What is Digg?50 Comments
- Snyder, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6I knew it! Now I can finally stop my little brother from using "esquivalience" as a word in Scrabble!
- Otto, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Pfft.
Esquivalience is a perfectly cromulent word. - Drahknon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"That is the worst tactic I have ever seen."
It's also the only way they can prove that a competitor isn't just copying all of their hard work and appropriating it as their own. The amount of actual damage to the public is certainly minimal, and they have concrete proof in court of the plagiarism. - SaintDogbert, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Esquivalience embiggens my vocabulary.
- Midnightbrewer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It can't be DRM since the dictionary they're talking about isn't digital.
Anway, "This type of information should be FREE" is a great argument until you decide to sit down and write out an entire dictionary of your own. When it becomes the sweat of your own brow, you start to feel a little less charitable about that whole free information thing. - hfswagon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1
Was the word "copiying??" - eclectro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's more like watermarking than DRM. So I take issue with it being called DRM.
- gambl0r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Esquivalience.com = taken :(
- FithosVinosec, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Either way I thought it was interesting. Digg
- theone3, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This Aint DRM, because it
A) Dosent Inflict on your ability to copy/use the book
B) Dosent place any limitations on ways in which you can illegally use the book.
All it does is increase the likelyhood of you being caught using the dictionary without licence, in the same way that an Author may intentionally misspell words. A SINGLE incorrect definition is actually quite impressive. People make up words all the time! I call it 'deramantia'. - capn_caveman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'll never trust the dictionary again.
Or the phone book or mapquest for that matter.
Seriously though... once I downloaded directions from MSN maps and that actually took me to an exit on a highway in Indiana that physically did not exist. Man did I get lost. Drove back and forth on the highway until I pulled over and finally stopped and someone informed me that I was in the approximate right area but the highway exit I was looking for was completely false. Probably just an error, but I don't know now.
Sigh. - FunHeadlines, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Naturally, this being the Web, Google now returns 562 entries for "esquivalience," making it seem like a real word after all. Until you notice that those entries are all about this being a fake word. Still, if you want to win a bar bet on the word, and your bar buddy is all superior over you because he learned this factoid about the fake word, just say, "Oh yeah? Look at this when I type it into Google. See! 562 results, it's real! Pay up, idiot." Just don't let him look too closely at the results. (Works best when drunk)
- Kirkus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@cstrong007
Moron, why don't YOU try to read the entire article... - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0lets see how could this be turned into a lawsuit? >:)
- febryle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0If you RTFA, encyclopedias have been doing this for years.
But how is this even remotely like DRM?? - Klisk, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Kind've lame in my opinion. This type of information should be FREE, anyways. You should just be paying for the paper it's printed on.
- Drahknon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Phone book companies do this too.
- paintist, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1WTF? That is the worst tactic I have ever seen. "Lets spread disinformation to the public and see if they pick up on it. If they do, we know we're ***** up the world properly."
- greengiant, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0who agrees that this is the most boring "security" article ever to appear on the front page of digg?
- jtam, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Why can't somebody sue the company for selling a product that is known to be faulty. We sue hardware companies for known faults, why not the Oxford dictionary?
- BrianEnigma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Map companies do exactly the same thing--they put in a made-up little tiny dead-end road. In theory, it won't effect anyone using their maps. If they suspect someone of copying their data, they can just look for their "signature" dead-end road.
- DannyPage, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This is going to backfire though... Esquivalience will become a real word, just because of the repeated usage by Internet culture.
- Flashman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Street directories have this - usually they put in something that isn't there, like a postbox or church. It has to be pretty minor so that it won't inconvenience people too much. And I believe that Apple (& maybe other companies) used to (still do?) watermark their software code with little tags that didn't do anything, but which were halfway between an 'Easter Egg' and a licence plate.
And I agree - it's a form of watermarking, and has nothing to do with rights-management. - rizon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I heard on The Screen Savers that map companies do this by putting fake roads on their maps.
- etruscan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0It's a great tactic, and one that they're likely still employing. I wouldn't be surprised if there's another word or two that remain hidden. Regarding whether this information should be free or not - somebody had to put the time and effort to compile it, print it, and publish it. If you did that, would you give it away?
- deegin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Why was this put in the security section? How does a 'fake word' breach anyones security?
- ninjathis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Why is this in security?
is my network in danger just because of a word? - jdibiase, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0There was a story in the most recent edition of Wired magazine about this ... the word "Esquivalience" actually was found on dictionary.com, and that's how Oxford knew that dictionary.com was copying from Oxford.
BTW, this is an old trick that publishers, cartographers, etc. use. It's a perfectly legitimate way to detect plagiarism and a good way to protect intellectual property. - rawsteak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The New Yorker reveals the fake word placed in the New Oxford American Dictionary to monitor the illegal copiying of their word base.
DarthPilatus is searching slashdot as we speak to see if anyone is copiying him too......
ohnos, who r teh c0p13rs now? Plargarists!! all of youo!!
(there should be a flag at the end of this message saying that even after spell checking, I opted to keep my message the same) - wicked6, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The Dictionary, instead of the stupid Goddamn Bible, is the one book that should be free on request. I find this analog drm crap appalling. The one book you should be able to trust is a dictionary.
- mousky, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I listed a Calvin & Hobbes publication in the reference section of my Master's thesis. None of my advisors mentioned anything about it.
- Drahknon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"We sue hardware companies for known faults, why not the Oxford dictionary?"
Well, for one, you can't juse "sue" someone. You have to show that you were damaged somehow, and those damages can't be speculative (future projections).
How, exactly, would you do that in a case like this? - novus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Pffff. I don't know how reliable this is, since electrofishing is far from imaginary. It's one of the primary methods used to sample fish populations. See here: http://www.rickly.com/as/electrofishing.htm
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1If it's not from the rhyming becktionary I don't give a *****.
- yourmom, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1"I heard on The Screen Savers that map companies do this by putting fake roads on their maps."
I heard about a recent local street map for South Florida put their fake road on a map of a small town. The town comprised of about 20 roads, all on a perfect N-S axis, and they drew a crooked diagnol road through town and entitled it "Cum On Your Face Ln" - aldaden, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I was just reading about the Faking of Columbo's first name the other day:
http://www.columbo-site.freeuk.com/firstnamecourt.htm - antiTRACE, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Well, for one, you can't juse "sue" someone. You have to show that you were damaged somehow, and those damages can't be speculative (future projections).
OHHH you should tell that to the MPAA/RIAA - ncc2893, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Um, was the fake word "fakeitude?"
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0That's not going to stop me from making a fortune selling "SnOxford engrish dictionary" to my chinese customers.
- Ch1x0rofDeath, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This is my favorite new word. There are so many possibiltites for its use.
Such as:
"Reading digg.com at work helps me be successful at esquivalience."
w00t! - grendel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0way too much time.
- flaire, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0technically, it's ARM (analog rights managment)
- etherdog, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0This is like two months old. I get the New Yorker.
- B111, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0They'll have to put a new fake word in next year, because "esquivalience" hasnow become a real world.
This is not surprising, its done all the time with reference material. - EPeters, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0***** the dictionary. Use Wikipedia. It's like writing a dictionary on your own, with help from a couple million friends.
- karras, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Wait...
Who really cares? - snapya, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0Ahhhh The Screen Savers man they where good now the new ***** g4tv is ***** *****!
- Unkel_Slam, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0"technically, it's ARM (analog rights managment)" TRY AGAIN and nice spelling.
"It can't be DRM since the dictionary they're talking about isn't digital." YOU TOO except you get a star for spelling.
"She said that Oxford had included it in NOAD’s first edition, in 2001, to protect the copyright of the ELECTRONIC version of the text that accompanied most copies of the book."
Notice the word ELECTRONIC. - cstrong007, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0It's not a fake word in the dictionary, it's a fake person in an encyclopedia. Do people actually click the link to read the article before they start commenting.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -5/+0omfg iright
http://www.geek2us.net/bogeydope
-bogey
Check out the new & improved 
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is