DRM my ass

Posted on May 29, 2005

Well, well, well, it looks like my PC days are over. Intel, AMD and probably other x86 vendors are adding DRM to their chipsets.
And I bet that Apple will have something like that too. Why I think that it’s that bad?

A good example of DRM abuse is Adobe’s release of a public domain work, Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland”, with DRM controls asserting that “this book cannot be read aloud”. And that’s for public domain content! Imagine what kind of power they have over their own content.

Additionally, AMD also features what Intel calls “IDE redirection”…allow administrators to remotely enable, disable or format or configure individual drives and reload operating systems and software from remote locations, again independent of operating systems.

This trusted computing creates the prospect of a computer system which cannot be trusted by its owner, but rather its behavior can be remotely manipulated at any time, regardless of the legal merits of such manipulation.

No, I don’t want this shit.

My next workstation will probably from SUN Microsystems, they are not as expensive now as they used to be.

DigiMemo A501 DHW to PostScript

Posted on May 25, 2005

I forgot to to announce that I converted perl script dhw2ps.pl to Java (get it from my OpenSVN repository), and Aki developed ps2png java class.

Dolphins

Posted on May 22, 2005

Dolphins

Air Force Seeks Bush’s Approval for Space Weapons Programs

Posted on May 18, 2005

Air Force Seeks Bush’s Approval for Space Weapons Programs - New York Times: “The Air Force, saying it must secure space to protect the nation from attack, is seeking President Bush’s approval of a national-security directive that could move the United States closer to fielding offensive and defensive space weapons, according to White House and Air Force officials.”

Who may attack USA from space? Russia? Well it will not. Russia will not win the war if it will start it. China? Well AFAIK they just want to move to the moon ;-). Osama? I don’t think that he has or will have something like SATAN.

So why do they want to move lazers, and bombs in space? Are they planning to “democratize” some country? (Think 50~100 years from now).

Update: Bush administration is creating a special corps of federal workers that will deploy quickly to help foreign governments in crisis (link).

Phenomenon of the ‘magic egg’ is cracked by mathematicians

Posted on May 17, 2005

The gravity-defying ability of the “magic egg”, in which a hard-boiled egg stands upon its end after being spun on its side, has at last been explained by mathematicians.

Robert Sheckley

Posted on May 17, 2005

Famous U.S. science-fiction writer Robert Sheckley is still in a Kiev hospital suffering respiratory failure after a week of treatment.

During a recent visit to Ukraine, Robert Sheckley fell ill and had to be hospitalized in Kiev on April 27, 2005. His conditions have been very serious for one week, but now, fortunately, he is slowly recovering.

However, the private clinic in which Robert is receiving medical care is quite expensive. Anyone who would like to help economically is mostly welcome! To help, please contact Boris Sidyuk by email or telephone (+380.50.6694838)

You may like to see also Michael Moorcock’s post on this subject.

COMP239 Strikes back!

Posted on May 15, 2005

Does it look like a bell curve? Hmm, no.

Senate approves electronic ID card bill | CNET News.com

Posted on May 12, 2005

Senate approves electronic ID card bill: “If the act’s mandates take effect in May 2008, as expected, Americans will be required to obtain federally approved ID cards with ‘machine readable technology’ that abides by Department of Homeland Security specifications. Anyone without such an ID card will be effectively prohibited from traveling by air or Amtrak, opening a bank account, or entering federal buildings.”

Wow, that’s big! Dark cyberpunk future - total surveillance, “free press”, outsourced prisons, no law land (quantanamo), mood-drugs. U.S citizen hail a “Brave New World”. Hail!

P.S 911 terrorists did not enter the buildings, they flew into them, and they all had good documents. What a theater… :-(

P.P.S Owner of cat attacked by dog gets $45,000

Programmer’s vodka

Posted on May 9, 2005

How programmers know what kind of vodka they drink:

0.1L - demo

0.25L - trial version

0.5L - personal edition

0.7L - professional edition

1.0L - network edition

1.75L - enterprise

3L - for small business

5L - corporate edition

Bucket - home edition

Type a word

Posted on May 9, 2005

Link

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