Roger Strong 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (3460)

• On the post: Virginia Politicians Looks To Tax Speech In The Form Of Porn In The Name Of Stemming Human Trafficking

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 01 Feb, 2018 @ 12:07pm

  Re: Re:

  It sounds like a variation on the "atheism is a religion" claim. Evangelists who insist that a lack of religious belief is in itself religious belief.

• On the post: Virginia Politicians Looks To Tax Speech In The Form Of Porn In The Name Of Stemming Human Trafficking

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 01 Feb, 2018 @ 12:00pm

  Re: Not a state.

  Virginia is indeed a state, officially named the Commonwealth of Virginia.

• On the post: Apple, Verizon Continue to Lobby Against The Right To Repair Your Own Devices

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 01 Feb, 2018 @ 10:52am

  Re: Re: Re: Limitations in an anti limitation bill

  With no electronics/firmware in the equipment, the DMCA would be irrelevant.

• On the post: Apple, Verizon Continue to Lobby Against The Right To Repair Your Own Devices

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 01 Feb, 2018 @ 09:42am

  Re: Re: Re: Re:

  With post-purchase ToS agreements they already have your money. If they don't have to show you their terms until after the deal is made, then you don't have to show them yours either.

• On the post: Apple, Verizon Continue to Lobby Against The Right To Repair Your Own Devices

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 01 Feb, 2018 @ 09:29am

  Re: Re: Well, you won't have thin gadgets any more! -- Doesn't bother me, but you who carry gadgets evidently haven't considered the drawback.

  Just so. I've yet to hear someone complain that their iPhone could be slightly slimmer if only Apple were willing to cut the battery life in half.

• On the post: Apple, Verizon Continue to Lobby Against The Right To Repair Your Own Devices

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 01 Feb, 2018 @ 09:24am

  Re: Limitations in an anti limitation bill

  Electronics and firmware are what enables the problem. With the DMCA making it worse.
  
  Inkjet cartridges for example. Electronics get added for the sole purpose of ensuring that ONLY the printer manufacturer's cartridges will work with the printer. This can and has been reverse-engineered, but DMCA claims are used to prevent this.
  
  The same thing happened with John Deere equipment. Electronics added just to prevent farmers from fixing it.
  
  Car windows have come with built-in antennas and defrosting elements for several decades. Auto makers could follow the printer/device industry lead, and tie you to expensive branded replacement windows, oil and air filters, tires etc. But it'll require electronics to make it happen.

• On the post: Apple, Verizon Continue to Lobby Against The Right To Repair Your Own Devices

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 01 Feb, 2018 @ 09:09am

  Re: Re:

  There's also the matter of "Terms of Service" that you only get to see after you've opened a software or inkjet package. Not only after the transaction is concluded, but after it's too late to return the item.
  
  If they can do this, then it follows that you can too. "By allowing the installation to continue, the software vendor agrees to the following terms...."

• On the post: Virginia Politicians Looks To Tax Speech In The Form Of Porn In The Name Of Stemming Human Trafficking

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 01 Feb, 2018 @ 11:09am

  Wikipedia: Governor of Virginia: Duties:

  At the beginning of every regular session, he or she must report the state of the Commonwealth to the Virginia General Assembly (both the House of Delegates and the Senate). He or she must convene the legislature when two-thirds of each house calls for a special session. The governor must ensure that the laws of the Commonwealth are faithfully executed by either signing, or allowing it to come into law, or vetoing, not allowing it to become law. They are responsible for the safety of the state, as they serve as commander-in-chief of the Virginia Militia.

  ....They are the commander-in-chief of Commonwealth wankers, responsible for faithful gatekeeping of porn...

• On the post: We Need To Shine A Light On Private Online Censorship

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 31 Jan, 2018 @ 02:54pm

  Re: Re: Fundamental errors in architecture can't be fixed

  Those all have same leftist, corporatist, globalist agenda

  As opposed to the more common rightist corporatist, globalist agenda?

  in which chaos and "pushing the limits" is used as a tool

  That would be alt-rightist.

• On the post: Fighting The Future: Teamsters Demand UPS Ban Drones And Autonomous Vehicles

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 31 Jan, 2018 @ 02:05pm

  Re: Let's Consider the Following

  I'd wager that for the first ten or so years autonomous vehicles are on the road most countries will have laws saying a licensed driver must be in the driver seat at all times.

  Well, sure. But that ten years started a few years ago.

  As such is this union arguing that getting paid to do less work is a bad thing?

  Even if it's another ten years until fully autonomous vehicles, it'll be over quickly. If they're going to fight it, they won't want to wait until the autonomous trucks are on the lot.

  Drones? Too many airspace restrictions

  The FAA already publishes a database of airspace restrictions. Drones from manufacturers like DJI already import and honor it. It will however prevent drone deliveries to those living near airports. And in Washington DC.

• On the post: ICE Finally Gets The Nationwide License Plate Database It's Spent Years Asking For

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 31 Jan, 2018 @ 01:10pm

  Re:

  The actual iPhone threat - according to the San Bernardino District Attorney - was that if Apple didn't let him in, it could be "used as a weapon to introduce a lying-dormant cyber pathogen."

• On the post: ICE Finally Gets The Nationwide License Plate Database It's Spent Years Asking For

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 31 Jan, 2018 @ 01:43pm

  Given that it's private companies collecting these license plate records by the billions, they can sell them to private customers too. Say, political campaigns, reporters and talk-show hosts.

  Think of how both parties used research firm Fusion GPS to conduct opposition research about Trump, and how once the dossier was leaked to reporters it became a major scandal.

  Once the licence plate databases become the focus of a similar scandal, THEN you'll see legislation to protect privacy.

• On the post: Fighting The Future: Teamsters Demand UPS Ban Drones And Autonomous Vehicles

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 31 Jan, 2018 @ 11:23am

  The Shape of Things to Come

  I hope that Amazon's grocery delivery service takes off - with autonomous vehicles and drone delivery making it practical - and that UPS competes.
  
  The FBI will demand encryption backdoors on the vehicles and drones, to check for contraband and terrorism. That backdoor will eventually be leaked. Hackers will gain control of grocery delivery fleets, in the air and on the ground.
  
  It'll be the best damned food fight EVER!

• On the post: Minnesota Supreme Court Says Unlocking A Phone With A Fingerprint Isn't A Fifth Amendment Issue

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 30 Jan, 2018 @ 07:03pm

  Re: Public service announcement: press the iPhone power button 5 times on any encounter with police, TSA, ICE

  Public service announcement: The obstruction of justice statute states that it's a felony to alter, damage or remove something so it can't be used as evidence in an investigation or proceeding. If "fingerprint disabled" is your phone's normal state, that may be OK. Disabling it on the fly when the police ask you to unlock it may be a felony.

• On the post: Minnesota Supreme Court Says Unlocking A Phone With A Fingerprint Isn't A Fifth Amendment Issue

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 30 Jan, 2018 @ 05:07pm

  Re: Riiiiiiight

  Nipples are said to be as unique as fingerprints.
  
  Most people keep those covered, so they should be secure. We can use the same readers built into phones.
  
  The icons may have to change, but I'll leave that to others. Having read that "the only truly intuitive user interface is the nipple," I'm not allowed to work on UI design any more.
  
  Let's reserve your alternatives for two-factor authentication.

• On the post: Fitness Tracker Data Exposes Military Operations, Shows What Damage That Can Be Done With 'Just Metadata'

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 29 Jan, 2018 @ 01:34pm

  Re:

  Imagine the guidelines they'd be quickly revising today if Google Glass had taken off.

• On the post: The NFL Pretending Trademark Law Says Something It Doesn't Leads To Hilariously Amateurish Ads For 'The Big Game'

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 29 Jan, 2018 @ 12:45pm

  Re: Par for the course.

  ...and global stereotypes...

  It's not that bad. We do understand that most of you didn't vote for him.

• On the post: Fitness Tracker Data Exposes Military Operations, Shows What Damage That Can Be Done With 'Just Metadata'

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 29 Jan, 2018 @ 12:42pm

  Re: Re: Re:

  There were so many things I could have added to that post but didn't.

• On the post: Leaked Trump Plan To 'Nationalize' Nation's 5G Networks A Bizarre, Unrealistic Pipe Dream

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 29 Jan, 2018 @ 12:28pm

  Re: Re:

  It's amazing how Obama still gets more done than Trump's team.

• On the post: Fitness Tracker Data Exposes Military Operations, Shows What Damage That Can Be Done With 'Just Metadata'

  

  Roger Strong ( profile ), 29 Jan, 2018 @ 12:24pm

  Re:

  All that's going to happen is the military will ban or "issue guidance" on using fitness trackers in and around military and civilian contractors under its authority.

  Well. Until someone uses the metadata to link the bases to nearby red light districts. THEN you'll see a knee-jerk reaction.

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