It means the big old school content "gatekeeper" companies, and their trade groups like the MPAA, RIAA, ASCAP, etc., whose economic power is being eroded by digitalization and the internet, and who are fighting back by taking extremist positions in defense of their copyright ownership.

Oops, I forgot to put "(PDF)" after the link to the Judge's 24 page decision, which is indeed a PDF file. I always like to give that heads-up, but forgot to this time.

I understand the point you are making. And everyone is already under suspicion, that's why there is a security check point to begin with. And a real terrorist won't be saying 'Haha, I have a bomb' to try and blend in. They will stay quiet. However it's possible a mentally deranged person could. The real problem is how our society reacts to all of it. If someone said it, and everyone laughed because they thought it was a joke, and then turned out not to be a joke, society would be calling for TSA agents' heads. We are fine with it until it bites us in the ass, and then suddenly we need to blame someone because OMG they didn't do their job and _who_ would be joking about something so serious.

It's just like getting pulled over for a traffic violation, you don't tell the officer 'Haha, I have a gun and shoot cops.. no wait I'm joking!'

I have a very similar sense of humor, and could see saying something like this. But not at airport. And not at the TSA. I don't know if people just lack the common sense or the social skills to realize this is not the right place or time. And it sounds like in most cases they get checked 'just in case' but nothing too over the top. If someone was charged for making a bad joke, then I'd be complaining that the TSA was over the top as well.

Actually, any development is going to require a device to develop on. Apple does require the developer license, but to suggest that developing for Android or Linux or Windows does not require a computer and cost is incorrect.

Most of the cloud offerings don't want you using your own hypervisor anyhow. At least not without paying so much more it isn't worth it. They are looking at spinning up the servers for you, or giving you the raw resources for a linux/Windows box. If you want to implement VMware or need to have access for something like Provisioning Services, you are most likely better off running that in your local datacenter right now.

Are you talking about my law firm web site or my blog post on blogger.com?

I don't have the power to do that; the site was set up with Yahoo Site Solutions which is pure junk, and doesn't let you do anything.

I would love to be a judge, but it ain't gonna happen.

Thanks for the advice. Wish I had a clue as to what to do about it.

Regrettably, they vary from judge to judge and from court to court and are not predictable, since they are "discretionary".

I can tell you that if I were deciding UMG v Veoh I would have awarded Veoh its attorneys fees.

As I said, the judiciary has a number of rules, and engages in many practices, which make the cost of lawyering more expensive than it needs to be. I could write a book on the subject.

No it doesn't need as many hours of legal work as most big firms put into a case, which is why a good small firm like mine is wildly more efficient than the big firms, and can beat much bigger firms day in and day out. But under the rules and practices in place, it's still an unnecessarily expensive undertaking to litigate.

I don't make the rules; but I have to live with them in my daily life.

The money goes to pay lawyers. With expensive cases, these days it's usually large teams of clones run by large, usually multistate, often multinational, law firms. The judiciary has a number of rules and engage in a number of practices which are based on the assumption that the parties have endless means with which to pay lawyers, and which benefit the large law firms and the wealthier clients who can afford them. So the real fault is with the judiciary.

Woe betide the client with limited means, and woe betide the small law firms that get caught up in these affairs if their clients don't have that kind of dough. My small law firm can kick the butt of any large law firm, but only if we have a client that can afford to pay the bills.