Patty 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: An 'Aha Moment' About Ridiculous Trademarks, As Oprah And Mutual Of Omaha Fight Over 'Aha Moment'

    Patty ( profile ), 10 Nov, 2009 @ 11:02am

    AHA

    I think I will Trademark a HAHA Moment. It would seem to have a lot of potential uses.

  • On the post: Once Again, Blocking Ads And Automating Clicks Isn't 'Stealing'

    Patty ( profile ), 09 Oct, 2009 @ 02:43pm

    Blocking Ads

    I block Flash ads. They interfere with what I am reading. They seem to universally reviled and yet advertisers insist on forcing them onto the reader. The same applies to the ones that pop up when your mouse mistakenly hovers over an ad link. I cannot understand how advertisers do not glom that this is monumentally annoying. I do not bother blocking ads that are just pictures. Those ads have at least a small chance of capturing my attention. The solution for advertisers is to innovative, clever and fun - in other words, to learn something new.

  • On the post: Why Don't More TV Shows Try To Connect With Fans?

    Patty ( profile ), 18 Sep, 2009 @ 11:33am

    TV shows connecting with fans

    As I am still fuming about the cancellation of Defying Gravity this comment really struck home. Whedon knows the importance of connecting with fans but none of the networks have a clue - they are still suing people for using clips and so forth.

    The network is an intermediary. It brings potential buyers to the product. But as we have seen before is an intermediary even necessary? It may be convenient for the product manufacturers to have such a thing but it is no longer necessary. The sponsors could create their own shows on the internet and build little universes around them. Branded products, games, contests, comic book extensions based on specific characters or different story lines. They could even incorporate Other products…for a price.

    Also, the sponsors and networks should stop viewing the internet as enemy and start using it as a tool. Rather than turning purple and sending someone to prison for leaking a video they should be leaking it themselves. The producers could see before they had spent all that money on a final product if they were going in the right direction, get feedback on how to improve the story, which characters connected with viewers and which did not. Sure, they have pre-screenings to do this but voluntary feedback is far more accurate and useful.

    If the networks want to stay in business they might want to consider branding themselves, deciding on a certain flavor for themselves instead of the one size fits all personality they aim for now (culminating on the unfortunate decision to put Leno on at 10!). Go comedy, go cops and robbers, go scifi – get a Face. (This would not be as limiting as it might seem at first – there could be a crime drama set in space or a soap opera, for instance) Build an internet presence around that, incorporate fan material and artwork and Help the sponsors adapt to that personality, to Market to that audience instead of Every audience.

    This means a breaking up of the generalized megaliths which exist today but I see it as pretty much inevitable. The players can either jump in with both feet and make more money than ever or they can die.

  • On the post: Understanding The Pirate Party

    Patty ( profile ), 12 Jun, 2009 @ 06:20pm

    The Pirate Party Name

    As an old timer I have to agree that the Pirate Party is a good name, indeed.

    It reflects young people being rightly irate about the older generation trying to put a lid on an unprecedented explosion of freedom of expression. The feeling is one of a middle finger salute to the old garde, a feeling I well remember with fondness even if I am now the old garde myself.

    Most folks know by now that the swashbuckling pirates of yore days were an adventurous and democratic lot and the party name reflects this spirit.

    This movement has enormous potential. It may have begun with a wink but it will grow to be something quite serious in the coming years.

  • On the post: Cable Companies Aren't Immune From The Economy As More People Go Online-Only For TV

    Patty ( profile ), 01 Jun, 2009 @ 09:26am

    FIOS replaces TV set

    I think they ought to be a tad more worried. I'm a 61 year old retired female and I gave my TV to the neighbors 18 months ago. I download all the TV shows I want including those from ITV and the BBC. Granted, I am the only person in my peer group who does this but I am getting more requests for instructions from fellow retirees.

    I find it hysterical when a Verizon rep tries to sell me the TV package. I reply that I have a 20mbps FIOS connection, dude, I don't need no stinking TV! For the most part they do not get what I am telling them.

  • On the post: Stop Blaming Google For Your Own Mistakes

    Patty ( profile ), 08 Apr, 2009 @ 12:07pm

    Newspapers failing to change - The Philadelphia Inquirer

    The Philadelphia Inquirer is a perfect example. - http://www.philly.com/inquirer/

    Why in heaven's name do they take up valuable room on the home page with a PICTURE of the front page of the Print version? It boggles the mind.

    The same organization has now taken to littering the lawns in my community with polybagged wads of circulars. Printed circulars. I called the boro to complain and they have received many complaints. I cannot understand how philly.com thinks it is a wise use of their money to print and deliver ads which no one seems to look at, especially when they are in Chapter 11. This is their idea of innovation? Evidently, it is.

  • On the post: In An Alternate Universe, How 20th Century Fox Could Have Responded To Wolverine Leak

    Patty ( profile ), 02 Apr, 2009 @ 02:44pm

    Wolverine Leak - Lost Opportunity

    If the studio was smart they would pay close attention to fan comments about the leaked version. Editing the final cut to reflect thoughtful critiques from the target audience would yield a better film, one that even MORE people would want to see

    The studio wouldn't have to wait until it was released, panned and a dud. They could fix it before it was too late.

    Such a wasted opportunity.

  • On the post: Is Privacy That Cuil?

    Patty ( profile ), 29 Jul, 2008 @ 08:11am

    Cuil search results

    I searched on Cuil yesterday for Wall Sconces (I do most of my shopping on the internet) and it returned ZERO results. I then tried Sconces and still got Zero results. As I know there are plenty of sites that sell these I can only wonder about their claims to have a bigger database than Google's.

  • On the post: Font Company Can't Come Up With Good Business Model; Punishes Customers

    Patty ( profile ), 14 Apr, 2008 @ 01:00pm

    Letterhead Fonts

    Ironic tirade considering most of the fonts on his site are reworkings of older fonts Which Someone Else Designed
    back in the 30's or 50's or whenever.

    These fonts are included in the larger pirated font packages so turning purple over 30 odd downloads is missing the forest through the spindly oak sapling.

  • On the post: Font Company Can't Come Up With Good Business Model; Punishes Customers

    Patty ( profile ), 14 Apr, 2008 @ 12:56pm

    Letterhead Fonts

  • On the post: E-books Still A Solution In Search Of A Problem

    Patty ( profile ), 16 Nov, 2007 @ 06:39pm

    eBooks

    I, too, love the paper book. I spent my entire working life in printing, starting way back in hot metal. I love paper, I love typography, I love a beautiful binding.

    But I can’t wait for ebooks. They may not replace paper books but they will become a viable alternative and they will become useful because they can be annotated in situ, so to speak. I think Annotation will itself become an art form in the future.

    Imagine reading something like Roughing It by Mark Twain and being able to click a link to pictures of all the places he visited or to read more about silver mining or the colorful people he writes about or decipher some of the old slang. While I was reading the book I kept popping over to my pc to read more about tumble weeds or the Pony Express, whatever. There are plenty of books like this where
    You could just go deeper and deeper and deeper.

    I look forward to this eventuality. I think much of the annotation will be provided by ardent fans. You can see the beginnings of this already. But there will be professionals as well.

    The device price will inevitably come down and epaper is already on the horizon. There might not be a need for a big clunky book reading machine but electronic books will happen and they will be wonderful.