bradmoreso 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (24) comment rss

  • On the post: Andy Grove Suggests US Protectionism For Tech Jobs

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 15 Jul, 2010 @ 04:07am

    Re: Re: Protectionism

    Corporations are good for one thing and one thing only:

    Avoiding responsibility.

  • On the post: Andy Grove Suggests US Protectionism For Tech Jobs

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 15 Jul, 2010 @ 04:05am

    Re: Re: You miss his point

    Ehh, I'll bite: Manufacturing. Rust belt, anyone? Steel? Automobiles?

    In fairness, labor unions brought this on their own members.

    AND there are *still* tax *incentives* for offshoring. The point here is that the Congress is still licking its corporate masters' boots.

  • On the post: Sharron Angle Insists She's Going To Sue Harry Reid For His Reposting Of Angle's Own Website

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 09 Jul, 2010 @ 05:00am

    Public service implies loss of rights

    IMHO when someone registers for election to public service, s/he gives up certain rights reserved for private citizens. When, exactly, did elected officials turn into a privileged class?

    Oh, wait, never mind -- that was when We the People started to tolerate them making rules that applied only to themselves.

  • On the post: EU Pushing For Criminalizing Non-Commercial Infringement In ACTA

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 25 Jun, 2010 @ 04:50am

    I've got it !!!

    If they really want to modify behaviours, they ought to copy the US' anti-insurgency model in Afghanistan: Extortion payoffs!

  • On the post: Children's Hospital 'Allowed' To Continue Research Using System It Developed After Patent Fight

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 17 Jun, 2010 @ 10:21pm

    The bigger, better, more attractive story ...

    ... would have been to get the real scoop, as seen here. Imagine that story breaking on, oh, I don't know, The View, Good Morning America, ... It would be picked up and carried everywhere.

    I think the BP Affair could demonstrate a market for "stories about needed reform." Or that might just be the Dristan talking.

  • On the post: Copying Is Often Efficient And Smart

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 17 Jun, 2010 @ 04:49am

    Not Invented Here syndrome

    My first job out after university was with a SCADA firm whose flagship product was a status/control system for electric utility providers. The product was written completely from scratch, i.e., the real-time database was written in-house. The software didn't even use TCP/IP.

    The problems were predictable: Deadlines were consistently missed, all 14 contracted projects were late, the attrition rate grew exponentially, and, of course, bugs, bugs, bugs. The standalone, 100% custom system took one hour to boot, which made testing a nightmare for developers.

    Eventually the product was ported to a major vendor version of UNIX.

  • On the post: Andrew Cuomo Grandstanding Again: Threatens To Sue Social Networking Site Over Actions Of Its Users

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 10 Jun, 2010 @ 04:16pm

    Well, "child porn" _is_ the #1 trigger phrase

    Death of Internet predicted again. I think we're lucky that Andrew Cuomo is no Eliot Spitzer: despite his libertine predilections, he could really get it done. Then again, he chose his fights more carefully, too.

  • On the post: Australian Censorship Boss Has His 'Series Of Tubes' Moment

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 10 Jun, 2010 @ 02:11pm

    well-intentioned, ill-informed

    ... and of the state, so inherent doom looms for citizens.

    This may not be an intentional power grab, but just as setting filesystem permissions wide open "so the app will work" can lead to serious abuses and security violations. And, you know, disastrous results.

  • On the post: Radiohead's Thom Yorke Predicts Record Labels Have Months, Not Years, Left To Live

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 10 Jun, 2010 @ 01:06pm

    re: Wishful thinking

    +1 spot on

    I think the "months to live" points more toward the old, clunky cycle of signing artists, setting them up, introducing them to the army of label employees who'll develop, manage, market the band's "brand" ... I think the lag between "acquisition of talent" and "full exploitation of talent" is too long, too costly to sustain relevance.

  • On the post: Gibson 'Settles' Patent Lawsuit Over Guitar Hero

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 09 Jun, 2010 @ 11:15pm

    Looks really stupid

    This is actually more stupid than Commodore demanding money from Paramount in exchange for featuring the Amiga in Star Trek IV. One phone call to Apple from Paramount resulted in 20 Macs delivered + two techs onsite.

    Apparently by the time Rock Band came out, Fender was smart enough to contribute the design for the guitar and the bass controllers that Harmonix sells. You can even get a Fender Mustang controller with Rock Band 3, and Fender licenses the Strat controller design.

    Maybe Gibson was suing to get in on the deal. IMHO that would have worked better with honey than vinegar.

    Gibson USA could stand to lighten its lawyer overhead, or at least to educate them on brand exposure/loyalty.

  • On the post: University Help Desk Employee Extorts Student Using Copyright

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 05 Feb, 2010 @ 06:58am

    slow wildebeast theory

    I think that law enforcement on the whole looks at risk and revenue, rather than, you know, effectively enforcing the law as a (wait for it ...) business model.

    Yep. Your friendly neighborhood cop is ultimately acting according to financial interests. It is well known that speeding violations are not enforced unless/until the cops need money.

    So, going after companies, corporations, etc., is a bit more costly. It's easier to intimidate individuals. Also, you can incarcerate them, which means money from the Feds. Then there's the bail: You make sure that your magistrates all know to set bail no matter what, to pay back the bail bonds firms who donated to your re-election campaign.

  • On the post: OPTi Shows: When You Can't Compete In The Market, You Sue For Patent Infringement

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 31 Dec, 2009 @ 07:13am

    Those who can ...

    Those who can, produce. Those who cannot, litigate.

  • On the post: Movie Studios Pissed Off At Netflix, Don't Want To Allow More Streaming Movies

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 31 Dec, 2009 @ 07:12am

    hiding content: dumb idea

    There are only so many films, TV shows, etc., that I'm even initially interested enough to pursue. If, as in this example, the streaming choices tend toward zero--or, at least, zero features that I haven't already seen or for which I have no interest--then I'm not going to stream anything.

    Same goes for every medium: No DVDs on the shelf (virtual or otherwise) that I'm interested in? Forget it, I'm not hunting for 'em. No TV shows on that look interesting when I want to watch TV? Never mind, I'll find something else to do.

    It's not news on Techdirt that the entertainment industry is almost completely disconnected from its audience. This leads me to conclude that this must be another sector in which we are not the customers, merely the consumers.

    If we were the customers, why, the merchants would pay attention to what we want, and tailor their offerings thusly.

    It's obvious with TV & films: the studios sell/rent the media to TV affiliates/movie theaters. For TV, the customers are the advertisers (see also NEWSPAPERS for an explanation of why this is destined to fail). Films, well, I guess the studios get some cut of ticket prices, so there's at least a chance for them to rate consumer satisfaction, but I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of their revenue comes from charging the theater to show the film.

    For DVDs and streaming media, I think they're just plain clueless. They might be able to turn the boat around if they'd eat their own dog food, but I don't see this happening, ever.

  • On the post: Arizona Politician Accused Of Using Voter Database To Stalk Young Woman

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 18 Dec, 2009 @ 01:37pm

    Felony, FYI

    The original article states, "In fact, it is a felony to use the voter registration database (aka Voter Vault) for anything other than official purposes. In Arizona, misuse of the voter registration database is a Class 6 felony, which means Mecum could face a couple of years in the clink if convicted. If the staffer knew why he was looking up the woman's information, the staffer could also face charges. Additionally, to access Voter Vault, which is a customized interface for the database, the user must sign an agreement with the Republican Party saying they will only use the database for party-related business."

    Wait a minute ... isn't AZ the home of that bat$#!+ crazy sheriff?

  • On the post: Arizona Politician Accused Of Using Voter Database To Stalk Young Woman

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 18 Dec, 2009 @ 01:31pm

    Chris Greenwood (Phoenix Independent Examiner) asserts that Mecum's misuse of Voter Vault constitutes a felony. I agree in principle, since the input is state voter registration records. VV is 20 years old, though, so the GOP may have managed to wire in exceptions in most, maybe all states.

    Google Mecum. He's quite a character. I think he should walk for this one to get his arrogance puffed up enough to do something truly stupid. His explanation for the troubles he's had is that his Democratic enemies are setting him up.

    So maybe his next caper will require a Republican to administer the smackdown.

  • On the post: Cable Lobbyist Says Net Neutrality Violates The First Amendment

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 15 Dec, 2009 @ 11:57am

    We missed the boat ...

    ... when we allowed anyone/everyone to get into the ISP business w/o regulating ISPs. I remember it well, and I missed it, lock, stock, and barrel. I was in favor of more ISPs of any kind, put 'em all online, let the free market sort 'em out.

    Never occurred to me that content providers becoming ISPs could be a problem. Now, those telcos and other backboners who got to also offer retail ISP service, I knew that was a bad idea.

  • On the post: Jurors Cause Trouble By Friending Each Other On Facebook, Using Wikipedia For Research

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 15 Dec, 2009 @ 07:53am

    The world has changed ...

    ... and our laws and social mores have yet to catch up.

    IMHO, the format of a jury trial in a state-owned courtroom where the state prosecutes suits under state (or city/county/federal, state is used in the generic sense here) law is hundreds of years old.

    The longer we put off reform to accommodate new technology, the more crap like this we'll see. The laws are, quite simply, antiquated.

    Beware of corporate influence in these new laws.

  • On the post: Perfect 10 Still Not Giving Up In Lawsuit Against Google

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 09 Dec, 2009 @ 07:46am

    It's called "robots.txt" ...

    ... look into it.

  • On the post: Entertainment Giants Looking At The Future… And See Cable?

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 02 Dec, 2009 @ 07:47am

    p2p

    As someone pointed out elsewhere, people will find a way to see what they want. This particular bloke lives in rural UK and says there's no cable, poor satellite view, and almost non-existent broadcast signals. And the internet service is too unreliable for streaming. So he uses bittorrent to get what he wants overnight and puts the shows on USB drives to play on his Philips DVD player.

    IMHO, all of this dramatic thrashing about is an enormous waste of money, time, and effort to ... prevent the future?

    I think the world has already changed, and these industry behemoths are simply making a futile run to catch a train that left the station years ago.

  • On the post: UK Man Jailed For Refusing To Decrypt His Files

    bradmoreso ( profile ), 02 Dec, 2009 @ 07:41am

    Re: Plan B

    Brilliant, on several levels:

    * the waterboarding or other torture would likely chase the logic required to recall the encryption key(s)

    * as vyvan pointed out, in the US the man has the right to remain silent, but--where is it that the guarantee of rights is honored? I've had mine violated by the foolish and the wicked, with no recourse

    * how do we know he was not waterboarded? Perhaps he's being dunked even now

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