Idobek 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (112) comment rss

  • On the post: UK Government Sets Up 'Public Data Corporation' To Free Up Data

    Idobek ( profile ), 14 Jan, 2011 @ 12:20pm

    Re: Re: Overly complicated

    The "UK equivalents" are the Freedom of Information Act and a FoI request.

    I think the reason for setting up the corporation is to head of the criticism they get whenever they release raw information. Almost all the commentators insist that no one will be have any incentive to create a user interface or investigate the data (and make it understandable to the mainstream media). Witness the tone of amazement in all today's Wikipedia anniversary stories - the MSM really doesn't understand why people contribute.

  • On the post: Red Cross Says Theater Nurse Costume Violates The Geneva Conventions

    Idobek ( profile ), 14 Jan, 2011 @ 11:12am

    My list is growing

    Yet another one to add to my list of charities not to give money to. Usually they get added for being majority funded by the taxpayer or my disagreement with the cause. This might be the first for "being bloody stupid".

  • On the post: Red Cross Says Theater Nurse Costume Violates The Geneva Conventions

    Idobek ( profile ), 14 Jan, 2011 @ 11:00am

    Re: Re: Oops

    I had never seen (or heard of) Lego being referred to as "Legos" until I saw it on on Techdirt recently. Is it an American er... colloquialism (I guess that's the word)?

  • On the post: T-Mobile UK Decides Mobile Broadband Shouldn't Actually Be Used For Mobile Broadband

    Idobek ( profile ), 11 Jan, 2011 @ 01:53pm

    Re: Re:

    I'm on a 30 day contract with them so I'll be gone as soon as I figure out how to get my number transferred.

    Phone them up and tell them to give you your PAC code. They'll put you through to sales - who will try to convince you to stay - but they have to give you the code. I suggest making it clear why you're moving; they won't be able to do anything about it, but I believe we should educate these idiots.

  • On the post: Music Piracy = The Death Of The Recording Artist?

    Idobek ( profile ), 06 Jan, 2011 @ 06:30am

    Re: But why did they stop touring?

    My apologies for repeating stuff - I had missed the post that already mentioned this.

  • On the post: Music Piracy = The Death Of The Recording Artist?

    Idobek ( profile ), 06 Jan, 2011 @ 06:24am

    But why did they stop touring?

    This "needs citation" but: the Beatles stopped touring because the experience for the fans was deteriorating. Beatlemania had become so great that the screaming at the gigs was so loud that nobody (not even the band) could hear the music being played. The number of injuries incurred by the crowd was increasing rapidly as those screaming fans fought to get to the front. Overall the crowd came away from a gig feeling cheated; you cannot expect a mob to understand that it was its own behaviour that ruined the experience. Therefore, the Beatles decided to stop touring, although I doubt they ever intended to never tour again

  • On the post: French National Assembly Approves Internet Censorship Law

    Idobek ( profile ), 18 Dec, 2010 @ 03:47am

    France will never be happy with the internet

    Unless French becomes the lingua franca and the Googles, Facebooks and eBays are French companies.

  • On the post: On The Arrest Of Julian Assange

    Idobek ( profile ), 08 Dec, 2010 @ 05:35am

    Britain's role is cursory at best...

    Once Sweden issued a European Arrest Warrant they effectively commandeered the British police and "justice" system. EU law requires the police to enforce the warrant and requires our court to issue a deportation order regardless of evidence. This would be the case even if the alleged crime was not a crime in Britain.

    It makes our extradition treaty with the US look positively fair and just.

  • On the post: How Murdoch's Paywalls Meant Some News It Broke Went Unnoticed & Uncredited

    Idobek ( profile ), 16 Nov, 2010 @ 05:11am

    A sign of The Times

    I now find out what is in the Times by reading the Telegraph's "The Times is reporting..." stories in the blogs section.

  • On the post: EU Proposes 'Right To Be Forgotten' Online, In Contradiction With Free Speech Concepts

    Idobek ( profile ), 08 Nov, 2010 @ 05:52am

    Re:

    As Mike says "we" are wrong, absolutely and entirely. Freedom of expression should trump everything; some of "us" still understand this.

  • On the post: UK Plans To Review Copyright Laws (Yet Again), With Eye Towards Fair Use

    Idobek ( profile ), 07 Nov, 2010 @ 10:15am

    UK Government: Our aim for the Olympic site, with better connectivity than anywhere else in the country, is to encourage internet companies to set up offices there in order to create a UK version of Silicon Valley.

    Silicon Valley (specifically Google): No way dude! Your libel and free speech laws are screwed man! And that Digital Economy Act you voted for last year is designed to destroy the digital economy on behalf on the recording industry. On top of that the EU is determined to undermine any internet company that isn't based there - even going to the extent of state funded research into an EU alternative the "American" internet. Why would be go any where near London or the UK? Everyone that is currently there is thinking of leaving and coming here?

    UK Government: Really, oh, maybe we should look at that.

  • On the post: One Dunkin Donuts Tries To Abolish The Penny… Until Customers Demand It Back

    Idobek ( profile ), 03 Nov, 2010 @ 09:30am

    Huh

    Strange that this sparked a metric vs. imperial debate.

    Personally I'd like a base 12 system so fractions still "work". Percentages and base 10 numeric systems fall apart very quickly when doing mental arithmetic.

  • On the post: Transportation Secretary Wants To Ban All Driver Talking (Except To Other Passengers)

    Idobek ( profile ), 12 Oct, 2010 @ 08:06am

    What about signing along to the radio?

    A happy habit of many a lone driver might soon cause many to be pulled over by the police?

  • On the post: Libel Cases In The UK Hit A Ten Year High… Just As People Were Declaring Libel Dead In The US

    Idobek ( profile ), 12 Oct, 2010 @ 06:24am

    Re: We (sort of ) need those laws

    What you say might have some merit if our libel laws influenced, in any way, the behaviour of the tabliod press. They don't. What our libel laws do is cause the shelving of good reporting because the cost of fighting any potential law suit is not worth the risk.

    Reporting the facts as you know them, and then commenting on them, is fraught with danger. Making up a story and then retracting it, and paying compensation, the minute a law suit is mooting is much cheaper than defending a well researched story in the courts.

  • On the post: City Council Claims Copyright Infringement Over One Councillor Posting YouTube Clips Of Council Meetings

    Idobek ( profile ), 01 Oct, 2010 @ 03:18am

    This really, really irritates me...

    I absolutely hate it when I have to side with Jason Kitkat, a man I disagree with on pretty much everything but who is also my representative to my local council. Arggghhh!

  • On the post: Runkeeper's Ability To Outrun Nike & Adidas Shows How Big Companies Don't Always Copy & Win

    Idobek ( profile ), 30 Sep, 2010 @ 07:48am

    Re: The American Way

    I have to wonder why you hate England so much. I don't mind that you do, everybody hates the English, but please hate us for the right reasons. All your assumptions in your post appear to be wrong, starting with the part that the Royal familiy live off the income from their land.

  • On the post: UK Judge Not Impressed By Mass Copyright Pre-Settlement Campaigns

    Idobek ( profile ), 30 Sep, 2010 @ 03:17am

    Re: UK First Amendment

    Like many rights in the UK freedom of speech was thought so fundamental that it didn't need writing down.

    As I understand it this was the position of the Founding Fathers when writing the constitution. There was also concern when drafting the Bill of Rights that only the rights specified would be deemed to exist.

    Ironically it is the human rights movement in general that has nicely destroyed that concept by insisting that fundamental and social rights are equal. Social rights (education) have to be written down to have any standing, fundamental right (life, speech) should never have to be "granted" by the state - they simply are (and the state can only take away that right not grant it).

  • On the post: Is Quoting Someone Out Of Context Defamation?

    Idobek ( profile ), 30 Sep, 2010 @ 02:41am

    Polititians would have to be exempt...

    They only ever quote each other out of context.

  • On the post: UK MPs Questioning Digital Economy Act: IP Address Does Not Identify Individual

    Idobek ( profile ), 29 Sep, 2010 @ 02:57am

    Small Point

    The "correct" form is Julian Huppert MP not "MP Julian Huppert". MP is a description, not a title.

  • On the post: If Fashion Copyright Harms So Many, Why Is Congress Pushing For It?

    Idobek ( profile ), 02 Sep, 2010 @ 04:28am

    Milan, Paris & London

    New York can kiss goodbye to its status as one of the world's fashion capitals.

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