PT 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (150) comment rss

  • On the post: CNET Reporter Resigns Over CBS Interference In Dish CES Award

    PT ( profile ), 14 Jan, 2013 @ 11:36am

    Interesting!

    What is this "hopper" of which they speak? I'd never heard of it before, but now I'm thinking I need to buy one. Thanks for the tip, CBS!

  • On the post: Thank Joe Lieberman For YouTube Accidentally Censoring Key Syrian Watchdog's YouTube Channel

    PT ( profile ), 08 Jan, 2013 @ 02:12pm

    Re: Re: Complaints

    Not just atheists. Anyone who understands the scientific method would oppose the teaching of both alchemy and creationism as science in public schools. This includes many people of faith. On the other hand, nobody would object to teaching creationism in the context of religious studies.

  • On the post: Techdirt Interview With Derek Khanna, Author Of The RSC 'Fix Copyright' Policy Briefing

    PT ( profile ), 08 Jan, 2013 @ 10:10am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    We're talking politics and what citizens care about. Copyright isn't an issue that citizens riot about. Food can be.

    I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. True, copyright in and of itself isn't an issue that citizens riot about. It doesn't affect them; they consider it irrelevant and ignore it. On the other hand, attempts to enforce copyright through DMCA takedowns, ludicrous statutory damages and the criminalization of civil tort does affect citizens.

    I'm sure nobody in North Africa gave a damn about illegal fruit trading until Mohamed Bouazizi made it an issue.

  • On the post: Thank Joe Lieberman For YouTube Accidentally Censoring Key Syrian Watchdog's YouTube Channel

    PT ( profile ), 08 Jan, 2013 @ 10:22am

    Let us not forget that Lieberman holds dual citizenship, and therefore has a greater interest in certain kinds of news than may appear at first glance.

  • On the post: Developer Of Bookmaking Software Gets Full Kim Dotcom Treatment For 'Promoting Gambling'

    PT ( profile ), 08 Jan, 2013 @ 09:11am

    Precedent

    If he'd taken the plea bargain and put in the back doors, would Congress have passed a law giving him retroactive immunity?

  • On the post: Techdirt Interview With Derek Khanna, Author Of The RSC 'Fix Copyright' Policy Briefing

    PT ( profile ), 07 Jan, 2013 @ 12:46pm

    Re:

    I believe Mr Khanna needs to be returned to Congress for the public good. Is there perhaps a safe Republican seat where he might mount a primary challenge for 2014? Texas 21st District would be good. I have my check book out.

  • On the post: DailyDirt: Get A Little Bit Older And A Little Bit Slower…

    PT ( profile ), 03 Jan, 2013 @ 09:01am

    Re: Does Stockholm Syndrome make us love the Grim Reaper?

    Since most of the diseases that make people miserable and long for death are related to aging, extending lifetime by preventing senescence should take care of that problem nicely. Imagine living 80 or 90 years in the body of a 25 year old. Life would be pretty sweet.

    Unfortunately, if such a technology were developed, only the most unsuitable people would be able to afford it.

  • On the post: Copyfraud: Copyright Claims On CDs Say It's Infringement To Loan Your CD To A Friend

    PT ( profile ), 28 Dec, 2012 @ 10:40am

    Re: Re: Re: LENDING: clarification

    But the copy on the CD was sold. The copy of the content is as much my property as the physical media. The only right retained by the IP holder is the monopoly right to make further copies.

    As for licensing, show me the agreement I signed when I purchased the CD, and then we'll talk.

  • On the post: Copyfraud: Copyright Claims On CDs Say It's Infringement To Loan Your CD To A Friend

    PT ( profile ), 28 Dec, 2012 @ 10:34am

    Re:

    If they were to take this a little further, that a CD can only be listened to by the purchaser after the purchase, it might help some record companies to sell more CDs.

  • On the post: Negotiations Continue Over Extension Of Feds Ability To Spy On Americans; But No Debate On The Issues

    PT ( profile ), 13 Dec, 2012 @ 05:40pm

    Seems pointless

    I can understand why Congress doesn't think it's a big deal. They never worried about it being illegal in the past, and I can't believe the Act expiring will have any effect on the program now.

  • On the post: Mayor Of London Says Internet To Blame For British Press Sins

    PT ( profile ), 12 Dec, 2012 @ 09:46am

    Re: Please Read Boris Johnson's Article

    I went and read the linked article, and was intrigued by the picture of this Boris Johnson person at the top. The resemblance to Donald Trump is quite remarkable! I wonder if they may be related?

  • On the post: Mayor Of London Says Internet To Blame For British Press Sins

    PT ( profile ), 11 Dec, 2012 @ 10:05am

    Oh puh-leeez...

    every year the internet eats more destructively into the business case for old-fashioned journalism. That is at least one of the reasons why some journalists have been driven to behave so disgracefully

    What a load of bollocks. Tabloid journalists behave disgracefully because they are unprincipled shits and know no other way to behave. It's not like this behavior is anything recent. I worked for a company in England, in the early 1990s. One of my colleagues kept on his desk a radio scanner and a cassette recorder. When I asked him why, he told me that we were within range of a cell tower that was, in turn, within range of a Royal residence, and back in those days, cell tower relays were analog and unencrypted. Occasionally, if you paid attention, you could catch one side of a conversation between a princess and her lover, for which Rupert Murdoch's Sun tabloid would pay handsomely. He had already sold them several.

    As for the internet, back in those days I'd be surprised if any journalist had ever heard of it. I myself had only read stories about it in Phrack.

  • On the post: Rep. Lofgren Looks To Reddit To Help Crowdsource Anti-SOPA

    PT ( profile ), 19 Nov, 2012 @ 11:21am

    On the other hand...

    While on the face of it this sounds like a good thing, why is the solution always more laws? A law for "internet freedom" will end up as a reservation, with everything not specifically included being excluded by default. We need the opposite, repeal of the laws that threaten internet freedom. We could start with the DMCA.

    Maybe if people would stop calling the fuckers "lawmakers" and start calling them "representatives", they might get their priorities right.

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

    PT ( profile ), 19 Nov, 2012 @ 09:34am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Dear Shills

    Good luck finding a jury that will convict.

  • On the post: At SEC: Porn Surfing Down, Waste Up, Stunning Disregard For Basic Computer Security

    PT ( profile ), 16 Nov, 2012 @ 12:26pm

    "One regional staff accountant ran into the "no-porn" wall 1,800 times in a two week period, yet remained still employed."

    There, restated the problem in two words. I doubt if an individual in private industry would get much further than a tenth of that block total before he was asked to step into the boss's office. The problem with government jobs is they're all carrot, no stick.

  • On the post: Electronic Versions Of Textbooks Spy On Students As They Read Them

    PT ( profile ), 16 Nov, 2012 @ 12:11pm

    Re: Damn you, Neal Stephenson

    Bring it on, I say. There's a wonderful opportunity here for a killer app (patent pending) that automatically turns pages and makes cross-reference notes while the owner eats, drinks and sleeps. Great scores all round, $$$ for me.

  • On the post: Naked Scanner Maker Accused Of Manipulating Tests To Make Scans Look Less Invasive

    PT ( profile ), 16 Nov, 2012 @ 11:58am

    ...it raises serious questions about why they were purchased and put into use in the first place...

    Oh, I think we all know why they were purchased. As for why they were put into use, it's a principle established by long precedent that the government never negotiates away or takes out of service any piece of Congressional pork until it's been paid for and its sponsors adequately compensated.

  • On the post: Why Do We Even Have 'Distribution' As A Right Protected By Copyright?

    PT ( profile ), 15 Nov, 2012 @ 05:04pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Damn activist judges, legislating from the bench!

  • On the post: Why Do We Even Have 'Distribution' As A Right Protected By Copyright?

    PT ( profile ), 15 Nov, 2012 @ 05:00pm

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

    Let's say that I make available a copyrighted work in a share folder, and the 1,000 people download it from me. Under Mike's view, where there's no distribution right, I haven't done anything wrong since I didn't violate the reproduction right.

    If you want to get pedantic about it, you did violate the reproduction right when your computer retrieved the data and transmitted it on request. I did not violate the reproduction right when I simply received and stored the data that you reproduced for me.

  • On the post: Meet The Patent Troll Suing Hundreds Of Companies For Encrypting Web Traffic

    PT ( profile ), 13 Nov, 2012 @ 09:48am

    Re: Endless lawsuits

    What, now the "banned book" spam has come to Techdirt?

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