ShivaFang 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (33)

• On the post: Complaint To FTC Says It’s 'Deceptive' For Google To Not Recognize 'Right To Be Forgotten' In US

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 02 Sep, 2015 @ 08:15am

  Global Censorship?

  If Google is required to apply UK's law worldwide, it would also have to be required to apply China's broad-reaching censorship laws as well. Additionally, it would also have to abide by Sharia Law due to the several Muslim states where religious law is also State law.
  
  Is this the kind of world we want to live in?

• On the post: Megaupload Say US Gov't Is Trying To Steal Assets Based On Crimes That Are 'Figments Of The Gov't's Boundless Imagination'

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 13 Oct, 2014 @ 10:47am

  If the Government wins this case - it could set a precedent for convicting people for crimes that are made up on the fly.
  
  That would be very, very bad for personal liberties.

• On the post: Google Fiber: You Know How Comcast Is Making Netflix Pay Extra? We Don't Do That Kind Of Crap

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 22 May, 2014 @ 07:33am

  "So, what's Comcast and Verizon's excuse?"
  Profit!
  (and unwillingness to innovate, hence they think the best way to profit is to make them pay more rather than 'give it away for free' because it's cheaper to do so, as Google explains.)

• On the post: Kansas Legislative Committee Pushes Bill That Would Make It A Felony To File False Complaints Against A Police Officer

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 28 Mar, 2014 @ 07:33pm

  This is interesting... because in order for the Felony to stick they have to actually prove beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury of peers that the Complaint is false.
  
  In other words, they have to prove the innocence of the cop the complaint was filed against.
  
  You can't prove a negative (that's why trials are innocent until proven guilty in pretty much every free society) - but this law seeks to do just that.

• On the post: Corruption Index Indicator: Cities That Ban Ride Sharing To Protect Taxi Incumbents

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 20 Mar, 2014 @ 03:29pm

  Calgary outlawed ride-sharing to protect it's taxis last year or so, and a few weeks ago, they have now mandated that all registered taxi owners must have their vehicles in service from 4 pm to 4 am every weekend.
  
  So they 'force' taxi owners to work because the demand is so high, but they blocked alternate ways to mitigate the demand.. WTF?

• On the post: Will Cheese Derail TAFTA/TTIP?

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 19 Mar, 2014 @ 11:04am

  For that matter - stop calling it "Canadian Bacon" Our bacon is the same as yours, what Americans call "Canadian Bacon" is just back bacon (from the back of the pig)

• On the post: Italian Officials Claim American Gun Ad Featuring Michelangelo's David Is 'Illegal'

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 19 Mar, 2014 @ 10:49am

  By trying to 'shame' them in the newspaper all you are doing is giving them more publicity.
  
  Anyone with any common sense would agree that a 500 year old statue is 'fair game' for use in advertising.

• On the post: Houston Issues 'Cease-And-Desist' To Uber To Stop Houston Residents From Communicating With Their Government

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 01 Mar, 2014 @ 02:18am

  Re:

  Thanks for that, I am immediately moved to email them to tell them that urging people to contact their representatives is a staple of democracy and by trying to gag that with a cease and desist is completely undemocratic.
  
  The fact is, the issue makes me (living in Canada, not even in the same country - let alone the same municipality) want to write in.

• On the post: Technologically Clueless Grandstanding Senator Calls For US To Ban Bitcoin

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 26 Feb, 2014 @ 07:57pm

  The powers that be in the United States are afraid of Bitcoin. The US Dollar is going to collapse and its going to do it soon - the soaring prices of BitCoin show that people are flocking to it and away from the USD. (Gold and Silver too, FWIW)
  
  I'm actually surprised this hasn't happened sooner - BitCoin presents a real threat to the 'status quo'. However that's exactly the reason why so many people support it.

• On the post: Irony: Local Patriot Group Fear-Mongers 'Foreign Hordes' By Using Bioshock Graphic Satirizing Racist Assholes

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 31 Dec, 2013 @ 09:37am

  Re: Re: Re: Yoinked

  Did some more digging - it is used because early cartoons used a certain sound effect when something is snatched or runs away quickly - anyone who grew up with those cartoons would use this word to describe that sound, so we tend to say "Yoink!" when we take something quickly - or 'steal' something when we're making it obvious we're taking it.

• On the post: Irony: Local Patriot Group Fear-Mongers 'Foreign Hordes' By Using Bioshock Graphic Satirizing Racist Assholes

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 31 Dec, 2013 @ 09:34am

  Re:

  I just realised yesterday that if you "can't compete with free" why do grocery and convenience stores universally sell bottled water?
  
  Quality certainly beats free! However since most things covered by copyright have so much DRM that the free versions have better quality, and thus, the free versions are outright better and free.

• On the post: Irony: Local Patriot Group Fear-Mongers 'Foreign Hordes' By Using Bioshock Graphic Satirizing Racist Assholes

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 31 Dec, 2013 @ 09:30am

  Re: Re: Yoinked

  it is neither slang nor dialect - it's onomatopoeic (like 'boing' or 'crash')
  
  http://www.wordnik.com/words/yoink

• On the post: Irony: Local Patriot Group Fear-Mongers 'Foreign Hordes' By Using Bioshock Graphic Satirizing Racist Assholes

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 31 Dec, 2013 @ 09:28am

  There's a saying, and I forget which way it goes, but both are true;
  Any sufficiently extreme satire is indistinguishable from extremist viewpoint.
  Any sufficiently extreme viewpoint is indistinguishable from satire.
  
  The TV Show the Colbert Report is a good example. Liberals love him, because they think it's humorous satire. Conservatives love him because they agree with him.
  
  A conservative group taking an image that was designed as satire because they feel it fits their ideology is par for the course for this 'law'.

• On the post: Former Pop Star Angry At Google News For Providing Relevant Search Results

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 30 Dec, 2013 @ 04:31pm

  If an algorithm can be held liable for libel, then we must also hold algorithms liable for purjury in false DMCA takedown notices.

• On the post: Chicago Sandwich Shop Emails Employees On Dec. 23rd To Say Merry Christmas And You're All Fired

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 24 Dec, 2013 @ 05:02pm

  I don't know what the labour laws are there - but if this happened in Alberta they would all be entitled to severance because of how short the notice was, depending on how long they've worked there (Starts at minimum 2 weeks if they've been their 90 days.) If you don't get 2 weeks notice, you get paid for 2 week anyway. Goes up to 3 weeks after 2 years working for the same employer, and then increases over time.

• On the post: You Don't Own What You 'Bought': Disney And Amazon Play The Role Of The Grinch In Taking Back Purchased Film

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 17 Dec, 2013 @ 09:42am

  GG Disney

  This is exactly the type of thing that turns otherwise paying customers into pirates. The logic goes something like this;
  
  1) WTF? I can't watch the content that I paid to watch??
  2) Hrm... I've heard that you can download stuff online - I've paid for this, and I really want to watch it.. so maybe it's justified for me to try it - just this once.
  3) Wow - downloading content was a lot quicker and easier than I thought it would be - and there's fewer digital rights crap stuff I have to jump through. It's both free _and_ I get better service, maybe I'll just do this from now on.

• On the post: NSA Complained It Wasn't Able To Spy Enough; Sought To Broaden Its Power

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 25 Nov, 2013 @ 08:37am

  Re: Re: I wonder...

  But that's the problem Security is not to be prioritized over everything else.
  
  "Those who would trade in their freedom for their protection deserve neither. Those who give up their liberty for more security neither deserve liberty nor security."
  -- Benjamin Franklin

• On the post: It's Not Such A Wonderful Public Domain, As Paramount Plans To Block 'It's A Wonderful Life' Sequel

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 22 Nov, 2013 @ 11:45am

  Copyright covers a specific expression of a work, it does not cover ideas or plot. It doesn't even cover character names (although those can be trademarked)

• On the post: Company 'Thanks' Blogger For Positive Review By Sending C&D Claiming 'Unauthorized Trademark Use'

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 16 Nov, 2013 @ 11:12am

  Sincere endorsement!

  I love the new product that I bought. I cannot tell you it's name, because that would be a trademark violation. I cannot tell you what it does because that would be a patent violation.
  
  But I can tell you that I love it, and I hope everyone will purchase one! It really saved my day today!

• On the post: CBS Says It Could Move To Cable In A 'Few Days' If Aereo Wins; Receives Several Offers To Help Pack Its Bags

  

  ShivaFang ( profile ), 02 May, 2013 @ 08:53pm

  My thoughts have largely already been said;
  Can't wait for CBS to try to run to cable and watch as all their advertising dollars go 'poof'.
  
  This move is more likely to create more pirates.

Next >>