Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt

from the fears-and-fallacies dept

This week's comments touch a bunch of topics, starting with our post on the fact that musicians are starting to realize how good Spotify can be for them. Of course, as jupiterkansas pointed out in the most insightful comment of the week, there are still plenty of reasons that the labels are unlikely to follow suit:

But the recording label can't control what people listen to on Spotify, therefore they can't control popular tastes and maintain exclusivity over an aritst's success, therefore Spotify is evil.

While American markets are still warming to Spotify, GEMA has been holding Germany back to the point that it's still struggling with YouTube. This week, when GEMA complained about YouTube's blocked video messages that directly call out the overactive collection society, and suggested they were misleading, Analyst won second place for insightful by wondering if maybe they should be careful what they wish for:

Gema just created a lose lose for themselves

Gema to the courts: Youtube is the one choosing to take down the videos, not us.

Youtube to Gema: Since you have argued in court that it is "our choice", we have chosen to stop taking the videos down.

Gema to Youtube: But ... but ...

For editor's choice on the insightful side, we'll start out with yet another example of people cluelessly fighting against new technology. This time, it's Senator Joe Manchin soothsaying about the dangers of Bitcoin and all that it enables. An anonymous commenter made an important comparison:

Imagine if they would've said this about the Internet:

"Ban the Internet! It will enable piracy, drug selling, and 1-click porn access for our kids...and the upside is dubious at best!"

Next, we've got another anonymous commenter, on another post, with another important comparison — this time on the subject of justice, corruption and accountability in government:

Again to sum up,

Roger Clemens, he lied to congress when they asked him about steroid use, and a Federal Grand Jury indited him. He was later acquitted, but there was a trial.

James Clapper lied to congress about his direct roll in the violation of the constitutional rights of 100's of millions of American citizens, and there has not only been no grand jury, but no one in the federal government seems to think he did anything wrong at all.

The minute Clapper goes to prison, is the minute these other traitorous rats will start to abandon the ship, and suddenly develop a strong desire to become zealous defenders of the constitution.

No wonder why Putin was envious of our spy program.

Over on the funny side, first place comes in response to the un-funny news about a 13-year-old kid being charged with a felony for throwing a snowball at a cop. One commenter replied with that fun old chestnut about "a village missing its idiot" — but "The Village" offered clarification:

No. We are not "missing" him.

-The Village

Second place for funny could very well go to CCI itself for claiming that Six Strikes is working (or first place, for that matter) — but as it happens, it's going to weneedhelp for a response to CCI's evidence-free assertion:

I have not been bitten by an alligator since reading techdirt... thus, TD repels alligators. Trust me its true.

For editor's choice on the funny side, we start with a comment about the presentation that revealed new shady GCHQ/NSA tactics. Lorpius Prime pointed out a problem that, while generally overshadowed by bigger concerns, is no less true because of it:

Augh. GCHQ needs to be shut down just for its terrible Powerpoint slides.

And, finally, we've got a top-notch anonymous quip responding to our concern that big telcos aren't investing in "the networks of tomorrow":

getting them to invest in the networks of today would be a good start!!

It sure would...

That's all for this week, folks!

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  1. icon
    Richard (profile), 2 Mar 2014 @ 1:01pm

    Policemen and snow

    What is it with policemen and snow?

    If you want to make some fun with the police using snow then you need to be a bit more subtle.

    For an antidote to the story here consider these events from the 1984 miners' strike in the UK.

    Here is a link to a song about it

    http://www.yorkshirefolksong.net/song_database/Mining%20-%20Coal/The_Super_and_the_Snowman.134.asp x

    And the story...

    The Miners of Silverwood, having been told they were confined to six pickets only, built themselves a seventh comrade in the shape of a large snowman, wearing for good measure a plastic policeman's helmet.

    Next morning, Chief Inspector Nesbitt appears on the scene and seeing the jeering miners and their steely eyed companion, ordered the constables to knock it down . This order brought rebellion to the police ranks as PCs declined to, "look so fu**ing stupid knocking down a snowman". "Very well," shouts the irate Nesbitt, jumping in his Range Rover and charging off to demolish the snowman, as pickets ran laughing for cover.

    Maybe it was a trick of the light, or maybe a twinkle glistened in the icy countenance on the snowman's fixed expression - we shall never know, as the Range Rover made contact and came to a dead stop, smashing front grill, bumper and headlamps and hurling the shocked Nesbitt into the steering wheel. PCs found excuses to walk away or suppress body shaking laughter while pickets fell about on the ground with side splitting mirth. The snowman had been constructed around a three foot high two foot thick concrete post!

    The above classic story is totally true and is from the book - 'All power to the imagination!' by Dave Douglass. You can buy the book online here(http://www.minersadvice.co.uk/furthread.htm)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. icon
    Ferel (profile), 2 Mar 2014 @ 1:15pm

    The best part of the village idiot comment was coming back a day after I clicked the +funny button and catching the double meaning in "missing". Yes I'm slow sometimes, but that was worth it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. icon
    Josh (profile), 2 Mar 2014 @ 4:05pm

    You can't deny my flawless logic

    Since there's no one to claim that last editor's choice, but I made it the first word, I'm just going to go ahead and claim the position of Techdirt Editor.

    So, Mike, when do I start getting paid?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 2 Mar 2014 @ 7:05pm

    Imagine if they would've said this about the Internet:

    "Ban the Internet! It will enable piracy, drug selling, and 1-click porn access for our kids...and the upside is dubious at best!"


    For many people, that is already the upside.

    link to this | view in thread ]


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