Remains of the Day: Is Unlimited Data Going the Way of the Dodo?
Bernanke's economy comment batters market
Stocks tumbled after Bernanke acknowledged the labor market's continued weakness while offering few specific options to stimulate lending and investment.
"The market sold off because unfortunately there is no remedy provided in Bernanke's commentary to the rising threat of deflation, the excess capacity in the economy and the malfunctioning of the credit system," said Joe Battipaglia, market strategist at Stifel Nicolaus in Yardley, Pennsylvania.
"We are now giving up on the notion of a standard recovery in the U.S. economy."
Obama signs sweeping Wall Street overhaul into law
President Barack Obama signed into law on Wednesday the most comprehensive financial regulatory overhaul since the Great Depression, vowing to stop risky behavior on Wall Street that imperiled the U.S. economy.
Obama, facing voter unrest over Wall Street bailouts that have failed to spark a strong Main Street job recovery, pledged taxpayers would never again have to pump billions of dollars into failing firms to protect the economy. Wealthy donors have started to steer more campaign contributions to Republicans, who voted overwhelmingly against the reforms.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, an influential business group that often criticizes Obama's economic policies, said it would have the opposite effect.
"Such a broad, sweeping bill epitomizes a law with unintended consequences that creates more uncertainty for American businesses," said Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the Chamber.
The American Bankers Association expressed disappointment with the legislation, saying it "contains a tsunami of new rules and restrictions for traditional banks that had nothing to do with causing the financial crisis in the first place."
( There's a sense of timing for you. Scapegoat banks and Wall Street for the wrecking crew that destroyed the restraints in the system ; ex-President Clinton self-identified himself as responsible ; and the inevitable result of businesses reacting to a carrot dangled infront of their noses with guarantees against nasty consequences. This attacks the system of issuing loans to trustworthy repayers at the very moment when uncertainty has peaked. 'Fixing' the system ? Oh, he 'fixed' it all right. )
Google Explains Why Making Special Copyright Laws For Newspapers Is A Mistake
We've written a few times about how ridiculous the FTC's proposals to "save journalism" are. They're much more focused on saving newspapers, not journalism. And they seem to totally misunderstand the problem -- or to believe the problem is some amorphous threat from "internet aggregators," which is based on no actual evidence. Google has now responded to the FTC's proposal, and, as Jeff Jarvis notes, effectively "taken the FTC to school" on the basics of journalism economics and copyright.
What does the state want?
The question is: what does the state want?
Would they preserve the centralised control of the newspaper corporations they know and love, or unleash umpteen zillion uncontrolled loudmouths?
If they can fix it so the indies starve in the gutter unless they go cap in hand to the news corps., then they will happily fix it so the latter remain paymasters.
The problem is, getting away with it.
They managed to steal a trillion from the taxpayer only recently to give to the corrupt bankers, so they aren't exactly amateurs at this sort of thing.
Would they preserve the centralised control of the newspaper corporations they know and love, or unleash umpteen zillion uncontrolled loudmouths?
If they can fix it so the indies starve in the gutter unless they go cap in hand to the news corps., then they will happily fix it so the latter remain paymasters.
The problem is, getting away with it.
They managed to steal a trillion from the taxpayer only recently to give to the corrupt bankers, so they aren't exactly amateurs at this sort of thing.
Re: Re: Some quibbles with Google.
Anonymous Coward, Jul 21st, 2010 @ 8:55pmYou are confusing intellectual "property" with physical property. The U.S. at one time was very skeptical of IP laws and it did perfectly well. Other nations that were also skeptical of such laws, or didn't even have them, also did well. For example, see
http://levine.sscnet.ucla.edu/general/intellectual/against.htm
and even the founding fathers have acknowledged some of the problems IP laws have caused and the success of nations without them. The difference with the nations you mention is that they often have oppressive institutions that take away our freedoms. It is the actions of their institutions that cause their problems. IP itself is implemented by an institution whereas its lack is not.
The fact is that art and music will be made perfectly fine without copy protection laws. The problem is that the federal (and local) govt(s) keeps getting in the way of its creation. For instance, native Americans used to make their own songs and dances and whatnot. It's perfectly natural. What did the federal government do? To quote from a book I'm reading entitled California Vieja by Phoebe S. Kropp (good book btw)
"the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) waged an extended campaign to discourage the Cupenos from performing old dances, games, rituals ... [they] feared that traditions would slow Indians' assimilation into white society ... by the early 1910s, the Pala agent reported ... that the Indians there performed dances only "for the purpose of attracting the attendance of white visitors" ... By 1918 the agent ... predicted ... the dances will disappear ..."
(P 98)
So basically these dances were only allowed for the purpose of attracting tourists because tourists helped generate revenue. and this wasn't even that long ago, only as late as 1918. People naturally creating music and dancing and traditions and culture and art without copyright and such is a perfectly healthy and natural thing for humans to do. For the government to come in and then decide that these cultural norms should be commoditized and that culture should be controlled by a handful of monopolists so that they can make money (ie: record labels and music CD's under copyright) is unacceptable. Instead, the govt should just mind its own business and focus on more important things instead of wasting tax dollars on making everyone's lives more miserable.
http://levine.sscnet.ucla.edu/general/intellectual/against.htm
and even the founding fathers have acknowledged some of the problems IP laws have caused and the success of nations without them. The difference with the nations you mention is that they often have oppressive institutions that take away our freedoms. It is the actions of their institutions that cause their problems. IP itself is implemented by an institution whereas its lack is not.
The fact is that art and music will be made perfectly fine without copy protection laws. The problem is that the federal (and local) govt(s) keeps getting in the way of its creation. For instance, native Americans used to make their own songs and dances and whatnot. It's perfectly natural. What did the federal government do? To quote from a book I'm reading entitled California Vieja by Phoebe S. Kropp (good book btw)
"the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) waged an extended campaign to discourage the Cupenos from performing old dances, games, rituals ... [they] feared that traditions would slow Indians' assimilation into white society ... by the early 1910s, the Pala agent reported ... that the Indians there performed dances only "for the purpose of attracting the attendance of white visitors" ... By 1918 the agent ... predicted ... the dances will disappear ..."
(P 98)
So basically these dances were only allowed for the purpose of attracting tourists because tourists helped generate revenue. and this wasn't even that long ago, only as late as 1918. People naturally creating music and dancing and traditions and culture and art without copyright and such is a perfectly healthy and natural thing for humans to do. For the government to come in and then decide that these cultural norms should be commoditized and that culture should be controlled by a handful of monopolists so that they can make money (ie: record labels and music CD's under copyright) is unacceptable. Instead, the govt should just mind its own business and focus on more important things instead of wasting tax dollars on making everyone's lives more miserable.
Patent enforcement companies speak at SF conference
The moderator asked Spangenberg a question about how he approaches companies to whom he wants to license his patents. "Do you initiate contact with them or just file a lawsuit?"
"File a lawsuit," said Spangenberg without hesitation, explaining why that, to him, is the best strategy in the post-MedImmune environment. "If you send a message, shortly thereafter you'll see a notice that you're a defendant in a declaratory judgment action, typically from Fish & Richardson or one of their other favored firms... Microsoft sues you based on that letter. Then they have the home field advantage."
He added: "I'm not criticizing them for doing it. I'm just saying, that's what's going to happen."
Acacia CEO Paul Ryan agreed that the Spangenberg's strategy is the only smart one a patent licensor can pursue these days. "If you're a small company, any offer of IP [to a large company] gives them an invitation to sue you."
Against Monopoly
Another player exploiting patents--to the cost of the consumer *
The New York Times has a good short article on the growth of patent trolls (which it terms as non practicing entities or NPEs) link here. The story hangs on the suit against EBay for $3.8 billion by XPRT Ventures which goes unmentioned thereafter.
It then describes the basic patent troll model: "The basic idea is that an investment firm buys a pre-existing patent for, say, $2 million. It then sues perhaps a dozen companies that use technology potentially overlapping the patent. Each firm that fights may end up paying $500,000 or more to defend itself and could also face penalties. The alternative is to settle for, say, $1 million or so. If just three firms pay up to avoid a battle, the patent owner makes big money."The article then switches to a "new" business response to the patent troll threat, the counter-troll that acquires patents to sue or cross license other firms by which its member companies might be sued for infringement. Thus for a generous annual fee, it seems to offer some insurance against loss.
*Copyright Notice: We don't think much of copyright, so you can do what you want with the content on this blog. Of course we are hungry for publicity, so we would be pleased if you avoided plagiarism and gave us credit for what we have written. We encourage you not to impose copyright restrictions on your "derivative" works, but we won't try to stop you. For the legally or statist minded, you can consider yourself subject to a Creative Commons Attribution License.
Canadian Court Lets Perfect 10 Case Against Google Move Forward
Last month, we wrote about a countersuit by Rapidshare, which detailed how Perfect 10 is now a "copyright troll," that (according to Rapidshare's claims) purposely tries to spread its works online in order to have more companies to sue. Obviously, a key target of Perfect 10 has been Google, though Perfect 10 keeps losing (and then continues to come up with ridiculous reasons to keep the lawsuit alive).
More Porn Companies Filing Mass Lawsuits Against File Sharers
THREsq reports that 65 "John Does" have been sued for accessing a gay porn movie via BitTorrent in a Texas court.
We're Still at War: Photo of the Day for July 21, 2010
Admitted to or not, all Homo sapiens live by a philosophy of fact or fiction; faith or reason; dogma or science; miracles or evidence. Worldwide, to one degree or another, I guess that at least 90% fall into the categories of fiction, faith, dogma, and miracles. Perhaps 1%-2% live inclusively by fact,reason, science, and evidence; leaving about 8% who live by some sort of mix. Any of these philosophies, chronicling Homo sapiens' existence, demand two bedrock affirmations: one defines what is PRIME in the known universe, and the other defines the origin and the nature of EVIL, the antithesis of PRIME. The first immutable paradigm, PRIME, is defined as first in time; first in existence; first quality, rank,degree, influence, importance, and value. The INDIVIDUAL HUMAN BEING is the only infallibly provable existent in the known universe that meets such a criterion of Prime qua Prime. Defined another way: When I am here everything is here. When I am gone everything is gone. Hence this infallible paradigm cannot be disproved or proven otherwise.
that is not the main reason I write this essay. That reason is to expose STATISM and THEISM as the very genesis of EVIL in the known universe. They are also known as Church, State, Religion, and Government. Both of them have an evolved history of planned intent to destroy and enslave PRIME via genocide, infanticide, slavery, rape, and torture. Among these endless statisms and theisms is the United States, which has historically employed all of them for its establishment and quest for empire. To the readers who are convinced that I'm crazy and a liar, I suggest the reading of HOWARD ZINN'S book, A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, and the many works of NOAM CHOMSKY. Their documented evidence cannot be denied---Unless you're an ORWELLIAN automaton, MACHIAVELLIAN despot, or just a JINGOISTIC fool. This brings me to the primary reason that I chose to write this essay---MURDERED CHILDREN! It's preeminently proven that, by choice or policy, to harm children through acts of violence, robbery, murder, jealously, rape, torture OR by STATIST policy, primarily WAR, is the very genesis of EVIL! Therefore, ONE(allow me to repeat--ONE!) infant killed by military action, government orders, or by "smart" bombs suffering I.Q. meltdown is an act of pure EVIL in no way different than individual killing or voilence!! One graphic example of such warped morality: I recently watched an interview of Lyndon Johnson's daughter. When asked what words spoken by her dad are the most memorable to her. She said it was the following, "I only wish that I could do more for America's children who live in poverty and neglect." Like a napalm firestorm scorching across by mind, I wished for a chance to ask him , "What did you feel and think about when you gave orders to bomb and napalm Veitnam and Cambodia which resulted in the killing of hundreds of thousands of children?" I would like to ask Obama a similar question as to what went through his mind when he picked General James Mattis, who said about the killing in Afghanistan, "It's fun to shoot people---you got guys that are a hell of a lot of fun to shoot 'em." In closing I righteously demand that people take their Just War and Collateral Damage, as justification for infanticide, and stick them where the sun never shines! Remember, any "human" who believes such crap has to accept such semantics for their OWN children, and we all know that is pure bullshit! LIKE THE LICENSE PLATE SAYS, "It should never hurt to be a child!" bob@bobclapp.com
Congress' confidence in Obama's war strategy slides
Congress overall still supports the U.S. mission and is unlikely to cut off funding
( Has war been declared yet ? Against whom and by whom ? Why, and what is the mission? Enquiring minds aren't receiving any answers to elementary questions. )
News Outlets Close to Suing Obama Administration Over Gitmo Rules
A coalition of major media organizations is on the verge of suing the Pentagon and the Obama administration over press limitations at Guantanamo Bay, a lawyer for the news outlets said Tuesday.
( Wowsers. I'm sure the Administration that carries out global war and tortures for fun and profit is terribly concerned about what you might, maybe, someday, do. )
Need for Protection Against Ticks That Carry Lyme Disease Confirmed by New Research
There are some fairly easy preventative measures that individuals can take in order to prevent coming into contact with ticks:- Wear light-colored clothing so it's easy to see the ticks.
- Wear long sleeves and pants; tuck pants into socks or tape pants to boots.
- Use insect repellent containing DEET.
- Stay in the center of maintained trails.
- Perform frequent tick checks when you're outside.
- Do a tick check at the end of the day and again the following morning.
- Put your clothes in the dryer when you come home to dry out and kill the ticks.
"This data confirmed an increased chance of contracting Lyme disease in the metropolitan region of Chicago and sparked an interest in conducting further studies,"
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