Coasty63 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (48) comment rss

  • On the post: 3D Virtual Worlds Patented! Lawsuits Started…

    Coasty63 ( profile ), 31 Dec, 2008 @ 02:33am

    Re:

    Nope, you're not the only one.

    I wrote a "carp" about it on the Q&A thread. It was the wrong thread for it of course, but if you read my two posts about it you'll see that I put the cart before the horse.

    Hopefully Mike will make some necessary changes in future embedded videos that will prevent them from starting automatically.

  • On the post: 3D Virtual Worlds Patented! Lawsuits Started…

    Coasty63 ( profile ), 31 Dec, 2008 @ 02:22am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Mike...are you helping?

    Quote:
    Blanket insult is inaccurate in that my statement was qualified by the modifier "many", and based upon many comments in threads pertaining to patented subject matter involving arts such as electronics/computers/pharma/etc. it seems apparent that many who are making disparaging comments do not have backgrounds in science/engineering and the like.

    ------

    This is an argument I've heard and seen used many times by those who want to disparage those disagreeing with their "lofty" knowledge of whatever subject was being discussed.

    It is, of course, a specious argument. It's used when the author wishes to "talk down" to his audience, basically saying, see, "I'm smarter than you, so you should do as I say".

    Bluntly put, "a background in science/engineering and the like" is not necessary requirement to write or speak intelligently on the subject. It helps, of course, but all that is really required is a modicum of intelligence, some common sense, and the habit of keeping abreast of events in those fields. Experience acquired over ones life time also comes into play.

    Nice try AC, but it doesn't wash...

    And, just so you know I'm not one of those "Many" you refer to, my background is specifically in Electronics Engineering and Computer Science, and well over 40 years of experience in those and related fields.

  • On the post: Year End Live Q&A

    Coasty63 ( profile ), 31 Dec, 2008 @ 01:52am

    Re: Live Q&A Sessions and problems on my end with it...

    Sigh.... Guess I should have done more troubleshooting before sending my first post. My apologies for writing before actually covering all the bases first. [BLUSH]

    It was a problem with the Tech Dirt email list, but it wasn't with the Q&A story. Much further down in the email list in tonights email was this one: 3D Virtual Worlds Patented! Lawsuits Started. This story has an embedded video in it and, for some reason I can't figure out, the default action for the video is to immediately start playing as soon as I select the Tech Dirt email list in Eudora. Very weird.

    If you know why this is happening, and whether it can be prevented from happening in the future on either yours or my end, again, I'd love to hear about it.

    Paul Stout
    coasty63@comcast.net

  • On the post: Year End Live Q&A

    Coasty63 ( profile ), 31 Dec, 2008 @ 01:34am

    Live Q&A Sessions and problems on my end with it...

    I really hate to carp, but you really need to make a change, of some sort, in the software you're using with this Q&A stuff in combination with the Tech Dirt email list.

    So far, each time I've gotten the daily Tech Dirt email list that has the embedded code in it for the Q&A session, two things happen.

    One is that my browser is automatically run (Firefox/IE7/Maxthon 2, it happens with all three of them) even though I don't want to take part in the session, or see/hear replays of it. Not nice behavior on the part of the software.

    Secondly, I listen to music while I read my email. BUT, as long as my email program is running (Eudora), if there's a replay of the session it automatically starts playing. The only problem then is that there is no way that I've been able to find to turn it off. I can either turn the volume all the way down and NOT listen to my music, or I can shut down Eudora. Which means if I want to read my email I'm stuck with listening to a voice program I have no interest in listening to. Again, not nice program behavior.

    You'd think there'd at least be an option available to me to tell the software that, no, I don't want to listen to it.

    I hate to say it, but it's really annoying.

    If you know of a way to get this to stop I'd sure be interested in hearing about it. I'm guessing there's some possible combinations of unintended software/hardware interactions that the software/email list authors didn't take account of.

    Anyway, I'm open to suggestions of how to solve this problem short of unsubscribing to the Tech Dirt email list.

    Paul Stout
    coasty63@comcast.net

  • On the post: Is The Physical Bookstore A Thing Of The Past?

    Coasty63 ( profile ), 30 Dec, 2008 @ 02:49am

    Is The Physical Bookstore A Thing Of The Past?

    No, not really... More often than not I find that Amazon, and most other on-line book stores, seldom have the books I'm looking for, especially in hard cover books, unless it is a recently published book. To get them I always end up back at the book store, usually Barnes & Noble, ordering it through the store catalogs. The other reason I think book stores will never die out is that, while it's very convenient to shop on-line if you're in a hurry, it can never replace the pleasure of perusing the bookshelves and reading bits and pieces of books looking for new authors. I guess you have to be a "reader" to appreciate that, but you will never get that experience on-line. It all depends on how much of a hurry you're in. I'm not, so I enjoy putting in an hour or two a month working my way through the book shelves.

  • On the post: Companies Don't Even Read Their Own EULAs Carefully

    Coasty63 ( profile ), 29 Mar, 2008 @ 05:30pm

    Re:

    A point in your favor. ;-)

    A much better stated comment than mine on the same subject a week ago.

    I thoroughly agree with your assessment of EULA's.

  • On the post: If You Don't See The Terms Of Service Until After You Buy, Are They Valid?

    Coasty63 ( profile ), 22 Mar, 2008 @ 10:56pm

    Re: Re:

    Well, Gee...

    Ignoring the useless, if not idiotic, comments about syntax I can see that you actually got the point.... As in my level of care under the described circumstance is 'zero'. Hmmm, I guess, if we ignore your snobby elitest comments (or however else you want to describe them), that means the phrase "couldn't care less", served to get the point across, even to you.

    Now that we've gotten that out of the way, how about concentrating on the subject of the blog post and skipping the snotty syntax lessons. This is isn't a forum on English syntax.

  • On the post: If You Don't See The Terms Of Service Until After You Buy, Are They Valid?

    Coasty63 ( profile ), 21 Mar, 2008 @ 10:57pm

    Well, about all I can say about the general subject of "After The Fact EULA's" is that I could care less about what "any" EULA says, if the only way I can see it is after I buy the product in question.

    Any company that wants me to abide by an EULA had better make the sale conditional upon acceptance of the EULA "before" any cash changes hands. Otherwise I just ignore the EULA and do as I damn well please with the product. It should go without saying that I could care less if the company does, or does not, like it.

    I suspect there are more than a few million other people who both feel and act the same way I do. I also suspect that as a practical matter "After The Fact" EULA's are completely unenforceable.