mjb5406 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (217) comment rss

  • On the post: Looking At The Redbox Antitrust Fight

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 20 Oct, 2009 @ 05:36pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Price...

    Well, as I mention in another post, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Blockbuster was part of the studios' cospiracy, too.

  • On the post: Looking At The Redbox Antitrust Fight

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 20 Oct, 2009 @ 05:35pm

    Re: Redbox

    First, they couldn't rent for $1 a night, because that would destroy their weak argument that Redbox "devalues" a movie by their cheap pricing. Second, Universal is already testing that in Europe, where Redbox doesn't exist. So, the theory is that they want Redbox gone here so they can monopolize the market. Why would you want to support those greedy studio bigwig bastards anyhow?

  • On the post: Looking At The Redbox Antitrust Fight

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 20 Oct, 2009 @ 05:32pm

    Re:

    Back when this all started, reps from Universal Studios Home Entertainment (USHE) waltzed into Redbox's headquarters and demanded (1) a percentage of each rental, (2) Redbox's agreement to not sell used copies and (3) some delay (can't remember the number of days) before they could rent new releases. They gave Redbox something like 72 hours to comply, at which time USHE told Ingram and VPD to stop selling to Redbox. Another word for this kind of control of downstream sales is "extortion". Basically, Blockbuster and the other brick & mortar rental chains pay the studios a percentage of each rental, so a single copy can make the studio a lot more profit than if that copy were simply sold. Now, call me a conspiracy theorist, but it wouldn't surprise me if Blockbuster or some other chains weren't somehow behind this, too, in an effort to kill off the cheaper competition.

  • On the post: Looking At The Redbox Antitrust Fight

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 20 Oct, 2009 @ 05:25pm

    Re: Re: Re: Price...

    Redbox is in Oakbrook Terrace IL, and is a division of Coinstar. What on earth does commercial real estate value have to do with the studios' bullshit arguments?

  • On the post: Senegal President Wants Royalty On Tourist Trap He Built

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 08 Oct, 2009 @ 08:15am

    That's the Way of Senegal

    Several years ago, I flew Delta to South Africa to visit my now-wife... there was a refuelling stop in Dakar, Senegal. It took 4 hours. Why? Because the Senegalese government insisted on "inspecting" every inch of the plane for contraband and, supposedly, weapons. Workers came onto the plane and searched every nook and cranny... carry-on bags had to be opened by their owners, even the seat back pouches were turned inside-out... evidently the vomit bags could be used to stage a coup. I found out afterwards that it was the "price we paid" for the privilege of landing in Senegal and also found out that Delta paid a hefty sum to the government, too. It was a torturous 4 hour stay on the tarmac... we had to stay on the plane. Delta has since stopped using Dakar, Senegal for its refuelling stop.

  • On the post: Class Action Copyright Suit Filed Against Scribd… By Jammie Thomas' Lawyers?

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 21 Sep, 2009 @ 09:07am

    Next 15 Minutes of Fame

    Well, after the Jammie Thomas debacle, these shyster attorneys need something "sensational" to keep them in the public eye, so here you go.

    Wait... can they now sue Techdirt for "allowing" me to call them sbysters?

  • On the post: Can A Phone Service Provider Block Calls To Numbers It Doesn't Like?

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 05 Sep, 2009 @ 11:36am

    Re: Use or don't use it

    I don't think anyone is quibbling over that... it seems that the issue is simply with number blocking, and whether or not magicJack falls under Common Carrier rules. For $40 for the first year with the hardware, and $20 a year after that, it's really hard to argue the economics. I'm surprised nobody has bitched about "it only works if I leave my computer on" :-)

  • On the post: Can A Phone Service Provider Block Calls To Numbers It Doesn't Like?

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 05 Sep, 2009 @ 11:33am

    Re: Meet Mike Masnick, the Jew

    Wow... not TOO anti-Semitic are we?

  • On the post: Can A Phone Service Provider Block Calls To Numbers It Doesn't Like?

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 05 Sep, 2009 @ 08:51am

    I wonder...

    If, in fact, magicJack is not considered a Telco or a CLEC, how on earth can services like FreeConference even bill them? The only answer I can think of is that, while magicJack is not a Telco or CLEC, they have to use some CLEC to connect to the traditional phone system; if that's the case, magicJack may, indeed, be justified in blocking the call, and it would probably be legal if they are doing so as part of their contract with the CLEC; the CLEC isn't doing the blocking, so they are not, technically, in vioation of FCC regulations. Sounds like a pretty grey area.

  • On the post: Can A Phone Service Provider Block Calls To Numbers It Doesn't Like?

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 05 Sep, 2009 @ 08:46am

    Re: FREE! Wow, I'll order 100 of those free MagicJack things!

    Not sure about your assertion that he offered it to one person... it was not posted as a reply (I think my message triggered it since I questioned whether it was the real inventor or not), but as a standalone message entitled "If You Knew Me". There was nothing in it that said "the first person to contact me", etc. Maybe if it was sent as a reply it would be different, and I would agree with you, but the message seemed pretty clear as a "come one, come all".

  • On the post: Can A Phone Service Provider Block Calls To Numbers It Doesn't Like?

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 05 Sep, 2009 @ 08:41am

    Re: telemarketing calls

    It doesn't necessarily mean that the MJ is at fault... lots of telemarketers "spoof" their called ID number. If it is from overseas, though, it could simply be that the caller ID just looks like the same number because of the addition or lack of country & city codes.

  • On the post: Can A Phone Service Provider Block Calls To Numbers It Doesn't Like?

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 05 Sep, 2009 @ 08:39am

    Re: Connect MJ with Google Voice - SOLVED!

    The site isn't valid... and honestly, if you have or sign up for a Gmail account, then go to www.google.com/voice and sign up for Google Voice you'll get it in a short period of time. Not sure if the URL listed is an error or just bogus, but I doubt if anyone has "connections" with Google to get a GV number faster.

  • On the post: Can A Phone Service Provider Block Calls To Numbers It Doesn't Like?

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 05 Sep, 2009 @ 08:34am

    Re: Re: Re: Linux

    Dear AC (#??? ... there are so many of you).,

    This is hardly an issue of "front line" vs. second, third or higher level of support... front-line reps should have a script saying "We work with, and have been tested to work with, such-and-such operating systems". What's the big deal about that? They may not know why, but they should be able to tell someone that.

  • On the post: Can A Phone Service Provider Block Calls To Numbers It Doesn't Like?

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 05 Sep, 2009 @ 08:30am

    Re:

    We'll see... they sent me a UPS tracking #

  • On the post: Can A Phone Service Provider Block Calls To Numbers It Doesn't Like?

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 04 Sep, 2009 @ 10:47pm

    Re: Taking Dan up

    I will too... and will report back if the "free" magicJack requires you to give a credit card # (like they require if you get the 30 day trial).

  • On the post: Can A Phone Service Provider Block Calls To Numbers It Doesn't Like?

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 04 Sep, 2009 @ 08:22pm

    Re: Linux

    Oh good grief... I don't work for magicJack yet I know that the unit contains flash memory with auto-installed drivers for Windows and OS X and none for Linux. If your people don't hav answers to the really simple qustions like that, they sure can't be relied upon to answer any kind of more complex technical issue, like "is the OS X driver Snow Leopard compatible" or "can it work with 64-bit Vista" (if it's not a digitally-signed driver, no it won't). Not a very good start for tech info.

  • On the post: Can A Phone Service Provider Block Calls To Numbers It Doesn't Like?

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 04 Sep, 2009 @ 08:15pm

    Re: Magic Jack

    Actually, I know why... there is a bit of flash memory in the magicJack that contains small Windows & Mac drivers that are automatically installed the first time you plug it in; there are simply no Linux drivers at the present time. Plus, I doubt if a large enough percentage of their intended customer audience runs Linux.

  • On the post: Can A Phone Service Provider Block Calls To Numbers It Doesn't Like?

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 04 Sep, 2009 @ 08:13pm

    Re: Re: Conference calling

    Is there any proof that the guy saying he is the inventor (with a capital "I") and CEO of magicJack? I mean, anyone could post those comments... even with the Random Unnecessary Capitaliation.

  • On the post: Swedish Regulators Say The Word 'bank' Not Allowed In Any Domain Names… Except If You're A Bank

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 28 Aug, 2009 @ 06:09am

    Too bad...

    ...that the wedish word for "bank" is "bank".

    What about blood banks, sperm banks (as another poster noted), etc? Ridiculous.

  • On the post: Hacked Recap

    mjb5406 ( profile ), 24 Aug, 2009 @ 01:01pm

    Re: Re: My SQL Injection

    My bad... quite honestly, I haven't used Transact-SQL for years, and in older versions you HAD to use GO... I'm an Oracle DBA at heart!

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