CommonSense 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Should Doctors Who Put Their Names On Ghostwritten 'Journal' Articles For Big Pharma Be Sued For Fraud?

    CommonSense ( profile ), 05 Aug, 2011 @ 11:27am

    Re: You downgrade fraud to "ridiculous" at the end.

    or maybe..... he's just not trying to do your thinking for you, and leaving some of the work to the audience. Facts are here, his opinion is here, but he doesn't tell you what you should think...that's up to you.

    Can be a tough concept to grasp, I understand, especially if you're used to Fox News or the like...

  • On the post: Could Facebook Lose Its 'Facebook' Trademark After Being Too Aggressive In Trademark Bullying?

    CommonSense ( profile ), 04 Aug, 2011 @ 11:28am

    Re:

    Yes, very much so. The website came to my campus during my 3rd year of college. For at least 4 years before I got there, and those three years before the website, every freshman class got a printed "Freshman Facebook" directory, with pictures and campus phone numbers. When the website first started, most thought it would just be a cool update to the old printed model, since it only allowed college students on it, and only limited colleges even participated.

  • On the post: Irony: FBI Says Apple Letting You Remotely Kill iPhones They've Taken Is 'Big Brother-ish'

    CommonSense ( profile ), 03 Aug, 2011 @ 06:40am

    Well, in their defense

    "If you're getting a "firehose" of data, you're doing it wrong"

    I'm not sure the feds would know how to do it right with today's technology...for another 10-20 years or so anyway. So naturally, they're doing it wrong.

  • On the post: Another View Of The Netflix Price Hike: It's Speeding Up The Shift To Online Streaming

    CommonSense ( profile ), 01 Aug, 2011 @ 11:46am

    This was my first thought as well.

    That they were separating them to find out which one customers wanted to stick with...almost asking people to pick one or the other. It cuts down on any ambiguity in the numbers, like "75% of our DVD customers also use the streaming" because it was included for free. Now they'll find out who is willing to pay for streaming, and who will pay for DVDs. I never used the DVD part of it. I was a blockbuster customer for DVDs in the mail a number of years ago when they were still around, but it was too inconvenient to wait for something in the mail. Once netflix streaming came available on a set top box (Roku!) I jumped on it, and started paying for that and Hulu+, and I cancelled my cable subscription. Pretty much anything that isn't on Netflix is on Amazon Video OnDemand, for normal OnDemand prices, and since I'm paying $16/month instead of $120, I can afford a few more of those than before, and the quality is very good. Anyway, with this split in the market, they'll be able to tell Hollywood "see, people aren't just using streaming because it's included, they actually WANT it."

  • On the post: Why People Pay More For Access To Infringing Content

    CommonSense ( profile ), 29 Jul, 2011 @ 01:41pm

    Re: It's not about access, Mike, it's producing the content in the first place.

    what you said doesn't make any sense at all in this context. nothing here is ignored, except the factual data by the content companies.

    If they want to recoup their "sunk (or fixed) costs" they need only give people a reason to spend their money...which they aren't....which is the point of this post.

  • On the post: Idea/Expression Dichotomy Is Dead; Judge Allows Photographer's Lawsuit Against Rihanna To Move Forward

    CommonSense ( profile ), 27 Jul, 2011 @ 02:05pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Wow....check this out in Thread view... then look at the comment that I responded to. Things might start making sense for you.

    That coward used a book and words, but those two things don't relate to a video and a picture. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I subbed in sentence instead of word to make it closer to what we're talking about, and then tried to show how he was still wrong. Of course, none of this is adding value to the discussion, so if you still don't get it, don't bother anymore...

  • On the post: Finnish Police Respond To The Norwegian Tragedy By Increasing Internet Surveillance

    CommonSense ( profile ), 27 Jul, 2011 @ 02:01pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: disenting opinion

    hmmm, I'm starting to think we don't differ at all here...

    There may or may not have been evidence of this preliminary attack outside of those in his inner circle. They should have reported him, but you're right, they wouldn't have if they shared the same feelings. In that case, before this attack, there was no evidence there would have been an attack. Once he 'goes postal' there's lots of evidence, and yes, there's reason to investigate those in his inner circle.

    That should never mean that a government can use an act like this to suddenly investigate everyone just for the hope of preventing it. Only those who have shown reason to be investigated... I think there's a phrase for that in the U.S....something like 'Probably Cause' maybe...??

  • On the post: Idea/Expression Dichotomy Is Dead; Judge Allows Photographer's Lawsuit Against Rihanna To Move Forward

    CommonSense ( profile ), 27 Jul, 2011 @ 12:24pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    You're absolutely right, I was trying to make the Coward's example more correct. That's why I replied to the coward and not to DH. As far as I know, DH is correct as well.

    I should have originally stated "In your example," not "in the example,".

  • On the post: Finnish Police Respond To The Norwegian Tragedy By Increasing Internet Surveillance

    CommonSense ( profile ), 27 Jul, 2011 @ 12:17pm

    Re: Re: Re: disenting opinion

    Ok. But people need to understand that you can't prevent EVERYTHING bad from happening. Like is mentioned below, the manifesto wasn't published until the day of the attacks. This guy had to have some smarts, in which case it is likely he kept a lot of things secret between him and people he knew he could trust. There is no level of surveillance that can catch everything like that. The higher in invasion of privacy, the deeper underground the secrets go. If it were well known that police listened to phone calls, he wouldn't have ever used the phone.

    Cases like this one should serve one good purpose if nothing else, and that is to remind the general public of their own responsibility to watch their own backs.

  • On the post: Fox Decides To Drive Fans To Piracy, Rather Than Giving Legitimate Options

    CommonSense ( profile ), 27 Jul, 2011 @ 12:11pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: I actually disagree this time

    You're right, thank you for emphasizing my point. Now that consumers can go find it so easily, they don't want to pay to have it brought to them anymore. Not all, but more and more every day.

  • On the post: Blue Cross / Blue Shield Says Study Pointing Out Failures Of Its Doctors… Violates Its Trademark

    CommonSense ( profile ), 27 Jul, 2011 @ 11:57am

    Re: "Coca-Cola" is a registered trademark of the "COCA-COLA COMPANY",

    hmmm, I think you're confused. "Coca-Cola" the words as they are written, are the trademark, or that particular company's (COCA-COLA COMPANY) official mark in that trade (soda). The product itself is not what they are talking about.

    Take for instance, Listerine. Their product is mouth wash, their trademark is the name "Listerine". They sell the formula for their product to the stores so that stores can make cheaper store brand knock-offs. The store's product is basically the same thing, maybe a few small changes, but they can never call it Listerine, because Listerine is what is trademarked, not the product itself which they can produce all they want once said formula is purchased.

  • On the post: Fox Decides To Drive Fans To Piracy, Rather Than Giving Legitimate Options

    CommonSense ( profile ), 27 Jul, 2011 @ 09:38am

    Re: Re: I actually disagree this time

    Exactly. NOTHING a content company can ever do will change the 'value' of their content to a consumer. Drive the costs of pay television back down to something reasonable (closer to the value that consumers put on it) and then you might get them to pay for it. Some consumers will never put a price tag on the value of something though, and thus will never pay for it. If you want to make money from them, you need to serve them something for free with ads that you make money on. The only other option is for them to get it free from somewhere else, and they won't hesitate to do so.

  • On the post: Idea/Expression Dichotomy Is Dead; Judge Allows Photographer's Lawsuit Against Rihanna To Move Forward

    CommonSense ( profile ), 27 Jul, 2011 @ 09:29am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    You're looking at that wrong. In the example, it would be as follows:

    I have the copyright on 3 individual sentences. You come up with 3 somewhat similar sentences, which individually do not infringe. The question would be, how do those three somewhat similar sentences suddenly become infringing when they are used in a book or poem?

  • On the post: Idea/Expression Dichotomy Is Dead; Judge Allows Photographer's Lawsuit Against Rihanna To Move Forward

    CommonSense ( profile ), 27 Jul, 2011 @ 09:24am

    Re: Photographers

    Because without trolling, they're the least paid.

  • On the post: Finnish Police Respond To The Norwegian Tragedy By Increasing Internet Surveillance

    CommonSense ( profile ), 27 Jul, 2011 @ 08:48am

    Re: disenting opinion

    On one hand, you are right in that a 1500 page manifesto like he had should warrant further investigation.

    I don't believe that any free society would need government monitoring to find those signs that should warrant further investigation though. I believe, that with a free society, the educated, free citizens of that society should want to police themselves, while letting the government stay the hell out of your business. There doesn't need to be an adult on the playground for every child, because when a free child sees something they know to be wrong, they are inclined to go tell an adult about it. Sure "snitches get stitches" and "nobody likes a tattle-tale", but if you are getting someone kicked off the playground, who do you need to worry about giving you stitches? If you are protecting the other innocents on the playground, who do you need to worry about not liking you?? A free society should be able to police themselves sufficiently, and should not need any government watching their every move.

    (aside: especially a government that is as financially irresponsible as the United States has proven to be.)

  • On the post: Is Filing A Defamation Lawsuit Really The Best Way To Respond To A Potentially False Hotel Review?

    CommonSense ( profile ), 26 Jul, 2011 @ 08:51am

    Re:

    You should read the post, all of it. You'll clearly see exactly what he is suggesting...which is to respond to the post, in that same review forum, and show the pest control report that says there are no bed bugs.

    There's no rolling over recommendation here, just a different style of fighting. More comparable to using martial arts instead of just swinging fists.

    I know reading is hard, but you'll never get better at it if you don't try.

  • On the post: Associated Press Carelessness Reaches Boiling Point

    CommonSense ( profile ), 25 Jul, 2011 @ 01:44pm

    Re:

    The 'melting point' is when a solid turns into a liquid, and the 'boiling point' is when that liquid turns into a gas....in case you missed it.

  • On the post: New Study: Piracy Increases The Quality Of Content

    CommonSense ( profile ), 25 Jul, 2011 @ 12:23pm

    Re:

    YES!!! Not that I'd jump on that particular idea myself... But I'd absolutely love a way to support HBO (and Showtime for that matter) for putting out quality content, if only I could get my hands on it for a reasonable price. I can't ethically pay comcast any money at all anymore for TV content (and I'm saving like $120/month because of it) so the only way to get the shows that I loved on HBO/SHO is to download them. I can get access to the Starz shows, which are also pretty good, through my netflix subscription, so that's awesome... Too bad for the other fools that there's no way for me to pay them for their stuff without going through some criminal, I mean, middleman...

  • On the post: How Cisco & The Justice Department Conspired To Try To Destroy One Man's Life For Daring To Sue Cisco

    CommonSense ( profile ), 22 Jul, 2011 @ 12:35pm

    Re: Re: Consequences?

    "And the Americans are blissfully sleeping thinking the US is the best place in the world."

    Maybe some, but I am personally offended that you would group all of us Americans together in that respect. Especially after reading this post written by an American, and seeing many of these comments expressing their disgust at these actions.

  • On the post: Kim Kardashian Sues Old Navy For Hiring Actress Who Looks Like Her

    CommonSense ( profile ), 22 Jul, 2011 @ 10:03am

    Re: me next

    You know what, people tell me that I look like Doogie Howser ALL the time... Neil Patrick Harris has a nice big bank account I'm sure, maybe I should look into suing him for looking like me...

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