Jeff Rivett 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (36) comment rss

  • On the post: Yes: Breaking Web Articles Into Multiple Pages Is A Pain

    Jeff Rivett ( profile ), 03 Oct, 2012 @ 06:45am

    I blame Steve Krug

    Krug's book, "Don't Make Me Think", was the reason I had to break up long pages in a previous job. I hated needless pagination then, and I still hate it. However, I'm increasingly convinced that it's a personal preference, and there's no 'right' way to do it. In a perfect world, all sites would offer both options and a browser preference would set my default for all sites.

  • On the post: Def Leppard Covers Its Own Songs With 'Forgeries' To Fight Back Against Universal Music

    Jeff Rivett ( profile ), 06 Jul, 2012 @ 09:32am

    Re: (AC neglected to enter a subject)

    Willingly, true, but at the time there was no other way to achieve 'success'. Yes, the band no doubt benefited: being such a big act, they surely recouped and made some money. But if you compared the amount made by the band with what the label (and their cronies) made from the band, you'd rethink your statement.

  • On the post: Director Sues Paramount And Universal After Both Deny Knowing Who Holds The Rights To His Film

    Jeff Rivett ( profile ), 29 May, 2012 @ 11:41am

    That explains why I haven't been able to find a high def version

    As this is one of my favourite films, I've been looking for a high definition version for a while now. Perhaps this explains why my search has come up empty so far.

  • On the post: HBO Decides It Still Isn't Difficult Enough To Watch HBO Shows

    Jeff Rivett ( profile ), 19 Apr, 2012 @ 06:08am

    Component vs. HDMI

    I don't know where ARS got their information, but component cables are as capable as HDMI in terms of video quality. They work with 720p and up.

  • On the post: Did DOJ Provoke Anonymous On Purpose?

    Jeff Rivett ( profile ), 20 Jan, 2012 @ 08:42am

    Not a chance this was goading

    For this suggestion of goading to make any sense, the people doing the goading would have needed to find or create security vulnerabilities on their web sites/servers. Nobody would do that. "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor)

  • On the post: Anti-SOPA/PIPA Protest Songs

    Jeff Rivett ( profile ), 19 Jan, 2012 @ 03:15pm

    Re: Re: Anti-SOPA lyrics for The Battle Hymn of the Republic

    Nina, you just made my sister's day! By the way, you rock.

  • On the post: Anti-SOPA/PIPA Protest Songs

    Jeff Rivett ( profile ), 18 Jan, 2012 @ 08:11am

    Anti-SOPA lyrics for The Battle Hymn of the Republic

    My sister wrote the following in response to SOPA (sung to the tune of The Battle Hymn of the Republic):

    Mine eyes have seen the glory of an internet that?s free
    ? free in Yemen, and Oaxaca, also free to you and me
    Not speaking of who pays for it, but human liberty
    The Internet is free!

    Lobbyists take sand and pound it
    Leave the net the way you found it
    We will learn to route around it!
    The Internet is free!

    You?ve woken up a Golem you will never ever stop
    When under-20s get it they will fight you till they drop
    What kind of harvest will you get with ignorance the crop?
    The Internet is free!

  • On the post: Citizen Recording Of Police Proves Officer Lied About Arrest

    Jeff Rivett ( profile ), 21 Sep, 2011 @ 07:00am

    Lying is part of every cop's bag of tricks

    Anyone who is surprised when a cop lies just hasn't been around cops very much. Cops' lying is a natural reaction to how much lying they face every day from the people they normally deal with. Which is not to excuse it by any means. In fact, I feel that cops should be held to a much higher standard of behaviour than us 'little people' because of their position of trust and the fact that they have so much power over us. If a cop decides they don't like you, they can - quite simply - destroy your life.

  • On the post: Why It Makes Sense For Record Labels To Offer All Music Freely As MP3s

    Jeff Rivett ( profile ), 21 Jul, 2010 @ 03:56pm

    Why the labels will fight to the bitter end

    Because they are publicly-traded companies, which means that management is responsible to the shareholder. They cannot and will not make a change that they know will reduce the company's profit, until such time as there is no other option. Some won't do it even then, and those companies will die.

  • On the post: Motorola Does Openness Wrong; Bricks Your Droid X If You Tamper

    Jeff Rivett ( profile ), 15 Jul, 2010 @ 10:38pm

    They really don't get it

    This ridiculous 'feature' with the cutesy name (I can just imagine the marketing meeting where they dreamed up that one) sends a message to potential (and actual) customers: "We think you're a criminal." They're going to lose a lot more customers than the hobbyists. The only company that can get away with this sort of crap is Apple, and that's only because the same idiots keep buying Apple's stuff and will never be swayed.

  • On the post: Is The New Music Business Model About Joint Ventures Between Musicians And Labels?

    Jeff Rivett ( profile ), 15 Jul, 2010 @ 10:27pm

    The labels will be lucky to get 50%

    When this revolution is over, musicians will be - quite rightly - in control. The labels will provide services to musicians, including recording, promotion, tour organization, and so on. Some bands won't use the labels at all (think Radiohead), while others use the labels to do the stuff they aren't interested in doing themselves. Very few will continue to let the labels do everything, but even those artists will still be in control and make more money from their own creativity than the labels. The digital revolution is Pandora's Box, baby. Eventually all musicians will realize all they have to do is tell the labels to take a hike, and the labels will crawl back for any kind of deal they can get. Because the labels no longer control the process. The labels will still be profitable, just not obscenely so.

  • On the post: IFPI Complains That Canada's New Copyright Bill Not Draconian Enough

    Jeff Rivett ( profile ), 10 Jun, 2010 @ 07:47am

    A thought experiment

    Whenever I read this kind of thing, I try to imagine what the world would be like if these bozos got everything they wanted. The only real winners in the resulting Orwellian landscape would be - as usual - lawyers. Every other person would be a lawyer. ::shudders::

  • On the post: RIAA CEO Tries To Connect China Google Hack With Google's Attitude Towards Copyright

    Jeff Rivett ( profile ), 26 Feb, 2010 @ 06:50am

    Thought experiment

    It's illuminating to think about what the world would be like if the RIAA and their pals were granted all their wishes.

  • On the post: Why A Music Tax Is A Bad Idea

    Jeff Rivett ( profile ), 10 Dec, 2008 @ 05:18am

    "If Jim Griffin wants us to hold back on criticizing his plan, why can't he and Warner hold back on implementing their plan that effectively blocks out the market forces that are already succeeding?"

    Because his definition of "success" is radically different from yours (and mine): for him, success is keeping profits high. He will do and say anything to maintain profits and satisfy shareholders. It's his job.

  • On the post: Loud Mobile Phone Talkers Leads List Of Mobile Etiquette Annoyances

    Jeff Rivett ( profile ), 24 Oct, 2008 @ 11:51am

    No sidetone on mobiles

    I've been pointing at the lack of sidetone (feedback) as the major contributor to this problem for years. I think the main reason there's no sidetone on cell phones is that it requires a small amount of amplification, and that would reduce battery life. However, I think the sacrifice would be worth it.

  • On the post: Has Anyone At AT&T Ever Called AT&T Tech Support?

    Jeff Rivett ( profile ), 20 Aug, 2008 @ 06:14am

    Typical

    Sadly, these experiences are becoming the norm. In recent months, I've been through similar ordeals with a variety of support outfits, including two separate phone providers and a magazine (regarding my subscription). Your comment on the lack of real competition makes me think of the so-called competition between ATI and Nvidia in the display hardware arena: I know that every time I buy an ATI board, I end up swearing I'll never get another one, then buying an Nvidia card next time, then swearing off NVidia, etc. ad nauseum. Based on the support forums I've seen, I'm not the only person going through this. If both companies are equally incompetent, is it really competition?