You're invited, but we know you're guilty

I got an invitation for attending the screening of Michael Bay's Transformers movie. What pisses me off is what is written in the ticket, a disclaimer that implies that they, the MPAA, Paramount Pictures and/or Cobb Theatres, just assumed I am already a criminal and I need to be scanned and profiled as one.

I know treating people like criminals is a common practice by the MPAA, and sometimes people attending the screenings are subject to all kind of degrading and abusive procedures, but anyway I will take the risk to go and "try" to enjoy this movie, despite my cell phone is a Treo 700wx and hence that instantly makes me a culprit.


The disclaimer (imputation?) textually says:

No recording of this motion picture, by electronic or any other means, is permitted. Your will be subject to search and inspection. Individuals entering the theater will be subject to physical search and inspection of their person and personal effects for recording devices and may be required to pass through a metal detector and/or subject to scanning via a handheld metal detection device. No one possessing any camera, recorder or any other device capable of recording sound or images, including without limitation camera-equipped PDA's and cellular phones, will be permitted to attend this screening.
This screening will be monitored for unauthorized recording. Anyone who uses a recording device or attempts to use a recording device during this screening will be subject to immediate removal, detention and civil and criminal prosecution. Any recording device (including its contents) discovered in the theater shall be subject to immediate forfeiture and/or destruction. Unauthorized recording will be reported to law enforcement, and nothing contained in this notice shall be construed to limit our available remedies and/or legal recourse, including without limitation a legal action for copyright infringement statutory damages of up to $150,000.00 per violation.

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But Dad... it's not an iPod!

Daughter: Look daddy, that's the iPod I want.
Me: uhm ...
Daughter: It's the iPod video 30 gigs. I think I'll ask Santa for it, again!.
Me: Ok, but look sweetie, there are another brands. For example look at this one, pointing a Zune, it has a bigger screen, FM radio, wireless connectivity, and....
Daughter: But Dad.... it's not an iPod!.
Me: You've got your point.


SIDE NOTE: I have never bought an iPod or any other Apple product, because I'm an soft-core anti-Apple advocate (long story). I have dodged my daughter's requests for an iPod for the last 2 years, and I even bought her a couple of cheap MP3 players that she gladly accepted but later "conveniently" lost.
I think she'll finally get what she wants, despite all my futile efforts to dissuade her from having it.... Apple: 1, Me: 0

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Fake Linux books, brought to you by Amazon.com

A friend of mine just received a book he bought from Amazon:

It was supposed to be a book about TrixBox, a telephone system for Linux based on the open source Asterisk PBX, but what he got was the legit covers with a weird printing inside:

They were the same two pages from another book about emotional techniques for kids, repeating over and over again along the whole book:

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