Huh.

I would have thought 19 years in Chicago would top 18 years in Northern Jersey.

( What is my North American Regional Accent? Oh, I guess I told you already. )

bittorrent and television

Many of you are concerned about the idea of bittorrenting tv shows; since we hear about the RIAA and MPAA and software companies coming after people for music and movies and applications, it's only natural. But let me point out something about that stuff vs tv.

1) No one, as of yet, has come after tv torrenting.

2) The (ostensible) purpose of the music and movie and software torrent lawsuits (mostly threatened lawsuits) is that downloading mp3s or movies or software takes money out of the artists' and coders' pockets (and by the artists' and coders' pockets, read RIAA and MPAA and Microsoft).

3) Downloading a television show is not taking money out of *anyone's* pockets, as television (at least network and non-pay cable) are free.

4) The law on tv viewers' rights to time-shift their television viewing has withstood several lawsuits against it.

5) Rather than going as nuts over clips from tv shows being up on YouTube as they might, tv networks have begun putting them up *themselves* - a smart movie after they realized how the clips can bring more viewers to the shows.

So, while I may be slightly less informed on the topic than, say, morgandawn, I have absolutely no compunction about downloading tv shows. I don't download movies or software. I share music with friends person-to-person, not via torrent, but that is not illegal (yet).

To sum up - while cautious about the whole bittorrent thing, and keeping an ear to the ground, I'm just not all that concerned about tv torrenting.

Thoughts? More knowledge than I have? Anyone want a mint?

BSG: Crossroads II

( I need time to process )