John85851 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Instead Of Banning Books, Idaho Library Decides To Ban Kids In Response To New Law On ‘Inappropriate Books’

    John85851 ( profile ), 28 May, 2024 @ 01:07pm

    Malicious compliance

    I don't know if someone mentioned this or not, but closing the library to kids could be a form of malicious compliance: they can't follow the rules to "protect" kids, so they're going to ban kids. Personally, I think this a great example to follow. What would happen if a few public schools said they can't "protect" kids either, so kids will be banned from entering schools? Honestly, if I were a teacher or principal, I'd be very worried about bounty laws where people could make money if they found something they didn't like. So then close the schools to kids and avoid any risk from bounty seeking parents. Sure, kids won't get an education, but it almost seems like this is a preferred side effect.

  • On the post: Freshly Indicted Biden Deepfaker Prompts Uncharacteristically Fast FCC Action On AI Political Robocalls

    John85851 ( profile ), 24 May, 2024 @ 05:59am

    I agree that robo calls will only stop when they don't return a profit for the scammers. But what's their cost? A fee hundred dollars for a robo dialer and maybe $2.00 an hour for staff for the scam center. But like spam emails, all it takes is 1 or 2 people sending them money and they've made a profit. One solution could be for the phone companies to charge 1 cent per call. This is nothing for the average person, but if a scammer is making millions of calls, then this starts to add up. The other solution is to figure out which phone companies connect overseas scammers to the US. Do those phone companies know the calls come from acammers? And if so, does their profit outweigh shutting down the scammers?

  • On the post: British Comic Artist Petitions USPTO To Cancel ‘Super Hero’ Trademark Held By DC, Marvel

    John85851 ( profile ), 21 May, 2024 @ 10:56am

    Or how like many writers on TechDirt use the term "hoovering up" (named for the company, Hoover), when they actually mean "vacuuming up" or "sucking up".

  • On the post: Welcome To The Brave New World Of Vehicle Insurance Fraud Powered By Shallowfakes

    John85851 ( profile ), 07 May, 2024 @ 07:09am

    So there's no physical verification?

    So, let me get this straight: there's no more physical verification of the damage? Then of course people are going to take advantage of the system and sent in altered photos. However, is this really something to get worked up about? I'm sure the insurance companies realized that it's still cheaper to pay put fraudulent claims than pay employees to physically inspect the damage.

  • On the post: Utah Gov’t Leaned So Hard Into Confirmation Bias That Its Transphobic Snitch Form Became A Playground For Trolls

    John85851 ( profile ), 06 May, 2024 @ 02:04pm

    I was just about to say this, but you said it better. ;) Most developers know to secure a web form or Google cloud site, so I agree that the lack of security was probably done on purpose.

  • On the post: When You Need To Post A Lengthy Legal Disclaimer With Your Parody Song, You Know Copyright Is Broken

    John85851 ( profile ), 24 Apr, 2024 @ 05:42am

    The main difference between Mad Magazine (and people like Weird Al Yankovic) is that they have large corporations behind them. If someone wants to complain about copyright infringement, they have to file a lawsuit and go to court. But this is completely different for an individual YouTube artist. Basically, the complaining company just sends an email and YouTube takes the artist's video down and gives them a strike. There's no legal argument and no debate about established case law. Then if the artist gets 3 of these strikes, YouTube takes his or her channel down. Yes, parody and satire should be allowed, and without a lengthy disclaimer (which no lawyers will read), but that means YouTube needs to change their rules. Unfortunately, the bottom line is that people shouldn't upload anything to YouTube unless they created it 100% themselves. Otherwise, they run the risk of getting a copyright strike.

  • On the post: The Future Of Streaming TV: More Pointless Mergers And Making It Harder To Cancel

    John85851 ( profile ), 23 Apr, 2024 @ 01:34pm

    If that happens, you call your credit card company and say the service is charging you without your permission and you want to file a charge back. A few hundred charge backs will make life difficult for the streaming company.

  • On the post: Jonathan Haidt’s Book ‘The Anxious Generation’ Is Coddling The American Parent; Giving Them Clear, Simple & Wrong Explanations For What’s Ailing Teens

    John85851 ( profile ), 22 Apr, 2024 @ 12:59pm

    I agree. The best way to sell almost anything is to reinforce things that people already want to believe.

  • On the post: No, TikTok Is Not ‘Programmable Fentanyl.’ Stop It

    John85851 ( profile ), 18 Apr, 2024 @ 01:26pm

    Spinach to the Chinese

    I want to know how the author thinks it's spinach to the Chinese. Does he mean it's a leafy green vegetable and all vegetables are good for people, which is a good thing? Or does he mean in the Popeye sense, where eating a little spinach can give you super powers, which is complete hogwash? If he means the latter, then his argument is even more weak.

  • On the post: No, The Internet Hasn’t Gotten Worse: Just Your Outlook

    John85851 ( profile ), 12 Apr, 2024 @ 12:19pm

    I completely disagree with those findings

    First, there's no way to compare the internet of today with the internet of 30 years ago. Remember, 30 years ago is 1994. Back then, only a fraction of people even had internet access, and then just a fraction of those people even connected to the internet. When people posted something stupid, it was confined to a single BBS or AOL forum. Now,when people post crap, it gets spread on Facebook or Twitter to hundreds or millions of people. Another follow up research topic could be: how many people crave attention by posting on the internet now, versus 30 years ago. Could this craving of attention be related to how much junk is posted and shared?

  • On the post: Jim Jordan Demands Major Ad Companies Explain Why They Won’t Advertise On Truth Social

    John85851 ( profile ), 05 Apr, 2024 @ 12:55pm

    Can the government do that?

    I'll admit I'm not an expert in anti-trust law, but can the government really tell companies where they can and can't advertise? If a company thinks advertising on a certain platform won't give them good results, why should the government tell them what do to? And as always, I'd still like to heat these right-wing viewpoints that are being "censored"? Is it because they talk about conspiracy theories? Do they say Trump won the 2020 election? Come on, let's hear the topics that sites don't want us to know about.

  • On the post: Restricting Flipper Is A Zero Accountability Approach To Security

    John85851 ( profile ), 05 Apr, 2024 @ 12:49pm

    "Disney plans to charge $2 every time you want to put something in the trash" I don't think so either. What happens when people are charged to put things in the trash can? They don't put things in the trash can. What happens if trash isn't put in trash cans? It makes a mess and makes the parks look bad. And Disney still wants to maintain their image of a squeaky-clean park. Or did you mean this as satirical comment on how Disney charges for everything and it's only a matter of time before they even charge for other things, like using the bathroom.

  • On the post: Tennessee Senate Votes To Ban Chemtrails Because What Even The Fuck

    John85851 ( profile ), 26 Mar, 2024 @ 07:26am

    And if a plane was loaded with enough chemicals to overcome the evaporation, the weight would be almost too much for the aircraft to handle. So there's no physical way a commercial aircraft with passengers and luggage can carry enough chemicals to create chem trails that would have any effect. So, there we go- the law works! Next up- a law mandating that all cars must have at least 4 wheels and 2 doors. Oh, they have that already? Job well done, legislators!

  • On the post: Millionth Time Is The Charm: Donald Trump Again Sues A News Agency Over Factual Reporting

    John85851 ( profile ), 25 Mar, 2024 @ 01:04pm

    It's not about winning

    The Atlantic agues that the point of this case, and many others, is not that Trump will win the case (which he won't), but that he's somehow "sticking it to the liberal media". Yet at some point, all the legal costs will eventually catch up to him. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/03/trump-media-defamation-lawsuits/677859/

  • On the post: Ultra-Heavy EVs Will Easily Demolish Nation’s Unprepared Guard Rail System

    John85851 ( profile ), 20 Mar, 2024 @ 05:35am

    Wear and tear on roads

    Years ago I read an article, back when trucks were becoming bigger, which talked about the wear and tear on roads, especially the historic cobblestone streets. Yet car makers are making even heavier trucks, which will further damage the roads. So, forget about guard rails- what are we doing about ordinary roads that weren't designed for so many too-heavy vehicles? And who's to blame? Customers who want bigger and heavier cars because they seem safer? Or car makers (such as Ford) who think customers want big trucks, so that's all they make, forcing customers to think that's the only choice available?

  • On the post: IRS Direct File Program Goes Live In 12 States

    John85851 ( profile ), 15 Mar, 2024 @ 11:57am

    I've seen articles that talk about how this is exactly how it works in some European countries. Basically, their version of the IRS already knows how much you make and how much tax you pay. And since they already know this, they file the tax return automatically. If someone is owed money or needs to pay more, then the government will send put a letter. Otherwise, the average person doesn't need to go through even filing a tax return.

  • On the post: Florida’s Unconstitutional ‘Stop WOKE’ Act Blocked By The 11th Circuit Appeals Court

    John85851 ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2024 @ 02:01pm

    Gettinf these laws passed would be great for Republicans, but they also enjoy when the laws are ruled unconstitutional. Why? Then they can play the victim even more and say things like, "we tried to pass laws that you all like, but those woke, left-wing liberal judges won't let us". In other words, they have such a lack of shame that they think a defeat in the courts is a victory for them.

  • On the post: Meta Has Had Enough Of Australia’s Link Tax Shakedown; Says It Will Not Renew Any Deals

    John85851 ( profile ), 05 Mar, 2024 @ 01:39pm

    What content is Meta "stealing"

    I honestly, really like to know what content Meta and Google and other big sites are "stealing" from media companies? Does Meta publish the entire story without credit? I doubt it. Does Meta publish a headline, summary or paragraph, and maybe a photo? Yes. Then what's being stolen? Are the media companies really complaining that people see the headline on Facebook and don't bother to click to read more? Then isn't this an issue with the content? Maybe people are sick of click bait headlines and poor articles. But, nope, Meta should pay for the loss of traffic and revenue.

  • On the post: Comcast, Paramount Eye Merger Because The Streaming Sector Is Completely Out of Ideas

    John85851 ( profile ), 23 Feb, 2024 @ 08:21am

    This is a great idea for theme parks

    Imagine if Comcast and Paramount merged. Would we finally get a Star Trek attraction or land at Universal Studios?

  • On the post: CBP’s Top Doctor Tried To Obtain ‘Fentanyl Lollipops’ For ‘Pain Management’ In Case Of A Helicopter Crash

    John85851 ( profile ), 22 Feb, 2024 @ 05:24am

    Those are excellent points and it makes me wonder why the chief medical officer didn't consider those things. ;)

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