News & Media
Encyclopædia Dramatica Dead…. This is the darkest day in Internet history
If you don’t know what Encyclopædia Dramatica was, then I don’t wish to explain it to you. Lets just say that the Internet is less Internet now that Encyclopædia Dramatica is dead. Its successor is a hollow shell of its ancestor. I feel like Taylor when he sees the Statue of Liberty in the sand… the terrorists truly have won. Fuck “Oh Inter Net.”
The marginal edge: Using Zinc to be a better lawyer
By J. DeVoy From what I’ve observed and in my admittedly short experience, good lawyers arise from knowing the facts of a case, knowing the applicable law, and merging them to find creative solutions to difficult problems. Other personality traits drive how these skills are expressed in real life, though, such as risk aversion, ethics/morality, and, for lack of a more artful term, selfishness. Assuming two lawyers are of equal skill and ability, these secondary traits can turn an endurable result into a good one. Experience doesn’t fully develop these innate traits, though, and there are chemical components to them
BREAKING NEWS — Righthaven's operating agreement revealed by Nevada District Court – Does the House of Cards Collapse?
Yesterday, the District of Nevada ordered evidence regarding Righthaven’s ownership of the copyrights it sues on to be unsealed. Today, Docket # 79, which reveals heretofore unknown information about Righthaven’s business model, was unsealed. As of right now, I don’t believe that any other source has this information. Read the whole thing here. For those of you lacking fluency in Copyright law, Silvers v. Sony Pictures Entertainment, 402 F.3d 881 (2005), says that you need to assign a specific right under 17 U.S.C. § 106 – and not the bare right to sue – for a copyright assignment to be valid.
Feds indict online gambling sites
By J. DeVoy Fresh on the heels of D.C.’ s decision to pursue legal online gambling, the DOJ indicted a number of gambling websites today, including PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker. (source.) The L.A. Times observes that this happened only after the online gambling business had taken off and become an economic success. (source.) Much like the government’s efforts to stop private groups from making a profit through IP infringement – and keep the damages for themselves, depriving IP holders of a chance to recoup their losses – which have been widely discussed, this looks like another case of
Online Gambling Comes to DC
By Marc J. Randazza Washington, D.C. – not Las Vegas, Miami or Texas – is poised to be the first to allow online gaming for its residents. But it’s not without some catches. Players must be within the city’s small borders in order to play online. Despite the gaming occurring online, the technology – possibly through IP screening – will prevent interlopers from other states where online gaming is illegal from joining in. Further restricting access, prospective players will have to go to designated “hot spots” to be dealt in. These locations will be set up by the city, and
dear lolman
By J. DeVoy [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_uRIMUBnvw&w=640&h=390] Not new if you read The Spearhead, Crime and Federalism and In Mala Fide, but still hilarious.
Weekend read: "Compliment & Cuddle"
By J. DeVoy Just in time for the weekend, controversial pickup writer Roosh has finished his seminal work Compliment & Cuddle: The Nice Guy Method to Making Love. It’s free, online, and can be read in an hour at most. Like all of Roosh’s work, it will shock and offend the uninitiated and willfully blind, especially with its adolescent tone, and amuse everyone else. (Don’t say you weren’t warned.) In each of the five parts, you will learn to curb your masculine desires to be your own person and enjoy your life in an effort to become an appropriately sensitive,
New federal web laws will confiscate wealth from adult, other industries
By J. DeVoy Pat Leahy seems to actually know a bit about intellectual property law, if you listen to him speak long enough. Based on the failed introduction of COICA in the fall, he’s clearly aware of the ravages piracy has caused on the broader recording and entertainment industries, as well as the harm of fraudulent goods being sold over the internet. Leahy is now renewing his call for tough new internet laws to rein in “rogue websites” that sell counterfeit goods and are at the heart of the piracy epidemic that has sent adult entertainment revenues tumbling. On the
NY Times pranked again; nostalgic for Jayson Blair
By J. DeVoy Consistent with its history of shoddy reporting and extreme gullibility, the New York Times has once again fallen prey to a fairly obvious April Fool’s Day hoax. Eric Turkewitz has the story on the New York Personal Injury Law Blog. Without stealing Turkewitz’s thunder, I’m appalled. Anyone who expects much from the mainstream media is a fool, but the Times’ consistent pattern of getting it wrong – completely wrong – makes one wonder if NY Times Co. v. Sullivan wasn’t a wasted effort after all.
You imbecile
That’s really all I can say as I read this story about Righthaven.
ACLU challenges Nevada's marriage officiant requirements
By J. DeVoy The ACLU is suing the State of Nevada and Clark County – where Las Vegas is located – over laws that require non-governmental marriage officiants to have a religious affiliation. While anyone can perform a marriage in Nevada, he or she must obtain a certificate to solemnize the marriage based on the fact that he or she has a religious affiliation. One of the plaintiffs, Raul Martinez, claims to be an atheist and member of the American Humanist Association. If successful, the suit would end – or at least compromise – the state-and-religious duopoly over marriage in
How Canada eliminates ineffective government
By J. DeVoy It disbands it in a vote of no-confidence, as is happening right now. This is a fairly regular occurrence in Canada, and something that, in some ways, would warrant salivation among the politically disillusioned here in the U.S.
Yahoo's spam filter protected by § 230
By J. DeVoy In a decision from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Yahoo’s spam filtering of its e-mail addresses is a valid exercise of its power as a content provider under 47 U.S.C. § 230, better known as § 230 of the Communications Decency Act, or simply § 230. The case is Holomaxx Technologies v. Yahoo!, Inc., Case No. CV-10-4929-JF. The Court’s order, available here, was reached after Yahoo moved to dismiss the claims against it under 12(b)(6), with § 230 serving as an affirmative defense – and basis of the motion – on claims
Law School Career Counseling
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zsTHY4g2J8]
Would you buy a laptop from Pedobear?
(Source) Just make sure you clear the browser history and cache, and you should be fine.
Your Daily Awesomeness – The Panyee Football Club
You should probably watch this maximized so you can read the subtitles. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU4oA3kkAWU] H/T: Siouxsie Law
Potassium Iodide, anyone?
For those of you running out to buy potassium iodide, you may want to review this chart while you consider the health risks of eating that stuff.
Middle Class in the USA
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSXNU1_bouc]
ALERT: SUPERMOON WILL KILL US ALL!
Ok, there’s nothing to be afraid of really… but in the tradition of the American media, I’d like to at least instill some hysteria in an event that really doesn’t qualify for any greater reaction than “neato!” [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1yalg_Apdw]