Paul Hobbs 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Apple Tries To Convince Trademark Board That App Store Really Means Apple Store

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 10 Mar, 2011 @ 10:10am

    God I hate App. Every day I find another reason to despise App. My children, on the other hand, love eating Apps. In fact, they are my son's favourite fruit, along with Straws and Bans.

  • On the post: Lady Gaga Claiming Ownership Of 'Gaga'? Threatens Baby Gaga Ice Cream

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 08 Mar, 2011 @ 10:12am

    Hang on a sec...

    Didn't she take her stage name from the Queen song Radio Ga Ga? Perhaps they should sue her. God damn no-talent tramp gives me the royal shits.

  • On the post: The Ridiculous Trademark Saga Of Kennedy Fried Chicken

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 21 Feb, 2011 @ 04:36pm

    I have a friend called Ken with something of an unfortunate surname. Ken Fucky tried chicken. But he didn't like it.

  • On the post: Long Time Academic, Regular Op-Ed Writer, Claims He Had No Idea He Was Supposed To Attribute Text He Plagiarized

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 16 Feb, 2011 @ 08:18pm

    Feedback please

    I am writing a book about the current state of the world, and where it is heading. Here is what I have written so far:

    "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."

    I would appreciate any feedback from the enlightened readers/commenters of TD.

  • On the post: The NFL Or SkyNET: There Can Be Only One

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 16 Feb, 2011 @ 06:17pm

    Please forgive me, but...

    there are a couple of things I'm not clear on:

    1. How does the dumbing of footballers and boxers make the rest of us dumber? I don't play football or box; my children don't, and probably never will. Is "IQ Atrophy and Senescence Syndrome" (IQ ASS) a contagious condition?

    2. I know a bit about computers, having worked in the field for over a decade, and I think I am on safe ground when I say that computers are not yet ready to do battle with humans. My Android smartphone is smart, but not that smart. So, we have a ways to go before computers/robots will pose a serious threat to our way of life. And I don't see the current crop of computers (especially iPads) as spontaneously developing the ability to improve themselves. So, for the time being at least, it will be humans who drive/design/develop the improvements in computers. But if we are all getting dumber from the highly contagious IQ ASS (which I am going to trademark so I can get rich), there won't be anyone left who is smart enough to design the smarter computers, which means that our current crop of computers are about as smart as they are ever going to be.

    Or maybe I'm just really dumb and I completely missed the point.

  • On the post: Star Wars Is A Remix

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 04 Feb, 2011 @ 08:27pm

    If "creators" had to create without any reference (however subtle or hidden or even subconscious) to other creations, - essentially in a vacuum - we would still be living in the dark ages, perhaps even the stone age. Imagine if the "inventor" of the wheel had patented his invention (or at least refused to share it). Imagine a world without wheels - no cars or mass transportation systems; no flying between continents; no romantic bicycle rides with a lover; no pyramids. Oh wait - the pyramids would still be there cos aliens built them.

    Perhaps a dose of humility is what is required here.

    "What Descartes did was a good step. You have added much several ways, and especially in taking the colours of thin plates into philosophical consideration. If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants." (Isaac Newton)

  • On the post: China Doesn't Want People Talking About Egyptian Uprising Online

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 31 Jan, 2011 @ 03:43pm

    Re:

    Why not Egipt? Or Ejypt?

  • On the post: Chinese TV Station Tried Passing Off Top Gun Footage As Training Exercises

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 31 Jan, 2011 @ 03:41pm

    Let's focus on the real issue

    I think that with all the amusing banter going on in this thread, we have lost sight of what is really important. Because the CCTV (is there something ironic in the acronym of China's state-controlled TV broadcaster?) used the footage of Top Gun without authorisation (which I admit is an assumption), poor struggling actors like Tom Cruise are being denied their dues - how is Tom expected to survive if people keep watching/using his films without paying for the privilege?

  • On the post: JohnJac's Favorite Posts Of The Weeks

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 29 Jan, 2011 @ 06:50pm

    However as I read Techdirt, it became clear this week had a theme: governments over-reacting to technology.

    I've snickered in the past at other governments' attempts to block skype or to block all of YouTube over a single video. If you had asked me last week, would a government go so far as to shut all internet access down, I would have told you no way.

    The objective of any government is to remain in power - no government is ever happy about losing power. It's been this way since Adam. The means by which they achieve this has changed and will continue to change in the future (although there are common themes - eg: control access to information; restrict basic "freedoms" like speech, assembly, etc).

    Alas, I guess this is one of those instances where the more things change, the more they stay the same.

  • On the post: Video Of Last Week's Thoughtful Discussion On Wikileaks

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 25 Jan, 2011 @ 03:53am

    Re: Re: Re: I so have to throw this one out ...

    You're welcome - happy to oblige. ;-)

  • On the post: Video Of Last Week's Thoughtful Discussion On Wikileaks

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 24 Jan, 2011 @ 05:27pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Touch?.

    For a number of years now I have viewed the US as an adolescent who went through a sudden growth spurt and is now significantly larger and stronger than his classmates. Most of the time he is well meaning, but he often underestimates (and occasionally abuses) his power. He also doesn't really have the maturity (yet) to use his strength wisely or with restraint. In a few years the young teenager may be viewed as a "gentle giant", but he isn't there yet.

  • On the post: Techdirt 2010: The Numbers.

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 12 Jan, 2011 @ 05:35pm

    Re: Winner!

    Sheesh! Both of you - get a real job, would ya?!

  • On the post: Guy Claims He Owns The Idea Of Oprah Visiting Australia, Plans To Sue

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 12 Jan, 2011 @ 11:50am

    Re: Amazing.

    Or even someone's son!

  • On the post: One Mentally Deranged Shooter Is No Reason To Throw Out The First Amendment

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 12 Jan, 2011 @ 11:30am

    Re: Re:

    I don't entirely agree with you here. Words can actually be very powerful - they may not pull a trigger, but the right words spoken by the right person can dramatically affect behaviour. There seems to be consensus that the shooter in Tucson was a nut job. But can you say the same thing about every soldier in the German army during WW2? Hitler was a master orator and was able to unite and galvanise a whole country to the extent that many thousands of people either carried out brutal acts of murder and torture, or they stood idly by and did nothing (or perhaps even silently cheered). Conversely, Churchill said things which inspired amazing acts of heroism and sacrifice (eg: Battle of Britain, D Day).

    Ultimately we are all responsible for what we do (or choose not to do). However, to say that words have no influence over one's actions is to underestimate the power of words.

  • On the post: One Mentally Deranged Shooter Is No Reason To Throw Out The First Amendment

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 12 Jan, 2011 @ 11:11am

    Re:

    America is a wonderful and amazing country for many reasons, but there are times when I am soooo glad I don't live there. You, sir, are a perfect example of what America needs more of:

    1. people who draw completely irrational (and patently incorrect) conclusions about who is to "blame" for some event
    2. people who constantly live in fear
    3. people who have easy access to a gun
    4. people who believe that carrying a gun somehow solves a problem

  • On the post: Drink Up: Cocktails Don't Need Nor Deserve Copyright Protection

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 29 Dec, 2010 @ 06:50am

    Einstein, Newton, Picasso, Mozart....

    And now we can add Alie Ward and Georgia Hardstark to the list of geniuses who see what others don't, and in so doing enrich our lives in so many ways!

  • On the post: US Ambassador To The UN: Protecting Patents & Copyrights More Important Than Development

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 20 Dec, 2010 @ 09:03pm

    Have things really improved?

    This is more a general observation than a comment on the actual post about the US Ambassador to the UN (although there is a connection).

    I always thought Dubya was a complete tool, and he set US relations with the rest of the world back a decade. However, he didn't accomplish this on his own - he simply isn't competent enough to have done it on his own. He was backed (or led?) by a whole administration which helped make the US very unpopular with the rest of us Earth-dwellers.

    Then along came the Messiah (Barack Obama, not the other one), and everyone thought, finally, the US has regained some sanity and we can be friends again. There was even a cool website saying just that.

    Alas, I think we may have celebrated too soon. I believe it was Emerson who said "Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying." In more recent years I have often heard Christians say things like "your actions speak so loudly, I can't hear what you're saying". For all the flowery speeches Obama gave leading up to the election, and especially in his victory speech, it seems to me that not much has changed, and in fact, things are arguably worse. Mind you, I don't think we can hold Obama solely responsible. I always thought, even before he was elected, that he was being set up to fail. The level of expectation was so huge, that it was virtually impossible for him to satisfy everyone (which perhaps is an indication of his naivete). As it is, even I am surprised at how little things have improved. I guess that shows just how intractable the Washington machine is - not even the Messiah can bend it to his will.

    What's the connection to the original post? If the US is going to recover its economic status and stability, I suspect one of the things it needs to do is become more competitive and re-discover some of the amazing innovation which was one of the defining characteristics of America in the early 20th century. And that won't happen if the US government and corporations collude to eliminate competition by "litigating them into oblivion". It's almost like they want to try out the tactic of "shock and awe" in the business arena. And let's face it, it's been soooo successful in Iraq and Afghanistan, it's bound to be equally successful in business.

  • On the post: US Ambassador To The UN: Protecting Patents & Copyrights More Important Than Development

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 20 Dec, 2010 @ 08:20pm

    Re: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

    Did someone say Apple? They're shameless about stealing great ideas, but God forbid someone should "steal" theirs.

    Seems like one's propensity to litigate (or intimidate) is directly proportional to one's (financial) capacity to do so. When Jobs and Wozniak were struggling and broke, I bet they never even dreamed of suing a competitor (not that there were many competitors back then). Even when they started to enjoy success, their MO was to create and innovate, rather then stop and look around at who might be copying them. Now? Not so much. Sure they still (arguably) create and innovate, but they clearly have a whole team of lawyer-types on the lookout for anyone who might be "stealing" one of their ideas. Case in point: Apple recently challenged the new Woolworths logo.

    Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
    ? Friedrich Nietzsche

    You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
    - Harvey Dent

  • On the post: Yet Another Court Explains To The Obama Administration That The 4th Amendment Means You Need To Get A Warrant

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 16 Dec, 2010 @ 09:57am

    Re: Who is Mike Masnick really?

    Now that you mention it, have you noticed that you never see Mike Masnick and Osama bin Laden together in the same room? Mighty suspicious if you ask me.

  • On the post: Lieberman Introduces New Censorship Bill In Kneejerk Response To Wikileaks

    Paul Hobbs ( profile ), 02 Dec, 2010 @ 07:06pm

    History repeats itself

    Is it just my imagination, or is the ghost of Joseph McCarthy whispering in the ears of more than a few US politicians? Where is Edward R. Murrow when you need him?

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