http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130511/03220823047/mpaa-freaks-out-insists-that-having-to-consider-fair-use-before-filing-dmca-takedown-would-be-crazy.shtml#c1257 Mon, 20 May 2013 10:12:13 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130511/03220823047/mpaa-freaks-out-insists-that-having-to-consider-fair-use-before-filing-dmca-takedown-would-be-crazy.shtml#c1257 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130508/10233423003/bug-allows-same-sex-marriage-nintendo-game-nintendo-releases-patch-to-fix-it.shtml#c3786 Mon, 20 May 2013 10:07:51 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130508/10233423003/bug-allows-same-sex-marriage-nintendo-game-nintendo-releases-patch-to-fix-it.shtml#c3786
But in some cultures, public nudity is the norm, so the general moral standard regarding decency isn't universal. Indecency laws are one of the few statutes that are based solely on common practice and not on pragmatic purpose. Those that oppose restrictions on public nudity note that it's more natural to not wear clothing than to adorn one's self with artificial skins (so the debate comes down to an appeal to convention vs. an appeal to nature and the public's interest in retaining personal liberty). Now, as it is, the decency laws as they are here in the industrialized world aren't that much of an inconvenience, so the society isn't collapsing under the contention, but this violation of personal liberty might serve as a precedent to violate further personal liberty with later laws, and there's no real good reason why we refuse to let people run around naked....

I opine that we'd be much better off as a society if we didn't freak out over other people's genitals, and a clothes-optional society would be a significant step in that direction.

Sorry, all, for writing before my first cup of coffee.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/16464823123/swedish-prosecutor-claims-registrar-se-domains-being-accomplice-infringement-because-pirate-bay-domain.shtml#c38 Mon, 20 May 2013 10:05:19 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/16464823123/swedish-prosecutor-claims-registrar-se-domains-being-accomplice-infringement-because-pirate-bay-domain.shtml#c38 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c191 Mon, 20 May 2013 10:02:59 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c191 simply questioning the transcript opens the questioner up for charges of "making false statements."
That is a nice offence, you are guilty of you agree with our version, and guilty if you don't.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c482 Mon, 20 May 2013 10:01:30 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130508/06065623001/new-hope-how-going-free-to-play-brought-redemption-to-star-wars-mmo.shtml#c482 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c169 Mon, 20 May 2013 09:58:37 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c169 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c584 Mon, 20 May 2013 09:57:34 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c584 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c144 Mon, 20 May 2013 09:57:01 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c144 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c583 Mon, 20 May 2013 09:56:35 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c583 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c137 Mon, 20 May 2013 09:54:26 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c137
Legal scholars continued to be baffled by the sheer number of people who willingly implicate themselves.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c578 Mon, 20 May 2013 09:48:48 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c578 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c136 Mon, 20 May 2013 09:48:41 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c136 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c134 Mon, 20 May 2013 09:44:53 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c134
Never say a word to any law enforcement official. Ever. It can come back to bite you in ways you could never imagine. You have a right to remain silent. Exercise it.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c129 Mon, 20 May 2013 09:44:51 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c129
Know what their state legislature did to rectify the problem? They required ALL police interrogations be recorded, because of how useful of such videos have proven to be at both getting incriminating evidence against the real criminal, and at proving innocence of the falsely accused (including those bullied into false confessions by police).

The Illinois police even supported the changes, the FBI could learn something from them.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130508/10233423003/bug-allows-same-sex-marriage-nintendo-game-nintendo-releases-patch-to-fix-it.shtml#c3777 Mon, 20 May 2013 09:44:39 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130508/10233423003/bug-allows-same-sex-marriage-nintendo-game-nintendo-releases-patch-to-fix-it.shtml#c3777 There has to be a general moral standard, otherwise there would be no reason to place limitations on things and prohibitive actions, e.g. walking around in public naked. Moral relativism is akin to saying that people's sense of right vs wrong is merely an abstraction, a self-delusion, if you will, and that standards in public decency and laws can be decided upon arbitrarily (without the consent of the governed, I might add).

But in some cultures, public nudity is the norm, so the general moral standard regarding decency isn't universal. Furthermore, even in our culture, those that oppose indecency laws (on the basis that it's more natural to not wear clothing than to adorn one's self with artificial skins. Decency is one of the few laws in Western culture that is exclusively based on common practice (tradition). There is no pragmatic purpose for it.

Is right vs. wrong an abstraction? About as much as the value of the US Dollar. And like the US Dollar, some of our basic mores are essential to our societies (e.g. life, property, respect for the law, etc.) But that doesn't make them absolute; Only the individual's right to life is respected by all human societies; some don't recognize personal property (further than one's ability to retain it). There's neither an absolute source for these mores (other than our personal instincts, some of which don't agree with large societies), nor are any of them truly absolute, as becomes evident when they interact with each other, or with the rights of others.

So yeah, the purpose for morality ultimately boils down to survival. If your morality supports a larger, technologically advanced civilization then you will dominate over smaller, less advanced civilizations. (And tech and population tend to correlate.) And your culture (and often your genes) will outlast theirs. But our instincts push us towards small tribes, so in order to build nations (that are not identified with family clans) we need to invent better forms of government, and better forms of morality, than what is provided instinctively, or through ancient feudalistic documents.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c105 Mon, 20 May 2013 09:40:56 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130516/18383623114/your-word-against-ours-how-fbis-no-electronic-recording-policy-rigs-game-destroys-its-credibility.shtml#c105
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgDsbjAYXcQ]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c561 Mon, 20 May 2013 09:39:55 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c561 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c547 Mon, 20 May 2013 09:39:45 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c547
Address the merits of my post if you would: Do you agree that Mike has not even begun to back up his assertion that this is a "ridiculous letter with little basis in fact"? Do you agree that Mike hasn't shown us the text of the proposal and explained why this response is bullshit? Do you agree that Mike's purpose in writing this article was not to actually advance the debate in a positive way but was instead solely for the purpose of discrediting these people with his usual "they hate the blind!" trope? I feel like I added to the discussion by pointing out how Mike added nothing. I'm not familiar enough with the proposals to add much of value on the merits, but apparently neither is Mike. That doesn't stop him from writing this crap though. Why aren't you grilling him if you agree with me in part?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c522 Mon, 20 May 2013 09:37:19 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c522 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c518 Mon, 20 May 2013 09:32:58 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/08324323118/trade-group-representing-many-large-companies-claims-that-exceptions-blind-would-cast-aside-copyright.shtml#c518
If you're happy to discuss things on common ground, then make the effort because you're one of the few people with differing viewpoints. You also know how to make a dissenting opinion sound tactful and ripe for discussion, so what's the problem?

There's plenty of sites that make FUD out of whatever they get their hands on, and personally, I think Masnick is a bit emotional when it comes to news like this. But then...I can also click the links and read the source and establish my own opinion instead of relying on his take of it. I can then post that opinion in a non-asshole-esque manner and start a healthy debate.

Or I can attack the writer's personal beliefs on the subject.]]>