pringerX 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Avast Claims Single Pro License Installed 774,651 Times Around The Globe

    pringerX ( profile ), 08 Dec, 2010 @ 08:52am

    I like Avast's active scanner, it catches crap before it happens. The free version seems pretty decent, although usage patterns/behavior and tech savviness are ultimately the main determinants. If you don't know squat about computers and click on everything you come across, no AV in the world is going to keep you clean.

  • On the post: So WikiLeaks Is Evil For Releasing Documents… But DynCorp Gets A Pass For Pimping Young Boys To Afghan Cops?

    pringerX ( profile ), 08 Dec, 2010 @ 08:45am

    One of the things I like about Techdirt is the calm, analytical way it tries to present its views. Sometimes there's a tinge of sarcasm, humor or anger injected and that's cool, but that last paragraph sort of leaves a bad taste. I agree wholeheartedly that the government response to Wikileaks is BS, but lashing out is a little unlike Techdirt.

    That said, a little righteous venting is satisfying. =P

  • On the post: Getting Rid Of Fantasy Numbers In The Copyright Debates

    pringerX ( profile ), 07 Dec, 2010 @ 10:37am

    Re:

    They do understand the statistics are probably bogus. But the numbers on those checks and campaign contributions are real.

  • On the post: Rethinking Bullying: Kids Don't See It As Bullying

    pringerX ( profile ), 04 Dec, 2010 @ 08:11am

    Now in new flavors like "Cyber!"

    This is just another instance of slapping the "Cyber" sticker on something and calling it new and different. This just aggravates the problem the article describes. Kids these days don't equate the term "bullying" to the full range of actions that actually constitutes bullying, and the lack of empathy isn't helping either.

  • On the post: Google Won't Recommend Most Popular Searches If It Thinks It Might Sorta Have Something To Do With Piracy

    pringerX ( profile ), 02 Dec, 2010 @ 09:41pm

    Just... wow.

    Mike, you were remarkably prescient in being concerned about the ICE seizure of the torrent search engine. Looks like they are starting to encroach on Google too.

    @Anonymous
    You are pretty short-sighted if you don't realize the ramifications of these TLD seizures. This is like the government saying "We can confiscate your possessions as we please", no warrant or warning required.

  • On the post: How The Response To Wikileaks Is Exactly What Assange Wants

    pringerX ( profile ), 02 Dec, 2010 @ 01:36pm

    Re: Re: Evidence please :)

    @ The eejit:
    General examples are a dime a dozen, what I'm looking for are examples from the Wikileak release. For example, an email from a senator or diplomat discussing ACTA that has a derisive tone toward file-sharers or the tech community, or a senator on the Judiciary Committee mentioning having a cushy job from the RIAA lined up. This is the sort of thing the article is referring to: secrecy that enables these individuals to boldly discuss things that would not have happened if such proceedings were public.

    @Dark Helmet
    Yup, exactly something like this. =)

  • On the post: How The Response To Wikileaks Is Exactly What Assange Wants

    pringerX ( profile ), 02 Dec, 2010 @ 01:01pm

    Evidence please :)

    But there is no doubt that there is a tremendous level of straight corruption going on and that is massively enabled by such secrecy.

    I love Techdirt and the intelligent commenting community it has built, so it would be nice to see someone cite some specific examples from within the WikiLeaks documents. I know Techdirt generally practices what it preaches, so I'm confident this will be addressed. I don't doubt there is corruption like this, but it'd be nice to have examples to point to.

  • On the post: Piracy Is Over Like The Web Is Dead

    pringerX ( profile ), 02 Dec, 2010 @ 11:03am

    Re: Re: You are both right on the cheap argument...

    It's not being cheap, it's being economically sensible. People are simply comparing the value offered by the package to the sale price. In the vast majority of those cases, sale price >> package value because either the songs are crap, album is full of filler, etc., or there is a more cost-effective way to get it.

    The main offerings of an online service are legality, convenience and breadth. Currently, they are at best on par with filesharing on #2, far behind on #3, and the strategy seems to be focused on increasing the value of #1 (through litigation, threats, etc.)

    We can look at this from a CwF+RtB point of view as well. What the record companies are doing is cutting out the CwF and forcibly applying a RtB by artificially increasing the value of their goods. Nothing good can come of this, especially in the long run.

  • On the post: Wrongful Arrest Demonstrates Dangers Of Law Enforcement Listening To Bogus Industry Claims

    pringerX ( profile ), 01 Dec, 2010 @ 01:03pm

    Where the money is at

    Right now, the big money is in the hands of these legacy entertainment industries. That is why all this crap is happening. Eventually they will bleed out as their war chest dwindles from bad strategy and inability to adapt, but until then they'll keep buying up legislators and agencies, and we will continue to see this sort of BS.

  • On the post: Homeland Security Admits That It's The Private Police Force Of The Entertainment Industry

    pringerX ( profile ), 01 Dec, 2010 @ 10:41am

    average_joe, among the websites seized was a torrent search engine. The search engine maintained no links to infringing material. Care to explain? Does this mean Google and Bing should be seized because people could use these search engines to find infringing material? And the "torrents are all infringing" doesn't hold water, because there are legal torrents and p2p applications. Besides, Google's autocomplete usually suggests XYZ torrent when you mention just about any creative visual media work.

    These seizures are a thinly veiled attempt to test the waters of what they can get away with, and if we don't push back at every turn eventually we will have no rights left.

  • On the post: Silly 'Vote For Us!' Post

    pringerX ( profile ), 01 Dec, 2010 @ 07:55am

    Haha!

    Anytime there is an online poll, especially flash-based, it reminds me of when Doonesbury put up a voting contest to determine which school the character Alex would go to. It didn't take very long for tech schools like MIT to start flooding the poll with bogus, script-generated votes.

    I'm also reminded of Nasa's "vote to name our new ISS module" contest. It's a shame they tossed out Colbert's entry (but at least they acknowledge him by naming the treadmill after him).

  • On the post: Molecular Biologist Highlights Serious Safety Concerns Over TSA Scanners

    pringerX ( profile ), 30 Nov, 2010 @ 08:35am

    Re: Re: Not their decision

    @Chronno:
    Well, if you look at it from a risk:benefit ratio, since benefit has been effectively shown to be zero, no amount of risk would make this acceptable. =P

    I think the safety is probably a nonissue, and is being overblown much like the benefits. I probably got hit with more radiation when I was working with a Co-60 irradiator. On the other hand, the less radiation the better, so it would still be wise to opt out if you have the time to spare. I mean, unless you like getting fried... oh wait, people do go to tanning beds.

  • On the post: US Embassy Accidentally Calls Beijing's Pollution 'Crazy Bad'

    pringerX ( profile ), 24 Nov, 2010 @ 08:16am

    The US is aware of its impact and trying to reduce it (successful or not). China may be aware of the pollution, but they are more interested in developing the nation than reducing pollution, so their output can only increase. It's not exactly the pot calling the kettle black, because the kettle is indeed dirtier.

  • On the post: TSA Agents Have 'Limited Ability' To Spot Prohibited Items In New Naked Scanners

    pringerX ( profile ), 24 Nov, 2010 @ 08:11am

    Bomb sniffing dogs

    I keep hearing about sniffer dogs, but does anyone have hard numbers? At first blush, they certainly seem cheaper, more effective and friendlier than these scanners.

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

    pringerX ( profile ), 19 Nov, 2010 @ 08:32am

    I saw this in the news a while back, and remember thinking the same thing. The prof didn't expressly forbid using the testbank questions as a study guide, and didn't bother to change the questions; also, the number of questions on the test was a fraction of those in the testbank. In all, this points to press sensationalism blowing things out of proportion.

    Also, @out_of_the_blue, specialization in science is the norm because there is simply too much knowledge out there. The educational system is there to lay a foundation, from where you find your specialization in your work or graduate career. I wager knowing how to properly diagnose and service a Windows machine and preventing it from imploding is in fact a pretty admirable skill, and requires a pretty good understanding of computer science and the architecture of the MS operating system.

  • On the post: Are US Scientists More Likely To Fake Research?

    pringerX ( profile ), 19 Nov, 2010 @ 07:54am

    As a scientist

    A couple things strike me as off about this study.

    PubMed, as previously commented on, is not a 100% comprehensive list of scientific research papers. It only deals with biology-related fields. I'd be interested to know what the fraud stats are like in other fields, like physics, astronomy, etc.

    A second point is the representation the US plays. If labs in the US are a bigger percentage of PubMed contributors than labs from the next biggest contributing country, then of course by probability alone there will be more fraudulent papers from the US.

    I am intrigued by the claim that frauds are more likely to come from repeat offenders. On the one hand, such offenders will tend to weed themselves out over time. More disturbing is the fact that frauds tend to appear in high-impact factor journals which are more visible and highly cited. The obvious concern is that because these journals are so influential, a fraud may send dozens of labs down the wrong path, wasting millions of dollars. The South Korean cloning scandal highlights this issue.

  • On the post: Michael Robertson Facing Resistance To New Gov't Transparency Project

    pringerX ( profile ), 19 Nov, 2010 @ 07:38am

    Public employees

    I think that line deserves more attention.

    Salaries of public employees are public info.

    That is a good point, since employees of the government are ultimately paid from tax dollars, which... you guessed it, comes from the public. The people are effectively the owners of the corporation that is the state, so it makes sense that this information is publicly available.

  • On the post: TSA Threatens To Sue Guy For Not Agreeing To Having His Groin Touched By TSA Agents

    pringerX ( profile ), 15 Nov, 2010 @ 01:40pm

    Ben Franklin says...

    "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
    There's some contention as to the exact wording, but methinks that is about right.

    Philosophically, though, what constitutes "essential"? Absolute freedom is anarchy; government, as it exists today, is simply a compromise where we have given up some freedoms that we may protect the subset deemed essential. At least, that's what the Constitution and Bill of Rights is about. Personally I think the Founding Fathers did a pretty decent job of defining things. It may be a line drawn in the sand, but it is a line drawn with considerable thought poured into it. To change it on a whim in the name of "increased security" is to effectively discard what it means to be American.

  • On the post: Brazilian TV Host Gets Court To Demand Google Censor Results Pointing To A Movie She Was Once In

    pringerX ( profile ), 15 Nov, 2010 @ 11:24am

    It's the lawyers

    They just want of the piece of the pie that Google baked. It might be interesting to watch Brazil fall flat on its face if Google just shut down services there for a few days, but sadly that won't happen.

    "Right to forget" is not unreasonable, if it being applied to private information made public without the consent of the person in question-like medical records. But I suspect most of the information people want quashed is public anyway, so a proper "right to forget" law that obeys freedom of speech would be moot in many, if not most cases.

  • On the post: India The Latest To Think About Kicking People Off The Internet Based On Accusations Of File Sharing

    pringerX ( profile ), 12 Nov, 2010 @ 07:45am

    Hard work? No waiii!!!

    "because competing with free actually involves work"

    I feel like this accurately sums up why the big players in the movie and music industries haven't embraced CwF+RtB. Because it take a serious passion and work ethic to make it succeed, and it's much easier to sit back and sue in the short term.

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