Cynyr 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: AP Finally Launches NewsRight… And It's Righthaven Lite?

    Cynyr ( profile ), 10 Jan, 2012 @ 04:12pm

    Legal grounds.

    Hmm this bit wasn't thought out.

    At best, it appears to be Righthaven Lite. It doesn't sound like they'll totally pull a Righthaven, where their first move is to sue, but rather (from the various vague descriptions) it sounds like NewsRight will be going around simply trying to get blogs and aggregators to buy a license. But here's the thing: on what legal basis? That's the part that's not clear.


    Well on the basis that the $500 license will be cheaper than a court case for most. Doubly so if you include missed work and travel expenses.

    Your standard "legal blackmail" tactic.

  • On the post: The Annotated Version Of Viacom's Employees Begging The Gov't To Censor The Internet To Save SpongeBob

    Cynyr ( profile ), 29 Nov, 2011 @ 05:20pm

    Re: Not endorsing piracy...

    there are lots of things like this. Either DVR it(while paying for cable) or never see it legally (even if you would like to pay for it).

    Most sporting events, some non prime time TV series. Or the DVDs are so far out of wack cost wise, usually after several years they get back down to a price where it would be cheaper t by the dvd vs pay for cable and catch the re-runs.

  • On the post: We, The People, Are Sarcastic And Not Easily Mollified By Bland Political Non-Answers

    Cynyr ( profile ), 08 Nov, 2011 @ 08:39pm

    Re:

    yes yes feeding the trolls and all that...

    I'd like to point out that everything i currently download I'd be happy to spend say $100-200 per year on each(which is only 4-6 things but still). My conditions for spending that sort of money are:
    1) Timely posting content that stays around for at least 2 years.
    2) Quality high bitrate 720P or higher streams with 5.1 audio.
    3) Ability to watch from what ever the fuck device with a screen I happen to be looking at when I decide I want to watch it.
    4) Ad free, both the stream and the site I get it from. I am paying for it after all.

    Now for the record this is all motorsport stuff (F1, WRC, Dakar, MotoGP), and while some of it is sort of available in my local region, it is either highlights and not the full race, or it is commentated on by someone who clearly didn't even bother to find out how to say peoples names before sitting down let alone knows anything about the event, that is if it even makes it on air.

    As for what this site would be competing against, uploads with-in minutes of the normal TV broadcast ending, at 720P h264 packed in a MKV with 0 DRM. How it could be better? streaming would be nice, so I could just start watching instead of waiting for 6 GB to download. It could contain relevant extras say the position of each car on the track sync'ed with the video feed(offered for free(i think) on F1's website, but hard to sync unless you are watching live and is for windows only(no android, linux, OSX, winmo, iOS). Just not having to muck with bit-torrent, and seeding ratios and such. Also it could provide links to other similar events that were offered which may be of interest, like "ohh we see you like enduro rally, and fast track cars, maybe you would like to preview our coverage of 24 hours of Le Mans. It is kind of like an endurance rally and F1 all mixed together."

    Also would your boss at work take an answer like "well i'm not sure it it isn't bad, but i'm not sure if it isn't good either and while we are at it here is a circus with free bread."? Yes, politicians are my employees, there are notionally paid out of my taxes, and put in to that position by me, they sure as hell better answer to me.

  • On the post: We, The People, Are Sarcastic And Not Easily Mollified By Bland Political Non-Answers

    Cynyr ( profile ), 08 Nov, 2011 @ 05:27pm

    Re: Re: The system is down

    actually I'm willing to bet a simple handheld device that could determine the amount of marijuana in the system and if that was enough to count as "intoxicated" for purposes of a DUI.

    We all seem to agree that driving while under the influence of pot would be bad, but with out a way to test for it, it is easier to just make it illegal all the time. Invent a "pot breathalyzer" and I'd bet legalizing it would work better.

    I personally think that it would be a good source of revenue with a hearty consumption tax of say 25%-40%.

  • On the post: Funny How Microsoft's Views On Responsibility To Competitors Differ Based On Who's In The Antitrust Hot Seat

    Cynyr ( profile ), 21 Oct, 2011 @ 05:48pm

    Re: Re:

    i should have explained a bit for those that don't know.

    CFD = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational_fluid_dynamics
    FEA = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finite_element_method

    Good luck running either with only the hardware of an ipad, galaxy tab or PS3.

  • On the post: Funny How Microsoft's Views On Responsibility To Competitors Differ Based On Who's In The Antitrust Hot Seat

    Cynyr ( profile ), 21 Oct, 2011 @ 05:42pm

    Re:

    could you find me a CFD packages for an iPad? how about a FEA package? Excel(with VBA)? you have no idea how many pieces of "software" are nothing but excel wrapped up in a fancy package.

    Anyways, The day I don't need a windows system to do work as a mechanical engineer will be a happy day for me. I'd love to have a linux system instead. I could manipulate data so much better and get things done faster with a real scripting language around.

  • On the post: Patent Troll Says Anyone Using WiFi Infringes; Won't Sue Individuals 'At This Stage'

    Cynyr ( profile ), 03 Oct, 2011 @ 05:02pm

    Re: Re: I don't understand

    regardless there really should be a statue of limitations on this sort of thing. how long has wifi been in use? 10-15 years now and with as prevalent as it is i would think the holders could have reasonable expected to have started to bring suits a number of years ago.

  • On the post: University Police & Administration Freak Out Over Nathan Fillion Firefly Poster; Censor, Threaten Professor

    Cynyr ( profile ), 01 Oct, 2011 @ 06:10pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    I ripped all the dvds, mainly because the menus had 2 layers to get to each episode, each with entrance animation, 3-5 minutes to switch episodes made watching them back to back painful.

    so much nicer to just open the full series in a playlist and play through it.

  • On the post: Who Do You Believe? NYPD? Or Video Evidence Concerning Cop Pepper Spraying Women?

    Cynyr ( profile ), 26 Sep, 2011 @ 05:02pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    could you find me a working, sustainable, and reasonably fair* capitalist system, current or past?

    Now of course i can't find you a working marxis or communistic one, in fact i can hardly find a working one at all. They all seem to have humans in them and those damn humans are greedy, and make mistakes.

    Look sure capitalism works on paper, but since we are not starting from nothing, how do you propose we insure Microsoft, Cleveland cliffs, IBM, Big tobacco, etc do not just decide to pillage the "common person" as they see fit. now remember, any regulation of any industry makes it not "capitalism". good by EPA, child labor laws, OSHA, minimum wage, speed limits(those effect shipping times, as do stop lights and signs), basically everything. I for one, do not want to live in that world.

    *fair: reasonably small spread between richest and poorest with all making enough to live (when they apply themselves to the business of doing that, no this does not mean a new BMW 3 series every year, but the ability to buy a 5 year old toyota for example) and having the ability to gain/lose money directly from their actions.

  • On the post: How Quickly We Forget: Google's Competitors Falsely Claim Google Dominates Because It Was 'First'

    Cynyr ( profile ), 22 Sep, 2011 @ 05:02pm

    Re: Re: Re: Don't forget

    *posted from my gentoo linux desktop, via my gentoo linux router while holding my android phone.

  • On the post: How Quickly We Forget: Google's Competitors Falsely Claim Google Dominates Because It Was 'First'

    Cynyr ( profile ), 22 Sep, 2011 @ 05:01pm

    Re: Re: Don't forget

    I know! how dare they make excel so useful, and how dare open/libre office not have a decent scripting language built-in with a built-in editor.

  • On the post: Is It A First Amendment Violation To Get Pulled Over For Flashing Your Lights To Warn Others Of Cops?

    Cynyr ( profile ), 22 Sep, 2011 @ 04:48am

    Re: Re: Wait until someone you know gets hit by a speeding car..

    so she wasn't following at a safe distance then. Around here there are more reasons to stop like that than just a speed trap, moose for example, or deer.

  • On the post: Is It A First Amendment Violation To Get Pulled Over For Flashing Your Lights To Warn Others Of Cops?

    Cynyr ( profile ), 21 Sep, 2011 @ 06:38pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    if i did this every time i thought it was the case in my saturn SW2 i might as well drive around with the high beams on.

  • On the post: Massive Exodus From Netflix Over Fee Increase

    Cynyr ( profile ), 18 Sep, 2011 @ 08:30am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    oooo, shame amazon or Hollywood in general hasn't done something simmilar... sat with a $1-$3 each and enforce ratios.

  • On the post: Massive Exodus From Netflix Over Fee Increase

    Cynyr ( profile ), 18 Sep, 2011 @ 08:18am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Disingenuous

    but i thought that if i bought 300 copies, i would be welcome to do what i want with them. Light them on fire, watch them, rent them out for a fee. Isn't that basically what red box is doing? buying movies retail and renting them out?

  • On the post: Imagine If Everyone Had To Start From Scratch And Reinvent The Wheel Every Time They Wanted To Build A New Car?

    Cynyr ( profile ), 08 Sep, 2011 @ 05:05pm

    Re: Re:

    Waffles > pancakes!

    this is a fun game, let's all play.

  • On the post: Facebook Complains About German Sites Changing Functionality Of 'Like' Button To Comply With Law

    Cynyr ( profile ), 06 Sep, 2011 @ 04:42pm

    Re: Re: A nice way to block facebook on third party sites?

    Sorry all, blocking all of Facebook will not work for me (will not pass the wife test)

    I was hoping to repeat the hiese trick and simply make the button a 2click process site wide in my home. All of the above suggestions are either all or nothing, or would need to be done at each computer and each browser.

    Shame that this stuff is so hard to deal with in a useful way.

  • On the post: Facebook Complains About German Sites Changing Functionality Of 'Like' Button To Comply With Law

    Cynyr ( profile ), 06 Sep, 2011 @ 04:38am

    A nice way to block facebook on third party sites?

    Anyone have an example of how to do the mentioned blocking of facebook only while not on facebook in Chrome?

    I can find how to block facebook completely, or how to install a firefox addon, but not how to do it network wide, or computer wide, or per account (regardless of browser). I assume most of these would require running a transparent proxy and rewriting the pages.

  • On the post: Concord PD Hits For The Cycle: Lemonade Stand + Camera + Wiretap Law

    Cynyr ( profile ), 27 Aug, 2011 @ 09:29am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    I saw a cooler there. Presumably filled with cold stuff and lemonade.

    cold stuff == Ice or cooler packs.

  • On the post: Concord PD Hits For The Cycle: Lemonade Stand + Camera + Wiretap Law

    Cynyr ( profile ), 25 Aug, 2011 @ 07:07pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    hmm, could you dig up the "safe temperature" for lemonaide, and the amount of time that it can be kept above that temp?

    Seems to me that lemonaide should keep somewhat like vinegar, less time though due to the sugar. I would image that it would take most of the day to spoil or even longer even if it started at ambient temp.

    I took a quick stab at the above via google and couldn't find anything.

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