15% is approximately 1 in 6; so basically one word in every sentence of 6 words. In any given sentence, there is a noun or two (subject, object), a verb, and other words that could be loosely grouped as "qualifiers".
To destroy the value of the sentence, only one of the major words must be removed:
Original: Johnny ate the bright red apple.
Critical words removed: XXXXXX ate the bright red apple. Johnny XXXXXX the bright red apple. Johnny ate the bright red XXXXXX.
So I would expect 15% redactions to remove the sense of pretty much anything.
First the CIA blacked out the parts that were embarrassing to the CIA. They didn't care about the other parts, "Let them worry about it."
Then it went to the White House and was reviewed by State, which blacked out everything embarrassing to State. They didn't care about the other parts, "Let them worry about it."
Then it was reviewed by DOJ, which blacked out everything embarrassing to DOJ. Etc.
Then it was reviewed by DHS. Ditto.
Then it was reviewed by the president's staff, which blacked out everything embarrassing to presidents (current and former). After they were done, nothing was left.
After all, that's what happens when all the authors of a debacle get to censor the report of the debacle.
"But, while most (all?) states in our glorious union operate a lottery, and many others are home to horse/dog tracks, OTBs, and some flavor of casinos, online gambling is treated as the stuff of nightmares."
[Rapping on side-kick's noggin] Hello! Hello! Online gambling is competing with the lotteries, the horse/dog tracks, the OTBs, and the casinos. They're taking our money! Of course it is the stuff of nighmares!
The last thing states and American companies need is to be competing with online gambling for citizen dollars! Allowing competition like that would be positively immoral. (Which is as good as any excuse for banning online gambling.)
It is just facists at work again, because individuals who aren't zillionaires will have to identify themselves, but the plutocrats and their minions will hide their faces behind faceless corporations. (After all, corporations are people, you know.)
The case is actually proof that Personal Audio is trolling.
The purpose of patent is to enforce a monopoly, and they could still do that, even though Adam Carolla has no money. So their attempt to drop the suit is proof of violation of the whole reason patents exist.
Perhaps this is a behavior that could be used in law to ban trolls.
Peak Internet states that, "The complainant currently subscribes to our $49.95/mo package for a maximum download speed of 20Mbps, with a guaranteed minimum download of 4Mbps."
To me, this sounds like admission of false advertising. If I were Petrick, I'd drop a note on this admission to the FTC.
Subsequent to the prior article, it occurred to me that maybe the entire thing was mock-up. All it would take is someone to play annoyed customer, someone to play stubborn customer shill, and a recorder.
I spent a while digging around over the weekend and found an online copy of the Marlene Pinnock lawsuit.
An important thing to note from that lawsuit is that they also siezed Ms. Pinnock's shredded clothing and a list of visitors to her hospital room. It is not at all likely that those would be used as evidence against the officer, so it seems quite clear they are pursuing a felony charge against her.
The visitor list is especially puzzling, unless they think someone is bringing drugs to the hospital.
What do you mean we actually have to innovate software to get a software patent? That's soooo hard. Please, can't we just go back to innovating extortion schemes?
It should be nothing but hubris for ASCAP and the others to think they could have a verdict go against them on grounds of collusion, and minutes later demand the consent decree be ended.
The sad thing is that, given the government we've seen recently, it won't surprise me if the result is termination of the consent decree and a final ban on Pandora.
So is it really hubris? Or do they have the fix in place?
What puzzles me is how we learned of this upload. Obviously, someone has lots of time to spend weeding through this stuff.
Since the FCC's normal process is very likely "ERASE COMMENTS.DB", it seems like someone out there is spending a lot of time going through comments for nothing.
On the post: Former Top FISA Judge Insists USA Freedom Act Is Dangerous Because It Might Mean FISA Court Can't Rubberstamp So Fast
Question your Honor?
Excuse me, your Honor, but you wouldn't be discussing "exculpatory evidence," would you? Wouldn't discussing that be a duty in any court?
On the post: How Redacting 'Just 15%' Can Hide The Details Of CIA's Torture Program
Typical
To destroy the value of the sentence, only one of the major words must be removed:
Original:
Johnny ate the bright red apple.
Critical words removed:
XXXXXX ate the bright red apple.
Johnny XXXXXX the bright red apple.
Johnny ate the bright red XXXXXX.
So I would expect 15% redactions to remove the sense of pretty much anything.
On the post: Ebola Cure Not Fully Developed Because Big Pharma Not Interested In Saving Lives Of Poor People In Africa
Title assumes facts not in evidence
Big pharma is interested only in profit; if some lives get saved by accident while profiting, well that's nice.
On the post: FBI Refuses To Let Public Know How Its Drone Usage Affects Their Privacy
To be fair
On the post: White House Finishes Review Of CIA Terror Report: Feinstein Wants To Know Why It's Basically All Blacked Out
See, it went like this...
Then it went to the White House and was reviewed by State, which blacked out everything embarrassing to State. They didn't care about the other parts, "Let them worry about it."
Then it was reviewed by DOJ, which blacked out everything embarrassing to DOJ. Etc.
Then it was reviewed by DHS. Ditto.
Then it was reviewed by the president's staff, which blacked out everything embarrassing to presidents (current and former). After they were done, nothing was left.
After all, that's what happens when all the authors of a debacle get to censor the report of the debacle.
On the post: Business Insider Ridiculously Blames Ed Snowden For All The Damage The NSA Has Caused
Re: About secrets
On the post: Senators Goad DOJ Into More Pointless Online Gambling Takedowns
Political response to the article
[Rapping on side-kick's noggin] Hello! Hello! Online gambling is competing with the lotteries, the horse/dog tracks, the OTBs, and the casinos. They're taking our money! Of course it is the stuff of nighmares!
The last thing states and American companies need is to be competing with online gambling for citizen dollars! Allowing competition like that would be positively immoral. (Which is as good as any excuse for banning online gambling.)
On the post: UK Government Report Recommends Ending Online Anonymity
Facists at work
On the post: Podcasting Patent Troll Realizes Podcasters Don't Make Any Money; Desperately Tries To Escape Adam Carolla Lawsuit
Proof of the Troll
The purpose of patent is to enforce a monopoly, and they could still do that, even though Adam Carolla has no money. So their attempt to drop the suit is proof of violation of the whole reason patents exist.
Perhaps this is a behavior that could be used in law to ban trolls.
On the post: ISP Sues Former Customer Over Reviews Claiming His Internet Speed Was Less Than A Third Of What Was Advertised
Guilty as charged?
To me, this sounds like admission of false advertising. If I were Petrick, I'd drop a note on this admission to the FTC.
On the post: Court To Frat Boys: Openness Of Courts More Compelling Than Your Potential Embarrassment
Florida
Guess these frat guys just don't live in the right state.
On the post: FCC Tells ISPs That They Better Be Transparent... Or Else It Will Taunt Them Again
The taunt
On the post: Did Comcast's Infamous Customer Service Call Open The Company Up To Legal Troubles For Lying About Speeds?
Mockup?
Could this be made up?
Guess what happens if it is...
On the post: Airlines, Travel Sites Hand Over Your Full Booking Credit Card, IP Info To Feds, Who Keep It Stored With No Encryption
Omission
On the post: California Highway Patrol Seizes Medical Records Of Woman An Officer Was Caught On Tape Beating
Important information
An important thing to note from that lawsuit is that they also siezed Ms. Pinnock's shredded clothing and a list of visitors to her hospital room. It is not at all likely that those would be used as evidence against the officer, so it seems quite clear they are pursuing a felony charge against her.
The visitor list is especially puzzling, unless they think someone is bringing drugs to the hospital.
On the post: UK Foreign Office Reverses Course On CIA Rendition Files 'Lost' To Water Damage: Papers Have Now 'Dried Out'
Standard procedure
After thinking about this for a while, I conclude you can read their responses as follows:
On July 10, "You can't have the records because those contain evidence of wrongdoing."
On July 18, "You can have the records now, because we've scrubbed out all the evidence of wrongdoing."
So good luck finding anything useful in there.
On the post: Latest CAFC Ruling Suggests A Whole Lot Of Software Patents Are Likely Invalid
What shall we innovate?
On the post: ASCAP's Desire To End Antitrust Agreement Leads DOJ To Investigate Latest Collusion Between Music Publishers
Hubris, or not
The sad thing is that, given the government we've seen recently, it won't surprise me if the result is termination of the consent decree and a final ban on Pandora.
So is it really hubris? Or do they have the fix in place?
On the post: Guy Files Dishwasher User Manual As An FCC Comment On Net Neutrality
Puzzling
Since the FCC's normal process is very likely "ERASE COMMENTS.DB", it seems like someone out there is spending a lot of time going through comments for nothing.
On the post: FCC Site For Accepting Net Neutrality Comments Falls Over (Again) On Final Day To Submit
FCC spokesman parody
Next >>