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Aslaug.eu blog comments
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The BioCobra
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 9:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I... I feel vaguely like I'm on the verge of tears right now. I'm not sure whether they're of realisation or frustration or both. If they're of frustration, then I am terrified for my ability to be reasonable. If they're of realisation, then I'm also scared of my own narrowness when it comes to a story experience...

That said, I'm just quite saddened by what I've written compared to what you've written, and I can't help but feel what I've said is... well, childish.

I don't want to slam BioWare, by any stretch. They gave me some of the best gaming experiences I've had from KotOR to Mass Effect overall to Dragon Age. I do like their stories and games and what they produce. They deserve even more credit when you consider just how much time and effort they put into every game, no matter the outcome of it. It is tragic to watch so many fans feel unsatisfied and start whinging. It also makes me feel tragic as I feel like I'm, technically, one of them...

I suppose people just want to construct endings where, as you say, humanity or your character stands tall, because it makes us feel more secure in ourselves. There are still levels of social critique we are not comfortable facing, and you've been through enough in your life to seem to look past that. Heck, you're the most wonderful example of social diversity I've ever met!

So I admit, looking over your reasoning, I can see another perspective of this more clearly. I do find it uncomfortable inside to concede to some of what you say, and I feel bad because it makes me feel so damn inexperienced and immature about my reasonings. I think that's why I've always valued your judgements so much; you have a tendency to open my mind to different perspectives.

I think I'm going to need some time to really think on this...

Cobra out.

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Nameless
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 2:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Aslaug, while I generally your opinion (and the reasoning behind it), I must say that I was shocked, disgusted, even enraged by your piece on copyright. Why? Because IMHO it counts as propaganda. As far as I can tell, nothing in it is factually wrong, but it is completely one-sided.
You look at the damage "pirates" do to companies but you completely ignore the damage these companies do to their customers and society at large with their efforts to combat "piracy" be they technical (DRM, copy protection, product activation, ...), legal (do you really understand the EULAs of the products you use) or political (lobbying for things like AKTA and DMCA).
And these things ARE connected, it's like writing a piece on how great it is that nuclear power gives us cheap electricity without even touching on the potential dangers.

I'll try to be short, so:

AFAIK copyright laws (similar with patents) were intended primarily to protect the creativity. Since any creative endeavour is also an investment, it's ok that this is also protected by these laws. What they were not designed to (at least I have never heard that said out loud) is to protect a Business Model. But in practice that is what they do because with a little legal wrangling the owners of these rights (who rarely did any of the actual work of creating the content) can extend the protection offered by these laws WAY beyond what they should protect.

The amount of work (and the cost) involved in ordering, documenting (making sure you can prove you have paid for the license) and activating the products is staggering. I'm sure that the cost involved in all that is equal or greater than the actual costs of the license itself.
This is especially bad when you need specific products, not just whatever Microsoft is pushing at the moment. A year ago when we ordered a PC from HP it came with both 32 and 64 bit versions of Windows 7 and you could chose which to use on the first boot. Now it comes only with the 64 bit version. So, format the HD and install the other version (our product needs the 32 bit version).
Now try something really outlandish (like ordering a new license for Office 2003)...

It's ok that the law protects your (M$) investment in your software. But... Windows (and to a lesser degree Office) is a "base prodoct"; something another company builds upon. And here is where it gets complicated. By protecting your investment the law gives you the power to "yank the carpet out from under the feet" of any company that builds on it. Change the EULA so their software can't be used any more? Remove or change a part of your product they need? You can do that whenever you want and they have no practical recourse. You can destroy or devalue their investment as you please (or at least force them to spend a lot of money to update their product without any actual need). As long as you don't do too much of that or to too many companies at the same time and nothing will happen to you.

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Aslaug
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 7:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not against amending the laws or making them more reasonable. But I'll stand by my opinion that people who copyright games, movies and music are taking things that do not belong to them, without paying for them. We don't have to agree on this ... but that genuinely is how I feel about software piracy.

I do agree that there are areas where the laws on copyright needs a serious overhaul. If you read back to previous debate-entries about this in this very thread, you'll see I've agreed on that as well.

But my opinion, while you may consider it propagandistic ... is my opinion. I tend to think that software pirates get propagandistic about their right to take something they didn't pay for, as well.
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Nameless
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 3:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ok, maybe that was overstating it a bit, but...

It's possible you wrote about different aspects of the issue (copyrights, ...) in another post, but I don't remember it (I usually only read the blog when I see an interesting response to it on the forum). And it's a complicated enough issue that if you write only about one issue (without even touching the opposing aspects) it DOES read like propaganda. Maybe not if you read both postings, but if you read only one...

I'm not disputing the point the point that the "everything should be gratis" attitude is wrong. It is wrong.

But the (mainly corporate) attitude to charge ten different buyers of the same product eleven different prices (and make them agree to twelve different sets of terms under which they can use the product) is WAY more repugnant.
Even worse is the fact that the (reasonable) protection of (copyright) law is leveraged to give the seller (e.g. M$) rights that they never should have (read the EULA).

Adn you did bring up the point that "M$ doesn't force you to buy their products". That is right as far as it goes. But they do their level best to make sure you don't have any alternative (or that any alternatives are even worse).

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Kellan Meig'h
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 9:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've read the last posts concerning the subject and I feel compelled to chime in.

As far as I'm concerned piracy is wrong. Period.

with that said, there are too many sites that cater to stolen/cracked software. Need a copy of (insert name here)? Google it and I'm sure you can find it.

An acquaintance that I play "Computer Tech" for, has a son that believes if he can find it, it's free. Or, if he can find a crack for an evaluation version of a program, that's just fine. Dad can't wait until he moves out . . .

On the flip side of that, I bought a construction estimating program when I had a General Contracting business with my family. Said program cost over $13K, and within said program was a Seagate Crystal Reports program to create legible printouts and estimates.

That Crystal Reports program was some sort of an evaluation version (!) that did not provide for a number of settings. One that I needed was the ability to print in black and white, versus full 'waste your ink' color. Since it was a customized evaluation version, you could not register it.

A call to the Crystal Reports tech support line proved that they were fully aware of this 'pirated' version of their software and proceeded to advise me not to buy the full version, since installing it would only cause my estimating program to fail to print. A call to the tech line for the estimating program only became frustrating, since they claimed it was a legit copy. They had no answer when I pointed out the "Evaluation Copy" splash screen when you tried to access the settings area.

I also deal with pirated intellectual property, my personal property to be exact. My earlier "Immortal Warriors" works that were available in HTML format are victim to occasional theft of the copy/paste variety. usually on a board where young furs hang out. Sometimes they change the names, most of the time, not. I've even found whole stories intact, my disclaimers and all. Recently, I had to ask Google Books to remove a pirate e-book version of my novel that was attributed to some other author. Badly scanned, at that.

If something is in the public domain, I say go and download/use it. If it is not, then don't ask me to condone your actions.

/rant

The Old Warhorse Mr. Green

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Latrans
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 05, 2012 10:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Aslaug, on the subject of 'not so happy' endings: I dearly LOVE stories that have bittersweet endings. I don't know if you enjoy much anime, but if you haven't seen it, you *need* to watch a six episode show called Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket. It's easily my favorite show EVER. First time I ever watched it, I felt like I'd been punched in the gut.

As for why most people don't like shows like that, I suspect it's largely because people *want* the world to be roses and sunshine. They don't like thinking about the fact that fate is a cruel and unforgiving mistress. Movies provide a fantasy fulfillment roll for them. It can happen in books too. I recently read an article on The Hunger Games in my local paper. The author was discussing how the book focused heavily on moral dilemmas. One of the people the article's author interviewed felt the book was a horrible choice for young (6-8th grade) readers because it didn't provide any definite answers.

People don't want to think. They want the world handed to them in neatly labeled black and white packets. When those packets lose the labels and start coming in shades of grey, people get upset. That person who didn't like The Hunger Games? I would have tried to slap the dust off their brain. I haven't read the book, but their complaint a damn good reason to pick it up.
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Frazikar
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 8:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
People don't want to think.


And it seems to be getting truer all the time - are we watchig Heinlein's Marching Morons take place??
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Frazikar
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 8:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Interesting, of course that's why it's said that 'travelling is mind broadening' (or word to that effect)...

Note that while 'the grass is always greener' may not be true, but it is usually better cared for...
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Latrans
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 4:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm kind of partial to "You shouldn't let your mind wander. It's much too small to be let out on its own." Twisted Evil

As for moving, I think forcing yourself to be self-reliant is a very good thing to accomplish. Far too many people get comfortable with their situations, even if it's not the best situation for them. Something as you've described forces you to take a look at your entire life and make decisions based, not on what's comfortable, but on what's best for you. Doing this really helps give focus to your life, or at least to the world around you and how you fit into it.
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Wolfshead
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 11:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As far as happy endings go, there is a much simpler reason many people (sometimes including myself) like them. They want to forget about their own unhappiness and for a short time, be in a happy place where things end well.
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dsquare1111
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PostPosted: Mon May 07, 2012 12:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Aslaug wrote:
I'm not against amending the laws or making them more reasonable.


On one side agree: "Steeling is Steel". Whether is actual property or intellectual property.

On the other side: the laws on the books and the production companies did not heed the change in technology. Before the digital age they were the gate keeper for all entertainment media. We consumers had little choose in the matter. We had to buy it (movies, music etc.) and the artist had to go through them to be heard. The production companies were guarantied there cute of the profits even if the originator was long dead. When they had the opportunity to get in front of the change in trends, they did nothing, because they believe the digital "thing" was no threat. When the technology started effecting there bottom line their lobbyist championed the new copyrights laws to protect there bottom line. Strange thing about that is the originator never see any of the money garnered from the fines. Funny how that works.

Personally I don't participate, but steeling from someone who has been steel from artist and consumer alike, I have a hard time arguing about.
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Aslaug
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PostPosted: Mon May 07, 2012 1:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Question then is ... who do you think pays the artist in the end? They get their money from sales of their albums, the same as always. Whether they get a fair share is another matter, but the artist does not get paid when their material is downloaded illegally. They get paid LESS that way than if they get paid via the music business, for example.
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dsquare1111
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PostPosted: Mon May 07, 2012 2:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Aslaug wrote:
Question then is ... who do you think pays the artist in the end? They get their money from sales of their albums, the same as always. Whether they get a fair share is another matter, but the artist does not get paid when their material is downloaded illegally. They get paid LESS that way than if they get paid via the music business, for example.


Point taken.
My counter point: was this as big an issue, for those who are old enough to remember, when we would get blank cassettes and record tracks from the radio.

Or... Once I purchased an album. I use to be able to make as many copies as I wanted if it was for private use, including giving it to someone else for free. Before the laws change I had no fear of prosecution.
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Tigermark
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PostPosted: Mon May 07, 2012 5:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To me, DSquare, that's not piracy. Piracy is mass-distributing or mass producing a copyrighted work, especially if you are selling the copies. Problem is, everyone is so paranoid of illegal piracy, that if you buy a CD or DVD today, they have special signals in them that don't even allow you to make a backup copy for yourself.


My take is, once you buy a legit copy, you should be able to reproduce it for your own use, but not for resale or mass distribution.


Just MHO,

TM

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Aslaug
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PostPosted: Tue May 08, 2012 1:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Agreed. I have no problem with people making copies of something they legally bought, so long as those copies are for their own use. No problem at all. That is why I said earlier that I would be fine with the law being changed to be more reasonable.

But the sad truth is that both in terms of music, movies and software, people copy these things from internet pages like Bittorrent and Pirate Bay, simply to avoid paying for them. And they feel perfectly justified in doing so, and THAT is what not only makes me boggle, but which I disagree with very strongly. To me, it is the moral equivalent of stealing someone else's car and then defending yourself by saying "But it was right there in the street. It was available. Why shouldn't I take it?"
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