kevjohn 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (36) comment rss

  • On the post: 50 Cent: Piracy Is A Part Of The Marketing

    kevjohn ( profile ), 15 Sep, 2009 @ 11:08am

    Re:

    I download music, and it directly led me to going to a Tom Waits concert earlier this year, and a Leonard Cohen concert later this year. Thanks for your input though. It's always good to have divergent viewpoints voiced.

  • On the post: Once Again, Music Licensing Harms The DVD Release Of A Classic TV Show: The State Goes Generic

    kevjohn ( profile ), 11 Sep, 2009 @ 07:12am

    I love the 80's (and the 90's, to a lesser extent)

    This past weekend I just watched Manhunter, Michael Mann's excellent Miami Vice-y version of from 1986. One visual that will forever be stuck in my mind is the scene in the grocery store where the main character is telling his pre-teen son about how Hannibal Lecktor (how it's spelled in the film) nearly killed him and drove him insane. It appears to have been shot in an actual grocery store, with shelves filled with clearly-visible Cap'n Crunch and Folgers... and Mr. T Cereal!! Imagine sharing that story with your little kid on the sugary cereal aisle.

    Anyway, you don't get scenes like that these days. Just thought I'd share. Slow day at the office. :)

  • On the post: Arrested For Blogging About The Police?

    kevjohn ( profile ), 12 Aug, 2009 @ 06:59am

    Re: Actually, the charge is arrest with intent to intimidate.

    Prof. Gates applauds you for that comment.

  • On the post: Godzilla Takes On Comcast Over Trademark

    kevjohn ( profile ), 12 Aug, 2009 @ 06:37am

    Re: Have to disagree with you on this one mike...

    I'm in total agreement with you and pegr up there. Mike is a bit off on this one. That doesn't "bear a passing resemblance to Godzilla", that IS that MFer!! Next up for Comcast advertising: The Beetuls, starring Jon, Pau, Jorge, and Rengo.

  • On the post: Explaining Why 'If We Charge, People Will Pay' Thinking Is Misguided

    kevjohn ( profile ), 31 Jul, 2009 @ 11:56am

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    You can go out and buy a $4000 carbon fiber-frame bike but your riding will certainly still be distinguishable from a professional rider's. And you can go on any golf course and see two dozen guys playing with the same gear Tiger uses, but it doesn't help them break 100. On the same note, I've seen a lot of amateur photogs' work, mine own included, and it's extremely rare to see any that rises to the quality of a top professional. Then again, there are a lot of pure hacks out there making a good living off of their camera...

  • On the post: Explaining Why 'If We Charge, People Will Pay' Thinking Is Misguided

    kevjohn ( profile ), 31 Jul, 2009 @ 06:22am

    To be fair, a lot of the photogs on Model Mayhem are money-grubbing morons, worse than the models they complain about 24/7. I am surprised that there were so many of them who don't understand the simple way in which stock photography works though.

    Cover of Time magazine, where do I sign up? Hell, I'd pay them $30 for the publicity.

  • On the post: Japan's Smile Scanners A Classic Misuse Of Technology

    kevjohn ( profile ), 30 Jul, 2009 @ 07:35am

    Why doesn't the Keihin Railway Co. just spray that Joker smiley face acid spray (from the Jack Nicholson movie) in their employees' faces at the beginning of their shift?

  • On the post: Visa Accidentally Charges People $23 Quadrillion

    kevjohn ( profile ), 16 Jul, 2009 @ 11:02am

    Not Visa's fault!

    It's the consumers' fault for not having that much in their accounts to cover the $23 quad. If they did that then they wouldn't have to worry about the overdraft fees. Pay up, losers.

  • On the post: When You Can Hold Every Song Ever Recorded In Your Pocket… Does $1/Song Still Make Sense?

    kevjohn ( profile ), 02 Jun, 2009 @ 01:43pm

    Can't I just time warp 5 years into the future right now?

    Finally, someone in a industry who realizes that he is just a middleman, a reseller standing between the producers (in this case, the musicians) and the consumers. That basic business model has been failing left and right (Circuit City, CompUSA, Ritz Camera, etc.) and will continue to do so. People can buy electronics, gadgets, computer components, cameras, you name it, online for much less from the comfort of their home. They can get music just as easy, and for free. And with the recording industry, and more to the point, any major record label, not offering a reasonably priced and convenient alternative way to get their music legally, large numbers of people will still opt to do so illegally.

  • On the post: Why Should Mattel Get Future Plans For New Bratz Dolls?

    kevjohn ( profile ), 29 May, 2009 @ 08:27am

    Banned in the US

    This is reminding me of the fight Luke and the 2 Live Crew had. It's a fairly important issue that deserves to be fought, but damn why does the product behind it have to be so crappy?

  • On the post: Computer Repairman Steals Hard Drive, Tries To Charge Company For 'Retrieving' Data

    kevjohn ( profile ), 15 May, 2009 @ 06:59am

    innovative business model

    meh. He's still better than the Geek Squad.

  • On the post: Wolverine, Box Office Results… And Piracy

    kevjohn ( profile ), 05 May, 2009 @ 09:46am

    Wolveryawn (see what I did?)

    I purposely avoided the the leaked workprint to get the full experience at the theater. Meh. Shoulda just stuck with the workprint. Nah, I kid I kid. It wasn't horrible, just not great. Certainly not better than any of the superhero flicks released last year.

    On a side note, I noticed all the ads right before the movie came out were really pimping the special effects. I was wondering if this was an effort to lure the workprinters into thinking the finished effects were worth the price of admission alone. I haven't seen the leaked film (yet), but I'll go out on a limb and say they probably weren't. Anyway, would it be reasonable to chalk the costs of this possibly changed advertising strategy up to the downloaders?

  • On the post: Content Is Advertising; Advertising Is Content… On SNL

    kevjohn ( profile ), 13 Feb, 2009 @ 07:22am

    Re:

    I'm prety sure it didn't get any laughs because it wasn't the least bit funny. I do like the MacGruber skits in general, but these three were pretty weak.

  • On the post: Traditional Tribal Dance… Now Covered By Intellectual Property

    kevjohn ( profile ), 13 Feb, 2009 @ 07:12am

    Hey, we can dance if we want to. And we can leave your friends behind. Because your friends don't dance and if they don't dance well they're no friends of mine. We can dance.

    But maybe we shouldn't do the Maori dance.

  • On the post: South Carolina Considers Law That Would Criminalize Profanity In Public Forums

    kevjohn ( profile ), 16 Jan, 2009 @ 07:43am

    Re: Sen. Ford

    I am shocked this effing guy (I was going to use the actual cuss word, but that's been done to death here already) is a Democrat. This sounds like the kind of bullshit (OK, I couldn't resist the temptation) that the Republicans usually put forth. Honorable guy, but he needs to get his ass out of politics.

    For the record and in case anyone's interested, I'm registered independently with No Party Affiliation.

  • On the post: Oprah Sued For Patent Infringement Over Her Book Club

    kevjohn ( profile ), 07 Jan, 2009 @ 07:29am

    If you cannot defeateth them...

    joineth them!
    That's it, I'm going to add a late resolution to my list for 2009: get something patented. The more ludicrous, the better!