Paddy Duke 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (97) comment rss

  • On the post: Embracing New Opportunities Is Being Defeatist?

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 02 Dec, 2010 @ 01:39am

    The old guard is full of negative Nellies. We have to stop this, prevent that, sue them.

    There are a number of high profile folk, like Mike, who not only advocate alternative business models, but actively engage in building the ideas and systems that power them.

    Look on the other side of the argument and all you see is people pointing out problems. But the crux of the issue is this: if your business model depends on you not being outsmarted by a 15 year old, it's not a very good business model.

  • On the post: Embracing New Opportunities Is Being Defeatist?

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 02 Dec, 2010 @ 01:39am

    The old guard is full of negative Nellies. We have to stop this, prevent that, sue them.

    There are a number of high profile folk, like Mike, who not only advocate alternative business models, but actively engage in building the ideas and systems that power them.

    Look on the other side of the argument and all you see is people pointing out problems. But the crux of the issue is this: if your business model depends on you not being outsmarted by a 15 year old, it's not a very good business model.

  • On the post: 200 Students Admit To 'Cheating' On Exam… But Bigger Question Is If It Was Really Cheating Or Studying

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 22 Nov, 2010 @ 04:15am

    Re: Re: Not all that surprising

    I?m having trouble following your point, but I think you are claiming that rote learning, the ?teach to the test? method, reaps better results than methods that encourage creative problem solving.

    If that is what you?re saying, I have to disagree with you.

    I think the most important skills you can teach a student are critical, independent thinking and the novel application of existing knowledge.

    Currently, most schools in the US and the UK teach data retention, or how well you can remember the right answer to that one question. Mix up the question a bit, and a lot of students aren?t able to use what they know to formulate a new answer.

    Understanding why something works is a great deal more useful than just knowing how it works.

    I will say that I think probably only one or two of the students in this story were actually creatively problem solving. The other 198 most likely just took the lazy, albeit smart, option and followed, but there is still nothing wrong with what any of them did.

  • On the post: Netflix Avoided Android Because It Didn't Have Enough DRM

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 16 Nov, 2010 @ 03:28am

    Re: Re: Re:

    I think you?d struggle to argue the point that 2-3% of anything could, or should, be considered popular or common.

  • On the post: Cooks Source Editor Gives First Interview; Says She'll Probably Shut Down The Magazine

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 16 Nov, 2010 @ 03:15am

    Re: Be nice

    Had just apologised. HAD.

    That irks the crap out of me.

    If she had just apologised, there would have been no backlash.

    I would have apologised, if it had been me.

  • On the post: Guy Who Was Arrested & Convicted For Joke Tweet Loses Appeal

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 12 Nov, 2010 @ 08:15am

    Re:

    Well beaten there. At least my link is different.

  • On the post: Guy Who Was Arrested & Convicted For Joke Tweet Loses Appeal

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 12 Nov, 2010 @ 08:13am

    Twitter has burst to life today over this issue.

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/nov/12/iamspartacus-campaign-twitter-airport

  • On the post: Verizon Wireless Math Strikes Again: Pay Much More For Less!

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 12 Oct, 2010 @ 08:36am

    Re: Re: Don't know what you guys are complaining about...

    Tom Lehrer would have had a field day with this.

  • On the post: Movie Debuts In Theater And On The Pirate Bay (On Purpose)

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 21 Sep, 2010 @ 03:39am

    Re:

    Why cripple it arbitrarily? Why not just release it in full HD with 7.1 sound? It makes it more valuable for lots of reasons.

    Those without a home cinema setup may still choose to go to the theatre (as may those who do have one. People who download it at first may buy a DVD with high quality extras. Maybe this is the first film in a series, and is merely building up a fan base for more profitable sequels.

    It?s great to see creatives who see possibilities, rather than problems, in technology. Acknowledging the scope and influence of torrents and similar services is a very smart move.

  • On the post: School Agrees To Pay Student $33,000 After Teacher Dug Through Her Phone To Find Private Nude Photos

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 20 Sep, 2010 @ 04:15am

    Harm?

    Just to play devil’s advocate here for a moment, how much does the distribution or possession of child pornography, especially photos/videos made by the child themselves, harm any children?

    I understand the harm inherent in forcing or coercing young children into sexual acts, including the production of child porn. But once it has been made, either by coercion or voluntarily, could its existence reduce further instances of sexual abuse by providing some release for paedophiles, negating the need to include real children?

    Obviously child abuse is a bad thing, but possession and distribution of child porn seem like strange charges. Surely it’s the adult producers you want to go after? They are, after all, the ones doing the real harm.

  • On the post: Why Are The Record Labels Demanding Money To Let People Stream Legally Purchased Music?

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 17 Sep, 2010 @ 02:16am

    The simple answer: because they are assholes.

    The slightly less simple answer: because they are entitled assholes who do not (or will not) understand how digital commodities work.

  • On the post: How Much Did The Pointless OiNK Raid Cost UK Taxpayers?

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 17 Sep, 2010 @ 02:00am

    Re: Re: Perspective

    As well as having our own currencies, we also appear to use a different form of mathematics: one where ‘including’ doesn’t mean ‘in addition to’.

    Just to clarify, over USD $45,000 was spent by the authorities on investigating a case where no crime had been committed.

  • On the post: Why Must ISPs Pay To Be The Mandatory Copyright Cops Of The Entertainment Industry?

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 15 Sep, 2010 @ 10:56am

    Re: The Aftermath

    *OPEN Rights Group

  • On the post: Why Must ISPs Pay To Be The Mandatory Copyright Cops Of The Entertainment Industry?

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 15 Sep, 2010 @ 10:56am

    The Aftermath

    According to the UK governement’s own figures, once the ISP pass on the costs, up to 40,000 households will no longer be able to afford a broadband connection.

    Pen Rights Group | Tens of thousands could be priced out of broadband after Government announcement on file sharing code

    I’m sure they’ll all be flocking to the record stores after that.

  • On the post: Why Must ISPs Pay To Be The Mandatory Copyright Cops Of The Entertainment Industry?

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 15 Sep, 2010 @ 04:37am

    Re: Re:

    Call me unrealistic, or just optimistic, but I have to believe that there are at least some politicians who go into the job hoping to do right by the people who elect them.

    The framing of the debate, the misdirection, and the outright lies from the big gatekeepers are all designed to fool the politicians and the unfailiar public into believing there actually is a problem that needs to be solved, when in actual fact there isn’t one.

  • On the post: Director Jean-Luc Godard Says 'There's No Such Thing As Intellectual Property,' Donates To MP3 Downloader's Defense

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 15 Sep, 2010 @ 04:10am

    Re:

    Curious how the roles have switched. Socialists are trying to get this government interference out of the economy, and the capitalists are clamouring to pull them further in.

  • On the post: Why Must ISPs Pay To Be The Mandatory Copyright Cops Of The Entertainment Industry?

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 15 Sep, 2010 @ 03:34am

    I would love to hear one of these corporate shills we call politicians explain in their own words just exactly how copyright infringement has damaged any of our creative industries.

    We have more music and working musicians than ever before. Movies have never made so much money. E-readers are at the root of a surge in (ludicrously overpriced) digital book sales.

    We’re in a period of incredible cultural growth and prolificacy, yet our goverments are being tricked into supporting invasive, regressive laws, just to save a few rich and out of date corporations, who only achieved their wealth by royally fucking over the actual artists they repesented for years.

    Why can so few people see this?

  • On the post: Court Tells Mall That It Cannot Ban Customers From Talking To Strangers

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 19 Aug, 2010 @ 04:30am

    Re: Re: What Laws Are For

    I can only assume you replied to the wrong comment because if you read mine, you’ll see that I think that the mall is being really stupid in trying to limit the free speech of its customers.

    But I think it’s just as stupid for the courst to be telling a private business what rules it can and can’t impose on people who are on the company’s property.

    If the customers have a problem with the rule they will shop elsewhere, and the mall will either revise its position or go out of business. No need for any intervention.

  • On the post: Court Tells Mall That It Cannot Ban Customers From Talking To Strangers

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 18 Aug, 2010 @ 01:37am

    What Laws Are For

    Laws should exist to protect people from others.

    They should not exist to try to protect people from themselves.

    If a mall wants to do something stupid and put itself out of business, then let it do that. That’s not the kind of business you want to keep around anyway.

    If the recording industry wants to stick to their old ways while the rest of the world adopts new technologies and business models, let them do that.

    Don’t force the rest of us to pay for their idiocy/laziness.

  • On the post: Wishful Thinking: Hollywood Believes Next Generation Of Kids Will Pay For Content

    Paddy Duke ( profile ), 05 Aug, 2010 @ 08:38am

    Not a chance.

    These kids are growing up in the age of abundance. There is more music, news, video, and other information freely available than anyone could possibly consume in a lifetime. Why would they pay for content?

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