Simple Mind 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (227) comment rss

  • On the post: Pilot Not Allowed Through Security After He Refuses 'Naked' Backscatter Scan

    Simple Mind ( profile ), 20 Oct, 2010 @ 11:42am

    not one or the other

    I recently flew out of SJC and I was both scanned and patted down. (first time for each) Are you suggesting I was violated in some way? Maybe the guy liked what he saw on the scanner. I am not sensitive, so I was not offended. But I do think it is stupid. I had to throw away the coke I was drinking, too. How silly is that? Am I going to poison myself, or suddenly explode?

    I was pretty offended by the way a fat woman shoved to get ahead of me in line for the metal detector, though. Have some manners, people! Did that 15-20 sec earlier she got into the airport by doing that really count for anything?

  • On the post: Facebook Sues Teachbook Over Trademark Concerns; Where's Legalbook?

    Simple Mind ( profile ), 26 Aug, 2010 @ 03:00pm

    oh noes

    Social book club site Bookbook.com is in big trouble!

  • On the post: Best Buy Says Creator Of iPhone/Evo Video Can Keep His Job; Guy Says He'd Rather Not

    Simple Mind ( profile ), 08 Jul, 2010 @ 02:26pm

    Re: uhhhh

    Read between the lines. He obviously thinks this episode may be his springboard to fame and fortune. "I'll take time to survey my other options." My bet is he will be back at BB before long. His video is fun, but doesn't show any great creativity or marketable skills.

  • On the post: Best Buy Firing Employee Because He Makes A Funny Video That Doesn't Even Mention Best Buy

    Simple Mind ( profile ), 02 Jul, 2010 @ 12:42pm

    bad move BB

    Watch for the next scathing video this guy does, the subject of which will be Best Buy itself!

    Should have given him a raise instead BB.

  • On the post: Amazon 'Friends' Patent Office: Gets Social Networking Patent

    Simple Mind ( profile ), 17 Jun, 2010 @ 01:56pm

    Re: A great paper about continuation patent abuse

    Perhaps I lack in imagination. But I fail to think of a situation where saying a patent was a continuation of another one would ever have a meaningful use? "Duh, oh yeah, I forgot to add this one little thing to the original patent. So let me just correct that now and add this one teensy weensy thing to it and modify it a bit. And we'll all just pretend it was always in there from the first place. ok?" Its only purpose seems to be for abuse.

  • On the post: Amazon 'Friends' Patent Office: Gets Social Networking Patent

    Simple Mind ( profile ), 17 Jun, 2010 @ 01:35pm

    patent system fundamentally broken

    First I just need to say that this patent is absurd in its generality!

    But the main stupidity seems to be that they file a patent in 2008 that has tons of prior art, but get around that simply by saying the patent is a continuation of one from 1997, when there wasn't as much obvious prior art. (I still think there was, but that is a different matter.) If you read the one from 1997 it doesn't really have much to do with the one from 2008, so how is it they are allowed to connect them just to get around the obvious more recent prior art?

  • On the post: Are Yahoo & The AP Manipulating Comments? Or Are They Just Really Bad At The Internet? [Updated]

    Simple Mind ( profile ), 04 Jun, 2010 @ 11:15am

    Re: Incompetence is a strong word

    As a programmer, Incompetence is the perfect word for it.

    If there had been any thought behind this, why wouldn't they at least have it default to "Newest comment first"? No sane person wants to read a 6 month old comment that was for some other article. The first thing I do when I read one of these articles is click "Newest". Next time I read an article there, I have to click "Newest" again, ie., it isn't sticky. Once again a sign of incompetence.

    Why not just call a duck a duck?