Brendan 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (416)

• On the post: The Article On The E-PARASITE Act That You Need To Read

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 05 Nov, 2011 @ 06:47pm

  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

  You do realize that money from ads to pay hosting costs does not mean they /make/ money, right?
  
  If they bring in $50k in ads amonth, and spend $50k of hosting, servers, network hardware etc, they have /made/ zero money. No profit.
  
  You understand revenue and profits are not the same, right?

• On the post: What Would The Movie Business Be Like If The MPAA Succeeded In Killing The VCR?

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 05 Nov, 2011 @ 10:09am

  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

  Some rights, like those related to patents and copyrights, are limited (or were intended to be). The right to freedom of speech, assembly and due process are inalienable.

• On the post: Spanish Judge Gets It: Pirated Copies Not Necessarily Lost Sales, May Boost Purchases Later

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 04 Nov, 2011 @ 07:34am

  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Radio causes lost sales

  If my boss could find somebody able and willing to do my job for a tenth of my pay, I could hardly blame him for replacing me.
  
  It means I'm expecting too much, compared to what other in the market are willing to settle for.
  
  Now, I come with years of experience at my job, and charming disposition. Plus that new guy doesn't shower. If I want my job back, I'm going to have to lower my demands. I don't necessarily have to go as low as Stinky, but if I offer to take a 30% pay cut, my boss might just be willing to get ME instead of the other guy.
  
  So, I don't really see a problem here aside from complaining about competition.

• On the post: Times Change; Dominant Tech Firms Change

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 25 Oct, 2011 @ 11:17pm

  *waves hand* We got our 56k from Prodigy back in the day. Blazing fast!

• On the post: Just Because Something's Fake Doesn't Mean It Can't Be Innovative

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 25 Oct, 2011 @ 11:00pm

  Re: Re:

  In other words: if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and tastes like a duck, does anyone really care if its a fat chicken in a swimsuit?

• On the post: The Unintended Consequences Of Trying To Overprotect Children From The Internet

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 25 Oct, 2011 @ 10:54pm

  Re: Re: Re:

  And how would that sync up with an intelligent system to help a young student track progress in a tricky subject? Or let them report back results after trying some safe kitchen table experiments?
  
  You need _something_ trackable to create a persistent account/identity, and the bar for storing any such information for children is just Too Damn High (TM).

• On the post: Dailydirt: GMO Food — You Are What You Eat?

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 23 Oct, 2011 @ 08:48pm

  Re: About the "made sterile"...

  I was going to ask: "Have those scientists never watched Jurassic Park?"

• On the post: TSA Decides Terrorists Must Be Driving; Partners With Tenn. Law Enforcement To Randomly Search Vehicles

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 21 Oct, 2011 @ 12:29pm

  Re:

  +1 for Kent Brockman reference

• On the post: State Department Pulls Top Secret Security Clearance From Diplomat Who Linked To Publicly Available Info

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 20 Oct, 2011 @ 11:05pm

  Re: Re: Of course the security clasification does not change.

  ...aaaaaand there's that denial of reality. The information is public. Get over it.

• On the post: State Department Pulls Top Secret Security Clearance From Diplomat Who Linked To Publicly Available Info

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 20 Oct, 2011 @ 11:02pm

  Re: Re: Re: Who's head is in the sand?

  Your suggestion that his actions were treasonous is ludicrous, laughable on its face. This information was previously published and publicized. There was no leak or release by this guy. To suggest otherwise shows you are in denial of the reality of our times.

• On the post: State Department Pulls Top Secret Security Clearance From Diplomat Who Linked To Publicly Available Info

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 20 Oct, 2011 @ 10:58pm

  Re: Re: He Broke the Rules

  1. Yes, broadcast DOES declassify the information. It is now public information. Any member of the public without any clearance at all can freely access it. Therefore, it is public info. Therefore, it is not classified any longer. Just because a file or folder somewhere has a red stamp that says "CLASSIFIED" does not make it true.
  
  2. He did not reveal/publish the info (which I agree would be a punishable offense), he merely linked to what was published elsewhere.
  
  If a classified document was leaked and printed in the NY Times, would it be a similar offense to hand somebody a copy of the paper that day? Ridiculous to suggest.

• On the post: Righthaven Still Trying To Avoid Paying Any Legal Fees Of Those It Illegally Sued

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 17 Oct, 2011 @ 10:10pm

  Second paragraph of 4th quote mangled

  What currently reads:
  

  Righthaven?s mass litigation model now descends upon the Court of which are currently pending. Beyond this case, ... Righthaven mocks the definition of the word and mocks this court by bringing this frivolous motion. Appeals, and it has brought no fewer than five appeals before this Court ? all of

  
  Should read:
  

  Righthaven?s mass litigation model now descends upon the Court of Appeals, and it has brought no fewer than five appeals before this Court ? all of which are currently pending. Beyond this case, ... Righthaven mocks the definition of the word and mocks this court by bringing this frivolous motion.

• On the post: Unfortunate: Novelist Joins Lawsuit Against Libraries; Would Apparently Prefer His Book Rot In Obscurity

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 12 Oct, 2011 @ 06:59pm

  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

  I like this version.

• On the post: One Of The Most Successful NY Startups… Is Dedicated To Infringing Activities (According To The Entertainment Industry)

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 12 Oct, 2011 @ 09:55am

  Re: Re: Re:

  Shotgun approach. Download lots of stuff, see what sticks (stuff you like and enjoy repeatedly), and pay to support that.

• On the post: As Expected, Alternative DNS Systems Sprouting Up To Ignore US Censorship

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 11 Oct, 2011 @ 07:05pm

  Re: Re: Re: Re: But the Protect IP guys will get their way

  How do you through your day without tripping over things with your eyes so clearly focus at the tip of your nose?
  
  You don't understand how a fragmented system is inherently less secure for you, even if you don't think you'll be part of "that group." You really need to wake up and widen your field of view.
  
  One of the strongest points against Protect IP is that is will cause these new problem, yet do absolutely nothing to deal with the problem it is aimed at.
  
  What a waste of time, effort and resources.

• On the post: Why Did Intellectual Ventures Sue Motorola Mobility… Even As Google Is An IV Investor?

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 11 Oct, 2011 @ 06:54pm

  Re: Re: Re: Dont like the rules, dont play the game.

  Please fall asleep in your basement with a lit cigarette.

• On the post: Justice Department Threatening US Sports Blogs Because Commenters Linked To Streaming Content

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 10 Oct, 2011 @ 10:49am

  Re: Re: Re:

  Which is a horrible flawed way of looking at things. But I guess if they "own the IP"...

• On the post: France Continues Mass Processing Of Infringement Accusations: 60 People Get Third Strike Notice… 650,000 Get First Strike

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 07 Oct, 2011 @ 02:32pm

  Re: Re: Re:

  I pay them with my time and attention. Then, when I find things I like, I also pay them by buying the vinyl or concert tickets.
  
  But there no wayin hell I'm going to pay for an album or a concert without listening to the artist _extensively_ first.

• On the post: Amazon's Silk Browser To Be A Data Mining Jackpot

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 30 Sep, 2011 @ 04:32pm

  What about secure connections?

  Maybe I'm missing a piece of the puzzle, but how will this browser work for encrypted/secure pages?
  
  I see two possibilties -- one that's boring, and one that's scary:
  1) Silk split browser enhancements do not function for HTTPS pages to preserve the security of the connection. This means theincreasingly large portion of web services only useful with a login will see minimal improvements. Or,
  2) Amazon will be injecting themselves as a man in the middle, using the decrypted data to provide performance enhancements to encrypted pages just as well as unencrypted ones. This would mean Amazon could scrape my bank account balance in addition to prices I see while shopping. If its linked to my account, might they try to charge me more if they see a tidy bundle in my chequing account?
  
  I really do want to know which way this goes...

• On the post: Guy Arrested, Threatened With 15 Years For Recording Traffic Stop In Illinois

  

  Brendan ( profile ), 30 Sep, 2011 @ 01:46pm

  Re:

  Interesting, but it might get a bit circular.

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