Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Government Plans to Monitor Peer to Peer Networks
Senator Joe Biden (D-Del) wants the US Government to fund $1 billion in tax dollars to monitor peer-to-peer networks. Two years ago, Special Agent Flint Waters from the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office developed software dubbed “Operation Fair Play” to monitor Internet Crimes against Children. I hate child predators. I think they should have harsher penalties up to and including the death penalty. This is a noble cause however this software has now become “the” magic bullet for Hollywood.
Hollywood is losing money allegedly to illegal downloads and not what I think are really cost over runs on poor movie remakes and losing touch with mainstream America, but then again who am I? In a lot of ways I think producers of entertainment have forgotten the customer as well as the genius of outside the box creativity. That’s fodder for another blog someday. Hollywood has tried every trick known to man to try and stop these “illegal” downloads and this is just another trick. They have tried creating new formats that prevent “theft”. They have tried marketing to kill file sharing. For some reason these media moguls think that I should be forced to repurchase music every time technology changes formats. Heaven forbid I would be able to purchase music and take it with me where ever I go. For example I have purchased some music on 45, on cassette, on cd and now in mp3.
Is file sharing wrong? Yes. Have I done it? Yes. Have I purchased a lot of music because of it? Most Definitely!!! I bought more music during the Napster days than I have during any other period in my life. Will monitoring my internet usage stop the problem? No! Warning: I do not illegally download anything: including music, movies and software
I have a huge problem when Uncle Sam starts sniffing around in my stuff. And it’s called the 4th amendment. The fourth Amendment to the Constitution states:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
This amendment protects everyone from illegal searches and seizures. I am not a criminal. I have never been to jail. I have never been convicted of anything but I have a problem when government oversteps its bounds. I especially have a problem when it’s funded by Hollywood.
Our government hasn’t stopped meth use by limiting my ability to purchase over the counter allergy medicine. Although I got to do the perp walk recently to get over the counter meds. Our government hasn’t stopped crime by making more laws about guns. Monitoring and limiting internet usage will not stop illegal downloads.
We have all heard of the witch a hunt of the MP3 downloaders. The Recording Industry Association of America suing downloaders who may or may not be guilty of music theft. The RIAA and their deep pocket lawyers subpoena ISP documents and then send a settle or else letter.
We also have internet neutrality problems. We have Comcast playing god with bandwidth and not establishing guidelines as well as content filtering meaning taking traffic and prioritizing it and limiting it based on what it is. This means for IT people working from home over VP can be reduced or eliminated with out spending money on a business connection. Translation: Comcast can charge me 200 a month for the same service I have for 50 and the only difference is the ports I use. It’s the same thing just different flavor.
My point is this… We haven’t become safer because government monitors us more. Government regulation usually stifles innovation.
(1) comments
Hollywood is losing money allegedly to illegal downloads and not what I think are really cost over runs on poor movie remakes and losing touch with mainstream America, but then again who am I? In a lot of ways I think producers of entertainment have forgotten the customer as well as the genius of outside the box creativity. That’s fodder for another blog someday. Hollywood has tried every trick known to man to try and stop these “illegal” downloads and this is just another trick. They have tried creating new formats that prevent “theft”. They have tried marketing to kill file sharing. For some reason these media moguls think that I should be forced to repurchase music every time technology changes formats. Heaven forbid I would be able to purchase music and take it with me where ever I go. For example I have purchased some music on 45, on cassette, on cd and now in mp3.
Is file sharing wrong? Yes. Have I done it? Yes. Have I purchased a lot of music because of it? Most Definitely!!! I bought more music during the Napster days than I have during any other period in my life. Will monitoring my internet usage stop the problem? No! Warning: I do not illegally download anything: including music, movies and software
I have a huge problem when Uncle Sam starts sniffing around in my stuff. And it’s called the 4th amendment. The fourth Amendment to the Constitution states:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
This amendment protects everyone from illegal searches and seizures. I am not a criminal. I have never been to jail. I have never been convicted of anything but I have a problem when government oversteps its bounds. I especially have a problem when it’s funded by Hollywood.
Our government hasn’t stopped meth use by limiting my ability to purchase over the counter allergy medicine. Although I got to do the perp walk recently to get over the counter meds. Our government hasn’t stopped crime by making more laws about guns. Monitoring and limiting internet usage will not stop illegal downloads.
We have all heard of the witch a hunt of the MP3 downloaders. The Recording Industry Association of America suing downloaders who may or may not be guilty of music theft. The RIAA and their deep pocket lawyers subpoena ISP documents and then send a settle or else letter.
We also have internet neutrality problems. We have Comcast playing god with bandwidth and not establishing guidelines as well as content filtering meaning taking traffic and prioritizing it and limiting it based on what it is. This means for IT people working from home over VP can be reduced or eliminated with out spending money on a business connection. Translation: Comcast can charge me 200 a month for the same service I have for 50 and the only difference is the ports I use. It’s the same thing just different flavor.
My point is this… We haven’t become safer because government monitors us more. Government regulation usually stifles innovation.
Labels: Big Government Watching, Killing the Internet, Net Neutral
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Cluelessness
Here is a clip from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart that is very funny and yet very sad.
There are people out there that think that the Marines are responsible for violence. My awe is really with the people of Berkley. How can you compare Berkley with Baghdad? I love how because they are Marines they have no rights. Wow these people are clueless....
My favorite part was they quote: "So if we get rid of all the cops violence will stop?"
(2) comments
There are people out there that think that the Marines are responsible for violence. My awe is really with the people of Berkley. How can you compare Berkley with Baghdad? I love how because they are Marines they have no rights. Wow these people are clueless....
My favorite part was they quote: "So if we get rid of all the cops violence will stop?"
Labels: Clueless People
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Humble Pie
Sit right down and have some delicious humble pie.
I am not someone who with holds his opinions. I have been known to make mistakes and do and say stupid things. In this blog I have cruxified people and businesses that have "done me wrong". In my eyes most of these people had it coming. Today one of them called me.
Its almost 9 am and I am reading through my emails and to do lists for over an hour when my phone rings. I thought I recognized the number as a number from work but it wasn't. On the other end of the phone was (Name Removed Due to the Offender Doing the Right Thing) of Business Name Removed. Last November I posted a blog post about Mr. Ford and failure to pay me for work I did. @#$% was my first reaction. I bet I am going to get an ear full. I did not. He told me that some one had told him about my post. I thought I was really going to get it now. Instead I was surprised with a very sincere apology. I was not expecting that. It had been 4 or 5 years since I had last spoken with Andrew. It had been so long that I couldn't remember how much money it was. He told me that he would send me a check. Now this isn't my first rodeo... I really didn't expect anything. I told him that I didn't remember the amount owed and we could just call it a learning experience. He assured me he would send a check. The thing that sticks out in my mind about this incident is this... He said, "How could he expect his kids to be honest if he wasn't honest."
A while later I was down in the lair... my office still pondering what happened when the door bell rings. Zack screams that there is someone at the door. Son of a.... How am I supposed to get any work done? I thought great another salesman trying to sell me something since today was the first sunny day since last August. No it is (Name Removed Due to the Offender Doing the Right Thing) in person with a cashiers check. Again he apologized. Thank You (Name Removed Due to the Offender Doing the Right Thing)... Not for the money but for helping me get over something that has been stuck in my mind for years.
I am sorry for badmouthing (Name Removed Due to the Offender Doing the Right Thing) and his company.
(4) comments
I am not someone who with holds his opinions. I have been known to make mistakes and do and say stupid things. In this blog I have cruxified people and businesses that have "done me wrong". In my eyes most of these people had it coming. Today one of them called me.
Its almost 9 am and I am reading through my emails and to do lists for over an hour when my phone rings. I thought I recognized the number as a number from work but it wasn't. On the other end of the phone was (Name Removed Due to the Offender Doing the Right Thing) of Business Name Removed. Last November I posted a blog post about Mr. Ford and failure to pay me for work I did. @#$% was my first reaction. I bet I am going to get an ear full. I did not. He told me that some one had told him about my post. I thought I was really going to get it now. Instead I was surprised with a very sincere apology. I was not expecting that. It had been 4 or 5 years since I had last spoken with Andrew. It had been so long that I couldn't remember how much money it was. He told me that he would send me a check. Now this isn't my first rodeo... I really didn't expect anything. I told him that I didn't remember the amount owed and we could just call it a learning experience. He assured me he would send a check. The thing that sticks out in my mind about this incident is this... He said, "How could he expect his kids to be honest if he wasn't honest."
A while later I was down in the lair... my office still pondering what happened when the door bell rings. Zack screams that there is someone at the door. Son of a.... How am I supposed to get any work done? I thought great another salesman trying to sell me something since today was the first sunny day since last August. No it is (Name Removed Due to the Offender Doing the Right Thing) in person with a cashiers check. Again he apologized. Thank You (Name Removed Due to the Offender Doing the Right Thing)... Not for the money but for helping me get over something that has been stuck in my mind for years.
I am sorry for badmouthing (Name Removed Due to the Offender Doing the Right Thing) and his company.
Labels: (Name Removed Due to the Offender Doing the Right Thing), Business Name Removed
