What people need to realze is that "digital" can also mean programmable. In this rush for everything to go digital, people need to consider the consequences down the road.
What was once the only in the realm of paranoid conspiracy theorists is now possible with only a few keystrokes! With a few lines of code, large companies can have a vast army of machines doing their bidding; machines that you thought you owned and controlled. Pressure is now on to include componants in the hardware to make this even more possible (note Micro$oft's "Palladium"). Is it "BIg Bronthr"? No. It is all in the name of "protecting content" and finding new ways to charge fees.
Maybe no one has noticed, but it has already started. When is the last you heard "The best things in life are free"? This concept has been made almost obsolete. Thie "digital age" may insure that it becomes obsolete. Think about how many monthly bills you pay now, and how many you paid 15 or 20 years ago. How many of those bills are for things that used to be free. An example for "TiVo" or "Replay TV" owners. The company requires a monthly subscription fee for what is basically an improved VCR. WHY? They say that it is to pay for the program guide. In reality, it is a "use fee" for being able to record copyrighted content; something that has always been legal and free with a VCR.
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- Dustin 2-10-2003 12:22 am