Michael Lockyear 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (158)

• On the post: How To Get Spectrum Back From TV For More Useful Purposes

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 23 Oct, 2009 @ 12:48am

  They may as well just scrap television...with copyright on the way out, there will not be any decent content on the box anyway (nobody is going to make $100m movies or even $1m tv if rivals can just rebroadcast it).

• On the post: Nicolas Sarkozy Caught Mass 'Pirating' DVDs; Time To Kick Him Off The Internet

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 10 Oct, 2009 @ 06:55am

  Re: Re: Re:

  Searched my house for Belgian, French or German products I could toss on to the bonfire of my disgust...sadly couldn't find any (what DO these guys do for money?)...I really do hope that the Scots never do or say anything stupid as I would really hate to boycott their fine exports :)

• On the post: Nicolas Sarkozy Caught Mass 'Pirating' DVDs; Time To Kick Him Off The Internet

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 10 Oct, 2009 @ 06:39am

  Re: Re:

  Intentional!

• On the post: Nicolas Sarkozy Caught Mass 'Pirating' DVDs; Time To Kick Him Off The Internet

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 09 Oct, 2009 @ 07:18am

  He should resign...the world should boycott Belgium until he does.

• On the post: Swedish Regulators Say The Word 'bank' Not Allowed In Any Domain Names… Except If You're A Bank

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 28 Aug, 2009 @ 04:26am

  What a bunch of bankers!

• On the post: Beat Reporting, Fair Use, Twitter And Free Expression: Mashing Up Some Thoughts

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 08 Aug, 2009 @ 03:01am

  "Somebody has to get on the plane, go to Toronto and ask the questions." Why? Are there no people in Toronto who can ask the questions?
  
  If modern newspapers are so confident of the value they bring to the table they should charge (or try!), or make their stories unlinkable.

• On the post: If Robert Johnson Died In 1938… Why Is His Music Still Covered By Copyright?

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 08 Aug, 2009 @ 02:21am

  Is the problem here not a bad court decision?

• On the post: Could PR People Replace Journalists?

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 21 May, 2009 @ 07:26am

  How much investigative journalism does print media do anyway? Where I am (South Africa), the hairy stuff is usually done by television.

• On the post: Free Does Not Mean No Business Model

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 09 May, 2009 @ 01:09pm

  I would comment...but where's the profit in that :)

• On the post: Apparently Google's Lawyers Were Prepped For Google/Apple Antitrust Inquiry

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 08 May, 2009 @ 01:55am

  Ready for anything

  No surprise...trying to identify potential problems before they happen is standard practice in successful companies (and companies that want to STAY successful)...this applies to the law firm AND Google. As far as potential problems go, this one seems as if it would be fairly obvious to a highly paid legal expert!

• On the post: Can The FTC Enforce Honesty As The Best Policy?

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 15 Apr, 2009 @ 07:42am

  mmmm...

  How do they expect to apply the proposed rules...not all bloggers are based in the US? Hopefully politicians will NOT realize that the internet is global and pretty much beyond current attempts at regulation.

• On the post: Populist Outrage Over AIG Bonuses Scaring Private Investors Away From Buying Toxic Assets

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 23 Mar, 2009 @ 06:48am

  AIG and the other bailed out companies are basically zombies...not quite dead, and not quite alive. Anybody doing business with them (not just employees) will now have to think twice.
  
  In there current state these "semi-failed" companies were always going to battle to attract the best and the brightest...the bonus issue will now make it even more difficult.
  
  Bailing out failed companies was not a very bright idea to start with...making it difficult for these companies to operate seems even more stupid.

• On the post: Facebook Driving More Traffic Than Google To Some Big Sites

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 10 Mar, 2009 @ 10:52pm

  search mode

  Search-based advertising is a winner...the user is actually LOOKING for something when they visit a search engine...and it might just be the service / product advertised in the sponsored results. Search-based advertising (and its cousin SEO) are here as long as we use search engines to find information.
  
  On the other hand, when I visit Facebook, I am NOT looking for anything, I am merely updating my knowledge of what is happening in the lives of friends and family. I am less likely to click on ads as I am not actually in "search mode", although if a friend recommends a site I might visit it, however if everyone starts recommending sites I would probably ignore them all.

• On the post: Britannica Boss Trash Talks Google And Wikipedia

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 23 Jan, 2009 @ 04:44am

  Wikipedia gets more incoming links than Britannica, because Wikipedia does not require registration. More link-love = better Google rating.
  
  (Just tried Britannica - slow to load, with irritating overlay asking users to register for trial offer).

• On the post: Breast-Feeding Photo Brouhaha Shows How Impossible It Is To Rate Websites

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 30 Dec, 2008 @ 01:14pm

  perfect rating system

  We would probably be better off rating politicians....
  dumb...dumber...dumberer...etc!

• On the post: Wait, You Mean Homeland Security Isn't Already Scanning Blogs & Forums For Terrorists?

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 24 Dec, 2008 @ 05:45am

  2 words...

  Google Alerts!

• On the post: UK Police Want Magic 'This Computer Is Used By A Criminal' Alert Software

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 12 Dec, 2008 @ 08:45am

  While they're at it, they can try out these ideas...
  1. They can put cameras in how homes.
  2. Daily polygraph test.
  3. Fit breathalysers / drug detectors to our cars.
  4. Direct all internet traffic thro' central filters.
  5. Do away with the need for trials (the police know who is guilty - why waste money on lawyers and let criminals off the hook)
  6. Mandatory prison time every 5 years just in case they miss something (use a suitably prot name like "peoples' work camp").
  
  ...Remember, if you're innocent you've got nothing to hide. :)

• On the post: Government Misusing Trademark Law To Stop Biker Gang

  

  Michael Lockyear ( profile ), 22 Oct, 2008 @ 11:32am

  slippery slope

  mmm...its becoming increasingly difficult in many places to actually distinguish between organised crime and government...reminds me of what somebody once said, "the police are the biggest gang in town!".