Jay 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (4815) comment rss

  • On the post: Are Other NSA Employees Leaking Documents Under The Cover Of Snowden?

    Jay ( profile ), 03 Jan, 2014 @ 11:35am

    So Snowden = Batman?

    So it's official. Edward Snowden is not the hero we want. He's the hero America needs.

    Now all he needs is a cape to fight crime and bring the forces of darkness to light.

  • On the post: NSA Trying To Build A Quantum Computer To Crack Lots Of Encryption, But Not Having Much Luck Yet

    Jay ( profile ), 03 Jan, 2014 @ 04:48am

    Cave Johnson would be proud

    Hi folks,

    Cave Johnson here. We got a few bean counters out back that we "recruited" to test out our new fancy schmancy thingamabobber. It's very expensive and does exactly what we needed for a few people in even nicer suits.

    Now yes, we've conquered the moon and I know that the science experiments haven't gone according to plan, but this is research!

    And we finally got the control group thing fixed (or at least hiding from OSHA) so we're going to throw MORE science at the wall to see what sticks.

    And that's where you come in folks. This large computer is what the bean counters tell me is the future. And we're gonna test it. Not all at once. Just a few tests to make sure it works. I'm sure you'll love it.

  • On the post: Oh Look, Hollywood Had Yet Another Record Year At The Box Office

    Jay ( profile ), 02 Jan, 2014 @ 01:48pm

    Re: Compete With Free

    It might be best to add something here...

    The Walking Dead isn't available overseas and for some people, it's far more convenient to download the episode to talk about it when it comes out.

    Compare this to Dr Who where they decide to wait two weeks for the American episode over the British one?

    Guess which group pirates more?

    The thing about globalization is that the street moves both ways. Someone in Norway who can't access the show but wants to talk about it has more incentives to download to enjoy and partake in the conversations than giving him $5 access to Netflix, cheaper broadband, and ensuring that ads go to you along with legal services for them.

    Piracy has never been a moral issue. It's always been a service issue.

  • On the post: The Grinch Who Stole The Public Domain

    Jay ( profile ), 02 Jan, 2014 @ 01:42pm

    Business R Us

    It's a way to create a business and not piss off customers.

    The other ways include intrusive DRM policies, copyright enforcement against legal consumers, and crappy service for inferior products.

    That said, it quickly becomes apparent that piracy has, and always be, a service issue, not one of morality.

    But to try the old "pay for everything" model when it doesn't apply aptly to digital goods kind of tells how people will pay for good service, not moral preachers of doom and gloom.

  • On the post: NY Times Argues, Forcefully, That The US Should Offer Snowden Clemency

    Jay ( profile ), 02 Jan, 2014 @ 10:47am

    Just one question...

    What about Manning?

  • On the post: Elsevier Ramps Up Its War On Access To Knowledge

    Jay ( profile ), 31 Dec, 2013 @ 10:38pm

    Re: Re: Publishers

    What there is, however, is a "publish or perish" mentality in academia. The idea is that if you don't have a significant body of works published in respected academic journals, it is nigh-impossible to get a tenured position.

    There's a severe irony in doing this... The number of tenured positions has dropped immensely while the number of adjuncts has increased in academia. You can be a grad student for quite some time, saddled with debt and still barely make enough to pay your bills.

    It's like people are running around in a rat race and don't know how to get out of the maze.

  • On the post: How To Solve The Piracy Problem: Give Everyone A Basic Income For Doing Nothing

    Jay ( profile ), 30 Dec, 2013 @ 03:30pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Response to: The Real Michael on Dec 29th, 2013 @ 5:32am

    " You can thank the government, Wall Street, tax loopholes, deregulation, et al. for this, as well as shady backroom deals such as TPP which essentially institute fascism."

    Ok, but who is financing their fascism?

    " On the other hand, socialism is dependent upon social ownership and distribution, as grounded in a philosophical view which in practice never works."

    ... What? Giving workers their rights would never work?

    Have you ever run a business before?

    " America is a Constitutional republic, built on capitalism (not to be confused with the crony capitalism being engaged in)."

    Actually, Madison wanted a democratic republic and he advocated for it along with Thomas Jefferson. It was supposed to change every 20 years and it works as an experiment.

    That said, it needs some serious democratic valves to alleviate the plutocracy that has been instilled for a number of reasons. Or else it leads to the crony capitalism we see (Hint: blaming the government for everything really misses the bigger picture)

    The socialist model being presented here is ridiculous on its face.

    You still don't know what that word is...

    What do you think, money grows on trees?

    No, it's not being taxed fairly between the rich and the poor.

    If government was working the way it's supposed to, the top 1% would be taxed at least 70%, they'd clamp down on outsourcing, bringing jobs back to our shores where they belong, and corporations wouldn't receive huge tax breaks (e.g. GM) and write-offs (e.g. major record labels).

    ... Who do you think controls the politics to make more money?

    It's not rocket science...

  • On the post: How To Solve The Piracy Problem: Give Everyone A Basic Income For Doing Nothing

    Jay ( profile ), 30 Dec, 2013 @ 02:05pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Canada did it too

    ... Dammit... I got pulled in by Poe's Law!

  • On the post: Ruling In Favor Of NSA's Program Relied On Claims In 9/11 Report That Aren't Actually In That Report

    Jay ( profile ), 30 Dec, 2013 @ 02:02pm

    Separation of church and state?

    I am EXTREMELY worried about rulings like this...

    Not only is it confirmation bias, but it just seems like a creationist method of evidence gathering where you find the evidence necessary to confirm your convictions.

    For a judge to make such a ruling, particularly in New York, it may be relevant to look at his past to see how he comes to his conclusions.

    I know that the NSA is collecting information and maybe this judge has some dirt. But to look at this case and try to point out that it may possibly be legal from just one view of the government is an immense foley and downright scary.

    It doesn't ring to a person that is able to understand the separation of church and state. His belief is that the government can do no wrong when it comes to its interactions with the public.

    How could anyone trust such a judge?

  • On the post: How To Solve The Piracy Problem: Give Everyone A Basic Income For Doing Nothing

    Jay ( profile ), 30 Dec, 2013 @ 05:19am

    Re: Re: Re: Response to: The Real Michael on Dec 29th, 2013 @ 5:32am

    I'd argue that they can't demolish unions and left wingers like in the US because of their history with right wing movements.

    Contrary to popular belief, the Nazis killed Socialists such as in the Night of the Long Knives.

    So when you make the left wing stronger, they fight for democracy compared to neoclassical ideologies such as Reagan, Bush, Obama, etc.

  • On the post: Canadian Copyright Collective Calls It A Day After 15 Years Of Failing To Make Payments To Rights Holders

    Jay ( profile ), 30 Dec, 2013 @ 08:04am

    Crystal clear

    So let's just review copyright as it turns out today:

    1) Artists aren't paid based on their work or efforts, but labels are entitled to the money

    2) Every collection agency works to say that copyright can pay them, but the screw over the artists.

    3) The creativity in copyright comes in the licensing portion where the artist lose more money which the copyright holder gains.

    4) This is supposedly a better system over the last 40 years than reducing copyright terms to 0 minutes and having artists decide how to promote themselves based on new avenues of revenue and diverse platforms to express themselves.

    The only real theft going on is that of the copyright holder in exploiting the artist and stealing their innovative works.

  • On the post: How To Solve The Piracy Problem: Give Everyone A Basic Income For Doing Nothing

    Jay ( profile ), 29 Dec, 2013 @ 07:49pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Canada did it too

    Because Fox News says so. This is sad due to their lack of credibility.

    Wait, what?

    France has a tax rate of 75%.

    The US has a tax rate of 38%. That's federal tax rate.

    Where the hell are you getting the Fox News crap from?

  • On the post: How To Solve The Piracy Problem: Give Everyone A Basic Income For Doing Nothing

    Jay ( profile ), 29 Dec, 2013 @ 03:02pm

    Re: Re:

    Nope.

  • On the post: How To Solve The Piracy Problem: Give Everyone A Basic Income For Doing Nothing

    Jay ( profile ), 29 Dec, 2013 @ 03:02pm

    Re: Re: Response to: The Real Michael on Dec 29th, 2013 @ 5:32am

    You have no idea what socialism is...

    And if you're talking about people that leech off a system for people to depend upon government to do everything for them, how is that not the top 1% of people who own over 47% of the wealth?

    Inheritances, stocks and bonds untaxed... You're telling me that they deserve to live off the works of others while doing nothing to work themselves?

    I guess when you believe in corporate welfare, you'll smear anything that stands against it...

  • On the post: How To Solve The Piracy Problem: Give Everyone A Basic Income For Doing Nothing

    Jay ( profile ), 29 Dec, 2013 @ 07:59am

    Re:

    ... You realize that there have been small businesses that work with communal arrangements along with large corporations such as Valve that directly contradict you, right?

  • On the post: How To Solve The Piracy Problem: Give Everyone A Basic Income For Doing Nothing

    Jay ( profile ), 29 Dec, 2013 @ 07:10am

    Re: Re: Canada did it too

    Wouldn't that mean that people would stop making over $250,000?

    Yes, that means a maximum income of $250,000. It would help alleviate some of the income inequality if the rich didn't get disparately richer.

    Or they find another way to get extra money without being taxed.

    Borrow the money from the rich? That screws you over twice. Investors already have a lot of perks. Now you want them to have more money from the government? The banks already have a lot of that going on. That doesn't make sense.

  • On the post: How To Solve The Piracy Problem: Give Everyone A Basic Income For Doing Nothing

    Jay ( profile ), 28 Dec, 2013 @ 08:48pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Canada did it too

    When taxes were raised in California, millionaires didn't leave.

    When France did a 15% tax on stocks and bonds, they didn't leave.

    But you know who did leave a state when given subsidies?

    Detroit, Cleveland, etc.

    The car companies are now Chinese companies and left those cities in destitution.

    Oh, and if you really want to look at history, check out FDR's four terms and the terms of Eisenhower.

    High taxes didn't force people to leave before, so why do you believe it'll happen now?

    It just forces CEOs to dedicate more to their business.

  • On the post: How To Solve The Piracy Problem: Give Everyone A Basic Income For Doing Nothing

    Jay ( profile ), 28 Dec, 2013 @ 08:45pm

    Re: Re: Canada did it too

    The US also experimented with it, and saw a dramatic (10-15%) reduction in the workforce. This reduction was primarily in housewives and high-school aged children, however, so it's arguable whether or not it was a bad thing.

    Source?

    Manitoba had the exact same thing occur so they went out of the workforce to raise children. That freed up jobs for teenagers and others. How is having everyone working a good thing when you have no time for family?


    It's a seductive solution to a complicated problem.

    Seems eerily like people are making the problem more complicated than it has to be. Precedents set seem to be to raise taxes instead of borrowing the money and get the money to help out the poorest and richest with a new way to structure society.

    I really don't think we can just wave a magic wand and say "Everyone gets money!" and expect it to just work out, though.

    Good thing no one's saying that. And we have history that shows the results.

    And it's a non-starter when you start advocating a "modest proposal" like seizing all income over $250k or fixing prices.

    Right... Because taxing stocks and bonds, anything over $250,000 so that there's a maximum income, and helping people to find jobs and money to alleviate poverty is a bad idea...

  • On the post: How To Solve The Piracy Problem: Give Everyone A Basic Income For Doing Nothing

    Jay ( profile ), 28 Dec, 2013 @ 08:40pm

    Re: Re: Canada did it too

    ... Are there enough ad-homs there for people making below the poverty line or do you actually believe you're going to make millions of dollars by working a wage job?

  • On the post: How To Solve The Piracy Problem: Give Everyone A Basic Income For Doing Nothing

    Jay ( profile ), 27 Dec, 2013 @ 09:32am

    Canada did it too

    It's not like mincome projects are anything new. Canada had a mincome project in the late 70s which has gotten more popular recently. Manitoba did this and was successful.

    Paying for this isn't hard either. You just have to tax income and ensure a maximum income of over $250,000 is taxed at 100%. That means any amount over that is given to the government to redistribute for social services. I doubt highly that people would actually be against such a system so long as it helped everyone.

Next >>