Latest Techdirt Comments http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c1011 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:47:02 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c1011
And! That is the issue.

You are correct!

Absurd as it sounds you are correct which only shows how over board copyright in the US is.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c1145 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:46:54 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c1145
...The second step is to add to the prohibited list words and phrases like "Tea Party", "Constitution" and "Christ".

Look for more fun things to come from the US Federal Government's financial services.]]> Re: Why am I not surprised? http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/00554723091/more-details-emerge-key-legal-fight-over-dmca-abuse.shtml#c69 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:46:49 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/00554723091/more-details-emerge-key-legal-fight-over-dmca-abuse.shtml#c69
You cannot address the actual topic. Always trying to change the focus or create a distraction.]]> Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c802 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:44:21 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c802 So then what? Just lay down and take it, because otherwise no one is gonna come the next time we call?
It wouldn't even be necessary or provoking to film these guys if they didn't have a history of doing bad things... even killing without good reason.
If they did their jobs as they are supposed to, they would applaud the public, filming their work for court. Instead they confiscate and misplace.. to what? cover up their rightful deadly beating and arrest of a drunk guy?
Yeah like I am gonna take that.
And if that police officer arresting those people are annoyed and tired of people mistrusting him, then maybe he needs to look inwards and maybe realize that the mistrust is well placed and then help instead of covering up for his colleagues.
Finally I do respect police officers in general and i appreciate the job they are doing. But in that job, you can't just be the hero sometimes.]]> Re: Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c1122 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:42:25 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c1122 http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130521/12175523157/nyc-says-renting-out-your-place-via-airbnb-is-running-illegal-hotel.shtml#c82 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:41:57 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130521/12175523157/nyc-says-renting-out-your-place-via-airbnb-is-running-illegal-hotel.shtml#c82 Uber

Seriously?

I've been reading Techdirt for a long time now, and I really enjoy most of the articles, but you have a *massive* problem with not being able to admit when you're wrong. (See also: the Facebook IPO.) Uber has been thoroughly discredited ever since it came out that the company is 1) run by an Objectivist who 2) engaged in massive, illegal price gouging in the Sandy flooding and then 3) tried to use ridiculous Objectivist rhetoric to paint a smiley face over the whole thing and make it look like what he was doing was good for everyone involved, when five seconds of critical thinking tears the entire argument to shreds.

Can we *please* stop talking about poor, persecuted Uber on here already? It just makes you look bad.

Because we can now share information pretty easily, Airbnb's detailed review system and communication process take away most of the "risk" that necessitated a health and safety law.


Not at all. It just takes the exact same system (protect incumbents from competition at the expense of newcomers that may actually be better) and moves the enforcement from a formal, accountable, legal process to an informal, unaccountable extralegal process. For example:

Just as an example, in my own search for a place to stay, I went through about half a dozen different apartments that were available, and looked over the pictures and carefully read the reviews. I immediately discounted the cheapest one, because multiple reviews mentioned that the apartment had not been cleaned prior to them showing up. Information and the sharing of information made that place undesirable just like that. No laws needed.


So the people who have been around for long enough to garner several good reviews end up rising to the top.
If you're new, you don't have any reviews, meaning that no one is going to want to choose to stay at your place when there are more attractive places with lots of good reviews competing with you.

And once people start understanding how important reviews are to getting business, managing reviews starts becoming an important part of the business model. Then you get people writing fake reviews of their own place, (or fake *bad* reviews of the competition,) and people starting to take steps to coerce the sorts of reviews they want out of their customers. (See: the case of that one dentist suing people who wrote bad reviews.)

The more things change, the more they stay the same.]]> Re: Re: Justice http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c1138 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:40:58 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c1138 Re: The issue here is overprescription http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130502/07475922914/why-even-good-hospitals-doctors-are-obstacle-to-better-cheaper-healthcare.shtml#c312 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:39:35 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130502/07475922914/why-even-good-hospitals-doctors-are-obstacle-to-better-cheaper-healthcare.shtml#c312 Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c1109 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:39:25 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c1109 Good. Then we can say that artists of all stripes are grossly overpaid since their works are essentially worthless.
Why worthless? Does music need to turn savages into princes for music to have any value?

If it is not impossible, then that is exactly what Grossman is and have been trying to explain.

Not impossible in the same way it's not impossible for a beautiful work of art to inspire a person to kill. That's nowhere near likely enough for concern.

This tells me you have not read Grossman's books.

That's right. The irony is nevertheless plain to see.

This crucial difference is exactly what Grossman tries to make clear but people in their knee-jerk reactions to any alleged infringement of the First Amendment rights immediately ignored.

The only difference appears to be that killing in times of war is somehow perceived to be legitimate regardless of the motives for whichever side you're on, and that the role of psychologists like Grossman is to help young cadets come to grips with the emotional consequences of such a necessary act.

You think Grossman would have a bigger problem with that than with fictional violence.]]> Why am I not surprised? http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/00554723091/more-details-emerge-key-legal-fight-over-dmca-abuse.shtml#c64 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:39:09 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/00554723091/more-details-emerge-key-legal-fight-over-dmca-abuse.shtml#c64
This is the same thing that you found with Shepherd Fairey and Jamey Thomas. Some people just aren't that trustworthy and you want to base some great philosophical crusade on them?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c987 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:37:22 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c987
Ok, I'll grant you that, Joseph, but answer this: why is that a bad thing?]]> The issue here is overprescription http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130502/07475922914/why-even-good-hospitals-doctors-are-obstacle-to-better-cheaper-healthcare.shtml#c303 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:37:14 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130502/07475922914/why-even-good-hospitals-doctors-are-obstacle-to-better-cheaper-healthcare.shtml#c303 Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/00554723091/more-details-emerge-key-legal-fight-over-dmca-abuse.shtml#c51 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:36:21 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/00554723091/more-details-emerge-key-legal-fight-over-dmca-abuse.shtml#c51
I'm still waiting for your blog, boy, where you'll astound us all with your insight on these matters.]]> Re: Can they spell Streisand? http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130520/01450023148/makers-nutella-force-fan-who-created-world-nutella-day-to-shut-it-down-updated.shtml#c543 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:35:58 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130520/01450023148/makers-nutella-force-fan-who-created-world-nutella-day-to-shut-it-down-updated.shtml#c543 Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/00554723091/more-details-emerge-key-legal-fight-over-dmca-abuse.shtml#c35 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:33:22 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/00554723091/more-details-emerge-key-legal-fight-over-dmca-abuse.shtml#c35 Leave it to you to elevate a cat fight.


Not me. Your buddies from the MPAA seemed to think it was a big deal. Seems like maybe the legal issues are important, and you don't want that to happen, so you start throwing insults.

Very adult like.]]> Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c986 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:33:02 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c986 That it would still be illegal to infringe misses the point that this would make it EASIER to infringe.

Yes, because it is soooo hard to infringe anything these days.]]> Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/00554723091/more-details-emerge-key-legal-fight-over-dmca-abuse.shtml#c28 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:33:00 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/00554723091/more-details-emerge-key-legal-fight-over-dmca-abuse.shtml#c28 Re: Re: Re: average_joe http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c981 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:30:32 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c981 This means that tools for circumvention could be freely trafficked in.

As opposed to the reality where they are freely trafficked in?]]> Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c800 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:29:32 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c800 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130502/07475922914/why-even-good-hospitals-doctors-are-obstacle-to-better-cheaper-healthcare.shtml#c295 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:28:39 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130502/07475922914/why-even-good-hospitals-doctors-are-obstacle-to-better-cheaper-healthcare.shtml#c295
Source: Myself, I support these Aides.]]>