nraddin 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Barry Diller Is A Myth

    nraddin ( profile ), 27 Jul, 2009 @ 09:04am

    no such thing as a free lunch

    Mr. Diller is right, even if he doesn't put it into words very well, As nothing he is saying isn't already the truth. Remember people, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Even techdirt which Mike calls free gets money from advertisors over on the side there, and lets just say someone does it for fun or to further a cause they are into, well that's the form of payment right there.

    To Mr Diller and the like, they are just saying that stuff that is 'free' to the end user right now, some of that will become more user funded, more ads, more infomation, subscriptions, transactions. While I don't agree that we will end up with more subscriptions, I do see more transactions in our future.

    Honestly the more I read this blog the more I think people just hate media companies to hate media companies and anything they say is wrong because they said it. Don't get me wrong I hate them too, but I can list specific things they are doing I don't like, but I can also see where they are coming from and even except when they do something right. To me you guys sound like Apple fan boys, bashing on MS.

  • On the post: On The Inevitability Of Exponential Progress In Technology

    nraddin ( profile ), 25 Jul, 2009 @ 03:40pm

    don't cherry pick from the data.

    "there's an argument to be made that patents get in the way of this sort of progress."

    That's not a sound argument, in fact the data you are talking about shows that patents do not seem to hinder the progress of the technology at all.While there are plent of examples of how patents can cause issues on individual basis, the data in the long term shows that it makes very little difference.

    Beyond that, there is a good reason to believe that patents helps with economic growth and often the wealth of the inventor which is generally a basic want of people.

  • On the post: Early Internet Pioneer Claims The Internet Is Broken… But Oh Look, He's Selling The 'Solution'

    nraddin ( profile ), 15 Jul, 2009 @ 10:28am

    get over it

    Honestly nothing is going on here that doesn't happen in the 'press' all the time now. Caveat Emptor, and do your own research.

    It also turns out that the expert you would want to talk to about packet switching and flow control happens to be the guy that was already talking. The startup in question is not trying to sell a product so much as change the basic underpinnings of the internet. His plan is not to make huge amounts of money on changing a protocol and making it propriety, his plan is to help people change to a new open protocol and system that will run smoother. While his company has some plans to make money helping people with that it does not change the fact that he is correct about flow control on the internet.

  • On the post: TiVo Goes Dr. Evil On EchoStar: One BILL-ion Dollars, Please

    nraddin ( profile ), 15 Jul, 2009 @ 06:53am

    TIVO SUCKS!!

    What does TIVO think it owns exactly? The idea of recording TV on a HDD? Well I was doing that on my PC long before their 1998 first showing of both Tivo and ReplayTV.

    Next the Tivo system is just finally getting as good a the ReplayTV interface (But not there yet) and is not even close to what MythTV or even Windows Media Center can do.

    If Tivo had developed anything that was not obvious and/or done at the same time by a half dozen other companies (Not the least of which is ReplayTV) then I am having a hard time finding it. They don't deserve a patent on any of the basic ideas of functionality of a DVR, and if they get to hold people over the table for it we will all pay the price.

  • On the post: Isn't There Something Ironic In An Anonymous Exec Demanding Transparency From Google?

    nraddin ( profile ), 15 Jul, 2009 @ 06:44am

    Or maybe he sees Monopoly

    When MS was sued by the states and fed they had no more market share in their business than Google (74%) does now. Any of you guys that totally wanted to see MS broken apart and destroyed should be wishing the same thing on Google. If you feel like one company with to much power tends to slow innovation then you should want this.

    If you are like me and feel like MS should have never had to deal with this, or the silly IE thing in Europe, then you can without being a hypocrite actually feel like Google shouldn't have to do anything here.

  • On the post: Isn't There Something Ironic In An Anonymous Exec Demanding Transparency From Google?

    nraddin ( profile ), 15 Jul, 2009 @ 06:37am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Bill never said anything about 640k being enough RAM. Not only that, he was known to say that the performance and system requirements of software will grow with the growth of computer power and the reduction in cost of computer components.

    I know everyone wants to make Bill out to be some kind of evil idiot, but he is not.

  • On the post: Pandora: If We're Getting Taxed So Heavily By SoundExchange, Radio Should Be Too

    nraddin ( profile ), 14 Jul, 2009 @ 01:36pm

    My Enemy's enemy is my allie if not my friend

    Good for them, honestly. I could care less if they live or die by the business model they have agreed to let the Music industry dictate to them. And if they can get Radio stations forced to pay the same kind of fees maybe they can die by that sword too. Hopefully EMI and the like will be successful and putting out of business most of the music retail chains as well. And then, just maybe after all the business models that generated income for the major labels is dead and gone we can go back to having Musicians play music for a living, not just a few making millions why the rest make nothing. Maybe some of those millions that the Major Labels make will stay in the market and more bands can make a living at it.

    Believe it or not, before DVDs, CDs, LPs, Tapes, 8-tracks, TV, the Internet, or even Radio there was music and people made a living playing it.


    I am not holding my breath, but I am happy to see that more and more companies, businesses and individuals are signing up to destroy their own business. The Labels have not figured it out yet but their allies are their enemies even while they are enemies to the public. I am happy to see that one day, with a little luck, the labels will be saying "We have met the enemy and they are us", as they shutter their doors.

  • On the post: The Psychology Of Externalities: Only I Can Benefit

    nraddin ( profile ), 14 Jul, 2009 @ 01:18pm

    perception of poverty

    Poverty is the United States is a bit of a myth for anyone that is willing to look at what real poverty in the world is like. (The average welfare person in the US owns 2 color tvs, a Car and has AC in their home)

    However it's not about how much money you have that makes poverty, it's the amount of money other people have. If someone has more than you, you feel poor. If you have more than someone else you feel rich. It's just that simple.

    So when we are talking about someone benefiting from something you originally worked on, even if they changed it dramatically, is the kind of thing that makes you feel impoverished.

    It's Natural and it's not going to change. I am pretty sure that no matter what we do this will not change. While it would be nice if it would, fighting against human nature has very very rarely been successful.

  • On the post: Artificial Scarcity Is Subject To Massive Deflation

    nraddin ( profile ), 07 Jul, 2009 @ 12:03pm

    I am going to start by saying that I support a truely free and open market. I think IP hurts the world as a whole, but I also think that most of you don't understand what you are asking America to do.

    IP is the product that America makes. America grows a lot of food and has a pretty good industrial base but her bread and butter is IP.

    If America gives up it's hold on IP it will give up it's hold over the world. While I am not sure this is a bad thing, it's something to think about when you ask for the dropping for all IP rights.

  • On the post: Italy Is The Latest Country To Realize IP Address Alone Does Not ID File Sharers

    nraddin ( profile ), 17 Jun, 2009 @ 10:59am

    extortion if they don't actually sue

    The govt. should prosecute them for extortion for each and every case where they asked for a settlement, didn't get one and didn't sue. I bet that would fix the issue.

    Extortion is a criminal offense which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion.

  • On the post: Family Time, The Internet And Television

    nraddin ( profile ), 17 Jun, 2009 @ 10:53am

    TV is often family time

    First off, TV is often family time. In my house we watch TV shows we like together and have a great time.

    Second, the number of people that say they are ignored and the amount of time being ignored are not the same thing. We are missing important data about how much ignoring per person is going on here. If 48% of people are ignored for an hour a day for TV, it's not nearly as huge as if 44% of people are ignored for 3 hours a day for the internet.

  • On the post: Teen Gets 23 Years In Jail For Killing His Mom; Judge, AP Blame Video Games

    nraddin ( profile ), 17 Jun, 2009 @ 10:40am

    Why is he going to jail then?

    If the judge truly believed that this child was unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy and thought his parents would not be harmed by his actions, why is he going to jail?

    I thought that we put people that didn't have the mental abilities to distinguish right from wrong into mental facilities? If this kid is this messed up sending him to jail is about as fair as sending someone in a wheelchair to jail for refusing to stand.

    P.S. I don't think video games are the cause of any such problem, but it's disturbing to me that a judge would send a kid to jail while saying that he thinks his mental issues caused him to commit a crime.

  • On the post: It's Not About Being First… It's About Market Adoption

    nraddin ( profile ), 16 Jun, 2009 @ 12:26pm

    Just because you can sell it better does not make you an innovator. This is exactly why patents exist, because it's not fair to the inventor that is bad at marketing, for the guy that couldn't invent his way out of a wet paper bag but can market well to be able to steal the idea and sell it leaving the inventor out of the market.

    I know this site is all about freedom to take things and reuse them and for the most part I am all for it. I also know that this site hates the way patents are used and for the most part I don't disagree. But the idea that someone that can market something should be allowed to just do so because the inventor was not good at it is pretty stupid and would be a great detriment to true innovation (Defined by the dictionary not from the article)

    You need to be careful drawing to many parallels between copyright and parenting here. I know they seem very similar but they truly effect people and markets in completely different ways.

  • On the post: It's Not About Being First… It's About Market Adoption

    nraddin ( profile ), 16 Jun, 2009 @ 12:21pm

    Just because you can sell it better does not make you an innovator. This is exactly why patents exist, because it's not fair to the inventor that is bad at marketing, for the guy that couldn't invent his way out of a wet paper bag but can market well to be able to steal the idea and sell it leaving the inventor out of the market.

    I know this site is all about freedom to take things and reuse them and for the most part I am all for it. I also know that this site hates the way patents are used and for the most part I don't disagree. But the idea that someone that can market something should be allowed to just do so because the inventor was not good at it is pretty stupid and would be a great detriment to true innovation (Defined by the dictionary not from the article)

    You need to be careful drawing to many parallels between copyright and parenting here. I know they seem very similar but they truly effect people and markets in completely different ways.

  • On the post: Don't Underestimate The Value Of Exposure

    nraddin ( profile ), 16 Jun, 2009 @ 07:12am

    pay for it again Sam

    This comes down to some fundimental issue with Artists I think. Every single artist I know (I live next to an art school) seems to think that they should get paid for any work they do for the rest of their lives. They take exception to the idea that someday they might have to give up thier copyright on a work. Meanwhile they feel like it's ok that I got to work every single day and work for pay, if I don't work I don't get paid for the work I did yesterday or the year before. It's an entitlement issue honest. Most of artist I know justify this idea by saying 'artist can't be creative all the time', but personally I think that is crap. If an Engineer was not creative everyday he would loose his job, why should an artist get to create only when they want to and get paid for it forever.

    Copyright shouldn't be more than a few years. Maybe 10 at the most, anything else is really just robbing the people of a steady new stream of art by making the pressure to create new works almost nonexistant.

  • On the post: Electronic Arts Stages Protest of Dante's Inferno at E3

    nraddin ( profile ), 16 Jun, 2009 @ 06:22am

    It's the law that's the problem

    The only problem with them sending brass knuckles to people in the press kit is that the law makers in some states are knuckle heads. In todays world having a melee weapon (And not a good one) illegal is just stupid.

    As to the protest, I don't think they will alienate any real christians or anyone that would have gotten the game to begin with. The rest wouldn't have gotten it just because their 'rightous Christian ethics' wouldn't have allowed it.

  • On the post: China's New Censorware Software Has Serious Security Flaws

    nraddin ( profile ), 12 Jun, 2009 @ 10:23am

    "As for china itself, I think you guys need to stop trying to apply the US version of "freedom" to that country. It is arrogant as hell."

    Uhh what? I didn't know that the US had it's own version of Freedom. I know it's not as free as many people would like, but I didn't know there was a seperate version.

    As far as I know freedom is freedom, the US has a bunch and China has very little. I know most Chinese would like more, not sure how that makes me arrogant though.

  • On the post: Michael Savage Threatening Sites That Connect Him To Rockstar Energy Drinks?

    nraddin ( profile ), 12 Jun, 2009 @ 06:37am

    I wish they where not so good

    Worst part about this assclown being involved here is that I like Rockstars.

  • On the post: China's New Censorware Software Has Serious Security Flaws

    nraddin ( profile ), 12 Jun, 2009 @ 06:28am

    Or they want to use them as a botnet

    I wouldn't be surprised if they where not hoping to use this as there own personal botnet. There is a lot of power in being able to control every machine in your country.

  • On the post: The Fear Of Freeloaders Overblown In Both Proprietary And Open Arenas

    nraddin ( profile ), 09 Jun, 2009 @ 01:57pm

    How do you freeload on something that is free?

    I mean am I freeloader because I don't create or improve the air we all breath. All those plants work long and hard to put enough O2 into the air to let me live and here I am just beathing it in...

    I am not a programmer but use free software all the time. I guess I should stop cause I can't help it get better.

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