Jon B. 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (140) comment rss

  • On the post: Labor Board Continues To Warn Companies Not To Fire People Based On Tweets

    Jon B. ( profile ), 05 May, 2011 @ 06:17am

    Of course he's one of the best selling authors ever... he's sold brazilians!

  • On the post: Verizon Wireless' Solution To Tracking Fears: A Warning Sticker You'll Ignore

    Jon B. ( profile ), 29 Apr, 2011 @ 08:31pm

    Re:

    I imagine it's a tab that will go behind the battery door. You'll have to see the message to insert the battery the first time.

  • On the post: Verizon Wireless' Solution To Tracking Fears: A Warning Sticker You'll Ignore

    Jon B. ( profile ), 29 Apr, 2011 @ 07:17pm

    Would you feel better if it read like this?

    HEY DUMBASS:

    Verizon is a cellular service company. That means we have to have a general idea where you are. How else do you think you make phone calls?

    Also, that GPS thingy that makes the maps so useful? Well, of course, it knows where you are, too. And if you're dumb enough to download apps that ask permission to access your GPS and then transmit that data to someone else, don't start bitching to us about it later. Just so you know.

    Also, coffee is hot. That really has nothing to do with this phone, but if you found this note to be helpful, you probably shouldn't drink your coffee too fast.

    KTHXBYE,

    Verizon

  • On the post: The Ridiculous Demands The Record Labels Want For Music Lockers

    Jon B. ( profile ), 29 Apr, 2011 @ 01:23pm

    Re: It's not streaming

    You're accurate, but the distinction between "downloading" and "streaming" has always been silly.

    A "stream" is a "download" that's expected to start playing ASAP and is expected to be "deleted" from memory as soon as it's done. But it's the client's job to do the playing and the deleting, not the server. From the server's end, there's really no difference between a stream and a download.

    Ok, there are streaming protocols that make it easier to jump to the middle of a stream, or download continuous broadcasts, but the logical process is the same - the server sends the data that the client requests. It's up to the client to delete.

    The fact that we're now trying to make "legal" distinctions between the two is just silly.

    I know... just random bitching...

  • On the post: The Ridiculous Demands The Record Labels Want For Music Lockers

    Jon B. ( profile ), 29 Apr, 2011 @ 12:40pm

    This is why we can't have nice things!

  • On the post: While TSA Sexually Assaults Miss USA… It's Letting Other Passengers Through Without Clearance

    Jon B. ( profile ), 28 Apr, 2011 @ 12:49pm

    I wonder if the LAPD could do a sting operation and arrest some TSA workers... send some female cops through security in plain clothes and then arrest anyone that molests them.

    Does LAPD have jurisdiction in the airport? Is that purely FBI or US Marshall jurisdiction? I would LOVE to see state/local law enforcement do some activism here.

  • On the post: Apple Takes Credit For 'Uncovering' Its Patented Location 'Bug' That Isn't Really Tracking You, But Which It'll Fix

    Jon B. ( profile ), 28 Apr, 2011 @ 12:46pm

    Re:

    Service providers collect data. There's no legitimate reason for handset manufacturers or OS distributors to collect that sort of data.

    Still, Apple may be in the clear here.

  • On the post: Apple Takes Credit For 'Uncovering' Its Patented Location 'Bug' That Isn't Really Tracking You, But Which It'll Fix

    Jon B. ( profile ), 28 Apr, 2011 @ 12:46pm

    Re:

    Service providers collect data. There's no legitimate reason for handset manufacturers or OS distributors to collect that sort of data.

    Still, Apple may be in the clear here.

  • On the post: Apple Takes Credit For 'Uncovering' Its Patented Location 'Bug' That Isn't Really Tracking You, But Which It'll Fix

    Jon B. ( profile ), 28 Apr, 2011 @ 12:44pm

    Re: Re:

    I keep hearing people say this but I can't find any source... was the data being sent to Apple or not?

    If not, then I guess I don't really see the problem.

    Still, I don't understand why Apple continues to go out of its way to mislead, lie to, and demean its users. Apple's commercials mislead and condescend. Apple's conferences are misleading and condescending. Apparently Apple's apologies are outright lies with some condescension thrown in... which seems totally unnecessary considering that (if Apple wasn't receiving the data) wasn't that big of a damned deal in the first place.

  • On the post: FBI Hunting Down World Of Warcraft Gold Farmers?

    Jon B. ( profile ), 28 Apr, 2011 @ 10:23am

    Re: Reading Comprehension

    Marking this one "insightful" and hopefully enough people will catch on.

    Mike took the sensationalist route on this one.

    Yes, interstate fraud/hacking is well within FBI jurisdiction.

    Yes, executing a warrant to find evidence stored on a computer is reasonable when the crime involved communication on said computer and/or hacking.

    Yes, it's perfectly reasonable for the accused to say "but I don't even play WOW" when they're being accused of fraud in the first place. I don't have to play WOW to defraud people of money on the promise of WOW gold.

    I've never seen so many otherwise smart people go functionally retarded in one thread.

  • On the post: FBI Hunting Down World Of Warcraft Gold Farmers?

    Jon B. ( profile ), 28 Apr, 2011 @ 07:19am

    Re: Re: Re: Did I Miss Something? Yes - You and Mke Missed Fraud

    If I stole money from you on the promise of farming WOW gold for you, chances are I put the money in my bank account after communicating with you via email. The evidence of this is most likely on my computer.

  • On the post: FBI Hunting Down World Of Warcraft Gold Farmers?

    Jon B. ( profile ), 28 Apr, 2011 @ 07:16am

    Re:

    I think in this case it was interstate fraud, so that's why it goes straight to the FBI and not lower level law enforcement.

    Yes, it's retarded to give someone money to farm WOW gold for you. But it's still illegal to take someone's money for a service you never intend to perform. Do it enough times to people in various states and guess who you get a visit from....

  • On the post: FBI Hunting Down World Of Warcraft Gold Farmers?

    Jon B. ( profile ), 28 Apr, 2011 @ 07:13am

    Yes, I would say that interstate fraud (involving real money) is probably within the FBI's jurisdiction.

    Best use of their time? Hell if I know what their case priority is, but it sounds like it's not someone else's jurisdiction...

  • On the post: Congressman Complains That iPads Are Killing Jobs In The Paper Industry

    Jon B. ( profile ), 21 Apr, 2011 @ 11:27am

    Re: Re: Re:

    Exactly this, on both point.

    Trump should be secretary of something. The problem is, I don't think he wants to be anyone's secretary.

  • On the post: Congressman Complains That iPads Are Killing Jobs In The Paper Industry

    Jon B. ( profile ), 21 Apr, 2011 @ 11:26am

    Re: Re: Re:

    I can't tell if you're serious or how much.

    The point of my point was that America very well COULD be competitive in manufacturing and other jobs if we wanted to be.

    You can't have an economy built on "ideas".

  • On the post: Congressman Complains That iPads Are Killing Jobs In The Paper Industry

    Jon B. ( profile ), 21 Apr, 2011 @ 11:04am

    "But the key point that Rep. Jackson appears to be totally missing is how the iPad and other technology innovations create a ton of new jobs in the US as well."

    This is absolutely true, but those jobs are probably further separated from the manufacture of durable and non-durable goods than the manufacture of the iPads themselves, and I do think that's a problem. Of course, Mr Jackson is probably not arguing the best economic ways to bring the manufacture of iPads to America ... It would be awesome to have BOTH the core manufacturing jobs and the support jobs stay here, but that's a whole different subject that Mr Jackson very much the wrong person to debate.

  • On the post: Dumbest Lawsuit Ever? HuffPo Sued By Bloggers Who Agreed To Work For Free… But Now Claim They Were Slaves

    Jon B. ( profile ), 12 Apr, 2011 @ 01:23pm

    It must be a holiday!

    If I woke up one morning and suddenly found the "progressive community" eerily quiet...

  • On the post: Bandwidth Caps Forcing Users To Police Their Own Household Internet Usage

    Jon B. ( profile ), 11 Apr, 2011 @ 07:15am

    "Now, I'm sure some will argue this is a good thing. They'll say that you should be responsible for understanding everything that goes through your router."

    Wow... wait to knock down the strawman there at the end. I don't know who's arguing that, but boy you showed them.

    "Perhaps we'll end up with more sophisticated tools for people to track their home internet usage, but in the meantime, it seems a bit crazy to force everyone to be their own local area network traffic cops."

    Indeed - if you're going to be metered, you should be able to easily see the meter.

    After Tim's last article on the subject, I argued that tiered pricing based on total usage makes more sense than tiered pricing based on the width of the pipe.

    Note that the guy says:
    "Luckily there is a maximum extra levy of $50 a month"

    That's a lot more fair than just charging the extra crapload of money. I still think it could be more fair than that.

    Set up 3 or 4 tiers. The bottom tier is $15/mo. If you break the cap into the next tier (say, $20/mo) you just pay the price of the next tier. That would be more fair. Have the top tier be unlimited.

    If you want to encourage the big spenders to sign up for the highest tier do one of two things: (1) give a discount for signing up for a higher tier or (2) charge a "levy" each time you break into a higher tier. The only difference between those two options is semantics - either way, if you know you're a big user, you save money by staying on the top tier.

    Again, that's just my idea and I'm just some guy. My point, though, is that there is lots of middle ground between the system we have now (pay for the width of the pipe) and the worst case scenario (pay cellphone-like overages when you break your cap).

    As the behavior of the "light users" is changing, paying for the width of the pipe becomes a very unfair option.

  • On the post: Fantasy Island, Time Warner Style: You WANT To Pay More For Broadband

    Jon B. ( profile ), 18 Mar, 2011 @ 12:57pm

    I came to say the same thing about electricity, but respectfully, because I like Tim.

    That said, the bit Tim quoted doesn't sound particularly bad to me. People's paid utilities - electricity, gas, and water - are metered, so metering bandwidth isn't that big of a stretch. Now the wholesale cost of bandwidth doesn't have quite as direct a relationship to usage as other utilities, but there is a relationship.

    It's a bit funny that it hasn't been that long since people were clamoring for a la carte cable channels, which is a mostly silly concept. "Why do I pay for all these channels I don't use?" Because somehow blocking those channels just for you would cost more than you think you'd be saving.

    I think bandwidth throttling make a helluva lot more sense. That's what we have now. But maybe I'm wrong:

    In the future, as max internet speeds increase, the divide between the bandwidth of heavy users and light users increase. Maybe the light users should pay less. My suggestion is to simply use speed throttling, but that may not be reasonable. For example, a "light user" may be someone who watches 4 hours of streaming video a month. A heavy user may be someone who watches 4 hours of streaming video a day (in lieu of TV, maybe even separate rooms, concurrently). You can't throttle the "light user" to the point where he can't stream high-quality video, or he won't get that 4 hours a month he's paying for. So, you need a better way to differentiate the light user from the heavy user if you want to make his 4 hours cheaper than the other guy's connection. Metering may be the way to go. As long as it's fairly implemented.

  • On the post: Bon Jovi Thinks Steve Jobs Killed Music; More Old Rockers Shooing Those Darn Kids Off Their Lawn

    Jon B. ( profile ), 15 Mar, 2011 @ 02:48pm

    Re: he's right

    I think you mean "tangible culture" and I don't know what you mean by "accidental culture" - it's still easy to stumble upon great things through your friends online or even in person without browsing their bookshelf.

    Now, one thing that's kinda sad is that the culture is so diverse now. You used to be able to assume most people watched a decent show on ABC last night at 8pm. Now, we're moving away from watching our media at scheduled times, and there is not a LOT more media. But the good news is that the good stuff is bubbling to the top, so there is still a "mainstream" set to media to cling to as a culture.

    As for the tactile nature of media... I think technology can catch up in some ways by making things more fun to hold.

    But, maybe it's better that we define our culture and ourselves by our interactions with others, our societal accomplishments and our independent thought than by our collections of fictional works and rhythmic noise.

Next >>