Rose M. Welch's Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week

from the critical-thinking-for-a-critical-time dept

Last week, we kicked off a new experiment with one of our community members highlight their favorite posts of the week, having Dark Helmet compile the inaugural list. The feature was quite well received, so we're going to keep it going. This week, we've asked prolific commenter Rose M. Welch for her favorite posts.

I decided to focus on examples of what I love most about Techdirt, namely, the abundance of posts that employ critical thinking.

The bastions of critical thinking -- which include logic, clarity, and context -- are generally absent from mainstream news sources, which tend to strive for outrage, scorn, or whatever they think is going to get the most page views. Techdirt moves in the opposite direction, providing a thoughtful analysis of each topic, without regard for popular opinion.

With that being said, here are my favorite stories of the week, one from each day, plus an extra so I'd have at least one more blurb than Dark Helmet. :)
  1. Monday: Congressional Research Service Notes That There Are Serious Challenges To Charging Assange

    In 1791, our leaders introduced a series of limitations on the power of our government to restrict our natural rights. First and foremost among these rights were freedom of speech and a free press. Almost immediately, the battle for these rights began with the likes of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison arguing unsuccessfully against limits on our limits. We gained traction in the 1970s, spurring 40 years of free speech and free press triumphs. People like me, who have only seen victory, sometimes need a kick in the pants to see how quickly those natural rights could disappear under a cloud of outrage. This post thoughtfully provides at least a nudge in that direction.

  2. Tuesday: Author Slams 'Piracy,' Then Admits To A Huge 'Pirated' Music Collection And Counterfeit Purses

    The focus of this post is a Norwegian author, who protests piracy while owning a large collection of counterfeit handbags and infringing mp3s. The author states that the "genuine Prada bags have... an inflated price," but fails to understand that her feelings and actions are the exact feelings and actions of the 'pirates' that she disdains.

    I've seen this double standard so often that it's become easy to dismiss the people who make them. Unfortunately, each of these cases highlights the fact that this kind of cloudy thinking is normal and is something that we should respond to with education, rather than with cynical dismissal.

  3. Wednesday: Battling Wikileaks And The Art Of War

    This post is the epitome of critical thinking. When a sci-fi author and a guy who died over two thousand years ago can out-think our government, there's a problem. The trouble is obviously a lack of logic, clarity, and context, which our representatives have replaced with outrage, obfuscation, and a downright lack of understanding. Also, I ♥ The Art of War.

  4. Thursday: Congressional Hearing On Wikileaks Surprisingly Focuses More On Gov't Overly Secretive Actions

    I was heartened to hear many of our representatives espouse a principle near and dear to my heart: Transparency. As many speakers noted, much of the classified information should not have been classified which led to a healthy discussion of what should be secret.

    Of course, the post also noted that many of our representatives want to have their cake and eat it, too. In this case, many of the speakers advocated for transparency and then argued for the prosecution of a single person, Julian Assange, with a single entity, Wikileaks, that published classified information, out of the multiple entities, including the New York Times and the Washington Post, that published the same information.

    If you only read one post about these leaks, this should be it.

  5. Friday: Homeland Security Presents 'Evidence' For Domain Seizures; Proves It Knows Little About The Internet - Or The Law

    This post outlines some of the more glaring issues with the affidavit and warrants used to seize several domains during Thanksgiving. The affidavit confirmed Immigration and Customs Enforcement's earlier admission that they just seized what Hollywood told them to seize, with no thought or consideration. Hollywood's least likely dream had magically come true and even linking to possibly infringing content is criminal infringement. Yikes.

    The most horrifying thing isn't that our immigration officials are wasting time on an issue that they clearly don't understand, but that a federal judge, a person presumably well-educated in the law whose purpose is to weed out bad warrants, literally rubber-stamped this one.

  6. Extra Blurb: Comic Artist Dylan Horrocks Explains How Copyright Is Too Often Used To Kill Culture

    This post begins with Techdirt complimenting an essay by a cartoonist who recently criticized Techdirt, which warms my logical heart. The post and essay note some of the more significant issues with the copyright system in the U.S. and manages to do so with comic book references. This post was chock-full of intellectual mana for my geeky soul.
^^That's it. :)
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  • icon
    Rose M. Welch (profile), 18 Dec 2010 @ 11:26am

    LOL

    ^^That's it. :)

    ^^This part was to let you know that the above text was the submission, not to be included in the submission. :P

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 18 Dec 2010 @ 12:08pm

    All of this makes me remember why home schooling isn't always the best idea. But carry on.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    The Infamous Joe (profile), 18 Dec 2010 @ 12:24pm

    Schemer Owl

    I'm on to you.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      The Infamous Joe (profile), 18 Dec 2010 @ 1:18pm

      Re: Schemer Owl

      These posts are neat, but don't exactly inspire much commentary.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Rose M. Welch (profile), 18 Dec 2010 @ 1:49pm

        Re: Re: Schemer Owl

        That's what I thought last week, until my husband took a look and actually read a few of the articles. I think being able to read a blurb made him more happy to click through and read the whole post, as opposed to just seeing lengthy posts with intimidating legal documents. :P

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          The Infamous Joe (profile), 18 Dec 2010 @ 2:04pm

          Re: Re: Re: Schemer Owl

          Hmm, maybe. I find that I can stop reading at any time, so the length of an article doesn't bother me, personally.

          That's just me, though.

          Also, I meant that it didn't inspire commentary on this site.. in the comments section. Because if I wanted to comment on one of your picks I would just go do it on the article itself. We need a way to spice up these "picks" posts.

          PS- Figure out the title of this comment, yet? :) (I was bored.)

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            Jay (profile), 18 Dec 2010 @ 4:03pm

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Schemer Owl

            I figure, if we see how many people are linking to the articles in all of the shared ways, it may just be that the commentary is happening elsewhere, but eventually leads back to Techdirt.

            Anyway to check and see how many people linked to Dark Helmet's blurb and see if it actually increased links to other articles?

            link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            The Infamous Joe (profile), 19 Dec 2010 @ 6:48am

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Schemer Owl

            Its an anagram of Rose's name, dammit. So sad, am I. :)

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • icon
              Rose M. Welch (profile), 19 Dec 2010 @ 12:50pm

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Schemer Owl

              Really?

              Damn, I thought it was a political or pop-culture reference that I just wasn't getting. Drove me nuts. :P

              Well played, sir.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          interval (profile), 18 Dec 2010 @ 4:41pm

          Re: Re: Re: Schemer Owl

          Say... your hubby's first name isn't Terry, is it?

          link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Hephaestus (profile), 18 Dec 2010 @ 2:20pm

    Everything I have done in IP for the past two years ,,,

    Chaos Theory is a fun subject, so is profiling, so is data modeling, and so is pushing peoples buttons. Over the next year or so expect the following.

    1) Serious backlash againsts IP and IP enforcement.
    2) Laws on the books reguarding privacy.
    3) Removal of the DNS system from the US governments control.
    4) Pharma costs being looked at. (Think Sherman Act)

    Well, merry christmas to all ... and its beeen a good fight!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Dark Helmet (profile), 18 Dec 2010 @ 2:23pm

    Nicely done.

    I like your choices, although I think it would have been better to list the third story near the top, so that it can bless the rest of the lesser posts with its glorious light-warmth....

    God I love rum in my eggnog....

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      interval (profile), 18 Dec 2010 @ 4:40pm

      Re: Nicely done.

      Rum, yesss... lusers usually put brandy... yuukkk

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Rose M. Welch (profile), 18 Dec 2010 @ 7:17pm

      Re: Nicely done.

      Brandy in mine...

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Freak, 18 Dec 2010 @ 8:39pm

        Re: Re: Nicely done.

        Luser :p

        Here, I have a good litre or so left of this Screech, it'll be making some proper eggnog at the proper ratio: 1 part rum:2 parts other ingredients.

        If it were possible, I'd insist you try some :p


        On a more serious note, I think you're exactly right about the Norwegian author with counterfeit purses. It's far too easy to simply rest on, (what you believe to be), the right side of an argument inside of trying to fix the problem, or even keep examining it long enough to recognize what the real problem is, or where its roots lie.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Fsm, 19 Dec 2010 @ 3:23am

          Re: Re: Re: Nicely done.

          3 parts rum, 0 parts other ingredients.

          That's how I like my eggnog.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            Dark Helmet (profile), 19 Dec 2010 @ 5:27am

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Nicely done.

            I'm pretty sure that's the base recipe for grog, not eggnog....

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • identicon
              Freak, 19 Dec 2010 @ 6:45am

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Nicely done.

              A proper grog at least has lime in it, so you don't get scurvy.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

              • icon
                Dark Helmet (profile), 19 Dec 2010 @ 9:02am

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Nicely done.

                Actually, according to three esteemed pirates on a certain Island that is managed by Governor Marley, the ingredients of proper Grog are as follows:

                The Ingredients of Grog:-

                Kerosene
                Propylene Glycol
                Artificial Sweeteners
                Sulphuric Acid
                Rum
                Acetone
                Red Dye No 2
                Scumm
                Axle Grease
                Battery Acid
                and/or pepperoni

                mmmmmm!

                link to this | view in chronology ]

            • icon
              Rose M. Welch (profile), 19 Dec 2010 @ 12:54pm

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Nicely done.

              Grog has alot of water, and usually some lime.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 19 Dec 2010 @ 12:12am

    Neato

    I came here to read a love note from Mike to Dark Helmet. What I got was a substantive article from Rose that summarized Mike's previous week's articles, and one from Dark Helmet.

    I know I should expect these mind tricks from Rose, but it's infuriating thinking that Mike would claim credit for the post and place the article under his own name; but only by reading it do you find the author is actually Rose.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Rose M. Welch (profile), 19 Dec 2010 @ 1:53am

      Re: Neato

      ...only by reading it do you find the author is actually Rose.

      The title didn't give it away? :)

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Mike Masnick (profile), 19 Dec 2010 @ 3:53pm

        Re: Re: Neato

        The title didn't give it away? :)


        My bad, too. I'd meant to have it go up under your name. That's now been fixed.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 19 Dec 2010 @ 5:22pm

        Re: Re: Neato

        You see, I'm blind and there's a problem with my TTS software where it doesn't recognize titles at Techdirt for some reason. It must be a malformed HTML tag. I'll have someone look into it.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Dark Helmet (profile), 19 Dec 2010 @ 5:47am

      Re: Neato

      "I know I should expect these mind tricks from Rose, but it's infuriating thinking that Mike would claim credit for the post and place the article under his own name;"

      That's a really dumb, bad attempt at trolling. I mean....the title man, look at the title....

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        The Infamous Joe (profile), 19 Dec 2010 @ 6:46am

        Re: Re: Neato

        Trolls even here, in the cheeky weekend post comments? Very sad.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        someone (profile), 19 Dec 2010 @ 9:42am

        Re: Re: Neato

        "I mean....the title man, look at the title...." --Dark Helmet

        Says the man that thought "Mr. Coffee" was "Mr. Radar"

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jeffro Troll, 19 Dec 2010 @ 8:29am

    Jeff From Nike

    That one Jeff guy that Church Chatted with on Comment 86 sounds sexy.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    anindito, 20 Dec 2010 @ 1:06am

    the art of war

    In an era where information becomes a force to attack, then all efforts to obtain information and to keep the information does not become useless, conducted at all institutions, whether state or large corporations.
    the art of war book written by Sun Tzu thousands of years ago, it's all been explained.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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