Friday, December 17, 2004
I finally had the need to try using .torrent files this week. The files I needed were most quickly obtained not from FTP or WWW but by .torrent and peer-to-peer downloading.
I have been reasonably happy as a computer guy not staying right on the bleeding edge of technology esp. when it comes to all these peer-to-peer file sharing applications, mp3 ripping, and other infringements of copyright. I don't feel the need to have the very latest in viruses and trojans and have folks constantly hammering my firewall just because I'm not willing to pay three bucks to go rent a copy.
What has constantly amazed me though is how many people who can afford "high-speed" DSL or cable modem every month and are always going "out" to eat but simply cannot scrape together the amount needed to buy a new game, music cd, or movie. There is probably only a couple computer people I know who have NOT pirated some form of media in just the last few days.
It has become part of who we are and is evident even in how we drive down the road. We consider all these things to be "public domain" and therefore mine for the taking. We drive aggressively because if we don't take it someone else will. We get home and download things for "free" that others should get paid for their creation but justify it because "they make 100 times more then I do."
It's no wonder rich folks live in gated communities and have body guards. There's just no respect anymore. You try to be normal, appreciate your audience, get out and mix a little and someone (a fan no less) just guns you down.
There's just no respect anymore! (Let alone real love.)
