Matt T. 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (70)

• On the post: Activist Tells Court That Since Corporations Are People, He Can Drive In The Carpool Lane With Incorporation Papers

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 14 Jan, 2013 @ 07:59pm

  Re:

  "Authorities began to suspect judge Drago's intentions when he was seen shirtless with the defendant, threatening to break him"
  
  (See link)

• On the post: Samsung Wants To See The Details Of Apple's HTC Settlement

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 19 Nov, 2012 @ 10:03am

  Re: Re:

  And just like that, a patent was filed on the iRamp?...

• On the post: House Republicans: Copyright Law Destroys Markets; It's Time For Real Reform

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 16 Nov, 2012 @ 08:29pm

  Not Entirely Unpredictable

  It's pretty clear after this election that the republican party's only chance of remaining relevant is to abandon (or at least heavily one down) its religious fundamental policies and focus more on economic conservatism. A move towards the libertarian party by the republicans will keep them politically competitive in the next few decades, and copyright is one of those areas that will help them identify with younger, more "liberal" voters.

• On the post: MoviePass Offers 'Unlimited' Movie Tickets For $29.99 A Month — But Can It Ever Hope To Turn A Profit?

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 31 Oct, 2012 @ 09:27pm

  Re: A good example of a business missing key economic principles

  "the low-per viewing costs offset the scarcity."
  
  Of course, there's not much scarcity after the first couple of weeks. Usually when I go to a new movie in the theater I'll wait until it's been out for a few weeks and the room will be practically empty. So from the management's perspective, filling it up for $1/seat is better than leaving it empty at any price.

• On the post: New Research Shows How Copyright Law Is Keeping Useful Info Off Wikipedia

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 21 Jul, 2012 @ 08:08am

  Re:

  What I don't get is this: Anyone can go to the ball park, buy a reasonable ticket, and take all the pictures they like of the players, and GIVE them to Wikipedia. What's the problem?
  
  I'm sure wikipedia contributors do that: today. But the article concerns players from the 1964-1984 time period, a time which is decidedly not today.

• On the post: Hollywood Talent Turns To Kickstarter To Escape 'Institutional Censorship'

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 18 May, 2012 @ 08:20pm

  Re: Cool beans.

  Depending on how they release the film, that may be an empty move on their part. Just because these guys are top-level talent doesn't necessarily mean they'll try to go to the theaters, after all.

• On the post: Google's Fiber Makes MPAA Skittish. Why Does Hollywood See All Technology In Terms Of Piracy?

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 03 May, 2012 @ 08:41am

  Really what's amazing about this is that the MPAA thinks anyone cares about its opinion of fiber broadband, as if the the public is going to stop and think "gee, I guess I'll just have to wait for faster internet access while Hollywood develops better piracy controls".

  
  
  See, that's the disturbing part. Even if no productive members of society care about its opinion, the government does (or at least its campaign contributions). Expect to see a bill authored by the MPAA, limiting the fiber optics system, sometime in the future.

• On the post: EU Rapporteur Deals Major Blow To ACTA: Recommends Rejection By European Parliament

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 12 Apr, 2012 @ 10:20am

  Wait a Minute

  Is this the same rapporteur who resigned, or is it his replacement? Or was that other rapporteur someone else entirely?

• On the post: Stardock CEO Wants To Maximize Sales, Not Stop Piracy

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 09 Apr, 2012 @ 07:43pm

  Re: Dont be ignorant

  ...to absorb the revenue lost from piracy
  
  How much does it cost stardock for you to go on thepiratebay and download one of their games, at no cost to them and without depleting their inventory?

• On the post: No, Netflix Has NOT Formed A Pro-SOPA SuperPAC

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 09 Apr, 2012 @ 07:39pm

  Seriously

  Guys, can we stop reporting every inane troll we see? It's gotten to the point where even legitimate opposing viewpoints (I.E. not this one) are getting hidden because they state an unpopular opinion.

• On the post: Supreme Court Says You Can Be Strip Searched When Admitted To Jails For Any Offense

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 03 Apr, 2012 @ 08:54am

  Re:

  But then how will we get our liquids out of the grocery stores...

• On the post: Court Suggests Politically Motivated Border Searches May Be Unconstitutional

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 29 Mar, 2012 @ 08:02pm

  Re: Re: Re:

  If you have to ask, you probably are one.

• On the post: Microsoft Spying On Live Messenger Messages, Censoring Any Pirate Bay Links

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 26 Mar, 2012 @ 02:51pm

  I'd just like to interject.

  What you're referring to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux. Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.
  
  Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called "Linux", and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project.
  
  There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. Linux is the kernel: the program in the system that allocates the machine's resources to the other programs that you run. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Linux is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system is basically GNU with Linux added, or GNU/Linux. All the so-called "Linux" distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux.

• On the post: Kim Dotcom Fires Back: Raises Questions About US's Evidence, Shows Studios Were Eager To Work With Megaupload

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 26 Mar, 2012 @ 02:38pm

  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

  That's a moot point really, since corn farmers couldn't be impartial jurors anyway: megaupload is destroying their jobs.

• On the post: Free 3D-Printable Kit To Connect Different Toy Construction Sets Released — But Partially Blocked Due To Patents

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 20 Mar, 2012 @ 08:28am

  Re: Re:

  I remember being younger and searching yard sales for cheap, large amounts of legos to build with, and it was always disappointing to see these boxes over half-filled with mega bloks. Most kids hate the way they feel, and in some ways I think their interoperability made them look more like a cheap lego knockoff than a real competitor.

• On the post: Wyden Tries To Get Anti-ACTA/TPP Amendments Included In JOBS Act Vote

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 20 Mar, 2012 @ 08:02am

  Re: Elsewhere

  That was my reaction as well; I'm surprised Mike didn't mention it.
  
  Just because the legislation is a good idea doesn't mean Wyden should get away with sneaking it into a bill where it doesn't belong.

• On the post: No That Won't Backfire At All: Questionable Story About Obama's Daughter Disappears From The Web

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 19 Mar, 2012 @ 07:49pm

  Re:

  I think in the sketchier parts of Mexico, a random shooting or mugging would be the least of someone's concerns, especially the president's daughter.
  
  If it wasn't apparently a safe region, there's no way I (as the president, or the secret service, or anyone else who could make the decision) would have anyone related to a major political figure going down there, with or without protection. But since it's a safe region, the point is moot.

• On the post: MPAA Exec: Only We Can Make Content That People Want

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 15 Mar, 2012 @ 04:52pm

  Re: Re: Re: It's not hogwash

  And Weird Harold

• On the post: The Things You Learn When You Send A Freedom Of Information Act Request About What The Gov't Knows About You

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 28 Feb, 2012 @ 08:35am

  Re: Re:

  The first time I ever visited techdirt was in January of 2008 in a high school computer class.
  
  Those were the days, when angry dude and Weird Harold were the reigning trolls...

• On the post: Judge Dumps EPIC's Ridiculous Lawsuit Trying To Force FTC To Stop Google's Privacy Policy Changes

  

  Matt T. ( profile ), 24 Feb, 2012 @ 07:06pm

  How about a Story?

  Mike, will you be doing a full article on Google's new privacy policy? I'd be interested to hear exactly what you think of it.

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