Richard 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (43)

• On the post: Disappointing To See Canonical Act Like A Trademark Bully Over Ubuntu

  

  Richard ( profile ), 11 Nov, 2013 @ 06:29pm

  RE: Ubuntu is spyware
  
  "Ubuntu is dead, and is now only used by ignorant newbies and clueless fanboys..."
  
  I've been programming for food since 1985. With respect to Linux in particular, I've used Slackware [1996], Red Hat [1996-2000], Mandrake [2000-2004], Red Hat [2004-2007], Fedora [2007-2009], Kubuntu [2009-present] (also, Suse and CentOS on my home file, print, and svn server).
  
  Mr. Lee was not saying get rid of Ubuntu - he advocated fixing it to be non-invasive of privacy.
  
  I'm neither an ignorant newbie nor a clueless fanboy. On the other hand, I do find your anonymous rant indicative of both your ignorance and cluelessness.

• On the post: Candidate For Colorado Legislature Proudly Abuses YouTube's Copyright Complaint System To Kill Account Of Activists Who Mocked Him

  

  Richard ( profile ), 08 Nov, 2013 @ 08:49pm

  "All war is deception." - Sun Tzu

  Since the RWW had taunted Dr. Chaps about his lack of web-savvy ( http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/lesson-dr-chaps-how-internet-works ), the "brag" article on Dr. C's win ( http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/5739873137.html ) includes the close:
  
  "The Bible says pride comes before destruction. That's a lesson for them [RWW], in how the internet works."
  
  They've got a point. Lying to Google/YouTube works and is still consequence-free (unless you actually believe in the implications for your immortal soul of bearing false witness *OR* the subterfuge gets onto the radar of some heathen hacktivist group).

• On the post: Getting Fired 101, The Ohio Teacher's Edition: Go Full Racist On Facebook

  

  Richard ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2013 @ 08:13am

  "Dang that man is Ghandi reincarnated."

  Oooh, the irony!

• On the post: NSA, DHS Sued For Threatening People Who Created Parody Merchandise

  

  Richard ( profile ), 30 Oct, 2013 @ 09:30am

  "...it's not distracting it's enhancing..."

  Indeed.
  
  You can't demand that I defend you from thugs on the street, but, as a responsible member of society, I will. I don't demand that Zazzle, at their own expense real or imagined, protect the rights of others; however, once I find they don't, I recognize that it is not in my best interests or the wider interests of my society to promote Zazzle's success with my custom.

• On the post: Mike Rogers: You Can't Have Your Privacy Violated If You Don't Know About It

  

  Richard ( profile ), 30 Oct, 2013 @ 09:06am

  Epically Simpsonian Logic

  It's a victimless crime, like punching someone in the dark.

• On the post: Copyright As Censorship Again: Game Developer Takes Down Scathing YouTube Review

  

  Richard ( profile ), 21 Oct, 2013 @ 08:08am

  Monday Blues

  If nothing else seem comment-worthy, I think it's notable (while chuckling) that it's only Monday morning, and the Streisanding has snowballed. There are already negative (for WSG) articles and/or threads on (at least):
  
  torrentfreak.com, cinemablend.com, escapistmagazine.com, steamcommunity.com, kotaku.com, indiestatik.com, linustechtips.com, everyjoe.com, metacritic.com, twodashstash.com, leagueofmediocregamers.wordpress.com, sportsgamer.com, gamerspective.net, gameranx.com, diabloglical.com, incgamers.com, lorrie28-mothergamer.blogspot.com, gamingfurever.com, screwattack.com, forum.yugiohcardmaker.net, r2.reddit.com, mt-gaming.com, us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/10261777159, and (Swedish...already?!?) sweclockers.com.
  
  I may not be able to define justice, but I know it when I see it.

• On the post: Off-Duty NYC Cops Watched, Participated In Assault Of SUV Driver By Enraged Bikers

  

  Richard ( profile ), 10 Oct, 2013 @ 12:40pm

  Re: "...because bikers are criminals by definition..."

  Not [all] bikers. These bikers. And not by definition but by entirely reasonable conclusion based on observation of their actions.

• On the post: GitHub Bug Opened: Government Occasionally Shuts Down; Conflicting Error Messages

  

  Richard ( profile ), 10 Oct, 2013 @ 02:20pm

  Clearer Abstractions Required

  This is what happens when you permit the kind of thinking that produces things like:
  
  public class Dollar extends Speech {} //??!!!

• On the post: GitHub Bug Opened: Government Occasionally Shuts Down; Conflicting Error Messages

  

  Richard ( profile ), 10 Oct, 2013 @ 01:21pm

  Type Error

  Looks like someone mistook TeaPartyer as a subtype of Republican when it actually extends Libertarian.

• On the post: NSA's Massive Utah Datacenter Having Serious Electrical Problems: Has Already Had 10 Fiery Explosions

  

  Richard ( profile ), 08 Oct, 2013 @ 02:29pm

  "...frying-our-data..."

  Don't know whether to lament my wasted tax dollars or celebrate the delayed abuses of my civil rights. Guess I'll just sit here and weep in my champagne.

• On the post: 9-Year-Old Sneaks Onto Flight; TSA Blames The Government Shutdown, Then Says It Did Its Job Just Fine

  

  Richard ( profile ), 07 Oct, 2013 @ 02:34pm

  Un-beeleevu-bull Tail

  Must be some kind of trumped up anti-gov propaganda. Come on - TSA missed a chance to grope a kid?!
  
  P.S. Atlanta does the double check. First guy verifies you HAVE a boarding pass before admitting you to the "search area." Second, later one checks pass against ID.

• On the post: Every Time A State Tries To 'Protect The Children' Online, It Makes Things Worse

  

  Richard ( profile ), 07 Oct, 2013 @ 02:24pm

  "So why..."

  Here we see the danger of the rhetorical question; it invites wise-ass reply.
  
  "So why is it always this way?"
  
  1) 'Cuz our legislators are mostly (at least honorary) Amish when it comes to modern science and technology?
  
  2) Due to our legislators' (pick one or more) [high-gullability / low-intelligence / laziness]?
  
  3) Due to our legislators' beliefs in the (pick one or more) [high-gullability / low-intelligence / laziness] of their constituents, a.k.a., us?
  
  4) Because they're legislators, and it's a weekday (or Saturday or Sunday)?

• On the post: Former DHS Chief Privacy Officer Recounts How She Was Regularly Called A 'Terrorist' By The Intelligence Community

  

  Richard ( profile ), 02 Oct, 2013 @ 06:34am

  Only Long Practice in Cynicism Keeps My Head from Exploding

  ...while trying to reconcile my inclination to renewed faith that the gov't owns "a few good (wo)men" with my horror at Ms.Callahan's treatment.
  
  I can only hope there are others of integrity as high as Ms. Callahan's, who are sneaking around and protecting our privacy while keeping a low profile. Not that I'm betting anything I cherish on that hope.

• On the post: How Ruling On WiFi Snooping Means Security Researchers May Face Criminal Liability

  

  Richard ( profile ), 19 Sep, 2013 @ 03:55am

  Torn Sympathies

  So hard to know for which to root, Amish judge's opinion or reality. On the AJ tip, we're all at risk for running wireless networks at all, since our machines listen to everything, but, hypothetically, we now have a defense against cops who snoop sans wiretapping orders. Got 'o hope EFF, ACLU, et al. are standing in the wings, waiting to jump on the first case brought by ANY cop organization, operating in the 9th circuit's demesne, that is based on one of these newly illegal wiretaps.

• On the post: What The Continuous Flourishing Of New Cocktails Can Teach Us About Intellectual Property

  

  Richard ( profile ), 14 Sep, 2013 @ 10:49am

  Re: Ooh, me! "who is really ready to say they're sure"

  Just want to note that, ad hominem arguments and (trollishly yikes-level) vitriol aside, the observation that it's a bit of a stretch(ed analogy) from mixed drink to commercial music and movies is not unreasonable. The article was interestingly offbeat, squinting-and-head-a-tilt insightful, and entertaining - not the prescription for a serious normative model by which to direct copyright reform.
  
  Let's all just Keep Calm and Have Cocktails.

• On the post: Finnish Court OKs Censorship Of Anti-Censorship Site

  

  Richard ( profile ), 30 Aug, 2013 @ 10:15am

  Two-Valued Logic

  "If you're against sloppy filtering efforts, you're for abusing kids."
  
  Well, I guess, if it's a purely exclusive either/or choice...sorry kids.

• On the post: Evangelist Adorns Biblical Child Rearing Book With 'Modern Family' Portrait He Found Via Google

  

  Richard ( profile ), 29 Aug, 2013 @ 03:17pm

  Not Among the Elect

  "Everyone who knows me, knows I would never condone such wickedness as sodomy or even TV."
  
  Thank goodness he cleared THAT up. Since I don't know him, I might have rejected his book on the inference from that cover pic that he condoned both sodomy and TV - sodomy ON TV even.
  
  Instead, he's merely a lazy, copyright violating, superstitious primitive. No problem there.

• On the post: No, Snowden Didn't Have Any 'Other Avenues' To Blow The Whistle

  

  Richard ( profile ), 29 Aug, 2013 @ 10:38am

  Legal, Schmegal...He Done Right

  The major flaw in Snowden's actions was his failure better to plan his getaway. He obviously (correctly) expected beforehand that all protections of U.S. law would be forfeit once he blew his whistle. I can admire his willingness to sacrifice his citizenship and, indeed, all semblance of normal life on the altar of anti-fascism for the benefit of his (practically speaking, ex-)fellow-citizens. However, he seems quite reasonably to prefer not to be required to spend the rest of his life in federal prison; his handling of that part seems shaky.
  
  That his goal was worthy, I accept. That he had no alternate path in pursuit of his end, I accept. Wyden's remarks have made clear there is NO "legal" channel by which to reveal the excesses of the NSA. Side note - without open, judicial review and full disclosure to the members of Congress as to the specifics of what they are voting on, is "legal" really a valid usage?
  
  The happy ending to the story would include having Snowden receive a full, Presidential pardon, a lifelong, federal stipend, and an invitation to provide extensive testimony before Congress with complete immunity. Ah, well - there's a reason I am not an author by trade...too fabulist.
  
  I thank Snowden for his personal sacrifice. I simply wish he'd managed his escape with a bit more alacrity and hope he manages his ongoing evasion of government "retribution" (read "revenge") with less drama than we've witnessed thus far.

• On the post: Bad News: Court Says Cyberlocker & Its Owner Can Be Liable For Copyright Infringement

  

  Richard ( profile ), 28 Aug, 2013 @ 03:54pm

  When a Judge Comes Unprepared

  From Judge Williams' confirmations hearing, in her own words, addressing her varied experience:
  
  "But if there is one thing that comes out from all of those things, it is this: that litigants, clients, parties cherish it when a judge is locked in on the facts, is a hard worker, has mastered the record, has gone beyond the briefs, and really is dedicated to getting things right. And contrary-wise, it is dispiriting when a judge comes unprepared."
  
  How right she was.

• On the post: Federal Official Declares That Anyone Who Speaks Out Against Lie Detector Tests Should Be Criminally Investigated

  

  Richard ( profile ), 24 Aug, 2013 @ 05:17pm

  Re: And the elephant in the room is...

  Not so much an elephant as a fairy, "a la" Tinkerbell...you have to believe. The whole polygraph scam is based on the subject being sufficiently "suggestible" (read "gullible") to believe that he will evince an orienting response ( http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/432446/orienting-response ) when lying. The chap administering the test has to tell you convincingly that lies produce orienting responses. If you don't believe, Tinkerbell dies.
  
  I suggest they try auguring with the entrails of federal officials. It's similarly accurate and WAY more useful.

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