ricebowl 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (54) comment rss

  • On the post: Avid Gamer (And Minnesota Vikings Punter) Chris Kluwe Does The Math On How Much EA's SimCity Debacle Cost EA

    ricebowl ( profile ), 11 Mar, 2013 @ 09:55am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Oh, I absolutely agree, yes: every game (maybe not MMOs, but I don't play those, so I'm not sure) should have a local option for single-player, if only to provide as a fall-back for when the servers, the ISP or the telecoms provider screws up (like any of those are even a rarity).

  • On the post: Avid Gamer (And Minnesota Vikings Punter) Chris Kluwe Does The Math On How Much EA's SimCity Debacle Cost EA

    ricebowl ( profile ), 11 Mar, 2013 @ 09:33am

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    SimCity as a social game is something that not only doesn't interest me, but I find it a large negative.



    Whereas I can see the point of a social SimCity; for example all the various treaties and agreements with neighbouring cities from previous games, they'd be much more interesting with actual negotiations between human players, particularly if there was some ability to negotiate properly (altering costs, binding to other services, trade-exclusivity, mutual funding for a joint multi-jurisdiction Fire or Police Departments, or whatever else...).


    That they managed to completely screw up, and obviate, the potential of social, making it a requirement of even non-social environments? That takes a level of skill most, thankfully, don't have.

  • On the post: Avid Gamer (And Minnesota Vikings Punter) Chris Kluwe Does The Math On How Much EA's SimCity Debacle Cost EA

    ricebowl ( profile ), 11 Mar, 2013 @ 09:14am

    Re: Re:

    Unfortunately those of us that grew up with this game and wasted many many many many hours of their lives building cities in each version (Original, Simcity 2000, Simcity 3000, Simcity 4, and expansion packs) can't not buy this game.



    No, actually, I'm having precisely no difficulty in not-buying SimCity 5 (despite loving each of the previous games, except SimCity 3000). I am, however, rather enjoying watching the debacle unfold, despite knowing that EA is unlikely to change anything at all about its behaviour until such a time as people begin to entirely disregard their products.


    Of course, this won't be considered as a possibility unless people also contact EA to explain, specifically, why they're not buying; otherwise it will be interpreted as "We're not doing enough to combat piracy!"

  • On the post: Arthur Conan Doyle Estate Sued To Show That Sherlock Holmes Is Public Domain

    ricebowl ( profile ), 16 Feb, 2013 @ 04:17am

    An interesting discrepancy from Doyle's own interests.



    One example of Doyle's attitude about Holmes can be seen in his correspondence with the American stage actor William Gillette, who wrote an immensely popular play about Holmes and asked permission to have Holmes get married in the drama.


    "Doyle sent him a telegram back that said: 'You may marry him or murder him or do whatever you like with him,'" said Stashower.


    (Reference: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/mystery/essays/doylevholmes.html)

    Now, Stashower may have lied, or otherwise misrepresented Doyle's correspondence, but it seems clear that he was still willing to have others develop, or build on, the character(s).

  • On the post: SurfTheChannel Founder Gets Extra Jail Time For Revealing Documents That Raised Questions About His Conviction

    ricebowl ( profile ), 22 Nov, 2012 @ 11:21am

    How does one make a formal complaint against a judge in the UK

    As a citizen of the United Kingdom I'm actually horrified at the attitude of the judge; does anyone know how one files a formal complaint against a judge for their behaviour, arrogance and, frankly, unwarranted increase of a prison sentence?

  • On the post: Displaced NJ Voters Told To Email Ballot Requests To A Hotmail Account

    ricebowl ( profile ), 06 Nov, 2012 @ 12:58pm

    A fairly major assumption is being made...

    While the password recovery question may, indeed, be 'mothers' maiden name,' there's no reason to believe the answer to the question is, in fact, his mother's maiden-name. I know I have, essentially, nonsense (or at least non-sequitur) answers to email password-recovery questions.

    Still, I can't imagine any part of Hotmail (or any other webmail service) is inherently secure against interested parties.

  • On the post: Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt

    ricebowl ( profile ), 03 Sep, 2012 @ 03:26am

    Re: Re: Re: Minor correction

    A 'rezident,' surely?

  • On the post: Boston Shuts Down Uber Because Massachusetts Doesn't Approve Of The GPS

    ricebowl ( profile ), 14 Aug, 2012 @ 04:24pm

    Re:

    What are you responding to? We have GPS, and a bureaucracy resistant to change/updating permitted billing technologies.

    I can't think of any way copyright, or piracy, is mentioned; unless pirates have been told they have to navigate with a sextant, instead of their iPhones, in Massachusetts maybe?

  • On the post: Stupid, Antiquated German Regulations Mean Germans Couldn't Watch Our Google Hangout With Rob Reid Yesterday

    ricebowl ( profile ), 10 Aug, 2012 @ 01:44pm

    Well, wow...

    perhaps an effort should be made to wipe that silly rule off the books already.
    Man, the homework for this show is insane..! @.@

  • On the post: A Floating Island Of Nerds… Or Just Evidence Of A Broken Immigration System?

    ricebowl ( profile ), 09 Jul, 2012 @ 05:57am

    So...you'd need a tourist visa, or similar, to get to the ship that, once there, you cannot leave without risking immediately becoming a criminal, or illegal alien (if the two are distinct)?

    How would one get back to their country of origin, or negotiate for another visa to return home, or go to the hospital?

    It seems an interesting idea, but...essentially unworkable, without some fairly major considerations being undertaken first.

  • On the post: Former Righthaven CEO Secretly Hires Lawyers For The Company He No Longer Has Anything To Do With

    ricebowl ( profile ), 25 Jun, 2012 @ 03:10pm

    No one told me it was crazy-lawyer month again...

    So, we've got Carreon digging himself into the depths of insanity, the Gibsons coming back into the crazy...I'm scared to look outside in case Jack Thompson turns up to play too.

    It's sort of like a legal-zombie movie...

  • On the post: Chinese Copyright Proposal Would Allow Compulsory Licensing Of Music After Three Months

    ricebowl ( profile ), 18 Apr, 2012 @ 02:50pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Communist

    Except that capitalism is the current situation here in America and it's run by nothing BUT greedy, corrupt people.



    Except that, in America, it seems to be a strange fusion of capitalism with a hefty dash of regulatory interference. If it was *just* capitalism then, I suspect, that the market would adjust more quickly; simply because they'd have to. As opposed to the current version where legacy players don't want to compete with up-starts and go crying to the government for aid and comfort.


    Doesn't seem any better, currently, in the UK either, unfortunately. If it wasn't for all the inhumane actions and oppression of free speech, expression and outright censorship, I'd consider relocating. As it is, it's not, yet, worth the costs.

  • On the post: Patents Threaten To Silence A Little Girl, Literally

    ricebowl ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2012 @ 07:54am

    Re:

    If one of my children had this issue, $7000 would seem a small price to pay to achieve the end result.

    Well said! After all, in this economic climate, who doesn't have $7000 dollars lying around and easily accessible? The inconsiderate cheap-skates! Man, I wish they'd just have the decency to think of the kid(s)!

  • On the post: Kim Dotcom Fires Back: Raises Questions About US's Evidence, Shows Studios Were Eager To Work With Megaupload

    ricebowl ( profile ), 26 Mar, 2012 @ 03:22pm

    Re: Re:



    Paying bills is an indication of money laundering these days?



    I...oh, man; I've gotta go and talk to my bank. Quickly.



    Ah, heck: and now there's someone knocking at the do-...

  • On the post: Kim Dotcom Fires Back: Raises Questions About US's Evidence, Shows Studios Were Eager To Work With Megaupload

    ricebowl ( profile ), 26 Mar, 2012 @ 03:16pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    So...do you think they'll be shipping a New Zealand jury in for this trial? Or just the defendant; and then try that foreign defendant in front of a jury that couldn't get out of jury duty?

    I can't help but wonder how many times the mantra of 'destroying/stealing American jobs!' will be used, to rouse nationalistic fervor.

  • On the post: ISPs Will Start Acting As Hollywood's Private Online Security Guards By July

    ricebowl ( profile ), 14 Mar, 2012 @ 05:11pm

    Re: Re:

    I can always be patiuent


    Can you? ...could you tell me how; I've always wondered. =)

  • On the post: The List Of Internet Censoring Countries The MPAA Thinks Provide A Good Example For The US

    ricebowl ( profile ), 19 Dec, 2011 @ 01:52pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    One would presume that the right to free speech on a platform to which another, unrelated user, has posted potentially infringing materials (since innocence must be proven, 'fair use' seems to be disregarded, until proven).

    So...free speech on any platform not owned by the person speaking (since all other platforms, that allow user-submission, may well be blocked because of the scope of action allowed by SOPA and PIPA) is being 'stolen,' or, rather, denied.

  • On the post: The List Of Internet Censoring Countries The MPAA Thinks Provide A Good Example For The US

    ricebowl ( profile ), 19 Dec, 2011 @ 12:04pm

    Re:

    In what way is Mike being shameful? It appears that some senators, and chief executives, believe that DNS filtering is possible/achievable because of implementation of the same by repressive regimes.

    This is true, regardless of the impetus behind that filtering by those regimes.

    I, personally, would not want my elected representatives aligning my country with such regimes, rather that they should set a higher standard for us, we should aim to be the best (for a given value of 'best'), rather than look to the morass for the sake of easy fund-raising, and the potential for a future job as lobbyist.

  • On the post: Notch Comes Up With New Plan To Settle Trademark Dispute: Quake 3 Battle

    ricebowl ( profile ), 17 Aug, 2011 @ 03:35pm

    I wonder...

    Perhaps Bethesda could get Jonathan Wendel on a crash course through the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in order to secure victory?

    Though I'd certainly hope against that being possible.

  • On the post: Police, Yet Again, Arrest Someone For Filming Them, Saying It's Obstruction Of Justice

    ricebowl ( profile ), 08 Aug, 2011 @ 03:21pm

    I know..!

    They should totally get Officer Lyons to help with that 'media training.'

Next >>