Whatever 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Comcast/NBC Tone Deafness, Not 'Millennials' To Blame For Olympics Ratings Drop

    Whatever ( profile ), 25 Aug, 2016 @ 11:10am

    The Rio games were pretty much FUBAR from the start. A county that couldn't afford the games, a people who didn't want the games, and a bunch of doped out, blood packing althletes will big sponsorship contracts pretty much all adds up to a great big "ho hum" from many people.

    NBC may be right, Millennials probably tuned out even more, unhappy with the delivery methods and amount of commercials, and with an attention span honed by the internet, they just never showed.

    I can say that for the first time since the Olympics was in my home town, I didn't watch a single thing, not a moment, not a peep. I saw some news stories and read some headlines, but otherwise, the Olympics slid past like that car going 3 mph faster than you on the interstate. Didn't care that they were coming, didn't care while they are here, and certainly not worried now they are gone.

  • On the post: One More Time With Feeling: Net Neutrality Didn't Hurt Broadband Investment In The Slightest

    Whatever ( profile ), 24 Aug, 2016 @ 10:56am

    Fail

    Sorry Karl, once again you fail because you can't seem to see past your hatred of these companies to realize they are being smart.

    You seem surprised they are buying up spectrum? Did you even actually read the quote, which suggests it's possible that they won't even want to pay the minimum set forward, which would trigger another auction round?

    Moreover, did you consider WHY they are buying spectrum? It's in no small part because it's a limited resource, and something they can control and profit from. It would be the same as buying empty lots in real estate. All the lots around it are built up, the lots are right in the best locations, and there won't be any more of it. That is a recipe for long term profits. It doesn't mean they are going to do much of anything with it today, tomorrow, or the next day.

    Buying up empty lots doesn't give you 1 iota more service, and doesn't innovate anything. Rather, they are buying the space and keeping others people out.

    Net neutrality has spurred plenty of innovation and investment - on in house, zero rated services and walled gardens of "doesn't count against bandwidth bills" services. It's driving a wedge between in house services and the web at large, and there is absolutely nothing the FCC can do about what companies do on their internal networks.

  • On the post: The EFF Calls Out Microsoft's Ongoing Bullshit On Windows 10 Privacy Concerns

    Whatever ( profile ), 23 Aug, 2016 @ 09:41pm

    Re:

    More like Electronic Fear Foundation these days... but as others have said, proof that Karl ain't a top shelf Techdirt writer!

    I was going to add that I think that this is a case like #hillaryhealth. No matter how much Microsoft says the data is made anonymous or pooled in a manner that doesn't allow for individual data to be matched to user, there will always be those screaming "spying!". It's pretty unavoidable.

    EFF's entire spiel here seems to be based on (at best) second hand knowledge.

  • On the post: Donald Trump Has Freed Up Journalists' Ability To Call Bullshit; But It Won't Last, Nor Extend To Others

    Whatever ( profile ), 22 Aug, 2016 @ 08:58pm

    Re: Re: Fact checking

    It's one of the ongoing issues of media and politics. Media has the ability to shape people's opinion, and the owners of media have rarely been shy to try.

    The biggest difference is that in the past, you might see editorials or op-eds in support of a given candidate. In more recent years. we have seen the media becoming more and more mouth pieces for their chosen party. I think of it as the Fox News Effect. Online sites like Breibart don't even attempt to get the facts right, pouring lies and misdirection into the political debate (see #hillaryhealth for more of that crap).

    The total lack of fact in news reporting these days is pretty scary.

  • On the post: Allegations Of Dysfunction Continue To Plague FirstNet, Our $47 Billion (And Growing) National Emergency Network

    Whatever ( profile ), 20 Aug, 2016 @ 07:36pm

    Re: Re: Re: 20th century thinking

    Umm, no, it's not a phone network either. Think walkie talkies, in car radios, base stations... first responders don't have time to speed dial each other every time they want to say something.

  • On the post: Senators Wyden And Paul Introduce SMH Bill To Stop Massive Expansion Of Gov't Computer Hacking

    Whatever ( profile ), 22 May, 2016 @ 04:25pm

    Re: Re: King Knute

    "you saying that trying to make it illegal via a bill for a government agency to hack any computer they want to is not possible? That government agencies aren't beholden to follow government laws?"

    I think that there is a conflict between the state goal of a spy agency and such a law. A big part of spying is obtaining information that someone might not otherwise want to give up, and that information may be obtained using methods that are, well, a little out of bounds. When you remember that much of what is obtained is not used to pursue a court case, you can understand where they can operate in spaces that are perhaps not as comfortable for all of us.

    Outlawing hacking would essentially be crippling the agencies and putting them at a significant disadvantage. It would be like coming 50 years ago and saying wiretaps and hidden microphones shouldn't be used. It would tie the hands of a spy agency and make it very difficult for them to do their jobs.

  • On the post: Senators Wyden And Paul Introduce SMH Bill To Stop Massive Expansion Of Gov't Computer Hacking

    Whatever ( profile ), 20 May, 2016 @ 01:23am

    Re:

    Umm, Mike Masnick, is it perhaps time to fix it so people cannot enter an existing user name when they post anonymously? Crappy trolls are crappy.

  • On the post: Senators Wyden And Paul Introduce SMH Bill To Stop Massive Expansion Of Gov't Computer Hacking

    Whatever ( profile ), 20 May, 2016 @ 01:34am

    King Knute

    Wyden will soon introduce the Tide Revocation and Sand Help act (TRASH Act), which will force the moon to no longer control the tides touching US shores, instead encouraging an open source app to allow individual coast line property owners to decide when and where the tide should be for their property.

    The newly created Tide Observation and Surveillance Service (TOSS) will take care of applying TRASH for Governement waterfront, the TOSS TRASH project will fulfill Wyden's desire to control the otherwise uncontrollable.

  • On the post: Brewery Changes Name For Second Time In Two Years Because Trademark

    Whatever ( profile ), 19 May, 2016 @ 10:36am

    Thankfully, he has changed his company name to Bud The Wiser Brewery, so there is absolute no risk of any more problems.

  • On the post: Analyst Uses NYPD's Open Data To Uncover Millions Of Dollars Of Bogus Parking Tickets

    Whatever ( profile ), 14 May, 2016 @ 08:10pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    You are correct. It doesn't make it any more legal, it just makes it a "look the other way" offense.

    The issue is claiming these are "bogus" parking tickets. By the motor vehicle laws, they are not bogus. The city perhaps doesn't want the police to issue them, but they are not "bogus". That's hyperbole, plain and simple - typical of Techdirt to over react and slant the story to be anti-authority.

  • On the post: Analyst Uses NYPD's Open Data To Uncover Millions Of Dollars Of Bogus Parking Tickets

    Whatever ( profile ), 14 May, 2016 @ 12:38am

    Re: Re:

    Traffic laws are state level, but locally enforced. It's the same reason why local cops can arrest you for murder, even though it's not a municipal law.

  • On the post: Analyst Uses NYPD's Open Data To Uncover Millions Of Dollars Of Bogus Parking Tickets

    Whatever ( profile ), 13 May, 2016 @ 08:39pm

    Re:

    For those who wonder, Article 32, s1202 2e:

    Alongside or obstructing a curb area which has been cut down,
    lowered or constructed so as to provide accessibility to the sidewalk.


    http://ypdcrime.com/vt/article32.htm#t1202.

    Local law cannot generally override the rules of the road.

  • On the post: Analyst Uses NYPD's Open Data To Uncover Millions Of Dollars Of Bogus Parking Tickets

    Whatever ( profile ), 13 May, 2016 @ 07:38pm

    Actually, this is a perfect example of a local politicians failing very badly at their jobs. A pedestrian cut out like that, no matter what the local authorities say, is an illegal parking spot by state law, which over rides. So the local politicians may be saying "it's okay, park here" but the police are in fact correctly issuing tickets.

    Local law cannot generally override the state (or federal) law.

  • On the post: UK Gov't Pushing For 10-Year Jail Sentences For Copyright Infringement Based On ¯_(ツ)_/¯

    Whatever ( profile ), 13 May, 2016 @ 01:22am

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

    "Read back through your comments on this article, and your arguments are all just different mixes of ¯(ツ)/¯."

    Why? Because copyright has been around for a couple of hundred years and generally seems to work pretty well. It's not perfect, but it would be a truly faith based more to kick it to the curb. My arguments are only that if you want to replace copyright with something, replace it with something better that has some facts behind it to make it go, and not just "get rid of it and we are all better" - there is no proof that it would be a good solution to anything!

  • On the post: UK Gov't Pushing For 10-Year Jail Sentences For Copyright Infringement Based On ¯_(ツ)_/¯

    Whatever ( profile ), 13 May, 2016 @ 01:17am

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

    The fact that you are down to trolling tells me everything I need to know - you have no true response. Thanks for playing, troll!

  • On the post: UK Gov't Pushing For 10-Year Jail Sentences For Copyright Infringement Based On ¯_(ツ)_/¯

    Whatever ( profile ), 13 May, 2016 @ 01:17am

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

    "You say that those links to Techdirt don't count, but did you read the research that those links point to... that wasn't conducted by Techdirt?"

    As I have mentioned before, Techdirt stories are often based on other people's opinions or studies written by people who are pretty biased on the subject. As I said, the Australian Commission thing is a perfect example, it's written by two commissioners who have been very publicly against anything and everything copyright - so citing it as some great change in attitude by the government is meaningless.

    "And finally, for what it's worth, I suspect that the creators of the Creative Commons license would consider it a success if people no longer felt the need to use a CC license because copyright terms were no longer ridiculous, and there would be much rejoicing and carousing in the Creative Common."

    Yet that would be forcing everyone into the commons if they want to or not. Abolishing copyright (or limiting it so much that it's neutered) would diminish creator rights and would very likely harm and discourage creative works from being made and distributed widely in their various forms. The beauty of CC licensing is that it works with (and against) copyright in a manner that allows the system to work BOTH ways, not just one way.

  • On the post: House Of Representatives Tech Team Blocks All Google Appspot Apps Because Of A Single Trojan

    Whatever ( profile ), 12 May, 2016 @ 07:10pm

    Re:

    You hit the nail on the head here.

    I think that a government organization should ALWAYS err on the side of caution, especially when it comes to systems that may contain sensitive data bout the public. To do otherwise would be shameful.

    Somehow Mike seems to think that they should be more nuanced, magically coming up with exactly the perfect balance that gives all the access possible and still stops the near endless attempts to phish, fake out, and sneak in viruses to the government network.

    You can imagine the Techdirt story calling out the incompetent IT staff if they had just let the thing get through. You can picture the whining about billions of dollars and no security.

    The story is a perfect example of a no-win situation, and how Techdirt can turn any story into an anti-government one. Think about it the next time they are slamming someone for failing to do X or Y to secure a network.

  • On the post: UK Gov't Pushing For 10-Year Jail Sentences For Copyright Infringement Based On ¯_(ツ)_/¯

    Whatever ( profile ), 12 May, 2016 @ 04:52pm

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

    "What does human nature to create have anything to do with money? Nothing."

    Actually, it has a lot to do with it for many. Money isn't the driver, it's a requirement to be able to live. They have the desire to create, but not the time. They still do, but perhaps it takes much longer or perhaps the create less.

    Also, for people who are creative but perhaps normally can't find the time, financial incentive is pretty powerful.

    The Rock and Roll dreams of many a young musician involve playing front of big audiences, being popular, and living "like a rock star". The truth is that money and sex are two of the biggest motivators for humans in the world. Combine them (get rich and get laid a lot) and for many it's a pwoerful incentive to create.

    "What we say is it has become a roadblock and is a burden to up and coming artists/services/etc. It is abused to stifle free speech."

    Baseball bats are used to stifle life from time to time. It doesn't mean that we ban them. Heck, in the US, we know that guns hurt, maim, and kill thousands each year - certainly limiting their victim's free speech - yet they are legal. Laws are exactly like a baseball bat, most of us use it to play ball, a very few use them for more sinister purposes. We don't ban bats just because of them.

  • On the post: UK Gov't Pushing For 10-Year Jail Sentences For Copyright Infringement Based On ¯_(ツ)_/¯

    Whatever ( profile ), 12 May, 2016 @ 11:34am

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    "Nobody says that wiLLie... except you."

    Actually, you need to search Techdirt. Mike had said that (in various ways) any number of times over the years. Certainly copyright has stopped people from creating derivative works that might otherwise have existed.

    "Yes and most do it because they love it not because they get a copyright."

    Most garage band types dream of monster success, of being rock stars and living the life - and that is mostly based off of writing and selling lots of CDs and touring like mad. Without copyright, they would have no means by which to convert their desires to cash in their pockets to fulfill their rockstar fantasies of hookers and blow.


    "People created long before copyright because they love to do so and it is part of human nature."

    Yes, and as a culture, western people generally also like money, fame, fortune, and all the trappings of it. Money is an incredibly powerful motivator, both for the creator and those who seek to profit from their creations. It has driven a society that creates more than ever. Don't take my word for it, Mike has said many times over that we create so much more content than ever - with this "oppressive" copyright regime getting more "oppressive" and still we produce more... it;s like cause and effect!

  • On the post: UK Gov't Pushing For 10-Year Jail Sentences For Copyright Infringement Based On ¯_(ツ)_/¯

    Whatever ( profile ), 12 May, 2016 @ 11:28am

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

    You are thinking to linear here. One of the reasons people release stuff through CC or other means that is that normal copyright is to long term and they don't want their work cooped up. But if copyright was reduced to a very short period of time (say a couple of years) they might be tempted to just keep the copyright and work from there.

    There would be a tipping point where CC licenses would be perhaps less desirable or perhaps the ability to exercise a little more control for the short period of "ownership" would be more desirable.

    It might be said that a little short term money making might not be so bad...

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