Alan Gerow 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (522)

• On the post: State AGs Now Targeting Backpage After Forcing Craigslist To Stop Helping Them Pursue Lawbreakers

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 21 Sep, 2010 @ 02:19pm

  Re:

  I guess what it comes down to is it's not that people are upset that other people in the world are being exploited ... it's that they had to be made aware of it through Craigslist. And they had to be reminded about it every time they went to sell some lawn furniture. They simply want to be able to ignore the problem more easily ... not actually fix anything.

• On the post: State AGs Now Targeting Backpage After Forcing Craigslist To Stop Helping Them Pursue Lawbreakers

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 21 Sep, 2010 @ 02:13pm

  It makes perfect sense. It's not about actually helping anyone, but appearing to help. And for the constituents, it's not about helping people they don't know, but just getting the seedy stuff out of their eyesight so that they can more easily ignore the problem ... thus in their personal life, the problem is solved because they don't see it any more. It doesn't actually matter if anyone's life is actually saved, because it's the VEIL of protection that matters to most people. They want a sense that something is being done to make THEIR life better ... they couldn't actually care less about the people being exploited.

• On the post: Police In South Africa Looking To Arrest Guy For Tweeting The Location Of Speed Traps

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 17 Sep, 2010 @ 02:21pm

  Re:

  It is not illegal to tell someone to obey the law.

• On the post: Police In South Africa Looking To Arrest Guy For Tweeting The Location Of Speed Traps

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 17 Sep, 2010 @ 02:19pm

  Re:

  There was a story recently of a guy who held a sign or something warning people to slow down because of a speed trap. The police arrested him, but he was let go when the cops were told it's not illegal to tell someone to obey the law.

• On the post: California Pre-Schoolers Getting Tracking Devices

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 27 Aug, 2010 @ 02:47pm

  I'm against the idea of uniforms in general. Adding an RFID chip to the jersey just adds on to the reasons to hate this plan. Also cements in my head why my wife & I plan on home schooling our children.

• On the post: Facebook Sues Teachbook Over Trademark Concerns; Where's Legalbook?

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 26 Aug, 2010 @ 12:06pm

  "Where's Legalbook?"
  
  I know this was a joke, but the lawyer version is called "Casebook".

• On the post: Phone Calls Are For Old People? Just Not Efficient Enough

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 06 Aug, 2010 @ 03:06pm

  Re: Re: Re: my 'status' is my business

  Me too, but it's an avenue that if someone wants to IM me, they can - and with Android, it'll alert my phone as if it were a text or e-mail. I usually send out e-mails; I don't like IMs.

• On the post: Phone Calls Are For Old People? Just Not Efficient Enough

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 06 Aug, 2010 @ 03:04pm

  Re:

  Before "visual voicemail" when you had to listen to each message in order ... it was excruciating. Having to skip through 20 messages of "call me back" or "this message is for X. I'm Soandso from ThisBusinessYouNeverHeardOf" before getting to the one you actually need to hear. At least with "visual voicemail" you can skip straight to the important ones and delete the rest.
  
  So, in the past 3 years it's less painful. But before that, I would fill up my voicemail box because so no one else could leave me a voicemail so that I didn't have to keep listening to stupid messages just to delete them.

• On the post: Phone Calls Are For Old People? Just Not Efficient Enough

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 06 Aug, 2010 @ 03:01pm

  Re:

  It's so you don't have to screen your calls and the other person won't bother calling you. And psssst, you're whining about people whining. Metawhining!

• On the post: Phone Calls Are For Old People? Just Not Efficient Enough

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 06 Aug, 2010 @ 02:57pm

  Re:

  That's business. I think most people are talking about personal calls.
  
  If it's business, you should answer the phone. It's just good business.

• On the post: Phone Calls Are For Old People? Just Not Efficient Enough

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 06 Aug, 2010 @ 02:55pm

  Re:

  "Well pardon me if I remind the dink who wrote that drivel that the telephone has been around...for a very long time."
  
  So were horse & buggies but that doesn't mean they're more useful and efficient than automobiles for most people.
  
  Just because something is old and been around for a long time doesn't mean it's the apex of what could be.
  
  And your home phone is always on. You have to LEAVE THE HOUSE to be free from the phone. I just don't answer it.

• On the post: Phone Calls Are For Old People? Just Not Efficient Enough

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 06 Aug, 2010 @ 02:44pm

  Re: my 'status' is my business

  My GTalk status is ALWAYS set to "Busy". Even when I'm actively IMing people.

• On the post: Phone Calls Are For Old People? Just Not Efficient Enough

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 06 Aug, 2010 @ 02:34pm

  I've felt this way for years. The way I put it "I have a cell phone so I can make calls, not so people can call me." If I don't recognize a number: no answer. If someone is calling me unexpected: 99% no answer - they can leave a voice mail, that Google Voice will transcribe, I will read, and then decide how I want to respond when I can work it into my schedule.
  
  I actually had the best man for my wedding back out because I wasn't available to chat on the phone with him enough, and he wouldn't talk through e-mail or text ever. He would just leave me 3 voicemails a day while I was working that I wouldn't listen to because he was just complaining about how I never answered the phone.

• On the post: Phone Calls Are For Old People? Just Not Efficient Enough

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 06 Aug, 2010 @ 02:26pm

  Re:

  And why do you think you have priority of 3 of the other person's minutes when you have a question?

• On the post: AT&T Sued For Revealing Police Chief's Phone Records To Jealous Wife

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 04 Aug, 2010 @ 04:48pm

  A cop wants a cell phone company to follow proper procedures when handing over phone records? Now that IS news.

• On the post: The Force Is Strong In Public Ridicule: Lucas Backs Down From Threats Against Wicked Lasers

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 03 Aug, 2010 @ 03:28pm

  It seems like public ridicule is the only way the right thing ever happens any more.

• On the post: How Many 'Significant Blows' Against File Sharing Will It Take For File Sharing To Actually Decrease?

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 07 Jul, 2010 @ 10:10am

  Inconceivable!

• On the post: .xxx Red Light District To Be Approved, Despite Complaints; But Will Anyone Actually Care?

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 29 Jun, 2010 @ 10:04pm

  Major corporations will likely feel they're in the uncomfortable position of having to purchase .xxx domains to protect their trademarks or just to prevent someone from getting the .xxx version of their domain and putting up unscrupulous content.
  
  Microsoft.xxx ... that could be a lot of fun.

• On the post: Film Director: File Sharing Only Hurts Bad Or Mediocre Films

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 14 Jun, 2010 @ 01:44pm

  Re:

  He self financed his own documentary.
  
  He has everything to lose.

• On the post: Film Director: File Sharing Only Hurts Bad Or Mediocre Films

  

  Alan Gerow ( profile ), 14 Jun, 2010 @ 01:43pm

  I'll consider stop downloading when the film studios give me a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If I can for any reason say I did not enjoy the movie and get my money back, then there would be less of a reason for me to pirate. Where "I just didn't like the movie" is a valid reason for a refund.
  
  I would rather pay $10 to see a movie in a theater than download even a DVD quality version, but I hate paying $10 to see garbage in a theater. And I will pirate a movie to watch at home to avoid paying $10 for a movie that doesn't deserve my money. But I have absolutely no issue giving $10 for an enjoyable movie experience.
  
  I had to apologize to my friends for dragging them to see "The Cable Guy" so many years ago. I still feel bad about that, and angry that the movie fooled me into seeing it.

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