The NSA/CIA invested early in many of the Tech Giants including Facebook. The NSA is strongly against encryption, even when it makes Americans safer more often than not.
On a brighter note, if it is the NSA kicking up a fuss, at least that suggests Facebook didn't build them a back door.
Air Miles whole business model is based on selling your user info and in return they give you a few air miles. Don't believe me, then try reading the Air Miles contract you signed.
YouTube already has a tool to remove Copyrighted songs
YouTube already has a tool to remove Copyrighted songs. I made a Fallout 4 video and even though I had music turned off, some radio I came across in the game still played a song. My video got a copyright hit, but I used the free tool to remove the copyrighted material. I was talking and my voice was unaffected and the background music was gone.
I think he was just pointing out how over the top the US had gone on this spying thing. Even Russia has more respect for its people's rights in this area.
> the chances of encountering malware in a pirated copy of software is one in three.
Microsoft calls a lot of things malware that do nothing bad. For instance Microsoft calls a serial number generator malware even if it's only function is generating serial numbers. Also to pirate games you need the steam.dll to stop calling home for that game and replacing the steam.dll with something inert is considered malware.
There can be malware in pirated software, but the study would find far less malware if it was properly defined as doing something bad or unwanted to your computer.
Freemason is not a religion in its self. Freemasons might be Christian, Muslim, Buddhists, etc, but there is heavy emphasis on the nobler motives common among most religions; especially organizing charitable acts.
I find the technology morally neutral. How you use it is where the moral debate comes in. I think Microsoft has a far more profitable way to use the technology.
If people don't watch an add, it isn't going to have the effect the advertiser is looking for. If the add is interesting enough to watch, it's more likely to result in a buying to decision. What if Microsoft were to use the technology to gather non-personalized metrics and sell them to the advertiser. The advertiser could then pay the advertising agency according to performance. Advertising agencies would then prioritize viewing interest more.
I would love to see Mike interview:
- Politicians who are trying push good Techdirt type bills through congress
- People successfully using free in their business model
- Michael Geist
- Trent Reznor
- Kickstarter
- Spotify
- EFF
- Google Transparency Reports
I could list 100 more, but you get the idea. Don't forget to include people you respect and have something worthwhile to say, but have different view point than you do.
I agree with what Ingmar said in his "Keep it tight!" post.
I love that this is even being discussed. It fits well with my general belief that you should "Tax people for things you don't want them to do, not for the things you do want them to do."
While I understand and agree with the reasoning behind all 6 points, I differ slightly on how I would implement them.
1. Replace the mortgage tax deduction with a large onetime capped deduction for first time buyers.
2. Instead of taxing the company for health benefits, make them a taxable benefit paid for by the employee. You should never tax a company for hiring more people. However this point and the one above it are mute if you eliminate income tax.
3. I agree completely with eliminating the corporate income tax. You want them to keep their profit in the country, not trying to move the profitable parts of their business offshore.
4. I strongly agree with eliminating all income and payroll taxes. However while a Consumption Tax is the lesser of two evils, I think it would be better to replace the revenue with taxing things you don't want people to do. Increase the US taxes on gas, cigarettes and alcohol to what Canada charges or slightly above. Enormous fines for corporate fraud. Large fines for bogus DMCA takedown notices. Large fines for frivolous law suits. Etc etc.
5. Yes increase gas taxes some, but don't stop there on pollution taxes. Tax gas guzzling vehicles to bring the sticker price in line with hybrids. Tax other types of pollution so pollution controls and alternatives become a cost savings.
6. Tax marijuana so heavily that it costs almost as much as it did before legalization.
The government should run fiber to everyone's home. Then rent out the bandwidth to the private companies offering the services like phone, cable, internet and a dozen other things not available yet. This would offer true competition when a variety of companies could offer competing services over the same fiber.
This would take billions for a big city, but the government could recoup the costs over the next 10 years from the private companies offering the services.
HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy) is one of the most effective methods of reducing the amount of time it takes to heal. It increases the body's natural ability to create stem cells by 800%. You seem to heal like someone less than half your age. It is one of the worst kept secrets for professional sports teams to speed up recovery time.
I have a family bible that's over 100 years old. It's nearly a foot thick with over 1500 pages and as many illustrations. It has both the old and new testaments side by side and huge concordance(index) at the back.
The last copyright I can find in it is from 1890. Could I scan the pages and put them into some public domain web site or does copyright still stop me from doing that?
On the post: Facebook Shareholders The Latest Group To Ask Facebook To Drop Its Encryption Plans
The NSA was one of those investors
The NSA/CIA invested early in many of the Tech Giants including Facebook. The NSA is strongly against encryption, even when it makes Americans safer more often than not.
On a brighter note, if it is the NSA kicking up a fuss, at least that suggests Facebook didn't build them a back door.
On the post: Court Tells Grandma To Delete Photos Of Grandkids On Facebook For Violating The GDPR
Streisand Effect
I'm surprised Mike wrote about this with no reference to the Streisand Effect.
On the post: How Most Of The Anti-Internet Crew Misread The News That The NY Times Is Getting Rid Of 3rd Party Advertisers
Do you have an Air Miles card?
Air Miles whole business model is based on selling your user info and in return they give you a few air miles. Don't believe me, then try reading the Air Miles contract you signed.
On the post: Not The First Rodeo: Lil Nas X And Cardi B Hit With Blurred Lines Style Copyright Complaint Over Rodeo
73 Hit Songs You Can Play With The Same Four Chords
https://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/73-songs-you-can-play-with-the-same-four-chords
On the post: Why A 'Clever Hack' Against Nazis Shows How Upload Filters Have Made Copyright Law Even More Broken
YouTube already has a tool to remove Copyrighted songs
YouTube already has a tool to remove Copyrighted songs. I made a Fallout 4 video and even though I had music turned off, some radio I came across in the game still played a song. My video got a copyright hit, but I used the free tool to remove the copyrighted material. I was talking and my voice was unaffected and the background music was gone.
Here is a link to a short video I made showing how easy it was to remove it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwIRRncT9u8
Here is the spot in the video where it was removed and you wouldn't even know there was a song there: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdPf_VXBY6c&t=17m30s
On the post: James Comey: Retweets Equal Material Support For Terrorism, But Don't Worry, We'll Only Prosecute Real Terrorists
Stephen R. Covey
On the post: What Makes You Tell Others About Techdirt?
On the post: Snowden Asks Putin Live On TV If Russia Carries Out Mass Surveillance; But Why?
On the post: Microsoft-Sponsored Study Says Problems Caused By Using Windows Software Will Cost Businesses $500 Billion In 2014
Microsoft calls a lot of things malware that do nothing bad. For instance Microsoft calls a serial number generator malware even if it's only function is generating serial numbers. Also to pirate games you need the steam.dll to stop calling home for that game and replacing the steam.dll with something inert is considered malware.
There can be malware in pirated software, but the study would find far less malware if it was properly defined as doing something bad or unwanted to your computer.
On the post: Lobbyists Looking To Call Themselves Something Else: Here Are A Few Suggestions
On the post: DailyDirt: How To Really Cook
http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/10/the-food-lab-science-of-how-to-cook-perfect-boiled-eggs. html
On the post: NSA Defenders Insist Their Lawbreaking Should Be Ignored Because They 'Didn't Mean It'
On the post: Dan Brown: Video Games Lead To Violence
On the post: Microsoft's Great Patent Application: Xbox Achievements For Watching Advertising
If people don't watch an add, it isn't going to have the effect the advertiser is looking for. If the add is interesting enough to watch, it's more likely to result in a buying to decision. What if Microsoft were to use the technology to gather non-personalized metrics and sell them to the advertiser. The advertiser could then pay the advertising agency according to performance. Advertising agencies would then prioritize viewing interest more.
On the post: What Would You Like To Hear In A Techdirt Podcast?
Video podcast
I would love to see Mike interview:
- Politicians who are trying push good Techdirt type bills through congress
- People successfully using free in their business model
- Michael Geist
- Trent Reznor
- Kickstarter
- Spotify
- EFF
- Google Transparency Reports
I could list 100 more, but you get the idea. Don't forget to include people you respect and have something worthwhile to say, but have different view point than you do.
I agree with what Ingmar said in his "Keep it tight!" post.
On the post: When Every Practical Economic Idea Is Political Suicide, Something's Wrong With Politics
While I understand and agree with the reasoning behind all 6 points, I differ slightly on how I would implement them.
1. Replace the mortgage tax deduction with a large onetime capped deduction for first time buyers.
2. Instead of taxing the company for health benefits, make them a taxable benefit paid for by the employee. You should never tax a company for hiring more people. However this point and the one above it are mute if you eliminate income tax.
3. I agree completely with eliminating the corporate income tax. You want them to keep their profit in the country, not trying to move the profitable parts of their business offshore.
4. I strongly agree with eliminating all income and payroll taxes. However while a Consumption Tax is the lesser of two evils, I think it would be better to replace the revenue with taxing things you don't want people to do. Increase the US taxes on gas, cigarettes and alcohol to what Canada charges or slightly above. Enormous fines for corporate fraud. Large fines for bogus DMCA takedown notices. Large fines for frivolous law suits. Etc etc.
5. Yes increase gas taxes some, but don't stop there on pollution taxes. Tax gas guzzling vehicles to bring the sticker price in line with hybrids. Tax other types of pollution so pollution controls and alternatives become a cost savings.
6. Tax marijuana so heavily that it costs almost as much as it did before legalization.
On the post: Broadband In Crisis: Does The US Need Regulation To Force Meaningful Competition?
This would take billions for a big city, but the government could recoup the costs over the next 10 years from the private companies offering the services.
On the post: DailyDirt: Alternatives To Time For Healing All Wounds...
On the post: Dear Internet, We Need Better Image Archives
The last copyright I can find in it is from 1890. Could I scan the pages and put them into some public domain web site or does copyright still stop me from doing that?
On the post: DailyDirt: Modern Dentistry
http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/news/body%27s-own-stem-cells-can-lead-tooth-regeneratio n
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