cryptozoologist 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (36) comment rss

  • On the post: Patent System Encouraging People To Try To Reinvent The Wheel

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 15 Jul, 2014 @ 12:34pm

    prior art

    there is some prior art for the qinetiq wheel here:
    http://biblehub.com/ezekiel/1-16.htm

  • On the post: The Reason Suspected Criminals Are Walking Free In Dallas Isn't Solely A 'New Software' Problem

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 25 Jun, 2014 @ 07:15am

    things can still go wrong even without computers

    http://youtu.be/8lN4TSslz-0

  • On the post: T-Mobile Bucks Another Crazy Mobile Phone Trend: Dumps International Roaming Charges

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 11 Oct, 2013 @ 10:24am

    one more customer friendly thing t-mobile does

    t-mobile allows me to have a smart phone without a data plan. neither verizon nor at&t allow that. i pay $30/month and use wifi at work or home or restaurants or most anywhere except the car.

  • On the post: Lawsuit Over Who Gets Starbucks Tips

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 31 May, 2013 @ 04:29pm

    but why is this a techdirt story?

    i am a techdirt reader, and i am glad you alerted me to this story, so thanks for that, but i don't see any technical angle on it.

  • On the post: Digital Camera Review Taken Down By A Botched DMCA Notice That Makes Claims Of Trademark Infringement

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 22 Mar, 2013 @ 08:19am

    i can't wait to see them go after these guys...

    http://www.goproud.org/

  • On the post: Non-profit Responds To Threatened Lawsuit From Ferrari By 'Remaking' Video To Hide The Ferrari

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 25 Feb, 2013 @ 02:40pm

    that settles it...

    i will not be buying a ferrari anytime soon

  • On the post: Hearing Aids, Monopolies, And Why The Health Industry Is Ripe For Disruption

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 16 Apr, 2012 @ 07:21am

    how's this for disruption...

    how about replacing hearing aids with an app? any smartphone with a pair of earbuds is all the hardware necessary to function as a hearing aid. also, it looks cool which can be important to kids especially.

    there are different types of hearing loss, but what the priciest hearing aids do is to selectively amplify only the frequencies you have difficulty hearing. this is where a professional audiologist comes in. they will perform a battery of tests to determine your frequency response and program a hearing aid to your profile.

    it is very tricky getting around the trained audiologist step because we need to make sure the customer is not destroying their remaining hearing by blasting themselves with too much volume.

    keep in mind that the actual hearing aid is the same dsp that is in every single cell phone and likely costs less than $1.00 (us) but still they sell for thousands.

  • On the post: Drone Attack: How We Might Willingly Embrace The Surveillance Society

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2012 @ 10:56am

    we're living in the future

    recently in my town, there was a bank robbery. in an article about solving the case the police explained how they were able to piece together a very accurate timeline by looking at the surveillance cameras from small businesses in our tiny little downtown. noting when the robber's car drove by which store etc.

    i saw a very prescient film about this called the anderson tapes, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066767/

  • On the post: Collection Society To Libraries: No Story Time For Kids Unless You Pay To Read Aloud

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 13 Mar, 2012 @ 10:46am

    i believe the correct response...

    is to stop reading books that aren't in the public domain. that should make everyone happy.

  • On the post: Does Guernsey Really Want To Become Famous — And Ostracized — For Introducing Image Rights?

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 01 Mar, 2012 @ 07:19am

    clearly the best response to this....

    is a photoshop competition involving prominent lawmakers of guernsey

  • On the post: Ownership Mentality: Art Gallery Prohibits Sketching

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 24 Jan, 2012 @ 06:30am

    it's the flash

    the reason that flash photography is usually banned is because the burst of light from a xenon flash tube (or an exploding flashbulb for the older readers) can actually damage certain pigments. the leap from 'no flash photography' to 'no photography' is because a huge percentage of folks with cameras have no idea how to turn off the flash so a few bad actors ruin it for everyone.

    the best rationalization i can come up with is some fool doesn't want the fire exits gummed up with art students and their sketch pads, but it seems kinda thin to me.

    this organization is making a huge mistake because seeing someone sketching a piece brings the museum experience to life, elevating it above a lifeless and sterile stroll through a gallery.

  • On the post: How Confusion & Lack Of Clarity In Copyright Law Make Reviewing Poems Difficult

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 13 Sep, 2011 @ 11:37am

    feel free to quote this verse i wrote about the lede i did just read.

    when quoting verse, one must be terse
    lest lawyers seek to raid your purse
    allegedly to reimburse
    the author, but not really.

  • On the post: Does The FBI Really Use Surveillance Vans With WiFi SSIDs Saying 'FBI_SURVEILLANCE_VAN'?

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 18 Aug, 2011 @ 12:56pm

    my favorite tongue in cheek ssid...

    WE_CAN_HEAR_YOU_HAVING_SEX

  • On the post: After Widespread Cheating, FBI Will Retest Agents On Surveillance Guidelines… With Much Easier Test

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 12 Aug, 2011 @ 09:10am

    this sort of thing is endemic

    when i worked for the government (as a contractor) there were endless training requirements. everyone had to undergo:
    safety training
    operational security training
    computer security training
    counter terrorism training
    laser safety training
    electro static discharge awareness training
    human trafficking awareness training
    security training...

    this list is not at all comprehensive and several of these had to be done more than once a year. every single year. the solution the government came up with is to have a web based briefing with a test. these are time consuming and not necessarily well written and they keep the workforce from focusing on their mission (say, killing terrorists).

    it was not at all uncommon to have someone print out and distribute the web based test with the correct answers circled so the mind numbing task of taking training one has had countless times in the past could be quickly dispatched.

    the problem is that while all of this is actually important for most people in the workforce to be trained up on, the sheer volume and low quality of the training materials very understandably causes everyone involved not to take it seriously. the alternative to the web based training is to have everyone sit in a physical briefing while the junior person on the totem pole gives a canned power point presentation presentation, usually without any real enthusiasm. at least with the web based approach one can fit it in when it is convenient.

    this doesn't even get into the problems that arise when your flash isn't up to date or you are using firefox and the training won't work. or you are using a mac and the training uses some active-x extension and then you have to figure out why you can't take the VERY IMPORTANT training that everybody must complete by close of business or higher ups will be very displeased.

    i have no idea how to solve this but as time marches on, more and more training requirements are added on.

  • On the post: Dear Musicians: Once Again, Politicians Can Probably Play Your Songs At Events Without Your Permission

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 06 Jul, 2011 @ 07:24am

    Re: Note to Tom Petty

    let me second this! the correct thing for an artist to do when a politician they disagree with wants to use one of their songs is to write a scathing parody. artists, try to reinforce the association between the candidate and your hilarious satirical version of your song.

  • On the post: Dear Musicians: Once Again, Politicians Can Probably Play Your Songs At Events Without Your Permission

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 06 Jul, 2011 @ 07:18am

    too bad there is no shortage of anonymous cowards eager to step up to the plate to defend the republican party. i thought that the revulsion i felt for the republican party was the product of an enlightened upbringing and strong critical thinking skills, but now i see i am a victim of the mainstream media.

  • On the post: DailyDirt: Keyboards? We Don't Need Keyboards Where We're Going… (Okay, Maybe We Do)

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 18 Jun, 2011 @ 03:10pm

    swipe

    i just played with a new android phone that has 'swipe technology' where instead of tapping each character you drag your finger and paint from letter to letter. it sounds weird but it works really well. you do not need to be all that accurate as it is really going off of the shape of the swipe more than the exact key you 'hit'

  • On the post: Obama Nominates Former Top RIAA Lawyer To Be Solicitor General

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 25 Jan, 2011 @ 08:26am

    that means he'll be in the hot seat

    lets start a list of questions we would like to ask him at his confirmation hearing. i'll start:

    Q: How can we rationalize the discrepency between the draconian penalties for file sharing with the actual miniscule damage inflicted?

  • On the post: Why Senator Lieberman's Censorship Law Is Unconstitutional And A Danger To Free Speech

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 07 Jan, 2011 @ 12:26pm

    i'd be interested to read the constitutional authority cited to implement this as now all bills (at least in the house) are supposed to include an explicit reference to the part of the constitution that empowers congress to implement it.

  • On the post: Financial Reform Killing Off Bonds By Both Requiring Ratings & Making It Impossible To Rate Bonds

    cryptozoologist ( profile ), 24 Jul, 2010 @ 08:33am

    looks like financial reform is working to me

    the difficulty seems to be that the problem with financial reform is that it prevents business as usual? don't worry, the banks and the ratings agencies will work out how to sell derivatives, they are highly motivated. they may try to hold up the economy instead of changing but you don't seem to have any difficulty calling out the record labels on that score.

    i'm puzzled by your take on the 'opinions' rendered by the rating agencies. suppose you were to consult an attorney who then gave you really (really really) bad advice. do you think she should be able to hide behind the fig leaf of calling that her opinion?

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