TechnoMage 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (134) comment rss

  • On the post: Author Reveals Future Book & Series To Terminally Ill Fan To Fulfill His Wish

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 27 Feb, 2012 @ 10:02pm

    "PLEASE TAKE MY MONEY"

    I would have bet that the following link would have caught your attention:
    http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/p7kfg/my_friend_has_terminal_cancer_and_may_die_by_june/c3ncjuo

    Where the post author wants to give the author money but can't b/c there isn't an ebook kindle version (in their _english speaking_? country?).

    Classic example of how systems aren't setup to actually just give authors the money you think they deserve. Also Del-Ray earned some Kudos here too.

  • On the post: Economist Notices That The US Is Getting Buried Under Costly, Useless Over-Regulation

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 23 Feb, 2012 @ 07:57am

    Re: Sunset

    ...yeah... Because new laws are always bad...
    Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, Would hate to have women getting equal pay for equal work; Those silly Red Tape rules and regulations to prevent cronyism, Who doesn't love losing out a contract to the senator's brother (since the sister wouldn't be paid as much otherwise and would have to bid higher than a male); That silly Civil Rights Act from the 60s... Who would want all Americans to not be discriminated against?
    [/sarcasm]

    Rules and Regulations & laws are generally passed for a good reason. (the reason might be campaign contributions payback... but that is more of an argument for getting money out of politics than it is one against laws).

  • On the post: EFF Condemns Google For Circumventing Safari Privacy Protections

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 17 Feb, 2012 @ 05:34pm

    Except...

    (from my understanding) Google only did this for pages where people with google accounts had logged in and chosen to "stay logged in" (aka.. a cookie) which Safari said 'no'... So Google figured out how to make the browser work like people expected (if you chose to stay logged in).

    Now... What policy should a software system use when a user chooses two opposing choices... Can't blame Google entirely for this. Safari's settings were precisely chosen to try and block Google (and other ad networks) from being able to what Google users want.

    If I used Safari ever (which I don't) then Google's behavior is what I would have wanted.

    but... lets all bash Google, and not realize that they only did this because the browser wasn't working the way Google users would expect.

  • On the post: Appeals Court Hears Case Over Constitutionality Of Copyright Royalty Board

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 15 Feb, 2012 @ 10:30pm

    Re: Rocking the boat takes courage

    There seems to be an unwritten rule in just about every organization, not to rock to boat, shake things up, challenge the current authority, try to change things too much. The larger the organization the more entrenched it is, and you can't get much larger than the government.

    Umm... Yeah... Except that is exactly what our judicial branch is for. List of Judicial rulings that "rocked the boat" whether you agreed with them or not: Roe Vs Wade, Civil rights:Blacks, Women, LGBT, and many others.., Miranda Rights, Youngstown Steel vs Truman (Gov't can't seize an industry)... and the list goes on and on...

    Perhaps you don't personally know any judges, But I do, and on their behalf I'll be upset for them. Not All (I'll admit *cough*Thomas*cough*) but most judges in the US try to remove their personal feelings from rulings and decided cases based on the legality of them.

    Take pride in your country (if you're an American, if not I don't care) an independent judicial branch is one of the keystones of our nation. Don't just assume that it is going to behave the same way as the politicians. < /Ranting>

    Also Minimizing the complete cluster-**** that would happen when an entire department of the government is declared to be appointed unconstitutionally isn't necessarily a bad thing, they need figure out what to do, to minimize the impact on the populace from their decision.

  • On the post: If Google Is Serious About Reforming Patent Mess, It Should Make A Bold Statement And Stop Using Motorola Patents To Demand Cash

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 10 Feb, 2012 @ 06:33pm

    Completely disagree

    They should just launch an all patents attack in a Global Thermonuclear War style. Cut off all mobile devices from being sold in the US... (because the others would also do the same)... and see how fast the patent issues get notice from the common person, and then action by the government.

    Scorched Earth might not be too bad, Forest Fires are helpful to the soil and forests in a natural settings. Potentially this might help fix the entire patents issue here in the US (and also hopefully others would follow our direction...they have in copyright/patent maximization.)

  • On the post: Movie Studios Jump In Late: Sue LimeWire And Demand Cash From Dead Site

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 06 Feb, 2012 @ 05:43pm

    tsk tsk tsk

    MIKE!!!

    How dare you. You are always telling the MPAA to adopt new and upcoming business models... And this the the only one they are good at. So, let them enjoy trying to get blood from a stone. -_-

  • On the post: The NFL Issues Takedown For Chrysler Super Bowl Commercial

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 06 Feb, 2012 @ 03:37pm

    Part of me wonders...

    Apparently Karl Rove and other neo-conservative talking heads were out bashing the commercial today, saying it was too pro-Obama... Which it was pro-US automakers... (Chrystler in particular) So.. I kinda wonder if it was taken down by someone not in favor of that type of pro-US recovery message

  • On the post: Would The US Extradite UK Blogger For Linking To Works In The Public Domain In Other Countries?

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 06 Feb, 2012 @ 06:45am

    Pointing out laggers

    Those countries who are not up to the US ever expanding copyright lengths should be labeled rogue states.
    That is all this post shows someone who is a copyright anti-minimalist(copyright maximalist hell bent on destroying logical lengths of copyright)

  • On the post: Best Congressional Response To SOPA Yet? Rep. Bruce Braley Takes To *CENSORED* To Explain His *CENSORED*

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 18 Jan, 2012 @ 06:37pm

    Mike, get it right

    That is the best AND the funniest ;)

  • On the post: Harry Reid Says He's Concerned PIPA Will Break The Internet, But We Must Move Forward With It, Because Of 'Jobs'

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 16 Jan, 2012 @ 09:18am

    Re: huh?

    Now I think it is entirely possible that he might be working too hard to get this passed (with amendments to help fix the issues in the bill), but the quotes you use as the most damning evidence... just aren't that damning...

    I expect better from you Mike.

  • On the post: Harry Reid Says He's Concerned PIPA Will Break The Internet, But We Must Move Forward With It, Because Of 'Jobs'

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 16 Jan, 2012 @ 09:11am

    huh?

    I'm sorry, but I don't read that quote the same way as you apparently do, he is saying there is problems and that they need to work on it so as to not only have the content producers be the winners...

    How is that wrong at all? Both republicans and democrats have come out against the expression(read Internet) killing parts of this bill. People (Reid in this case) saying that we need to work on this bill to not have it be only the content producers who are winners... that is what we should ALL be hoping for.

    I think this reaction is a bit too much knee-jerk.

  • On the post: Even Thieves Are Ignoring DVDs And CDs As Worthless

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 16 Jan, 2012 @ 05:12am

    playing devil's advocate

    I agree with you, but...

    the same data could be used to make the argument that CDs/DVDs aren't being taken BECAUSE of file sharing, that physical goods are losing their value (which they are, but that is because an iso/etc are better than a cd/dvd 95% of the time).

  • On the post: Wow: Larry Lessig Interviews Jack Abramoff

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 14 Jan, 2012 @ 12:33am

    Techdirt should hire him to lobby...

    for SOPA.

    Maybe we can use Kickstarter to raise funds.
    http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20120110/03263517361/kickstarter-helped-raise-nearly-100-million-2011-there-are-no-new-business-models.shtml

    Maybe Jack Abramoff lobbying for SOPA would finally kill it.

  • On the post: Sega Gets It Right About SOPA: It's Time For A Hard Reset On Copyright Law & Congress

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 13 Jan, 2012 @ 09:03am

    You're thinking too much

    This was probably nothing more than a customer support rep sending the wrong canned support reply to a message.

    Though... They took the initiative and decided to roll with it, since the "perform a hard reset" was so obviously out of place they made the video to play off of it, and to make it funny.

    The company that owns Sega is very rich(From pachinko machines in japan) so if any major game company would come out for a "hard reset" of copyright, they would be on the short list of candidates.

    I hope Sega comes out officially against SOPA.

  • On the post: Is Monmouthpedia The Future Of Wikipedia?

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 05 Jan, 2012 @ 02:23am

    2nd largest Wiki is about World of Warcraft

    I remember reading (and don't feel like looking it up right now) that the 2nd largest and most detailed wiki other than wikipedia is the www.wowwiki.com/ site.
    I could see a lot of little wiki(the plural of wiki is ???) being setup and then having wikipedia link to them. This might not be possible right now, but I could see someone going to wikipedia and wanting the super detailed wiki pages of a local city.

    Wikipedia will need some way to send links outbound, or to incorporate other wiki info into itself, for the more focused wiki(s?). This could end up with wiki being almost a search engine if it becomes more of a portal than a source itself.

    I could see lots of scenarios where super detailed pages would be of interest. Someone looking for the 'right' combination of materials to combine in a video game to get the desired goal.... this might only be desired information by a small minority of the population, but those who would enjoy it would do so at a very high degree.

    Its not like there aren't already going to be websites with this information on it. Wikipedia/wiki media should look into ways to incorporate specialty wikis into the fold.

  • On the post: GoDaddy Boycott Fizzles; Twice As Many Domains Transfer In As Out

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 30 Dec, 2011 @ 02:54am

    Marketing or deep discounts??

    Part of me feels that it is odd that a bunch of domains moved to GoDaddy because of marketing in a such a short burst like that. Sure marketing for a domain service is worth-while in the long run... but most people don't register domains that often. So....

    I'd be curious if all of the new domains are:
    1) Legit
    2) at full normal price
    2.5) not given some really silly 99% off discount
    2.6) aren't owned by GoDaddy shell companies for the purpose of hiding that they lost domains (because I probably would have done this if it is legal (IANAL, is it?)
    3) how many of these domains were owned by compaies/persons paid to go through GoDaddy?

    I don't expect to get any of those answers, but if I cared enough, or was responsible for this line of thought... those would be the questions I'd be looking into.

  • On the post: Heritage Foundation Says SOPA Threatens Free Speech

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 29 Dec, 2011 @ 01:52am

    Its pretty bad when even THEY realize this is bad

    I can pretty much assume that most things that come out of this neo-conservative think tank are going to be counter to useful policies.

    When even they have to admit that something is going to be bad and hurt America's standing.... ugh... My head hurts thinking about the stupidity of SOPA.

  • On the post: Thomas Jefferson: Original Remixer

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 24 Dec, 2011 @ 04:05am

    Re:

    I had a philosophy professor tell me once that the Jefferson Bible reads more like a philosophical paper by Plato/etc. than any religious work. Since the words Jesus spoke himself weren't about any religion, but were about how to treat your fellow man, etc.

  • On the post: Barnes & Noble Going Around Asking Everyone To Change All Links From Borders To B&N

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 23 Dec, 2011 @ 06:18pm

    TBH, I think this wasn't a bad thing...

    As long as they were polite, and respectful and didn't threaten to sue.

    Consolidating urls, trying to optimize SEO(search engine optimization) to lead to B&N.

    But I'm biased having worked for their company, and them having somewhat reasonable SOP compared to other places.

  • On the post: KLM To Allow People To Pick Seatmates Based On Social Media Profiles

    TechnoMage ( profile ), 22 Dec, 2011 @ 04:10am

    The real question

    Mike, Would you post your info?

    For Myself: There are tons of security/privacy/data-mining issues I can see with this. I would probably not post this info myself, since the only thing I care about for flights is price and dates. Arriving/take off on time... those I just take for granted (ideally).

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