Ken at Popehat describes an interesting set of cases undergoing review right now: allegedly, a company's business model is: 1) acquire a bunch of copyrights of worthless movies, 2) wait for someone to download one of these movies illegally, 3) bring suit against that person for violating copyright, and 4) settle for some amount. As he notes, the tables may turn as a federal judge is inquiring into whether this is a case of extortion. Stay tuned!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Basketball Diplomacy, Moral Equivalence, and A Comparison of Two Tourists
George Stephanopolous interviewed Dennis Rodman on his visit to North Korea. My impression: Dennis likes the attention but hasn't thought too deeply on either the political nature of North Korea nor the support he gives to its legitimacy. Compare this to Sophie Schmidt's recent visit and her impressions posted here.
Sophie is the daughter of Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google. Sophie didn't quite get the attention Dennis received from Kim Jong Un, but she is much more perceptive in her judgments.
Kudos to Stephanopolous on his good interview, deftly exposing Rodman's inanities. Some paraphrases: On what kind of guy Kim is: "He's very humble..he loves power; he loves control." On the political camps: "It's politics. Bill Clinton had sex with his secretary and he stayed in power." On the comparison between Kim and Obama: "They both love basketball."
Come to think of it, perhaps that last line might lead to some profitable parleys and if Kim's favorite NBA player growing up was Dennis Rodman, perhaps he really is only interested in defense and has no predilection for offense. The nuclear warheads he launches towards the US will miss and land in the Atlantic.
Sophie is the daughter of Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google. Sophie didn't quite get the attention Dennis received from Kim Jong Un, but she is much more perceptive in her judgments.
Kudos to Stephanopolous on his good interview, deftly exposing Rodman's inanities. Some paraphrases: On what kind of guy Kim is: "He's very humble..he loves power; he loves control." On the political camps: "It's politics. Bill Clinton had sex with his secretary and he stayed in power." On the comparison between Kim and Obama: "They both love basketball."
Come to think of it, perhaps that last line might lead to some profitable parleys and if Kim's favorite NBA player growing up was Dennis Rodman, perhaps he really is only interested in defense and has no predilection for offense. The nuclear warheads he launches towards the US will miss and land in the Atlantic.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Amore
Sorry for the light blogging. I'll try to do better as I head into spring break. Meanwhile, I give you a match made in heaven.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Done Gone Broke?
Not that three individuals of different political stripes constitute a quorum, but an interesting essay in WSJ.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Angua, RIP
Today we laid our dog, Angua, to rest. She has been with us for 14 years. We picked her up at the pound. Angie, as we called her, was sitting patiently in a cage; the card in front said that she was impossible to restrain and was not housebroken. She was fully-grown, so she was at least 2 years old by then. Perhaps because of her repose, my son Adam chose her. She was named after Corporal Angua in the Discworld series, a werewolf.
We had an inauspicious beginning. On the way home, she jumped out of an open window in the car. We scrambled to catch her. When we got her home, she immediately ran upstairs to hide. However, once she became comfortable with us, we learned that she was in fact housebroken and really did like staying indoors.
We soon developed a routine, one that revolved around the afternoon walk in the park. She was insistent that we take her there everyday, walking one to two miles each time. We missed maybe a dozen days in those fourteen years, mostly because of my infirmities. She would have been a good postman: she liked walking in all kinds of weather, although a heavy rain tended to cut the walk shorter.
She was a princess. When we arrived at the lake in the park, she would gently enter the water and lay down. I never did see her swim. Perhaps she didn't know how, but I always imagined she felt the dog paddle was beneath her.
After Adam went to college, she became my constant companion and confidante. She'd listen to my complaints and soothe my soul. She never broke a confidence. She is my friend. She has made me a better person. I'm going to miss her.
We had an inauspicious beginning. On the way home, she jumped out of an open window in the car. We scrambled to catch her. When we got her home, she immediately ran upstairs to hide. However, once she became comfortable with us, we learned that she was in fact housebroken and really did like staying indoors.
We soon developed a routine, one that revolved around the afternoon walk in the park. She was insistent that we take her there everyday, walking one to two miles each time. We missed maybe a dozen days in those fourteen years, mostly because of my infirmities. She would have been a good postman: she liked walking in all kinds of weather, although a heavy rain tended to cut the walk shorter.
She was a princess. When we arrived at the lake in the park, she would gently enter the water and lay down. I never did see her swim. Perhaps she didn't know how, but I always imagined she felt the dog paddle was beneath her.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Super Bowl Trivia
I was traveling yesterday and hence listening to the Super Bowl, instead of watching. Kevin Harlan and Boomer Esiason did a good job, although Kevin did say "one large pizza with special ties" during a Papa John's spot.
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