http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/18225323199/president-obama-is-troubled-about-chilling-effects-his-own-administration-is-causing-to-journalism.shtml#c8 Fri, 24 May 2013 03:33:29 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/18225323199/president-obama-is-troubled-about-chilling-effects-his-own-administration-is-causing-to-journalism.shtml#c8 noticed and discussed by journalists and the public at large.']]> http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20130523/01030023182/man-butt-dials-911-while-discussing-murder-plot.shtml#c2155 Fri, 24 May 2013 03:28:17 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20130523/01030023182/man-butt-dials-911-while-discussing-murder-plot.shtml#c2155
You have to remember that cell phones are not like land lines, there is no known service address. So depending on several factors including the exact model of the phone, and what features are turned on, the equipment that the 911 system utilized - and even the location where the call took place the information immediately available could be quite limited. There is no "respond here" address.

They may well have had to contact the carrier to get the owner information, as well as triangulation information, which depending on location may yield an area as big as two or three city blocks for them to search. Granted they can do this fairly quickly, but it still takes time and according to the article the 911 called occurred just moments before the murder.

I am not saying they couldn't have arrested him before he committed the murder, but they couldn't have charged him with murder either, only conspiracy to commit. I am also saying depending on location and equipment available to the local PD it could take time to locate the phone that made the call.

It simply is not realistic to say, "they received the call they should have prevented the murder".

Think of it like baseball. You know the batter is going to hit the ball, but the other team doesn't always catch the ball. Sometime the batter even gets a home run.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/18103323179/filmmaker-behind-pirate-bay-documentary-says-bogus-dmca-takedowns-take-away-his-free-speech.shtml#c1044 Fri, 24 May 2013 03:13:32 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/18103323179/filmmaker-behind-pirate-bay-documentary-says-bogus-dmca-takedowns-take-away-his-free-speech.shtml#c1044
Free speech may not grant one the 'right' to be listed on a search engine, but it does require one to have the opportunity to be heard(whether anyone listens is something else entirely), and multiple studios filing blatantly bogus DMCA claims to get a film de-listed and hidden, therefor doing everything they can to make it so he cannot be heard, is very much a violation of his freedom of speech.

Also, regarding your attempt above to make this out to be some scheme by the filmmaker to raise awareness of the film... I just can't help but laugh at that. Do you honestly think he could have convinced even one of those studios, never mind all four, to help promote a film that presents a view of the happenings regarding The Pirate Bay that contradicts and/or is diametrically opposed to how they've been telling it? Something that would if not destroy, at least bring into question their credibility regarding the claims they've been making about TPB?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/16293623190/district-attorney-major-tv-network-sued-over-stupid-reality-show.shtml#c99 Fri, 24 May 2013 03:08:42 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/16293623190/district-attorney-major-tv-network-sued-over-stupid-reality-show.shtml#c99
The question in the current legal climate would be if Hines has to buy the TV-time - which would get excruciatingly expensive - or if it is a neutral and balanced program without any political undertones. The whole question has to be answered through a more indebt analysis of the episodes.

When that is said, CBS is morally doing very bad in terms of timing. Had they decided to run the series after the election (and they could easily have done so...), there would be little reason to question the integrity!]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/18284623180/yet-another-anti-patent-troll-bill-introduced-congress.shtml#c57 Fri, 24 May 2013 02:58:24 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/18284623180/yet-another-anti-patent-troll-bill-introduced-congress.shtml#c57 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/10290323174/vod-service-acetrax-shuts-down-germany-customers-movies-are-lost-due-to-drm.shtml#c575 Fri, 24 May 2013 02:41:35 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/10290323174/vod-service-acetrax-shuts-down-germany-customers-movies-are-lost-due-to-drm.shtml#c575 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/03160923172/chinese-hacks-google-database-surveillance-targets-highlight-how-dumb-technology-backdoors-are.shtml#c320 Fri, 24 May 2013 02:14:58 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/03160923172/chinese-hacks-google-database-surveillance-targets-highlight-how-dumb-technology-backdoors-are.shtml#c320 LOL, or 65,000 of them for that matter.That's 2 stages down after they've gathered that in fact 443 of them are required for internet banking and is the point at which "blank look" becomes "nosebleed and brains dribbling out of ears"...]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/18284623180/yet-another-anti-patent-troll-bill-introduced-congress.shtml#c46 Fri, 24 May 2013 02:10:33 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/18284623180/yet-another-anti-patent-troll-bill-introduced-congress.shtml#c46 technically in the DMCA regarding fraudulent DMCA claims?

Sounds good on paper, making sure there's a penalty for bogus claims, but with such weak language and massive loopholes the odds of anyone actually being successfully charged with it are for all intents and purposes non-existent.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/00174423181/kim-dotcom-threatens-to-sue-google-facebook-twitter-over-2-factor-authentication-patent-if-they-dont-help-him.shtml#c2130 Fri, 24 May 2013 02:10:03 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/00174423181/kim-dotcom-threatens-to-sue-google-facebook-twitter-over-2-factor-authentication-patent-if-they-dont-help-him.shtml#c2130 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/16293623190/district-attorney-major-tv-network-sued-over-stupid-reality-show.shtml#c96 Fri, 24 May 2013 01:59:59 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/16293623190/district-attorney-major-tv-network-sued-over-stupid-reality-show.shtml#c96 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/10290323174/vod-service-acetrax-shuts-down-germany-customers-movies-are-lost-due-to-drm.shtml#c567 Fri, 24 May 2013 01:59:56 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/10290323174/vod-service-acetrax-shuts-down-germany-customers-movies-are-lost-due-to-drm.shtml#c567
"Ultraviolet? Isn't that a clearance level in Paranoia?"]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/18284623180/yet-another-anti-patent-troll-bill-introduced-congress.shtml#c27 Fri, 24 May 2013 01:57:44 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/18284623180/yet-another-anti-patent-troll-bill-introduced-congress.shtml#c27
Governments are notorious for putting through legislation with good intentions but no teeth just so they can say to the public "look, we are on your side".]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/10290323174/vod-service-acetrax-shuts-down-germany-customers-movies-are-lost-due-to-drm.shtml#c566 Fri, 24 May 2013 01:57:08 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/10290323174/vod-service-acetrax-shuts-down-germany-customers-movies-are-lost-due-to-drm.shtml#c566
And there I was in the mood for some Star Trek II... DRRRRMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130425/17042522839/how-gema-is-still-worst-collective-rights-organization-world.shtml#c971 Fri, 24 May 2013 01:53:02 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130425/17042522839/how-gema-is-still-worst-collective-rights-organization-world.shtml#c971
Why are you people always so dishonest and unwilling to debate reality?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/10290323174/vod-service-acetrax-shuts-down-germany-customers-movies-are-lost-due-to-drm.shtml#c559 Fri, 24 May 2013 01:52:33 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/10290323174/vod-service-acetrax-shuts-down-germany-customers-movies-are-lost-due-to-drm.shtml#c559
"In follow-up news today, massive traffic jams have brought the city to a grinding halt, with 'rush hour' now lasting from 4am to midnight as people wait to get through any of the average of 10 police roadblocks on their way to anywhere."

"In news today, following the city police's controversial bid last week to stop armed robbery by roadblocking the city extensively, five separate banks were hit by robbers. Amazingly, in three cases they fled by foot; in the other two either pushbikes or motorbikes were used. Due to the gridlocked traffic for the last week, police responders were unable to respond.

Police have now announced that they will do full strip-searches of anyone within a half-mile of a bank."]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/18284623180/yet-another-anti-patent-troll-bill-introduced-congress.shtml#c24 Fri, 24 May 2013 01:51:47 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/18284623180/yet-another-anti-patent-troll-bill-introduced-congress.shtml#c24
the greatest need is there. to have the troll identify who is behind the suit. to have the troll pay fees is also good but to make a filing of an illegal suit punishable would be a big help. that also then needs to be moved across to cater for copyright. i read where the RIAA has just passed the 20million take down request mark. it doesn't state how many of those were false though and it doesn't state the harm done when the take down is false. this blanket opinion of the entertainment industries that they own everything and therefore everything has to be taken down unless deemed ok by them needs to be stemmed. we saw just this week where 4 major studios have put take down requests to Google for TPB AFK. they have no right to do that and the maker of the movie has not only told them to stop but has indicated the harm to his free speech. the movie is, of course, under creative commons licensing and the studios have no rights on it at all. it is simply that they dont want the truth being told of the way the Swedish legal system was 'persuaded' to rule in the industries favour, after making sure the judge in the trial was one who was/is? a member of the entertainment industries as well! what a sham of a legal system! what a disgraceful way of the industries being allowed to get the verdict it wanted!!]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/02514123171/partisanship-over-spying-journalists-is-stupid-spying-journalists-is-bad-period.shtml#c254 Fri, 24 May 2013 01:50:26 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/02514123171/partisanship-over-spying-journalists-is-stupid-spying-journalists-is-bad-period.shtml#c254 If we killed all the lawyers (except mine - I need him to play banjo in our bluegrass band)I'm pretty sure that won't do much about politicians (other than the ones that are also lawyers, which is a good start), but it's an excellent plan anyway. Yours can just have a lobotomy instead.... a bit of plastic surgery to enlarge his ears and he'll be good to go for the band and a far more useful member of society :-)]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/10290323174/vod-service-acetrax-shuts-down-germany-customers-movies-are-lost-due-to-drm.shtml#c541 Fri, 24 May 2013 01:50:11 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/10290323174/vod-service-acetrax-shuts-down-germany-customers-movies-are-lost-due-to-drm.shtml#c541 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/02514123171/partisanship-over-spying-journalists-is-stupid-spying-journalists-is-bad-period.shtml#c247 Fri, 24 May 2013 01:45:55 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/02514123171/partisanship-over-spying-journalists-is-stupid-spying-journalists-is-bad-period.shtml#c247 This will never happen as there are "too many secrets". Movie reference anyone?Unfortunately, even with a magic answering machine to decrypt all (apparantly american only) computer systems, politics and politicians are unlikely to change while our "democracies" are such that it is a de facto requirement to be beholden to corporations in order to get elected.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/10290323174/vod-service-acetrax-shuts-down-germany-customers-movies-are-lost-due-to-drm.shtml#c537 Fri, 24 May 2013 01:36:26 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/10290323174/vod-service-acetrax-shuts-down-germany-customers-movies-are-lost-due-to-drm.shtml#c537