While I'm not against deleting walls that are obviously level-fodder [ie, white
background, screencap poorly extracted, one word in fuzzy red lettering, etc], I
do take exception to the fact that all but one of my walls [I used to have 4]
have been deleted for "quality" when they were made with crisp, clean
images and well-extracted. No, they weren't amazing like those of the best
artists here, but 2-7 hours had gone into each and I had worked hard to make
them presentable.
I don't have time to wall anymore, those are the only ones of the quality I felt
I could share I'd made. They weren't wonderful, but they were good, and I
really don't think it was fair that they were deleted because they weren't of
the top eschelon.
~a rather saddened by her deletion-Christmas presents Ila
[EDIT] - while surfing though the gallery, I noticed I had a hard time finding
walls with actually-clad women on them. I also noticed a number of walls that
don't meet those standards listed many times above [read: poorly extracted girl
in front of obvious stock beach with black or white borders]. And yet mine:
Miyu - http://www.flamewalker.net/wallpaper/Miyu_1280x1024.jpg
Angel - http://www.flamewalker.net/wallpaper/angelcage_1280x1024.jpg
were deleted, when they took a fair bit of time [miyu especially was difficult,
because of the original scan and in trying to choose the coloring style. Yes, I
chose "sloppy lines" purposely].
Instead of finding an "improved" community as you'd expect with all
the deleting of those pesky "sub-par" walls and scans, I find things
like this: http://gallery.minitokyo.net/view/38622/
This is blurry, and I don't see how this could ever actually be used to make
a wallpaper of any quality. [here's a challenge: Prove me wrong!] And yet, it
remains. I'm far too tired to search the galleries for all the
"sub-par" things that remain while others' walls that did take effort
were deleted first. Let's just say, there's enough kiddy porn in the CCS scans
section to keep any pedophile happy for quite some time.
Maybe if we want better quality wallpapers, we should start by weeding out all
the blurry and completely inappropriate and offensive scans in the female scans
section, that are largely screen caps from h-games. If you have good scans to
start with, you can make good papers.
Watching people I've known in my life get married and have children - and
divorce or NOT marry and become single parents - I'd have to say mid to late
twenties for both. I really don't feel that most people can actually have a
grasp on what they want and need, and what is important in life before then. In
college [if you end up going to college], you're busy, over-worked, and still
trying to figure out who you are and where you fit in. Your social circles are
constantly changing, as are your views of yourself, the world, and youself IN
the world.
By the time you graduate and get a job and settle into it, hopefully you'll
begin straightening these things out, and be able to hold a good, strong
relationship with someone you love and who can add to your life. Children
shouldn't be conceived "just because I wanted to be a mommy!" They
should be conceived when the parents are ready and capable of supporting
themselves and new life.
If only people put as much thought into this situation as a lot of us here are.
I think there would be far fewer ill-adjusted, ill-fed, and ill-cared for
children out there.
Just my two cents. This is going to be one of the few rather abusive posts I
make, so if you're going to read it just to take offense, spare me. Read it
with a mind to realization. Also contained are what might be considered by some
as "spoilers," so read with that in mind as well.
Everyone complaining about the movie not being scary, or being a "sucky
horror" movie is an imbecile, a simpleton. This goes for the people who
whined about Signs being "a pathtic alien movie." neither movie is a
horror. Both are -suspenseful-. The populace at large seems to mistakenly use
the words "scary" and "suspenseful" interchangably.
Shyamalan’s last two movies [Signs and the Village] are no more horror
than American Beauty or K-Pax. Here's a breakdown for those who only watched
the surface and missed the actual movies:
Signs.
Signs was not about aliens. The alien "invasion" was just the framing
of the actual story, the story of how one man regained his faith. Ponder that
for a moment, remember the movie in that mindset. The alien invasion was never
meant to carry the movie, the characters - in specific Graham - were. An alien
"horror" flick would have been much more forthright in it's plot and
less into flashback or character development. A word to the character dev
itself - I thought it was brilliant. Consider the message of the movie -
everything happens for a reason - and then consider how each bit of information,
each conversation, is placed in the plot. I love it. This is not to say that
the movie wasn't weak in areas. Why invade a planet that is 80% toxic to you?
Moving on...
The Village.
Monsters/creatures were *not* the premise of the movie. They were, again, the
frame. The movie was almost entirely devoted to character development (although
I think it could have been a little better/different), which leads in turn to
the message/premise of the movie: human nature and the inability to deal with
tragedy. THIS WAS NOT A horror film! It was a "suspenseful" film.
If it were a horror, the monsters would have been real and people would have
died un-mundane deaths. Instead, we come across a plot based on the way a group
of humans choose to deal with their personal tragedies, and its effect on future
generations. It's message is a little less obvious than that of Signs - You
cannot run from sorrow, it is part of life. That all said, I have to agree that
the script [or acting of it] was a bit stiff. Some of that is understandable -
the language of the time they were trying to reenact would have been a bit
stiff. But some of it was a bit too awkward, even for the awkward characters.
While it could have been executed better, I feel it was a good movie, as long as
you have the capacity to recognize what it isn't - a horror film.
The simplicity of the public astonishes me sometimes. People hear creepy music
and hear the word "creature" and assume something is a horror, then
get angry/pissy when the movie doesn't fit their -assumptions- of what it should
be. I know it's hard for some people, to sit down and take a piece of media (or
even a person) seriously - the attention span of adults in the US is
disgustingly short, and we wonder why our kids are out of control - but the fact
that no one even tries to at least appear intelligent makes my mind
ache.
My final word: This is a thinking-person's movie. If you don't want to think
about what you're watching, then this movie isn't for you. If you'd like to form
your own opinion instead of relying on others to form it for you, then go see
it.
I am absolutely in love with the manga [havn't seen the whole of the series
animated =/ ]. I love the story, the art (luvvles the art!) and the characters
=) By far my favorite clamp work [although I love Suki Dakara Suki, and I'm
very glad that finally made it over] . Wish comes in a hair's breadth behind it
(only because it was shorter and the ending bitter-sweet)
I use correct grammar 98% of the time because I hate the slang It
takes me up to 5 times as long to read a slang-full post as it does a regular
one, because I have to guess what they mean. Slang/weird
shortenings/"z" words/etc bug the heck out of me and I tend to ignore
people who only write in "UR Speek" [using letters as in "y r u
mad?" grrrr!].
i love my language and like to treat it well.
Quote by raging_otter2 more
questions from me
Q1: would you gals be mad if we guys sort of dont wanna come along with
you when you go shopping? ^^
q2: i find that most gals tend to eat just apple or banana etc. for
lunch... or sometimes even skip lunch... i know you guys are trying to
be slim etc, but don't u gals ever feel hungry? guys like me wont
survive losing lunch
I hate it when girls do that I
enjoy a nice sandwich for lunch, personally. I believe in sensible meals 3
times a day [like eggs and a waffle for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, then
something good for dinner (so many options @_@ spaghetti, meat and veggies,
other pastas, etc). I guess because I want to be thin but not so thin I look
painful, it doesn't matter as much to me. Alot of girls get so fixated on
lose-must lose-gotta lose that they just keep doing it, never seeing that
they're already a perfectly pretty and healthy weight, so you see tons of tiny
girls dieting more and more @_@ Kowaii da ne??
>>EDIT<<
Quote by Gojira2KWhy do girls force us
to lie? Like when they ask us if they're fat or
something. I dont remember if my gf has ever asked directly, but I dont
want to lie to her. Well, she's not fat, but most would think she is,
but I think she's got some meat on her. Then again, she is rather
tough, and I have told her that muscle in fact weighs more than fat
anyway.
We ask this because we despirately want to be accepted by you. It won't matter
to us if the world thinks we're ugly/fat/etc. as long as you don't. And we get
mad if you tell us "Yes, you are fat" (especially if we're not, he
just has a fetish for skeletons), because to us, that's being rejected by
someone we think [hope] accepts us the way we are, faults and all. If you
really care, but feel honesty is necessary in the case, sugar-coat it.
"Does this make my butt look big?" should not be answered
"Yes." even if it does. The more tactiful truth is "I don't
think it's as flattering as it could be" or "I think the other
pants/dress was prettier on you." There are different ways to tell the
truth to people, and those we're closest to should (we often feel) be able to
tell us the truth without hurting us, or accept us, even if we're fat =P
Quote by Taurec
Then why have tango in the first place?
Read the whole post first, babe. I DID say that if you aren't responsible, you
shouldn't "tango."
Quote by ludomanwell i don't have much of
questions but here it goes!
Q1: Why a girl go out with a guy that she think he's charming when he
only want is to get her in bed? Is it so hard to predict? Even if she
was a virgin she would with no regrets! Why do almost every girls
choose the wrong boyfriend?Always the one that doesn't suit her!
Q2: why do girls when we hurt them (without knowing) it's biggest
problem in the world and when they hurt us it's like no thing happened?
Q3: why mostly girls think we like to go shopping (like them) going
from store to store? what fun does it? how does it relax? q4: why do we
have to know what a girl is thinking? why can't she tell us what she
wants? we don't have telechinetic powers!!
Q5: and like a friend I have, she always says that my clothes don't
match, that I have to shave, stuff like that! Why do you always pick on
us because of stuff like that?
Well i'm not hopping 4 much answear of this cause I don't think it was
anything well planned!
Thanks anyway!
After spending some time trying to figure out what you are asking....
1. We don't all pick the wrong guys. Most of us don't. But some girls get
stuck in that cycle, whether it be the way they were raised, the way they were
treated when they were younger, or their own lack of self-worth.
2. Last time I checked, it wasn't like that, so I wouldn't know. If it is,
alot of times (i've found), the guy just doesn't make as big of a deal about it.
If something happens and he doesn't express that he's hurt/etc, I can't very
well know, can i?
3. Most girls do NOT think guys like to shop. And explaining how it relaxes/is
fun would be too difficult.
4. I think you mean telepathic - telekinetic means you could pick her up with
your mind. And we don't really expect guys to know what we're thinking. But
consider that most of the time, if we always tell guys what we're thinking, what
we want, what we feel, we're considered blabbermouths, whiners, and annoying.
So sometimes, we just keep quiet.
5. I guess because women are socially expected to be well-groomed, and many of
us try to stay well-groomed for you guys, so we expect the same courtesy from
you =P Who wants to date a guy who's smelly, scruffy, and is so thoughtless
that there's NO thought put into his appearance (which is the first thing people
notice and have to base first-impressions on) at all? Little thought is ok - we
don't expect every guy to be a metero. But if a guy shows no care at all for
his appearance, it usually signals to me that he's going to show a lack of
interest in other things (like showers!) that I think are important.
Just for the record, yer subtitle "hentai seeker" doesn't project the
best image =P Something to think about along with those matching clothes and
trimmed bangs =P
Quote by tele-fragd
This is a serious question, does "size" actually matter? (to what
extent)
Yes you know what I'm talking about and no, this isn't a joke.
From what i can tell, not as much as guys would like to think. Sure, it's nice
if he's moderate sized [NOT porno sized @_@ God, would that hurt for a normal
girl!], but if you've been with him for a while and love him, it doesn't really
matter - you'll both find ways to satisfy in bed, and out of bed it doesn't
matter at all, ne?
Now...if he's too big, that can actually be a problem for some girls.
Anatomically speaking, that could be seriously painful and even internally
damaging. @_@
Quote by cheshire
why is is that every time i find a girl i really really like she ends up to be
so horrbly dishonest and unfaithfull
and i mean every time i have never had a g/f that didnt cheat on me and i offer
everything i possibly can all of my attention, money, time, thoughts, security,
caring, respect and the list goes on but every time i just end up getting used
so what i want to know is why?
Answer: date a girl that not only loves you but respects you. And communicate
better. She can't cheat on you nearly as easily if you talk alot and confide in
one another.
Quote by OsirisWhats the quickest way to
get you girls in bed?
...roflroflroflroflroflrfolololol
*runs away from the mob of angry girls*
ahahaa drug them! yes of course!
...Osi's horny!!!! >< or
theres another way! rape them! while they r sleeping?
....................................><' ....
Congratulations, you just lost my respect. Rape is not a cool thing to joke
about, nor is drugging someone to sleep with them (also rape) [yes, I'm aware
you aren't the first person to mention the latter, but it's a good place to
address them all at once]
Quote by sammoi dont know if someone
already asked this..but why do girls go in a bathroom in
groups?
Answer1: It's more fun. Unlike men, women talk/chatter in the bathroom - we
have to sit, so it takes longer, which can be very boring.
Answer2: It's safer. If you have to go all the way to the back of a building,
possibly down a shady hall to get to the ladies' room, it increases the chances
of getting mugged/grabbed/'napped, etc.
Answer3: Sometimes, we just do it to confuse you.
Answer4: If we don't leave once in a while, how are you guys gonna get yer
"guy talk" in? And when are you going to talk about how hot we are
[because you rarely tell us!]?
Quote by halcyonTwilightI have
always wondered this....how long does it take girls to pick out
an outfit in the morning?...it seems all the girls at my school love to
mix and match diffrent clothes..and they still look good. So i was
wonderin if they spent any time at all deciding what to wear or if they
just have some unknown fashion instinct that we guys fail to have....
....guys, if ur out there, i am so sorry for admitting our weaknesses
-_- .....
The answer to this one really varies with the girl. Here's my answer. When
it's just going to class, I set out my pants, bra, and t-shirt the night before:
2min. I roll out of bed and into said clothes before doing anything else: 1
min. Teeth,face, makeup: 10 min.
If I want to look nice: 5-15 min agonizing over which of the 2 nice outfits I
keep on campus to wear, and then 10 min on teeth and makeup.
Quote by Taurec
This is such BullShit ... it takes (well the last time i checked) two persons to
have sex ....
Stop blaming us males for something a modern woman also has control over .. anti
conception is just as much the responsibility for a women as for a men..
While it's true that it takes 2 to tango, consider this:
--Most men I've run into will not ask about or offer contraception. They don't
want to use a condom, and if they're just trying to bed her, they don't really
care about her end of the deal.
-Irregardless of birthcontrol, it -is- the woman who ends up pregnant [and
called a whore for it by some people, while the guy is congratulated for being
so frisky], and many MANY men do not take responsibility for their part in the
deal, and bolt when they find out. Why do you think there are so many single,
unhelped, unwed mothers? Most of then didn't push daddy out the door when they
conceived.
It boils down to, if you aren't BOTH responsible enough to talk about birth
control, and impliment it, you shouldn't be having sex. Period. But we all
know that's not the way it happens.
Quote by Kwijibo1. why girls need to go
shopping so often??
2. why when we say to a girl that shes cute and we really beleive it, she
just tell us that we lie?
3. why does rapper (hold on, i mean the ones that dress up like morons,
that acts like morons, that take people for morons) end up with girls
then the nices guy end up with their right hand?
4. when it come to talk with you for the first time, wich topic in general
should we talk about to keep you entertained?
5. why womens has so much problem about their ages??
6. why some girls take anti-aging stuff when they are only 15 years old??
7. what do you girls prefer?? a very nice looking guy or one with a very
nice personnality?
i think thats all i want to ask...for now xd
(numbered to help me reply)
1. I don't know about anyone else, but it's a nice stress-reliever. Some girls
don't like to shop, and some do. I enjoy walking around, looking at all the
neat things, and occasionally treating myself to something - a smoothie, some
very nice makeup, perhaps a silly hat.
2. Because girls are engrained with the idea that we can't really be cute, or
that it's inappropriate to admit it. It's coy. Besides, how would you react if
you said "Ahh, you are so cute!" and she said "Yeah, I
know." ?
3. The women in the videos are paid, the women in their beds are, too (in one
way or another). Also, fame value: "I slept with
so-and-so-famous-person." These girls may be pretty, but they are not the
ones you want.
4. Bad question, no context. Are you at a party? Bookstore? Class? I guess,
to get our attention, talk about something at hand - "Wow, isn't our host
nice?" or "I really like this new series - have you read it?"
Then just be yourself, and let the conversation flow.
5. When was the last time you looked at an older woman [30+] and said "God
she's hot!" ? The chances are, you havn't ever, or very rarely. We all
know we're going to be 30 some day and we don't want to be the one you pass and
say "God, look at her sagging breasts" or "Man, haaaaaag!"
Bear with us, we're doing it so you won't insult us later for something we can't
help.
6. Because they're easily swayed by ads. Avoid at all cost.
7. Both, if we can get it =P Personally, I'd rather have someone I can talk to
and laugh with when I'm old, so if he's yer average joe in looks, I don't care.
I'm shallow enough to admit that I will not date the dregs of society -
lookswise or mind wise.
Quote by dumbo63Heres a question that I
really need to know. Why da hell does it take a
girl 5 times longer to go to a washroom then a guy. This has been
pissing me off for sometime now.
First off, if this is pissing you off, you have no business being there with a
girl. Secondly, you try having to sit down [and necessarily wiping the piss off
the seat before you can because the woman before you can't put paper on the seat
and must "hover" over it and pee all over everything] everytime you
have to pee, then have to wipe [double the time if yer on yer period], and see
how long it takes YOU. It also adds time if they actually CARE how they look
and stop at the mirror to make sure they look nice FOR YOU.
If, as a later reply indicated, you mean the bathroom, take me as an example:
I have ~2.5-3feet of hair at any given time - I can sit on it. I have to wash
and condition that. I have places that necessarily need to be cleaned, but are
harder to clean than your necessary-to-clean regions. I then have to brush my
teeth, moisturize my face [esp in winter], moisturize my legs [add 30 min if I
have to shave, too], and make sure to treat anything that comes up - zits, dry
spots, etc. That can take a while, and 80% of it is done to make sure I look
and smell pretty for others. I could care less if I have zits or perfectly
smoothe legs. I take care of them because I know that extra little oomph makes
my guy smile just that much more.
Wow, I think that's most of it [and all I cared to answer].
Oh yeah.
How do you get a girl in your bed.
Answer: Pray you can be a good enough man, that you can love someone enough who
loves you back, that she will open herself up to you, in the most intimate two
meanings of that phrase - mentally and physically. And Pray that you can
continue being the kind of man she deserves.
Actually, all of this information should be on an error page you get when you
tried to upload the 4th wallpaper. Why didn't you read it before posting this?
Definately college. Better jobs if you have a degree, and there's no guarantee
that you'll actually go to college if you go to work first. I've found that
University has opened up alot of opportunities for me - socially, mentally, and
professionally - that I wouldn't have had outside the academic setting. There's
alot of growing to be done during those years [and I don't care how "grown
up" you feel at 17/18, most people aren't nearly as developed as they think
they are], and college/university affords some really awesome opportunities.
Lots of people [I'm dating the person I plan to marry, and I met him freshman
year], lots to do [from hanging out in the dorm to clubbing to frats], and TONS
to experience: sleeping through an exam, your first real job interview, first
time living away from home, getting drunk off yer arse and realizing later what
an arse you were, dating, cafeteria food [and learning that you CAN cook,
because of it]....... I can't even list everything I've experienced and
watched/helped my friends experience.
So yeah, for a bazillion different reasons, I'd say college [and maybe a
part-time job] first, then the "real-world." 'Cause the
"real-world" isn't nearly as much fun as it might seem. And besides,
it's a great 4-6 years to plan and plot your future ^_~
It's nice that yer new here, it's nice that you like it, hello. It's NOT nice
that you have, according to my screen, made 7 posts of almost identical content
within 20 min.
the more detailed thing posted earlier about how to do the sig and avatar should
be up there. That was something that confused me alot when I first came here,
because it wasn't well documented/easily found.
>> still is really tiring to read mt in such a small font... i miss that
function<<
You can resize fonts with your browser through the View menu. That shouldn't be
a problem.
>> it's prolly just me but i feel mt2 is slower <<
i imagine that's a combination of everyone looking at, poking, prodding, and
trying out the new code, and some of the code itself not being optimized. She's
getting around to it =) This stuff takes alot of tweaking, and can be
difficult. I won't complain about the speed unless it's still this slow after
she announces the final revision.
Today, my last purchase [besides the ticket to see The Terminal] was a cozy
sweater-knit blanket and exquisitely-carved soft-smelling soaps =) Stocking up
on comforts while I have money^_^
Quote by Nitro_2985
You should not bring new arguments into a debate without any information backing
it up. All I have to say is, "where did you get your information?"
So, without further ado, "Where did you get your
infromation?"
I looked it up online [on official sites] when I was something like 15. Since
it was 6 years ago, I don't remember all the details. If this doesn't suffice,
I do -not- apologize, but I'm not going to re-look it up. Further, I wasn't so
much introducing it to argue over, just as a passing comment to alert you to the
possibility, should you have the time to go searching for the info. And one
should, every once in a while, "bring new arguments into a debate without
any information backing it up." It's a good way to learn about something
[and people's views on it]. And if you're really interested in it after the
"debate," it can even give you more to go on when researching. Your
ideals of debate seem to be a bit too strict for my tastes [or those of anyone
else I've ever met, for that matter]. I consider my "debate" with you
done.
Quote: I think there's a passive copyright law
That makes sence, after all the laws (most often) will favour the copyright
holder. Actually all "rights" that one would need to
pursue/register, do tend to be available even if you don't after some
time. For instance, even if you do not marry, if you live with a person for some
time (in Brasil, 6 monthes) you will be treated as a married couple by
law.
Exactly. Another example are the "copyright" notices on nearly all
websites. I imagine no one filed copyright on their website design, but they
fall under automatic protection anyway. [the "common-law marriage"
was an interesting example =) Here in the US, I think it's 5 or 10 years, or
something. We like our indecision ^_~]
If you didn't go through the formal process of copyrighting it you would
have no right to stop people from using it.
I think there's a passive copyright law [too lazy right now to look it up] that
protects all original works, should the creator care to press it. I had an
issue some years back with someone claiming my stuff as theirs [fanfics, created
characters, role play persona - that's right, they were role playing, online, as
me. Even signing emails as me/my character @_@ ], and I remember running across
it. But it's been too long to remember the details. Something worth looking
into, should you care to persue it further.
Article Nine of the Berne Convention states that only the author (or those he
sells his rights to) can make copies of the work. Article Ten states that you
can make quotations from written work only if you give the author credit. Nope,
I don't see anyware that says you can make a copy for your own use.
It's my understanding, that although there is no specific mention of allowance
of personal backups, it is common practice to allow this under fair use. It was
interesting to listen to a radio discussion of this, where
an..er...anti-advocate [for lack of better term] actually -whined- that it
didn't say anywhere that we could do any such thing, but was later forced to
admit that it's allowed.
Quote by Nitro_2985
Some people think that people who download anime are not doing anything illegel.
If you reread the thread you will see that some of them posted in here. Those
are the people that I'm arguing with. You and I seem to be in agreement on
whether it is illegal so that's what I was working for. Now a debate on whether
it is moral is compleatly different.
I was going to make that point but you beat me to it =)
As an aside, Cai [edit: and Nitro, since it really does apply to both of you],
one shouldn't debate sheerly on straight fact or straight opinion alone. Facts,
while they tend to be black and white, can lend some sharpness to the grey areas
we really want to discuss. Likewise, without grey areas, there would be no use
for courts and discussion in general. Balance is our friend =)
I guess you are really on a quest to make us all criminals, thogh I'm
pretty sure you have lots of mp3, anime wallpapers and scans on your system that
ALSO are copyrighted.
The point isn't to "make us all criminals" [we've all done a fine job
of that on our own!], it's to point out that no matter how much we don't like
it, we would be considered such in the eye of the law. I'd rather KNOW I'm in
the wrong and take precautions, than not know and say "I can do whatever I
want, neener!" The latter is an excellent way to have someone knock on
your door and confiscate your computer.
I don't like alot of the IP/copyright laws, myself. And I REALLY don't like the
way corporate America now owns our government [Oh hello, Congressman RIAA!
How's Mrs. MPAA doing?] The only way to combat them is to keep informed [and
know when you're uninformed. ignorance is not bliss, nor is it an excuse] and
to fight it as you can. Whether it's letters to congress [hey, SOMEONE might
listen, no matter how cynical I am], support for the EFF, or just making sure
that if you aren't following the law, you are at least not drawing huge amounts
of attention to yourself.
Quote by Kev
thing is, if u send everyone in jail, others would vote for a new congressman to
represent them. do u think someone would wanna lost votes to this years USA
election? lol.
It's not so much to do with congressmen as you'd think. It's special interest
groups, if you want to get right down to it. It's just for logistic reasons
that the RIAA/MPAA/enter-group-here don't sue everyone and throw them in jail:
Who would handle all that paperwork, and who would babysit all those
now-parentless kids? =P In all reality, it wouldn't make sense to throw
everyone in jail.
And don't think that our opinion, even in votes, matters much when we're up
against such strong special-interest groups as the RIAA/MPAA and their little
underlings...er..."associations". You might notice that all these
"anti-piracy" things are horribly unpopular, but yet...the PIRATE act
is still being pushed through. The passage, of course, lined with $100 bills to
make movement easier.
Quote by Kevvery true to that, raging otter,
else the whole government can confiscate our VCRs and those loyal voters would
vote another person to be their leader, hahah
Erm, Kev, did you even READ my post? the motion picture industry -would- have
and tried to "confiscate our VCRs." It took alot of fighting and
arguing and ranting to get VCRs to stick around, because of the EXACT same
argument we having going here: we feel it's out right to reproduce (and in legal
terms, we ARE reproducing) copyrighted media, while the media industry feels
that we have no rights except to sit there and consume passively what they give
us. The fact of the matter is, reproducing the way we are is considered
illegal. No, not everyone's prosecuted for it: if they were, nearly all of
America would be in jail. The copyright holders pick and choose their battles.
Just because it's massively done, doesn't mean it's not illegal. Think MP3s of
popular, copyrighted music.
Quote by Kev
problem is, adv has a bunch of lousy translators, even fansubbers can sub
better, this is due to the fact, they put in lesser effort than the
fansubbers.
fansubbers face indirect competition from other groups, while adv practically
monopolise the whole anime arena. they can do whatever they want to cut
costs
so, fansubbers are more dedicated, bcos they have a goal, which is fan
satisfaction. unlike adv, its all about profit, nothing than that. theres no
true fanspirit in them, at all
so, they are doing the least care to the anime community, they are just socially
obliged to do so
While an interesting point, irrelevant to the argument.
Quote by Kev RIAA is the recording industry,
not videos, hence it has no relevance it. if they were to sue us for downloading
copyrightable media, be it, lets see how long the anime industry will suffer
besides, RIAA's authority is limited to USA, not other places outside of it.
every country has its own policy and rules
He wasn't saying the RIAA itself would come down on us like a 10-ton hammer, he
was merely using it as an example of what the companies who own the rights to
the anime could do to us. No, the RIAA isn't going to tag us. But they did tag
their own customers, and tagged them hard. Same could [albeit, unlikely] happen
in our situation. This is called a "demostrative example."
Quote by Kev1st off, we are not reproducing
it, we are simply adding subtitles to it, thats a bout it
That's what ADV's doing. The only thing different is the venue of
distribution/reproduction. ADV uses their computers, then DVD and VHS. We use
our computers and sometimes CDs/DVDs. It's the same.
Quote by Kev
2nd, this is not enough to cover a bunch of ranting ppl, lol.. u think ppl would
get sued under this berne convention, where no one has ever heard of it? most
ppl would be sued under copyright laws instead. also, we are the consumers, not
the distributors, so it does not get us in trouble under that legislation, only
subbers and torrent distros get charged that way
EDIT: Yeah, so totally quoted but missed writing my argument @_@ Do you think
the Berne convention has nothing to do with copyright? We -would- be sued under
copyright laws..........laws that bow to the Berne convention. Whatever you
call it, it's the same thing. Oh, and if you think you can't be charged under a
law if you've never heard of it, ask a lawyer about it, telling them that
opinion. When they're done laughing, they'll explain many cases in which
"ignorance does not mean you aren't responsible" for following the
law.
If we are using bittorrent to download files, we are both consumers AND
distributors, because of how bt works. Just like filesharers in our most
favoritest example, we can be charged just as easily as the subbers and
distro-ers.
Quote by Nitro_2985
Again if I may, i'd like to use an analogy. Before file sharing became so
popular the music industry was actually doing better. Their sales have declined
signicantly since then.
That's not technically true. A number of studies/research have been done on
this, and while the ones done by the RIAA and it's friends have wept and moaned
about loss of sales, those done by independent parties have found a completely
different story, including a good reason for some drop in sales: They're just
not producing as many new albums as they used to, but are expecting the same
number of cds to sell. But this isn't an argument for this thread, so I'll stop
there. @_@
SpideI2_man: I appreciate your well presented argument =) But I have to
dissent: I don't think an iTunes model for distribution would work well for
anime. There are a multitude of reasons, ranging from the sheer bandwidth and
encoding to the medium itself - it's fairly easy to get pay-for-it quality in
music, much harder when there's an image involved. Your ear won't pick up minor
discrepancies, but your eyes are very likely to. That aside, I'd much rather
have a DVD, for several reasons: I can take it over to a friend's place and
forcibly subject them to the show of my choosing, because they can't claim
incompatability [which can happen with computer-related formats] - I know they
have a DVD player; I can use the case to assail someone who says something
stupid; I can watch a DVD on my computer, TV, on a friend's mini-DVD player, or
I can simply sit and stare at the pretty colors the "shiney" side
makes when turned in the sun. ^_~
Quote by fallen angel
I'm not sure if you know this but the prices for anime in Japan are nearly
double what we pay here and they only have about half the episode count that
their american counterparts have. Some people in Japan actually import anime
from us because it's cheaper.
Actually, the reason for that would be availability of resources to make
cds/dvds. Japan has very few natural resources of their own and must import
just about everything when it comes to industry. So the prices of the DVDs and
CDs reflect this. They aren't high because they're being mean or trying to be
greedy, they're high because the cost of manufacture is considerably higher than
it is here.
and also, take note, what if ppl record anime in the VCR, is that wrong? is
downloading an episode of charm wrong? is storing stuffs on a HDTV recording
wrong? technology are getting better and better, its hard to stop ppl from doing
what they want to.
[snip snip]
The problem with this argument is that online or off, these things still fall
under copyright/IP laws, conventions, and treaties. "Cyberlaw" does
not exist. As for the examples you give, you haven't been keeping up with your
slashdot reading. The media companies are fighting just about all of those
things tooth and nail. They particularly hate PVRs because they allow people
[for now, and sometimes with tinkering] to share episodes on the internet -
something the media companies find wrong, evil, baaaaaad. When the VCR first
came out, hollywood was shocked and angered - these people were going to be able
to tape movies off the tv! It was wrong! Video sales would plummet! DOOOOM!
But...it didn't. It took years of arguing, fighting, lobbying, etc to allow
VCRs to stay. We're going through the whole thing again now, only with digital
products with a much broader scope of use and misuse.
Also, the disclaimer most subbers put on the shows doesn't really hold water.
It's a nicety that they put to stave off the nicer of companies. But in all
reality, it does nothing. So your argument is going to have to be a bit
stronger.
While I'm not against deleting walls that are obviously level-fodder [ie, white background, screencap poorly extracted, one word in fuzzy red lettering, etc], I do take exception to the fact that all but one of my walls [I used to have 4] have been deleted for "quality" when they were made with crisp, clean images and well-extracted. No, they weren't amazing like those of the best artists here, but 2-7 hours had gone into each and I had worked hard to make them presentable.
I don't have time to wall anymore, those are the only ones of the quality I felt I could share I'd made. They weren't wonderful, but they were good, and I really don't think it was fair that they were deleted because they weren't of the top eschelon.
~a rather saddened by her deletion-Christmas presents Ila
[EDIT] - while surfing though the gallery, I noticed I had a hard time finding walls with actually-clad women on them. I also noticed a number of walls that don't meet those standards listed many times above [read: poorly extracted girl in front of obvious stock beach with black or white borders]. And yet mine:
Miyu - http://www.flamewalker.net/wallpaper/Miyu_1280x1024.jpg
Angel - http://www.flamewalker.net/wallpaper/angelcage_1280x1024.jpg
were deleted, when they took a fair bit of time [miyu especially was difficult, because of the original scan and in trying to choose the coloring style. Yes, I chose "sloppy lines" purposely].
Instead of finding an "improved" community as you'd expect with all the deleting of those pesky "sub-par" walls and scans, I find things like this:
http://gallery.minitokyo.net/view/38622/ This is blurry, and I don't see how this could ever actually be used to make a wallpaper of any quality. [here's a challenge: Prove me wrong!] And yet, it remains. I'm far too tired to search the galleries for all the "sub-par" things that remain while others' walls that did take effort were deleted first. Let's just say, there's enough kiddy porn in the CCS scans section to keep any pedophile happy for quite some time.
Maybe if we want better quality wallpapers, we should start by weeding out all the blurry and completely inappropriate and offensive scans in the female scans section, that are largely screen caps from h-games. If you have good scans to start with, you can make good papers.
Watching people I've known in my life get married and have children - and divorce or NOT marry and become single parents - I'd have to say mid to late twenties for both. I really don't feel that most people can actually have a grasp on what they want and need, and what is important in life before then. In college [if you end up going to college], you're busy, over-worked, and still trying to figure out who you are and where you fit in. Your social circles are constantly changing, as are your views of yourself, the world, and youself IN the world.
By the time you graduate and get a job and settle into it, hopefully you'll begin straightening these things out, and be able to hold a good, strong relationship with someone you love and who can add to your life. Children shouldn't be conceived "just because I wanted to be a mommy!" They should be conceived when the parents are ready and capable of supporting themselves and new life.
If only people put as much thought into this situation as a lot of us here are. I think there would be far fewer ill-adjusted, ill-fed, and ill-cared for children out there.
Just my two cents. This is going to be one of the few rather abusive posts I make, so if you're going to read it just to take offense, spare me. Read it with a mind to realization. Also contained are what might be considered by some as "spoilers," so read with that in mind as well.
Everyone complaining about the movie not being scary, or being a "sucky horror" movie is an imbecile, a simpleton. This goes for the people who whined about Signs being "a pathtic alien movie." neither movie is a horror. Both are -suspenseful-. The populace at large seems to mistakenly use the words "scary" and "suspenseful" interchangably. Shyamalan’s last two movies [Signs and the Village] are no more horror than American Beauty or K-Pax. Here's a breakdown for those who only watched the surface and missed the actual movies:
Signs.
Signs was not about aliens. The alien "invasion" was just the framing of the actual story, the story of how one man regained his faith. Ponder that for a moment, remember the movie in that mindset. The alien invasion was never meant to carry the movie, the characters - in specific Graham - were. An alien "horror" flick would have been much more forthright in it's plot and less into flashback or character development. A word to the character dev itself - I thought it was brilliant. Consider the message of the movie - everything happens for a reason - and then consider how each bit of information, each conversation, is placed in the plot. I love it. This is not to say that the movie wasn't weak in areas. Why invade a planet that is 80% toxic to you? Moving on...
The Village.
Monsters/creatures were *not* the premise of the movie. They were, again, the frame. The movie was almost entirely devoted to character development (although I think it could have been a little better/different), which leads in turn to the message/premise of the movie: human nature and the inability to deal with tragedy. THIS WAS NOT A horror film! It was a "suspenseful" film. If it were a horror, the monsters would have been real and people would have died un-mundane deaths. Instead, we come across a plot based on the way a group of humans choose to deal with their personal tragedies, and its effect on future generations. It's message is a little less obvious than that of Signs - You cannot run from sorrow, it is part of life. That all said, I have to agree that the script [or acting of it] was a bit stiff. Some of that is understandable - the language of the time they were trying to reenact would have been a bit stiff. But some of it was a bit too awkward, even for the awkward characters. While it could have been executed better, I feel it was a good movie, as long as you have the capacity to recognize what it isn't - a horror film.
The simplicity of the public astonishes me sometimes. People hear creepy music and hear the word "creature" and assume something is a horror, then get angry/pissy when the movie doesn't fit their -assumptions- of what it should be. I know it's hard for some people, to sit down and take a piece of media (or even a person) seriously - the attention span of adults in the US is disgustingly short, and we wonder why our kids are out of control - but the fact that no one even tries to at least appear intelligent makes my mind ache.
My final word: This is a thinking-person's movie. If you don't want to think about what you're watching, then this movie isn't for you. If you'd like to form your own opinion instead of relying on others to form it for you, then go see it.
I am absolutely in love with the manga [havn't seen the whole of the series animated =/ ]. I love the story, the art (luvvles the art!) and the characters =) By far my favorite clamp work [although I love Suki Dakara Suki, and I'm very glad that finally made it over] . Wish comes in a hair's breadth behind it (only because it was shorter and the ending bitter-sweet)
Huh. Another Techie.
I use correct grammar 98% of the time because I hate the slang
It
takes me up to 5 times as long to read a slang-full post as it does a regular
one, because I have to guess what they mean. Slang/weird
shortenings/"z" words/etc bug the heck out of me and I tend to ignore
people who only write in "UR Speek" [using letters as in "y r u
mad?" grrrr!]. 
i love my language and like to treat it well.
Congrats, to you and your wife! Here's to many interesting years as a parent
He's cute =)
I hate it when girls do that
I
enjoy a nice sandwich for lunch, personally. I believe in sensible meals 3
times a day [like eggs and a waffle for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, then
something good for dinner (so many options @_@ spaghetti, meat and veggies,
other pastas, etc). I guess because I want to be thin but not so thin I look
painful, it doesn't matter as much to me. Alot of girls get so fixated on
lose-must lose-gotta lose that they just keep doing it, never seeing that
they're already a perfectly pretty and healthy weight, so you see tons of tiny
girls dieting more and more @_@ Kowaii da ne??
>>EDIT<<
We ask this because we despirately want to be accepted by you. It won't matter to us if the world thinks we're ugly/fat/etc. as long as you don't. And we get mad if you tell us "Yes, you are fat" (especially if we're not, he just has a fetish for skeletons), because to us, that's being rejected by someone we think [hope] accepts us the way we are, faults and all. If you really care, but feel honesty is necessary in the case, sugar-coat it. "Does this make my butt look big?" should not be answered "Yes." even if it does. The more tactiful truth is "I don't think it's as flattering as it could be" or "I think the other pants/dress was prettier on you." There are different ways to tell the truth to people, and those we're closest to should (we often feel) be able to tell us the truth without hurting us, or accept us, even if we're fat =P
Read the whole post first, babe. I DID say that if you aren't responsible, you shouldn't "tango."
After spending some time trying to figure out what you are asking....
1. We don't all pick the wrong guys. Most of us don't. But some girls get stuck in that cycle, whether it be the way they were raised, the way they were treated when they were younger, or their own lack of self-worth.
2. Last time I checked, it wasn't like that, so I wouldn't know. If it is, alot of times (i've found), the guy just doesn't make as big of a deal about it. If something happens and he doesn't express that he's hurt/etc, I can't very well know, can i?
3. Most girls do NOT think guys like to shop. And explaining how it relaxes/is fun would be too difficult.
4. I think you mean telepathic - telekinetic means you could pick her up with your mind. And we don't really expect guys to know what we're thinking. But consider that most of the time, if we always tell guys what we're thinking, what we want, what we feel, we're considered blabbermouths, whiners, and annoying. So sometimes, we just keep quiet.
5. I guess because women are socially expected to be well-groomed, and many of us try to stay well-groomed for you guys, so we expect the same courtesy from you =P Who wants to date a guy who's smelly, scruffy, and is so thoughtless that there's NO thought put into his appearance (which is the first thing people notice and have to base first-impressions on) at all? Little thought is ok - we don't expect every guy to be a metero. But if a guy shows no care at all for his appearance, it usually signals to me that he's going to show a lack of interest in other things (like showers!) that I think are important.
Just for the record, yer subtitle "hentai seeker" doesn't project the best image =P Something to think about along with those matching clothes and trimmed bangs =P
From what i can tell, not as much as guys would like to think. Sure, it's nice if he's moderate sized [NOT porno sized @_@ God, would that hurt for a normal girl!], but if you've been with him for a while and love him, it doesn't really matter - you'll both find ways to satisfy in bed, and out of bed it doesn't matter at all, ne?
Now...if he's too big, that can actually be a problem for some girls. Anatomically speaking, that could be seriously painful and even internally damaging. @_@
Answer: date a girl that not only loves you but respects you. And communicate better. She can't cheat on you nearly as easily if you talk alot and confide in one another.
Congratulations, you just lost my respect. Rape is not a cool thing to joke about, nor is drugging someone to sleep with them (also rape) [yes, I'm aware you aren't the first person to mention the latter, but it's a good place to address them all at once]
Answer1: It's more fun. Unlike men, women talk/chatter in the bathroom - we have to sit, so it takes longer, which can be very boring.
Answer2: It's safer. If you have to go all the way to the back of a building, possibly down a shady hall to get to the ladies' room, it increases the chances of getting mugged/grabbed/'napped, etc.
Answer3: Sometimes, we just do it to confuse you.
Answer4: If we don't leave once in a while, how are you guys gonna get yer "guy talk" in? And when are you going to talk about how hot we are [because you rarely tell us!]?
The answer to this one really varies with the girl. Here's my answer. When it's just going to class, I set out my pants, bra, and t-shirt the night before: 2min. I roll out of bed and into said clothes before doing anything else: 1 min. Teeth,face, makeup: 10 min.
If I want to look nice: 5-15 min agonizing over which of the 2 nice outfits I keep on campus to wear, and then 10 min on teeth and makeup.
While it's true that it takes 2 to tango, consider this:
--Most men I've run into will not ask about or offer contraception. They don't want to use a condom, and if they're just trying to bed her, they don't really care about her end of the deal.
-Irregardless of birthcontrol, it -is- the woman who ends up pregnant [and called a whore for it by some people, while the guy is congratulated for being so frisky], and many MANY men do not take responsibility for their part in the deal, and bolt when they find out. Why do you think there are so many single, unhelped, unwed mothers? Most of then didn't push daddy out the door when they conceived.
It boils down to, if you aren't BOTH responsible enough to talk about birth control, and impliment it, you shouldn't be having sex. Period. But we all know that's not the way it happens.
(numbered to help me reply)
1. I don't know about anyone else, but it's a nice stress-reliever. Some girls don't like to shop, and some do. I enjoy walking around, looking at all the neat things, and occasionally treating myself to something - a smoothie, some very nice makeup, perhaps a silly hat.
2. Because girls are engrained with the idea that we can't really be cute, or that it's inappropriate to admit it. It's coy. Besides, how would you react if you said "Ahh, you are so cute!" and she said "Yeah, I know." ?
3. The women in the videos are paid, the women in their beds are, too (in one way or another). Also, fame value: "I slept with so-and-so-famous-person." These girls may be pretty, but they are not the ones you want.
4. Bad question, no context. Are you at a party? Bookstore? Class? I guess, to get our attention, talk about something at hand - "Wow, isn't our host nice?" or "I really like this new series - have you read it?" Then just be yourself, and let the conversation flow.
5. When was the last time you looked at an older woman [30+] and said "God she's hot!" ? The chances are, you havn't ever, or very rarely. We all know we're going to be 30 some day and we don't want to be the one you pass and say "God, look at her sagging breasts" or "Man, haaaaaag!" Bear with us, we're doing it so you won't insult us later for something we can't help.
6. Because they're easily swayed by ads. Avoid at all cost.
7. Both, if we can get it =P Personally, I'd rather have someone I can talk to and laugh with when I'm old, so if he's yer average joe in looks, I don't care. I'm shallow enough to admit that I will not date the dregs of society - lookswise or mind wise.
First off, if this is pissing you off, you have no business being there with a girl. Secondly, you try having to sit down [and necessarily wiping the piss off the seat before you can because the woman before you can't put paper on the seat and must "hover" over it and pee all over everything] everytime you have to pee, then have to wipe [double the time if yer on yer period], and see how long it takes YOU. It also adds time if they actually CARE how they look and stop at the mirror to make sure they look nice FOR YOU.
If, as a later reply indicated, you mean the bathroom, take me as an example:
I have ~2.5-3feet of hair at any given time - I can sit on it. I have to wash and condition that. I have places that necessarily need to be cleaned, but are harder to clean than your necessary-to-clean regions. I then have to brush my teeth, moisturize my face [esp in winter], moisturize my legs [add 30 min if I have to shave, too], and make sure to treat anything that comes up - zits, dry spots, etc. That can take a while, and 80% of it is done to make sure I look and smell pretty for others. I could care less if I have zits or perfectly smoothe legs. I take care of them because I know that extra little oomph makes my guy smile just that much more.
Wow, I think that's most of it [and all I cared to answer].
Oh yeah.
How do you get a girl in your bed.
Answer: Pray you can be a good enough man, that you can love someone enough who loves you back, that she will open herself up to you, in the most intimate two meanings of that phrase - mentally and physically. And Pray that you can continue being the kind of man she deserves.
The End/
Actually, all of this information should be on an error page you get when you tried to upload the 4th wallpaper. Why didn't you read it before posting this?
Definately college. Better jobs if you have a degree, and there's no guarantee that you'll actually go to college if you go to work first. I've found that University has opened up alot of opportunities for me - socially, mentally, and professionally - that I wouldn't have had outside the academic setting. There's alot of growing to be done during those years [and I don't care how "grown up" you feel at 17/18, most people aren't nearly as developed as they think they are], and college/university affords some really awesome opportunities. Lots of people [I'm dating the person I plan to marry, and I met him freshman year], lots to do [from hanging out in the dorm to clubbing to frats], and TONS to experience: sleeping through an exam, your first real job interview, first time living away from home, getting drunk off yer arse and realizing later what an arse you were, dating, cafeteria food [and learning that you CAN cook, because of it]....... I can't even list everything I've experienced and watched/helped my friends experience.
So yeah, for a bazillion different reasons, I'd say college [and maybe a part-time job] first, then the "real-world." 'Cause the "real-world" isn't nearly as much fun as it might seem. And besides, it's a great 4-6 years to plan and plot your future ^_~
It's nice that yer new here, it's nice that you like it, hello. It's NOT nice that you have, according to my screen, made 7 posts of almost identical content within 20 min.
the more detailed thing posted earlier about how to do the sig and avatar should be up there. That was something that confused me alot when I first came here, because it wasn't well documented/easily found.
>> still is really tiring to read mt in such a small font... i miss that function<<
You can resize fonts with your browser through the View menu. That shouldn't be a problem.
>> it's prolly just me but i feel mt2 is slower <<
i imagine that's a combination of everyone looking at, poking, prodding, and trying out the new code, and some of the code itself not being optimized. She's getting around to it =) This stuff takes alot of tweaking, and can be difficult. I won't complain about the speed unless it's still this slow after she announces the final revision.
Today, my last purchase [besides the ticket to see The Terminal] was a cozy sweater-knit blanket and exquisitely-carved soft-smelling soaps =) Stocking up on comforts while I have money^_^
I looked it up online [on official sites] when I was something like 15. Since it was 6 years ago, I don't remember all the details. If this doesn't suffice, I do -not- apologize, but I'm not going to re-look it up. Further, I wasn't so much introducing it to argue over, just as a passing comment to alert you to the possibility, should you have the time to go searching for the info. And one should, every once in a while, "bring new arguments into a debate without any information backing it up." It's a good way to learn about something [and people's views on it]. And if you're really interested in it after the "debate," it can even give you more to go on when researching. Your ideals of debate seem to be a bit too strict for my tastes [or those of anyone else I've ever met, for that matter]. I consider my "debate" with you done.
Exactly. Another example are the "copyright" notices on nearly all websites. I imagine no one filed copyright on their website design, but they fall under automatic protection anyway. [the "common-law marriage" was an interesting example =) Here in the US, I think it's 5 or 10 years, or something. We like our indecision ^_~]
I think there's a passive copyright law [too lazy right now to look it up] that protects all original works, should the creator care to press it. I had an issue some years back with someone claiming my stuff as theirs [fanfics, created characters, role play persona - that's right, they were role playing, online, as me. Even signing emails as me/my character @_@ ], and I remember running across it. But it's been too long to remember the details. Something worth looking into, should you care to persue it further.
It's my understanding, that although there is no specific mention of allowance of personal backups, it is common practice to allow this under fair use. It was interesting to listen to a radio discussion of this, where an..er...anti-advocate [for lack of better term] actually -whined- that it didn't say anywhere that we could do any such thing, but was later forced to admit that it's allowed.
I was going to make that point but you beat me to it =)
As an aside, Cai [edit: and Nitro, since it really does apply to both of you], one shouldn't debate sheerly on straight fact or straight opinion alone. Facts, while they tend to be black and white, can lend some sharpness to the grey areas we really want to discuss. Likewise, without grey areas, there would be no use for courts and discussion in general. Balance is our friend =)
The point isn't to "make us all criminals" [we've all done a fine job of that on our own!], it's to point out that no matter how much we don't like it, we would be considered such in the eye of the law. I'd rather KNOW I'm in the wrong and take precautions, than not know and say "I can do whatever I want, neener!" The latter is an excellent way to have someone knock on your door and confiscate your computer.
I don't like alot of the IP/copyright laws, myself. And I REALLY don't like the way corporate America now owns our government [Oh hello, Congressman RIAA! How's Mrs. MPAA doing?] The only way to combat them is to keep informed [and know when you're uninformed. ignorance is not bliss, nor is it an excuse] and to fight it as you can. Whether it's letters to congress [hey, SOMEONE might listen, no matter how cynical I am], support for the EFF, or just making sure that if you aren't following the law, you are at least not drawing huge amounts of attention to yourself.
It's not so much to do with congressmen as you'd think. It's special interest groups, if you want to get right down to it. It's just for logistic reasons that the RIAA/MPAA/enter-group-here don't sue everyone and throw them in jail: Who would handle all that paperwork, and who would babysit all those now-parentless kids? =P In all reality, it wouldn't make sense to throw everyone in jail.
And don't think that our opinion, even in votes, matters much when we're up against such strong special-interest groups as the RIAA/MPAA and their little underlings...er..."associations". You might notice that all these "anti-piracy" things are horribly unpopular, but yet...the PIRATE act is still being pushed through. The passage, of course, lined with $100 bills to make movement easier.
Erm, Kev, did you even READ my post? the motion picture industry -would- have and tried to "confiscate our VCRs." It took alot of fighting and arguing and ranting to get VCRs to stick around, because of the EXACT same argument we having going here: we feel it's out right to reproduce (and in legal terms, we ARE reproducing) copyrighted media, while the media industry feels that we have no rights except to sit there and consume passively what they give us. The fact of the matter is, reproducing the way we are is considered illegal. No, not everyone's prosecuted for it: if they were, nearly all of America would be in jail. The copyright holders pick and choose their battles. Just because it's massively done, doesn't mean it's not illegal. Think MP3s of popular, copyrighted music.
While an interesting point, irrelevant to the argument.
He wasn't saying the RIAA itself would come down on us like a 10-ton hammer, he was merely using it as an example of what the companies who own the rights to the anime could do to us. No, the RIAA isn't going to tag us. But they did tag their own customers, and tagged them hard. Same could [albeit, unlikely] happen in our situation. This is called a "demostrative example."
That's what ADV's doing. The only thing different is the venue of distribution/reproduction. ADV uses their computers, then DVD and VHS. We use our computers and sometimes CDs/DVDs. It's the same.
EDIT: Yeah, so totally quoted but missed writing my argument @_@ Do you think the Berne convention has nothing to do with copyright? We -would- be sued under copyright laws..........laws that bow to the Berne convention. Whatever you call it, it's the same thing. Oh, and if you think you can't be charged under a law if you've never heard of it, ask a lawyer about it, telling them that opinion. When they're done laughing, they'll explain many cases in which "ignorance does not mean you aren't responsible" for following the law.
If we are using bittorrent to download files, we are both consumers AND distributors, because of how bt works. Just like filesharers in our most favoritest example, we can be charged just as easily as the subbers and distro-ers.
That's not technically true. A number of studies/research have been done on this, and while the ones done by the RIAA and it's friends have wept and moaned about loss of sales, those done by independent parties have found a completely different story, including a good reason for some drop in sales: They're just not producing as many new albums as they used to, but are expecting the same number of cds to sell. But this isn't an argument for this thread, so I'll stop there. @_@
SpideI2_man: I appreciate your well presented argument =) But I have to dissent: I don't think an iTunes model for distribution would work well for anime. There are a multitude of reasons, ranging from the sheer bandwidth and encoding to the medium itself - it's fairly easy to get pay-for-it quality in music, much harder when there's an image involved. Your ear won't pick up minor discrepancies, but your eyes are very likely to. That aside, I'd much rather have a DVD, for several reasons: I can take it over to a friend's place and forcibly subject them to the show of my choosing, because they can't claim incompatability [which can happen with computer-related formats] - I know they have a DVD player; I can use the case to assail someone who says something stupid; I can watch a DVD on my computer, TV, on a friend's mini-DVD player, or I can simply sit and stare at the pretty colors the "shiney" side makes when turned in the sun. ^_~
Actually, the reason for that would be availability of resources to make cds/dvds. Japan has very few natural resources of their own and must import just about everything when it comes to industry. So the prices of the DVDs and CDs reflect this. They aren't high because they're being mean or trying to be greedy, they're high because the cost of manufacture is considerably higher than it is here.
The problem with this argument is that online or off, these things still fall under copyright/IP laws, conventions, and treaties. "Cyberlaw" does not exist. As for the examples you give, you haven't been keeping up with your slashdot reading. The media companies are fighting just about all of those things tooth and nail. They particularly hate PVRs because they allow people [for now, and sometimes with tinkering] to share episodes on the internet - something the media companies find wrong, evil, baaaaaad. When the VCR first came out, hollywood was shocked and angered - these people were going to be able to tape movies off the tv! It was wrong! Video sales would plummet! DOOOOM! But...it didn't. It took years of arguing, fighting, lobbying, etc to allow VCRs to stay. We're going through the whole thing again now, only with digital products with a much broader scope of use and misuse.
Also, the disclaimer most subbers put on the shows doesn't really hold water. It's a nicety that they put to stave off the nicer of companies. But in all reality, it does nothing. So your argument is going to have to be a bit stronger.