Skeptical Cynic 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: How The TSA's Security Theater Harms Us All

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 30 Mar, 2012 @ 12:07pm

    It has never been about keeping people safe.

    It has always been about creating a "feeling" that you are safer and thus should reelect those as--oles that brought you that safe feeling.

    Perfect example. My wife who is an elementary school teacher that has flown maybe 10 times in the last 20 years was for a time put on the terrorist watch list when she tried to fly to Alaska for a visit with her brother. She had to go through a huge amount of additional screening just to get a flight to Alaska and then had to go through 10 times as much to get home in Atlanta.

    Mind you, she is as plain vanilla a person as is possible.

    It just shows that the TSA is more clueless and less able to secure us against threats then they act like they can.

  • On the post: Captain's Prerogative: CBS Suddenly Decides To Block Fan-Created Star Trek Show Despite Past Support

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 30 Mar, 2012 @ 11:55am

    Re: Not a Trekkie.

    thought. Sorry for the lack of a T.

  • On the post: Captain's Prerogative: CBS Suddenly Decides To Block Fan-Created Star Trek Show Despite Past Support

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 30 Mar, 2012 @ 11:54am

    Not a Trekkie.

    I liked watching the Star Trek growing up but have long since lost interest in the franchise. So my comments are from a basic unbiased platform.

    My opinion is this: Whatever fans do to keep a dying franchise alive should be supported. Period. End of though.

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

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2012 @ 11:18am

    Re: Re:

    Or medical bills.

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

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2012 @ 08:20am

    Seems like Slashdot might be doing the job...

    PRC may have drawn the attention of the wrong community. Slashdot has provided a lot of prior art that may actually invalidate the patent. So if we can get someone involved to fight the actual patent it might make the fight much more interesting.

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

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2012 @ 08:06am

    Re: 2 better options...

    It is when the alternative is a $7000 dollar device. If it was my child I would gladly pad $499 to buy the device and then $299.99 for the app. Total cost just $800 versus $7000.

    I do agree that if the creators that are charging $300 for the app are do so out of the greater good they would do this.

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

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2012 @ 07:59am

    Re: Re:

    So basically what you are saying is because of an artificial monopoly on obvious technology everyone BUT the company will have to pay higher prices.

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

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2012 @ 07:55am

    Re:

    Yes that is possible but the average person is not going to be able to do that. Side-loading an app with a freed iPad is not easy for the average person. Even if it is for you and me.

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

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2012 @ 07:29am

    Anyone know if there is a petition started on Change.org yet?

    Look I know this is a single story about one child, but I believe that for everyone that actively speaks out there are hundreds more that don't. Which means that this is affecting a lot more people than we know. So I think that we could use the power of Slashdot and Techdirt to put some pressure on the company to license the patent.

  • On the post: File Sharing Drones Proof Of Concept Already Built

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 22 Mar, 2012 @ 08:00am

    Re:

    Agreed on all points except one. If they are in international waters and are shot down TPB has a chance to get back at them with a huge lawsuit.

  • On the post: Hobbit Actors Stephen Fry & Ian McKellen Pay License For Hobbit Pub

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 22 Mar, 2012 @ 05:29am

    It also shows a true lack of marketing acumen.

    Instead of suing why did they not co-op the pub for marketing purposes.
    Like holding a new trailer screening there or a meet the actors party.
    It would have gotten them a ton of free publicity. There would have been stories all over the world talking about the movie, the actors, about how cool it was that the trailer was being first shown at The Hobbit pub. All kinds of things. Then in the back ground they could have said to the pub we will give you a license to use the name in perpetuity but only you.

    My thoughts are that there are too many times when the lawyers are creating fear in the higher-ups so that they can get billable hours.

  • On the post: Scammers Mimic Copyright Troll Shakedowns In Targeting Megaupload Users

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 22 Mar, 2012 @ 04:42am

    Re: Re:

    The tricks are the same that the old "Psychic" scammers use to use. Like you said talk in vague terms until the shill gives you more information and then you expand on the story from there. We call it phishing now but it has been around a long time before the first light bulb.

    All scams work on one of two human emotions. Fear or greed.

  • On the post: NSA Insists It Doesn't Have 'The Ability' To Spy On American Emails, Texts, Etc.

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 21 Mar, 2012 @ 10:39am

    Doublespeak

    We can not review the emails or communications of american citizens without a warrant!!!!

    (Which means we only collect that information in case we need it. Only if we want to or deem it necessary will we look at that information. Either way we have the information stored.)

  • On the post: Yet Another Attempt To Place Warning Labels On Video Games Based On Zero Evidence

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 21 Mar, 2012 @ 10:26am

    Please start including party labels. (R) (D)

    I lean more towards the right than I do the left and I am a lot more libertarian than either. We need to know what party is intruding in our lives. FYI the bill's sponsors are left (Joe Baca) and right (Frank Wolf). Which just show both sides are equally stupid.

  • On the post: Indian Court Orders 104 Sites Censored Based On The Say So Of The Indian Music Industry

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 19 Mar, 2012 @ 08:48am

    The content industry wants no law but those that are stop first prove later.

    The content industry has show time and time again that all they care about it forcing us to pay as much as they want. They are as close to true communism as any government has ever been. Control what we information get by what method we get that information and then also pay to get that information via a "tax".

  • On the post: Senators Tell The Obama Administration To Reveal Its Secret Interpretation Of The Patriot Act

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 19 Mar, 2012 @ 08:24am

    Re: Re: Re: A couple of thoughts on this...

    Ron Paul can't win. Why? Because he is not for the Status Quo. He is not for keeping the power with the politicians. The other way that we can take the power from the politicians is with the Fair Tax. The Fair Tax is the most researched tax plan in the history of the US and it is also the greatest plan to remove power from Washington insiders and politicians.

  • On the post: Senators Tell The Obama Administration To Reveal Its Secret Interpretation Of The Patriot Act

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 19 Mar, 2012 @ 08:20am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Further evidence that today Politicians are pretty much the same.

    On a state level. When was the last time your US Senator or President elected by the vote of the people?

  • On the post: Senators Tell The Obama Administration To Reveal Its Secret Interpretation Of The Patriot Act

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 19 Mar, 2012 @ 08:08am

    Re: A couple of thoughts on this...

    DH, thank you. I want to say that the point you stated is why the people in America need to wake up.

    American citizens are seeing the slippery slope and the soft-tyranny combined.

    I will quote from a favorite Democratic speaker Rahm Emanuel:
    "You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."

    Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/rahmemanue409199.html#ixzz1pZkfuA9U

  • On the post: Senators Tell The Obama Administration To Reveal Its Secret Interpretation Of The Patriot Act

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 19 Mar, 2012 @ 07:32am

    Re: Re: Further evidence that today Politicians are pretty much the same.

    Those are good points but as a representative republic means that the basic division or states get to choose.

  • On the post: Procedural Error By Law Enforcement Means Restraining Order On Kim Dotcom 'Null And Void'

    Skeptical Cynic ( profile ), 19 Mar, 2012 @ 07:10am

    Re: Re: Double Standard

    So very true. Watch the movie Inside Job. Liberal bend but still provides good information about the 2008 financial crisis. Why has there not been a single arrest or true accounting for the billions we the tax payer have to pay for?

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