tom 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (374)

• On the post: The Press Needs An Intervention When It Comes To Over-Hyping 5G

  

  tom ( profile ), 03 Jul, 2019 @ 08:38am

  Pretty sure we heard much the same at this point in the roll outs for 4G and 3G and 2G and the switch from analog to digital. Life changing, new tech, blazing speeds, etc.

  What we got with all those were incremental improvements and those often took years to get fully deployed.

  When the press lives in the few minute news cycle, everything has to be hyped in order to gets its few minutes of fame before the next over hyped thing takes its place.

• On the post: Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo Say Trump Tariffs Will Make Game Consoles Hugely More Expensive

  

  tom ( profile ), 01 Jul, 2019 @ 03:59pm

  If I understand tariffs correctly, they are based on the price paid to the manufacturer not the eventual retail price. So that 25% tariff could result in a much smaller percent increase in the retail price.

  And yes, in most cases, the end purchaser will pay the tariff, just as they pay for all the other costs like taxes, safety fees, transport surcharges, etc.

• On the post: College Forgets How The First Amendment Works; Targets Its Own Student Newspaper With A Public Records Request

  

  tom ( profile ), 01 Jul, 2019 @ 03:52pm

  Very possible that the President and/or lawyers knew this was a bogus request and hoped the recipient either didn't know the laws or wasn't willing to put their career on the line in fighting it. Bluffing is a time honored legal strategy. Sounds like in this case the bluff was soundly called and raised.

• On the post: Once Again: It's Not Clear The Internet Needs Creepy Targeted Ads

  

  tom ( profile ), 25 Jun, 2019 @ 12:46pm

  Another problem with targeted ads is there rarely a way to signal that you no longer are interested in Product A. You search for Product A and start getting ads for Product A. Two days later, you find the version of Product A you want and buy however much you need or can afford. But the targeted ad machinery will keep feeding you ads for Product A long after you finished with that search. End result is a lot of ineffective ad dollars being spent on unwanted ads targeted on someone that is no longer a potential customer.

• On the post: Google Stadia Is About To Show Everyone Why Broadband Usage Caps Are Bullshit

  

  tom ( profile ), 13 Jun, 2019 @ 05:22pm

  Yet another move by a company that moves us toward a world where the end user doesn't own anything but a collection of monthly service bills.

  Its not just the ISP drop to the end users that will be strained by this. Probably a lot of neighborhood trunk lines that will be swamped by the traffic if this and 4K video streaming catches on.

• On the post: ICE Is Cramming Immigrants Into Filthy, Overcrowded Facilities

  

  tom ( profile ), 12 Jun, 2019 @ 07:39am

  Having read many reports about bad conditions in US prisons and jails housing convicted criminals and those awaiting trial, don't really see why illegal invaders of the US should expect nice accommodations complete with good food and recreational facilities. The recent reports of kids being separated from parents at the border is SOP for US citizens sent to jail/prison. Again, why should the invaders be given special and better treatment?

  I am glad Trump has made this an issue. Many past Presidents and Congresses have booted this can further down the road as it seems both major Parties see advantage in not solving the issue and blaming the other for the problem. Maybe rubbing all their faces in the problem during an election cycle will prompt action. But I am not holding my breath.

• On the post: Activision Shouts 'First Amendment' Over Humvee's Trademark Lawsuit For Call Of Duty Depictions

  

  tom ( profile ), 07 Jun, 2019 @ 07:50am

  If AM General wins this, it will pretty much end any use of accurate depictions of US Military in games, TV, movies and other uses limited by trademark and copyright. Almost every bit of kit a soldier wears is made by one or more private companies. Underwear, socks, boots, uniforms, coveralls, canteens, canteen carriers, packs, holsters, knives, mechanics tools, first aid gear, etc. Many items have multiple suppliers. It could take hundreds of licensing agreements to cover everything worn/used by one Private Smith.

  Don't see how this could "Promote the progress of science and useful arts" the Constitution refers to.

• On the post: Foxconn Still Trying To Tap Dance Around Its Ever-Shrinking Wisconsin Promises

  

  tom ( profile ), 20 May, 2019 @ 08:42am

  Turns out the real winners are the ones that lost the Foxcon and Amazon bidding wars.

• On the post: Forget Huawei, The Internet Of Things Is The Real Security Threat

  

  tom ( profile ), 20 May, 2019 @ 08:38am

  Most 'Smart' devices are designed to spy on the end purchaser. No hack needed. Whether it is your viewing habits, things you buy, how often you leave the house, etc, the data is being collected, aggregated with other data, and the result sold to other companies.

  All one has to do is look at Facebook and Google's announcements about future 'features' to learn some of the things the data is being used for. I think it was FB that recently announced a 'Who you are about to meet with' feature being worked on.

  If they know who you are about to meet with, very likely they know who your kids are about to meet with.

  And it is likely that most folks have little idea this data collection is happening. After all, for most people, things like TVs, refrigerators, microwaves, etc are passive gizmos. Not even in their thoughts that the new TV is spying on them.

  And most Congress critters are still buying the 'Computer companies needs special laws that exempt them from normal laws' line that was bought off on when Microsoft was still a small upstart company competing with IBM for the OS market.

• On the post: Wisconsin's Overhyped Foxconn Deal Keeps Getting Lamer By The Week

  

  tom ( profile ), 31 Jan, 2019 @ 07:18am

  Some news reports on this say Foxcon is still planning on the 13,000 or so employees, they just won't be manufacturing. Instead the plans are from some kind of tech/research/something white collar job facility. Of course, no manufacturing setup means any expected parts supplier jobs won't happen.

  Yet another cautionary about the silliness of governments subsidizing corporations to build stuff.

• On the post: Some Small But Important Techdirt Updates

  

  tom ( profile ), 31 Jan, 2019 @ 07:12am

  IMO - this is worse on my desktop then the old style. The spacing between letters (kerning?) is too large. Makes it more spread out and harder to read.

• On the post: Photographer Licenses Photo To Shutterstock, Is Shocked When It Plays Out Exactly How Everyone Would Imagine

  

  tom ( profile ), 07 Jan, 2019 @ 04:29am

  Advertising Opportunity?
  
  "My picture is so good that Walmart has sold hundreds of thousands of items featuring my picture." Include links to the items on Walmart's website.
  
  Post on your own website where you offer other photos for licensing at more profitable to you terms.

• On the post: County Agrees To Pay $390,000 To Students Arrested By A Sheriff 'Just To Prove A Point'

  

  tom ( profile ), 28 Dec, 2018 @ 09:31am

  Re: Re: Deputy Ortiz

  This. See slightly newer topic on PD records destruction. "It never happened. This isn't the bully deputy you are looking for."

• On the post: California Town OKs Destruction Of Police Shooting Records Days Before They Could Be Obtained By The Public

  

  tom ( profile ), 28 Dec, 2018 @ 09:25am

  “It’s actually quite routine for us to do records destruction,” [Mayor James T. Butts Jr.]
  
  Produce a list of all such requests and approvals made in the last 10 years so the rest of us can see how routine.

• On the post: Minnesota AG Just The Latest To Ding Comcast For Shady Fees

  

  tom ( profile ), 28 Dec, 2018 @ 03:45am

  When the fines are less then profits earned by bad practice, the bad practice will continue.
  
  They way to stop this is to file charges against the Chief Officers of Comcast + the Board of Directors. For each bill Comcast sent out containing a charge that Comcast mislead consumers about - One charge of fraud + one charge of conspiracy to commit fraud. After a few hundred thousand charges, the fines and time in jail start to add up to something that will serve as an example for other corporate leaders.

• On the post: Dangerous Court Ruling Says Colleges May Be Required To Block Access To Certain Websites

  

  tom ( profile ), 26 Dec, 2018 @ 03:43pm

  I find the blocking of part of the Internet to be harassment. Please unblock immediately or face a lawsuit.

• On the post: Why Is Congress Trying To Pass An Obviously Unconstitutional Bill That Would Criminalize Boycotts Of Israel?

  

  tom ( profile ), 18 Dec, 2018 @ 05:05am

  Legicritters at all levels want to avoid being on the wrong end of "folks who buy ink by the barrel" or the modern equivalent. So being for positions that allegedly support the LBGTIA? movement is popular.
  But as Charlie Wilson commented in the movie Charlie Wilson's War, "But congressmen aren't elected by voters,they're elected by contributors, and mine are in, well, New York, Florida, Hollywood, because I'm one of Israel's guys on the Hill." Charlie was from Texas.
  
  Once you understand these two things, the motivation behind a lot of these silly bills is easy. The critter in question can tell his/her voters "Well I tried, the silly courts killed it. Re-elect me so we can appoint better judges...."

• On the post: FCC Does Wireless Carriers Another Favor By Reclassifying Text Messages

  

  tom ( profile ), 16 Dec, 2018 @ 06:39pm

  Re: Re:

  From the FCC news release and as quoted in TD posting:
  
  "In today’s ruling, the FCC denies requests from mass-texting companies and other parties to classify text messaging services as “telecommunications services” subject to common carrier regulation under the Communications Act—a classification that would limit wireless providers’ efforts to combat spam and scam robotexts effectively. Instead, the FCC finds that two forms of wireless messaging services, SMS and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), are "information services" under the Communications Act. With this decision, the FCC empowers wireless providers to continue taking action to protect American consumers from unwanted text messages. "
  
  Plain English reading seems to imply the FCC didn't take the action the mass marketers wanted them to take.
  
  Or were SMS and MMS not defined as anything prior to this apparent non action?
  
  I know that hate for the FCC is in vogue right now but I still think they got this one correct.

• On the post: Inspector General: FBI Lost Six Months Of Important Text Messages Because Its Retention System Sucks

  

  tom ( profile ), 16 Dec, 2018 @ 06:55am

  Wonder if anyone has bothered to contact the FBI IT folks? Not the managers but the low level folks that actually do the backups and store the tapes. IT folks performing backups often have "off the books" backups just in case or even for CYA reasons. I seem to recall similar "We can't find the records" responses from IRS officials a few years back and that many of the records magically appeared when the IT folks were contacted directly.

• On the post: FCC Does Wireless Carriers Another Favor By Reclassifying Text Messages

  

  tom ( profile ), 16 Dec, 2018 @ 06:47am

  As I read this, the FCC voted NOT to change something the mass spammers wanted changed. As it is now, the cell providers CAN block messages they believe are spam. If the service was reclassified, the cell providers would be legally prevented from blocking spam. I think the FCC got this one right.

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