Josh the Aspie’s Blog

“Camp”, also known as “Camp Value” or “Campyness” is a relatively wide spread slang term relating to the entertainment industry that a large number of people apparently don’t understand. While for members of other generations, this is almost to be expected, I have recently found a rash of my friends that don’t understand. For those of you out there that don’t know what Camp means, I’ll define it here, and then give some examples.
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In some RPGs, D&D in particular, morality is a part of the game. You have shining paladins battling hoards of chaotic orcs… and chaotic barbarians fighting and defeating a despotic ruler to rule in their place. Spells, what classes you can become a member of, items, and so forth are all influenced by and also influence one’s moral alignment.

However there is a huge amount of debate over what kinds of acts, thoughts, personalities, et cetera fall under what alignment.

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Last time, I explained what HDCP is, and how it works.

This time I’ll be writing about problems with HDCP, and why they haven’t caused HDCP to be scrubbed.

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I’ve previously defined what DRM is, but why does big business want DRM at all?

Big media makes its money off of media content when the consumer buys its products.

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HDCP

1. Officially: High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection
2. A form of DRM invented by Digital Content protection LLC, a subsidiary of Intel.
3. Technology used to block people from displaying “HDCP” protected digital content on media described as being insecure. The technology will either completely block, or blur the content, unless all devices in the chain are equipped with HDCP technology. It is purportedly designed as a form of “copy protection” but has wound up becoming a form of “access prevention.”

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DCMA is another abbreviation that I’ve used, and received blank looks about. I’ll be giving what it officially stands for, as well as my definition.

DCMA

1. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998
2. The Defrauding Misappropriation Copyright Act of 1998
3. A law passed by congress in 1998, which restricts and inhibits the creation of new ideas and technology by causing copyright law to cover derivative works as well as the original work. The law also criminalizing the unauthorized accessing or copying of materials who’s use or ability to copy has been restricted through any technological means.

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A lot of people I’ve talked to recently are unaware of what DRM is, so I’ll try to fill you all in with what it stands for officially, my definition of the term, and do a basic discussion of the reasons for it’s existence, and the problems with it.

DRM

1. Digital Rights Management
2. A term used to describe any form of technology which is designed to restrict the use, access, or alteration of any form of data or content. This technology is desired primarily by those who create content, and wish to control how that content is used even after they sell a copy of said content. For example, a system of DVD or CD encryption designed to prevent people from ripping their DVD or CD, and then listening to the music they bought on an MP3 player, or watch it on their computer.

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During Weekend in Dyvers I actually managed to play a sum total of 5 games, and judge 1. I told you about the first I got to play in my post WID - Day 1. I got to play a module on day 2, 2 modules on day 3, and 1 module between days 3 and 4. Day 4 was the day I got to judge.

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Today has been a long, hard, exhausting, and rewarding day at WID

Today I woke up rather early, unable to get to sleep due to excitement about the Con and hanging out with my gaming group so long. I got as much as I could done in prep for the con, then headed out. I got to Belleview quickly and early, but I find the layout of streets in the con area rather confusing and counter-intuitive as I followed the directions I was given. After asking directions, and doing a food run later, I think that I’m passingly familiar with the area now though.

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Over the past 4 days I worked a 40 hour work week in order to arrange to get Friday off, and as a result have not been able to find much time to post to my blog.

The reason for this is because this weekend, in Council Bluffs Iowa, there is a major D&D convention, “Cavalier Con Presents: Weekend In Dyvers” going on, and I have agreed to help staff it. It is a four day convention, and there will be loads of RPG gaming and other fun. And for me, there will be loads of other work.

I view this as a real opportunity to help out, and also to reintegrate myself into a group that I had to abandon for a few years in order to graduate and get a decent job.

If any of my readers head to the Con, you can look me up, though I’m not sure everyone there would know me by my online nick-name.