Michael Johnstone’s Techdirt Profile

On the post: Yet Another Report Says More Innovation, Rather Than More Enforcement, Reduces Piracy

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 21 Sep, 2016 @ 04:15pm

My Answer to Your Question

"What will it take for them to actually follow what the evidence says, rather than continuing with faith-based copyright policies?"

Have scientists for politicians instead of lawyers, because obviously lawyers making laws is a conflict of interest.

On the post: Former UMG Exec: Major Label Music Should Cost More And DMCA Safe Harbors Should Be Destroyed

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 19 Sep, 2016 @ 10:26am

Market Force Retribution

I'm partial to the idea that if left alone market forces will remove the bad players and favor the good ones.

Unfortunately the powerful use politics to mitigate the effects.

(And so the irony: "By the people, for the people." Whom do you speak of?)

On the post: FBI Director: Our Electronic Voting System Is Such A Complete Mess, It Would Be Difficult To Hack

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 14 Sep, 2016 @ 02:46pm

FBI Doesn't Want Them Fixed

If companies were to fix the security issues it would remove the backdoors the government has demanded be installed on all the voting systems.

Gag orders work wonders.

On the post: Colin Powell's Email To Clinton About Personal Devices Shows Routing Around FOIA Is Business As Usual

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 12 Sep, 2016 @ 02:11pm

Business as Usual

Any threat, like FOIA, is viewed by the government as an attack by a hostile force. Threats to one's life must be defeated.

It's them, or us. Someone is going to lose.

On the post: Roger Ailes Hires Peter Thiel's Favorite Lawyer To Threaten NY Mag For Its Stories About Him

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 06 Sep, 2016 @ 09:50am

Another Attack on Investigative Reporting

Gawker yesterday, New York Magazine today, and Techdirt tomorrow.

The rich and powerful make it a priority to control information.

The masses need unbiased, critical journalism to be able to make informed decisions. Unfortunately that's a threat to the powers that be.

On the post: DHS's New Election Cybersecurity Committee Has No Cybersecurity Experts

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 02 Sep, 2016 @ 02:34pm

Consequences for Dozing Off

Good thing they don't show these slides in NK. Dozing off gets a person a one way ticket to execution by anti-aircraft gun. (I assume the reason that that type of execution was chosen by Kim Jong-un was because he had just watched the movie The Jackal.)

On the post: T-Mobile Declares It's On 'The Right Side Of History' As It Laughs At Net Neutrality

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 30 Aug, 2016 @ 03:42pm

The Inscrutable Data Cap

How T-Mobile came up with the 26G is quite hilarious. From their Aug. 29th press release:

"Like with every plan, customers who use more data than 97% of our customers (currently over 26 GB per month) will have their usage prioritized below other traffic and may notice slower speeds during times and places of congestion. See T-Mobile.com/OpenInternet for details on data prioritization."

I bet the 97% would move that data cap a hair or two if 1.5Gb/s bandwidth was available over cell. The real question is would any cellular carrier really want to move the cap higher if the 97% wanted them to.

On the post: Leaked NSA Zero Days Already Being Exploited By Whoever Thinks They Can Manipulate Them

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 29 Aug, 2016 @ 11:57pm

Re: Government of what?

If governing means rising to your level of incompetence, then you're absolutely correct the government can govern itself.

Typically the government is just in the business of bustin' whistle blowers, and takin' money from the populace to fund their pet projects and pad their pockets.

In fact of all the government employees that I got to work with and know personally the ones who only had the authority to govern themselves and no one else are some of the hardest working people I know. Honestly those people make all of our lives better.

On the post: Literal Fashion Police Arrest Hundreds Of WhatsApp And Instagram Users In Iran

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 26 Aug, 2016 @ 12:09pm

I'm All for Criticism of Other Cultures and Beliefs

Just leave American out of the worldwide policing actions that our anti-culture attitude seems to generate.

We know about the barbarous actions of ISIS, the thought policing of France, the fashion policing of Iran, the child abduction of Boko Haram, etc., etc., etc., etc. ...

And if the U.S. wants to be the savior of this world then it needs to clean up its shit before bombing the shit out of other places on this planet.

On the post: Newspaper Archive Disappears From Google, Because Company Wants To Cash In

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 26 Aug, 2016 @ 11:58am

The Increasing Economic Divide

If it isn't some life saving pharmaceutical it's some public funded service that is exploited for profit.

As always the rich want more riches and the poorest pay the most to make that happen.

On the post: The FBI's Megaupload Domains Are Now Hosting Porn Ads

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 26 Aug, 2016 @ 11:53am

Our Government Highly Developed Peter Principle

Under the heading it's not a bug, but a feature. The U.S. government has to maintain a certain level of incompetence in which to have a ready supply of scapegoat to which it can attach blame for the inevitable failures that are sure to happen and result in the general ill health and well being for many Americans.

On the post: Newspaper Association Of America Complains That Comedian John Oliver Failed To Solve Newspaper Biz Model Problem

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 08 Aug, 2016 @ 07:55pm

Play the Victim Card

So now that media has hyped up the victimization of powerless groups they want a piece of the pity-pie. Nice.

On the post: Ton Of Tech Industry Leaders Say Trump Would Be A Complete Disaster For Innovation

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 14 Jul, 2016 @ 05:03pm

Johnson/Weld

What do these tech/political pundits say about Gary Johnson and Bill Weld?

On the post: Polish Authorities Demand British Law Enforcement Interrogate Tor Exit Node Operator About Information He Doesn't Have

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 11 Jul, 2016 @ 12:56pm

I wish Aaron Swartz was still alive. But as you may know taking on the government requires a steep price, which not everyone is prepared to pay.

On the post: FBI: Clinton 'Should Have Known' Private Email Server 'No Way To Handle Classified Info', But No Charges Will Be Sought

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 05 Jul, 2016 @ 10:49am

Re: It's Not That Unbelievable

I've worked in government, and the results are exactly as I expected. It's a club, a culture, and society all it's own, and it takes care of its members very well.

On the post: The FBI Says Its Homegrown Terrorist Stings Are Nothing More Than A Proactive Fight Against 'Going Dark'

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 20 Jun, 2016 @ 11:52am

It's Game None of Us Little People Can Afford to Play

My next door neighbor showed me a stack of FOIA documents on himself that was a result of informing the government about the plot to assassinate Reagan.

My neighbor saw Hinckley with others in his bar, and then Hinckley and the same couple again on the March 25th '81 taping of the Merv Griffin show as the camera panned the audience.

For his good citizenship he lost his business and had to leave town to put his life back together.

The list of good citizen's lives ruined by gov. spook agencies has to be long and extensive.

Forget Russia, NK, or China rights abuses. If you're a US citizen and have damaging information about your government you are in as much danger of having your life ruined as citizens of those countries.

Never forget that the number one job of government is to protect itself.

On the post: Gen. Petraeus Leaked Classified Info To Journalists, Sent Sensitive Documents To Non-Secure Email Accounts

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 09 Jun, 2016 @ 12:39pm

We The People, For The People

Went out the window as soon as the elites created exceptions to the rules.

On the post: DailyDirt: Strange Forms Of Life…

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 03 Jun, 2016 @ 12:19pm

Before Then We Have Breatharians

Some people claim they need nothing more than air (specifically a substance known as prana, aka life air) to survive (thrive? I'm not sure if they claim that).

When I first met my wife there was a time I didn't need to eat or sleep. Maybe it's like that.

I could never imagine living in such a euphoric state like that for too long, as it seems to have a significant impact on one's health. But maybe some have figured out how to leave The Matrix and so normal rules don't apply to them.

On the post: Caribou Coffee Learns That Even When You Win As A Trademark Bully, You Can Still Lose

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 03 Jun, 2016 @ 12:04pm

I Love the Internet for its Pressure on Power

Many years ago, before the Internet was a thing, a small cafe called Chilly's in the boondocks of Alaska got sued and had to change it's name because the Chilli's chain saw it as a trademark infringement. It was exactly the same thing, but besides letters to the editors, people's opinion about the abuse wasn't known.

Now the epoch of the internet.

Guess what Power fears, and thus hates?

On the post: Government Argues That Indefinite Solitary Confinement Perfectly Acceptable Punishment For Failing To Decrypt Devices

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 19 May, 2016 @ 12:01pm

He's Another Enemy of the State Obviously

I'd hate to be in his shoes. I was thinking, what if the information on the drive is something potentially dangerous for someone else? A scenario to the effect he has incriminating evidence of a powerful political leader and the child porn charge is a trumped up charge to get at the information. Any number of whistleblowers could have their names raked through the mud by the media with no ability to get justice.

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