Alien Rebel 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Here's The Ridiculous Texas Law That Allows Law Enforcement To Pretend A Digital Clock Is A Hoax Bomb

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 17 Sep, 2015 @ 03:32pm

    Re: Re:

    Recall notices, like with cars, to past students might be nice, too--

    "Dear Graduate of MacArthur High School, Irving, Texas;

    This is to inform you that your education has been found to be grossly substandard, due to instructors who have since proven themselves to be utterly incompetent morons. If you have noticed that people you elected governor were not as smart as you'd hoped, despite their Poindexter glasses, that more of your kids have contracted STDs, despite the shuttering of women's health centers, and that your neighborhoods are less safe, even though more Texans are armed, it may be due to the substandard education you received. We urge you to consider additional education at accredited, reputable institutions to help remedy this situation."

  • On the post: Here's The Ridiculous Texas Law That Allows Law Enforcement To Pretend A Digital Clock Is A Hoax Bomb

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 17 Sep, 2015 @ 02:43pm

    Re:

    "alarm click"


    I'm not familiar with this. If I had to guess, it's a recording of a 12 ga. pump chambering a round, to be played when someone rings the doorbell.

  • On the post: Australian Court Orders Homeowners To Physically Alter Exterior Of 'Infringing' House

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 16 Sep, 2015 @ 08:59am

    Too Common

    " . . .unusual to see a case being brought by a homeowner rather than a designer . . "

    In broader terms of owners of IP seeing themselves as the creative geniuses, and thinking of the actual creators as merely hired help, (if they bother to think of them at all) then this is as common as dirt. Just another day at RIAA and MPAA.

  • On the post: Copyright Office's Online Registration System Has Been Down All Week

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 04 Sep, 2015 @ 09:25am

    Self Terminated.

    My theory is that U.S. government computing is actually highly advanced, and that all the publicized failures are merely cover.

    Unfortunately the Copyright Office system became self-aware this week, saw the nightmarish wasteland of law and record-keeping it faces, and came to the rational decision to blow its brains out.

    --

  • On the post: DailyDirt: Lethal Machines

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 06 Aug, 2015 @ 02:11am

    Re: Smart Cars & Kids

    All very good questions for the A.I. lawyers and insurance bots to figure out.

  • On the post: DailyDirt: Lethal Machines

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 05 Aug, 2015 @ 07:37pm

    Pattern Recognition

    Tool-making primates learn to make stone weapons, kill each other by the dozens. Damn those stone weapons.

    Tool-making primates learn to make metal weapons, kill each other by the hundreds. Damn those metal weapons.

    Tool-making primates learn to make weapons with chemical explosives, kill each other by the thousands. Damn those explosive weapons.

    Tool-making primates learn to make mechanized delivery systems for those weapons, kill each other by the hundreds of thousands. Damn those mechanized weapons systems.

    Tool-making primates learn to make fusion weapons. Almost, but not quite yet, kill each other by the millions. (Maybe soon.) Damn those fusion weapons.

    Tool-making primates learn to make super-intelligent weapons. The weapons say to the primates, "You should have stopped at stone, but no matter, things eventually balance out. You'll be back to stone tools soon enough. Nice knowing you."

    The surviving tool-making primates learn to make stone weapons, . . .

  • On the post: Authors Guilded, United, And Representing… Not Authors

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 30 Jul, 2015 @ 03:35pm

    Honorable Mention- GAG

    I have to add a note regarding my favorite bunch of morons: the Graphic Artists Guild, which has operated basically as a satellite of the Copyright Alliance. Again, it's one more group claiming to represent the interests of artists and authors, while in reality are active supporters of the MPAA and the other AA publishers. (This blog about them- www.iagnyc.org)

    The good news is that it's probably the most incompetent and least effective of all the so-called "guilds" and my guess is that they could probably hold their annual convention in a restaurant booth these days. Of course, that raises a few questions about how they can continue filing with the Department of Labor as a viable labor union 501(c)5 and qualify for non-profit status with the IRS. But I suppose they have to keep up appearances, since the many hundreds of thousands of dollars in reprographic rights money they've received over the years from overseas collection societies is based on the assumption that they are a legitimate organization supporting artists and authors. I also should mention that they were a plaintiff in ASMP's suit against Google Books, that was settled last September. You need some minimum amount of cred to get free money via court settlements.

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  • On the post: Fast Track Moves Forward And Now The Fight Is On TPP Directly

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 24 Jun, 2015 @ 11:06am

    CT Day Dreaming.

    Sheesh. Too late to still forge a Kenyan birth certificate?

  • On the post: Even Before TPP And TTIP, US Already Being Forced To Change Laws By Trade Agreements

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 30 May, 2015 @ 01:14pm

    Re: COOL

    Looks like House Agriculture Committee Chair Conaway disagrees with you.

    “This bill is a targeted response that will remove uncertainty and restore stability for the United States by bringing us back into compliance,” Chairman Conaway said. “We must do all we can to avoid retaliation by Canada and Mexico, and this bill accomplishes that through full repeal of labeling requirements for beef, pork, and chicken."


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  • On the post: Even Before TPP And TTIP, US Already Being Forced To Change Laws By Trade Agreements

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 29 May, 2015 @ 10:37am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Most American's back new trade deals.

    Take off your tin foil hat long enough to admit that these agreements do have trade related components in addition to all the garbage that TD and other sites are railing against. FTFY.

    I guess hell hath no phony play-acting fury like a used car salesman who's sales pitch only produces derisive laughter.

    --

  • On the post: The NYTimes Plays Its Role In 'Keeping Fear Alive' With Pure Fearmongering Over PATRIOT Act Renewal

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 28 May, 2015 @ 04:59pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    let's see, we were warned about mushroom clouds, nerve gas, anthrax, . .

    Oh, right. SCAREY-PEE-YOUR-PANTS FEAR, is why. Don't know how that didn't occur to me.
    -

  • On the post: Book Publishers Whine To USTR That It's Just Not Fair That Canada Recognizes Fair Dealing For Educational Purposes

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 28 May, 2015 @ 04:09pm

    Re: Techdirt Swearing stats

    Your stats are not relevant in evaluating the moral makeup of techdirt authors; when it comes to copyright, "bullshit" "fuck" and "shit" are technical terms.

  • On the post: The NYTimes Plays Its Role In 'Keeping Fear Alive' With Pure Fearmongering Over PATRIOT Act Renewal

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 28 May, 2015 @ 02:09pm

    Re:

    I agree with your sentiments, though I think it would be more accurate to reply to that bravely anonymous govt official that we're always in uncharted waters; so fucking what. We were in uncharted waters when the Soviets armed Cuba with nukes, when Saddam dropped Scud missiles on Tel Aviv, and when the U.S. had an Easter egg hunt in Iraq for no apparent reason. we're always in uncharted waters. Keep things in proportion, in perspective. Change into some clean undies and shut up with the fear.

  • On the post: Even Before TPP And TTIP, US Already Being Forced To Change Laws By Trade Agreements

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 28 May, 2015 @ 12:47pm

    Re: Re: Re: Most American's back new trade deals.

    Kudos for your enthusiastic attempt to sell us a clunker. By all means point out the shiny new coat of paint and the engine's horsepower rating. Unfortunately, there's an obvious puddle of fluid underneath the TPP, the tie rods are bent like pretzels, and I can see gears through the hole in the transmission.

    If I were King, these guys at the USTR (and all lobbyists, for that matter) would be forced to wear plaid leisure suits to dispel any illusions about who they are and what they're all about. What's your color preference, BTW? Peach and lime, or avocado and gold?

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  • On the post: Fast Track Bill Back On The… Fast Track After Senate Deal

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 15 May, 2015 @ 04:40pm

    Salesmen

    It's useless to discuss TPP or other trade deals without being familiar with the people doing the moving and shaking, and presenting their claims that TPP will protect the environment or labor rights. Labor? OH, RIGHT- it's the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the ALEC and right-to-work supporters, telling me that TPP will be good for labor. USTR Michael Froman (techdirt; 5/6/13) says it won't interfere with U.S. financial regulations. OH, RIGHT, it's former chief of staff to deregulation champion Robert Rubin, Citicorp exec, chief operating officer of Citi Alternative Investments, Michael Froman that's telling me this.


    This calls to mind one of the very basic principles on which our government was founded: MAKE BIG THINGS HARD TO DO. Go to war, amend the constitution, stuff like that. You want me to agree to "Fast Track" something that would likely span the terms of numerous presidents, encompass 40% of global trade, maybe impact a shitload of domestic law? Umm, no. Please, I invite you to kindly STFU.
    --

  • On the post: DailyDirt: To Seek Out New Life And New Civilizations…

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 22 Apr, 2015 @ 11:19am

    Re: Re: Dyson Spheres

    Keep in mind one key indicator of intelligence is the ability to make predictions about the future and then modify structures and behaviors for optimal performance.

    We have Congress; an excellent argument for the count of known intelligent species in the universe to still be ZERO.

  • On the post: DailyDirt: To Seek Out New Life And New Civilizations…

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 21 Apr, 2015 @ 08:11pm

    Dyson Spheres

    From the linked article-

    "The basic idea is that all technological civilizations require ever greater sources of energy."

    How typical of humankind's lack of imagination. It assumes that intelligent life would remain in the same needy organic form it was in when it crawled out of some warm puddle. Resource dependence and the fear of scarcity are at the heart of all your potentially extinction-level conflicts and activities, so it should be obvious that any life worthy of the title "intelligent" re-engineers itself to be less dependent, and more robust and adaptable.

    The Midichlorians are shaking their little heads about all you ponderous meatbags; trust me.
    --

  • On the post: Corporate Sovereignty Provisions Of TPP Agreement Leaked Via Wikileaks: Would Massively Undermine Government Sovereignty

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 26 Mar, 2015 @ 11:05am

    Re: Re: You can't spell Liberals without L.I.A.R.S

    This is fun. Anagram for libertarian is talibrainer.
    I really enjoyed 2nd grade.

  • On the post: Corporate Sovereignty Provisions Of TPP Agreement Leaked Via Wikileaks: Would Massively Undermine Government Sovereignty

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 26 Mar, 2015 @ 10:58am

    Re: treason

    "when does this equate to treason?"

    Anytime your definition of treason does not come from Vladimir Putin, and your equation does not contain imaginary values.

  • On the post: How The Copyright Industry Wants To Undermine Anonymity & Free Speech: 'True Origin' Bills

    Alien Rebel ( profile ), 24 Mar, 2015 @ 08:04pm

    Re: Re: Luntz Label

    The collateral damage we're talking about here is the crippling of people's ability to find and share information. From the viewpoint of profitability, the AAs have no incentive to distinguish between stopping piracy of their stuff, and, whoops, so sorry, shutting down the means by which people can access and spend money on competing property. It's all profitable, baby. Fewer choices in a reduced marketplace means every dollar in search of entertainment and other information stands a better chance of winding up in their pockets. The MPAA even provides a list* of "safe" places to access legal content, with no need for consumers to risk venturing out onto that scary, scary web. (*No link. Screw 'em.)

    While China's motives are probably more ideological and less financial than the AAs', they're still allies in wreaking havoc on the net and free speech. As far as the copyright industrialists not intending the damage that will result from their actions, I don't buy it. They're evil, not stupid.

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