Spaceman Spiff 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (977)

• On the post: Iran's Latest Move To Stifle Dissent: Requiring ID Cards To Go Online

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 29 Nov, 2012 @ 08:37pm

  Give them what they want

  Iran wants to exercise mushroom management of their people - keep them in the dark and feed them sh!t... Let them, but take it one step further - block ALL internet access to Iran, including the government and its leaders. Don't let them email, phone, or communicate over the Internet (phones are mostly routed over the Internet any longer) to ANYONE. Let them use snail-mail for all communications to other entities, and just see how long they last in power!

• On the post: Abuse Of India's Information Technology Act Results In India's First Arrested Twitter User

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 09 Nov, 2012 @ 07:02am

  The law according to Streisand

  These political hacks will soon learn first hand about this law... Time for some serious tweeting!

• On the post: Is Using A Single Lyric From A Musician You're A Fan Of 'Theft' Or 'An Homage'?

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 07 Nov, 2012 @ 09:09pm

  Be an ass, get nothing from me!

  I guess this person doesn't want any of my hard-earned $$. I don't support trolls, and he is acting like one!

• On the post: Why The Press Is Getting The Wrong Message Out Of The 'Nate Silver Walloped The Pundits' Story

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 07 Nov, 2012 @ 09:06pm

  Stats and Lies

  I like statistics. I like them a lot, and I use them extensively in predictive analytics problems, but then I couple them with more rigorous analytic methods, such as Kalman filters, to predict how systems are trending (yes, this system will fail in 6 days if we don't replace the disc drive now). Hence, I am a great proponent of the old saw that "there are lies, damned lies, and then there are statistics"... :-)
  
  IE, it is a tool, and all tools fail at some point - sometimes catastrophically!

• On the post: Faulkner Estate Sues Sony Pictures Because Owen Wilson Quoted Nine Words (Incorrectly)

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 27 Oct, 2012 @ 08:19pm

  Right...

  Given Sony's current (mis)management, I doubt they will do the right thing, but will likely pay the Faulkner estate to make the suit go away... :-(

• On the post: Philip Morris Sends Cease & Desist To Artist For Using Marlboro Box In His Art

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 27 Oct, 2012 @ 08:16pm

  Fair use and transformitive arts

  I think that today, Andy Warhol would not be able to practice his art. Would the world be better off? I doubt it, even though I am not a fan of his. It is time we vette our politicians / government representatives for their views on copyright/patent laws, and only support those who are minimalist in their views on the subject - that the current trends in those regards are quickly eroding an entire cultural legacy and providing no benefit to the public, who they (our representatives) are sworn to represent...

• On the post: Amazon Wipes Customer's Account, Locks All Ebooks, Says 'Find A New Retailer' When She Asks Why

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 22 Oct, 2012 @ 06:22pm

  Just say NO!

  I will not purchase anything that I don't subsequently own, can copy, resell, lend, give away, or do whatever I want with it. Hence, I purchase no DRM or paywall encumbered games, books, newpapers, magazines, or articles. I never will, and I will continue to encourage all of my family, friends, and acquaintances to do likewise.

• On the post: Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 21 Oct, 2012 @ 04:28pm

  Exercising my 1st Amendment rights.

  [quote]
  And, finally, my last editor's choice comment of the week, which actually made me laugh the most, is a comment from one of our usual critics, apparently insisting that you can't complain about the massive expansion of IP laws over time, without also complaining about the "expansion of the First Amendment."
  I'm just pointing out how silly it is that Mike rants about the expansion of IP, but he never complains about the similar expansion of the First Amendment.
  Yeah, really not much to say about that other than to shake your head and laugh. Such people do exist in this world, amazingly.
  [/quote]
  Actually, I think their bodies are in this world, but their brains... ??? NASA is still trying to find the planet that is hosting that!

• On the post: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Recycles His 'Cyber-Pearl Harbor' FUD… Third Time's The Charm?

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 21 Oct, 2012 @ 04:24pm

  Re: These guys can't keep anything straight.

  Maybe Panetta burped up a Freudian Slip, in that the NSA or other clandestine US federal agencies may well use passenger trains to ship deadly materiel. A lot of small, high-value freight is shipped that way.

• On the post: FTC Offers $50,000 To Whoever Can Come Up With A Way To Stop 'Rachel From Cardholder Services'

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 19 Oct, 2012 @ 04:40pm

  Simple

  As an Anonymous Coward said on Slashdot, just use the technique applied in the French Revolution "pour encourager les autres" - just hunt down and execute a few of the owners of these companies, and the rest will find better careers...

• On the post: Patent Settlement Ends Fight Over Helpful Speech App — But Leaves Questions About Patent Bullies

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 12 Oct, 2012 @ 06:49am

  Shame on them!

  Personally I think that Semantic Compaction Systems and Prentke Romich Company should be taken out to the woodshed and heartily spanked! What schmucks! I hope they learn to be ashamed of their egregious actions in this case... Yeah, and pigs will fly!

• On the post: Canadian DJ's New Album Comes With Cardboard Turntable That Plays Included 3-Track Bonus Disc

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 10 Oct, 2012 @ 08:53pm

  Awesome

  This is awesomely kewl! I think I will have to get this album just to give Kid Koala a great big Attaboy!

• On the post: Twitter Makes The Case That Trolls Should Have To Pay Legal Fees For Bogus Lawsuits

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 10 Oct, 2012 @ 05:15pm

  Re: Punish the trolls heavily

  Also, make them pay 3x costs that the defendants incurred, or 2x what they were trying extort, or both... That would shut down this sort of crap PDQ.

• On the post: DHS: Our Reports To Congress Are Successful Bullshit

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 09 Oct, 2012 @ 12:26pm

  Yea Assange

  This is why we need Wikileaks now more than ever!

• On the post: Iran's Latest Aggressive Censorship Plan: Block All Audio & Video Files

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 08 Oct, 2012 @ 01:45pm

  Morons!

  So, you change the extension, encrypt the file (or re-arrange it so it can be easily reconstituted at the receiving end, though software can probably tell that it is some sort of audio/video data), and what do they know? Are they totally blocking encrypted data, even if sent over un-encrypted http connections? Probably not. So, encrypt file, change the extension, and send it over an un-encrypted link... That should work for awhile.

• On the post: Time Warner Cable Suddenly Forced To Compete In Kansas City; Complains Google Has 'Unfair Advantage'

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 08 Oct, 2012 @ 09:10am

  Sacrifices

  I'd give my left ball to get Google to deploy in Batavia, Illinois (home of Fermi National Lab). I think a lot of people here would welcome them as heroes, given our current broadband selections are AT&T DSL (1.5mbps to home, 5mbps to business), Comcrap, and AT&T Uverse (worth about $0.00 unless you want an alternative to Comcrap)...

• On the post: Why It's Tempting, But Troubling, To Use Copyright As A Stand In For Moral Rights

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 01 Oct, 2012 @ 08:03pm

  Photos of private citizens vs. public figures

  Mike,
  
  Using photos of public figures is one thing where fair use could easily be argued (copyright of the photographer not withstanding), but using photos of private citizens who have some expectation of privacy is, in some places, clearly illegal without their explicit signed release. I hope that this couple prevails in court and takes PAUS to the cleaners!
  
  -Spiff

• On the post: GoDaddy Receives Patent On 'Announcing A Domain Name Registration On A Social Website'

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 28 Sep, 2012 @ 07:13am

  Another good reason

  Why the USPTO should be disbanded, all management and staff fired, and a new organization started with some SANE managers who know what-the-fuck-is-up and can hire people who are similarly aware! Ok. That will never happen, but firing management is a start...

• On the post: PC Rental Companies Agree To Not Watch You Have Sex

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 27 Sep, 2012 @ 06:23pm

  Just because

  I fervently hope that just because these companies settled with the FCC, that those spied upon are still able to sue them for a gazillion $$! The best way to punish these asshats is to sue them into oblivion!

• On the post: Panama's Government One Step Away From Passing The 'Worst Copyright Law In History'

  

  Spaceman Spiff ( profile ), 27 Sep, 2012 @ 08:07am

  Corrupt practices anybody?

  Talk about an open door to rampant corruption. That the fines levied pass on as bonuses to those responsible for levying the fines is just incomprehensibly idiotic! Those responsible for this law should be thrown out of office and into prison for blatant corruption and lack of moral fiber!

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