TheResidentSkeptic (profile), 19 Oct 2015 @ 7:11am
Cutting the Cable and Dropping the Dish
No cable service where I live (in spite of it being available in my area...) so I got a dish when I bought the place. Well, now that I have 20MB bonded DSL (with the "no home phone" option!) I am dropping the dish as well.
Let's do the math... my bill goes from $180/month to NetFlix + Amazon + Roku... seems to be a savings of about $150/month to me. I even bought one of the roku TVs for the bedroom. As the equipment becomes more prevalent in the market (hello Nvidia Shield!) the industry is going to find that the drop is not a gentle downhill slide - more like a cliff dive.
Proud to be both a Cord Cutter and a Dish Dropper! Let's see you track those stats!
TheResidentSkeptic (profile), 15 Oct 2015 @ 11:01am
Stop using encryption.
No Sir, we no longer use encryption, so you don't need a backdoor.
We just use obfuscation in the form of a mathematical formula applied to the data to enhance its opaque characteristics during traversal of the internet backbone and last-mile carrier routes for the safety of our users binary encoded traffic.
TheResidentSkeptic (profile), 14 Oct 2015 @ 11:19am
Of course they have to be printed out.
1) clerk prints them all out. 2) They are redacted with a real black marker. 3) clerk makes copies of the redacted pages. 4) redacted copies are bundled, packaged, and mailed.
Of course this is the process they must follow. Just be glad you aren't being charged extra for the markers required to black out 6,000 pages of text.
... it was those Hippies. ... and before that, it was those beatniks. ... and before that, it was those flappers. ... all the way back to those kids banging the rocks together...
History keeps repeating itself.
Every generation believes the next is doomed based on the actions of the prior..
So then the TSA is the ONLY entity that can't open the locks..
IIRC, they have destroyed luggage that was equipped with their special back-door key enabled locks because...why again? Using their special key is too hard for them? They lost it and couldn't find another one? They couldn't be bothered to train their agents to recognize and use them?
So what's the total expenditure from manufacturers and customers on this gold-plated cow patty?
TheResidentSkeptic (profile), 21 Aug 2015 @ 7:12am
So if you don't use Google...
Let's say you just happen to "know" the URL of bbc.com/news or some other news website, and you go there and read an article directly. Since the articles are not what is removed, they are still available.
I didn't use google - so I don't know the story was the subject of a "right to be stupid" link removal; am I now guilty of having that dreaded "forbidden knowledge" ???
Have I broken the CFAA by typing in a real URL instead of using search? After all, if you type "1234" at the end of an url that was "....?account=1233", that is hacking and gets you a nice prison term.
So how much of an URL can I type without violating CFAA? Can I read an article that I don't know has been "delinked"?
TheResidentSkeptic (profile), 20 Aug 2015 @ 9:03am
This sounds like a trade issue...
... if only we had some sort of Trade Representative for the US and other countries who could pass treaties about not screwing their people with stupid trade restricting business practices.
TheResidentSkeptic (profile), 19 Aug 2015 @ 6:08am
News from the US
Law enforcement agencies from around the US are reporting record levels of income from their newest revenue source. Since they were unable to gain any traction with their "Respect us DAMMIT" campaign, they implemented the Spanish "lack of respect" fine structure, and have been proud to report that its revenues have surpassed even those of red-light camera systems.
TheResidentSkeptic (profile), 10 Aug 2015 @ 12:29pm
From another point of view...
Instead of whining that they can find no evidence of wrong-doing by the agencies they are supposed to oversee, they can turn that around and state that they can find no evidence of the agencies working within their mandates, and therefore should be de-funded and shut-down immediately.
They give us no evidence to the contrary, we must assume that they are violating every rule, and so far, that is what all the evidence that eventually comes out shows.
If the agencies can't PROVE that they are working within the rules - bye bye.
Theft by Thugs; Robbery at Badge Point; or any other fancy terms - but it is still the taking without real justification or compensation and needs to be shut down.
Shame us poor citizens don't have anyone representing us or our needs in our government.
... just add a "Letters to the Editor" page and respond to letters that are actually snail mailed to them... since they don't post a viable "contact us" link for that pesky e-Mail traffic.
Ah... another trip back to the "good old days".
When will these folks learn that the world has moved on and "mass-comm" is now a two-way dialogue?
1) It is illegal to NOT link to our sites and every article. For every non-published link you will be fined $150,000. 2) Links MUST include snippets. 3) Tax MUST be paid on those snippets each and every time those snippets show up in search results whether or not the user clicks on them or even sees the page that the link would be on.
There you go. Shuts down all linking services.
As there would be NO more search engines, users would have to type URLs directly. And since mis-typing a URL is considered a felony breach of the CFAA, we can put all those pesky internet users into our lovely for-profit prison system.
The remaining Luddites will watch only the approved 3 channels of news and entertainment, only read news from approved media sources, purchase the new records that are released every week, and go to the movies on Saturday Night.
All better now - back to the "good old days" of a century ago...
On the post: The Cable Industry Thinks Cord Cutting's A Fad That Will End Once Millennials Procreate
Cutting the Cable and Dropping the Dish
Let's do the math... my bill goes from $180/month to NetFlix + Amazon + Roku... seems to be a savings of about $150/month to me. I even bought one of the roku TVs for the bedroom. As the equipment becomes more prevalent in the market (hello Nvidia Shield!) the industry is going to find that the drop is not a gentle downhill slide - more like a cliff dive.
Proud to be both a Cord Cutter and a Dish Dropper! Let's see you track those stats!
On the post: Sen. Grassley Asks DOJ To Get Back To Pushing James Comey's Mandatory Encryption Backdoors Plan
Stop using encryption.
We just use obfuscation in the form of a mathematical formula applied to the data to enhance its opaque characteristics during traversal of the internet backbone and last-mile carrier routes for the safety of our users binary encoded traffic.
"Oh, Okay"
On the post: Kim Davis's Approach To Email More Outdated Than Her Views On Marriage
Of course they have to be printed out.
2) They are redacted with a real black marker.
3) clerk makes copies of the redacted pages.
4) redacted copies are bundled, packaged, and mailed.
Of course this is the process they must follow. Just be glad you aren't being charged extra for the markers required to black out 6,000 pages of text.
On the post: EU Orders Makers Of DieselStormers To Change Name Because Diesel Clothing Trademarked Diesel For Everything
Re: Those were the days
On the post: Australian Government Warns That Alternative Rock, Teenage Rebellion Could Lead To Radicalization
And before that...
... and before that, it was those beatniks.
... and before that, it was those flappers.
... all the way back to those kids banging the rocks together...
History keeps repeating itself.
Every generation believes the next is doomed based on the actions of the prior..
On the post: Why Backdoors Always Suck: The TSA Travel Locks Were Hacked And The TSA Doesn't Care
So then the TSA is the ONLY entity that can't open the locks..
So what's the total expenditure from manufacturers and customers on this gold-plated cow patty?
I feel SO much safer now...
On the post: UK Orders Google To 'Forget' News Articles Discussing Previous Right To Be Forgotten Requests
So if you don't use Google...
I didn't use google - so I don't know the story was the subject of a "right to be stupid" link removal; am I now guilty of having that dreaded "forbidden knowledge" ???
Have I broken the CFAA by typing in a real URL instead of using search? After all, if you type "1234" at the end of an url that was "....?account=1233", that is hacking and gets you a nice prison term.
So how much of an URL can I type without violating CFAA? Can I read an article that I don't know has been "delinked"?
Exactly where does this line of stupidity end?
On the post: Your Toner Is No Good Here: Region-Coding Ink Cartridges... For The Customers
This sounds like a trade issue...
/sarc (...or not)
On the post: Spanish Police Park In Handicapped Spot, Fine Person Who Caught Them For 'Impugning Their Honor'
News from the US
On the post: School, Police Chief Must Face Lawsuit Brought By Student Suspended For 10 Days For Tweeting 'Actually, Yes'
In the past..
Now, it seems to be where you go to get Stupid. Lots and Lots of heaping helpings of Stupid.
On the post: Paramount Pictures Goes After The Codfather Fish Shop Over A Fish That Looks Like Marlon Brando
They are in the same business.
On the post: Agency Watchdogs Ask Congress To Roll Back Decision Allowing Agencies To Withhold Documents From Oversight Entities
From another point of view...
They give us no evidence to the contrary, we must assume that they are violating every rule, and so far, that is what all the evidence that eventually comes out shows.
If the agencies can't PROVE that they are working within the rules - bye bye.
On the post: Shocker: Billions In Broadband Subsidies Wasted As Government Turns Blind Eye To Fraud
Incorrect Phrase
On the post: Judge Insists His Own Lost Luggage Is A 'Key' Issue In Massive Lawsuit He's Overseeing Against British Airways
I want the answer to the real question he asked.
On the post: Government Seizes Vehicles Worth $1 Million; Brings No Charges, Keeps The Cars
Not correct.
It is just plain theft. Call it what you want -
Theft by Thugs; Robbery at Badge Point; or any other fancy terms - but it is still the taking without real justification or compensation and needs to be shut down.
Shame us poor citizens don't have anyone representing us or our needs in our government.
On the post: Daily Dot Latest To 'Keep Conversation Moving Forward' By Not Letting Site Visitors Comment At All
Well, maybe they can...
Ah... another trip back to the "good old days".
When will these folks learn that the world has moved on and "mass-comm" is now a two-way dialogue?
On the post: Legislators Want Better Whistleblower Protections, Forget To Include Their Own Staff Members
Now go back and ask them...
On the post: Spanish Cops Use New Law To Fine Facebook Commenter For Calling Them 'Slackers'
Movies are not supposed to be a blueprint for politics
Somebody put me back in the Fridge...
On the post: The Drug War Is Creating Problems Too Big To Fix
Now THAT is funny!
c'mon man - you're an insider here... you know that our government has neither of those...
On the post: Study Of Spain's 'Google Tax' On News Shows How Much Damage It Has Done
Fix for new law
2) Links MUST include snippets.
3) Tax MUST be paid on those snippets each and every time those snippets show up in search results whether or not the user clicks on them or even sees the page that the link would be on.
There you go. Shuts down all linking services.
As there would be NO more search engines, users would have to type URLs directly. And since mis-typing a URL is considered a felony breach of the CFAA, we can put all those pesky internet users into our lovely for-profit prison system.
The remaining Luddites will watch only the approved 3 channels of news and entertainment, only read news from approved media sources, purchase the new records that are released every week, and go to the movies on Saturday Night.
All better now - back to the "good old days" of a century ago...
In their dreams.
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