Randall

Member since: Jan 20th, 2006

Randall's Latest Comments

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AOL TV	2 Comments
Download Squad	1 Comment
Blog Maverick	2 Comments
Asylum	1 Comment

Recent Comments:

ATI Thinks World's Tallest Building, the Burj Dubai, Should Be in America (Asylum)

Jan 4th 2010 5:19PM Well at least Sears Tower is still the tallest building in the Western world. Perhaps SOM and Adrian Smith sold their soul to the UAE, but I guess progress goes where the money is (altho even that is questionable given the financial dire straits that Dubai is experiencing in tandem with the opening of their new trophy tower).

A quick note on DMCA Safe Harbors, Youtube and VIacom (Blog Maverick)

Mar 16th 2007 1:11PM Cheers on this excellent proposition. But when it comes to the safe harbours of the DMCA, very little effort was even put forth to accurately define terminology like "service-provider", which according to the statutory language, encompasses any "provider of online services or network access".

Many of the exemptions that are afforded under Section 115 permit -- if not enable -- willful and wanton negligence on the part of "service providers". Large corporate interests like Yahoo!, for example, abuse these provisions consistently. For example Yahoo! will disclaim all liability for copyright infringement arising out of user-posted content -- even if the infringement is blatant. Unless the complainant can issue a written statement, under penalty of perjury, that he is the intellectual property owner in the works being infringed, then they will refuse to remove the material whatsoever. This even holds true for copyrighted content that Yahoo! itself obtains illicitly through automated means (such as crawlers and robots), because such activities are within the scope of safe harbours under the DMCA.

The fact of the matter is that the DMCA has far too many egregious limitations and loopholes. This Act is one of the worst devised legal instruments of the modern day, and is in dire need of reform if not outright repeal.

Randall Krause
SWCast Network, Inc.

Copyright Royalty Board raises rates: internet radio stations cry foul (Download Squad)

Mar 11th 2007 3:15AM A Webcaster collective is now gearing up to form a national trade association in response to this latest miscarriage of justice. There are several strong voices behind the cause already.

http://www.smallwebcaster.org/

Now that Congress is more aware of what's at stake, the possibility of a settlement agreement like what happened in 2002 may still be possible yet.

Are you smarter than a 5th grader? (AOL TV)

Mar 1st 2007 11:23PM In reply to the person that stated that no working adult doesn't know Columbus Day. Well, I certainly don't. Columbus was not ven the first European to discover America. Yet we give him undeserved credit with a national holiday. Columbus Day is nothing more than a celebration of European conquest. And let's not forget the mass genocide and other atrocities that directly resulted from his arrival. The very premise for this day is a historical injustice. And I find it remarkable that grade school children are being fed this nonsense. Any working adult who forgets Columbus Day deserves to be complimented as far as I'm concerned. Thank you.

Why I Don't Wear a Suit and Can't Figure Out Why Anyone Does ! (Blog Maverick)

Jan 17th 2007 7:01AM Formal attire of any kind is about appearing civilized and disciplined. If an individual takes the time and energy to look professional, then he gives the impression that he truly values his work.

If a person, however, is not concerned with his clothing choices and how they reflect on the workplace, then it also makes the statement that he doesn't feel it necessary to commit serious attention to either his career or his coworkers' careers.

I don't think the issue of a uniform is entirely about inducing conformity and restricting individuality anyway. It is far more about providing a respectable convention that eases the social interaction amongst one's peers in vocational, educational, and governmental affairs.

Of course suits shouldn't be mandatory for every job, but likewise they are a custom that should not altogether be abandoned either. Whether somebody is the CEO of a major corporation or a field agent in the FBI, looking decent earns you credibility and respect.

Seriously, I wouldn't want to see President George Bush in Bermuda-shorts and a tee-shirt addressing the nation on television just because he decided it was in the government's best interest to institute a casual workplace in the White House.

PS. Keep in mind, that as part of EOE, in many states nowadays an employer cannot discriminate based on gender-identity. So, if casual dress is to be openly permitted as this article suggests, then that provides the automatic allowance for gender-bending males to wear all the dress-down attire commonly expected of their female counterparts -- scoop-neck blouses, low-rise flare jeans, knee-length skirts, hoop earrings, etc. In other words, if you really want to toss fashion customs out the window, then be fully prepared for the outcome.

American Idol: Denver Auditions (AOL TV)

Jan 20th 2006 4:09PM Um, correction: Androgyny is a sub-class of transgenderism so long as the androgyny is deliberate through lifestyle choice and not just from physical traits.

Transgender encompasses everything from transvestism (fetish for female clothes), transsexualism (operation to remove the male organs including HRT), drag (female impersonation for purpose of performance), crossdressing (proclivity to wear exclusively woman's clothes), genderqueer (having any nontraditional gender identity), genderbending (defining one's own gender which may "bend" standard societal roles), Nancy boy (being homosexual and displaying remarkably effeminate mannerisms), girlie boy (displaying markedly effeminate mannerisms, but not necessarily having any correlation with sexual orientation), androgyny/gender-ambiguity (attempting to confuse the societal male and female gender roles), and the list goes on. As for David Bowie during his glam rock days when he paraded as Ziggy Stardust that was most definitely transgender. In fact, some would argue that David Bowie was THE pioneer at first popularizing the androgynous movement in the modern entertainment industry. Ru Paul is likewise an icon of the transgender lifestyle. Same with vocalists Brian Molko of Placebo, Jay Gordon of Orgy, Boy George of Culture Club, and once again the list goes on.

Transgender is definitely one of the most misunderstood lifestyles of the modern day, so it's no wonder it wouldn't be highly regarded on American Idol