cjstg 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (140) comment rss

  • On the post: Why Isn't ICANN Speaking Out Against ICE/DOJ Domain Seizures?

    cjstg ( profile ), 01 Mar, 2012 @ 10:15am

    dmv

    this is sort of like wanting the department of motor vehicles to weigh in on car forfeiture in a drug case. yes, the dmv issues the title, the plates, and licenses, and they create new specialty license plates for which you can pay extra, but in no way are they involved in what you or the authorities do with your car.

    they need to stay neutral and make this a problem for the courts.

  • On the post: If You Want To Compete With Free, This Is What You Need To Know

    cjstg ( profile ), 27 Feb, 2012 @ 08:21am

    Re: Re: Re:

    either i missed your point altogether or you made it very poorly. each of your arguments falls flat when examined closer.

    for example, grandma and grandpa go to the movies every sunday because they want to. when people reach that stage of life they choose their entertainment based on what they like to do. i am old enough to be a grandparent (got off to a late start, however) and so are most of my friends. we are very savvy about our entertainment choices. even my mother has a big screen tv and is also very savvy about her entertainment choices. she watches netflix on her computer, and i didn't show her how to do it.

    my teenage kids get their music from the easiest source (usually pandora) not because it is legal, but because it is easy.

    you got me on the ultraviolet thing. what the heck is that? but that probably plays more to my argument than yours.

    don't ever believe that because you are young that older people are stuck in our ways. people change when they see value in changing.

  • On the post: Polish Politicians Don Guy Fawkes/Anonymous Masks To Protest ACTA Signing

    cjstg ( profile ), 26 Jan, 2012 @ 03:04pm

    Re:

    if anybody understand censorship and repression it would be the eastern bloc countries especially poland.

  • On the post: The Coming Fight Over Sales Tax For Online Retailers

    cjstg ( profile ), 20 Jan, 2012 @ 10:22am

    Re: Re: Re: The complexity is unworkable

    no one ever said it was free. it's not free for anyone. there are many companies that compile this information and provide the tax processing. you want free then contact the states yourself.

    google will validate addresses for free using their api.

    usps or ups will provide zip codes. there are other services out there.

    if the world were limited to what people like you could find for free, we wouldn't accomplish much. can you imagine trying to cure cancer based on what could be found for free on google? just because you cannot do the research yourself or don't have the connections to get the information yourself doesn't mean that we have to be limited by what you can accomplish.

  • On the post: The Internet Wins: PIPA & SOPA Delayed

    cjstg ( profile ), 20 Jan, 2012 @ 10:08am

    Re: I'll hold off for now.

    this thing will never die. as long as there are people who make money from copyright those rights will be consolidated into associations and unions until there is enough money to pay for lobbyists. those lobbyists will work to further the interests of the people paying them.

    the other side of this is the tech companies. once they get a taste of lobbying, it is going to be hard to stop them. google and facebook will start to understand that certain laws that limit them (and their revenues) need to go away. smaller competitors start to feel squeezed by new laws and so on.

    the problem here is the process by which our laws are created. our legislators are just regular guys (with really big egos, granted) who want to do the right thing. but when the people they talk to have something to sell and they couch it in terms of "for the children" and prop it up with campaign contributions, these voices drown out the rest of us. it isn't until we get really pissed off and shove it down their throats like we did on wednesday do they really take notice.

    now everyone will go back lick their wounds and strategize this all over again. the associations will reassess and consult with the lobbyists. the lobbyists will figure out how to rephrase this to our legislators so that is sounds good again. and the whole thing starts all over. this will never die until our culture changes to a degree where these people become irrelevant a la the buggy whip makers association.

  • On the post: Are Democrats About To Lose An Entire Generation Of Voters By Pushing PIPA/SOPA Forward?

    cjstg ( profile ), 19 Jan, 2012 @ 11:56am

    Re: Re: I've already made up my mind

    does it really matter who you vote for at this point? you've got republican who can be bought, but once they realize we are paying attention renege on the deal. on the other hand, you've got democrat who stick to their guns and stay bought. hmmm, i'm voting for pat paulson.

  • On the post: Musician Peter Gabriel Comes Out Against SOPA/PIPA; Website Will Go Dark

    cjstg ( profile ), 17 Jan, 2012 @ 01:33pm

    Re: Celebrity Opinions

    i think there is certainly a difference between talentless hacks like kk and someone like peter gabriel. gabriel has been innovative since the beginning both in his entertainment and business models. his is probably an opinion that should be listened to on any day. the entire works of kk could go away and our society would lose nothing.

  • On the post: Musician Peter Gabriel Comes Out Against SOPA/PIPA; Website Will Go Dark

    cjstg ( profile ), 17 Jan, 2012 @ 01:27pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    yeah, i actually kinda liked they way that was going. "...they'll want a glass of mike," and if you give them a glass of mike, they'll want to control the comments, and if you let them control the comments, they'll own the website, and if they own the website they'll shut it down.

  • On the post: Musician Peter Gabriel Comes Out Against SOPA/PIPA; Website Will Go Dark

    cjstg ( profile ), 17 Jan, 2012 @ 01:23pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    lobbyists are tools, just like lawyers. you pay them and they do what you want them to. today they support a bill; the next they're against it. don't blame the lobbyists. they are a symptom of a system run a muck.

  • On the post: The Future Under SOPA: Group Too Lazy To Police Own Copyrights Seeks To Block Access To Grooveshark's Legal Music Service

    cjstg ( profile ), 22 Dec, 2011 @ 11:42am

    Re: Re: Re: Hey, another new business model!

    late addition. yes, the costs are different, but think of it like a denial-of-service attack. lots of people could target a large company with claims and completely swamp them.

  • On the post: Mapping Out The Revolving Door Between Gov't And Big Business In Venn Diagrams

    cjstg ( profile ), 22 Dec, 2011 @ 11:36am

    what do you expect

    yes, i realize that people who work for the government then go on to work for the companies that they regulate (or support). but what do you expect? it's not like the government pays enough for people to retire after a few years working for an administration or congressman.

    where else would you expect them to work after they have worked for the government?

  • On the post: MythBuster's Adam Savage: Why PROTECT IP & SOPA Could Destroy The Internet As We Know It

    cjstg ( profile ), 21 Dec, 2011 @ 12:02pm

    this works both ways

    i have mentioned this before, but it worth saying again: all of the companies that support these measures have web sites and they all host media. you can bet the hoards will be active with real and bogus takedown and blocking requests. granted they are illegal under the letter of the law, but then again so are most protests.

  • On the post: Washington Post Column Incredulous That Congress Is Considering Censoring The Internet

    cjstg ( profile ), 18 Nov, 2011 @ 01:18pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    i think that your argument can best be addressed by pointing at the transportation authority that turned off cell phone coverage in a subway station (sorry, the city escapes me, oops). that incident was a perfect example of what you are talking about. the fallout from that event has, in part, reestablished, for now, the standard of not only free speech but also of the availability of the medium. if there had been no outcry, everybody who runs communication systems could shut them off at a whim when they felt there was something being said that they didn't like.

  • On the post: Washington Post Column Incredulous That Congress Is Considering Censoring The Internet

    cjstg ( profile ), 18 Nov, 2011 @ 01:11pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    what happens when someone quotes an overly long section of one of martin luther king's speeches? the king family is famous for protecting their copyrights on his material. right there we have the potential of a political website being taken down because a copyright holder objected to political speech that happened to quote some famous political speech.

    now i'm not saying that the king family would actually do this, but if they were so inclined they could.

  • On the post: The Future Under SOPA: Group Too Lazy To Police Own Copyrights Seeks To Block Access To Grooveshark's Legal Music Service

    cjstg ( profile ), 15 Nov, 2011 @ 07:33am

    Re: Hey, another new business model!

    did anyone ever stop to think that any site, product, etc. that the labels, studios, publishers ever try to set up can be blocked simply by having anyone make an accusation of infringement? i agree that this bill is horrible, but it will definitely work both ways. the labels and their cronies will spend the rest of the decade in court defending their websites. it could effectively shut off any kind of content on the internet.

    i see the potential for a war of tit-for-tat accusations and shutdowns that will flow over the internet much the same way that patent lawsuits are currently doing to technology development.

    my real fear here is that at some point it becomes impossible for anyone to do anything productive in the technology or creative arena. they can spend time creating the best "x" the world has ever seen, but as soon as they present it someone will sue them or order them taken down.

    truly sad.

  • On the post: Viacom Exec: 'Everyone Knows A Rogue Site When They See One'? Except He Doesn't

    cjstg ( profile ), 09 Nov, 2011 @ 01:15pm

    full lawyer employability act (flea)

    how could any lawyer not love this? personally, i think if this passes the courts will be so overrun by cases going back and forth, there won't be an unemployed lawyer in the entire country.

  • On the post: The Coming Fight Over Sales Tax For Online Retailers

    cjstg ( profile ), 04 Nov, 2011 @ 08:03am

    Re: Sales Tax Blues

    in most cases, however, you are required to pay a use tax in your home state for goods purchased elsewhere.

  • On the post: The Coming Fight Over Sales Tax For Online Retailers

    cjstg ( profile ), 04 Nov, 2011 @ 07:57am

    Re: Re: A smaller benefit?

    so are you saying that ge does not pay payroll taxes and sales taxes on their consumables? how about property taxes? how about utility taxes? you think they get those for free?

    granted i'd like to see them pay more federal tax, but you can bet they pay a significant amount of tax elsewhere.

  • On the post: The Coming Fight Over Sales Tax For Online Retailers

    cjstg ( profile ), 04 Nov, 2011 @ 07:52am

    Re: The complexity is unworkable

    "but it's really unworkable unless someone builds..."

    software and services that you suggest are needed already exist. every retailer/restaurant/gas station chain that has more than one site has to deal with this. hmmm, sounds like a market. look into this just a little and you will find there are literally hundreds of companies that will do sales taxes for you.

    everyone is assuming that this is harder for amazon than it is for walmart. it's not.

    if we are going to talk about sales taxes on the internet then let's talk about it on its merits. don't try to reinvent problems that were solved 20 years ago.

  • On the post: The Coming Fight Over Sales Tax For Online Retailers

    cjstg ( profile ), 04 Nov, 2011 @ 07:43am

    Re: Re: State sales tax...

    how is it any more difficult for amazon to understand all of these sales taxes than walmart? all of walmart's registers are programmed from a central point. sales tax programs that track tax rates by geocode have been standard stuff for more than 20 years.

    if we are going to talk about sales taxes on the internet then let's talk about it on its merits. don't try to reinvent problems that were solved 20 years ago.

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