Latest Techdirt Comments http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: @"PaulT", compulsive yapper. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/01121423439/hollywood-studios-keep-saying-its-employees-must-get-paid-now-may-be-forced-to-pay-its-interns.shtml#c1273 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:21:28 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/01121423439/hollywood-studios-keep-saying-its-employees-must-get-paid-now-may-be-forced-to-pay-its-interns.shtml#c1273 I'd say a minimum of $3200/moth for an inexperienced writer and double that for an experienced one.

So, you think that writers here should make more than twice the average income in the US? You aren't even on the same continent as reasonableness.]]> Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c469 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:20:27 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c469
We've only pissed off half the country, so perfect balance!]]> Immunity http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130619/01031623524/more-details-emerge-as-states-attorneys-general-seek-to-hold-back-innovation-internet.shtml#c19 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:17:41 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130619/01031623524/more-details-emerge-as-states-attorneys-general-seek-to-hold-back-innovation-internet.shtml#c19
The actual criminals breaking the law.

Why bother trying to investigate and find some rogue pharmacy? That sounds like hard work! Once you get Google to pay up, and the AG gets to do his song and dance in front of the press, the case is over, and the people running that pharmacy got off scott-free.

That's what would happen in practice, and anyone who can read between the lines sees it.

So who is the one really standing up for the rule of law?]]> Re: Watching hearing now http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c449 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:17:00 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c449 Re: Re: Re: Oh, I doubt the mythical exculpatory evidence! http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/07515923527/leaseweb-deletes-megauploads-servers-without-warning-destroying-key-evidence.shtml#c963 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:16:54 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/07515923527/leaseweb-deletes-megauploads-servers-without-warning-destroying-key-evidence.shtml#c963 Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c131 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:11:23 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c131 Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c123 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:10:17 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c123 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c98 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:09:59 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c98 Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c431 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:07:06 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c431 If they send up a helicopter it probably takes 3 cops. If they send up a drone, it takes one with a joystick. Saves the taxpayers money.

No, it doesn't. It just means that they'll do three times as much surveillance.

What do you honestly think they are going to do with these drones? Spy on you? Are you really that important?


As with the other spying issues, the point isn't that you, or I, in particular are being surveilled. It's that massive surveillance has a large number of detrimental effects to society as a whole, and that the cops & spy outfits have repeatedly demonstrated, over a period of many decades, that they will inevitably use their new power to do things like suppress legitimate dissent, punish political enemies, etc.

If you don't want to be seen nude in your backyard than don't go outside without clothes on


This is a stunning statement. So now we have to refrain from legal activity in the privacy of our own land just so cops get to play with their new toys?

Stop bitching about everything that the government does


I don't bitch about everything the government does. I bitch about the things I see the government doing wrong. This is not only my right, but it is my responsibility as a citizen.

For the record, I don't think the drones issue is nearly as big of a deal as the telephone spying, but there's no reason not to call out both of these as issues that need to be addressed.]]> Of course there were http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c77 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:06:14 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c77 Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c68 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:04:18 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c68
I doubt netflix will bother with stopping a pop-up]]> Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c405 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:03:31 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c405 Re: Re: Umm, Google has you all accustomed to its spying. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c395 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:59:18 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c395 Your message ends up getting ignored and you get belittled. You do more harm than good.

Indeed. Speaking as a person who is highly critical of Google and encourages people to be wary of them, Blue's attempts are counterproductive in the extreme. He comes off as a lunatic, and so allows people to write off folks who point out the real trade-offs Google presents as just one of the lunatic crowd.

If Blue really wanted to raise awareness about Googly issues, he'd be well advised to talk like a rational person. Or, if that's impossible, to at least shut up and let others do the job.]]> Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c37 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:58:18 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c37
Job well done, Luke S. Wassum, Primary Examiner!]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c28 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:53:39 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c28 almost always advertising Netflix"

There should be a cookie that indicates you already have a Netflix account so you'd get a different ad. Netflix is wasting a lot of money advertising to its own customers.]]> Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c393 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:53:02 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c393 Obama instantly answered that "USA already had found the right balance."

What a jackass response.]]> Point of curiosity... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c23 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:47:13 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c23 (almost always advertising Netflix, by the way)

I've noticed that too. What sorcery do they use to get that through?]]> Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: @"PaulT", compulsive yapper. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/01121423439/hollywood-studios-keep-saying-its-employees-must-get-paid-now-may-be-forced-to-pay-its-interns.shtml#c1255 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:45:40 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/01121423439/hollywood-studios-keep-saying-its-employees-must-get-paid-now-may-be-forced-to-pay-its-interns.shtml#c1255 Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130617/11500923509/its-come-to-this-commentators-arguing-that-press-commits-crime-exposing-nsa-surveillance.shtml#c750 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:44:21 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130617/11500923509/its-come-to-this-commentators-arguing-that-press-commits-crime-exposing-nsa-surveillance.shtml#c750 They have made voter fraud a spectator sport, arm our enemies (their allies) and are preparing tax us to death]]> Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/18243923466/hollywoods-new-talking-point-gatekeepers-are-awesome.shtml#c408 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:42:08 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/18243923466/hollywoods-new-talking-point-gatekeepers-are-awesome.shtml#c408