Wally 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: As Expected, Team Prenda Trying Desperately To Get Out Of Appearing On Monday

    Wally ( profile ), 09 Mar, 2013 @ 05:21pm

    The entirety of the Prenda Law case can be summed up in song:

    Cue's Tap Dance from the Broadway musical..."Chicago"....

  • On the post: Awesome Stuff: Rethinking The Mouse (Finally!)

    Wally ( profile ), 09 Mar, 2013 @ 09:34am

    I blame Mattel and Nintendo for this the failed project...

    I actually think that while the merit of this new type of mouse, in general, is a great idea...I'm not sure it will catch on until an entire set of generations forget about Mattel's Nintendo Power Glove.


    ;-)

  • On the post: SimCity: The Backlash

    Wally ( profile ), 08 Mar, 2013 @ 12:05pm

    SimCopter

    Not to many people know this, but SimCopter allows you to play on Sim City 2000 cities.

  • On the post: Holder: DOJ Used Discretion In Bullying Swartz, Press Lacked Discretion In Quoting Facts

    Wally ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2013 @ 04:21pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

    I apologize about the confusion and my remark to you. I have a habit of speaking matter-of-factually verbally in real life and I lack certain social graces

  • On the post: Holder: DOJ Used Discretion In Bullying Swartz, Press Lacked Discretion In Quoting Facts

    Wally ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2013 @ 02:26pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

    *
    "I can honestly tell you all that the DOJ acted out to not only to save face, but to get more funding ."

    Narrowed yet again for someone missing the point and ignoring the logic behind my speculation. Do I really have to refer you and that AC to my discussion with Gwiz? Yes? Oh well here goes links to each comment between Gwiz and I in order:

    My response to the AC above me:
    http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130306/13444122220/holder-doj-used-discretion-bullying-swartz-press-lacked-discretion-quoting-facts.shtml#c372

    Gwiz's response (likely asking for clarification on what I was thinking):
    http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130306/13444122220/holder-doj-used-discretion-bullying-swartz-press-lacked-discretion-quoting-facts.shtml#c471


    My response to his comment:
    http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130306/13444122220/holder-doj-used-discretion-bullying-swartz-press-lacked-discretion-quoting-facts.shtml#c549

    Gwiz's next response:
    http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130306/13444122220/holder-doj-used-discretion-bullying-swartz-press-lacked-discretion-quoting-facts.shtml#c580

    My response knowing full well Gwiz pointed something out that I missed (whether he/she liked it or not):

    http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130306/13444122220/holder-doj-used-discretion-bullying-swartz-press-lacked-discretion-quoting-facts.shtml#c656

    That wasn't so bad was it?

  • On the post: Holder: DOJ Used Discretion In Bullying Swartz, Press Lacked Discretion In Quoting Facts

    Wally ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2013 @ 01:30pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    This has to get a lot of insightful votes.

  • On the post: Holder: DOJ Used Discretion In Bullying Swartz, Press Lacked Discretion In Quoting Facts

    Wally ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2013 @ 11:04am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

    "The most important thing is to make sure you spend (waste?) the current budget in order to justify an equal or greater amount in the next fiscal year."

    To be fare...it is a waste of money to wrongfully convict people. The DOJ has made a habit of it knowing full well that they will get extra funding. They had to use all those resources to make Aaron Swartz's charges bigger than what they were. Maybe that was the goal outside of saving face.

    "I've just never much seen them tied to actual results of anything."

    Oh dear God I think you nailed it. They still get funding no matter what that way. The conviction bit may just be the bonus like a drug bust for local law enforcement.

    I think between the two of us, you and I might have accidentally stumbled upon the criminal motif of the DOJ.

    I am glad we are working this out like adults :-)

  • On the post: Holder: DOJ Used Discretion In Bullying Swartz, Press Lacked Discretion In Quoting Facts

    Wally ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2013 @ 10:54am

    Re: Re: Re:

    That is what the impeachment process is for. Maybe we should start a petition process to get Eric Holder fired.

  • On the post: Holder: DOJ Used Discretion In Bullying Swartz, Press Lacked Discretion In Quoting Facts

    Wally ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2013 @ 10:37am

    Re: Re:

    So many people wonder why several Southern states wanted to secede from the current union.....

  • On the post: Holder: DOJ Used Discretion In Bullying Swartz, Press Lacked Discretion In Quoting Facts

    Wally ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2013 @ 10:24am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

    Gwiz, I wouldn't know where to start in trying to cite where I got that bit of knowledge from. I have Asperger's Syndrome and absorb information a lot quicker when it makes sense to me. Based on that alone I can only cite the fact that in my local school district in Ohio, it was a requirement to take a Social Studies Course based on how the US government works. Their budget, like any other gvt. agency, is tightly controlled. The reason we have budget cuts every fiscal year in the US is to try to trim the fat within the various government agencies. The less the agency has to do, the less they need extra funding. The more arrests the DOJ makes the more funding they can request to spend on resources to continue their "job" (the quotes are there because quite frankly, they aren't).

    So I believe it is safe to say that, like good little pundits, they have to look like they are doing something in order to get more money. Otherwise, they get their funding cut.

    My assertion on what he was trying to access is only based on every single news story I have read on the internet, in the news paper and on TV news broadcasts....I am bound to mix things up a little. I can assure you that the assertions I made about the US Government (specifically the DOJ's motives)are correct, even if I was wrong about how the case went down.

  • On the post: Holder: DOJ Used Discretion In Bullying Swartz, Press Lacked Discretion In Quoting Facts

    Wally ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2013 @ 10:08am

    Re: Re: Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

    "He gained access via WiFi, which is open to anyone on the campus, with the campus itself being an open campus. There was nothing preventing him from gaining access either to the campus or the network itself."

    I should point out that almost every story I've read about this simply stated that after he was denied wireless access, he patched in using an Ethernet cable.

    First off, I never mentioned how Aaron Swartz might have gained connection in the first place. What makes you so certain you are correct about the claim you made that I quoted above? Could it be that since I might have gotten something wrong that you automatically "know" that I am wrong and then state the opposite, even if I had gotten the part where you thought I was wrong correct...isn't that a form of trolling??....

    Initially, I only mentioned what I thought he gained illegal access to. That is quite a blatant assertion you make there. As he did in fact violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in this time around, it should also be noted that the system he was trying to patch into (which was JSTR) was not at all a government computer and the works stored inside it were in fact public domain. Which, at maximum, is a 5 year prison sentence...for a Government computer system..in which case the system he tried to tap into wasn't which would have lead to lesser charges including 6 months probation. All major college campuses have a JSTR server or a number of JSTR servers. That is how it operates. The Ohio State University alone has 3 itself for several different departments. It is not a government database.

    Two ways Aaron Swartz could have used a laptop hidden in a box in a network closet or a server in a small room:

    1. He patched in using a wired connection through a laptop ...connected the laptop to a hub or switch or router or directly to the server via Ethernet Cable....and wirelessly connected to the laptop to download the information there in.

    2. He set the Laptop to automatically backup the data he was looking for.

    Video evidence shows the latter though I would not be surprised with the former either. Both of which fit in because they blocked his wireless MAC address (Setup number one) and he probably had to go back and retrieve the data after he got blocked from the wireless network.

    I am not saying what he did was punishable by what the DOJ stacked up against him, but since the JSTR server he was trying to gain access to was that of a private institute, it was not at all agreeable as to what the DOJ did.

    I've got news for you, the MPAA and RIAA sue people for hundred of thousands of dollars over backing up DVD's and CD's and strong said backups on File Storage Lockers...the DOJ's overreach is partly the same shit. Their losing money with each false arrest and they don't even realize that their own actions are the cause of their lack of funding. I have sounding reason to believe that it was not just a way to save face, but also a money grab for funding. That doesn't make there actions humanly justifiable, or legally for that matter. It just makes them greedy sons of bitches who wine if they don't get there way. We don't need an attorney general who will do that.

  • On the post: Holder: DOJ Used Discretion In Bullying Swartz, Press Lacked Discretion In Quoting Facts

    Wally ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2013 @ 09:36am

    Re: Re: Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

    Thank you I shall remember that next time.

  • On the post: Holder: DOJ Used Discretion In Bullying Swartz, Press Lacked Discretion In Quoting Facts

    Wally ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2013 @ 09:35am

    Re: Re: Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

    My last sentence usually carries the point of my messages. I do not mind being called out and proficiently corrected as the AC above you had, but your statement only rubs it the belief that you have a right to point out my mistakes (especially when others have already corrected me while you simultaneously miss my point) and then proceed to tell me how stupid I am or how I have to earn respect in the community your way. So for you pleasure I'll highlight my point.

    "From a psychological standpoint, while I cannot justify the reasoning the DOJ had, I can honestly tell you all that the DOJ acted out to not only to save face, but to get more funding . The DOJ gets money for each successful conviction after an arrest."

    Amazing how anyone smart enough to read could miss that

  • On the post: Kim Dotcom Allowed To Sue Kiwi Government For Illegal Spying

    Wally ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2013 @ 08:20am

    Re: Re: Re:

    "The Appeal Court ruling could still be overturned by The Supreme Court but its doubtful being that the extradition hearing is not an actual trial to prove guilt or innocent of charges but to actually determine if the extradition is warranted based on the summery evidence which is now going to be difficult for Dotcom to disprove being as he cannot see all the evidence."


    I think that it will be. US law strictly prohibits withholding information from the Defense Attorney, even in an extradition hearing. Once this case hits the US Supreme Court, it will become very clear that the withholding of evidence was present, thus nullifying the case entirely.

  • On the post: Holder: DOJ Used Discretion In Bullying Swartz, Press Lacked Discretion In Quoting Facts

    Wally ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2013 @ 08:13am

    Re: How do we let these people into positions of power?

    I wonder how many lines of "fairy dust" the DOJ does on a day to day basis....

  • On the post: Holder: DOJ Used Discretion In Bullying Swartz, Press Lacked Discretion In Quoting Facts

    Wally ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2013 @ 07:58am

    Re: Re:

    Obama appointed Eric Holder attorney general and that is one of the few cabinet positions that does not have to be approved.

  • On the post: 7-Year-Old Student Suspended For Waving Around A 'Gun' Made From A Pastry

    Wally ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2013 @ 02:13pm

    "- Jan. 22, 2013 - A 5-year-old is suspended for discussing her Hello Kitty bubble gun, saying, "I'll shoot you, you'll shoot me and we'll all play together."


    This case is particularly disturbing as I remember my Barney The Purple Dinosaur-hating chant/parity from my school days (add "happily" to the end of it). The thing is. It isn't as if the kids learning this really knew what they were doing, nor is it a sign that they will do this in the future.

    As harmless as most of these behaviors seem, we have to remember to tell our children that guns in certain terms are only meant for shooting the bad guy. It doesn't matter what media the kid uses (toy, bubble gun...etc). The idea is there. While it seemingly poses no threat... depending on the tone of the child, and in which context the child said it in, action must be taken.

  • On the post: Prenda Law Issues Subpoena For IP Addresses Of Every Visitor To Critic Blogs For The Past Two Years

    Wally ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2013 @ 11:51am

    While I look forward to meeting some of the members of TechDirt in person, I just wish it were under better circumstances.

    ;-)

  • On the post: Holder: DOJ Used Discretion In Bullying Swartz, Press Lacked Discretion In Quoting Facts

    Wally ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2013 @ 08:12am

    Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

    Accordingt ot the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which admittedly Aaron Swartz had actually violated (I'll explain how in a bit), a first time offense on unauthorized access to non-government material and/or computer was a maximum of 5 years in a regular minimum security prison and a fine of $5,000.

    Aaron Swartz had gained unauthorized access to MIT's JSTR computer system in 2011 by patching via a wired connection. He was not authorized to do so. This explains the DOJ's phtoto's that they had found of him in 2011. Aaron Swartz's first initial charges were actually dropped when the prosecutors over at the FBI had agreed that there was no crime committed by Swartz in 2008.

    The DOJ has had its budget cut continually over the years and had quite a lot less funding than the FBI. This case against Swartz by the DOJ was nothing more than a money grab. From a psychological standpoint, while I cannot justify the reasoning the DOJ had, I can honestly tell you all that the DOJ acted out to not only to save face, but to get more funding. The DOJ gets money for each successful conviction after an arrest.

    What the FBI offered Aaron Swartz was an Alford Plea at best.

  • On the post: Yes, The US Industrial Revolution Was Built On Piracy And Fraud

    Wally ( profile ), 05 Mar, 2013 @ 01:25pm

    Re: Re:

    Those two innovations mentioned above filed legitimate patents and fought for them as a legitimate means of protection. Both were screwed over by the same man in the same industry and one of them had his patent stolen (Armstrong) when he became employed by Sarnoff and RCA, and then made useless due to LOBBYING by David Sarnoff.

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