scarr 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Revealed: The Mysterious Cleavage-To-Age Effectiveness Ratio For Dating Sites

    scarr ( profile ), 14 Dec, 2010 @ 05:55pm

    Re: Re: Re: The better the product, the less you need to advertise.

    You mustn't have read OK Cupid's other blog post, on "The Case for an Older Woman". (http://blog.okcupid.com/index.php/the-case-for-an-older-woman/ -- See "Exhibit C: Looks")

  • On the post: DailyDirt: Materials That Make You Go Hmmm

    scarr ( profile ), 14 Dec, 2010 @ 05:45pm

    Re: Re: Cement is a component and the building material called concrete

    Your correction is imprecise.

    Cement is a material used in making concrete, and is thus also a building material. Furthermore, the PopSci article makes this distinction very clear, and points out that it's a change in the process of making the *cement* that has the potential benefits.

  • On the post: Warner Bros. Finally Realizes That 'Pirates' Are Underserved Customers

    scarr ( profile ), 10 Dec, 2010 @ 03:46pm

    "New" is good

    There's an upside to WB thinking this is a "new" idea. If they think they came up with it, they're more likely to do something about it. They get to "innovate" instead of admit they were wrong.

    This is a business opportunity for them. It will help get their investors behind the idea if they make it their own. This is a very good step.

  • On the post: Gawker Sued For Copyright Infringement For Showing Image That Inspired EA's Dante's Inferno

    scarr ( profile ), 03 Dec, 2010 @ 09:10am

    Re: Full size

    I point this out because I couldn't figure out a damn thing from the tiny thumbnail.

  • On the post: Gawker Sued For Copyright Infringement For Showing Image That Inspired EA's Dante's Inferno

    scarr ( profile ), 03 Dec, 2010 @ 09:09am

    Full size

    Gawker links to a site with a full-size image, which you can find with a little poking around: http://www.worldofdante.org/mapimages/inferno/inferno_full.jpg

  • On the post: Botched TSA Pat Down Leaves Traveler Covered In Urine

    scarr ( profile ), 23 Nov, 2010 @ 10:10am

    (S)He was asking for it.

    The TSA's message is that we don't have to fly, so by choosing to fly, we're agreeing to their security protocols being imposed on us. I think it'd be effective in countering this thinking by simplifying their position to "s/he was asking for it" (or "you were asking for it", as the case may be). It isn't inaccurate with their stance at all, but points out how absurd their behaviour and attitude are.

  • On the post: Reddit's Altruism Compared To 4chan's Trollism

    scarr ( profile ), 18 Nov, 2010 @ 10:10am

    Id

    I've always thought of 4chan as the "id" of the internet. It's the uncontrolled, raw sense of what people are. That's what makes it great and terrifying.

    I don't understand why the place responsible for a huge number of popular, funny memes can be seen as such an evil place. Is rickrolling really that horrific?

    I'm having trouble finding the evidence, but I also know of a case where someone posted a picture of his underage daughter and one of her friends, saying he was thinking about arranging to have sex with her. Within a few hours, 4chan had sorted out who this guy was, and contacted both the school and police to warn them of a potential pedophile.

    I'd never call it specifically "good" or "altruistic". It's just human.

  • On the post: Amount Of Video Content Uploaded To YouTube Increasing At An Astounding Rate

    scarr ( profile ), 15 Nov, 2010 @ 11:07pm

    The future of shows

    If I'm honest, I probably watch more "internet" shows than I do regular TV shows these days. YouTube drove some of them out (like the Nostalgia Critic), because of the questionable copyright claims. They'll safely find homes in other places though.

    The quality of homemade video is increasing, and the producers of these shows are getting better with writing, editing and everything else. Even more than that, what these smaller productions gain is viewer-loyalty. It's all CwF. People enjoy shows like 30 Rock, but it's fans of shows like The Guild who will hand over their money to help keep that show going.

    The networks will survive by producing larger budget shows, provided they can find ways to fund them. (Large advertisers paying for product placement or "bugs" in the corner seem the most likely methods.) The rest will fall to smaller creators with smaller, dedicated, self-selecting audiences.

    Lastly, is there a reason internet shows can't be called "TV" too? Doesn't "television" still apply when transmitting across the internet versus the air? It still applied when it shifted from over-the-air to include cable.

  • On the post: Amount Of Video Content Uploaded To YouTube Increasing At An Astounding Rate

    scarr ( profile ), 15 Nov, 2010 @ 10:44pm

    Re: Yes it will

    While I agree with your main premise, I disagree with your argument for it. Despite what networks like to think, I suspect very few people sit back to watch whatever is on a given network, just because they "like that network". Very few channels foster any sense of community. People make generalizations based on what they know of the shows on that network. I doubt it works the other way around very often. Networks like HBO and Showtime (and AMC these days, with some others) might get people to tune in to an episode or two that they might not've on another channel, but it's up to the show to hold viewers.

    My main point is that people watch *shows* they like. You can find *shows* on YouTube as well. The future will be made by shows catering to their audiences. Networks will have little to do with it, besides potentially investing in shows and getting advertisers to sign on.

  • On the post: South Korea Tries To Patent Military Uniforms To Prevent North Korean's Dressing Like Them

    scarr ( profile ), 11 Nov, 2010 @ 10:52am

    Maybe

    Maybe South Korea thinks their lawyers are more threatening than their military.

  • On the post: Publicity Stunt On Like Donkey Kong, After Nintendo Files Trademark For 'It's On Like Donkey Kong'

    scarr ( profile ), 11 Nov, 2010 @ 10:46am

    Re: Limitations on trademarks

    They already have a mark on "Donkey Kong", so Sony and Microsoft can't use that game name anyway (not that they'd want to).

  • On the post: Publicity Stunt On Like Donkey Kong, After Nintendo Files Trademark For 'It's On Like Donkey Kong'

    scarr ( profile ), 11 Nov, 2010 @ 09:44am

    Can Nintendo show any example(s) of *them* using it? How does it have anything to do with their trade?

  • On the post: Getting Ready For When The Industry Tries To Kill 3D Printers

    scarr ( profile ), 11 Nov, 2010 @ 07:30am

    Infinite good?

    My only economics education has come from this blog, so I might be wrong, but physical goods can't ever be infinite, can they? I thought that was part of the whole model for selling a scare good instead of digital files.

    The information about how to shape a particular object would be infinite, but the hardware itself wouldn't be. The real money is to be made in selling raw materials.

    As a secondary question, isn't the law setup so you can "counterfeit" anything you want to, as long as it's for yourself? Or is it just never prosecuted?

  • On the post: German Appeals Court Says Video Hosting Platform Not Liable For User Uploaded Videos

    scarr ( profile ), 08 Nov, 2010 @ 10:46am

    Re: Re: Re: Holy crap....

    Do you think the Germans are incapable of pointing this out themselves?

  • On the post: Now That Apple Has A Trademark On 'There's An App For That,' Will It Sue Sesame Street?

    scarr ( profile ), 05 Nov, 2010 @ 09:53am

    Re: It should be okay...

    A "Twinkle Twinkle" lawsuit would be tough, since it borrowed the melody from another song in the first place.

  • On the post: Group Trying To Get Backscatter Airport Scanners Banned

    scarr ( profile ), 04 Nov, 2010 @ 11:02am

    Re: Re: Backscatter

    Clearly, you've never been through Israeli airport security. If you think machine guns at the airport is unusual, you can't have visited many international airports; it's not uncommon.

  • On the post: James Bond's Gun Gets A Trademark… Based On An Online Survey

    scarr ( profile ), 04 Nov, 2010 @ 09:37am

    Re: Let me say only one thing...

    Marblecake also the game.?

    Fixed it for you.

  • On the post: James Bond's Gun Gets A Trademark… Based On An Online Survey

    scarr ( profile ), 04 Nov, 2010 @ 09:07am

    Re: Aw geez

    Clearly I read too slowly. I'm happy to see Pedobear is seen by others as the standard bearer (pun not intended) for 4chan.

    Sad Keanu is disappoint.

  • On the post: James Bond's Gun Gets A Trademark… Based On An Online Survey

    scarr ( profile ), 04 Nov, 2010 @ 09:03am

    Re: Oh boy...

    Pedobear will become an officially licensed product. Any unauthorized usage will result in your website being hacked and pr0n emailed to everyone you ever knew.

  • On the post: Google Begins Blurring German Houses In Street View On Request

    scarr ( profile ), 03 Nov, 2010 @ 10:37pm

    Re: Re: Re: I'm a blurrer right here in the US.

    With the story being about Germany requiring Google to have the feature, I assumed you meant the law had good reason. If I misunderstood, I apologize.

    I'm not saying it isn't a smart move on Google's part to let people opt/blur out. As you point out, it improves perception of their company. I agree with you there completely (even if it irks me when people opt out).

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