mhajicek 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (308)

• On the post: The Copyright Industry Is About To Discover That There Are Hundreds Of Thousands Of Songs Generated By AI Already Available, Already Popular

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 23 Dec, 2022 @ 12:01am

  That doesn't take AI, just brute force. It would be trivial to write a simple program to generate every possible piece of sheet music, or MIDI program, etc. up to a certain length, just like writing every possible book up to a certain length. The limitations would just be processing power and storage.

• On the post: Usage Caps Coming To Starlink As Capacity Crunch Rears Its Head

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 07 Nov, 2022 @ 10:29am

  I had Hughesnet until I could get Starlink. Much of the time it was unusably slow, or even interrupted. IIRC it was around $80/mo. Now I can play multiplayer computer games, do large downloads, and stream video at decent quality without interruption, even two or three streams at once among the family. Using about half the cap.

• On the post: Investigation: Child Protective Services Agencies Nearly Always Blow Off Warrant Requirements To Enter Homes

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 27 Oct, 2022 @ 08:42pm

  Couldn't find out which neighbor, but none had kids anyway.

• On the post: Investigation: Child Protective Services Agencies Nearly Always Blow Off Warrant Requirements To Enter Homes

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 27 Oct, 2022 @ 07:47am

  Here's how it worked for us, before we moved. The kids were playing in the fenced in backyard, while we watched them through the large, glass double doors. One of the neighbors called the police and made an anonymous complaint about "unsupervised kids outside". Having received a report mentioning kids, the police were bound by law to issue a report to CPS. Having received a police report mentioning kids, CPS was bound by law to investigate, including surprise interviews of the kids at school, and the above mentioned search of the house, with "consent" extracted under duress. Apparently, the same anonymous neighbor can do this every two weeks, triggering mandatory investigations, and there is zero recourse.

• On the post: Investigation: Child Protective Services Agencies Nearly Always Blow Off Warrant Requirements To Enter Homes

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 26 Oct, 2022 @ 10:13pm

  "You can let me in now, or you can make me do the paperwork and I'll take your kids away." I've heard of CPS agents actually saying that. It's terrifying how much power they have to tear families apart, and it's all extrajudicial, with no practical recourse for the families.

• On the post: There Are All Sorts Of Problems With Ruling That YouTube Ripping Tool May Violate Copyright Law

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 07 Oct, 2022 @ 03:50am

  Every time I watch a video, listen to a song, or observe anything else, I am making a recording, or copy, in my brain. The technology to read out and play back those recordings is presently under development. If it's illegal to make a copy, it's illegal to observe.

• On the post: New Study Shows That High R&D Costs Don’t Explain High Drug Prices

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 04 Oct, 2022 @ 01:15am

  Sure, it cost $800 million to develop this drug. That includes $400 million for the CEO, and another $100 million for the rest the C suite.

• On the post: The TSA Is Hot Garbage. And We Will Never Be Rid Of It.

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 08 Sep, 2022 @ 10:57am

  I'm one of those. I haven't flown since around 2003, purely because TSA. I refuse to allow myself to be treated as a criminal.

• On the post: Age Verification Providers Say Don’t Worry About California Design Code; You’ll Just Have To Scan Your Face For Every Website You Visit

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 29 Aug, 2022 @ 06:39pm

  It won't be long until we have software that can generate on demand appropriate video with sound that can defeat any "likeness" test.

• On the post: Dear California Law Makers: How The Hell Can I Comply With Your New Age-Appropriate Design Code?

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 25 Aug, 2022 @ 12:08am

  1500 children were emotionally harmed by the sad trombone sound and rejection.

• On the post: U.S. Consumers Pay $1,600 Annually For Cable TV Channels They Don’t Watch

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 18 Jul, 2022 @ 09:21am

  No one is forcing you to subscribe to cable TV.

• On the post: Reverse Keyword Warrant Challenged After Cops Asked Google To Search Millions Of People’s Data Multiple Times

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 11 Jul, 2022 @ 10:41am

  Poor police work anyway.

  Why would they automatically exclude all neighbors in private residences?

• On the post: Texas DPS Wants Uvalde Bodycam Footage Buried Because It Might Let School Shooters Know Cops Won’t Stop Them From Killing Children

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 14 Jun, 2022 @ 06:27pm

  Exactly. The police will not protect you; they won't even protect a school full of kids. It's on us to protect ourselves and our families; you are your own first responder.

• On the post: Cops Continue To Make The Best Argument For Defunding The Police

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 08 Jun, 2022 @ 08:22am

  "We" tried making it harder for people to get alcohol. Harder for people to get drugs. How did that work out? It created and fueled organized crime. It cost our society trillions of dollars and millions of lives. Prohibition is an act of evil.

• On the post: Cops Continue To Make The Best Argument For Defunding The Police

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 08 Jun, 2022 @ 08:16am

  So you count yourself among those calling for a total gun ban. Those full autos are 9mm pistols, one of the most common firearms in the country. Nations with total bans on civilian guns still have booming black markets for guns. The criminals are still all armed. The only difference is that the good guys are defenseless.

• On the post: Cops Continue To Make The Best Argument For Defunding The Police

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 07 Jun, 2022 @ 10:12pm

  Those who can't buy something they want legally, either make it, or buy it illegally from someone else who made it. Gun control is DRM for mechanical objects. It only effects the law abiding. Full autos are illegal as heck, but every gang banger in Minneapolis has one. The cops say there's nothing they can do about it, because the conversion is too easy and cheap. As far as no one suggesting banning all guns, um, yeah, there are prominent politicians who are pushing that very thing.

• On the post: Cops Continue To Make The Best Argument For Defunding The Police

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 07 Jun, 2022 @ 12:24am

  Tim Cushing: "The cops won't protect you." Also Tim Cushing: "You should give up the means to protect yourself."

• On the post: Social Media Is The Easy Scapegoat For Politicians Who Don’t Want To Deal With Actual Problems

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 06 Jun, 2022 @ 12:38pm

  According to Matt Easton, who is both, police will frequently confiscate presumptively, and then you have to go to court to beg for their return.

• On the post: Social Media Is The Easy Scapegoat For Politicians Who Don’t Want To Deal With Actual Problems

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 06 Jun, 2022 @ 01:36am

  You may find this meta-analysis informative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgiQ-LmJGMY

• On the post: Social Media Is The Easy Scapegoat For Politicians Who Don’t Want To Deal With Actual Problems

  

  mhajicek ( profile ), 05 Jun, 2022 @ 08:11pm

  The UK has banned curved swords, and the carrying of pocket knives. They're trying to ban kitchen knives with points. You have to be over 18 and show ID to buy a box of plastic butter knives. Technicians get their toolboxes raided for screwdrivers (they're a lethal weapon, you know.) Yet they still have a violent crime problem. Not exactly an example to emulate.

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