Marcus Carab's Favorite 'Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week' Posts So Far

from the recursion-is-recursion dept

Sat, Apr 2nd 2011 12:00pm — Marcus Carab

This week, we contacted a bunch of regular commenters about doing the week's "favorites" posts... and heard back from none of them. Either you guys don't check the emails you have associated with your Techdirt accounts, you secretly hate me or there's a way overractive spam filter at work here. So special thanks to Marcus, who stepped in at the very last minute and be the first person to have two "favorites of the week" posts... though, he decided to go a different, and entertaining, way with it...

Can you handle the meta? Can you process the paradox? This week there was a vacuum where the weekly favorites post should be, so I have the distinct honor of being the first to deliver two of these Saturday soliloquies. But, since a mere refrain felt insufficient, I've decided to give Mike twice as many errant ‘U’s to edit out of my Canadian writing and deliver my Favorite "Favorite Techdirt Post Of The Week" Posts So Far.

Join me on this nostalgic journey, starting all the way back in the distant past of December 11, 2010, when men were men, women were women and notorious rapist-or-something Julian Assange was at large. Yes, I would be remiss if I didn't give a nod to Dark Helmet's inaugural Favorites post, which highlighted some hypocrisy about Wikileaks and reminded us that America's military efforts involve more private contractors than most people realize.

Fast-forward to January 22nd and Karl's Favorite Posts. He opens with some positivity, highlighting Paulo Coelho's smart reaction to censorship and Severed Fifth's plan to "reinvent the music business". But then he gives us a dose of less-palatable reality by reminding us that despite Deadmau5's sincere approach to CwF, he can still be a bit of a copyright bully.

My next pick is Modplan's Favorite Posts, primarily for his fantastic comment on restrictive drug patent protections in trade agreements: If only every society were required to reinvent the wheel, we'd all have teleporters by now.

The following week there was a post about Ubisoft's commercial for their adult Wii game which I came across at work, where I was reluctant to click play. I forgot about the video, and it wasn't until ChurchHatesTucker's Favorite Posts reminded me of it that I got around to watching it. I'm very glad I did, because it is hilarious. I've seen Atari games that are sexier than that. You'd have better luck and more fun playing Strip Mario Kart.

Finally there is Capitalist Lion Tamer's Favorite Posts from a couple weeks ago. An apparent newcomer in the comments, CLT won us all over pretty quickly with his inimitable style, which he wields here like a sword to skewer Twitter's recent change of heart and Techdirt's first topless shot. He also might have put a hit out on Bon Jovi.

So there you have it. My Favorite Favorites, or Favorites² if you will. Stay tuned for tomorrow's Funniest/Most Insightful Comments On Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Posts post! (just kidding)

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

30 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2011 @ 12:36pm

This week I think I had an epiphany about traffic cameras.
We should steal some boards analyze it and switch those boards with ones that send fake photos to the police, it will be funny to see them trying to sort out what is real and what is not, maybe that is better then torching them like some people are actually doing.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2011 @ 12:48pm

Someone play taps for Techdirt... the fun is over.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2011 @ 1:11pm

Re:
Back when I was in high school, there came a day that the school started implementing cameras all over campus. Eventually, one of the cameras was stolen by a student and they never found out who did it.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2011 @ 1:24pm

Response to: Anonymous Coward on Apr 2nd, 2011 @ 12:48pm
I'm a little surprised they ran through the entire community so fast. Guess working for free is fun the first time and then the novelty wears off. Can't CwF if fans don't want to CwYou.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2011 @ 1:24pm

Re:
"Raleigh Man May Face Charges For 'Practicing Engineering Without A License'"

http://www2.nbc17.com/news/wake-county/2011/feb/10/raleigh-man-could-face-criminal-char ges-after-ncdo-ar-773282/

BTW, I'm all for traffic laws that make us safe, including reasonable speed limits when and where appropriate.

People here often say, "when speed limits were lowered, fatality rates decreased." The reason is because there are some places where it makes sense to lower speed limits and lowering speed limits in those areas will tend to lower fatalities in those areas, hence lowering overall fatalities. But, certain areas at certain times are perfectly safe to drive at speeds above their current speed limit and I believe there are many speed limits that need to be increased. No one here on Techdirt is against speed limits, and we're not against lowered speed limits where they make sense. We're against speed limits being used as a revenue generation tool and we're against low speed limits being used in areas that can safely tolerate higher speed limits.

I also don't believe in the (almost) blanker speed limit system we have. If the government can afford all these expensive red light and speeding cameras, if they can afford to hire police officers with radar guns to track people who speed (labor isn't cheap), they can afford to have a digital speed limit posted on the freeway that changes from time to time depending on traffic and weather conditions and time of day.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2011 @ 1:26pm

Re: Re:
blanket *
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Greevar (profile), 2 Apr 2011 @ 1:52pm

Re: Response to: Anonymous Coward on Apr 2nd, 2011 @ 12:48pm
Ooh! Everybody happens to be short of free time to post an article this week and you take that as a complete failure of one of Mike's core arguments? You're really making a stretch man, don't pull a muscle now. I did happen to notice that you have enough free time to make a snide remark. Why don't you start your own blog that counters TechDirt and try to be successful using your supposed superior economic models?

In other words: STFU.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Marcus Carab (profile), 2 Apr 2011 @ 1:54pm

Re: Response to: Anonymous Coward on Apr 2nd, 2011 @ 12:48pm
Guess working for free is fun the first time and then the novelty wears off.

What a bizarre conclusion to draw from the very first second-time favourites post...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Ken (profile), 2 Apr 2011 @ 1:55pm

Re: Re:
The safest speed is whatever other cars are going. If everyone is driving 85mph then that is the safest speed to travel. When everyone else is drive 70 and some bozo is driving 55 it is that person that is putting everyone in danger including themselves not the ones driving 70. Police should focus on those that are driving against the prevailing speed and those driving reckless not just fixate on the posted limit.

Speed limits should be set based on the road itself, statistical analysis of driving patterns, whether, and traffic density. There should be no blanket speed limits and they should actually be changed based on the conditions of the time. It is time to do away with posted speed limits and have general speed guidelines. Technology is at a point now where people can get real time data of the speed limit based on their GPS position.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2011 @ 1:57pm

Re: Re: Response to: Anonymous Coward on Apr 2nd, 2011 @ 12:48pm
Yes a favorites post of other favorites posts. I thought this was Techdirt.com not Orobouros.com...

Soylent green is people!!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Capitalist Lion Tamer (profile), 2 Apr 2011 @ 4:47pm

Re: Response to: Anonymous Coward on Apr 2nd, 2011 @ 12:48pm
"Guess working for free is fun the first time and then the novelty wears off."

The real reward is asinine comments from AC's who have nothing to back up their statements. Not a URL. Not a body of work somewhere else. Not even a name. You can't put a price on that. You probably wouldn't want to put a price on that.

I'd do it every week if I could. For free. Because I enjoy it. I guess I just don't view every opportunity as some sort of situation where I'm getting screwed. Obviously, you do. I can't even imagine how horrible your day-to-day existence must be.

(I can sort of imagine it, though. Remember this?)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Dark Helmet (profile), 2 Apr 2011 @ 5:06pm

...
The original idea for this weekend was still better....
[ link to this | view in thread ]
harbingerofdoom (profile), 2 Apr 2011 @ 5:10pm

Re: Re: Response to: Anonymous Coward on Apr 2nd, 2011 @ 12:48pm
I can't even imagine how horrible your day-to-day existence must be.

my theory is that once you have reached the point where monetizing what you do for kicks takes precedence over actually doing what you do for kicks you have pretty much lost all balance and you really dont realize that you have turned what you love doing into a rather tedious job... and the worst part is that you never really realize how much your life sucks because you no longer are doing anything just for the lulz.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 2 Apr 2011 @ 5:12pm

Re: Re: Re: Response to: Anonymous Coward on Apr 2nd, 2011 @ 12:48pm
So if the experiment doesn't work, what is the problem exactly?

Is not like he is trying to use negative incentives(i.e. punishment) to do something, he actually is trying to find a positive(i.e. reward) that works for him, and he eventually will find something.

On the other hand you people will continue to use punishment to make others do business with you which will lead eventually to the creation of alternatives legal and illegal that will undermine your position and revenues, and that is not a question of if, but when it will happen.

Every monopoly eventually ends and people like you just cry a lot, but can't do nothing.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Marcus Carab (profile), 2 Apr 2011 @ 5:22pm

Re: Re: Re: Response to: Anonymous Coward on Apr 2nd, 2011 @ 12:48pm
Nice one. Did you cobble that together after a bong hit? Or am I thinking of your MIke Masnick voodoo doll? Speaking of ouroboroses, you should take your head out of your ass - that sharpie is gone and you have to accept it. You're right about the soylent green though, which I guess is why the assisted suicide clinic rejected you.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
coldbrew, 2 Apr 2011 @ 6:27pm

Re: ...
Nuh-uhhhhhhh!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
coldbrew, 2 Apr 2011 @ 6:53pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Response to: Anonymous Coward on Apr 2nd, 2011 @ 12:48pm
What do you have against bong hits? I hope you like beer, at least :-)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Kaden (profile), 2 Apr 2011 @ 6:58pm

Re: Response to: Anonymous Coward on Apr 2nd, 2011 @ 12:48pm
The ACs display the fetishistic fervour of devout masochists in the way they set themselves up to have the community heap abuse on them on a daily basis.

Makes ya wonder if they come here just because they're too cheap to pay a woman in stilettos and a leather corset for the same kinda service.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Atkray (profile), 2 Apr 2011 @ 8:16pm

Let's see he was approached at the last minute and came through. Hmmm seems like a positive thing to me.

A few random requests/suggestions in no particular order.

1: Hoodies (I have the Mrs. convinced she needs one)
2: Signatures for posts
3: A page of "stickies" where epic posts can be readily accessed

Thanks and Nice job Marcus.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 2 Apr 2011 @ 9:13pm

Re: Response to: Anonymous Coward on Apr 2nd, 2011 @ 12:48pm
Guess working for free is fun the first time and then the novelty wears off.

I'm still available, Mike.

Just, you know, putting that out there.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
fairuse (profile), 2 Apr 2011 @ 11:06pm

Re: Response to: Anonymous Coward on Apr 2nd, 2011 @ 12:48pm
I'm a little surprised they ran through the entire community so fast.
Guess working for free is fun the first time and then the novelty wears off.
|
+- Unsupported inference - strike out in record.

Can't CwF if fans don't want to CwYou.
|
+- By its self the statement has the ring of truth in it.
If fans do not want to connect they are not fans. A fan usually wants to
connect with the entity they are a fan of. If said entity does nothing,
CwF is still a valid description because, "the presence of the entity is
CwF", although minutely.

Saying non-fan does not want to connect to entity via CwF method is frivolous. Therefore, the statement is sophistry.

You need to make a statement using "some kind" of proof. Farting in a jar is more than adequate to prove flatulence has odor, providing it is sealed properly. Your statement is the word equivalent of passing gas in an elevator full of people.
-d AKA @fairuse
[ link to this | view in thread ]
fairuse (profile), 2 Apr 2011 @ 11:31pm

A Good Result in a pinch - this is not a personal bitch blog.
I think making a deadline with a blank page is like somebody throwing their bubblegum on the floor. It sticks in the mind and is hard to remove; untidy at best.

If a weekly op-ed goes in the bin because nobody is submitting an article -- that is called fact of life in writing. There is no shortage of ideas but getting someone to actually do the work is scarce paid or not paid. Weekly op-ed being done weekly is golden. Google newspaper business editorial writers. Don't forget to recycle ideas; things change.

Favorite of week is just now entering my radar. I know I am busy. I say it was a good save Markus.
-d AKA @fairuse
[ link to this | view in thread ]
fairuse (profile), 2 Apr 2011 @ 11:58pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Response to: Anonymous Coward on Apr 2nd, 2011 @ 12:48pm
search -- Orobouros.com
\
Google said you (Markus article in techdirt) have 11th place in search result. For some strange reason google keeps wanting .NET version of name. Who knows why google dislikes .COM version; not important.
Later,
-d @fairuse
[ link to this | view in thread ]
G Thompson (profile), 3 Apr 2011 @ 2:12am

U... U... U... yes U!
Colour me red, and flavour me with vinegar

But FAVOURITE is spelt with a bloody U!!!

and we, the right spelking peeps of the English world (or its commonwealth at the least) will not be censored.. WE DEMAND our U's!!!

*grumbles into my beer*
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Planespotter (profile), 3 Apr 2011 @ 3:51am

Re: U... U... U... yes U!
spelling
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Marcus Carab (profile), 3 Apr 2011 @ 5:46am

Re: U... U... U... yes U!
Mike and I have reached an uneasy compromise on this. I will let him take the 'U's out of my posts for Techdirt, but he will not try to claim that his way is actually "more correct" :D
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 3 Apr 2011 @ 6:08am

Re: Re:
Don't be a prude.

http://www.wwltv.com/news/Vandalism-shows-growing-frustration-with-traffic-cameras-1047467 84.html?commentPage=0

I to am in favor of things that makes as safe so instead of torching the traffic cameras which poses a fire risk, it would be nice to have them sending fakes photos to the ticket mill :)

Collection of gatsos burned down by people in the U.K.
http://www.speedcam.co.uk/gatso2.htm

Also I know of people shooting, painting and even planting explosives, not to mention one incident in Africa where people took the entire electronics and cameras to sell in the black market.

Flame on!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
vivaelamor (profile), 3 Apr 2011 @ 1:55pm

Re: Re: U... U... U... yes U!
'Mike and I have reached an uneasy compromise on this. I will let him take the 'U's out of my posts for Techdirt, but he will not try to claim that his way is actually "more correct" :D'

I think he forgot to remove them from mine, though he did add at least one missing apostrophe (which wasn't a regional thing, just a me rushing things thing).

I had wanted to do mine as a poem but unfortunately it was also a somewhat last minute request.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Mike Masnick (profile), 3 Apr 2011 @ 7:45pm

Re: Response to: Anonymous Coward on Apr 2nd, 2011 @ 12:48pm
I'm a little surprised they ran through the entire community so fast. Guess working for free is fun the first time and then the novelty wears off.

Um. Didn't run through the community. Just hit a few folks who don't use the email address they registered with that often. Of course, since then, most of them have replied, all eager to do it... and others have stepped up as well. So. Um. No. You're wrong, as per usual.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
fairuse (profile), 3 Apr 2011 @ 11:43pm

Re: Re: U... U... U... yes U!
.
favorite |ˈfāv(ə)rət| (Brit. favourite)
adjective [ attrib. ]
preferred before all others of the same kind : their favorite Italian restaurant.

*grinning* There is English and there is english. Even the dictionary avoids banging head against the wall on which is correct.
LOL
-d
[ link to this | view in thread ]