Anshar 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (72) comment rss

  • On the post: Entertainment Industry Still Insisting That Gov't Protectionism Is The Only Way To Compete

    Anshar ( profile ), 16 Jun, 2009 @ 10:17am

    Ok... how about a reversal?

    Why don't the ISPs go after the entertainment industry? After all, every hour one spends in a movie theater is an hour NOT spent on the Internet using bandwidth? Makes about as much sense too.

  • On the post: Can Washington Charge Unauthorized Downloaders With Tax Evasion?

    Anshar ( profile ), 03 Jun, 2009 @ 01:33pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Free codes

    Could a download of an intentionally free product be considered a purchase for $0.00?

  • On the post: Can Washington Charge Unauthorized Downloaders With Tax Evasion?

    Anshar ( profile ), 03 Jun, 2009 @ 11:41am

    Well, I'm not not American, but I see another question here: If a user in WA downloads a copy of openoffice.org, does he or she have to pay a tax on the purchase price of MS-Office?

  • On the post: Surprise: Beijing Court Sides With Victim Of Internet Censorship

    Anshar ( profile ), 27 May, 2009 @ 09:17am

    Makes Me Wonder...

    just how specific or vague China's laws are in defining "illegal content". After all, for an ISP to provide proof of the content should be no effort at all. That leads me to assume the trouble was with proving the illegality of that content.

  • On the post: Mark Helprin Stole From Techdirt Commenters (Using The Logic Of Mark Helprin)

    Anshar ( profile ), 21 May, 2009 @ 01:20pm

    Re: Now I need to buy the book

    Better yet, borrow it from your local library. If they don't have it, ask for an inter-library loan. That should really make his head spin. :) Copyright 2009 Anshar :P

  • On the post: Disputing A Bogus Charge Is A Violation Of Terms Of Service?

    Anshar ( profile ), 19 May, 2009 @ 11:31am

    Re: Re: Twisted Logic

    1. Yup, I'm gonna be that guy.

    2. Learn to read; "LOL" puntuates a statement referring to the porn site's ToS and the absurd clauses therein.

    3. The post has nothing at all to do with Lori Drew's actions (whatever you may think of them); it has to do with her trial and more specifically the labarynthine route taken by prosecutors in that trial to find something (anything) with which to charge her.

    4. All of the above notwithstanding, I'm still gonna be that guy. Grow up and deal with it; political correctness has gotten way out of hand.

  • On the post: Disputing A Bogus Charge Is A Violation Of Terms Of Service?

    Anshar ( profile ), 19 May, 2009 @ 04:20am

    Twisted Logic

    So, if we extend the "logic" used in the Lori Drew case then is this guy guilty of credit card fraud? After all, it's in the ToS that he may not dispute the charge but he did anyway. LOL!

  • On the post: Canadian Parliament Threatens People For Posting Video Of Proceedings Online

    Anshar ( profile ), 12 May, 2009 @ 04:18am

    The best (read: worst) part of all of this is that the current government was elected on a platform of openness, honesty and transparency in government.

    As a Canadian, this makes me sick.

  • On the post: Apple's Arbitrary Rejects Hit Nine Inch Nails App

    Anshar ( profile ), 04 May, 2009 @ 10:44am

    Re: Re:

    You do know that OS X is just UNIX with Apple's pretty interface layered on top right?

  • On the post: Hybrid Vehicles Are Quiet — Maybe Too Quiet, According To A Couple Of Lawmakers

    Anshar ( profile ), 01 May, 2009 @ 12:55pm

    Re: c'mon people...

    I like it!

  • On the post: Hybrid Vehicles Are Quiet — Maybe Too Quiet, According To A Couple Of Lawmakers

    Anshar ( profile ), 01 May, 2009 @ 12:53pm

    Re: Re: Stupid to blame the driver?

    Driving a car is a privilege, you're correct abou that. But it is a right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty of a crime.

  • On the post: Hybrid Vehicles Are Quiet — Maybe Too Quiet, According To A Couple Of Lawmakers

    Anshar ( profile ), 01 May, 2009 @ 12:27pm

    Re:

    Sure, but they'd be paralyzed with fear every time they walked past someone's summer barbeque. LOL!

  • On the post: Hybrid Vehicles Are Quiet — Maybe Too Quiet, According To A Couple Of Lawmakers

    Anshar ( profile ), 01 May, 2009 @ 11:37am

    Re:

    "Maybe there should just be a sound when it is okay to cross the street in conjunction with the "walk" light you see all over now. Then, the blind people can walk across and at that point it's the drivers' responsibilities not to hit them. :]"
    That's just absurd. (Shhh... don't tell all the municipalities that are doing it.) :)

  • On the post: Hybrid Vehicles Are Quiet — Maybe Too Quiet, According To A Couple Of Lawmakers

    Anshar ( profile ), 01 May, 2009 @ 10:56am

    Custom Noises

    How about a trotting horse noise so we can come full circle? Suddenly I have visions of Monty Python running through my head. :)

  • On the post: Hybrid Vehicles Are Quiet — Maybe Too Quiet, According To A Couple Of Lawmakers

    Anshar ( profile ), 01 May, 2009 @ 10:09am

    "Still, we have to wonder, is making cars noisier the best way to protect blind people and other pedestrians?" I don't know if it's the best way... but I think it's at least an easy way to address the problem in the short term. I'd rather have noisey hybrids and electrics than noisey ICE cars.

  • On the post: NBC Universal Shuts Down Battlestar Galactica Fan Charity Event In Toronto

    Anshar ( profile ), 20 Mar, 2009 @ 04:09am

    Re: Frak em, do it anyway.

    R.Mile's idea of blowing them out of a air dock is a great idea, but unfortunatly futile. Given the finacial situation in the world today, there's plenty more unemployed lawyers to replace them with.
    Gotta start somewhere.

  • On the post: Patents Being Abused To Put Your Life In Danger

    Anshar ( profile ), 09 Mar, 2009 @ 01:27pm

    Re: Re: Re: And here he rises again...

    @JAMinH

    While I agree that the language is a bit sensational here I think the underlying premise is sound in the long term.

    The idea here (I think, and I've said the same thing before) is that the patents claimed by Priority Dispatch are much too broad. They are so general that they can be interpreted to already cover any improvements one might make to them. As a result, there is less competition and therefore less incentive to improve the existing product. The fact that this was an open source effort probably only served to keep it from going to court. After all, why sue someone if they have no money?

  • On the post: Yet Another Truth Telling Computer… Haven't We Seen This Before?

    Anshar ( profile ), 09 Mar, 2009 @ 06:01am

    There's truth and then there's truth.

    My concern about this sort of technology in general is that the results cannot ever be pure truth. As the article points out, most (if not all) of the time even flesh-and-blood people can't agree on what is truthful. Given that, the best this technology can hope to report is what is true according to the person or people who wrote the software.

    That said, as long as that limitation is understood and they don't try to make this system out be more than it is I think this could be a good innovation. I look forward to seeing how this plays out.

  • On the post: Yet Another Study Shows How Patents Create Suboptimal Innovation

    Anshar ( profile ), 06 Mar, 2009 @ 10:42am

    Re: Another perspective

    The other point that these studies seem to miss is that forcing others to work around patents often pushes people to be more creative, and many new things come to life.

    This is a good example of why I think some patents are too broad. Patents like the one in the article I linked above are so broad that you can't work around them; everything you might try to do falls within it's scope.



    You're right about the system needing an overhaul and about some people not understanding the differences between theory and practice. I'm not so sure about your position that the system doesn't let one sit on an idea though. I agree that's the way it's supposed to work, but one look at all the patent-hoarders out there says that part of the system isn't working as intended.

  • On the post: Yet Another Study Shows How Patents Create Suboptimal Innovation

    Anshar ( profile ), 06 Mar, 2009 @ 09:47am

    Here's a question for discussion: Are patents really the problem or is the scope of these patents to blame? Some patents are ridiculously broad in scope (Example) and I think that does more damage to innovation than having patents on more specific inventions.

    Discuss.

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