I've came across this by surprise. Here is the information straight from the site (due to no-warez rule, I won't be providing an URL, you can find it by google anyway)
wut
Greece sells airspace to TPB
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.
Athens, Greece - Political power in Athens, Greece, today signed an agreement with representatives for The Pirate Bay (TPB) about exclusive usage of the greek airspace at 8000-9000ft.
- This might come as a shock for many but we believe that we need to both raise money to pay our debts as well as encourage creativity in new technology. Greece wants to become a leader in LOSS, says Lucas Papadams, the new and crisply elected Prime Minister of Greece.
LOSS that he is referring to is not the state of finances in the country but rather Low Orbit Server Stations, a new technology recently invented by TPB. Being a leader for a long time in other types of LOSS, TPB has been working hard on making LOSS a viable solution for achieving 100% uptime for their services.
- Greece is one of few countries that understands the value of LOSSes. We have been talking to them ever since we came up with the solution seeing that we have equal needs of being able to find financially sustainable solutions for our projects, says Win B. Stones, head of R&D at TPB.
The agreement gives TPB a 5 year license to use and re-distribute usage of the airspace at 8000-9000 ft as well as unlimited usage of the radio space between 2350 to 24150 MHz. Due to the financial situation of both parties TPB will pay the costs with digital goods, sorely needed by the citizens of Greece.
I'm a little confused. They're doing WHAT? Have they brought airspace?
So how long until the RIAA bribes lobbies the US into sending the Air Force to blow those LOSSes up huh?
"How can I wait unknowing?
This is the price of war,
We rise with noble intentions,
And we risk all that is pure..." - Angela & Jeff van Dyck, Forever (Rome: Total War)
"On and on, through the years,
The war continues on..." - Angela & Jeff van Dyck, We Are All One (Medieval 2: Total War)
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear." - Ambrose Redmoon
"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." - Harvey Dent, The Dark Knight
Some sort of solar-panel lined blimp could have effectively indefinite flight time, and if they could maintain themselves over international water, they'd be extra jurisdictional pirates.
Of course, they'd have to somehow makes all the money the RIAA, MPAA, and [whatever the video game one was] says that they're losing to piracy to be able to fund such a venture... and maintenance would likely be a bitch.
Though, it'd bring a whole new meaning to server crash...
Rule one of Existance: Never, under any circumstances, underestimate stupidity. As it will still find ways to surprise you.
Andrew_Fireborn wrote:It's an interesting idea, even for a prank.
Some sort of solar-panel lined blimp could have effectively indefinite flight time, and if they could maintain themselves over international water, they'd be extra jurisdictional pirates.
Of course, they'd have to somehow makes all the money the RIAA, MPAA, and [whatever the video game one was] says that they're losing to piracy to be able to fund such a venture... and maintenance would likely be a bitch.
Though, it'd bring a whole new meaning to server crash...
I am 100% in favor of Airship Pirates, digital or not
SoS:NBAGALE Force "Destiny and fate are for those too weak to forge their own futures. Where we are 'supposed' to be is irrelevent." - Sir Nitram
"The world owes you nothing but painful lessons" - CaptainChewbacca
"The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one." - Wilhelm Stekel
"In 1969 it was easier to send a man to the Moon than to have the public accept a homosexual" - Broomstick Divine Administration - of Gods and Bureaucracy (Worm/Exalted)
[TPB] : "Can't reach us ! We're in International Waters ! There's nothing you can do against us ! Muhahahaaa !"
[RIAA, Hollywood & Cie] (together) : "Awh yeah ?"
cue BlackWater throwing SAMs at the blimps
[RIAA, Hollywood & Cie] (together) : "Ya were sayin' ?"
And then Piratebay tries to get them arrested for actual piracy.
Mercenaries being punished for blatant criminality? Now THAT'S an April Fool's joke.
Oh, it can get worse
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.
Specialization is for insects."
R.A. Heinlein.
Getting shot at because you're operating a pirate station, and have deliberately placed yourself outside the law, means that no one is going to come to your aid. Now, you can get internet access at 8000 feet (what, you think you need to be within 1.5 miles of a base station horizontally?) Might be a bit slower than desirable, but you can't be choosy. However, your downlink can be shut-off, and then you may hold a shitload of data, but you can't do anything.
Also, it can be tough to maintain station in atmo for more than a couple days, as you have storms coming through every couple days, and they're probably going to have much greater wind speed than your engines can cope with.
"preemptive killing of cops might not be such a bad idea from a personal saftey[sic] standpoint..." --Keevan Colton
"There's a word for bias you can't see: Yours." -- William Saletan
The ISPs providing Internet to the drones can still be sued and leave them without k ternet. What good does putting your servers our of reach do when you cant get any company go provide you Internet connectivity?
I have to tell you something everything I wrote above is a lie.
I'm pretty sure that even if I am doing something illegal, it's still illegal to just hire some mercenaries to blow me up. If I am smuggling counterfeit iPhones and Apple hires some Somali pirates to board and blow up my ship would you really say no one will care/prosecute. It may not happen, but that will be because of what political pressure was put on governments/law enforcement by the company rather than because it was legal to do.
