Grover’s Techdirt Profile

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  • Mar 23rd, 2013 @ 10:18am

    Re: As wisely noted,

    I agree with this statement. However, in practice, I've found it quite difficult to accomplish when faced with a highly motivated, fanatical mindset (think of our esteemed Westboro Baptist Church). While it is more-than-likely true, hate-speech mongers feed on being recognized and at the center of attention, which is why they're called attention-whores.

    Ignoring them and hoping they will go away hasn't seemed to work as well as hoped for - they just get more vocal and creative in pushing their agenda. In some cases, laws have curbed the brazen, in-your-face, confrontational excesses - but they've not extinguished the underlying motivation(s).

  • Nov 16th, 2012 @ 8:01am

    Evil is as evil does

    We all know the old adage that "money is the root of all evil" - or something to that effect. Figuring out how to squeeze every last drop of blood (money) as possible, without considering the benefits of humanitarianism ("...which is an ethic of kindness, benevolence, and sympathy extended universally and impartially to all human beings...") simply has to have it roots in greed; and greed, in its simplest form, has no room for anyone else other than those it directly benefits. I tend to view such people, and/or corporations, as evil and greedy beyond belief. It is one thing to yearn to make a decent living, by offering to sell your services or wares; it is entirely another to devise methodologies, such as outlined here, to squeeze more money out of something that has already been sold.

  • Nov 9th, 2012 @ 10:33am

    Music licensing

    It was back in 2009 that I put together a photo montage of my brother's Boss Hoss that I'd done a lot of metalwork/fabrication on. The two songs I chose to incorporate into that video were perfect for the feel and tempo of it. Unfortunately, as soon as I uploaded it to Youtube, I was met with the message that the music would be muted because of copyright issues. Well, crap. So, I DID NOT UPLOAD IT to Youtube because of that - I just couldn't find any other music that was close to the original two from Youtube's free collection.

    Anyway, almost two years later, while perusing Youtube for Boss Hoss videos, I CAME ACROSS MY OWN VIDEO, WITH THE ORIGINAL TWO SONGS ON IT!!! The information on the video said there was a standard Youtube license applied. While I am happier-n-chit over seeing the video out there, what interests me is how did that happen, and who put it out there? I never uploaded the video!

    Non-commercial use of a song for home-made videos, regardless of whether they're put out there on the web or used for home viewing (as in weddings, funerals,or immortalizing a child's accomplishments), shouldn't be subject to greedy monetizing. Greedy monetizing efforts should be contained within the context of commercialization, period. My two cents.

  • Nov 2nd, 2012 @ 2:12pm

    Words

    This should really be a red flag to anyone with even half a brain. No individual word, letter, or symbol should be ever be allowed to be monopolized, by anyone. I can't believe this is even being considered valid or right by this douche company. @eggs?!

  • Nov 1st, 2012 @ 1:26pm

    Re:

    To be civil, it's pronounced 'coont'.

  • Oct 31st, 2012 @ 2:33pm

    Fences

    What if the fence around a field was a 10-foot-tall, privacy fence? Obviously, such a fence would create the expectation of privacy. I'm not seeing where the 'field' in question was really a field, by definition. A field, by its very nature is an open area, generally surrounded by trees, brush, or fencing. How does one enter an open field and set up multiple cameras? Tripods? Duck blinds?

    I would think the next step for these fellows would be to put up a high voltage containment fence and their own surveillence cameras.

  • Mar 22nd, 2012 @ 6:44am

    Term limits

    This kind of crap from 'civil servants', aka politicians, is what happens when they are allowed to hold onto a position for more than two years, especially those that have their hand in making laws. Don't they realize that they, themselves, will be subject to the very laws they're making - at the behest of special-interest groups, and corporations, who's only interest is in their bottom line?

    Greed. . .it all boils down to greed and money. Evil is alive and well in the world.

  • Mar 21st, 2012 @ 11:15am

    This has nothing to do with 'protecting children'

    This has everything to do with grandstanding and simply having nothing better to do but kowtow to industry. These people do not care about anything, or anybody - especially children; they're here to satisfy their own political agenda. Those who are pushing this from behind the veneer of political discourse are simply trying to gain more credibility in their industry. Think about it: if you, as an industry shill or insider, can pass this, then it would give you immense credibility as being someone to reckon with, and at the same time allow you to be 'compensated' generously.

    These are people who are trying to justify their existence, period.

  • Feb 6th, 2012 @ 1:59pm

    JIHAD

    M1 Garands, Lee-Enfields, SAWs, RPGs. . .the list is endless. What we really need is a jihad against the entertainment/news media. I'm doing my part by never going to the theater any more, never buying another music album/cd, or movie, and I've cancelled my newspaper. These power-hungry control freaks need to understand that WE are the ones in control of THEIR money; and we can collectively hurt their asses a lot by doing that alone. Really, though, these power-hungry control freaks just simply need to be taken out. Here and now, I am going out on a limb and advocating assassinations. I, among millions of others, are sick and tired of these greedy, corrupt, dickbreath a-holes buying our already corrupt officials through 'contributions' to pass laws that only benefit themselves. No law should ever be passed without a majority constituant approval - and that means to me, in particular, no bill be brought up for consideration that wasn't supported by a majority of the voting public from the affected state of the bill's proponent.

    I've sent this same message to a number of my representatives, with the added note that should their name ever appear on a bill that supports this level of insanity, their name goes to the top of the list for recall, impeachment, or whatever it takes to remove their sorry ass from a job that they promised to uphold with integrity.

    Seriously, if it wasn't for the masochist in me, I probably wouldn't be visiting Techdirt any longer because it just totally flames me out seeing all this crap being done in secret, behind our collective backs, with damn-near impunity. God, I wish I had the power to strike all these idiots dead in their tracks.

    Ok, rant over. . .for now, the migraine is becoming unbearable - until the next time.

  • Jan 21st, 2012 @ 6:15am

    Kill them all

    In light of Dodd's recent insanity, I would proffer that the old adage of '. . .kill all the politicians' should include lobbyists as well.

  • Jan 21st, 2012 @ 6:06am

    Symbiosis

    Typically, when there is an apparent symbiotic relationship, removing one will cause the demise of either. With the advent of declaring corporations 'individual entities', our government effectively declared its willingness to be bought by these deep-pocketed 'citizens'.

    Personally, I really, really hate politicians - first, and foremost, because of their inherent self-serving greed and corruptness; and coming in a fast second, they quickly forget who put them in office in the first place - we, the voters. We, who trusted them to go forth and help run our country in a sane and honest manner, are invariably left with a bad taste in our mouths as we discover that we were simply pawns in a game of deceit, a game of power and money. I will never trust a politician, at any level, to be honest and stand up for the benefit of their constituents.

    What is truly needed here is a law that would make it illegal for a politician to accept 'donations' - of any kind, from anyone. Let them stump about on their own dime if they want to reach the voters with their chosen platform of lies and deceptions. It would be my desire to see every politician's time at bat limited to four years - and no more, ever. Once you've completed your 'public service' in office, you're out and someone else gets their turn. Never should we have people in an elected position for any longer - it begs to be corrupted. Never should we have politicians sponsoring laws that would only benefit a group, a class, or an industry to the detriment of the whole. Laws should only be made to prevent evil, at whatever level, and to promote the greater good for all.

  • Dec 23rd, 2011 @ 9:55am

    (untitled comment)

    I just watched a YouTube video that I thought I'd share: Stop SOPA by Michael Mozart. It is worth the watch.

    We have voted into office some of the most technologically-ignorant, self-serving, corrupt people imaginable – who are easily influenced by bogus, spin-doctored numbers and large wads of campaign money – and we’re now getting a whiff of the awful stench they’ve been brewing with the big media/content industries.

    I, for one, will be doing my best to never knowingly give ‘them’ another dime of my money by NOT buying newspapers, going to the theaters, or anything else I find connected to ‘them’.