Jim O 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (81)

• On the post: A 4G iPad Requires A Sensible Shared Data Plan

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 17 Feb, 2012 @ 05:02am

  Killer App for Wi-Fi

  I've always thought it'd be awesome for some company (Google?) to make a WiFi router that makes it easy to share. Most people are afraid to leave their routers unlocked for fear of nefarious activity.
  
  Imagine if NYC had a million 802.11 routers that each let devices automatically log on as they passed by. There would be some security risks, sure... but it'd be a free distributed alternative to a cellular network.
  
  There could be a bunch of different business models associated with it. The network could be free to access so long as a user is running a node. The network could be pay for access with some of the money going to "node" owners.
  
  I'd ditch my data plan if this became popular. Hell... the cell companies were just griping that they can't keep up with demand. They should love it too.

• On the post: Reddit Plans To Black Out Site For A Day To Protest SOPA/PIPA

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 11 Jan, 2012 @ 08:41am

  reddit should...

  Reddit should gin up something that lets you call congress through the site. The site gets reactivated for you if you call.

• On the post: Ding Dong: Another DRM Is Dead… And With It All The Files You Thought You Bought

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2011 @ 10:43am

  Re:

  Have you ever taken the time to convert from one file format to another? It can be quite difficult and time consuming, especially if you care about little details like ID3s and the like.

• On the post: Ding Dong: Another DRM Is Dead… And With It All The Files You Thought You Bought

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2011 @ 10:40am

  Re:

  techdirt has added that "report" button for a reason. Don't let trolls hijack threads. Just click "report".

• On the post: Universal Uses Copyright To Censor Bad Lip Reading Parody; Why Not Embrace It?

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 24 Oct, 2011 @ 10:45am

  Re: Attorneys in Albuquerque, NM

  Don't you know how much people who run youtube channels get? These guys must be dozen-aires off the backs of hard working REAL artists.
  
  Note: I admit... dozens of dollars is probably a bit of a high estimate; either way though, that's money that has been ripped from the labels. Do I need to go into zero-sum-games with you New Mexico freetards?

• On the post: Universal Uses Copyright To Censor Bad Lip Reading Parody; Why Not Embrace It?

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 24 Oct, 2011 @ 10:41am

  Re: Re: Re: Re:

  Count the "Re:"s. He was saying the AC is a flat worlder (not you).

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

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 21 Oct, 2011 @ 09:55am

  Parroting a comment I saw on techdirt....

  If you have "threat analysis" and "threat prevention" under the same organization then you have funding for both coming from the same place. All TSA has to do to argue for a bigger budget is to coerce their analysis team to dream up new threats, and now all of a sudden TSA is massively underfunded to combat theses new made up threats.

• On the post: Louisiana Makes It Illegal To Use Cash For Secondhand Sales

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 20 Oct, 2011 @ 10:09am

  Re:

  I'm pretty sure every intelligent person who read the title thought about cash being declared legal tender well before being reminded of it.
  
  Are you saying that you didn't (or wouldn't have) "come up with this argument" yourself? That tells me a lot more about your intelligence than about Mike's trustworthiness.
  
  More likely though - I suspect that you are Volokh (whoever the crap that is), and you are just trying to score easy points for your own blog (or whatever that link goes to).

• On the post: Conan O'Brien Has The Inside Scoop On More Netflix Changes

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 23 Sep, 2011 @ 09:43pm

  Re:

  I think the fact that a late night television show took time to make fun of the Netflix "apology" adds weight to the discussion that took place here (and other places) earlier in the week.
  
  This isn't just a nerd rant that will echo in computer-equipped basements; mainstream media has picked it up and is mocking the moves of Netflix. When it gets that bad it's noteworthy (even if it failed to amuse you).

• On the post: AT&T Accidentally Reveals That It Doesn't Need T-Mobile At All

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 13 Aug, 2011 @ 12:11pm

  Re:

  AT&T is paying to remove a tertiary player (Tmobile) from the wireless market. Further, they are paying to block Sprint from acquiring T-mobile (thereby effectively knocking two players out of major contention).
  
  It really seems like AT&T is trying to pay to buy out competition, and this document proves that their previous purchase justifications were less than honest. You have to agree that it has at least a little bit of stinky smell to it, no?

• On the post: Lawyer Trying To Trademark Bitcoin Threatens Techdirt With Bogus DMCA Takedown

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 19 Jul, 2011 @ 12:11pm

  Re:

  Yeah Mike! Show us how it's done!

• On the post: Senators Ask Ingelligence Boss If He Thinks He Can Track People's Phone Locations

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 15 Jul, 2011 @ 02:21pm

  Re:

  Interesting point AC.
  
  I personally leave a WiFi unlocked in the hopes that someone might happen upon it and find it useful. When Google's van drove by I hope they stopped for a while and checked their email - or used it however they saw fit. If the feds wanted to do the same, I wouldn't mind (or I couldn't complain anyway). Having my WiFi open is (in my mind) an open invitation for anyone passing by to use it.
  
  My cell phone is another story. You are correct that the device broadcasts publicly, but it uses protocols that are designed with security/privacy in mind. For someone to make any use of the broadcasted radio transmission they would have to overcome more than one measure designed to keep me anonymous.
  
  I know I haven't made a legal argument, mostly because I know nothing of the relevant laws. In my mind it is about intent: I choose to let anyone use my WiFi, so I can't complain if Google or the Feds or whomever wants to use it. With cell phones I choose not to enable tracking (Latitude, etc) and I assume that the security measures aren't being overcome by anyone.

• On the post: Another Day, And Another Smackdown For Righthaven: Told To Pay Up For Misleading The Court

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 15 Jul, 2011 @ 12:11pm

  Why is it that if someone hacks my wireless and torrents a song I can get fined $10K, and these dirt bags only get fined $3-$5K for lying in court?

• On the post: Monkey Business: Can A Monkey License Its Copyrights To A News Agency?

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 13 Jul, 2011 @ 02:07pm

  Re: Re: Re:

  You are either calling BS, or making a joke. I can't decide. In either case, you're right - I should have included a source. It was provided in the article itself:
  
  'At first there was a lot of grimacing with their teeth showing because it was probably the first time they had ever seen a reflection.

• On the post: Killing The Golden Goose: Is Hollywood To Blame For Netflix's Poorly Thought Out Massive Price Hike?

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 13 Jul, 2011 @ 01:29pm

  Re: Here is what should be legal...

  This is essentially what Zediva does, except Zediva has you remotely control an actual DVD player connected to the internet.
  
  It's a pay for play business model ($1/movie if you buy a ten pack). It is a good filler if you use it in conjunction with Netflix Streaming.

• On the post: Can We Subpoena The Monkey? Why The Monkey Self-Portraits Are Likely In The Public Domain

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 13 Jul, 2011 @ 01:10pm

  Mike - has Caters responded since your last blog post?

• On the post: Canada's Failure To Actually Enforce Its Net Neutrality Rules Shows Why Focusing On Regulation Is Missing The Point

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 13 Jul, 2011 @ 07:00am

  Re: Re: Re: circles

  It's very hard to force the only service provider in town to be good. If a monopoly power really wants to screw their customers they will find a way - it is very hard for regulators to keep a sharp eye on a telco.
  
  Mike's (and Jay's) argument is that if there were multiple providers then people could just switch to the one they liked best, forcing the Rogers/Bells/Comcasts of the world to change the way they treat people.
  
  The "regulation method" is ineffective, discourages growth, expensive (who pays the regulator), and has high risk of corruption (easier to pay off the regulator than to change).

• On the post: Canada's Failure To Actually Enforce Its Net Neutrality Rules Shows Why Focusing On Regulation Is Missing The Point

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 13 Jul, 2011 @ 06:53am

  Re: So... You're against "net neutrality" on grounds that it isn't enforced.

  It doesn't matter if the media organizations become conglomerates because the internet allows for anyone to become a news source. There is near limitless competition in the news distribution business.
  
  With the telcos, there is very little (often no) competition so people have no option to switch providers if they don't like the policies of Rogers.
  
  How can you not see the difference here?

• On the post: Company Trademarks Name Of Town, Sues Firm For Selling Souvenirs

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 12 Jul, 2011 @ 01:43pm

  Another example of the same thing....

  I heard a similar story involving a different city: Cumming, IA (population 162).
  
  Apparently the town is very protective of putting their town name on shirts. They've got it on lock down.

• On the post: Monkey Business: Can A Monkey License Its Copyrights To A News Agency?

  

  Jim O ( profile ), 07 Jul, 2011 @ 10:45am

  Re:

  I read elsewhere that it was looking at it's reflection in the lens and baring its teeth aggressively.

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