Here's the harm of including warnings when there's no evidence to indicate that they're warranted (aside from spreading needless fear and disinformation): When warnings are ubiquitous, people develop a higher tolerance for them. In time, they'll just disregard them, even the ones that are legitimate. Case in point: California's Proposition 65 warnings (dealing with chemicals that actually do cause cancer, in sufficient doses). When I first saw the Prop 65 warning signs outside businesses, many years ago, I was alarmed. But those signs are everywhere. There's one on the front of my apartment building, at the grocery store, the building where I work. EVERYWHERE. But I barely notice them anymore. They're just part of the background.
Save the warnings for when they're needed. It's actually safer.
This is a bit of an aside, but it seems kind of unfair to lump Sonic in with those others ISPs. Sonic has hardly been quiet about net neutrality. (Happy Sonic customer. Ending shameless promotion now.)
From the Wikipedia article (Thanks for the link, BTW):
Depending on the particular bill, one of four trees may be used: the first tree has room for three amendments, the second and third trees have room for five amendments, and the fourth tree has room for 11 (or 12 in rare instances) amendments.[2] To fill the tree, none of the slots may be left available.
I'm just picturing the meeting where people came up with these rules. Does 3-5-5-11 (or rarely 12 - and why does it get to be the sole exception?) have some significance I'm missing? Did they just roll the dice? Or maybe one 12-sided die?
"...there has been an effort on the part of the administration, even given the constraints that we have about talking about classified or highly sensitive national security programs, to be as honest and forthright and candid about these programs and about the impact that they have on our national security."
What? "As honest and forthright and candid about these programs and about the impact that they have on our national security"? Is he joking?
Not at all. Reread the statement. He used the comparative "as", but without noting what he's comparing the administration too. We could assume he means "as honest... as possible", but that's not what he said.
So we're free to complete the sentence however we wish. For example: "There has been an effort on the part of the administration... to be as honest and forthright and candid ... as we have been in the past." Which would be entirely truthful, since this administration is about as transparent as a box of mud.
Personally, I'm not so convinced that Techdirt's female readers are so easily offended by a bit of salty language here and there.
However, I am curious, so perhaps some of you ladies could weigh in this issue?
OK, as a woman who's a regular reader here, I'll weigh in on this: There are plenty of offensive things in this world. (This site deals with a fair number of them.) Salty language -- in itself -- isn't one of them.
I still think profanity is most powerful when used sparingly. In my offline life I very rarely swear. When I do, the people who know me pay attention.
On the other hand, I've known a few people -- women and men alike -- whose skillful use of profanity truly qualifies as art. NSFW, perhaps, but very entertaining.
And regardless, sometimes a situation is so messed up that you just need to say... Fuck that shit.
(I have good OTA reception where I am, so I'm fortunate in that respect. But even without that, having lived happily without a cable bill for 10 years, I can't imagine ever choosing to give money to a cable company again.)
I would expect a settlement in the near future if the NYPD wishes to prevent the Second Circuit from joining the rest of the circuit courts in establishing a First Amendment right to record.
I'm torn between hoping for a settlement (for the benefit of the photographer) and hoping that the Second Circuit will have this opportunity.
I'm also profoundly grateful to the court for this defense of the English language:
Further, “[a] group can disperse; an individual cannot.”
(f) Resource data collected in violation of this section in the possession of any governmental entity as defined by W.S. 1-39-103(a)(i) shall be expunged by the entity from all files and data bases, and it shall not be considered in determining any agency action.
It would appear that even if you did manage to share your data with the news media, Wyoming state officials and agencies would be required to pretend it didn't exist.
Congratulations, people of Wyoming. Willful ignorance is now the law of the land.
Prepaid flipphone is obviously best. No crapware. (Very little ware of any kind, to be honest.) No camera, so no need to worry about who takes the better pictures. And little danger -- even with alcohol -- of a phone-related discussion escalating to assault.
Finally, in my previous post, I had suggested that the guy who took the video, Feidin Santana, was looking to "cash in." However, the details suggest that Santana is almost entirely out of the loop here. Instead, his lawyer, Todd Rutherford, is basically running the show and made the deal without much awareness by Santana about what's being done in his name and with his copyrights.
Thank you for clarifying this.
I'm afraid this poor guy just trusted his lawyer who told him, "Don't worry. I'll take care of everything." The same lawyer who hired a publicist halfway around the world who's now shaking down people and making Santana look like some greedy opportunist looking to profit from someone's killing. And I have little doubt that the publicist and lawyer will abandon him when the shit hits the fan.
I can't help but wonder if this publicist isn't clueless at all, but in fact knows exactly what he's doing.
It's possible the Markson Sparks firm operates a very successful copyright trolling division in addition to their more traditional (?) publicist business.
On the post: Wireless Carriers Sue Over Berkeley's Cell Phone Radiation Warnings
Re: Of a mixed mind myself.
When warnings are ubiquitous, people develop a higher tolerance for them. In time, they'll just disregard them, even the ones that are legitimate.
Case in point: California's Proposition 65 warnings (dealing with chemicals that actually do cause cancer, in sufficient doses). When I first saw the Prop 65 warning signs outside businesses, many years ago, I was alarmed. But those signs are everywhere. There's one on the front of my apartment building, at the grocery store, the building where I work. EVERYWHERE. But I barely notice them anymore. They're just part of the background.
Save the warnings for when they're needed. It's actually safer.
On the post: Yet Another ISP Exec Admits Broadband Industry Lied About Net Neutrality Hurting Network Investment
(Happy Sonic customer. Ending shameless promotion now.)
On the post: Putin Has Shifted His Internet Propaganda Army Into Overdrive
Re: Re: Your total evidence is trusting those who FAKED up the Iraq war.
On the post: USA Freedom Act Passes As All Of Mitch McConnell's Bad Amendments Fail
Re: Re: Filling the tree?
I'm just picturing the meeting where people came up with these rules. Does 3-5-5-11 (or rarely 12 - and why does it get to be the sole exception?) have some significance I'm missing? Did they just roll the dice? Or maybe one 12-sided die?
On the post: White House Refuses To Say If We're 'Less Safe' After PATRIOT Act Provisions Expired
Not at all. Reread the statement. He used the comparative "as", but without noting what he's comparing the administration too. We could assume he means "as honest... as possible", but that's not what he said.
So we're free to complete the sentence however we wish. For example: "There has been an effort on the part of the administration... to be as honest and forthright and candid ... as we have been in the past."
Which would be entirely truthful, since this administration is about as transparent as a box of mud.
On the post: Book Publishers Whine To USTR That It's Just Not Fair That Canada Recognizes Fair Dealing For Educational Purposes
Re: Re: Techdirt Swearing stats
So.......
Criticism is a human rights violation?
...
wow.
On the post: Book Publishers Whine To USTR That It's Just Not Fair That Canada Recognizes Fair Dealing For Educational Purposes
Re: Re: Re: Techdirt Swearing stats
OK, as a woman who's a regular reader here, I'll weigh in on this:
There are plenty of offensive things in this world. (This site deals with a fair number of them.) Salty language -- in itself -- isn't one of them.
I still think profanity is most powerful when used sparingly. In my offline life I very rarely swear. When I do, the people who know me pay attention.
On the other hand, I've known a few people -- women and men alike -- whose skillful use of profanity truly qualifies as art. NSFW, perhaps, but very entertaining.
And regardless, sometimes a situation is so messed up that you just need to say...
Fuck that shit.
On the post: TiVo Plans To Bring Aereo Back From The Dead
Good luck with that, TiVo
(I have good OTA reception where I am, so I'm fortunate in that respect. But even without that, having lived happily without a cable bill for 10 years, I can't imagine ever choosing to give money to a cable company again.)
On the post: New York District Court Denies Immunity To NYPD Officers Who Arrested A Citizen For Filming Them
I'm also profoundly grateful to the court for this defense of the English language:
On the post: Wyoming Makes Reporting Environmental Disasters Illegal
Re:
https://legiscan.com/WY/bill/SF0012/2015
Don't miss this section at the end of the bill: It would appear that even if you did manage to share your data with the news media, Wyoming state officials and agencies would be required to pretend it didn't exist.
Congratulations, people of Wyoming. Willful ignorance is now the law of the land.
On the post: DEA Takes $16,000 From Train Passenger Because It Can
Re:
On the post: Latest Explanation For James Clapper Lying About 'Essential' NSA Spy Program: 'He Forgot About It'
Re: Place your bets
There's the excuse: They're witless.
On the post: Fanboy Fight: How One Apple/Android Argument Ended In A Stabbing
Re: Re:
But do *their* phones have an awesome Chewbacca ringtone? I think not.
On the post: Fanboy Fight: How One Apple/Android Argument Ended In A Stabbing
Re:
On the post: Fanboy Fight: How One Apple/Android Argument Ended In A Stabbing
No crapware. (Very little ware of any kind, to be honest.)
No camera, so no need to worry about who takes the better pictures.
And little danger -- even with alcohol -- of a phone-related discussion escalating to assault.
On the post: Richard Dreyfuss Takes Disney To Court Over Its Refusal To Allow An Outside Auditor To Examine Its Accounting Methods
Re: Downloading
On the post: Clueless Publicist Doubles Down On Claiming Fair Use Has 'Expired' On Walter Scott Video; Brags About Profiting From Police Killing
Thank you for clarifying this.
I'm afraid this poor guy just trusted his lawyer who told him, "Don't worry. I'll take care of everything." The same lawyer who hired a publicist halfway around the world who's now shaking down people and making Santana look like some greedy opportunist looking to profit from someone's killing. And I have little doubt that the publicist and lawyer will abandon him when the shit hits the fan.
On the post: Clueless Publicist Doubles Down On Claiming Fair Use Has 'Expired' On Walter Scott Video; Brags About Profiting From Police Killing
Maybe not clueless
It's possible the Markson Sparks firm operates a very successful copyright trolling division in addition to their more traditional (?) publicist business.
On the post: Report: 'Nearly Every' FBI Forensics Expert Gave Flawed Testimony In 'Almost All Trials' Over A 20-Year Period
Re: There's a documentary about this
It's available online (at least if you're in the U.S. - Don't know how the PBS site works in the rest of the world):
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/real-csi/
On the post: Congress Finally Releases Fast Track Trade Bill, And It's A Mess
Re: Re: Re:
He happens to be right this time, for entirely the wrong reasons. Which doesn't really count as right because his reasoning is entirely unsupported.
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