Ben Doom’s Techdirt Profile

utilitygeek

About Ben Doom




Ben Doom’s Comments comment rss

  • May 17th, 2010 @ 8:27am

    Re: Re: Wasn't there an amendment or something?

    Hmm. Missed that note when I was reading.
  • May 14th, 2010 @ 11:29am

    Wasn't there an amendment or something?

    So, basically, if you provide a place for people to speak freely in order to arrange to freely assemble, you are breaking the law.

    I think I read something about this somewhere....
  • Apr 29th, 2010 @ 3:53pm

    Think of the children!

    Downloading episodes of shows because your TiVO missed them is evil.

    Think of all the TiVO support technicians who won't be able to feed their children tonight, because you found a useful and convenient solution!
  • Mar 3rd, 2010 @ 7:40am

    I disagree...

    I think this is a loss for Viacom. I just sent this letter:

    I just saw an article in the New York Times (http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/viacom-will-take-daily-show-colbert-off-hulu/?part ner=rss&emc=rss) regarding your removal of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report from Hulu.

    The article implies that this is not a loss for your viewers, as the episodes will still be available on your website. However, I'm certain you are wrong.

    Let's be honest about it. Americans are lazy. I certainly am. At the moment, I have a centralized system for viewing what little TV I watch all in one place: Hulu. Hulu is convenient for me. Hulu is easy. For me to stop using Hulu would be, for me, much like never using a supermaket again.

    Let me explain.

    Before supermarkets, grocery shopping was often done pievemeal. You bought bread at a baker, and produce at a greengrocer, and meat at a butcher, and so forth. Now, we have one stop shopping. Please, for the sake of sanity, tell me you recognize the popularity of the supermarket better than you seem to understand your own industry.

    Now, imagine if Kraft stopped selling products in supermarkets, and opened Kraft stores. Do you really think that I'm going to go on a special shopping trip for my macaroni? Or do you think I'll stop buying Kraft products?

    Hulu also offers me several advantages over and beyond your internal site. The most important of these is that Hulu Desktop is well suited for use on an HTPC. Your site? Not so much. Secondarily, Hulu has Chuck, and House, MD, and the other shows I watch. Your site? Not so much. Finally, Hulu has a consistent experience that I'm comfortable with, and don't have to think about -- in other words, it's my TV. Your site? Not so much.

    I would suggest to you that, by pulling shows from Hulu, you will be precipitating a startling decline in viewership online. And, unfortunately, web users hold grudges. will you ever get them back?

    Ben Doom
  • Feb 16th, 2009 @ 9:13am

    Re: (Raises hand sheepishly...)

    Actually, that was exactly what I was thinking about. My last glucometer beeped when it was finished, and an associate's pump plays a little song when delivering a bolus.

    I went to high school with a kid who was functionally blind. Is he allowed to have a talking watch?

    It seems to me there are too many cases where such devices are necessary to put a blanket ban on them.
  • Dec 19th, 2008 @ 8:04am

    Machine to machine?

    Aren't "machine-to-machine connections" the definition of a data connection? Are we connecting to an abacus, or a man with a cable in his belly button?

    I do question whether "limited" implies deactivation, or throttling, or filtering of certain connection types (P2P, streaming video, etc.). I do think calling any plan which is artificially limited "Unlimited" is pretty scummy, though.
  • Nov 10th, 2006 @ 7:12am

    Re: ESRB Ratings

    The ESRB is rated S, for Stupid.

    I was thinking:
    The ESRB is rated I for Immature

    Who wants to make the shirt?

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it