AMusingFool 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (64)

• On the post: Is TPP To Blame For The Continuing Delay In Passing New Zealand's 2008 Bill That Excludes Software Patents?

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 18 Apr, 2012 @ 07:42am

  ironic name,

  Mr Foss.

• On the post: NBC Universal Threatens Partners That They Need To Sign 'Grassroots' Support Of SOPA/PIPA Or It Might Have To Drop Them

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 30 Nov, 2011 @ 07:24am

  Some assistance...

  We are writing to ask you for help on an issue that is one our top business priorities ? content theft on the Internet, which is a major threat to the strength of our business model.

  
  
  FTFT

• On the post: NBC Universal Threatens Partners That They Need To Sign 'Grassroots' Support Of SOPA/PIPA Or It Might Have To Drop Them

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 30 Nov, 2011 @ 07:19am

  Re: Re: Re:

  besides that, most ISP's are in cahoots with the media companies. they have a vested interest in being best buds.

  
  
  Verizon is a particularly acute example of this, as they are a cable TV provider as well as an ISP.

• On the post: NBC Universal Threatens Partners That They Need To Sign 'Grassroots' Support Of SOPA/PIPA Or It Might Have To Drop Them

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 30 Nov, 2011 @ 07:16am

  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

  But the fact remains that without the content there would be no need for the codec.

  
  
  Actually, mpeg4 was originally created specifically for video conferencing.

• On the post: The Scale Of Money

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 22 Nov, 2011 @ 08:40am

  Re: Re: Re: Re: Jack Daniels Explains The Deficit

  Yes, Social Security is really cutting a huge hole in spending. Yes, just keep telling yourself that. In twenty-five years or so, it'll actually be correct.
  
  And hey, let's cut medicare/medicaid. Medical spending will rise even faster with old people unable to collective bargain for care, leading to them dying much sooner (as they can't afford medical care). That's a perfect solution to budget problems. I completely agree that my grandparents should just hurry up and die, so the rest of us don't have to pay for their inevitable health decline.
  
  And Fair Tax. Hmmm. Yes, I think it's completely fair that 10% of the population gets 73% of all income. Nothing at all unfair about that. Nope. Nothing to see here. Move along.

• On the post: Learning From Beethoven: Speeding Up The Exchange Of Scientific Knowledge

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 18 Nov, 2011 @ 09:55am

  They've heard of Git?

  Seems like it, together with a web server, would take care of 90% of this.
  
  Put a wrapper around Git, perhaps, to make it friendlier, and standardize how to contact authors (and where what each author considers authoritative resides; perhaps Git has already tackled each of those problems, even), and you're pretty much there.

• On the post: Ron Paul Comes Out Against SOPA; Joins Other Elected Officials Saying No To The Great Firewall Of America

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 16 Nov, 2011 @ 10:09am

  I think I know how to shut this down

  Point out that if a campaign used a copyrighted song without permission (I know. That's never happened), their entire campaign could be shut down.
  
  And that's assuming no one issued a bogus shutdown without waiting for actual infringement.
  
  Oh, I like this idea...

• On the post: What's The Most Expensive WiFi You've Seen?

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 27 Oct, 2011 @ 10:10am

  I smell a business opportunity...

  Set up a wireless setup next door, maybe with a high-gain antenna, and sell for 1/10th the price...
  
  Of course, you'd have to deal with Maple Leaf fans, but there are always hazards in business...

• On the post: Photographs Are Mechanical Representations Of Facts, And Thus Should Have Only Thin Copyright Protection

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 09 Sep, 2011 @ 08:02am

  Re: Clearly you have little understanding of copyright law

  Leaving aside all discussion of your soul, one important thing that your paper is missing is that most photographers do digital manipulations of their photos (eg: altering the lighting, framing, airbrushing details out, combining multiple exposures) before publishing them, and some amount (sometimes a little, sometimes a lot) of creativity is involved in any of those operations.
  
  Having said that, I still generally agree with the thrust of your argument that a bright line is needed. But I'm surprised to hear you say that, as a lawyer, because you're suggesting getting lawyers out of the determination process. At least a good percentage of the time.

• On the post: Kevin Smith Explains Why He Had To Waste $9,316 On Movie Ads That He Didn't Want Or Need

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 01 Sep, 2011 @ 01:23pm

  I would dispute the claim that the $9316 was totally wasted. If the movie gets any Oscar nominations, that will drive far more than enough business to make that worthwhile. Which is, of course, why he paid it, even if it irritated him (well, either that, or it was pure ego, which I doubt).

• On the post: Defense Department Pretty Much Incompetent In Dealing With Online Threats

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 01 Aug, 2011 @ 07:51am

  Re:

  The govt is worse than useless, we'd be better off without it.

  
  
  Sure, if you like the idea of a sharecropper lifestyle, without widespread education and unlimited poisoning of the environment. Because that's what would be left.
  
  And if you had any money left over to invest, you probably wouldn't want to invest in any company in which you didn't have inside info. Because otherwise you'd probably get wiped out by those who did have that info.
  
  And the very idea of a retirement? Nope; work until you're physically unable, then hope your kids will take care of you.
  
  Not saying the government ain't got flaws (far from it), but let's be realistic, ok?
  
  And the really sad thing about this article is that if the GAO were to analyze DHS, they'd find it just as incompetent as DoD (maybe more so).

• On the post: Belgian Newspapers 'Give Permission' To Google To Return Them To Search Results

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 19 Jul, 2011 @ 11:04am

  Happy Days

  It spent five years fighting Google... and won... and then let Google immediately go back to doing what it was doing before.

  
  
  And there was much rejoicing...
  
  (Among the lawyers)

• On the post: Portuguese Politicians Want To Make Creative Commons Illegal

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 09 May, 2011 @ 02:27pm

  wonder if the idea is...

  to keep companies from contractually forcing artists to give up their copyright. If so, a worthy goal, but certainly not the best way to go about it.

• On the post: Why Every News Site Should Focus On Being First Class All The Time

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 09 May, 2011 @ 11:41am

  analogy failure

  The big problem with the "business class" analogy is that almost no one pays for business class for themselves. The people flying business class are almost all there because their company is paying, or because they have frequent flyer miles.

• On the post: UK Continues Issuing Tons Of Super Injunctions To Keep Famous People From Being Embarrassed

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 26 Apr, 2011 @ 07:41am

  And I was just reading about this

  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13190424
  
  earlier this morning. Apparently, being a journalist isn't enough to keep someone from seeking one of these injunctions, either.

• On the post: Samsung Hires 'Actors' To Pretend To Be Happy Galaxy Tab Testers?

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 28 Mar, 2011 @ 08:58am

  Actors are real people, too

  Sorry, just felt like pointing that out. Carry on.

• On the post: Dan Snyder Helps Us Demonstrate The Streisand Effect In Numbers

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 10 Feb, 2011 @ 06:50am

  got me to look

  I live in the area, but didn't know about the article until the lawsuit. So I read it, and I must admit, I didn't realize just how actively hostile Snyder is to Redskins fans. The stuff I'd heard of (not nearly all of it) was stuff where my reaction was something like, "Wow, that's stupid", and then I'd forget about it.
  
  How did this man get enough money to buy the team, again?

• On the post: Federal Officials Finally Admit That Photographing Federal Buildings Is Not A Crime

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 28 Jan, 2011 @ 09:02pm

  capital building

  I wonder if this means that I can now take a picture of the Capital Building using a tripod, and without having a permit.

• On the post: Paul Allen Files Amended Patent Lawsuit; Shows It's Even More Ridiculous Than We Originally Thought

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 30 Dec, 2010 @ 05:41am

  xbiff

  I wonder about Mozilla Foundation not being part of the suit, not to mention everyone who makes an RSS reader.
  
  And how far back do xbiff and biff go? I know at least back to '91; that'd be pushing the bounds of patentability even if the patent application did go back that far (which, of course, it isn't even close).

• On the post: Shouldn't We Fix The Check Clearing Loophole That So Many Scammers Abuse?

  

  AMusingFool ( profile ), 28 Dec, 2010 @ 07:55am

  how do you know?

  So how is a person to find out that the cheque has actually been validated?

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