Why you should boycott Blu-ray and HD-DVD
http://bluraysucks.com/
The above page was written in 2006 and a couple of the points are obsolete (HD-DVD is no longer with us and the prices for players/drives have come down considerably), but the majority of the points are absolutely correct. The bottom line, though, is that the concept of fair use no longer exists. If you have paid good money for a legal copy of a movie or music, the MPAA and RIAA want you to continue to pay each and every time you view or listen to it. DVD was just the start (and was easily circumvented), but Blu-Ray is a giant step toward that goal and a huge loss for every honest citizen.
Have you noticed all the warnings to keep Blu-Ray players updated with the latest firmware in order to be certain of playing the latest discs? Makes, sense, they're always adding new features, fixing bugs, etc., right? Wrong! The only reason you're having to update is to add new DRM (Digital Rights Management) decryption keys. No new features, no bug fixes, just more inconvenience for the hapless user who only wants to be able to play the discs he or she has bought. Some players aren't even capable of updating their firmware, which means at some point they will become useless, not because of any real issues, just because the MPAA doesn't want you to be able to play the content you have legally bought.
I have to add that the mandated discontinuance of analog broadcast TV was part and parcel with this process (it's now nearly impossible to record your favorite TV shows over the air unless you want to shell out some big bucks for new hardware, and even then it's a monstrous pain to view it anywhere other than on the single device that recorded it). The reasons presented to the public are outright lies: emergency services neither need nor will use the frequencies, especially since they are still occupied by digital TV. The only reasons that the switch to digital TV was mandated were to force consumers to buy thousands of dollars of new equipment (the "converter boxes" are easily capable of, but banned by law from, outputting full HD resolution on appropriate ports) and to further the agenda of eliminating all possibilities of fair use.
On a separate but related issue, most people are totally unaware of the fact that the technology has existed since the 1980s to not only skip, but actually prevent recording of, commercials. In other words, it is elementary to produce a recording device that can provide you with commercial-free recordings of any TV show, but such features have been outlawed. I know of at least one VCR and one accessory box that were capable of that, but they were quickly squelched and the manufacturers driven out of business or worse. I do own a VCR that has a quick-skip function that will fast-forward exactly one minute at a time on playback, but that is obviously not nearly as user-friendly and you still see the commercials whiz by. They were only able to include that feature because it doesn't refer specifically to skipping commercials and doesn't delete them entirely.
Bottom Line:
People who want to steal and pirate can always do so no matter what steps are taken to ensure that they don't. Any technology that can be invented can just as surely be circumvented. Any attempt to prevent theft or piracy on the front end only inconveniences and frustrates the honest users, which in turn makes theft more profitable for the pirates...
The Real Dope: But then, the MPAA and RIAA are fully aware of that, and it's not the pirates they are going after, it's you. You dirty rotten scumbag, you!
25 February 2010
16 February 2010
Too Safe?
On an issue related to yesterday's, I believe that many of today's problems are a direct result of irresponsible legislation attempting to protect people from themselves. I believe that it is not in the interest of mankind to protect people from their own stupid, irresponsible mistakes.
Modern drivers are becoming less and less skilled and more and more irresponsible. Why? It's not due to any one thing, but a number of issues are at fault.
Drivers are not required to take formal driver's education classes, so they are taught the bad habits of their parents or older siblings, and regardless of the intent of their mentor there are always gaping omissions. Rather than making it more difficult to obtain a license, it gets easier every year. Unenforced and unenforceable restrictions aside, even though we are repeatedly told that "driving is a privilege, not at right", everyone believes it is their right and acts accordingly.
Vehicles are becoming so smooth and quiet and effective at insulating the operator from their real responsibility, which is guiding their vehicle down the road and staying out of everyone else's way, that they reinforce the human tendency to laziness and feed the feelings of entitlement and invulnerability. Even the poorest-handling modern vehicles handle better than the overwhelming majority of vehicles 30 years ago. Subcompacts today are more protective in a crash than the large cars of 30 years ago. With the increased handling limits and the much poorer driver education (even formal driver's ed, with its simulators and multimedia substituting for actual hands-on instruction, is seriously lacking), modern drivers suffer from massive overconfidence coupled with massive incompetence. Combined with the feeling of invulnerability they get with modern air-bags-everywhere, power-and auto-everything vehicles and the overblown sense of entitlement, it is a recipe for disaster. The most unfortunate aspect is that most people truly have no clue how thin the line is or that it is technology and luck, not their own skill, that enables them to keep tempting fate day after day with such rare consequences.
Laws are enacted that discourage personal responsibility rather than requiring it. Rather than requiring drivers to become more skilled and less emotional, they are encouraged to blame everyone else or even inanimate objects for their own failures. Rather than using 2-way stops, forcing drivers to take responsibility for interacting safely with traffic, we install more and more 4-way traffic lights, which use energy and other resources themselves, encourage drivers to disengage their brains and cause many more drivers to expend far more fuel and energy braking to a halt, idling at a stop and then accelerating back to speed.
Bottom Line:
I've only touched the tip of the iceberg, but the inescapable fact is that entitlement soars higher every year, while actual skill dips ever lower.
The Real Dope:
The fundamental issue - avoidance of responsibility - has effects that range far and wide.
Modern drivers are becoming less and less skilled and more and more irresponsible. Why? It's not due to any one thing, but a number of issues are at fault.
Drivers are not required to take formal driver's education classes, so they are taught the bad habits of their parents or older siblings, and regardless of the intent of their mentor there are always gaping omissions. Rather than making it more difficult to obtain a license, it gets easier every year. Unenforced and unenforceable restrictions aside, even though we are repeatedly told that "driving is a privilege, not at right", everyone believes it is their right and acts accordingly.
Vehicles are becoming so smooth and quiet and effective at insulating the operator from their real responsibility, which is guiding their vehicle down the road and staying out of everyone else's way, that they reinforce the human tendency to laziness and feed the feelings of entitlement and invulnerability. Even the poorest-handling modern vehicles handle better than the overwhelming majority of vehicles 30 years ago. Subcompacts today are more protective in a crash than the large cars of 30 years ago. With the increased handling limits and the much poorer driver education (even formal driver's ed, with its simulators and multimedia substituting for actual hands-on instruction, is seriously lacking), modern drivers suffer from massive overconfidence coupled with massive incompetence. Combined with the feeling of invulnerability they get with modern air-bags-everywhere, power-and auto-everything vehicles and the overblown sense of entitlement, it is a recipe for disaster. The most unfortunate aspect is that most people truly have no clue how thin the line is or that it is technology and luck, not their own skill, that enables them to keep tempting fate day after day with such rare consequences.
Laws are enacted that discourage personal responsibility rather than requiring it. Rather than requiring drivers to become more skilled and less emotional, they are encouraged to blame everyone else or even inanimate objects for their own failures. Rather than using 2-way stops, forcing drivers to take responsibility for interacting safely with traffic, we install more and more 4-way traffic lights, which use energy and other resources themselves, encourage drivers to disengage their brains and cause many more drivers to expend far more fuel and energy braking to a halt, idling at a stop and then accelerating back to speed.
Bottom Line:
I've only touched the tip of the iceberg, but the inescapable fact is that entitlement soars higher every year, while actual skill dips ever lower.
The Real Dope:
The fundamental issue - avoidance of responsibility - has effects that range far and wide.
15 February 2010
Sudden Unintended Stupidity
Many are crucifying Toyota for alleged design flaws that "cause" Sudden Unintended Acceleration. First, this phenomenon is not new and is not in any way limited to Toyota. Second, the #1 cause of SUA is the incompetent driver behind the wheel. Some schmuck stomps on the gas instead of the brakes, is too panicked to remove their foot from the accelerator, take the vehicle out of gear, turn off the ignition, attend to the steering or any other controls or any other effective solution for the problem and subsequently crashes, causing great property or bodily damage. The loose nut behind the wheel is then unable to come to terms with his or her responsibility in the incident and chooses to blame the inanimate object (which cannot defend itself, especially in the absence of unbiased witnesses).
Fact #1: All vehicles have much stronger brakes than motors. No matter what vehicle you choose, the braking distance from a certain speed is much shorter than the distance it takes to accelerate at full throttle to that speed. This is true even of all-wheel-drive and 4-wheel-drive vehicles as well as family cars, exotic supercars and subcompacts. This is always true. Period. What this means is that it is always possible to slow down or stop your vehicle, even if the vehicle is left in gear at full throttle.
Fact #2: It is more common than you might think (or want to admit) for people to inadvertently step on the wrong pedal, even when they are intimately familiar with the vehicle and have been driving it for years. I've even done it myself. The difference is that I immediately knew and understood what happened and removed my foot from the incorrect pedal and applied it to the correct one. This situation can be compounded with another uncomfortably common occurrence, which is having the vehicle in reverse when one thinks it is in drive, or vice versa.
Fact #3: Even if you aren't convinced that your vehicle's brakes are stronger than its engine, there is always the option to take it out of gear. Once the drivetrain has been disconnected from the engine, the throttle position becomes irrelevant. In neutral but with the engine running, you still have unlimited use of your power brakes and steering.
Fact #4: The final solution is that you can turn off the ignition, and once again the throttle position is irrelevant. This solution is not ideal if you have power steering and/or brakes, but it is guaranteed to slow the vehicle down. Power brakes have a vacuum reservoir, so as long as you don't pump your brakes or otherwise irrationally use up vacuum they will still bring you to a stop without drama. If you run out of assist, use both feet and the power of both legs if necessary. There's always the "emergency brake" (aka "hand brake" or "parking brake"), which only acts on the rear wheels but works the same regardless of whether the engine is running or not. The steering can be more of an issue if you're traveling down the road, but the faster you're going the easier it is to steer, so higher speeds are less of a problem, and the worst part will be the last few feet as you roll to a stop.
True, some poor design choices can exacerbate the situation, such as poorly placed pedals and wayward carpeting, but part of owning a vehicle is being completely familiar with all the controls and any possible problems, as well as responsibly taking care of preventive maintenance. All too many people drive their vehicles into the ground and do no maintenance to speak of until after a problem has already occurred. There is no excuse for that. If you have time to drive a vehicle and money to fuel it then you have the time and money to maintain it.
The thing is, this phenomenon has been occurring since long before the advent of "drive-by-wire" systems. People have been accusing vehicles with 100% mechanical systems (which were closely inspected and found to be operating completely normally), of suddenly jumping to Wide Open Throttle for decades. In those days it was truly impossible, not just extremely improbable, for such a situation to occur without human error being the one and only instigating factor. These days, with fuel efficiency (prompting drive-by-wire throttles and in some cases even brakes and electrically assisted steering) and gee-whiz gimmicks (such as keyless push-button starting/ignitions) taking precedence over safety and common sense, there is a very, very, very slim chance that multiple simultaneous malfunctions could cause spontaneous WOT, maybe even without the option of killing the ignition, but I have yet to be made aware of a vehicle that cannot be taken out of gear and the brakes employed regardless of every other circumstance.
Bottom Line:
A vehicle doesn't jump to full throttle all by itself. It can only stick there if the operator of the vehicle has pressed it there, which means that a) the full-throttle condition is 100% the fault of the operator and b) the ensuing consequences are 100% the fault of the operator. Even in that .000001% of the cases where numerous simultaneous malfunctions combine to create a spontaneous WOT condition, there are too many easy and obvious solutions to blame the vehicle for an incompetent driver's poor judgment and skills.
The Real Dope:
This is yet another of the myriad symptoms of a society that refuses to take responsibility for its actions, either on a group or individual level. It is so ingrained in our daily lives that even when our lives depend on owning up to the problem and taking appropriate action, we panic and blame someone (or something) else instead.
Fact #1: All vehicles have much stronger brakes than motors. No matter what vehicle you choose, the braking distance from a certain speed is much shorter than the distance it takes to accelerate at full throttle to that speed. This is true even of all-wheel-drive and 4-wheel-drive vehicles as well as family cars, exotic supercars and subcompacts. This is always true. Period. What this means is that it is always possible to slow down or stop your vehicle, even if the vehicle is left in gear at full throttle.
Fact #2: It is more common than you might think (or want to admit) for people to inadvertently step on the wrong pedal, even when they are intimately familiar with the vehicle and have been driving it for years. I've even done it myself. The difference is that I immediately knew and understood what happened and removed my foot from the incorrect pedal and applied it to the correct one. This situation can be compounded with another uncomfortably common occurrence, which is having the vehicle in reverse when one thinks it is in drive, or vice versa.
Fact #3: Even if you aren't convinced that your vehicle's brakes are stronger than its engine, there is always the option to take it out of gear. Once the drivetrain has been disconnected from the engine, the throttle position becomes irrelevant. In neutral but with the engine running, you still have unlimited use of your power brakes and steering.
Fact #4: The final solution is that you can turn off the ignition, and once again the throttle position is irrelevant. This solution is not ideal if you have power steering and/or brakes, but it is guaranteed to slow the vehicle down. Power brakes have a vacuum reservoir, so as long as you don't pump your brakes or otherwise irrationally use up vacuum they will still bring you to a stop without drama. If you run out of assist, use both feet and the power of both legs if necessary. There's always the "emergency brake" (aka "hand brake" or "parking brake"), which only acts on the rear wheels but works the same regardless of whether the engine is running or not. The steering can be more of an issue if you're traveling down the road, but the faster you're going the easier it is to steer, so higher speeds are less of a problem, and the worst part will be the last few feet as you roll to a stop.
True, some poor design choices can exacerbate the situation, such as poorly placed pedals and wayward carpeting, but part of owning a vehicle is being completely familiar with all the controls and any possible problems, as well as responsibly taking care of preventive maintenance. All too many people drive their vehicles into the ground and do no maintenance to speak of until after a problem has already occurred. There is no excuse for that. If you have time to drive a vehicle and money to fuel it then you have the time and money to maintain it.
The thing is, this phenomenon has been occurring since long before the advent of "drive-by-wire" systems. People have been accusing vehicles with 100% mechanical systems (which were closely inspected and found to be operating completely normally), of suddenly jumping to Wide Open Throttle for decades. In those days it was truly impossible, not just extremely improbable, for such a situation to occur without human error being the one and only instigating factor. These days, with fuel efficiency (prompting drive-by-wire throttles and in some cases even brakes and electrically assisted steering) and gee-whiz gimmicks (such as keyless push-button starting/ignitions) taking precedence over safety and common sense, there is a very, very, very slim chance that multiple simultaneous malfunctions could cause spontaneous WOT, maybe even without the option of killing the ignition, but I have yet to be made aware of a vehicle that cannot be taken out of gear and the brakes employed regardless of every other circumstance.
Bottom Line:
A vehicle doesn't jump to full throttle all by itself. It can only stick there if the operator of the vehicle has pressed it there, which means that a) the full-throttle condition is 100% the fault of the operator and b) the ensuing consequences are 100% the fault of the operator. Even in that .000001% of the cases where numerous simultaneous malfunctions combine to create a spontaneous WOT condition, there are too many easy and obvious solutions to blame the vehicle for an incompetent driver's poor judgment and skills.
The Real Dope:
This is yet another of the myriad symptoms of a society that refuses to take responsibility for its actions, either on a group or individual level. It is so ingrained in our daily lives that even when our lives depend on owning up to the problem and taking appropriate action, we panic and blame someone (or something) else instead.
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