Coyne Tibbets 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (1598) comment rss

  • On the post: The FBI Is Offended That It Isn't Allowed To Control How The Press Portrays Its Deceptive Activities

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 10 Nov, 2014 @ 11:13pm

    Offend and intimidate

    Good! Offend the FBI even more.

    Better yet, intimidate them: Teach them that wrongdoing and despotism are career decisions.

    Back when we had a fourth estate that worked, that was one of the principle things that allowed it work: Our leaders were afraid to offend the press because, if they did, the press would focus on discovering their wrongdoing and putting them in jail--or at least on the bread line.

    Back then leaders treated the press with kid gloves; and prayed (sometimes fruitlessly) that the press didn't notice their crimes.

  • On the post: Part Of CIA Torture Report May Finally Be Released Next Week, As More Details Leak

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 08 Nov, 2014 @ 11:19pm

    Re: Shut up about it already

    We will "Shut up about it already" when it stops and when we have made certain it never happens again.

    I was taught from the earliest age I could understand it, that torture was evil; one of the greatest evils in the world. So great that it was the worst depravity of which a movie villain could be guilty. So evil that it was the distinguishing mark of our most vile enemy regimes.

    I don't care who did what--administration, CIA, military, DOJ, whoever. I want them all in prison; until their ashes are ashes and their dust is dust.

    And with respect to this report, I want the CIA to understand that, no matter how much they think they might be able to keep the secret, it will be dragged out into the open and they will answer for their crimes. I want them to understand that this will never stop so long as anyone guilty remains alive; so long as anyone within the CIA thinks it is acceptable to commit crimes like this and then hide behind "National Security".

    I want that because I want every official down through the ages, who might dare to do the same, to understand: This shall not pass.

  • On the post: Part Of CIA Torture Report May Finally Be Released Next Week, As More Details Leak

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 07 Nov, 2014 @ 10:02pm

    Re: Re: Executive Summary

    Come on, the only message that matters is plain to see, and anything off message is redacted. It's perfect redaction:

    CIA, because terrorism 9/11 terrorism bad guys really bad guys and OMG terrorism children!
    and
    John Yoo justified actions entirely legal.
    That's exactly how the real report will be redacted, and that's all you need to know. That's all any alien terrorist peon, needs to know.

    (signed) CIA

  • On the post: Chicago Transit Cops Start Up Their Own Security Theater, Will Start Randomly Swabbing Bags For Explosive Residue

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 07 Nov, 2014 @ 11:18pm

    Chilled speech

    Speaking of chilled speech. I really so wanted to bring up that old well-wish for actors and actresses, "break a leg". I wanted to write a reply along the lines of, "Hey, ________ _______ _______ guys, break a leg."

    I find I can't bring myself to do it...at least not with a name in the blank: There's simply too much chance some authoritarian goon would take it as a threat; and if so, I'd find myself under investigation or arrest.

    It's sad that our authorities have so little respect for Rights that we must restrain ourselves from making even the most mundane jokes, to avoid official attention.

  • On the post: Russian Law Demanding User Data Remain On Russian Soil Could Turn Into A Ban On Apple Products

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 07 Nov, 2014 @ 10:57pm

    No point

    Sorry, Russia, there's no point in keeping the data on your soil. NSA already has taps in all your servers.

  • On the post: Verizon May Soon Get to Enjoy a Lawsuit Over Its Sneaky Use of Perma-Cookies

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 07 Nov, 2014 @ 10:55pm

    Delicious Lie

    "Both companies proclaimed that the characters in their headers are rotated on a weekly and daily basis to protect user information."

    These companies don't care about user information. Therefore, they don't do that rotation to protect the users: they do that because, if they didn't, the advertising company would build its own database of tracking codes. To prevent that the code is rotated, requiring the advertising company to make yet another paid request to learn the identity of the person.

    I'm sure Verizon was deliciously amused that this feature permitted them to lie that they were protecting "user information".

  • On the post: Civil Liberties Groups Argue Against DOJ's Petition For Expansion Of Hacking Powers And Judicial Jurisdictions

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 07 Nov, 2014 @ 09:36pm

    I Want to be Respected Again

    The panel hearing the inquiry didn't seem very impressed with those taking the side of the American public.

    "American public" is irrelevant. What is relevant is "Citizens of the United States of America". I am one. I so wish they would stop treating us all like alien terrorists.

  • On the post: DailyDirt: Who Needs A Mouse And Keyboard Anymore?

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 05 Nov, 2014 @ 04:26pm

    I vote for both mouse and keyboard

    First of all, the mandatory disclaimer. I'm probably unusual in that I type around 60 words per minute. I guess that makes me biased.

    But touch screens cut my typing speed to a dismal crawl. I can't imagine writing a book on one of those. Or a program.

    And touch...is the mouse family's dark-secret closeted retarded brother. I'd like to think I'm competent with touch, but it is always selecting the wrong thing or not selecting/ignoring touch, or double-touching when I touched once. Then there's the tools you can't use because they require drags you can't do with touch, and heaven help you if you want to select a point between two letter i's.

    We spent 140 years perfecting the keyboard and 30 years perfecting the mouse. Screen keyboards and touch have a loooooooooooooooooooonnnnnng way to go before they're anything like as practical.

    While I'm ranting: I have a pad and use it routinely; a high end smartphone and use it too. My conclusion is that they are toys, not productivity devices. As they stand, no one will ever make their living using one. If you want a laugh, just imagine trying to work your way through a spreadsheet with 70 columns and 1.3 million rows; or trying to compare two spreadsheets (switching apps at the rate of 30 times per minute); or writing War and Peace.

    They're fine for browsing, sound/video, and short e-messages, but that's about it.

  • On the post: Senator Wyden Attacks CIA Redaction Demands As 'Unprecedented'

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 31 Oct, 2014 @ 05:35pm

    Re: Compromise

    Of course, I expect the CIA to reject any compromise that doesn't result in their handing over a package of black construction paper.

  • On the post: Mobile Providers: No One Has Complained* About Our Service, So Net Neutrality Shouldn't Apply To Us

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 31 Oct, 2014 @ 02:25pm

    Re: Hmmmmmm

    Which would raise the question: Why do you bother?

    There's little or no point to complaining about any large company product these days. There's never an organized system for complaints; because if a company actually accumulated complaints, someone might use that as evidence their product is less than perfect. From the company perspective, what they offer is what you get, take it or leave it.

    That's why so few people bother to complain these days. If something is truly unacceptable, most people just vote with their feet. Your choice today is to pick the company that has the problems you can live with; very like voting for politicians. (If you don't have a choice, well that sucks.)

    If the product offerings get bad enough, the loss of market share forces the company to improve; that's the only "complaint" companies understand. The rest of the complaints go in the round file.

  • On the post: Senator Wyden Attacks CIA Redaction Demands As 'Unprecedented'

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 31 Oct, 2014 @ 05:32pm

    Compromise

    Given their concerns, I would suggest a compromise. No names, no pseudonyms except: senior agency policymakers, general counsel, head of the CIA, cabinet positions or above.

    For people lower in the hierarchy, names and pseudonyms may be removed, but an "authority class" should be used in place. For example: agent, senior agent, clandestine agent, foreign agent, foreign senior agent, and etc. The classes assigned should reflect the individual's tier in the CIA or foreign authority hierarchy.

    The purpose of this compromise would be to overcome most of the name/pseudonym objections, retaining only those names that are top-level public policymakers, so we can assess the legality of their actions. For lower level people, it should clarify the authority position for assessment of the control hierarchy, without allowing identification of individuals.

  • On the post: Wisconsin Town Sends In The BearCat Tank To Collect Civil Fine From Seventy-Year-Old

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 31 Oct, 2014 @ 01:46pm

    Overkill?

    Hey, cop guys: I have an annoying fly buzzing around my kitchen. Would you send over that SWAT wagon?

  • On the post: FBI's Use Of 'Sneak And Peek' Warrants Still Steadily Increasing, Still Has Nearly Nothing To Do With Fighting Terrorism

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 30 Oct, 2014 @ 04:34pm

    Re:

    You have a point. So what we should do is amend the Fourth and Sixth Amendments to delete the Rights of druggies, suspected druggies, anyone who knows a druggie, anyone who might have shaken hands with someone who knows a druggie, and anyone living in the same state as a druggie. That will eliminate all these infernal problems with the Constitution interfering in the investigation of druggies.

    Once that is done, the only thing we have to worry about is police or FBI agents showing up for unannounced searches of our homes.

    ...oh, wait: We have that now.

  • On the post: FTC Fines Online Dating Site For Using 'Fake, Computer-Generated Profiles' To Lure Guys Into Buying Premium Memberships

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 30 Oct, 2014 @ 04:14pm

    Re: Re:

    Seconded. I know quite a few people I'm pretty sure would fail a Turing test.

  • On the post: Cleveland Plain Dealer Owner Demands Takedown Of Unflattering Video Featuring Candidate It Endorsed In Governor's Race

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 30 Oct, 2014 @ 04:45pm

    Plain dealer?

    I had always had the impression that a "plain dealer" was someone who dealt straightforwardly without trickery. I take it the Cleveland Plain Dealer doesn't exactly reflect that?

  • On the post: Hackers Breached White House Network… And Some Other Country Told The US About It

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 29 Oct, 2014 @ 11:24pm

    This is a surprise?

    What part of NSA-is-military-intelligence didn't you understand?

  • On the post: Europe's New Digital Commissioner Explores Imposing An EU-Wide 'Google Tax'

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 28 Oct, 2014 @ 09:28pm

    Re:

    The dumbest part is that he's stealing the idea, but couldn't be bothered to notice how it played out.

    I predict that after Google simply removes all links in Europe from its results, that this will be the shortest tax in history.

  • On the post: The Supreme Court Succumbs To Truthiness, Leading Librarians And Stephen Colbert To Bicker

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 28 Oct, 2014 @ 09:04pm

    Re: Point of Clarification

    Implicit in the amicus curiae is the presumption that the party is impartial to the case in question; having no interest other than justice. Therefore, the reasoning goes, cross-examination isn't needed.

    That's great, if it is so. But today, so many of these briefs are from wholly self-interested groups who are friends only to their own interests. That shouldn't be news, because most of the cases these days are exactly the same way. If the court takes that into account, I see no problem with the use of amicus briefs.

    There's no middle road: pot calls kettle black; kettle rejoins that pot is blacker. No matter which one wins, the other one will bitch about the court's method, no matter how the court decided. Possibly the most perfect example of this was the SCOTUS ruling on the ACA. Prior to that time, the far right had viewed SCOTUS as their great friend and protector against the horror of government oppression. After the ruling upheld ACA, all of a sudden: "Chief Justice Roberts is cognitively challenged due to drugs." (That's not a joke; it was a dead serious accusation.)

    So to ask a dead serious question: If Wiley had won, do you think anyone would have raised the possibility of the court's being improperly influenced by this amicus brief? Of course not.

    In the end, the court decides (however it decides to do so) and one side will cheer and the other will whine about "improper court procedure" sour grapes.

  • On the post: FTC Sues AT&T For Selling 'Unlimited' Data Plans That Were Actually Throttled

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 28 Oct, 2014 @ 09:20pm

    Cable next, please...

    Great. Now if we can just get the FTC to go after cable companies that sell "Up to 100 MB/S" plans and then deliver 4 MB/S...

  • On the post: The Supreme Court Succumbs To Truthiness, Leading Librarians And Stephen Colbert To Bicker

    Coyne Tibbets ( profile ), 28 Oct, 2014 @ 08:28pm

    Numbers only wrong ... if challenged

    I really enjoyed the reasoning in Band's counterpoints: "The number wasn't challenged, so the number is good." Perhaps he is correct and the number was meaningful, but...

    Possibly the best joke of all is the unspoken corollary: If someone presents a number, and that number is challenged, then it is obviously wrong.

    I'm left with a mental image of the nation (or it's Supreme Court) nodding happily to an unchallenged number from a dodgy source. (Such as, to paraphrase T. K. Ryan, "His cousin's uncle's best friend knowed a feller what actually shook hands with the feller what said this was the right number.")

    Meanwhile, numbers painstakingly and repeatably validated using the best scientific and mathematical methods are rejected out of hand because pundit Porky Pig says, 'Th-th-th-th-th-th-th-that's wrong folks!"

    Like the numbers themselves are witnesses to be (dis)credited, when in actuality the witnesses are the sources from which the numbers derive.

Next >>