Will B. 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (78)

• On the post: Comcast: We Must Kill Net Neutrality To Help The Sick And Disabled

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 19 Jul, 2017 @ 01:58pm

  Re: You did it again!

  While I applaud your pedantism (I'm pedantic myself), you fail to understand the genesis of the phrase. "Have your cake amd eat it too" isn't referring to a dime-store confection; think more like wedding cake, or finely detailed jubilee cake. The term is referring to having your cake - having this beautiful, aesthetically pleasing piece of artwork; and also being able to eat it. If you eat it, you lose out on the prettiness and the symbolism of whatever it is celebrating; if instead you opt to keep it, you lose out on delicious cake.

• On the post: Comcast: We Must Kill Net Neutrality To Help The Sick And Disabled

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 19 Jul, 2017 @ 01:52pm

  The Information Superhighway

  "But if we have to treat all traffic the same and not charge businesses for being on the offramps, we can't let ambulances bypass other traffic!"
  
  Disingenuous.

• On the post: SLAPP Threats And The Grenfell Fire: Why We Must Stop Attacks On Free Speech

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 21 Jun, 2017 @ 01:25pm

  Re: Two sides

  You seem to contradict yourself here. If it was foreseeable, and the complaint was that they were deliberately ignoring people foreseeing it... well, that should be plenthly of proof of negligence. Everything in this article suggests that they were rubbing the noses of the landlords in the evidence, in fact.

• On the post: Cable Lobbyists Try To Scuttle State Inquiries Into Shitty Broadband Service, Slow Speeds

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 21 Jun, 2017 @ 10:59am

  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Consistency in corruption

  We don't need to get a third party candidate into office to influence the two we have, though. If enough of us vote third party we will push the main parties in the direction we want by forcing them to scramble to get our votes back. I recall again statements that Bernie Sanders pushed the Democrats further left simply by being as popular as he was; if we vote in line with our principles, we may not get the candidate we want, but we can force other candidates to adapt their views to cater to us.
  We tend to forget the power we actually have in our system, generally because of the fear of the "other side."

• On the post: White House Plan To Reduce Drug Prices… Is To EXTEND Patents?

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 21 Jun, 2017 @ 01:29pm

  Ending discounts for low-income hospitals, too. Because getting rid of lower prices will... lead to... lower prices. Somehow?

• On the post: Sen. Feinstein Calls For Section 702 Reforms, No 'Forever' Reauthorization

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 12 Jun, 2017 @ 03:36pm

  Re: Re: Re: but of course!

  Bleh. I'm spending too much time typing and not enough thinking; it makes me sound like an idiot. I was thinkin of the presidential race, not house/senate.
  I stand by my assertion that where possible, voting for third parties is worthwhile even knowing they can't win; in places where that's not possible, if you disagree with the options, writing in No Confidence may be a good choice. But for the most part you can disregard my above post as irrelevant.
  
  "...every year"? The hell is even going on in my brain.

• On the post: Sen. Feinstein Calls For Section 702 Reforms, No 'Forever' Reauthorization

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 12 Jun, 2017 @ 03:22pm

  Re: Re: but of course!

  "Stand up and be counted." Don't assume that because things are this way, they must always stay this way. Stand for your principles, vote for who you truly believe in even if they will likely lose; the more people willing to do that, the less likely this goverenment duopoly will persist. And if none of the candidates are worh voting for, be willing to write "No Confidence" on your ballot.

• On the post: Sen. Feinstein Calls For Section 702 Reforms, No 'Forever' Reauthorization

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 12 Jun, 2017 @ 03:18pm

  Re: Re: but of course!

  While they are being unnecessarily hyperbolic and aggressive with this, I actually do not strictly disagree with the AC in this case. Your response, however, is pure reductio ad absurdum. Have you so soon forgotten that there ARE more than two names on the ballot every year?
  Where AC is correct here is in the statement that our own self-conviction that non-R and non-D votes are "wasted voted" is a self-fulfilling prophecy, and ignores (as I stated in prior posts) the effect that even a decent minority can have on the parties; if we vote for those who better represent what we want, even knowing they will lose, we can use that pressure to push the "big" parties toward what we want to reclaim their votes. This sort of response is willfully abdicating the power you can wield as a voter.

• On the post: EFF Sues FBI Over Withheld NSL Guideline Documents

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 12 Jun, 2017 @ 03:49pm

  The documents were located...

  ...in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying "Beware of the Leopard."

• On the post: Report Falsely Blames The EFF For Fraudulent Net Neutrality Comments

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 07 Jun, 2017 @ 03:08pm

  Jesus Christ, the state of discourse in my country...

• On the post: Proposed DHS Rules May Cause The Deaths They Claim To Prevent

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 03 Jun, 2017 @ 12:03pm

  Re:

  Can we compare this to the number of terrorist attacks targeting airplanes using explosives hidden inside laptops, per year, versus the total number of flights?
  Who is arm-waving, again?

• On the post: Former FCC Commissioner Uses Manchester Bombing As A Prop To Claim Net Neutrality Aids Terrorism

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 30 May, 2017 @ 09:36am

  Sigh.

  Aaaand markdown didn't work.

• On the post: Former FCC Commissioner Uses Manchester Bombing As A Prop To Claim Net Neutrality Aids Terrorism

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 30 May, 2017 @ 09:35am

  *"A sensible question is why civilized governments do not seek to deprive terrorists of unfettered access to the Internet..."*
  
  Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; **or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;** or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
  
  Emphasis mine, of course.
  
  (Incidentally, for the reframers out there: an ISP is not a provider of a platform. They are not compelled in this case to host speech, because they don't own the internet, they just provide *access* to it.)

• On the post: Samsung's 'Airtight' Iris Scanning Technology For The S8 Defeated With A Camera, Printer, And Contact Lens

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 28 May, 2017 @ 12:59pm

  Curse my fat fingers yet again.

  Bleh. *disk. Is there still no way to edit posts..?

• On the post: Samsung's 'Airtight' Iris Scanning Technology For The S8 Defeated With A Camera, Printer, And Contact Lens

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 28 May, 2017 @ 12:56pm

  Re: Re: Re: Technical question about phone security

  To be fair, that's kind of a nonsense comparison. It'd make more sense to compare a phone to a computer, not a dosc drive; the programs on the phone encrypt the data, as does a standing-encryption program on a computer. A disc drive is only part of a computer, just as memory is only part of a phone.
  
  Dunno if that made sense, but I tried XD

• On the post: Samsung's 'Airtight' Iris Scanning Technology For The S8 Defeated With A Camera, Printer, And Contact Lens

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 28 May, 2017 @ 12:52pm

  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Technical question about phone security

  Dude. Deep breaths. You are not helping anyone by being this hostile.
  Ignorant should not be an insult, and someone asking questions is not being WILLFULLY ignorant. Being polite and respectful in correcting them goes a long way.
  Also, opinions are opinions. You can disagree with them without calling the other person a liar. Yes, he was mistaken on this; insulting people when they ask for clarification is only going to make them mistaken and stubborn about it.

• On the post: RNC, Chamber Of Commerce Want Robocallers To Be Able To Spam Your Voicemail Without Your Phone Ringing

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 25 May, 2017 @ 05:22pm

  Re: Re: Nobody vote for a single Republican (or Democtrat) candidate next election.

  I would, instead, encourage people to go out and vote, but to write in No Confidence on their voting ballot. That's what I did in the previous election, and while I tried to convince others to do the same, I live in a hard democrat state, which was pretty solidly for Hillary.

• On the post: If Net Neutrality Dies, Comcast Can Just Block A Protest Site Instead Of Sending A Bogus Cease-And-Desist

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 25 May, 2017 @ 06:44am

  Many Re's: You see disaster. I see retribution.

  Bet you a dollar the FTC does sweet F-A.

• On the post: RNC, Chamber Of Commerce Want Robocallers To Be Able To Spam Your Voicemail Without Your Phone Ringing

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 24 May, 2017 @ 03:23pm

  Re:

  .....thanks for sharing...?

• On the post: RNC, Chamber Of Commerce Want Robocallers To Be Able To Spam Your Voicemail Without Your Phone Ringing

  

  Will B. ( profile ), 24 May, 2017 @ 03:20pm

  Re: Re:

  They already do this with online ads, eating significantly into data caps. Seems likely the telcos are happy to support anything that lets them charge for more minutes.

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