Doug B 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Orange Alert: Potentially Habitable Planet Found

    Doug B ( profile ), 30 Sep, 2010 @ 06:09am

    I thought the same thing

    when I read that article. I saw another quote that bothered me as well:

    The question wouldn't be to defend that there is life at Gliese 581g, says Butler. "The question," he said, "would be to demonstrate that there isn't."

    Really? These guys are scientists?

  • On the post: UK Hairdresser Fined For Playing Music Even Though He Tried To Be Legal

    Doug B ( profile ), 13 Jul, 2010 @ 09:11am

    What about handing out Personal Radios?

    Hey Dave, would it be any different if each patron was given a small radio to listen to as they entered the barbershop? I.e. each person is carrying their own small radio all tuned to the same station?

    What about if a patron brings a radio into the shop? Should the barber force the patron to turn it off?

    Is the above any different if everyone is wearing headphones connected to their radio?

  • On the post: UK Hairdresser Fined For Playing Music Even Though He Tried To Be Legal

    Doug B ( profile ), 07 Jul, 2010 @ 10:04am

    Re: Re: Copyright not supposed to work this way?

    This comment displays your sheer ignorance of the subject. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

    Consider reading:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright

  • On the post: UK Hairdresser Fined For Playing Music Even Though He Tried To Be Legal

    Doug B ( profile ), 07 Jul, 2010 @ 09:40am

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Let's see:

    Horses:
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5061004/Woman-who-plays-classical-music-to-soothe-horses-told-to-get-licence.html

    and

    Garage:
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7029892.stm

  • On the post: 50 Cent Says The Movie Industry Will Get New Laws Passed That Will Help The Music Industry

    Doug B ( profile ), 05 May, 2010 @ 06:59am

    I don't download movies online

    nor will I ever step foot in a theater again, even if I couldn't download movies online. So no amount of laws will make me turn my money over to the MPAA.

    If I want a movie, I buy a used copy of it.

  • On the post: White House Releases Public Comments On IP Enforcement

    Doug B ( profile ), 30 Apr, 2010 @ 06:27am

    Here's a couple

    Without Copyrights there would be no more artists. And it would be sad. Oh and please do more copyright advertising:
    http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/IPEC/frn_comments/GilesPhotography.pdf

    Somehow copyright will keep older music alive (and on the radio) after the musicians have died:
    http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/IPEC/frn_comments/HeleneBlueMusique.pdf


    All the idiocy I have time for now... :(

  • On the post: Will Lower Prices Help Sell More Albums?

    Doug B ( profile ), 20 Jan, 2010 @ 07:22am

    AllofMP3

    I used the hell out of allofmp3. It was priced so low that I could re-buy albums I already owned on CD at prices that were affordable. At $2 per album I could easily have my entire CD collection in MP3 format for several hundred dollars, saving me tons of time and effort ripping all those CDs.

    There's no way I could have paid $10 per album to do the same at itunes. At about the $4 point, ripping the cd myself becomes worth it to me.

  • On the post: Buggy Whips Not The Perfect Analogy Of Businesses Disrupted By Innovation?

    Doug B ( profile ), 11 Jan, 2010 @ 07:39am

    Re: There's some good in the article

    Your last paragraph is how I interpreted the article too. Seems like Mike was responding specifically to the article's last sentence.

  • On the post: Finnish Indie Record Label Says It Won't Sign Any New Bands Unless The Gov't Stops Piracy

    Doug B ( profile ), 05 Jan, 2010 @ 10:38am

    Geesh

    Go to the website and check out some of the idiocy that's been posted by the bands:

    http://www.lionmusic.com/murderofmusic.html

    Quick sample from (a wall of text written by) Edward Vox who appears to be quite intelligent and well-educated on the subject:


    ...
    In the meantime someone invented the internet and the foolish record companies failed to see what was coming. The artists were much quicker on the uptake but by then it was all too late and the by product known as downloading was created or in simple terms taking a heavily compressed file that is probably around 10% of the quality of the actual music created and loading it into your computer and listening to it thorough crappy PC speakers. Down loads are shit, they are shit quality, sound shit and look shit because where is your Derek Riggs artwork in download? There you go, downloads shit I and especially if they are illegal. If you love music then buy the fucking CD like I do.


    There ya go. That seems to sum it up perfectly.

  • On the post: Poet's Son Says No One Can Quote Father Without Paying Up… Even Academic Dissertations…

    Doug B ( profile ), 18 Nov, 2009 @ 07:10am

    Re:

    I found this quite interesting as well. Do you suppose he sought out LBJ or EE Cummings' relatives before quoting them? What a freaking hypocrite.

  • On the post: Justices Show Supreme Skepticism About Broad Business Model Patents

    Doug B ( profile ), 10 Nov, 2009 @ 10:36am

    Patent failure made it "very difficult"?

    From the original article:

    "I was completely awed and impressed by the whole process," Bilski said. "I couldn't tell you what the outcome will be. But not getting this patent made it very difficult to get this service out to many customers."

    I don't understand how the patent process hindered getting a service to a customer. Can someone enlighten me? If it was so difficult, why bother to begin with?

  • On the post: Nanda's Alarm Clock Not Only Runs Away From You, It Runs Away From eBay Too

    Doug B ( profile ), 21 Oct, 2009 @ 02:19pm

    Why not sell it on amazon?

    If craigslist doesn't suit you, there's a whole host of sellers selling these pieces of garbage (new and used) on Amazon.

  • On the post: Dean Singleton: Please Explain How Charging For Something Magically Gives It Value

    Doug B ( profile ), 30 Sep, 2009 @ 09:39am

    Re: Well, kinda it does ...

    Agree.

    I've seen this with my wife's business. She's under-priced compared to her competitors. We've had people who left her for one of her competitors (who charged 10-15% more) because they figured that the higher price meant better instruction/more value. That wasn't the case and they returned to her.

    I'm unclear as to why people think this way but they certainly do. Of course that doesn't mean that people will be willing to suddenly pay for news, but it is an interesting thought none-the-less

  • On the post: Elderly Classic Rock Musicians Don't Like Music Video Games

    Doug B ( profile ), 14 Sep, 2009 @ 10:23am

    Re: Re: Buttons

    Huh?

    No one is talking about "obsessing over the game so that it rules your entire life". They're talking about silly musicians claiming that somehow video games will dumb down society. It's the same tired claim that's been made since the early 80s.

    It's getting old. Really old.

    I'm never going to be good enough to play Cliffs of Dover on a real guitar. So what's wrong with me pretending on GH? I mean how does that negatively affect me or anyone else?

  • On the post: How Performing Rights Groups Funnel Money To Top Acts And Ignore Smaller Acts

    Doug B ( profile ), 10 Sep, 2009 @ 01:37pm

    Don't forget the scumbags at SESAC

    My wife recently opened her own dance studio and we paid license fees to BMI and ASCAP. We left SESAC out because none of her music is licensed by SESAC. Of course that didn't prevent them from sending us threatening letters. Sadly my wife relented and simply paid their extortion fee to get them off her back.

    Anyway, it's good to know that that money is not going to the people whose music she uses but rather whomever BMI, ASCAP and SESAC decide deserves it.

  • On the post: This Doesn't Bode Well: FCC Can't Figure Out Online Streaming For Its Own Meetings

    Doug B ( profile ), 28 Aug, 2009 @ 02:10pm

    But...

    Realplayer is "the best, audio, video, flash and media player"

    I mean it's "The standard for audio and video streaming online."

    http://www.google.com/search?q=realplayer

    ;-)

  • On the post: Why Do Ebooks Cost So Much?

    Doug B ( profile ), 21 Aug, 2009 @ 09:37am

    Music is no different

    Often, I can buy an entire CD of my favorite artist used (like new) on half.com, ebay, amazon, etc for LESS than it would cost me to download the same album on itunes or whatever. In some cases I've paid $3 with shipping for entire albums. Further, I get the actual CD, liner notes, and DRM free MP3s in whatever quality I want.

    It's all a rip-off and until people simply STOP BUYING IT, we will continue to get soaked.

  • On the post: Another City Caught Lowering Yellow Light Times To Catch More Red Light Runners

    Doug B ( profile ), 02 Jul, 2009 @ 10:02am

    But

    Will the city also refund the money that these motorists' insurance companies inevitably charged them due to the citations being on their record?

  • On the post: RIAA Has A Blog? And They Use It To Read My Mind!

    Doug B ( profile ), 24 Jun, 2009 @ 09:56am

    The same Jack Ely?

    Interesting that the blog's poster boy Jack Ely is also responsible for this post - http://www.counterpunch.org/ely12102008.html

  • On the post: Turns Out Diebold's ATMs Insecure As Well; Scammers Install Malware

    Doug B ( profile ), 19 Mar, 2009 @ 10:01am

    The whole story

    The thieves had physical access to the machines. Why is that not mentioned in your "down with Diebold" article?

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