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Comment Raises Many Questions (Score 1) 242

by cob666 (#41789103) Attached to: Supreme Court To Hear First Sale Doctrine Case
The first is, if copyright doesn't apply in the US then the copyright holder has no right to prohibit resale.
If copyright DOES apply in the US and the product was legally obtained (regardless of location) then the original copyright holder should again have NO right to prohibit resale, applying the first sale doctrine.

Where this gets interesting is, will this ruling apply to ANYTHING manufactured overseas that has any type of copyright, such as computing devices and automobiles? Imagine not being able to sell your 4-5 year old car to buy a newer model. How will this ruling apply to things such as the secondary market for used CDs (many of which are imported)?

I'm very curious as to how this is going to play out.

Comment Re:Good (Score 1) 642

by cob666 (#41645257) Attached to: Lawsuit Challenges New York Sugary Drink Ban
Instead of imposing limits on serving sizes, why don't they do the RIGHT thing and ban the use of HFCS in soft drinks. Most soft drinks in Canada still use sugar instead of HFCS, I can taste the difference. I don't even buy soda with HFCS when I'm in the states now because I don't like the taste.

Comment Re:Pffftttt...no surprise here (Score 1) 95

by cob666 (#41381585) Attached to: AT&T Facing Net Neutrality Complaint Over FaceTime Restrictions
This is only because Apple built the mechanism to ALLOW the providers the ability to disable this feature. If Apple didn't have an option to disable this feature then the providers would have no way to charge extra for it. Of course people are going to say that if Apple did NOT provide this feature then providers wouldn't carry the new iPhone. That's total bullshit, no carrier that currently carries the iPhone is going to suddenly stop selling them, they're making way too much money off the hardware.

If AT&T was so concerned about video over IP then it would be doing the exact same thing with Skype.

Comment Re:Unionize (Score 1) 630

by cob666 (#41378889) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: When Does Time Tracking at Work Go Too Far?
If you take a 5 minute break every 10 minutes, you still have to be paid for it, but you would most likely lose your job in a day or two.

If your state mandates that an employee must have a 15 minute break for every 4 hours worked that means you have to have one break that lasts at least 15 minutes. If you take 2, 5 minute bathroom breaks in that 4 hours, that 10 minutes doesn't come out of your 15 minute break.

Comment Re:Typewriter (Score 1) 325

by cob666 (#41378099) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Teaching Typing With Limited Electricity, Computers?

My mother, now aged 85, learned to type using a printed picture of a keyboard, and exercises very similar to "Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing". Its true there is no record of what keys you actually press, etc, but she could type a lot faster than I ever could, and is using an IPad as I type this.

My point is: stop being obsessed with technology: anyone in the third world can have a photocopy of a picture of a keyboad, and probably has the motivation to try and learn with it. Once a week, use a real machine to test their progress if you have to. (Yes I have visited third world countries).

That won't work. I speak from personal experience (borned & raised in a third world country). I learned typing with a mechanical typewriter. You have to have a physical feedback from the type writer to develop the necessary muscle memory.

You also need paper to see that you are typing, and to see if you are doing it right or wrong. And when you commit errors, you need to see how often you made them and where on the keyboard layout. Finally you develop the speed to type with a high degree of correctness.

You. Will. Never. Ever. Get. That. With. A. Picture. Of. A. Keyboard.

You need an actual keyboard, mechanical or otherwise.

I don't agree, I learned to type over 35 years ago on a keyboard diagram, then a manual typewriter and then moved to an IBM Selectric in high school. Modern computer keyboards require almost no real finger strength and virtual keyboards require NO finger strength. Typing is learned by rote exercise, my mother didn't want me breaking her typewriter so she had me practice on the diagram until I knew where most of the letters where.

Comment Re:Unionize (Score 4, Interesting) 630

by cob666 (#41353077) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: When Does Time Tracking at Work Go Too Far?
The OSHA rules for bathroom breaks are that the employer cannot deny reasonable access to the bathroom and can't REFUSE an employee's ability to take a bathroom break unless the employees absence would put other people on jeopardy (such as requiring a certain number of people to run a piece of machinery, which would require somebody else to fill in for the employee while on bathroom break).

There are no laws that prohibit or restrict the employer from tracking bathroom breaks but the employee must be paid for all breaks less than 20 minutes. Also, from what I've read, there is nothing to prevent an employer from letting an employee go for excessive time away from their work area.

As far as 'when does time tracking go too far?' An employer should definitely be able to track when employees are NOT actually working, I don't see a problem here unless the employer is restricting bathroom usage.

Comment Re:As soon as you have anything to take (Score 1) 293

by cob666 (#41325729) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: When Is It a Good Idea To Incorporate?
It's not so much about assets as it is about income. If your new business is making money and you have expenses you're much better off forming a corporation right from the start. Based on what my accountant (both past and present) have told me as well as my tax attorney, it's much easier to claim expenses when you have a valid legal entity for your company. Also, if something were to happen to your business, you want to have the liability protection that a corporation offers (you're still responsible for loans or lines of credit personally guaranteed by you). While there are many similarities between an LLC and say, an S-Corp, when the shit hits the fan, some types of LLCs can be classified as either partnerships or sole-proprietors and the owners can be held fiscally responsible.

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