Pickle Monger 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (326) comment rss

  • On the post: Spanish Recording Industry Lobbyists Sue Professor For Highlighting Its Monopolistic Practices

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2012 @ 10:22am

    Say what?

    Am I the only one to have first read "Promusicae" as "Promiscuous"?

  • On the post: Lindsay Lohan's Lawyer's Loopy Legal Argument Laced With Lifted Language?

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 23 Mar, 2012 @ 10:56am

    Sure. Makes sense.

    Maybe it's just the reactive psychosis from all the over-work. Seems to be going around that one...

  • On the post: NSA Insists It Doesn't Have 'The Ability' To Spy On American Emails, Texts, Etc.

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 21 Mar, 2012 @ 12:14pm

    There is a slight pause between "technical" and "insights" in the way he says it, as if he's searching for the proper word before choosing insights, but he later clearly says they don't have the equipment to do so -- which seems to contradict a ton of reports out there from pretty credible sources within the NSA.


    But I'll bet there's equipment outside the United States. In The only questions is, would they have to apply for the warrant if they classify this as a foreign-based operation and would they be able to access that data on servers located in United States? That last one would certainly require authorization from service providers.
    On the other hand, here's something else to consider. In database management, many DBA's like to have off-site mirrored backup, often outside of the country. I also remember Google thinking about setting up off-shore servers on an oil-rig or something. In this scenario, there's nothing to prevent NSA from conducting their electronic surveillance operations.

  • On the post: From Lori Drew To Dharun Ravi, Punishing People Based On Others' Suicides Is A Mistake

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 20 Mar, 2012 @ 06:23am

    Re: Criminal intent

    Oh, and Dharun Ravi would've had to have lived all his life in a cave to not know that "outing" someone so publicly could be just a tad of an issue.

  • On the post: From Lori Drew To Dharun Ravi, Punishing People Based On Others' Suicides Is A Mistake

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 20 Mar, 2012 @ 06:21am

    Criminal intent

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there a concept in the criminal law that "intent follows the bullet"? So just because Dharun Ravi didn't intend to cause harm to Tyler Clementi, he did commit a criminal act that ended up causing harm. So in the eyes of the law shouldn't this be considered an intentional act rather than an immature one?

  • On the post: FAA Admits That It's Going To Rethink Whether You Can Use Kindles & Tablets On Takeoff & Landing

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 19 Mar, 2012 @ 07:38am

    Re: Serenity now!

    Aha! Here's the article I read a YEAR ago: http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/02/faa-ipad/

  • On the post: FAA Admits That It's Going To Rethink Whether You Can Use Kindles & Tablets On Takeoff & Landing

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 19 Mar, 2012 @ 07:26am

    Serenity now!

    Here's what I don't get. Here's the article though that's not the one I remember reading last year:
    http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/airlines-replace-pilots-flight-bags-with-greener-ipads-32304
    It talks about FAA having already approved the iPad for use by pilots during take-off and landings and possibly using them for aviation maps rather than having pilots haul tons of maps around.
    So wouldn't that prove that iPads do not interfere with flight controls? Or am I missing something?

  • On the post: Sorry Ron Paul, You Don't Get To Abuse Trademark Law To Unveil Anonymous Internet Users

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 12 Mar, 2012 @ 01:38pm

    Re: ...

    Here's a thought: JT of Caroline, would you perhaps like to advise Ron Paul campaign of your personal info just so that he doesn't worry about finding another ridiculous way to twist the law in order to unmask your identity?

  • On the post: Sorry Ron Paul, You Don't Get To Abuse Trademark Law To Unveil Anonymous Internet Users

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 12 Mar, 2012 @ 01:26pm

    Re: ...

    Dear Mike Masnick, if there's ever a civil war, part II in US, you have a standing invitation to stay over at my place.

  • On the post: File Sharing Moves En Masse To The Darknet; Good Luck Shutting That Down

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 05 Mar, 2012 @ 02:05pm

    How long until the legacy entertainment industry starts publishing articles about these evil anonymous, decentralized file sharing systems and demanding new laws against them?


    Already there:
    The dark web: Guns and drugs for sale on the internet's secret black market
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16801382

  • On the post: The Things You Learn When You Send A Freedom Of Information Act Request About What The Gov't Knows About You

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 28 Feb, 2012 @ 08:10am

    The second most obvious conclusion...

    There's another possibility. This could've been a training mission. Obviously, new agents aren't sent to tail suspected terrorists right away. The very fact that they got details wrong yet suspected that this is a part of a much bigger national movement suggests younger overeager agents. Sort of like new doctors who tend to find unusual, exotic diseases in patients with a simple cold.

  • On the post: Vic Toews Apparently Not A Fan Of Others Seeing His Personal Data

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 21 Feb, 2012 @ 07:34am

    I call BS

    Perhaps, rather than chasing down a ghost, Toews would be better served to think a little more seriously about the complaints people have raised about government over-surveillance.


    What I would rather have is a clear explanation of why the government doesn not want to keep a registry of guns (Conservative-dominated parliament voted to discontinue it last week) but want to keeps a detailed info on internet users. Regardless of how people feel about the gun registry, it would be the height of intellectual dishonesty to assert that internet user history is more dangerous than guns.

  • On the post: Park Ranger Tases Guy Walking Dogs Without A Leash

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 10 Feb, 2012 @ 08:59am

    This is clearly bad judgement. I wouldn't have started with the dog owner. ;-) Reminds me of an old joke:

    "A man wakes up one morning in Alaska to find a bear on his roof. So he looks in the yellow pages and sure enough, there's an ad for "Bear Removers."

    He calls the number, and the bear remover says he'll be over in 30 minutes.

    The bear remover arrives, and gets out of his van. He's got a ladder, a baseball bat, a shotgun and a mean old pit bull.

    "What are you going to do," the homeowner asks?

    "I'm going to put this ladder up against the roof, then I'm going to go up there and knock the bear off the roof with this baseball bat. When the bear falls off, the pit bull is trained to grab his testicles and not let go. The bear will then be subdued enough for me to put him in the cage in the back of the van."

    He hands the shotgun to the homeowner.

    "What's the shotgun for?" asks the homeowner.

    "If the bear knocks me off the roof, shoot the dog."

  • On the post: Bar Fight! Sony Sues Karaoke Distributor For Infringement; Gets Sued Right Back For 'Copyright Misuse'

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 27 Jan, 2012 @ 01:34pm

    No way! Oh, wait...

    Would that be the same Sony that blocked a Japanese-themed bar in Montreal from being called "Godzilla's"? Huh! Who'dda thunk...

  • On the post: Boo-Freaking-Hoo: RIAA Complains That 'The Deck Is Stacked' Against Them On CES Panels

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 12 Jan, 2012 @ 11:56am

    Long time coming

    Great rant! Was Mike channeling Lewis Black on this one? :)

  • On the post: Which Is Worse, SOPA Or PIPA? Answer: Both!

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 06 Jan, 2012 @ 09:27am

    Now you have two problems...

    I'm guessing PIPA is a "better thought-out and more prudent approach" than SOPA in the way that rape is more pleasant and more endearing than gang-rape.

  • On the post: Red Cross Wants Real Life Laws Enforced Within Virtual Worlds

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 05 Dec, 2011 @ 08:57am

    How far can we go?

    Would those rules apply to post-apocalyptic situations? How about the Rapture? Because there's this new "Left Behind" video game is coming out and the players are supposed to kill Jews, atheists, and other assorted infidels if they refuse to convert to Christianity. Would the Rules of Engagement or US Constitution apply here too?
    As a side note, I don't have a problem with the stores selling this game as long as it's stocked right next to Grand Theft Auto.

  • On the post: New Head Of UK's Newspaper Regulators Thinks Bloggers Are A Bigger Problem Than Phone Hacking Tabloids?

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 17 Nov, 2011 @ 01:31pm

    Iron-clad logic

    In related news, cars and not drunk drivers are responsible for deaths in vehicular accidents involving impaired driving.

  • On the post: SOPA Sponsors: Pass SOPA To Protect The Troops; Everyone Else: WTF?

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 17 Nov, 2011 @ 01:14pm

    Great expectations

    [...]a mistake that lots of folks make, but you'd really expect a bit better of Congress.


    Nope. No, I really wouldn't...

  • On the post: The First Recorded Evidence Of A Prank Phone Call: 1884 Phone Calls Summoning Undertakers

    Pickle Monger ( profile ), 02 Nov, 2011 @ 06:30am

    Re:

    Seriously? You're that short on something useful to criticise you feel the need to get personal? Perhaps, you could submit your name here? And then we can all discuss your family?
    A class act indeed...

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