Stop Internet Piracy! Network Admins Should Help

"Sennheiser headphones" Now just how many outside the music industry would know just how good these things are?

I had a bloke who did karaoke and brought a pair of Sennheiser Mic's for about $20.00 AU and thought that they where rubbish as they didn't cost him anything worthwhile. But the sound that they put out through really lousy equipment made his rubbish almost sound good.

Col ]:)

That's just an excuse to justify thievery. If the music really WAS bad and not creative, they'd just ignore it. Stealing something indicates an interest in it. The 17 yr old justifying taking it.

They steal it because they CAN, because it's COOL, because there are no ramifications usually, and because even tho many kids could afford to buy music, the above reasons plus the fact that they could then afford an expensive iPod because everyone else has one and it's THE THING to get to be cool (even if it sits on a shelf).

Sounds like you're trying to agree with one or two points to gain sympathy for your ideas from other posters.

Instead, what most people here probably admire is free-thinking and ideas. We may not agree with your idea or perhaps how to implement it but it takes guts to post and defend your idea with thoughts instead of "that's lame" or "missed the point".

There are problems out there. At some point we'll come up with a solution.

If they thought it was in their interests they would try very hard to change the universal constants.

But I like the bit about changing Avagadro's number to an unlisted one, now that would be interesting wouldn't it. I can just see it now the Professor saying sorry I can't tell you that as it is an unlisted number so get on with your studies and forget about it. :D

While possible it wouldn't serve any real purpose other than to make a bunch of no hoper Politicians think that they where better than they actually are. :)

Col ]:)

For safety, politicians should also put a speed limit on the speed of light. Might avoid some subatomic collisions.

It sounds like you're NOT talking about all files transmitted but rather those made available on P2P systems. So in that case why then can't we use existing system where RIAA, etc log into P2P systems and look for files currently?

Just because I send a file across the internet, doesn't mean I make it publicly available.

your suggestion is not doing anything requested by the ISPs customers. as for them being paid for this, business do not usually have a guaranteed income for their investment, only possible income.

this would complicate the biz of providing transport pipes to their end users, with risk of failure, slowdowns, costing money that isn't paid back to them, etc.

Unlike FBI requiring phone co's to implement hardware to allow taps (e.g. carnivore project), NGOs do not have power to require biz to spend money for them and this is how it should be.

as previous govts / theocracies have in the past. And of course we are the center of the universe. To say otherwise would be heresy.

If they allow creationism in textbooks & unthinking idiots like protiusx get their way, it will probably become law that the god created the world in 7 days, due to way too literal reading of religious texts by overzealous fanatics.

In the beginning, G.O.D. (Giver Of Data) created the world by condensing the nebula interplanetary dust cloud into a protoplanetary disk, forming the sun and the earth and the moon and all the planets.

Poof, God adds some C.H.O.& N. (carbon, hydrogen...) -thanks for this part, Daily Show. Stir for a few billion years (7 of god's time periods) and life arises if the soup's just right.

Sorry to get a bit off topic

Couldn't resist. Being in so many studios throughout my short life, I have seen more pairs of AKG K240's and K260's than I could count.

They are th emore popular musicians headphone as they are merely a monitor and have no color to them. Senn's are very popular for vocalists because while they do have bottom end colour, the vocal registers are neutral and help keep vocalists on key and in pitch.

WHile we are at it, chall we start talking about B&O, HK, Radford & Grant, damn there's some choice equipment that nobody hears of. Funny part is most of these ultra high-end products will sell entry level equipment for the same price as Sony or JVC's high end, but without the bells and whistles. Yet they sound 100000X's better than any 'mid-fi'products(JVC, Sony, Samsung, Toshiba etc).

Seriously though, take a Samsung MP3 player with SRS and Bass boost, add a good pair of Sennheiser's and tell me that an i-Pod (even with better headphones) would be better....then explain the extra $200.00 cost for the i-Pod.

People just don't shop for their needs, they shop to be cool. Sad really, must be nice to have that kind of money to piss away on garbage though.

by scottieoo Mar 22, 2005

However, it is still illegal, and I still see it as stealing. If
you download a song which you should have payed
for, then your a theif.

As for your comment about not governing technology.
That is crap, we have to put safeties on guns, we have
to put warnings on products, and provide instructions
for use. Right now on my keboard there is a
government warning saying that I should use the
keyboard properly so that I do not hurt myself.

(maybe a rouge key might fly off and hit me in the eye)

by dafe2 Mar 22, 2005

You agree with the legalities but then in the same breath call it theft?

Which is it??

I'll give you a simple example:

One:

I copy a CD & give it to you.....you say thank you & leave. If, by chance, the police stop in...they charge one or the two of us with Pirating or Fraud....not theft

Two:

You break into my house & take the same CD you are charged with theft.

They are there to protect the maker in case of injury that you may suffer so you can not bring legal action against them because they have warned you of the dangers and it is then your choice if you actually use the keyboard or not. There are alternative keyboards available which are supposed to prevent any RSI type injury from occurring but they not only look strange they are very hard to use as well.

Currently the most popular one is a U shaped thing where the keys are on the upright sides of the U and you rest your arms on the desktop. I've only spent a short time playing with one of these and I found it really hard to use but I suppose if I had to use one it would eventually become like second nature and I wouldn't want to use a conventional keyboard ever again.

Col ]:)

by turbogeek Mar 29, 2005

In your examples, you point out some very valid reasons for regulating the design and construction of certain devices that could RESULT IN PHYSICAL INJURY OR DEATH. It is highly unlikely that any kind of software or computing technology (itself, NOT it's application) would pose the same real, physical hazard to a human being.

Furthermore, I presumed that 'technology' in this discussion referred to IT technology, not firearms, ladders (do not erect in mud), toaster ovens (do not use while in the bathtub), baby strollers, or chain saws.

You keyboard may have a warning sticker on it, but that mostly has to do with how the keyboard is used (behavior), not the technology aspects of the keyboard.

--TG

by apotheon Mar 31, 2005

In addition to the responses of TurboGeek and others, which admirably address the core issue, it's also worth mentioning that the law didn't mandate the invention of the firearm safety. Not only was that a voluntary, judicious decision made by firearms manufacturers, but it doesn't even apply to many weapons (such as most revolvers).

Since the rest of what I'd say has already pretty much been said by others, I won't bore you with a repeat of their points. I'll just express my agreement with them.

That's no different that random searches for stolen goods, again illegal. Random stops for Drunk drivers, again Illegal.

They USED to have a drinking and driving road block and would stop every third or fourth car, but this is seen as discrimination. NOW they have a line of officers at a roadblock and they stop EVERY car, not selectively.

SO how would you RANDOM scan and actually convict someone of a crime? That's discrimination. Why THEM and not the last guy who has stolen ten times the number of files? You can't do things like that in real life, only in fantasy. We have rights, freedoms and laws that STOP such selective enforcement of the law.

When they set up speed checks, in order to write you a ticket they need the speed, time and licence number of the car ahead AND before you. Otherwise it is a random stop. If police walk through a crowd and pick YOU out for a drug or alcohol search without a definite reason, THAT is an illegal random search. We do not allow random checks on people in our society, it doesn't stick in court and thus YOU will pay more tax dollars due to rising police costs without the fine payments.

Did you know that in Canada a police officer can't even ask you to empty your pockets unless you are under arrest? Most people do anyway out of pure ignorance of the law but they don't HAVE to and as soon as that half ounce of weed and a pipe gets to court, it is thrown out when the lawyer states the officer did NOT arrest the defendant before checking his pockets.

They are usually relectant to place you under arrest without a search as it may then constitute false arrest and a fine to the city if they come up empty handed.

It seems that we have more and more freedoms over our US peers everytime I read stuff like this kind of police action being supported in the US. WHO's in control down there? The police, your peers, your government or YOU?

Taken from the Canadian Constitutional OUTLINE:

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.

[u]Search or seizure[/u]
8. Everyone has the right to be secure [b]against unreasonable search or seizure.[/b]
Detention or imprisonment
9. Everyone has the right [b]not to be arbitrarily detained or imprisoned.[/b]

[u]Arrest or detention[/u]

10. Everyone has the right on arrest or detention;

(a) to be informed promptly of the reasons therefor;
(b) to retain and instruct counsel without delay and to be informed of that right; and
(c) to have the validity of the detention determined by way of habeas corpus and to be released if the detention is not lawful.

The police cannot ask you to offer ANY other information other than proof of identification.

They cannot request samples of ANY body fluids without placing you inder arrest.
NOTE: IN the case of drunk driving, IF the officer has reasonable grounds to assume you are intoxicated and you refuse to offer a breath samle, they have REASONABLE grounds on which to arrest you, take you to the station, book you and THEN obtain a breath sample. So refusing when you pickled isn't a good idea.

BUT, random searching or scanning is considered arbitarily searching or searching without reasonable groudns, thus against Canadian Constitutional law.

So how do you enforce a law that conflicts with other State, National or International laws when talking about a global medium without borders?

You can't, and that's why it is yet to be seen. IF there was a way for the cities to gain money from it, it would be done in a heartbeat. While the city stands even a slim chance of losing money, it will never happen.

I've forgotten the name of the high end open reel recorders that every professional used Nagra or something like that. But they do have a lovely sound. :)

As for the IPods however I see them more as a fashion accessory rather than a real "Kick Ass" sound reproduction item and that is exactly the way that they are sold over here at least. They like so many trendy items are all show and very little go and in my books makes then next to useless. However I see a lot of them being carried around by people who I actually wonder if they ever actually use them as they are just carried wand never being used anyway at best they offer nothing better than a low end car sound reproduction and I wouldn't be paying that kind of money for something that sounds so bad. Good thing you didn't see me at one of the trade shows where I was trapped by one of the Apple crowd and had an IPod pushed on me so I could see just how good it actually was. :D I did try to be nice but the best that I could say is that it sounded like my Daughters Dahatisu cassette player and that was certainly no complement.

B & O makes some really wonderful turntables and if you can afford them the top of the range with different tone arms for different styles of music is great but do they have to look like they where made 300 years ago? :)

I actually understand why they are made that way but I never cease to be amused when I see one of the trendy "Plastic People" say "Look at that Vintage Turntable it almost looks new!"

Now if only I could sneak one past my wife I'd be very happy as it would work very nicely with my preamp feeding the power amp which most people can not understand why there is no volume or any other controls on it just the power switch. I can never help but laugh when I'm told by people who think that they know better that I need a Graphic Equalizer so I can make the system sound "right" and some Bose speakers the little ones that can be wall mounted rather than those terrible AR9's that I use a front speakers and the even worse AR91's which I use as fill in speakers just to get some bottom end umph. :D

At one place I actually blew out the windows when the person claimed that he had a better sound system as it had all these bells and whistles on it and I had to get up to change the controls because there is no remote with my sound system he just turned his up and told me just how good it was. Of course it didn't matter that it was by that time distorting to hell and was way into the clipping range he just couldn't hear it. Then just for fun I cranked up my system to about half power with Black Sabbath's War Pigs and his windows disappeared out of the house. :D

Of course the windows had to be closed so the AC could keep the place cool but after just the first few bars of War Pigs the AC no longer was of any importance and the guy was screaming that I had sent him deaf. :)

Sometimes I hate myself and there are others when I really enjoy myself I'll leave it to you to figure out what I was feeling in that case. :D

Col ]:)

Is over here the Law says your speed measured from a "Fixed Stationary Point" I keep asking just where this Theoretical Point is as it certainly isn't on the face of this planet as everything is moving at an alarming rate if you are to consider the speed limits that Governments impose. I once asked a Magistrate just how he would define a Stationary Point and he said I sitting here still so I'm stationary. Unfortunately the Government here also added the word Scientific so I told him that at this latitude he while sitting in his chair was doing in excess of 450 MPH and that was only allowing for sea level speeds and as we where on a high Level floor it would be faster but I couldn't be bothered doing the maths. I then informed him the that speed was only involving the rotation of the earth on its axis but if you where to take into account the speed that the planet travels around its primary "Sun" that would vary depending on if you where traveling away from the direction of travel in which case it would be much faster or on the other side of the planet moving in the direction of the planets travel in which case you would be traveling slower. At this stage he got confused and insisted on the fact that he was sitting still and I just counted with the fact that if we didn't take into account the Scientific methods he would have been sitting still but because the Government in its infinite wisdom had included that word every scientific principal had to be taken into account. I then asked just how he had calculated the speed that this solar system was going in rotating around the center of this galaxy at which point he dismissed the case completely.

But the funny thing was I wasn't the person charged with an offense I had been forced in there by the Police as a wittiness. :) I didn't even know who the person who had been charged was as I'd never seen him before I was just driving the Police Car around after doing a repair on it and was returning the car to the station with an Officer in it who pulled the guy over and charged him with speeding. Now if he had of charged him with dangerous driving I would have been a useful witness as he was really driving badly but the speed thing just got to me and when I was asked a question I had to give a full honest answer even if it wasn't what they wanted to hear.

Col ]:)

by apotheon Mar 31, 2005

Someone oughta buy you a beer or six for that one.

by hal 9000 Mar 31, 2005

I had a mate up and he brought me a Darwin Stubbie as a thank you for something that I'd done. :)

These things are actually brewed in Cairns but only sold in Darwin and are 1.5 Liters in capacity a nice little bottle of beer that you need to hold in both hands along with some help when you get about halfway through it. As you keep dropping it as a; It's Bloody Heavy, and b; by that time you are so pissed that you can no longer hold the thing anyway but you are not quite pissed enough so you don't want to spill any either. :D

When I left the court I went home and cracked the Stubbie. :p

Col ]:)

I always though it was YDC that made the killer turntable but I can't find it now, probably forgot the name.

They had a Vacuum platter turntable that came in 3 pieces, the tonarm on one base, the 75lb vacuum platter turntable (75 lbs!!) a few controls on teh third hunk and the three piecse together were just over $60,000.00

When I worked in audio, we sold VERY high end product, if you sold more than one system every month or so you were rolling in cash.
I remember selling a custoemr order for a guy that lived in North Van that totalled nearly $300,000.00 for an AMP,Tuner,Preamp, SINGLE cassette, turntable and TWO speakers.

I took just over a month off following THAT deal and went camping, I was only 17 so I didn't understand anything about sales funnels or padding. :D

For who OJ Simpson?

YOu theory is nice but not legal, sorry.

What are those things?

I've never even come close to having one, I've been told that they exist and that I'm supposed to take one but every time I've tried to experiment with one something has cropped up preventing me from trying one out.

At one place where I worked the business was sold and they insisted that I take my holidays until they realized that I wouldn't be there for around six months and then they just paid me for the time and allowed me to continue working.

Actually I did have one holiday I arranged to have time off when the second child was supposed to be born, of course she like any female didn't arrive on time and as the days stretched into weeks I began to become concerned so on the last week before I had to return to work I walked the wife all over town and then up the the Gynecologist who hit the roof when he took her blood pressure as it was through the roof by that point in time and he thought that the fact that she was all red and sweaty was a bad sign so he rushed her into the meatworks and induced her supposedly next morning but as he had to come in early he induced her before she had a chance to have any breakfast, then she missed out on lunch because she was in labor and didn't I cop it for that. :(

Well after wards I just had to get back to work because I couldn't stand the strain of being so close to a pregnant woman for such long periods of time. They really are unreasonable when in the "Family Way" so I suppose that cured me of ever having another holiday. :)

Now to me ending up in the meatworks nearly dead is the only acceptable form of holiday that I can handle. :p

Col ]:)

I live in a recreational wonderland. Even livingon the mainland I spent MOST of my summer in the mountains or BC INterior somewhere. Any Employer is lucky to have me show up on a Friday or Monday when thiers camping to be done and they know it when they take me on. I am here to enjoy this place,I could live a droll work 24/7 life anywhere in the world, why here where my taxes are so high?

I did that when I was younger, I went from being an outdoorsy kid to a high strung, money hungry, monster, then after I came out of a coma life was completely different.

I get off on NOT working now, instead of working harder. :)

It all depends on what you consider as work. I personally don't work but people pay me for what I would do for free or even pay then to do, I actually enjoy this type of work, "God I should be Committed shouldn't I?" :)

But I tend to laugh at most things and and I just love working with business hardware because you can walk in there and say something like "What have you As####es done to F### up my computers now?" With business you can get away with things like that where as if they where private computers the customers would be up in arms complaining.

At one of the recent jobs I actually arranged to have a D 12 Cat go out and demolish a house of the guy that recommended me for the job "Yes it really was that bad." but you just can not get away with things like that in the mainstream. Or have a D 8 floated to the outside of an insurance company who was giving me grief about a written off car. Well it had to be moved anyway so parking it outside that companies offices in the burbs didn't hurt anything at all. But it did get the claim paid out really fast after that incident as somehow the claims manager was under the impression that I was going to bulldoze down the building with him in it, when in actual fact the permit was not valid to move the piece of plant so it had to be parked until after business hours had finished before it could be moved again. But it did totally block off their access to the road. :D And what made it even worse was that the Police agreed with the guy driving the truck and insisted that it be left there.

Of course I told the cops that he was a mad BAR STEWARD who in all likely hood was under the impression that I was going to knock down the building when all that was required was to stop until the roads where clear and we could continue moving the thing. But of course I did happen to mention to the guy that I wanted to kill him because of all the BS he was putting me through. The official story was that the truck broke down and when it was fixed it couldn't be moved because of what was on the tray which is sought of true. :D

Well the truck did stop and when I got it running again it wasn't possible to move a piece of equipment which required a police escort and took up 3 lanes of traffic in the burbs of Brisbane. There are a few occasions when I don't mind playing diesel fitter and a burst air line did stop the truck from moving. :)

What's the use of things if you can not enjoy yourself once in a while?

Col ]:)

by scottieoo Mar 23, 2005

You dont steal from your mate. You are BOTH stealing from the artist or the music industry who made the song.

The copyright owner has potentially been deprived of revenue, but this is based on the supposition that the person receiving the copy would have purchased whatever from the legal owner. That supposition, is deemed to be weak if the the person providing copy does so freely.
Copyright has been infringed, but it's not fraud because, the provider has made no claim to authorship, and it's not theft because no one has suffered a loss of property which under 99.99% of the law would be the media, not the intellect that defined it's content.

I wanted to buy some videos so I contacted the distributer here and asked where I could buy a few episodes of a series that I had not been able to obtain.

Their reply was simple go out hire the video and copy it. They even told me where I could hire these missing videos from. Now admittedly they where no longer available and I did have most of the entire set. But if the Copy Rite Owner here was willing for this to happen just how concerned where they?

Col

by dafe2 Mar 23, 2005

...

by scottieoo Mar 23, 2005

Maybe we need a new organisation that ISPs can join to bring organisation and standards to the industry? This could work?

Course their first standard would be the disclaimer about the use the services they provide are put to.
LOL

by scottieoo Mar 23, 2005

wow, what a coincidence.

Ok, maybe I should write an open letter to the minister for communication to implement this new committee.

But, like I have time....

The last Internet connection I had put on had a 2 page list of things that was not deemed acceptable by the ISP and if I was to breach any of these items set out it could result in the suspension of the service.

Admittedly they where all sensible type things like no spamming no Kiddy porn and things like that I even jokingly said to one of their representatives that these where all common sense things like no threating e-mails to Government officials offering to kill them for implementing their stated policies prior to an election.

There are already enough things in place to protect most instances of abuse and it is then up to the individual who feels that they are being defrauded to either make a formal complaint to the proper authorities or instigate their own legal action. Of course with the latter they would want to make sure that they had a reasonable chance of recovering their costs. With the first option the best that they could hope for would be some type of fine imposed upon the offender but even if a successful prosecution was to be achieved they would derive no financial gain from it. Although it would make it far easier for them to pursue Civil Action and get at the very least a judgment in their favor but even that would be no guarantee that they would receive any money in the form of fines imposed and they very likely would be left holding all of their legal costs with little to no hope of ever recovering any of the imposed fines.

Col

by dafe2 Mar 23, 2005

As Colin, Tony & Myself (seemed) to have failed to pierce your thick hide with logic and common sense...

(Just joking, I admire the tenacity)

Can you tell me what VALUE would that bring to me as a customer......remembering that a customer could give a crap about the computer or music businesses and the challenges we face?

Can you tell me what VALUE that would bring to me as a Business Person....remembering that my only care is my employees, my customers and my bottom line?

I tried for 5 years to get something better than a split phone line in here with a dial up Internet connection and I'm right in the heart of Brisbane within 4 K's of the nearest exchange and what makes it even worse is that 300 yards away from my front door I can see the overhead Broadband cables end.

It took an election to get an ADSL connection put on here and even then I was constantly told by Telstra that first we'll have it up and running within 6 weeks and then you didn't place an order for this but they did accept that the type of phone account was changed which was done at exactly the same time.

Then an E-Mail telling me that they would be sending me a self install kit next week that was on a Wednesday and then the following Friday a phone call telling me that they could not connect this place to an ADSL line. The next Monday the Modem arrived and I activated the connection but after a phone call to Telstra I was informed that they could not provide that service here and the fact that it was up and running didn't mean a thing. Now if only they would stop sending me the bills for the monthly service and leave it connected that just might make a bit of sense but according to their computers {except the billing ones} I do not have an ADSL connection on here.

Try to make sense out of that one I've personally given up. But in all honesty the service would never have been connected unless there was an election and while it was not my first preference I was happy to accept the ADSL after waiting for over 5 years with the constant promises of we will be rolling out the cable within the next 12 months so you can have a high speed connection then. :D

Col

if it was an internationally recognised disclaimer put forward by a standards body where there was a commercial benefit in being accredited, then they might enforce the policy. No spamming for instance.
You sign up and agree that your ISP can deny you their services if you break the agreement, but it's not enforced, because it's not cost effective to do so. All the statement does is put the liability squarely where it belongs with the f'wit that does it.
Same with Pirates.

Of course mass mailing is not spamming is it ?

Another ethical minefield for Scottie to have a go at.

Hmmn should ISP's agree to provide a service where you will not be spammed, and you could claim redress if you were.
Can't see that happening either, not unless the guys running it were advised very badly.

I really think you would have to do something outrageous to be dropped by the ISP's as it isn't in their best interests either.

After all it is your money which keeps them going and they are fighting hard to not only retain customers but to gain even more.

I can't see it as a "Selling" point to potential new customers a ISP claiming or telling just how many clients that they have dropped off their books for various reasons that are related to unfriendly practices.

The whole disclaimer thing is just that a way to pass the buck from the ISP to the end user who is ultimately responsible anyway.

Col

if I was to have my RF network open and allowed my neighbors to use my bandwidth would I be depriving my ISP of revenue ?
Even better could I in fact charge my neighbours for the use of my bandwidth.

Tee Hee

No plans to do this of course, my 600M connection is barely enough as it is sometimes.