TechNoFear 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Australian Gov't Delays Vote On Latest Censorship Proposal

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 03 May, 2010 @ 09:32pm

    Re: The ALP

    One would think after two decades you would know it is 'Labor' (not Labour).....

  • On the post: Dungeons And Dragons Players Revolt, Storm Super Rewards Castle

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 19 Apr, 2010 @ 11:28pm

    It was not 'easy' to avoid....

    Just viewing Turbine's 'Offer Wall' sent your username and email unencrypted to a third party, without your knowledge or consent.

    Note I said 'viewing' not 'actively participating / responding / clicking'.

    http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=242978

  • On the post: Frontier Communications "Testing" To See How Users Respond To Being Ridiculously Overcharged For Bandwidth

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 18 Apr, 2010 @ 10:29pm

    Got to read Telstra's fine print to see how bad it is

    Note that;

    Data is counted for both up and down.
    Extra data is Au$150/Gb! (capped at Au$300)
    Some accounts 'shape' once the cap is reached (slowing you to 64Kbit/sec or dial-up speed).
    Min term is 12 months and early exit is Au$360 pro rata.
    That you have to have voice services with Telstra to pay the lower prices (change check box above prices).

    Also note that there is no minimum speed requirement or legisltation/protection.
    I have had a fault on my line (8Km from a state capital's CBD) for the last 4 years that slows me to a max speed of 1500Kbs (Telstra has refused to repair the fault, even if I pay).
    Because I need to send data (faster than 256Kbit/s) I have to pay for a ADSL2+ connection (up to 20% extra).

    The funny part is that these are Telstra's recent NEW IMPROVED prices!

  • On the post: South Australia Attorney General Demands $20,000 From Web Commenter Who Called Him A Crook

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2010 @ 11:08pm

    Atkinson appear not to allow the truth to get in the way if a good press release.

    This is the man who said;
    "I feel that my family and I are more at risk from gamers than we are from the outlaw motorcycle gangs who also hate me and are running a candidate against me,"

    In 2004 Atkinson was forced to retract a statement that bikies had BBQed a cat in a public park in his electorate (except it was not a cat, done by bikies or in his electorate....).

    He also does not like even the slightest criticism;
    http://www.charlessturtratepayers.org/2010/01/18/apology-to-michael-atkinson/

  • On the post: Australian Politician Claims Video Gamers Are A Bigger Risk To His Family Than Angry Biker Gangs

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 17 Feb, 2010 @ 11:11pm

    Please don't give this idiot any more press...

    Atkinson was voted for by less than 13,000 Australians, yet is able to block all 23 million Australians from having a full rating systems for games.

    Problem is games that should be R 18+ are rated M 15+ (ie GTA) which makes it harder to use the parental controls on a console to restict access by children.

    All we can hope is that either he fails to be re-elected this March (not likely)
    or is not appointed AG again (not likely)
    or the federal government puts some pressure on the SA governement to change his stance (not holding my breath).

  • On the post: Do IT People Hate Their Jobs?

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 17 Feb, 2010 @ 11:01pm

    Re: Everyone has their own opinions

    And then there's the fry cooks who bought into the notion that they could make $85,000/year if all they did was get certified via this IT boot camp that costs $10,000 without realizing that you actually need work experience.

    I am one of those 'fry cooks'.

    I now design asset protection and safety systems based on IPCs for mining corps (inc. parts used on the new robotic trains).

    I make much, much more than $85k.

    Good luck out there with that attitude...

  • On the post: Once Again: The iiNet Decision Did Not Make Unauthorized Downloading Legit

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 12 Feb, 2010 @ 09:32pm

    Two missing 'facts'...

    The Australian film industry got nearly Au$230 million in taxpayer funding last 2008/2009. [eg ~Au$10 per Australian man, woman and child.]

    Australian commercial TV is allowed 18 minutes of adverts / hour ( + promos, overlay ads, sponsor messages, etc).[Underbelly was a TV release only.]

  • On the post: As ISPs Look To Charge Per Byte… How Accurate Are Their Meters?

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 12 Jan, 2010 @ 09:32pm

    All Australians have metered/limited broadband.

    There is no accurate way to check your use (unless you trust your ISP's counter). I have seen monthly internet bills over Au$10,000.

    The only solution is to use a 'shaped' account (slowed when limit is reached) rather than a 'metered' account (charged per Mb after limit is reached).

  • On the post: Debate Heats Up On Liability For Buggy Software: Will Buggy Games Be Illegal?

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 24 Dec, 2009 @ 10:23pm

    Who pays?

    I develop asset protection systems.

    I gave one of the worlds largest mining companies two quotes for a system to monitor their fleet of heavy haul vehicles.

    The ISO 9001 certified version cost ~30% (or Au$1 mill) more.

    They went for the cheap 'possibly buggy' version.

    Better make sure consumers are willing pay the huge additional cost (in both time and money) this testing will incur.

  • On the post: Increasing Concern Of UK's Draconian Libel Laws And How They're Abused

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 13 Dec, 2009 @ 09:04pm

    Re: Futility

    If the suit was successful Techdirt would have to pay damages and remove the content (not just restrict access to the content in the UK).

    Damages are based on how much harm the defamation did to your reputation.

    This is a natural limit to suiing in different countries, as there is no point in suing for defamation in the UK unless you have a reputation in the UK.

  • On the post: Does It Make Sense To Ban Players From Xbox Live Just For Using A Glitch?

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 06 Dec, 2009 @ 10:45pm

    If the supplier of a service you use sends you a warning that a particular part of your behaviour is unacceptable (and under the TOS you agreed to, your access may be restricted if you continue with this behaviour).

    You decide to continue that unacceptable behaviour.

    Why is it the supplier's fault for following through on the ban?

    Why don't you have to accept responsibility for your actions / choices?

  • On the post: CSIRO Taxes Innovators To Fund Innovators?

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 23 Oct, 2009 @ 08:14pm

    Re: The CSIRO Patent Looks Even Worse The More Closely You Examine It.

    Don't you have a masters in Anthropology?

    I suggest you don't make sarcastic jokes about other cultures, unless you do your research first.

    I suppose it shows the difference between people with only theoretical knowledge and those with real world experience.

    BTW If you submitted your masters in '88, I an half a decade older than you.

  • On the post: CSIRO Taxes Innovators To Fund Innovators?

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 22 Oct, 2009 @ 07:03pm

    Re: Re:

    Mike you make it sound like the CSIRO is suing anyone who built on top of their work (implying the 'on top' part is the most important).

    Rather than suing a company that used the CSIRO's inovation without paying for a license.

    There is a difference between taking existing technology and finding an new use AND adding someone else's new inovation/improvement to your existing product.

    What exactly did these companies ADD to the CSIRO's work?

  • On the post: CSIRO Taxes Innovators To Fund Innovators?

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 22 Oct, 2009 @ 06:54pm

    Re: Patent Fraud By The State.

    "Cockney in Australia,"

    How can we trust you to get your facts right when you can't even get the origin of a simple accent right?

    Cockney (rhyming slang) is English (UK) not Australian. ['Ocker']

    I also fail to see how a 1979 text could possibly mention the speed issues caused by relected radio waves the CSIRO solved.

  • On the post: Dungeons And Dragons Online Highlights How Free Can Work As A Part Of A Business Model

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 13 Oct, 2009 @ 10:12pm

    Turbine has reported a 40% growth in subscriptions since F2P.

    Sounds great, but still unanswered is how much impact will the Turbine v Atari lawsuit have on the game?
    [given that Turbine has said Atari must OK all new content and if Atari is correct in the audit, Atari could terminate the licensing contract.]

  • On the post: Lily Allen Distributing Tons Of Copyrighted Music; Blows Way Past Three Strikes

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 24 Sep, 2009 @ 08:22pm

    You again obsfucate the point.....

    This all started because Lily said 50c was harming the music industry by distributing his work legally for free (using TechDirt without a ref).

    It is therefor a mute point as the the legality of the downloads Lily was offering.

    Lily was, in her words, harming the music industry to promote her own sales (while telling others to stop).

  • On the post: A Teaching Moment For Lily Allen [Update: And *Poof* Goes Her Blog]

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 24 Sep, 2009 @ 05:08am

    re

    Shouldn't Lily's priority have been to stop distributing the suspect content?

    The mixtapes are still available (when I post this) but she has taken the time to remove the blog.

    Lets hope she stops impacting on others ability to make a living and benefit from the fruits of thier labour soon.

  • On the post: A Teaching Moment For Lily Allen [Update: And *Poof* Goes Her Blog]

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 24 Sep, 2009 @ 04:11am

    Google is your friend...

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1215725/Lily-Allen-declares-quitting-music-career-acting.html

  • On the post: A Teaching Moment For Lily Allen [Update: And *Poof* Goes Her Blog]

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 24 Sep, 2009 @ 04:06am

    Lily Quits Music

    According to the English press Lily Allen has quit music.
    No more tours or albums.

    But is continuing the blog to stop the 'biggest threat to British music's future'?

    But the blog is already gone?

    Colour me confused....

  • On the post: Lily Allen Distributing Tons Of Copyrighted Music; Blows Way Past Three Strikes

    TechNoFear ( profile ), 23 Sep, 2009 @ 10:13pm

    Re:

    Another interesting ethical issue is insisting people to hold to standards you yourself do not adhere to.

    Lily is clearly distributing free music while tell us it is wrong and harmful to do so.

    Before we play semantics;
    I am not a rock star, politician or lawyer, who it appears, can get away with this behavior.

    I design safety systems for heavy machinery, so dishonesty on my part can have spectacular consequences.

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