Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Mega Strange

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  • martinb,

    ok having read the entire comments- i can answer my own question on that one...

    Auckland • Since Jul 2010 • 206 posts Report Reply

  • Alastair Thompson, in reply to Morgan Davie,

    bingo.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 220 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to martinb,

    Oh they'll ask that nice Mr Key what he thinks. Doubt he'll say "I'm relaxed"

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • nzlemming, in reply to Martin Brown,

    Since 1910? Must be well out of copyright now.

    Just wait, the Americans are sure to wind it back, because innovation.

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to nzlemming,

    or mickey

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Keir Leslie, in reply to BenWilson,

    I think there's two things. The first is that I'm sure you can learn calculus from a fifty year old book, but could you teach it to 300 first years from a fifty year old book?; and, secondly, you'd find a surprising degree of vehemence and anger on the issue of maths pedagogy over the previous century and I suspect there are many mathematicians who'd assert that certain periods and theories produced texts that were totally unsuitable...

    I definitely agree textbook publishing's a racket and the prices are outrageous.

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock, in reply to Rich of Observationz,

    this comment is copyright me. You may not copy it for any purpose including viewing. Hey, you, Russell and his hosting company (but not your ISP) just broke the law!

    Actually, you probably waived your rights under Russell's terms and conditions of site use. And good luck arguing that the copy I made in my head when reading you comment was an infringing copy. You could try sending a takedown letter. Attach it to a bottle of rum and I'm sure it'll have the desired effect.

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Stowell, in reply to Sacha,

    hank goodness for that, since the whole interweb is a giant copying machine

    legal in NZ since 2009 :)

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Hammer,

    BREAKING: Cameron Slater revealed as the mystery txter.!

    Unfortunately I can't tell you who my source is ,but it's true I have proof!

    Right, that should be good enough for the bulk of New Zealand media to report on in the morning. ( at least tv3)

    Seriously I don't understand why a lot of really smart people continue to engage Slater ,when he is nothing more than an internet troll; albeit a profe$$ional one. Whale Oil is not journalism, it's Jerry Springer meets Fox News., yet here all NZ media are happy to report anything from them.


    So this time he has been caught red handed actually fabricating the news! However, history says he won't be held accountable. Wait? he's already gone.

    The least media could do is ignore the next BS fabrication from whale oil, probably due out in a couple weeks.

    Great publicity the books had though! Ugh.

    Auckland • Since Oct 2013 • 1 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson, in reply to Keir Leslie,

    but could you teach it to 300 first years from a fifty year old book?

    It's been interesting to see just how few people do actually use the book.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Hamish.MacEwan, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    Thanks for the link. For the record I registered on the site with a throw-away address, my taste for spam not so much.

    I'm sure publishers won't be angsting over that bit of obfuscation

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 14 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Mike Kilpatrick,

    How they try and minimise that is the key and that’s much more complicated than me criticising their press release, so I’ll step away from that argument!

    Please don’t, Mike, it’s been a pleasure being sorta-kinda-not-really disagreed with by you. Complicated stuff is complicated, and just because we're not coming up with all the answers doesn't mean there's not insight to be had. :)

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • binary.heart,

    [Whaleoil is] "Jerry Springer meets Fox News" - Actually that's pretty unfair on Jerry Springer and Fox News

    Since Nov 2007 • 19 posts Report Reply

  • Don Christie,

    Assuming I have a right to have a file in the first place (ie. I purchased as a file) then what provision might stop me from storing said file on any given medium for my personal use?

    DRMs/TPMs. It's illegal to provide the means of circumvention and TPP will make it illegal to do your own circumvention, assuming you have created your own means.

    There was a case in the USA where copying to a file to a machine's memory was found to be breach of copyright.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1645 posts Report Reply

  • Don Christie,

    As someone who likes sharing books (evil, I know, it's just the way I roll) I generally only buy hard copies. Especially as the ebook price differential is so shit.

    When I do want an ebook I go to Project Gutenberg. Sooo much good reading.

    http://www.gutenberg.org/

    Also, Calculus Made Easy.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1645 posts Report Reply

  • Don Christie, in reply to Cam Slater,

    Prove it

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1645 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Don Christie,

    Also, Calculus Made Easy.

    - and Plato, too...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Campbell,

    OMG - think of his descendants surely they should be allowed to continue to make money from his works

    oh wait .... after that long that's probably about all of us ....

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Dylan Reeve, in reply to Don Christie,

    DRMs/TPMs. It’s illegal to provide the means of circumvention and TPP will make it illegal to do your own circumvention, assuming you have created your own means.

    I'm not talking about circumvention. I'm talking about a file that I have a legal right to possess that's not encumbered with any specific protections.

    The example I used earlier was one of Louis CK's specials - a DRM-free video file that I'd paid for and downloaded. I could store that on Mega (or Dropbox, or Google Drive) entirely legally - as far as I can tell.

    Auckland • Since Aug 2008 • 311 posts Report Reply

  • Dylan Reeve,

    I'm still mildly delighted and how definite and specific Vikram was when describing the access history of the files on Mega when we talked to him on Discourse last night...

    This story, as lame as it is, fills me with amusement.

    Auckland • Since Aug 2008 • 311 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic, in reply to binary.heart,

    [Whaleoil is] “Jerry Springer meets Fox News” – Actually that’s pretty unfair on Jerry Springer and Fox News

    Does "neo-McCarthyist" come to mind?

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • Dylan Reeve,

    Wow - just watched the interview on The Nation (38:30 in the On Demand copy).. It is staggeringly one-sided and, at least in my opinion, almost entirely false in it's assertions.

    Elworthy claims that a Google search for any book and "free download" will see "mega.co.nz in the top results" - I can't see anything remotely like that with any search I do.

    Auckland • Since Aug 2008 • 311 posts Report Reply

  • nzlemming, in reply to Dylan Reeve,

    This has been the standard practice by content industries - make huge claims, without evidence, knowing that most people won't fact check you. I think they learned it from the politicians.

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report Reply

  • Dylan Reeve, in reply to nzlemming,

    Yup we all do that though, don't we, it's called publicity. However I rather expect the media to try and find balance in some of this - allowing the Publishers Association to come on and, unchallenged, make blanket assertions about a business on nothing more than anecdote is amazing.

    Auckland • Since Aug 2008 • 311 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Dylan Reeve,

    Elworthy claims that a Google search for any book and “free download” will see “mega.co.nz in the top results” – I can’t see anything remotely like that with any search I do.

    No, me neither, even when I include "mega" in the search string.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

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