xmichaelx’s Techdirt Profile

On the post: Intelligence Committee Senators Call On Obama To Declassify Evidence Of Russian Election Interference

xmichaelx ( profile ), 02 Dec, 2016 @ 02:20pm

Sony all over again

I'm reminded of the "North Korean" Sony hack that no knowledgeable person believes had anything at all to do with the North Korean government.

On the post: MacWorld, PCWorld Kill Site Comments Because They 'Value And Welcome Feedback'

xmichaelx ( profile ), 22 Nov, 2016 @ 01:23pm

online feedback is useless

There was a long-ago time when mostly smart people were online, and online comments were valuable sources of information. That time has long-since passed.

A cursory look at past TechDirt comments is all the proof necessary.

Online comments serve no purpose other than:
1) creating the illusion of inclusion, when no one really cares what you have to say, and
2) a laugh every now and then.

And yes, this comment is just as useless as all the others.

On the post: Rutgers Lecturer Forcibly Sent For Psych Evaluation By NYPD For Some Tweets About The Election

xmichaelx ( profile ), 16 Nov, 2016 @ 11:11am

I don't get it

If he wasn't under arrest, why did he go with him? Exactly what "force" was used?

If I'm not under arrest, I'm not going anywhere I don't want to.

On the post: Washington Post Columnist: If This Democracy Is Going To Stay Healthy, We Need To Start Trusting The FBI More

xmichaelx ( profile ), 04 Nov, 2016 @ 08:56pm

Re: "but pedantry"

Constitutional Republic is the structure, democracy is how the structure is populated.

Which makes us a Constitutional Republic. Thanks for your fascinating insight.

On the post: Netflix CEO Wary That AT&T's Latest Merger Could Hurt Streaming Competitors

xmichaelx ( profile ), 26 Oct, 2016 @ 11:31am

Best possible outcome ...

Best possible outcome ...

Google, Netflix, and Apple join together to buy up any remaining smaller ISPs (including Cox) and charge a reasonable amount with no usage caps. Then Comcast, AT&T, and TW and explain to Congress why most of the country has shitty service that costs more.

Yes, it's just a fantasy. But it would be fantastic.

On the post: Minnesota Carpet Cleaning Business Sues US Olympic Committee Over Its Ridiculous Social Media Rules

xmichaelx ( profile ), 05 Aug, 2016 @ 10:26am

Where is Twitter in all this?

The real question is why Twitter isn't leading the charge against the USOC on behalf of their users.

On the post: Canadian Comedian Plans To Appeal $42k For A Joke That Insulted Someone

xmichaelx ( profile ), 03 Aug, 2016 @ 01:04pm

Re:

"Rule #1 ... People love an underdog but they abhor a villain."

Yes, this is why Andrew Dice Clay has been so unsuccessful, and why everyone hated the Sopranos, and why Trump is the current GOP candidate.

You should stop projecting your rules onto society as a whole (or at least accept that, in reality, they only apply to you).

On the post: Study: Trolls Are Even Worse When Using Real Names

xmichaelx ( profile ), 03 Aug, 2016 @ 11:04am

I was surprised by this ...

I also thought trolls hid behind anonymity. But then I joined NextDoor, which is like Facebook for your neighborhood or community.

The open racism, confrontational attitudes, and flagrant trolling by neighbors I'd never met (and I live in a pretty close-knit community) and whose name and address are prominently displayed on the site was shocking.

Turns out it's not the anonymity; it's just that some people are assholes.

On the post: Appeals Court Says That Sharing Passwords Can Violate Criminal Anti-Hacking Laws

xmichaelx ( profile ), 07 Jul, 2016 @ 03:28pm

Re: Don't confuse having a password with being "authorized"

Thank you for being just about the only intelligent person in this comment section.

People above you are actually arguing that "social engineering isn't hacking," when in fact, 90%+ of large-scale hacking is social engineering.

Techdirt readers are beginning to sadden me in the same way that ARS and Slashdot have.

On the post: Think Tank: The Library Of Congress Has Too Many Librarians, So We Should Reject New Nominee To Run It

xmichaelx ( profile ), 01 Jul, 2016 @ 06:56pm

Re: "Think tank"

Keep in mind that the Heritage Foundation actually created the individual mandate (which Democrats - particularly Hillary - were against at the time) which went on to become RomneyCare, and then ObamaCare.

They actually do produce interesting work occasionally. This comment is not among them.

/librarian, who thought Billington was a borderline imbecile

On the post: Airbnb Goes To Court To Stop San Francisco's New Anti-Airbnb Law

xmichaelx ( profile ), 28 Jun, 2016 @ 12:53pm

Re: As usual, another Mike Masnic article, is complete BS

"I 100% support efforts to make AirBNB completely illegal."

Agreed. I'm sure it works out great if you live in Mayberry or a slum, but here in Las Vegas it's been a nightmare.

My quiet, historic neighborhood of mostly retirees had an Airbnb party house that led to large-scale vandalism throughout the neighborhood. Fortunately, the City Council shut it down.

If Mike considers our reaction to repeated, expensive property damage "people getting more emotional about it than seems reasonable," then I invite him to sleep next door to an Airbnb house for a few months.

On the post: NY Legislature Rushes Anti-Airbnb Legislation; Likely In Violation Of Federal Law

xmichaelx ( profile ), 21 Jun, 2016 @ 01:06pm

"innovation" we don't need

I live in a historic neighborhood in Las Vegas populated mostly by retirees. One neighbor decided he was going to turn his otherwise vacant house into a short-term rental via Airbnb.

The result was exactly what you'd expect: It became a party house with constant loud music all night, every night, and neighbors' houses being robbed and vandalized.

Fortunately the community came together and put a halt to the nonsense, and the homeowner was forbidden from any more short-term renting (by the City Council, since there is no HOA here).

The "sharing economy" is great, until some a-hole decides to abuse it to make a buck. Airbnb is fine if you live in the ghetto; it's less fine in a nice area.

On the post: Google Comes Down On The Wrong Side Of The TPP

xmichaelx ( profile ), 11 Jun, 2016 @ 02:09pm

Re: Re: You can't be surprised now, can you ?

It's important to note that the pretend "get rid of regulation" crowd are very careful to avoid talking about which regulations they actually want to keep and expand.

"The government's always bad (until it stops protecting MY income stream)" would be the honest rallying cry for today's pretend libertarians.

On the post: A Dozen Bad Ideas That Were Raised At The Copyright Office's DMCA Roundtables

xmichaelx ( profile ), 18 May, 2016 @ 04:10pm

I'm ahead of the curve

I find all this discussion fascinating. But really it just reminds me why I stopped caring even a little bit about IP laws several years ago.

If I want something, I pirate it. Unless it's from an independent artist, and then I happily pay then *after* I've ensured that it has value to me.

The old hurdles between me and content no longer exist, so I don't live my life pretending that they do.

And no, Google plays no part in any of this.

On the post: Zappa Threatens Zappa Over Zappa Plays Zappa

xmichaelx ( profile ), 03 May, 2016 @ 11:32am

Re:

"Why Does It Hurt When IP?"

Sadly, I fear you'll never get the credit you deserve for this.

On the post: Another Federal Judge Says No Expectation Of Privacy In Cell Site Location Info Because Everyone Knows Phones Generate This Data

xmichaelx ( profile ), 05 Apr, 2016 @ 02:58pm

would it shock this judge ...

Would it shock this judge to find out that I neither have a television not watch cop shows?

Also, I work in tech and am quite knowledgeable, but even I'm not sure how the whole cell tower thing works when I'm on wifi.

On the post: Trump's Incomprehensible 'Cyber' Policy: 'Make Cyber Great Again'

xmichaelx ( profile ), 28 Mar, 2016 @ 11:35am

Re: Re: His words in print

AKA, the Palin defense.

On the post: Utilities Are Playing Dirty In Florida To Kill Solar Energy Disruption In The Cradle

xmichaelx ( profile ), 23 Mar, 2016 @ 03:39pm

Re: Re: Already happened in Nevada

"And thank GOD it did, those of us who don't have solar panels are very tired of paying for the one who do. "

Las Vegan here: Did you notice that your bill went down after the incentives were changed? Because if so, you're a liar.

The only difference is that NVEnergy is now pocketing a few more pennies from your bill than they were before, so you're subsidizing Warren Buffet instead of a few solar panels. Congratulations on your utter lack of insight and forethought.

On the post: DailyDirt: No Meatless Mondays For Cavemen…

xmichaelx ( profile ), 22 Mar, 2016 @ 02:01pm

Re: Works for me!

Paleo is a great way of eating that's hamstrung by bad marketing.

Best thing for naysayers to remember: It's an eating framework, not a historical reenactment.

Paleo allows no processing of foods beyond cutting and cooking; there's really no downside.

On the post: As Predicted, Elsevier's Attempt To Silence Sci-Hub Has Increased Public Awareness Massively

xmichaelx ( profile ), 21 Mar, 2016 @ 01:30pm

Price inflation of library databases

You left out the part where the cost of database access has risen far faster than the rate of inflation, averaging up to 10% per year for the larger academic databases.

This means that a university library with a stagnant budget (which is unusual, because cuts are the norm lately) is seeing the equivalent of a 10% *decrease* in their collections budget every year. And since they're just renting all this information rather than buying it, failure to pay means that access evaporates.

As a librarian, I can't help but place a large part of the blame on my librarian colleagues. None of us should EVER have agreed to pay for temporary access to anything. Libraries -- particularly academic libraries -- exist to maintain information forever, yet we've entered into contracts that give away that important role to people who don't care at all about providing access and just want to make a buck.

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