gary's recent activity
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Comment on India and Pakistan closer to conflict over Kashmir attack as tit-for-tat moves mount in ~society
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Comment on Roku says its ads aren’t meant to be ‘interruptive’ after controversial test in ~tech
gary Link ParentThis is orthogonal to piracy though. The ads mentioned in the article are coming from powering on a Roku stick. If you pirate, you still need a client device that won't stuff ads in your face. A...This is orthogonal to piracy though. The ads mentioned in the article are coming from powering on a Roku stick. If you pirate, you still need a client device that won't stuff ads in your face. A computer like @rodrigo mentioned is a solid idea, but another is an Apple TV. It's $129 and the one mainstream product (afaik) on the market not stuffing the UI with ads.
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Comment on Why are integrated batteries so accepted? in ~tech
gary Link ParentThat sounds pretty likely to be true for most people. I can't speak to others' situations, but I chose to buy iPhones because the availability of OEM iPhone batteries, the Apple stores near me,...That sounds pretty likely to be true for most people. I can't speak to others' situations, but I chose to buy iPhones because the availability of OEM iPhone batteries, the Apple stores near me, and the overall cost-to-replace all worked out to make me more likely to want to replace the battery. If I had to ship a phone to change the battery or if batteries were only available on eBay through dodgy sellers, then yeah, my mind would push me towards just buying a new phone.
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Comment on Why are integrated batteries so accepted? in ~tech
gary LinkSpeaking as an iPhone user, because I get the benefits of a tightly designed product that maximizes features in a limited space custom to what the company has decided to focus on that year....Speaking as an iPhone user, because I get the benefits of a tightly designed product that maximizes features in a limited space custom to what the company has decided to focus on that year. Engineering is always about tradeoffs. I've noticed that I don't typically feel the need for a battery replacement until 3 years have passed; why use a sub-optimally designed product for 3 years so that it's a little easier to do a maintenance task once? I'll deal with the slightly increased pain later in exchange for having a better experience overall.
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Comment on Stremio is an impressive program in ~tech
gary Link ParentOh I'm definitely not trying to convince anyone against pirating. If you literally can't exchange money for media because of licensing issues, then I see no moral issues. However, I grew up in a...Oh I'm definitely not trying to convince anyone against pirating. If you literally can't exchange money for media because of licensing issues, then I see no moral issues. However, I grew up in a world where we kept these things hush-hush. First to protect yourself, second to protect others like you, and third to avoid encouraging people who can pay for things to stop paying for things. I don't believe every instance of piracy is a lost sale, but some are, and we shouldn't unnecessarily grow that slice of the pie.
Also there was someone in here confidently stating that it's totally legal to use this service. Unless you are a lawyer, don't give advice to people that can land them in hot water. And if you're a lawyer, you'd be stupid to give out blanket legal advice over the internet to strangers. It's the only reason I spoke up at all.
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Comment on [RESOLVED] Tech support request: my game stream is lagging every five minutes in ~tech
gary LinkIt looks like your 17" has an Nvidia card while your 13" is relying on the Intel integrated GPU to decode the stream. You could try forcing software decoding to see if it's a GPU issue. You could...It looks like your 17" has an Nvidia card while your 13" is relying on the Intel integrated GPU to decode the stream. You could try forcing software decoding to see if it's a GPU issue. You could see if changing codecs (h264, h265, av1) makes a difference. You could disable your Nvidia GPU and force your 17" to use the Intel one. Make sure you enable Moonlight's overlay so you know which codec is being used btw.
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Comment on Stremio is an impressive program in ~tech
gary Link ParentWhy can't it be possible? There exist legal chains where the copyright holders confers the right to reproduce/copy for the purpose of transmitting the information to the viewer. From the copyright...Why can't it be possible? There exist legal chains where the copyright holders confers the right to reproduce/copy for the purpose of transmitting the information to the viewer. From the copyright holder to the server to the ISP to the user's streaming box, etc, the copyright holders explicitly give permission for those in the chain to store the material in a buffer.
It's illegal when someone stores in a buffer outside of that which is allowed by the copyright holder. Clearly the existence of a license to store in storage can exist; we've been transmitting media this way for decades now with no issue. Again, it's only an issue when someone copies data in an unauthorized way.
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Comment on Stremio is an impressive program in ~tech
gary Link ParentBroadcast tv is different because the copyright holders explicitly give consent for viewers to watch the broadcast. Computers streaming content illegally are almost never holding a buffer of just...Broadcast tv is different because the copyright holders explicitly give consent for viewers to watch the broadcast. Computers streaming content illegally are almost never holding a buffer of just 1/60. They hold large chunks or even the entire file.
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Comment on Stremio is an impressive program in ~tech
gary Link ParentI have no desire to continue a conversation where you clearly didn't even read the sources you linked. The first one is 100% not related. The second source doesn't say what you think it does. The...I have no desire to continue a conversation where you clearly didn't even read the sources you linked. The first one is 100% not related. The second source doesn't say what you think it does. The third source, we'll never know since I'm not bothering to read something if you have a poor track record.
Why don't you tell me why you think your sources apply? While actually using the sources and citing.
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Comment on Stremio is an impressive program in ~tech
gary Link ParentLinking sources is cool, but linking sources that aren't applicable is not. 17 U.S.C. § 106 clearly is referring to making copies of data that you had the legal right to if the use of that data...Linking sources is cool, but linking sources that aren't applicable is not. 17 U.S.C. § 106 clearly is referring to making copies of data that you had the legal right to if the use of that data necessitated copies. Given we're talking about pirated copies, this does not apply whatsoever. It's not precedence.
In Cartoon Network v Cablevision, the court answered three main questions, two of which are pertinent to this discussion. The first is whether data copied into a buffer lasting 1.2 seconds counts as infringement or not. The court found that it doesn't. However, the case clearly states that the data goes from the buffer into a hard drive. A full copy was made. That was not in dispute. It's only whether the buffer copy made prior to the hard drive copy counted as infringement.
And if you try to make the argument that the buffer being temporary is applicable here, don't. The buffer with Cablevision was 1.2 seconds and the court found that no meaningful value could be derived from that 1.2 seconds. It's impossible to argue the same for users of RD when they're getting the full movie out of it, even if the copy is temporary. It lasts long enough for a user to have gotten a complete reproduction of the media in question.
The hard drive copy is covered by the second question, which asked: who caused the copy to be made? If Cablevision, then Cablevision is in direct infringement. The court found that the user initiating the DVR process caused the infringement. However, time shifting is an accepted right of the consumer (otherwise no DVR could exist). So since it's the user that caused the time shifted copy to exist, it's not a copyright infringement problem after all.
But this has nothing to do with users using RD. Users using RD are not time shifting media; they're just watching any media they want. It's irrelevant.
I didn't bother reading Fox v Cablevision after finding the first two of your sources lacking. Reading and fact checking is time consuming and draining. I re-read the statute you linked just to see if maybe I'm missing something, but the very first sentence contains:
it is not an infringement for the owner of a copy of a computer program to ...
And the keyword is "owner". Like that automatically should have rang alarm bells that this is not applicable to the situation. Are you reading any of this before you make me read it?
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Comment on Is it possible to completely hide one’s activity on the Internet from one’s ISP? in ~tech
gary Link ParentYes, but with simpler setup (a toggle in Settings) and some other important differences. Generally can't be used for dodging geographic restrictions since you can't set a country you want to be...Yes, but with simpler setup (a toggle in Settings) and some other important differences. Generally can't be used for dodging geographic restrictions since you can't set a country you want to be in. Relays endpoints used are cycled through so IP addresses can change frequently vs pretty static nature of VPNs (at least the ones I've used) per session. That cycling can improve privacy, although does nothing to help with fingerprinting so I hesitate to put any emphasis on that.
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Comment on Stremio is an impressive program in ~tech
gary Link ParentIgnoring how technology works is ignoring the entire premise.. I did not say that consuming media is illegal, but that using RD to consume media is illegal. The difference is that in the use of...Ignoring how technology works is ignoring the entire premise.. I did not say that consuming media is illegal, but that using RD to consume media is illegal. The difference is that in the use of RD, the illegal bit is the copying of copyrighted content.
I read the summary of MGM v. Grokster and the conclusion there is that services facilitating infringement can be held liable but I don't see how that means that the viewer/user can't be held liable. If the majority opinion there actually says the latter, then sure, but from the summary it's not saying what you're implying.
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Comment on Is it possible to completely hide one’s activity on the Internet from one’s ISP? in ~tech
gary LinkThere's Apple's Private Relay if you happen to be an Apple user and can use Safari. It requires iCloud+ which costs $0.99/month for the cheapest plan. IIRC this mostly only applies to what you do...There's Apple's Private Relay if you happen to be an Apple user and can use Safari. It requires iCloud+ which costs $0.99/month for the cheapest plan. IIRC this mostly only applies to what you do in Safari, so if you're torrenting this is not for you.
The way it works is that when you try to visit a website, your request goes through 2 relays before going to the website you're trying to reach. The first relay knows who's making a request, but not where the request is going. The second relay knows where the request is going to, but not who the original requester is. In this way, your ISP will only know that you're making a network request to the first relay, but won't know the website you're trying to visit. Imagine this:
You: I want to go to tildes.net. Hey Relay1, I want to go to a website but I won't tell you where. The destination is written in a code that only Relay2 can decipher.
Relay1: okay, I know you are at IP address 123.456.789.1, and that you want to go somewhere, but I don't know where. Hey Relay2, I got a customer for you. Here's the note that shows where they want to go but I can't read it.
* At this point, your ISP can see you went to Relay1, but no other information except that, and since your request is out of your hands now, your ISP can't see the below activity.
Relay2: okay, so I can read the note and see that someone wants to go to tildes.net. I don't know who wrote it, just that someone did. I'll go to tildes.net and then give back what I see (encrypted) to Relay1 to pass to the customer. Going to the website now.
Tildes: oh it's my favorite user. They want to know what's on the front page. Okay, here's the information, encrypted so only the original sender can read it.
Relay2: I got a bunch of gibberish (that's what encrypted messages look like). I don't know what it says or who it's going to in the end. Here you go, Relay1.
Relay1: I got an encrypted message from Relay2. I I don't know what website gave them that message nor what the message says, but I know who's it going to.
You: I got an encrypted message back! I can decipher and read it.
Breaking up communication into multiple steps here increases privacy by having no third party know everything about what you want to do. If the two relays got together secretly to compare notes, then this doesn't increase your privacy at all. So it comes down to if you trust Apple. They built the system, they're always Relay1 at the moment, and they chose which companies can be Relay2.
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Comment on Nintendo delays Switch 2 pre-orders in US due to tariffs and "evolving market conditions" in ~games
gary Link ParentThanks, I didn't know that. Checking my receipts, I didn't get a Switch till 2018 so I must have skipped all the supply constraints. Or maybe that's why it took me so long :)Thanks, I didn't know that. Checking my receipts, I didn't get a Switch till 2018 so I must have skipped all the supply constraints. Or maybe that's why it took me so long :)
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Comment on Nintendo delays Switch 2 pre-orders in US due to tariffs and "evolving market conditions" in ~games
gary Link ParentThe PS5 had supply constraints for a long time after launch. The Switch had supply constraints well after launch, once covid hit. GPUs today are very supply constrained. It's reasonable to assume...The PS5 had supply constraints for a long time after launch. The Switch had supply constraints well after launch, once covid hit. GPUs today are very supply constrained. It's reasonable to assume that it will be hard to get a Switch 2 soon after launch, unless reception is very negative.
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Comment on Help me understand how half of USA is on board with the idea of creating "short term pain" in ~society
gary Link ParentThe gentleman the post is referring to mentioned newer generations not suffering enough though, so using Gen X conservatives is the opposite of what they were going for (liberal Gen Z).The gentleman the post is referring to mentioned newer generations not suffering enough though, so using Gen X conservatives is the opposite of what they were going for (liberal Gen Z).
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Comment on Stremio is an impressive program in ~tech
gary Link ParentThat has always been illegal afaik since streaming is technically downloading with auto deletion. Just cause it's temporarily stored doesn't mean it's not stored, and logically that makes sense....That has always been illegal afaik since streaming is technically downloading with auto deletion. Just cause it's temporarily stored doesn't mean it's not stored, and logically that makes sense. Otherwise we could do an end run around all copyright laws.
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Comment on Stremio is an impressive program in ~tech
gary Link ParentUsing Real Debrid to watch movies is illegal. It's not enforced, but the user is acquiring a copy of a movie illegally. The industry used to pursue cases against people for damages based on number...Using Real Debrid to watch movies is illegal. It's not enforced, but the user is acquiring a copy of a movie illegally. The industry used to pursue cases against people for damages based on number of sales potentially lost due to their piracy. With torrents, they counted upload activity as being multiple copies. With downloads, it could only be 1. Because of that, it didn't make much sense for the industry to go after people who download using MEGA versus people using torrents. But that doesn't mean it's not illegal. They can absolutely come after you if they had the economic incentive to.
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Comment on Stremio is an impressive program in ~tech
gary Link ParentAnd movies in their current incarnation wouldn't exist if everyone used Real Debrid. This kind of thing only continues to exist as it is if it never reaches a critical mass of people using it, so...And movies in their current incarnation wouldn't exist if everyone used Real Debrid. This kind of thing only continues to exist as it is if it never reaches a critical mass of people using it, so I'm befuddled why so many people here keep promoting it. It's not good for users of it and it's not good for workers in the entertainment industry. I can understand if one can't afford media, so I don't pass judgement there, but I thought the understanding was to keep quiet about the good stuff.
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Comment on Target suffers eighth week of foot-traffic losses since caving on its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy in ~society
gary Link ParentI don't think we disagree here regarding Costco?I don't think we disagree here regarding Costco?
It'd be real good right now to have a strong entity step in and convince both sides to cool off. Unfortunately, America is in no position to, China isn't the type to intervene, and the EU has no direction. Russia is Russia.