Taur10 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Ride Sharing Services Lead Taxi Medallion Values To Plummet (And That's A Good Thing)

    Taur10 ( profile ), 02 Dec, 2014 @ 10:59pm

    Re: Re:

    Actually driver training should be improved for everyone. Livery licenses are kinda pointless, but they do hold the drivers to a higher standard, unfortunately its only the standard that all drivers should be held to.

    Out here you are required a special license. Seriously, i had to pay extra and take a written test for an E class license here in MO because its required for any for hire job in a non-commercial vehicle. I was delivering newspapers and later working as a courier, and since i can be ticketed for not having it, i figured the fee is cheaper than the ticket.

  • On the post: Ride Sharing Services Lead Taxi Medallion Values To Plummet (And That's A Good Thing)

    Taur10 ( profile ), 02 Dec, 2014 @ 10:54pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    Surprisingly enough, no. AZ has no vehicle inspections except in Tucson and Phoenix, and those are only for emissions. You should see some of what drives around down there.

    Plus with the number of miles being racked up on these vehicles it'd prolly be better to inspect them more frequently than regular cars, at least annually if not twice annually (when i moved out of NJ they were switching to biannual emissions testing, not sure about safety).

  • On the post: Ride Sharing Services Lead Taxi Medallion Values To Plummet (And That's A Good Thing)

    Taur10 ( profile ), 02 Dec, 2014 @ 10:50pm

    Re: Re:

    Sorry, got a bit over the top in showing the opposite extreme, you're quite right about the ex-cons (ex-felons i might be more worried about).

    That said, the main point is that medallions make sense to indicate that the vehicle is approved for use having been inspected to insure all standard and specialized equipment work. Think of it as a near permanently attached inspection sticker, dunno about NYC's, but Las Vegas rivets them to the left rear fender.

    Nothing wrong with certifying the car and the driver, as long as the price isn't artificially inflated. Uber and its ilk are like the PHX market, effectively unregulated, while taxi companies are typically a government run monopoly. Hitting something in the middle would be the best solution, but since both are in it for the money, neither will offer that.

  • On the post: Ride Sharing Services Lead Taxi Medallion Values To Plummet (And That's A Good Thing)

    Taur10 ( profile ), 01 Dec, 2014 @ 09:55pm

    Medallions aren't the problem, its the limit on supply. I worked in Phoenix, which has limited emissions testing for vehicles and no safety inspections (personal or business, at least the small stuff). A taxi company there that offers the lowest prices runs a fleet of boxy old Caprices, most picked up for $500 or $600, with a preference for crashed ones. They straighten the frames themselves, slap a coat of paint on it and put it on the road. Most drivers are ex felons, and many of the cars have to be steered to go in a straight line. That's what you get in a fully unregulated market.

    Now, a smart system would be to sell medallions that indicate that the vehicle has been safety certified and also license livery drivers without limiting the number of medallions nor controlling fares. That way you get a safe car at a reasonable price.

  • On the post: DailyDirt: Does Anyone Really Want A Modular Smartphone?

    Taur10 ( profile ), 01 Dec, 2014 @ 09:22pm

    I've been fond of the idea of modular cell phones for a while m'self, its just a matter of the execution.

    There are times when i want to carry little more than a pager with me, and other times when i'd like to carry basically an entire computer. If i had a core module that could like to the wireless peripherals (displays, input devices, hands free, etc) of my choice, i'd be real happy. Just mix and match what suits my needs at the time. And imagine the commercial applications, the ability to equip employees based on the specific needs of their jobs easily and cheaply.

  • On the post: Prosecutor Lays The Blame For The Ferguson Debacle At The Feet Of 'Social Media'

    Taur10 ( profile ), 25 Nov, 2014 @ 11:01pm

    Re: This isn't the first time...

    The only thing that's changed in STL in 100 years, a black man no longer has to say 'yes massa', now he's expected to say 'yes officer'

  • On the post: DC Comics Going After A Spanish Soccer Club With A Bat In Its Logo For Some Reason

    Taur10 ( profile ), 25 Nov, 2014 @ 10:29pm

    So, how long until DC tries suing Bacardi?

    http://www.bacardiusa.com/

  • On the post: Police In Ferguson Sign Court Agreement Promising Not To Interfere With Media… Then Go Threaten And Arrest Media

    Taur10 ( profile ), 19 Aug, 2014 @ 05:50am

    Re:

    Yeah, i thought that was great, i wonder what it says about their training when they can't even figure out which side is up on their shields.

  • On the post: Police In Ferguson Back To Threatening And Arresting Reporters: Tells Them To 'Get The Fuck Out Of Here'

    Taur10 ( profile ), 18 Aug, 2014 @ 07:18pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Here the story i suspect is much more pedestrian and prolly silly. Just look at the fact that we have 90 towns (well, incorporated municipalities) and 45 villages in a 524sq mile area (including the water). Many of those towns started as farms, and many survive because people don't want to give up their town, despite rampant corruption (look up Kinloch for a great example, Jennings has its own history off the top of my head).

  • On the post: SWAT Team Shows Up In Ferguson, Detains Reporters Live Tweeting Their Actions

    Taur10 ( profile ), 18 Aug, 2014 @ 06:53am

    Re: Ask the folks in Detroit and LA how well that worked out...

    Ad Asbury Park, NJ to that list. Race riots in 68, i lived and worked in there in the late 90s, and it was still a hole.

  • On the post: Police In Ferguson Back To Threatening And Arresting Reporters: Tells Them To 'Get The Fuck Out Of Here'

    Taur10 ( profile ), 18 Aug, 2014 @ 06:35am

    Re: Re: Re: This is why police need to wear bodycameras

    Keep in mind that thanks to the 1033 program, the military gear is free or heavily discounted.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-harwood/to-terrify-and-occupy_b_5678072.html

  • On the post: Police In Ferguson Back To Threatening And Arresting Reporters: Tells Them To 'Get The Fuck Out Of Here'

    Taur10 ( profile ), 18 Aug, 2014 @ 06:31am

    Re:

    That was pretty clear when the 18 page report has only one page devoted to the shooting, and they released the video in defiance of a DOJ request not to release it.

  • On the post: Police In Ferguson Back To Threatening And Arresting Reporters: Tells Them To 'Get The Fuck Out Of Here'

    Taur10 ( profile ), 18 Aug, 2014 @ 06:29am

    Re: Re:

    The problem here is how screwed up the towns are. Seriously, go to Google Maps, type in 'Ferguson, MO' and then follow the red dashed line to see the border. Now just how do you enforce a curfew in that?

    As to the adjacent towns, lets see, Dellwood and Jennings both rely on St Louis County who's helping out in Ferguson, Berkley last i heard was struggling to afford a PD, Kinloch kinda has a PD, and Cool Valley's policing is done by Normandy. If this expands outside of Ferguson, its going to get real ugly.

  • On the post: SWAT Team Shows Up In Ferguson, Detains Reporters Live Tweeting Their Actions

    Taur10 ( profile ), 14 Aug, 2014 @ 08:21am

    Re: Re: As someone who lives in the St. Louis Metro area...

    This will be the FPD's new motto: http://www.cocomartini.com/bookstore/media/catalog/product/s/t/st003a_largesize2_1.jpg

  • On the post: SWAT Team Shows Up In Ferguson, Detains Reporters Live Tweeting Their Actions

    Taur10 ( profile ), 14 Aug, 2014 @ 08:17am

    Re: Missouri cops need to be jailed, all of them.

    What they need to do is reduce the number of towns out here, its ridiculous. A county of 524sq miles has 90 incorporated municipalities, and 45 unincorporated areas. The biggest problem with the police is that they have to justify their existence, which as you can imagine is hard with this many towns.

  • On the post: SWAT Team Shows Up In Ferguson, Detains Reporters Live Tweeting Their Actions

    Taur10 ( profile ), 14 Aug, 2014 @ 08:07am

    Re: Disturbing

    Not a real surprise, consider that the Ferguson PD never released a statement on the shooting before the STLCPD did their press conference the next day. And then there's the answer given when a state Senator asked if she'd be gassed again. Oh, and the one about the fact that only 3 of the 53 officers on the force are black is because black kids don't want to be cops. FPD's incompetence is incredible, in fact according to Breaking News the STLCPD has announced that they're no longer going to be involved. I think the next announcement will be the firing of the police chief.

  • On the post: SWAT Team Shows Up In Ferguson, Detains Reporters Live Tweeting Their Actions

    Taur10 ( profile ), 14 Aug, 2014 @ 08:13am

    Don't forget about Alderman Antonio French, a former reporter who's been one of the best sources for information there, he was arrested and held overnight for unlawful assembly. This on top of... lets see, they threatened to arrest him on Monday, tear gassed a state Senator, arrested 2 reporters, tear gassed another Huffington Post reporter, tear gassed an Al Jazeera news crew that was setting up, then dismantled their equipment, and rolled up on another news crew and tear gassed them. And did we mention the No Fly Zone over Ferguson?

  • On the post: If You Don't Care About The NSA Because You 'Haven't Done Anything Wrong,' You're Wrong

    Taur10 ( profile ), 26 Nov, 2013 @ 05:54pm

    I have nothing to hide...

    But its still my nothing, and i want to decide who gets to see it.

  • On the post: Boston Shuts Down Uber Because Massachusetts Doesn't Approve Of The GPS

    Taur10 ( profile ), 15 Aug, 2012 @ 03:11am

    Massachussets is right

    Seriously, it might sound obnoxious, but here's something interesting i found while shopping for taxi meters, they have to be Federally certified. Yes, seriously, heck, that process is so crappy that the last time i worked for a taxi company, about five or so years ago, their in car computers which used the latest technology not only didn't have a built in meter, but they were still running WinCE. I think if they wanted to, Mass could decide its acceptable to use GPS, but like most governments, they simply default to the Feds who haven't given it the green light.

  • On the post: Google Realizing That Its Real Names Policy Is Excessive

    Taur10 ( profile ), 20 Oct, 2011 @ 06:45am

    I don't get why this is so difficult for Google. Sure, if someone wants true anonymity, its a bit of a problem, but for someone like me that doesn't care if their real name is associated with their account, why not just give me a check box that allows me to select my nick name as my display name?

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