gort-o-matic’s Comments

• Dec 3rd, 2012 @ 8:04am

  Drive Recovery

  on Don't Promise $1 Million For Your Lost Laptop Via YouTube & Twitter If You're Not Prepared To Pay
  "Leslie sent the hard drive to the manufacturer, Avastor, which ultimately deleted the information prior to sending Leslie a replacement."
  
  I wonder how hard Avastor tried to recover the $!M data on the drive. Usually a defective drive is just tossed in the recycle bin and a new drive is shipped. There are many drive recovery outfits that would, for a few thousand, get every readable bit off the drive. No mention of that being attempted.
• Feb 17th, 2012 @ 9:08am

  Nevertheless, there may be some reason for concern...

  on Senators Ramp Up Fear Mongering To Try To Rush Through Cybersecurity Bill
  News items pop up from time to time about vulnerabilities in the infrastructure. If true, there may be legitimate reason for concern. That does not mean that these bills are the correct solution. Reasoned methods are better than fear mongering to gain control of a portion of the national budget.
• Dec 9th, 2011 @ 7:52am

  A Poison Pill for SOPA

  on Constitutional Scholars Explain Why SOPA & PROTECT IP Do Not Pass First Amendment Scrutiny
  SOPA should be amended so that the same rules apply to off-line reproduction as apply to on-line. This way, any self-service copy business that allows a customer to reproduce a copyrighted work is subject to the same penalties. As are digital camera manufacturers, etc.
  
  I hope this would make it clear how over-the-top the law is when Kinko's ability to take credit cards can be removed by a single accusation without any judicial proceedings.
• Dec 5th, 2011 @ 12:07pm

  Library Membership is Limited -- Drat!

  on D.C. Libraries Offering Free, DRM-Free MP3 Downloads From Sony Music
  The DC Public Library is not permitted to issue electronic download only cards to those outside our service area (as listed above--D.C., Maryland and Virginia). If you live outside these areas, you may apply for a regular library card by visiting the Martin Luther King Library in person. The cost is $20, and the card is good for one year.
  
  Now I'll have to see if I can get a similar deal from my local library.
• May 27th, 2011 @ 11:10am

  Chrysler Building Trademark

  on NY Stock Exchange Claims Trademark On Any Depiction Of Trading Floor, Threatens TPM
  Or more likely, the Empire State building trademark's the image of the Empire State building and demands a fee or bars photographs of the New York skyline.
  
  Not the Empire State Building, but the Chrysler Building is trademarked:
  http://www.trademarkia.com/chrysler-building-75982939.html