I'm sure many Usenetizens know of the excellent free news server out of Germany, [ news.individual.net ]. As of April 1 this year, all members must pay a fee. After reading one of their user agreements, I decided to forego using their service any more.
--Here's the e-letter I just sent them:
Date: Sat, 2 Apr 2005 14:55:20 -0800 From: Zeke <chief-thracian@gay-bible.org> To: news@individual.net Subject: I decline to subscribe, sorry.
I've immensely enjoyed several years free use of your news server. So I thought about your charging a fee now, and concluded "Still a great deal, and you deserve my 10 measly euros per annum." But when registering, I decided to read each of your user policies; in particular, "Rules of Usage", wherein the following is written:
"No Redistribution of News Articles
Messages downloaded from this server may not be redistributed to third parties and may not be made available to third parties otherwise. Family members are excluded from this restriction. Any other exceptions (e.g. school classes, and the like) need explicit and prior approval by us."
That is shocking; it is Hitleresque (damned Austrian)! First of all, many people who post to newsgroups, give freely of their ideas, which includes permission to repost their articles anywhere online OR offline. Yet YOUR rule would SUPERSEDE the individual freedom of any and ALL netizens.
Sorry, but I'm NOT supporting such a fascist tidbit of complete censorship. What the heck is going on over there? I thought you Germans became way-evolved beyond such a horrid era, and that here, Amerika, we have the new dictator. This is SO disappointing.
Zeke Krahlin former happy member of news.individual.net
In article <1112488903.590774.142780@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com>, <chief-thracian@gay-bible.org> wrote: >I'm sure many Usenetizens know of the excellent free news server out of >Germany, [ news.individual.net ]. As of April 1 this year, all members >must pay a fee. After reading one of their user agreements, I decided >to forego using their service any more. > >--Here's the e-letter I just sent them: > >Date: Sat, 2 Apr 2005 14:55:20 -0800 >From: Zeke <chief-thracian@gay-bible.org> >To: news@individual.net >Subject: I decline to subscribe, sorry. > >I've immensely enjoyed several years free use of your news server. So I >thought about your charging a fee now, and >concluded "Still a great deal, and you deserve my 10 measly euros per >annum." But when registering, I decided to read each of your user >policies; in particular, "Rules of Usage", wherein the following is >written: > >"No Redistribution of News Articles > >Messages downloaded from this server may not be redistributed to third >parties and may not be made available to third parties otherwise. >Family members are excluded from this restriction. Any other exceptions >(e.g. school classes, and the like) need explicit and prior approval by >us." >
Copyright resides with the creator of the article unless expressly transferred -- I smell lawsuit. What about an article posted to multiple services? Can articles UPLOADED TO this server "be made available to third parties" ?
>That is shocking; it is Hitleresque (damned Austrian)! First of all, >many people who post to newsgroups, give freely of their ideas, which >includes permission to repost their articles anywhere online OR >offline. Yet YOUR rule would SUPERSEDE the individual freedom of any >and ALL netizens. > >Sorry, but I'm NOT supporting such a fascist tidbit of complete >censorship. What the heck is going on over there? I thought you Germans >became way-evolved beyond such a horrid era, and that here, Amerika, we >have the new dictator. This is SO disappointing. >
I suggest going back and including in your .sig a link to a mirror site where all your articles can be downloaded & used freely. Encourage others to do the same.
>Zeke Krahlin >former happy member of news.individual.net > >Username "thracian" >Password "jaenaeru? >Userid: 91911 > WOW!! kinda burnin' yr bridges aintcha? > >-- >Lavender-Velvet Revolution >http://www.gay-bible.org > >P.S.: Please say "April Fool"! :( > >--end of my letter >
-- I will fully support my duly elected president in any action he takes to stop the terrorist killing of innocent people by militant extremists.
C*@gay-bible.org
2005-04-12 03:53:06 EST
Wayne Lodahl wrote:
<< Copyright resides with the creator of the article unless expressly transferred -- I smell lawsuit. What about an article posted to multiple services? Can articles UPLOADED TO this server "be made available to third parties" ? >>
Bingo! You described it in a beautifully concise nutshell. Good job! What is so FRIGHTENING is that these matters-while well known since, well, the 1960's--would become major problems if left unresolved for a prolonged period of time. Remember "Futurology", "Marshall McLuhan," and "
Now it's "Futurama," "Martha Stewart," and
Sadly, I've suddenly been distracted from this matter, due to a crisis in my circle of friends...one may soon lose an arm or even die; and I have rallied many people to reach out to him, and show compassion. Just posted it to my blog:
<< I suggest going back and including in your .sig a link to a mirror site where all your articles can be downloaded & used freely. Encourage others to do the same. >>
Wow. You really know how to use your noggin, now, don'cha? You have what I love to call a "beautiful mind." Do you mind my admiring what a beautiful mind you are? Don't mean to make you blush, but it's not often I get a gander on such nubile, round and full, prefrontal globes...er, nodes.
Ahem...back to mundane reality a.k.a. "meatspace" where no one has avatars, and the movies are something you watch, not play in.
You have just made me realize a new niche in the online industry: free or low-cost services that harvest subscriber's usenet mail each day, and archives ALL their posts for public access. Because right now, it's easy to say get a mirror site to point to...but I don't know of ANY web-based usenet service that has any convenient mirror redundancy. Prolly 'cause of capitalism's proprietary fangs.
I don't have time for this; wish I did; wish my friend were safe and sound. Light a candle.
Wayne Lodahl wrote: << I suggest going back and including in your .sig a link to a mirror site where all your articles can be downloaded & used freely. >>
Oh, yes, of course, ha, ha...forgot to say: I ALREADY started doing that a few years back. Check this out, dewd:
Spilling My Guts All Over Cyberspace http://www.gay-bible.org/usenet
That is a google-linked database of all my important posts, as well as another section that gives ALL my posts since I first became a netizen in 1997.
And just for good measure, I have another database of what EVERYONE ELSE ON THE INTERNET is saying about me:
The Official Zeke-Search Engine http://www.gay-bible.org/on_beyond.htm
<< Encourage others to do the same. >>
You're kidding? Is it really that easy? All my LIFE, ever since I was a little KID, I've wanted everyone to do whatever I tell them to. Now, you're telling me all I have to do is just SAY IT? Wow, the joke's sure on me, ain't it? How MANY people are in on it? EVERYONE on the planet excepting myself of course? Jeez, I find it hard to believe it's that easy...just say to the world "Hey everybody: do EXACTLY as I say now on, and forever", and voila! the world is mine?
Okay, so I got the world. There's still Heaven.
And that other place.
-- "Is it raining cats and dogs or cyborg facsimiles?" - Mighty Mouse Virus (w/o an umbrella) http://www.gay-bible.org/write/3_security.htm
C*@gay-bible.org
2005-04-12 04:17:24 EST
Wayne Lodahl wrote: > WOW!! kinda burnin' yr bridges aintcha?
It's up for grabs to the first hacker who takes advantage. Why shouldn't we encourage infiltration of Nazi media centers? I certainly have no objections. We don't need the capital or quantity to beat Murdock at his media propaganda game. We got BRAINS...and with that PG hacking skills.
In fact, we've already won: all major databases on the planet are now in safe hands. Gay. But safe. Hardy-har.
K*@dialup.worldonline.de
2005-04-12 10:22:50 EST
chief-thracian@gay-bible.org writes:
> "No Redistribution of News Articles > > Messages downloaded from this server may not be redistributed to third > parties and may not be made available to third parties otherwise. > Family members are excluded from this restriction. Any other exceptions > (e.g. school classes, and the like) need explicit and prior approval by > us."
It only says that you cannot commercially redistribute the news articles from the servers but it allows you to distribute specific articles. So calm down!
Wm James
2005-04-12 11:51:04 EST
On 12 Apr 2005 00:53:06 -0700, chief-thracian@gay-bible.org wrote:
>Sadly, I've suddenly been distracted from this matter, due to a crisis >in my circle of friends...one may soon lose an arm or even die;
Zeke, news services aren't that expensive. "It costs an arm and a leg" is just a figure of speech, you don't have to actually borrow from your friends.
William R. James
Stan De SD
2005-04-14 00:12:45 EST
<*e@dialup.worldonline.de> wrote in message news:864qecrs5h.fsf@nan.here... > chief-thracian@gay-bible.org writes: > > > > "No Redistribution of News Articles > > > > Messages downloaded from this server may not be redistributed to third > > parties and may not be made available to third parties otherwise. > > Family members are excluded from this restriction. Any other exceptions > > (e.g. school classes, and the like) need explicit and prior approval by > > us." > > It only says that you cannot commercially redistribute the news articles from > the servers but it allows you to distribute specific articles. > So calm down!
Calm down? That's a physical impossibility for Zecky...
Wayne Lodahl
2005-04-16 15:41:01 EST
In article <1113292385.967131.190590@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com>, <chief-thracian@gay-bible.org> wrote: >Wayne Lodahl wrote: > ><< >Copyright resides with the creator of the article unless expressly >transferred -- I smell lawsuit. What about an article posted to >multiple services? Can articles UPLOADED TO this server "be made >available to third parties" ? >>> > >Bingo! You described it in a beautifully concise nutshell. Good job! >What is so FRIGHTENING is that these matters-while well known since, >well, the 1960's--would become major problems if left unresolved for a >prolonged period of time. Remember "Futurology", "Marshall McLuhan," >and " > >Now it's "Futurama," "Martha Stewart," and > >Sadly, I've suddenly been distracted from this matter, due to a crisis >in my circle of friends...one may soon lose an arm or even die; and I >have rallied many people to reach out to him, and show compassion. Just >posted it to my blog: > >http://www.tblog.com/templates/index.php?bid=ezekielk&static=438975 > ><< >I suggest going back and including in your .sig a link to a mirror site >where all your articles can be downloaded & used freely. Encourage >others to do the same. >>> > > >Ahem...back to mundane reality a.k.a. "meatspace" where no one has >avatars, and the movies are something you watch, not play in. > >You have just made me realize a new niche in the online industry: free >or low-cost services that harvest subscriber's usenet mail each day, >and archives ALL their posts for public access.
It might sell for unbeleivably lazy people, but the service would probably tack on their own copyright clause.-- Intellectual property is where the money's at don'cha know.
> Because right now, it's >easy to say get a mirror site to point to...
It's called personal web space -- every ISP but AOL & AOL clones offers it
>but I don't know of ANY >web-based usenet service that has any convenient mirror redundancy. >Prolly 'cause of capitalism's proprietary fangs.
After you write your article you simultaneously post copies to the news service in question and your web-page -- which is pointed to in your .sig . it's NOT THAT DIFFICULT.
>I don't have time for this; wish I did; wish my friend were safe and >sound. Light a candle. > Good luck. >-- >Lavender-Velvet Revolution >http://www.gay-bible.org >
-- I will fully support my duly elected president in any action he takes to stop the terrorist killing of innocent people by militant extremists.
Wayne Lodahl
2005-04-16 15:44:37 EST
In article <6krn511kgj4di2gm883qs6la6908ade23v@4ax.com>, Wm James <wrjames.remove@spamreaper.org> wrote: >On 12 Apr 2005 00:53:06 -0700, chief-thracian@gay-bible.org wrote: > >>Sadly, I've suddenly been distracted from this matter, due to a crisis >>in my circle of friends...one may soon lose an arm or even die; > >Zeke, news services aren't that expensive. "It costs an arm and a leg" >is just a figure of speech, you don't have to actually borrow from >your friends. > >William R. James
Inhuman.
-- I will fully support my duly elected president in any action he takes to stop the terrorist killing of innocent people by militant extremists.