tom 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Bobby Jindal Announces Violent Games/Movies To Blame For All Those Mass Shootings

    tom ( profile ), 09 Oct, 2015 @ 09:53am

    Even if all of the 26 mass murderers(mentioned here http://www.nationalreview.com/article/335739/facts-about-mass-shootings-john-fund) in the last decade were driven to commit their crimes by the horrors of violent video games, TV shows and movies, that means that approximately 300,000,000 people living in the US were NOT driven to commit mass murder because of watching or participating in violent media.

    The real horror is how quickly people on all sides of these debates start spewing out the same old tired well chewed crap each time one of these things happens.

  • On the post: Tennessee Voraciously Defends Its Right To Let AT&T Write Awful State Broadband Laws

    tom ( profile ), 30 Sep, 2015 @ 02:33pm

    In Oklahoma, the Republican Party mantra is Local control. Don't see why that shouldn't apply to letting cities compete with established ISPs, as long at it is approved via the ballot box. Blocking cities from doing this would violate one of the basic tenants of the party platform. Don't know if Oklahoma allows local entities to setup ISPs but if they have blocked it, wouldn't be the first time party mantra lost to corporate bucks.

  • On the post: You Can Now Turn Off Ads On Techdirt

    tom ( profile ), 29 Sep, 2015 @ 10:44am

    Hope this starts a constructive dialog. As a test, I told Noscript to allow techdirt.com scripts and Adblock to allow Techdirt.com ads. Result, Zero displayed ads, 10 scripts from other domains blocked by Noscript, 14 trackers blocked by Ghostery, 3 trackers blocked by Privacy Badger.

    My question is: Do ANY of the ads you want us to view actually originate from Techdirt.com? This IS the big security and liability issue with today's Internet Ad market.

    The editor of a print paper knows before the paper is printed what the content of the paper is, include all of the adds. Even the inserts are reviewed before the paper is delivered. The paper also has legal responsibility and liability for the content of the paper.

    Unfortunately, this is not how most websites handle ads. Ads are mostly served by 2nd, 3rd, 4th level removed parties and the prime website often has TOS that try to remove any liability if one of these often unknown parties serves up an inappropriate ad or worse, malware.

    When the main website, in this case, Techdirt.com has to accept full responsibility, including financial, for the actions of its advertisers and any harm they may cause to website visitors, then the ad situation will likely resolve itself.

  • On the post: Why Backdoors Always Suck: The TSA Travel Locks Were Hacked And The TSA Doesn't Care

    tom ( profile ), 18 Sep, 2015 @ 05:18pm

    This blunder by the Terminal Stupidity Agency is good news for bad guys. If something forbidden is found in a bad guy's piece of luggage, they can now raise reasonable doubt that the item in question was really theirs, since anybody can now have copies of the TSA master keys and could have opened the luggage and left the item and not leave a trace.

  • On the post: Should Police Have The Right To Take Control Of Self-Driving Cars?

    tom ( profile ), 09 Sep, 2015 @ 02:39pm

    If some aspect of government can take control of a self driving car, that government must also take the responsibility for the outcome, good or bad.

    If the scenario where the traffic directing cop halts the speeding car, the cop must also assume the responsibility for the outcome. What if the car was carrying a panicked parent and his small child who managed to mostly cut off his leg with a circular saw and is now rapidly bleeding to death? The parent was letting the car drive to the nearby hospital rather then waiting for EMTs to show up. The smartphone usage was the parent calling the hospital so they could be prepping for the incoming emergency. If the delay caused by the cop causes the small child to die, the cop should own the death and any criminal or civil penalties.

  • On the post: Nestle Sues Fit Crunch Over Identical Trade Dress That Isn't Remotely Identical

    tom ( profile ), 03 Sep, 2015 @ 09:23am

    I wish to thank Nestle lawyers for bringing the Robert Irvine Fortifx FitCrunch bar to my attention. I now have plans to buy a FitCrunch and try it.

  • On the post: Movie Studio & Copyright Troll Claim 'Mere Possession' Of Popcorn Time Is Illegal And Could Result In A Year In Jail

    tom ( profile ), 02 Sep, 2015 @ 10:09am

    Re:

    It is worse. A large number of burglaries are simply kick the door and loot the house. So anyone who has a functional set of legs, feet and hands is in possession of burglary tools.

  • On the post: Parents Sue School, Claim Wi-Fi Made Son Sick

    tom ( profile ), 01 Sep, 2015 @ 09:25am

    Have the parents banned all wireless gizmos from their own house? If not, why not? If so, does the kid's condition improve when he is at home?

    Have they ruled out mom's new perfume? Or that new laundry detergent? Or those new snacks? Or the school's new pest control contractor's bug spray? The kid is 13. Puberty changes a lot of sensitivities. Cafeteria fumes that didn't bother the kid last year could be a big issue this year. Is it possible that EMF bothers the kid? Sure. But it is more likely the real cause is far more common.

    If the parents are really worried about the kid, they should have already transferred the kid to a new school. Forcing the kid to continue to attend a place the parents believe to be dangerous should be child endangerment and charges brought against the parents.

  • On the post: Sony Pictures, Which Hyped Up 'Harm' Of Hack, Now Tells Court No Harm Done To Employees

    tom ( profile ), 31 Aug, 2015 @ 10:10am

    The REALLY interesting legal gymnastics will come if they catch the person(s) responsible for the breach. Sony lawyers then will be arguing about the horrible and costly harm the breach caused, after previously arguing that no harm was done, after previously stating how much harm was done.

    Wonder if Sony filed a damage figure in their yearly SEC stock filings?

  • On the post: Virginia Police Force BBC Reporters To Delete Camera Footage Of Police Pursuit Of Shooter

    tom ( profile ), 26 Aug, 2015 @ 01:41pm

    Two cops telling the reporters to destroy evidence is Obstruction of Justice and Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice. Threatening the reporters with loss of property if they don't agree to destroy the evidence is Blackmail while in the act of other felonies(the OoJ and CtOJ).

    If Virginia has a three strikes law, these two cops may have just struck out. Of course, there has to be an umpire willing to make the call.

  • On the post: Cop To Vet On Receiving End Of Bogus Raid: Investigating Things Beforehand Just Slows Us Down

    tom ( profile ), 29 Jul, 2015 @ 04:50pm

    Since they didn't bother to investigate, I bet they didn't bother to get a search warrant either. Since the victim was legally in an apartment provided by his landlord, 4th Amendment protections should apply. The failure to investigate by the police doesn't cause the 4th amendment to vanish. If the police didn't have a search warrant, a nice civil rights violation lawsuit should be in the works soon.

  • On the post: Vizio Latest Manufacturer To Offer More Ways For TVs To Watch Purchasers

    tom ( profile ), 29 Jul, 2015 @ 02:49pm

    When I use software and controls on a PC that creates a data set that can be a visual picture, that data set/picture is in most cases automatically copyrighted by me. If I were to use the software and controls on a 'smart/spy' TV that results in a unique data set, is that data set copyrightable? If so, should I not be the copyright holder? Visio and other spy ware TV makers might be committing millions of copyright violations by stealing and profiting by using these copyrighted data sets without the express written permission of the TV owner.

  • On the post: Marital Infidelity Site AshleyMadison Hacked, But Claims No One Should Worry Since It DMCA'd All Leaked Copies

    tom ( profile ), 21 Jul, 2015 @ 07:32am

    The DMCA thing sounds like Lawyer 1 asking Lawyer 2 how the company can appear to be in compliance with the Due Process/Due Diligence requirements of basic computer security before they both had to appear in a meeting with board members to discuss the company's action plan.

    When lawsuits get filed against the company over lack of basic data security, I wonder how many Officers of the Court will be ethically required to recuse themselves due to their having accounts?

  • On the post: Judge Orders Release Of Dashcam Footage City Officials Thought They Had Paid To Keep Buried

    tom ( profile ), 16 Jul, 2015 @ 05:34am

    Besides being charged for the shooting itself the officers should face charges for Obstruction of Justice and Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice for lying about the incident. They probably lied during the initial verbal "shooting incident" investigation and again when they turned in their signed reports. Since they probably got together to get their stories straight, that would be the Conspiracy.

    And it shouldn't end with just the officers at the scene. Their superiors had to know the officer's testimony didn't match what the video showed and yet chose to back the officer's accounts. These superiors should also face Obstruction and Conspiracy charges for helping with the cover-up.

  • On the post: New Zealand Parliament Overwhelmingly Decides Free Speech Must Take A Backseat To Cyberbullying Concerns

    tom ( profile ), 06 Jul, 2015 @ 08:03am

    This will get sorted out during the next political campaign when the existing members of parliament are running for re-election. How many campaigns can make very many website, blog, facebook, or other postings about their opponents without violating principles 1,4,5,6,7?

  • On the post: With 'Pregnant Woman Mode,' Chinese Router Maker Begins Marketing To Paranoids

    tom ( profile ), 01 Jul, 2015 @ 10:09am

    Re: Re:

    Well, there IS this experiment: http://www.globalresearch.ca/student-science-experiment-finds-plants-wont-grow-near-wi-fi-router/5336877

    Don't know if any followup was done.

  • On the post: With 'Pregnant Woman Mode,' Chinese Router Maker Begins Marketing To Paranoids

    tom ( profile ), 01 Jul, 2015 @ 09:01am

    This company is far more honest and open with their marketing then most. They freely admit they are marketing their product to folks that are worried about a problem with little scientific or medical research supporting it. The company admits THEY don't have any evidence that supports the benefits of their product or the dangers it is supposed to reduce.

    If only ISPs, health supplement companies or Monster Cable were as honest with their marketing claims, the world would be a better place.

  • On the post: Should Your Self-Driving Car Be Programmed To Kill You If It Means Saving A Dozen Other Lives?

    tom ( profile ), 17 Jun, 2015 @ 06:44am

    Re: We Need to Aim for Perfection not this Crap Story

    I think we are a long time away from a fully automated transport system. Airbus has been making fly by wire aircraft for decades yet a new model of military transport crashed because some vital software was left out of the engine control system. If we can't get fly by wire 100% correct for one vehicle, what are the chances we will get a fully automated transport system correct for millions of vehicles, each with different handling characteristics?

  • On the post: An Innocent Pressure Cooker Pays The Price In The War On Terror

    tom ( profile ), 28 May, 2015 @ 04:29am

    If the smell of gasoline was one of the justifications for labeling the vehicle suspicious, then detonating anything near said vehicle was itself an endangerment of public safety since gasoline vapors tend to be somewhat explosive.

    Also not sure how the officials justified a 'driving after revocation' charge since the car in question was unoccupied at the time. Maybe his brother/sister/random stranger drove it there in exchange for a free food item.

  • On the post: Chris Christie: Your NSA Fears Are Bullshit And Civil Liberties Advocates Are Extremists

    tom ( profile ), 20 May, 2015 @ 11:36am

    The other Republican candidates should be happy that Christie is running. All they have to do to improve their chances is watch what Christie does or says, then do something different.

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