Are genius tech guys all rascally knave?

jasong · 2013-01-17, 04:37

There have been so many times that's something has been obvious to me, something that would benefit the world and make a company a ton of money, but the tech companies go in the exact opposite direction.

DRM and prosecution to cope with piracy is one of those things. These companies are basically training society to believe that stealing video and music is the better way to go. We hear the horror stories about people paying big-time, but it always seems to be people really far away. Instead, the companies could make tons more money by coming up with a model that accomodates the human animal's packrat-like tendencies. Maybe make stuff free to get and download, but if you don't pay for it, you're legally obligated to let them play commercials to pay for your experience. People like to be honest, nobody commits crimes for the pure hell of it. There's always a rationalization for why they commit a crime. Do away with their main reason and they'll happily go the honest route.

A corollary to this is Youtube. I live in Conway, Arkansas, which has the best internet service available...for Arkansas. If I'm lucky, I can watch Youtube with no streaming issues for hours. On other days I can't watch Youtube at all unless I pre-download stuff. Now someone please explain to me why I either have to stream and get commercials, which help pay for the Youtube service...ORRRR, I can pre-download and watch without commercials, which is against Youtube's rules. So Google, the owner of Youtube, is so retarded that they can make all these awesome projects, and yet they don't understand the marketing opportunity of coming out with their own pre-downloader that can also pre-download commercials to advertise to people.

Am I missing something?

chappy · 2013-01-17, 05:13

Hey! Something Jasong and I agree on!

Here's my thing, I've been reading GRRM's Song of Ice and Fire almost since day one, I'm kind of a big nerd that way. I don't have Cable TV, yet I was excited by HBO's notion to make it into a TV series. So I checked with my local provider to see what the cheapest way to get HBO for 10 weeks (which would be three months.) the total cost over $300.

Granted some of that was a set up fee.

But wait! There are plenty of for-pay online venues. HBO does not allow any of them to carry the show.

But wait! HBO has it's own online venue! That is only available if you subscribe to HBO through a traditional cable/satellite provider, and is not available to me at any price.

So what do I do? I down load it within minutes of its airing from any of thousands of websites and 8 months later I assuage my guilt by buying the blu-rays.

And HBO is more hip than most companies, yet just as backwards in our modern digital entertainment society as the members of the RIAA and MPAA.

As an aside it takes me less time to download the show and start wathcing it than it takes for my Blu-ray to boot and get through the stupid Interpol and FBI warnings telling me not to steal the show that I obviously purchased because I'm watching the Blu-ray.

Nick · 2013-01-18, 21:24

There is an annual conference for people who enjoy researching such issues,
called the Workshop on Economics of Information Security (WEIS).
The next one is in June, in Washington DC.

Background papers can be found here, for example:
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/econsec.html

chappy · 2013-01-23, 05:39

I go to Vegas for a week and I come back to a new Avatar. Which I assume has something to do with this thread... :)

LaurV · 2013-01-23, 06:26

Me love ye avatar! Are ye trading it?

Being puzzlepirates fan for ever!

chappy · 2013-01-23, 14:22

Can't really trade it in because it is awesome. I just wonder how anono-mod got my photo to photo-shop Yarr on in in the first place...

jasong · 2013-01-29, 05:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by chappy

Can't really trade it in because it is awesome. I just wonder how anono-mod got my photo to photo-shop Yarr on in in the first place...

Nice, so you're Southern, huh?

Kidding, Southern people, kidding.

kladner · 2013-01-30, 17:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by chappy

Can't really trade it in because it is awesome. I just wonder how anono-mod got my photo to photo-shop Yarr on in in the first place...

I think it is fantastic! Perhaps the Noodly Appendage performed a miracle.
rAmen!

chappy · 2013-02-05, 16:44

and again HBO proves that they are morons

(technically contracts with morons, but the end result is the same)

chappy · 2013-04-03, 23:54

http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/02/tech...acy/index.html

retina · 2013-04-04, 01:08

I don't quite get the reasoning here.

Why must you watch it now? ("it" being whatever is the current trendy show)

Can't you wait a few months, or years, then watch it? Or even never watch it. Why is it so important to watch it that people will risk unpleasant legal consequences?

If you are so upset with the show maker for placing DRM and warning roadblocks on all the authorised DVDs then just don't purchase them. If you pay money for the annoying DVDs then you are saying it is okay to put DRM and unskippable ads/warnings on them and the makers will continue to do it.

Usually I find developing my evil plans to be much more enjoyable than watching the latest trendy wendy show. I occasionally find a bit of escapism to be a good distraction and I do watch some shows, but it won't be the latest thing, it will be some older thing that has less hype surrounding it.

If the show is genuinely really good then it will still be good many years later. I just recently watched The Wizard of Oz for the first time. It was indeed enjoyable. And it is 70+ years old. It doesn't have to be new to be good. Right?

2013-01-17, 04:37	#1
jasong "Jason Goatcher" Mar 2005 3×7×167 Posts	Are genius tech guys all rascally knave? There have been so many times that's something has been obvious to me, something that would benefit the world and make a company a ton of money, but the tech companies go in the exact opposite direction. DRM and prosecution to cope with piracy is one of those things. These companies are basically training society to believe that stealing video and music is the better way to go. We hear the horror stories about people paying big-time, but it always seems to be people really far away. Instead, the companies could make tons more money by coming up with a model that accomodates the human animal's packrat-like tendencies. Maybe make stuff free to get and download, but if you don't pay for it, you're legally obligated to let them play commercials to pay for your experience. People like to be honest, nobody commits crimes for the pure hell of it. There's always a rationalization for why they commit a crime. Do away with their main reason and they'll happily go the honest route. A corollary to this is Youtube. I live in Conway, Arkansas, which has the best internet service available...for Arkansas. If I'm lucky, I can watch Youtube with no streaming issues for hours. On other days I can't watch Youtube at all unless I pre-download stuff. Now someone please explain to me why I either have to stream and get commercials, which help pay for the Youtube service...ORRRR, I can pre-download and watch without commercials, which is against Youtube's rules. So Google, the owner of Youtube, is so retarded that they can make all these awesome projects, and yet they don't understand the marketing opportunity of coming out with their own pre-downloader that can also pre-download commercials to advertise to people. Am I missing something?

2013-01-23, 06:26	#5
LaurV Romulan Interpreter "name field" Jun 2011 Thailand 10011011101011₂ Posts	Me love ye avatar! Are ye trading it? Being puzzlepirates fan for ever! Last fiddled with by LaurV on 2013-01-23 at 06:28 Reason: links need http in front (?!)

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2013-01-17, 05:13	#2
chappy "Jeff" Feb 2012 St. Louis, Missouri, USA 485₁₆ Posts	Hey! Something Jasong and I agree on! Here's my thing, I've been reading GRRM's Song of Ice and Fire almost since day one, I'm kind of a big nerd that way. I don't have Cable TV, yet I was excited by HBO's notion to make it into a TV series. So I checked with my local provider to see what the cheapest way to get HBO for 10 weeks (which would be three months.) the total cost over $300. Granted some of that was a set up fee. But wait! There are plenty of for-pay online venues. HBO does not allow any of them to carry the show. But wait! HBO has it's own online venue! That is only available if you subscribe to HBO through a traditional cable/satellite provider, and is not available to me at any price. So what do I do? I down load it within minutes of its airing from any of thousands of websites and 8 months later I assuage my guilt by buying the blu-rays. And HBO is more hip than most companies, yet just as backwards in our modern digital entertainment society as the members of the RIAA and MPAA. As an aside it takes me less time to download the show and start wathcing it than it takes for my Blu-ray to boot and get through the stupid Interpol and FBI warnings telling me not to steal the show that I obviously purchased because I'm watching the Blu-ray.

2013-01-18, 21:24	#3
Nick Dec 2012 The Netherlands 1,759 Posts	There is an annual conference for people who enjoy researching such issues, called the Workshop on Economics of Information Security (WEIS). The next one is in June, in Washington DC. Background papers can be found here, for example: http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/econsec.html

2013-01-23, 05:39	#4
chappy "Jeff" Feb 2012 St. Louis, Missouri, USA 1157₁₀ Posts	I go to Vegas for a week and I come back to a new Avatar. Which I assume has something to do with this thread... :)

2013-01-23, 14:22	#6
chappy "Jeff" Feb 2012 St. Louis, Missouri, USA 13×89 Posts	Can't really trade it in because it is awesome. I just wonder how anono-mod got my photo to photo-shop Yarr on in in the first place...

2013-02-05, 16:44	#9
chappy "Jeff" Feb 2012 St. Louis, Missouri, USA 13×89 Posts	and again HBO proves that they are morons (technically contracts with morons, but the end result is the same)

2013-04-03, 23:54	#10
chappy "Jeff" Feb 2012 St. Louis, Missouri, USA 485₁₆ Posts	http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/02/tech...acy/index.html

2013-04-04, 01:08	#11
retina Undefined "The unspeakable one" Jun 2006 My evil lair 2×3,229 Posts	I don't quite get the reasoning here. Why must you watch it now? ("it" being whatever is the current trendy show) Can't you wait a few months, or years, then watch it? Or even never watch it. Why is it so important to watch it that people will risk unpleasant legal consequences? If you are so upset with the show maker for placing DRM and warning roadblocks on all the authorised DVDs then just don't purchase them. If you pay money for the annoying DVDs then you are saying it is okay to put DRM and unskippable ads/warnings on them and the makers will continue to do it. Usually I find developing my evil plans to be much more enjoyable than watching the latest trendy wendy show. I occasionally find a bit of escapism to be a good distraction and I do watch some shows, but it won't be the latest thing, it will be some older thing that has less hype surrounding it. If the show is genuinely really good then it will still be good many years later. I just recently watched The Wizard of Oz for the first time. It was indeed enjoyable. And it is 70+ years old. It doesn't have to be new to be good. Right?