I've only seen like two people here who seemed to have read the article.
The "trolls" aren't targeting hard-core terrorists, but, rather, the potential recruits - the people who are in need of strong role models who end up gravitating to the violent, dangerous blowhards because they act like they have all the answers.
No teenager is going to idolize Barry Bonds now that he's carrying that asterisk around; nor has Paul Ruebens gotten much work in the last decade.
I would feel a lot better about that if it were the C*Os and legal counsel who were responsible for RIM's troll strategy getting penalized instead of the shareholders and employees.
In case it wasn't obvious: that was sarcasm. This site has hosted a thousand articles that showed people and companies who didn't deserve it finding themselves the target of a patent troll.
It is certainly true that "there's no doubt that RIM drew a lot of attention to itself early on with its own patent lawsuits against others," but it does not logically follow that they were sued by trolls because they trolled others. I think that sort of thing is beneath you, Mr. Masnick.
"Perhaps this wouldn't work -- as people likely overestimate what they "know" of certain types of people when they really have had no serious interactions with them -- but if there could be greater self-realization then they might seek out others who do have those kinds of relationships and that kind of access."
Traditionally, things like "ivory-tower elitist," "beltway insider," "washington fat-cat" have worked very well to alter politicians' behavior. Just need something snappy....
Should I be voting you up for funny for your masterful use of sarcasm?
Why is the education "required" if the person is using an heritage art form that they already know? It'd be like requiring a 5-star chef to re-attend culinary school because the meals he cooks aren't on your regulation menu.
What *about* the liability issues? Those don't go away with a license.
Close to eight years ago, I contacted Mr. Notley to inquire about obtaining permission to use altered images (animated .gifs, cropped and recolored .jpgs, etc) from his comic strips as avatar icons for message boards and internet fora. His response was (and I'm paraphrasing): "do whatever you want as long as you don't claim Bob is yours; also, any good word you can spread about Bob is appreciated."
I've been linking to and promoting his site to friends and coworkers for almost a decade now =P
Bob the Angry Flower is a comic. I can't even call it a "webcomic" because it's run in print - papers and magazines - for longer than it's been online.
I can't find the blog entry I was looking for, but I think it was on Kill Ten Rats or maybe Player Versus Developer; someone did some data mining on achievements on Steam and found that a lot of the high-selling 'indie' games ended up with a low completion percentage - way lower than other games - and a pretty high rate, among bundled games, of players who never earned any of the achievements - something which is pretty much only possible if you've played the game less than five minutes or not at all.
So, there is something to be said for Valve training customers to buy everything even if you don't care about it or intend to play it. That seems like something that might hurt in the long run.
She's confusing loneliness for narcissism - that is, people say they feel lonely when, really, what they feel is self-doubt; the doubt goes away when a 'friend' reaffirms their chosen identity ("the band's going to make it" "you'll be a great mom someday" "your parent/boss/art teacher is just jealous of your talent"), and becomes an addictive replacement for self-actualization.
So people spend all day staring at a computer or a smartphone like it was the Magic Mirror from Sleeping Beauty. If they got out of their echo-chamber and dealt with strangers and real life - or, in a Buddhist-meditation sense, made themselves alone and just sat - they might detox a little.
Proximity1, your entire thread is condescending and unhelpful. If my grandfather were still alive, he would throw one of his home-grown tomatoes at you.
"And why should just the corporations be able to change the contract? Why shouldn't I, the other party to the contract, just be able to post new terms of service to a website and say that Sony must now abide by them? "
Why don't you? Write up a counter-agreement, send it certified mail (forcing someone at SONY's HQ to sign for it), include a clause saying that signing for the package implies agreement of your new terms unless you hear from them in writing within 15 days, wait 15 days, then file a copy of your agreement with your local county clerk.
Mike's always been a free-market guy. This comes as a surprise to you now, but only because America hasn't had a true free market since probably the aftermath of the Civil War, when corporate spokesmen and lobbyists started misusing the 14th Amendment to grab rights for businesses and set the stage for corporate personhood.
Use the console? Sort of. You can use it to play games* and play movies on disc, but SONY advertises features that require the online connection.
Can you return the devalued device? No, probably not - certainly not to SONY and typically not to the retailer if it's been more than 30 days.
*Some games require an online connection - most for multiplayer, but some for DRM. You may actually not be able to play all your games - especially games you purchased through the PSN store.
Also: I'm not sure if SONY uses Micro-Transaction Currency, but with XBox Live and MS Points: MS will not refund or transfer points in numerous situations, meaning you may have bought 4000 MSP for $50, spent 1600 of those points, then, after declining a new TOS, be locked out of spending or retrieving your remaining $30.
MTC should probably be considered a contract, legally, and partially-consumed MTC should be considered a partially-fulfilled contract; if the company excludes you from access to that MTC for any reason it should be considered a breach of contract resulting in penalties.
Except you claim job loss numbers higher than government recorded employment in your industry ever.
I'm late to the party on this, but wouldn't it be better to say something more like "You claim more jobs lost than you've ever paid payroll taxes on?" I mean, they *could* have hired millions of undocumented illegals.
Aaaaand, because of prosecutorial overreach, the 1984 (hoo boy, the universe really does run on irony) Computer Fraud and Abuse Act says circumventing TOS is a federal felony.
On the post: Time Warner Cable Is Ready For A 'Conversation' About Rising Costs, But Not The One You Want To Have
On the post: State Department Wants To Troll Terrorists Online
The "trolls" aren't targeting hard-core terrorists, but, rather, the potential recruits - the people who are in need of strong role models who end up gravitating to the violent, dangerous blowhards because they act like they have all the answers.
No teenager is going to idolize Barry Bonds now that he's carrying that asterisk around; nor has Paul Ruebens gotten much work in the last decade.
On the post: RIM Loses Another Patent Case, Told To Pay $147.2 Million
Re:
On the post: RIM Loses Another Patent Case, Told To Pay $147.2 Million
Re:
It is certainly true that "there's no doubt that RIM drew a lot of attention to itself early on with its own patent lawsuits against others," but it does not logically follow that they were sued by trolls because they trolled others. I think that sort of thing is beneath you, Mr. Masnick.
On the post: RIM Loses Another Patent Case, Told To Pay $147.2 Million
On the post: Getting More People Aware Of The Problems Of Patents & Copyright: Reducing Social Distance
Traditionally, things like "ivory-tower elitist," "beltway insider," "washington fat-cat" have worked very well to alter politicians' behavior. Just need something snappy....
On the post: Why You Can't Braid Someone's Hair In Utah For Money Without First Paying $16k
Re:
Why is the education "required" if the person is using an heritage art form that they already know? It'd be like requiring a 5-star chef to re-attend culinary school because the meals he cooks aren't on your regulation menu.
What *about* the liability issues? Those don't go away with a license.
On the post: Former Righthaven CEO Secretly Hires Lawyers For The Company He No Longer Has Anything To Do With
On the post: Why Do The People Who Always Ask Us To 'Respect' Artists Seem To Have So Little Respect For Artists?
Re: Bob the Angry Flower is crap?!?!
I've been linking to and promoting his site to friends and coworkers for almost a decade now =P
On the post: Why Do The People Who Always Ask Us To 'Respect' Artists Seem To Have So Little Respect For Artists?
Re:
http://www.angryflower.com/
There isn't really an explanation of why he's angry. It's absurdist comedy, and fantastic.
On the post: EA Believes That Making A Lot Of Money Is Less Important Than Keeping Games Expensive
Re:
So, there is something to be said for Valve training customers to buy everything even if you don't care about it or intend to play it. That seems like something that might hurt in the long run.
Good Old Games/GOG.com, one of Steam's few competitors, seems to have a similar viewpoint: http://www.penny-arcade.com/report/editorial-article/how-valve-devalued-video-games-and-why-thats-go od-news-for-developers-and-p ... but take that with a grain of sand because while GOG's prices never seem to drop to the lowest of Valve's lows, their average prices seem a bit lower than valve's non-sale price.
On the post: Sherry Turkle Says Technology Is Making Us Lonelier Because We Spend Less Time Alone, Or Something
She's confusing loneliness for narcissism - that is, people say they feel lonely when, really, what they feel is self-doubt; the doubt goes away when a 'friend' reaffirms their chosen identity ("the band's going to make it" "you'll be a great mom someday" "your parent/boss/art teacher is just jealous of your talent"), and becomes an addictive replacement for self-actualization.
So people spend all day staring at a computer or a smartphone like it was the Magic Mirror from Sleeping Beauty. If they got out of their echo-chamber and dealt with strangers and real life - or, in a Buddhist-meditation sense, made themselves alone and just sat - they might detox a little.
On the post: Sherry Turkle Says Technology Is Making Us Lonelier Because We Spend Less Time Alone, Or Something
Re: Re: Re: Re: Are you kidding me?
50 DKP minus.
On the post: Sherry Turkle Says Technology Is Making Us Lonelier Because We Spend Less Time Alone, Or Something
Re:
On the post: Court Says Sony Is Free To Change Its Terms Of Service Because Accessing PSN Is A Choice
Re: Hmm...Is mike going the way of John Stossel?
Why don't you? Write up a counter-agreement, send it certified mail (forcing someone at SONY's HQ to sign for it), include a clause saying that signing for the package implies agreement of your new terms unless you hear from them in writing within 15 days, wait 15 days, then file a copy of your agreement with your local county clerk.
On the post: Court Says Sony Is Free To Change Its Terms Of Service Because Accessing PSN Is A Choice
Re:
On the post: Court Says Sony Is Free To Change Its Terms Of Service Because Accessing PSN Is A Choice
Re: Hmm...Is mike going the way of John Stossel?
On the post: Court Says Sony Is Free To Change Its Terms Of Service Because Accessing PSN Is A Choice
Re:
Can you return the devalued device? No, probably not - certainly not to SONY and typically not to the retailer if it's been more than 30 days.
*Some games require an online connection - most for multiplayer, but some for DRM. You may actually not be able to play all your games - especially games you purchased through the PSN store.
Also: I'm not sure if SONY uses Micro-Transaction Currency, but with XBox Live and MS Points: MS will not refund or transfer points in numerous situations, meaning you may have bought 4000 MSP for $50, spent 1600 of those points, then, after declining a new TOS, be locked out of spending or retrieving your remaining $30.
MTC should probably be considered a contract, legally, and partially-consumed MTC should be considered a partially-fulfilled contract; if the company excludes you from access to that MTC for any reason it should be considered a breach of contract resulting in penalties.
On the post: Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt
I'm late to the party on this, but wouldn't it be better to say something more like "You claim more jobs lost than you've ever paid payroll taxes on?" I mean, they *could* have hired millions of undocumented illegals.
On the post: Should We Outlaw Employers From Asking For Social Networking Logins?
Re: Already against Facebook's TOS to do this..
Next >>