatever. While BayTCP programmers and their ilk make robots to live out their fucking alpha male syndrome jack off fantasies, people in the know will quietly be building their own trusted networks well above the fray.

By the way, record companies that have been hit with the CLUE STICK (TM) such as warprecords.com are thriving. They give generous clips of all songs, they embrace new technology with a passion, and they are cool. That's what it takes to survive and keep your head above water these days if you want to play the game online. It's called "evolution."

Criticism Won't Change the DMCA, but Breaking the Law Will


CNN.com - Corpse art brings body donor rush - August 13, 2002
Topic: Miscellaneous 3:43 pm EST, Nov  6, 2002

LONDON, England -- An exhibition of dissected human corpses which caused a storm of protest has prompted a rush of "body donors" who want to be preserved and put on display for future generations.

More than 20 people in Britain have agreed to donate their bodies to an institute run by German professor Gunther von Hagens, whose chosen preservation method is to skin the corpse, splay its insides and put it on display to the public.

"The most certain thing about life is death," Juanita Carberry, 77, from Kenya, told reporters at the exhibition on Monday. "And I believe in recycling everything that is recyclable."

"My body is a shell I live in. When I die I will have
finished with it. If I can dispose of any part of my body for a useful purpose then that is great."

CNN.com - Corpse art brings body donor rush - August 13, 2002


Matchbox sized remote control car
Topic: Miscellaneous 3:39 pm EST, Nov  6, 2002

"It's the ZipZaps micro RC car-it's fast and it looks like the full-size Porsche-only it's pocket-sized! Customize it with hub caps and other accessories. Tune it with optional performance upgrade kits, faster motors, gears and suspensions! It's easy! Comes with all the factory parts, tools and instructions for quick assembly. Then, put it on the compact charger for about a minute and zoom away! "

This thing is very interesting. Its a matchbox sized RC car:

Needs:
1. A more powerful radio. (Difficulty: Easy)
2. An FM wireless transmitter. (Difficulty: Easy)
3. A way to make it less noisy. (Difficulty: Medium/Hard)

Add these three items and you have a very entertaining remote surveillance tool.

Matchbox sized remote control car


Red Hat Removes Flags
Topic: Computers 3:38 pm EST, Nov  6, 2002

After being castigated over removing Taiwan's flag from KDE files in order to make its product acceptable to the government of the People's Republic of China, Red Hat has decided not to display any countries' flags, period.

"'Red Hat as a global company respects the rights of all open source users. To avoid potential political inflammation, we feel it is best to not display any flags at this time.'"

...

Props to Red Hat for taking small steps towards ending nationalism. Take away all the flags and what are you left with? No symbolism to shroud yourself in, no image to associate with, just software.

/me likes this concept.

Red Hat Removes Flags


'In Praise of Creative Freedom'
Topic: Miscellaneous 3:38 pm EST, Nov  6, 2002

Interesting essay on "Creative Copying"..

'In Praise of Creative Freedom'


BarlowFriendz 8.8: Pox Americana
Topic: Current Events 3:37 pm EST, Nov  6, 2002

Abe Lincoln:

"Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose - - and you allow him to make war at pleasure. Study to see if you can fix any limit to his power in this respect, after you have given him so much as you propose. If, to-day, he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada, to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him, 'I see no probability of the British invading us' but he will say to you 'be silent; I see it, if you don't.'

The provision of the Constitution giving the war-making power to Congress, was dictated, as I understand it, by the following reasons. Kings had always been involving and impoverishing their people in wars, pretending generally, if not always, that the good of the people was the object. This, our Convention understood to be the most oppressive of all Kingly oppressions; and they resolved to so frame the Constitution that no one man should hold the power of bringing this oppression upon us. But your view destroys the whole matter, and places our President where kings have always stood."

What I'm linking here is Barlow's thoughts on the matter. He quotes Lincoln.

BarlowFriendz 8.8: Pox Americana


HS Home 22.10.2002 - Myyrmanni: Net detectives found the bomber by themselves
Topic: Current Events 3:36 pm EST, Nov  6, 2002

Petri Gerdt's name was circulating on the Net well before police released it to the media

By Kari A. Hintikka and Ossi Leander The after-shocks of the bombing at a Vantaa shopping mall on Friday 11th October have rocked the Internet, with calls for closer surveillance of message boards and counter- claims that the Net itself is not to blame, and in any event it is largely unpoliceable.

Less has been written about the way in which Internet-users carried out their own detective work in the hours and minutes following the fatal explosion. Message board members and chatroom users on IRC (Internet Relay Chat - see attached article for an explanation), operating under online aliases, put together crumbs of information and arrived at the name of the culprit well before either the police or the media was in a position to go public. This is the story of how it happened.

HS Home 22.10.2002 - Myyrmanni: Net detectives found the bomber by themselves


How To Be a Backpacker
Topic: Miscellaneous 3:31 pm EST, Nov  6, 2002

So you wake up one day and realize your taste in music sucks. And obviously, that means you suck as well. You're tired, frustrated, hopelessly unhip, and you're very sick of your Winamp playlist. But wait...... before you pull that trigger, consider this.

You need hip hop and you need it fast.

For your sake, I've set up a "How to be a backpacker" kit that's so easy, virtually anybody can do it. Don't worry. You'll be in touch with the little b-boy inside of you in no time. After this kit, you'll be keeping it so real that only other backpackers will understand a word you spit. So what are we waiting for? Let's begin.

How To Be a Backpacker


NYPOST.COM Regional News: 33% OF HOMELESS SNUB CITY HOUSING
Topic: Current Events 3:31 pm EST, Nov  6, 2002

October 25, 2002 -- About one in three homeless families refuses offers of public housing - sometimes because the rooms are too small or the neighborhood isn't up to snuff, city officials revealed yesterday.

Since July, about 178 families living in shelters said "no thanks" to apartments offered in the Housing Authority, while 542 apartments were accepted - a 33 percent rejection rate. Forty-three families rejected at least two apartments.

"Sometimes, there is an objection to the size of the apartment. Sometimes, folks do not want to be in the neighborhoods," said Linda Gibbs, commissioner of the Department of Homeless Services.

NYPOST.COM Regional News: 33% OF HOMELESS SNUB CITY HOUSING


Black People Love Us!
Topic: Miscellaneous 3:30 pm EST, Nov  6, 2002

Hi! I'm Sally, and I'm Johnny

Welcome to our website:
Black People Love Us!

We are well-liked by Black people so we're psyched (since lots of Black people don't like lots of White people)!! We thought it'd be cool to honor our exceptional status with a ROCKIN' domain name and a killer website!!

Black People Love Us!


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