Wally 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (3172) comment rss

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

    Wally ( profile ), 05 Mar, 2013 @ 08:26am

    Oh there's more....the TV and radio industry was built upon screwing people over as well.

    Philo Farnsworth was the inventor of the transceiver camera (projected the TV image with a cathode ray tube onto a screen) which later became the camera tube with the help of others. He came up with and drew the circuitry plans when he was 14 and demonstrated it at age 20. Farnsworth's works were noticed by RCA's CEO, David Sarnoff who offered to buy the patent for $100,000 with the stipulation that he work for RCA as a developer. Farnsworth refused to take the offer and David Sarnoff produced them anyway while trying to sue Farnsworth trying to invalidate the patent so he could use it. Farnsworth finally won when his High School Chemistry Teacher dew up the design that was presented to him by Farnsworth and Farnsworth was awarded a one time $1,000,000 licensing fee for his device.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philo_Farnsworth#Patents


    Then we have the story of Edwin Howard Armstrong...the pioneer of FM radio.

    His story is here:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Howard_Armstrong

    Predates the suicide of Aaron Swartz by 59 years...and for the exact reasons. He spent 90% of his career butting his head against David Sarnoff in legal battles. Why? The original frequeancy range for FM radio was 42-50 MHz. All FM radios had that range at first. RCA's David Sarnoff pushed the FCC to move the FM radio spectrum frequency to where it is today so he could "make room" for the first television channel which relied on FM radio waves to work. It is speculated that he also did this because he saw FM Radio as a threat to AM Radio empire he owned. The shift happened so quickly that it rendered all FM radios carrying Armstrong receivers of that time useless.

  • On the post: Librarian Of Congress Shoots Back At White House Over Phone Unlocking: We're Just Doing Our Job

    Wally ( profile ), 05 Mar, 2013 @ 07:59am

    Riiiiight....

    " based on a factual record developed by the proponents and other interested parties. "

    Like how subsidized phones lock people into a carrier's service?? It seems that magic accounting is going to strike.

  • On the post: White House Turns Star Wars / Star Trek Mistake Into Funny Meme

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 09:44pm

    Re: Re:

    Nothing except that it's a distraction so political mouthpieces can ignore reality in a rather FoxNews-like way.

  • On the post: White House Turns Star Wars / Star Trek Mistake Into Funny Meme

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 09:41pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Obama's mind meld

    Did you know that Congress invented the National Debt Ceiling as an attempt to scare the president into signing bills...?? Congress controls it and the president has the power to propose budgets. Congress usually raises the debt ceiling to threaten the president's financial credibility. Obama demanded another $2-trillion higher during the first "Financial Cliff" negotiations when we had already surpassed the US GDP...The GOP filibustered that proposal and got laughed at...then during the budget cuts, the president, during his "Jedi Mind Meld" speech (and I watched it on C-Span), slammed the entirety of congress for not agreeing with him on his finances where all he does is spend....that's all political parties being attacked and forced to cut budgets in education, federal employees and contractors, NASA (who is actually spending LESS because the use of Private organizations).

    So nasch I reasonably ask you to try to tell me how I'm wrong in stead of asking me to back my claims with links, and if you think I'm wrong I politely ask you to back your counterclaim that I'm wrong instead of doing it with no explanation as to why I was wrong.


    The assertion of "citation please" only works when you have the links yourself to counterclaim the argument or statement made by another person.

  • On the post: White House Turns Star Wars / Star Trek Mistake Into Funny Meme

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 09:25pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Obama's mind meld

    Agreed...but at least W. didn't have time delayed live speeches to edit out the imperfections....

    ;-)

  • On the post: White House Turns Star Wars / Star Trek Mistake Into Funny Meme

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 09:07pm

    Re: Re: Obama's mind meld

    "See, you might disagree with Obama's policies but if you think he's an idiot, well then you're in need of an intervention. "

    It was covered by all politically bias media and the budget cuts were largely ignored. You want to call out bias on FoxNews, fine. FoxNews sought to point out it was a financial discussion while the other political mouthpieces, CNN and MSNBC, focused on the gaffe and distracted the general population away from some of the dick moves pulled in the budget cuts...

    Obama is a financial idiot. He's the first president in US history that remotely demanded for a raise in the debt ceiling. It's usually the president of the United States who has to try to convince Congress not to raise it...Think on that for a bit.

  • On the post: White House Turns Star Wars / Star Trek Mistake Into Funny Meme

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 09:00pm

    Isn't it a bit concerning to anyone else that the nation's leader made this mistake in words concerning two different realms of nerdom in the same speech concerning our nation's recent finances?

  • On the post: Upon Further Review… Judge Realizes The Jury In Apple/Samsung Case Screwed Up

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 10:01am

    Re: Re:

    Likely not the patents getting invalidated. The only thing questioned so far was the jury's ruling reward in favor of Apple. I was admittedly shocked myself at the initial reward.

    To answer your question, the patent's involved that were not struck down in the deal may have been legitimate....that is just a speculation of mine and only just barely legitimate at that...The issue was the monetary reward not matching the value of the patents.

    Neither party in these types of civil suits are allowed to advise the jury on the appraised value of the patents themselves. Apple asked for about $1-billion in damages and that is the only thing being questioned at this time because the jury could have and should have awarded a much less substantial damages claim.

  • On the post: Upon Further Review… Judge Realizes The Jury In Apple/Samsung Case Screwed Up

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 09:53am

    Re: Re: What Can I say?

    The point is that the initial ruling in Germany over the TTS feature was ruled in favor of Samsung as the first bits of Apple vs Samsung started some time last year.

    to quote my self here:
    http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130301/18133122175/upon-further-review-judge-realizes-jury-applesamsung-case-screwed-up.shtml#c499

    "My point is that I am actually glad the ruling got lowered a bit, and Mike Mansick you are roughly a week late on that bit of news, and I do agree that it mostly the jury's fault in the initial ruling."

    It was a jury decsision and at both sides of the fence, the rulings are being reversed left and right.

    I meant no jab at Samsung as I am equally annoyed at both...my next device is going to be either a Blacberry 10 or one of the latest HTC models.

  • On the post: Comcast: We Won't Terminate Your Account Under Six Strikes; We'll Just Block Every Single Website

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 08:43am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    The FBI properly handles investigations, the post-it notes are some times used for profiling ad mapping, other times they are used because of the budget constraints...the prosecution (legislative branch) takes that information and tries to prove you are guilty with it. The court system evaluates the gathered evidence and through determination of your fellow peers (a jury) the verdict is decided (Judaical branch).

    They are all separate branches of government. The FBI and all law enforcement pertaining to arrests and information gathering is a part of the executive branch of government. This is supposed to make sure that not one of the branches holds more power over the other. I guess you could call it a triumvirate republic democratic (not the party) government.

  • On the post: Hollywood Accounting Strikes Again: Universal Sued For Screwing Over Its Own Sister Company

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 08:31am

    Re:

    Yes because NBC Universal owning Comcast is a good thing isn't it...

    /s

  • On the post: Upon Further Review… Judge Realizes The Jury In Apple/Samsung Case Screwed Up

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 08:21am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Albert Einstein was a patent clerk.....they did not make that much money in his day. There are plenty of examples to counter your claims about money being the influence of persons with an intellectual mind. Albert Einstein was working as a patent clerk when he came out with the theroy of relativity....and he got no grant money for it...He was poor as shit until he moved to the US during WWII.

    The greatest example of all with dumb people with lots of money....one only as to look at the US Government outside of NASA. On that note, NASA gets lots of budget cuts each year which is why they selected a private company to launch supplies to the ISS.

  • On the post: Upon Further Review… Judge Realizes The Jury In Apple/Samsung Case Screwed Up

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 08:12am

    Re:

    The problem is that the Jury decided to go with Apple's demand of $1-billion not realizing that they could have awarded a much lower amount. The problem is that the jury thought the plaintiff had to get the specific amount they asked for in damages. That was their job.

    The other troubling thing I find is that the jury in the case failed to follow all the basic jury jurisdictional prudence allowed/limited to them by law and the specific directions given to them from the judge were ignored....Which is likely why Apple hasn't said anything in protest about this recent denial.

    Before anyone jumps down my throat about that, keep in mind Samsung only accused the jury of bias and never questioned the amount in general. They just went after one of the jury members citing bias against them, and subsequently accused Apple of wrongdoing event though that jury member had nothing to do with any patents pertaining to Apple or the case in general.

    Both sides of this case were at fault here, and the Jury itself failed to follow basic court procedures and orders from the court.

  • On the post: Upon Further Review… Judge Realizes The Jury In Apple/Samsung Case Screwed Up

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 07:58am

    Re: Re: Re:

    Yet another good point...

  • On the post: Upon Further Review… Judge Realizes The Jury In Apple/Samsung Case Screwed Up

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 07:56am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    You know what...you're right..I did some digging.

    There are several theories as to how this rumor started.

    It should be noted that Albert Einstein likely had Asperger's Syndrome. I can assure from my own personal experience I am terrible at following basic directions and when it comes to learning, lectures only unlearn what I have learned. Theoretically, most people with Asperger's Syndrome are quite eccentric. It turns out that his genuine genius shined at the age of 12 where he came up with his own proofs and his own way on how to solve the Pythagorean Theorem. His ways may have been seen unconventional at the time.

    Another one is that he seemingly got a bad grade when one schools he had attended reversed the grading scale from 1 lowest and 6 highest, to 1 highest and 6 lowest.

    Yet another theory stated that people thought he was bad in mathematics due to the fact that he always sought the second opinion of other mathematicians to check his work (which is completely bull to think that of someone smart enough to get a second opinion).

  • On the post: Upon Further Review… Judge Realizes The Jury In Apple/Samsung Case Screwed Up

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 07:33am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Really needs fixed by means-testing plaintiff.

    "It is"...are the only words that will be able to stop you...

  • On the post: Upon Further Review… Judge Realizes The Jury In Apple/Samsung Case Screwed Up

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 06:29am

    Re:

    Now you know why Steve Wozniak left Apple.

  • On the post: Upon Further Review… Judge Realizes The Jury In Apple/Samsung Case Screwed Up

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 06:28am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Of all things...Einstein was very terrible at math. Funny he should be mentioned in a patent trial consider his job out of college was a patent clerk.... :-)

  • On the post: Upon Further Review… Judge Realizes The Jury In Apple/Samsung Case Screwed Up

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 05:36am

    Re: Re: Re:

    "This is probably going to be a huge downer for you but income is strongly correlated with intelligence. If they chose 12 people with a higher combined income it's statistically likely they'd also have chosen 12 people with a higher combined IQ."

    The best citation I can come up with to counter your claim, all you have to do is look at the entirety of the US Presidency and Congress to know that sticking a bunch of low IQ people in a room does not collectively increase the general intelligence quotation of a group. A friend of mine from my undergrad had a rather humorous thesis concerning that.

    The result was that the general average IQ of a human goes down when you mix a bunch of people together with the same IQ. A lot of my friend's test subjects started arguing on who should lead to solve a simple problem like who should do what to keep a weight triggered door open to retrieve a prize....chimps fared better at teamwork than they did.

  • On the post: Upon Further Review… Judge Realizes The Jury In Apple/Samsung Case Screwed Up

    Wally ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2013 @ 05:28am

    Re: Re: Re:

    Ever see a person with a high IQ try to explain something intelligently on an intellectual subject?? Not that easy and it is a lesson I learned PDQ as a psychotherapist....never outsmart or try to outsmart someone..you end up looking a fool and in my case, I lost clientele.

Next >>