Posted by Doug
Thu, 12 Dec 2002 17:29:00 GMT
The whole music/movie “piracy” issue frustrates me. Current copyright laws allow copyright holders (in most cases of the music industry, the record labels) to set the bounds by which you are allowed to use thier content. The
RIAA has made it clear they don’t want their customers to trade music. As a
NewTestamentChristian, I respect the laws of the land… even the ones I don’t agree with.
On the other hand, I love music. What frustrates me is the cost of enjoying music. New CDs are roughly $15. The content the major labels are pushing is campy. I’ve found even the CDs I’m willing to pay for only have a few songs that are worthwhile. Often that means I end up paying $5 per song. At those prices, who can afford to experiment with new music? What I want is a source of “eclectic intelligent” music (to steal the catch phrase from
Radioparadise) that doesn’t cost me and arm and a leg.
Once again,
Tim O’Reilly has shown he “gets it”. He’s written an
article from the perspective of a book author and a highly successfull book publisher entitled, “Piracy is Progressive Taxation, and Other Thoughts on the Evolution of Online Distribution.” Well worth the read.
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Posted by Doug
Thu, 12 Dec 2002 16:31:00 GMT
David Minor pointed me to an article about a “Mac Addict” being defrauded on eBay. He’s out at least $2300 (realistically more, though he doesn’t say how much) and knows of others taken in the same scam for much, much more. I personally was sold a stolen ThinkPad that the FBI confiscated. I would have been out $1500, but the FBI agent took pity on me an managed to sign the notebook out of evidence to me.
The moral of all these stories is that eBay is a breeding ground for criminals. You have no insurance against fraud. Your only safety net is the $200
fraud protection program that ebay provides. So:
Never expose more than $200 of your own money in an ebay transaction
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Posted by Doug
Thu, 12 Dec 2002 14:39:00 GMT
I’ve recently subscribed to Barry L. Davis’
Daily Devotions. I think this is the first one I’ve recieved. He discusses this passage from 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
We are human, but we don’t wage war with human plans and methods. We use God’s
mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s
strongholds. With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps
people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas,
and we teach them to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NLT)
I don’t have a copy of the New Living Translation (from which that quote is taken). I’m a little bit unsure of some of their wording. The connotation it gives me is that we wage war against people who have “proud arguments” and “rebellios ideas” in order to get them to “obey” Christ. Barry rightly points out in his commentary that “No Christ follower that has a grip on reality would deny that we are in a constant spiritual battle with Satan and the demonic realm.” He immediately follows with the point of his devotion: “What is often denied by believers is the incredible power of God to defeat the attacks that come against us.” See what he’s done here? It’s the same thing I’ve always done. His statement seems to imply that God’s power, while available to us, is for defensive purposes while the passage he quotes implies to me that God’s power is for offense. I’m going to discuss
WagingWar more. Come add your comments.
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