Agreed. Freedom, and all that... yes. You are all free to click whatever buttons you find here. But if there were no "hide" button, I would use my freedom-loving eyeballs to skip over the nasty bits, and get to the good stuff. Maybe enjoy a morsel of trollery from time to time if that strikes my fancy.
I appreciate your efforts on my behalf. But remember... if you voted to hide, it's because you already read it; and now you've made that harder for me to do, which makes no sense. "Don't worry your pretty little head," you say. But you've made your decision, let me make mine... less of this juvenile hiding nonsense.
A similar situation has been brewing in Africa. According to this story at the "AllAfrica" site, American seed interests, with help from the World Bank and others, are attempting to establish a foothold for corporate seed interests to displace locally-grown seed. African agronomists insist that local seed is genetically best adapted to African growing conditions and environments; not surprisingly, Big Seed thinks that African prosperity depends on an explosion of agribusiness interests. "Agribusiness" means massive first-world plantations, of course; so the prosperity train likely won't pass by the African farmer's front door, no matter what is claimed. And at the very least, once seeds transition from locally-grown to corporate-grown (and potentially GMO), prices will be out of reach for small African farmers. Far from an economic stimulus, this would appear to leave African subsistence farmers far worse off, and would reduce biodiversity, offering the same homogenized range of crops as is gradually being pushed across the world by corporate seed interests.
I'm reading all those auditor comments aloud using Frances McDormand's wonderful Minnesotan accent from "Fargo"... and that makes them all sound perfectly sensible.
"... many libraries, for example, stopped taking federal funding to avoid the issue altogether."
Actually, the American Library Association credo is strongly anti-censorship, and member professionals guard Internet freedom like pit bulls. Even if it means that they have to occasionally clean up certain... fluids... left by their male patrons at the public access computers.
Oh, that's right... I forgot. The purpose of patents is to prevent drug abuse.
That's a good thing, because they're sure not protecting innovation like they were intended to do. At least they occasionally serve some useful purpose.
Guess I was looking from the other end... a suspect who, although not Mirandized, knows enough to invoke those rights nonetheless (and clams up). I understand Miranda's purpose... formal notice... but wondered, as that whole no-Miranda-for-you media cycle unfolded, whether the officials involved really thought that omitting the notification would actually change his right to remain silent. Or that it would force him to run his mouth, when simple common sense says otherwise.
I know it's just a minor point on the Senator's Idiocy Hit Parade, but that Miranda thing... seriously. The question of whether or not to "read him his rights" -- what, is Miranda a secret? Is it written in Esperanto, and needs to be translated so that you know you have rights? What if he's already heard it? Considering its repetition from the days of Jack Webb and Dragnet, all the way through all the dozens of Law and Order franchises... how can anyone, even an immigrant, not know what the words and concepts are?
And better yet, Miranda isn't about having rights... it's about getting reminded of them. The rights are already in place.
And SWAT teams haven't been sent into local libraries, loading manacled librarians into paddy wagons for "conspiracy to [steal] infringe" for loaning DVD's. Although I think that's on MPAA's to-do list.
Good point, about wanting to elicit responses of any kind; I was doing a little shouting of my own over the CISPA/$84-million-of-lobbyist-payments story. But I think the thing that classifies this as a pouting hissyfit is the string of reporter tweets that follow, including the note that his item of concern was on the front page multiple times that week.
Agreed. Part of that package of barbaric behavior that seems to go hand-in-hand with frequent online commenting, whether anonymous or not. Hard to imagine the "freak" epithet delivered in person, in an otherwise non-confrontational exchange.
What? A post which mentions Google, but doesn't castigate it as a demon-spawn scourge upon the earth? Stand by for reaction from you-know-who in 3... 2... 1...
On the post: Bloomberg Defends Stop-And-Frisk, Decries Critics 'Pointing Fingers From City Hall' By Pointing Fingers From NYPD Headquarters
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On the post: Why The Networks Are Really Afraid Of Aereo: Time Warner Cable Says It Might Offer Aereo-Like Service
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I appreciate your efforts on my behalf. But remember... if you voted to hide, it's because you already read it; and now you've made that harder for me to do, which makes no sense. "Don't worry your pretty little head," you say. But you've made your decision, let me make mine... less of this juvenile hiding nonsense.
Here endeth the lecture.
On the post: MA Teen Arrested And Held Without Bail For Posting Supposed 'Terrorist Threat' On Facebook
D-word
Or, in the case of a bomb threat, defused the situation.
On the post: New EU Regulation Threatens Rare Seed Varieties, Agricultural Independence And Food Supply Resilience In Europe
Same in Africa, but worse
On the post: According To MN State Auditors, Success In The Music Biz Means Signing With A Major Label; Not Touring
Think "Fargo"
On the post: Chuck Schumer To Introduce Patent Reform Bill To Make It Cheaper To Fight Back Against Patent Trolls
Innovation defended... treasure the moment
(Merchant of Venice)
On the post: Why Do Politicians Continue To Insist That A Magic Button Can Make Porn Disappear Online?
Actually, the American Library Association credo is strongly anti-censorship, and member professionals guard Internet freedom like pit bulls. Even if it means that they have to occasionally clean up certain... fluids... left by their male patrons at the public access computers.
On the post: OxyContin And The Art Of 'Evergreening'
Re: Re: and years ago
That's a good thing, because they're sure not protecting innovation like they were intended to do. At least they occasionally serve some useful purpose.
On the post: Sen. Dan Coats On The Boston Bombing: You Know Who We Need To Keep An Eye On? Loners.
Re: Re: The Secret of Miranda
On the post: Barnes & Noble's Filing Clearly Explains Why The Patent System Is Broken And How To Fix It
Hope this one sticks
But what will it take to generate action around this? Is it just headed for the "empty rhetoric" file, like so many position papers and amicus briefs?
On the post: Sen. Dan Coats On The Boston Bombing: You Know Who We Need To Keep An Eye On? Loners.
The Secret of Miranda
And better yet, Miranda isn't about having rights... it's about getting reminded of them. The rights are already in place.
On the post: McAfee Patents System To 'Detect And Prevent Illegal Consumption Of Content On The Internet'
Too late
As if that isn't happening right now, every day.
On the post: U.S. Ambassador To Australia Takes On #1 Issue Of The Day: Game Of Thrones Piracy
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On the post: US Marine Corp. Provides Music In Response To FOIA Request, But Warns That Publishing It May Infringe On Copyrights
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... with a black magic marker stripe tracing the offending spiral track.
On the post: Photographer Sues Desmond Howard For Infringement; Howard Counters With 'Publicity Rights'
But only one side brought suit to generate income; the countersuit was mostly about making the noise go away.
On the post: How Not To Email Constituents: The Brian Nieves Story
Re: Re: New personal best
On the post: How Not To Email Constituents: The Brian Nieves Story
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On the post: How Not To Email Constituents: The Brian Nieves Story
New personal best
http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2013/04/brian_nieves_senate_floor_speech.php
On the post: Google Fined For Wi-Fi Privacy Violations, Grandstanding German Regulators Not Satisfied
Cue the trollery
On the post: Leading Italian Film Producer Calls For $16 Billion Lawsuit Against Italian State For Alleged Inaction Against Piracy
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