gdp's Comments

A Foolish Consistency : Bike Trip 2011

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:25:50 +0000

Going to Maine this morning with Nate to install the dock--stay tuned. And yes, I used to climb that Norway Maple in front and spy on you and your dates.

A Foolish Consistency : Risk of Merit Scholarships

Thu, 5 May 2011 11:19:40 +0000

Thanks Alex. Excellent advice to future 1L's from one who is living what I only read about.

A Foolish Consistency : Flatline

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 10:23:38 +0000

And I thought you wore that deeply introspective look because you were totally engaged with the material.

A Foolish Consistency : Google Goes Generic?*

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 10:22:00 +0000

You are right that generic usage results from effective brand penetration. Remember, though, the purpose of a trademark is to identify the source of goods or services. What if I am googling whether somebody is a creep by using Bing or Yahoo!, and it never occurs to me that the source of googling is the Google search engine? At some point consumers stopped associating shredded wheat with its manufacturer and applied it to any similar breakfast cereal, and the owner of the shredded wheat mark failed to adequately protect its rights in the mark. It ceased to be a trademark and became a noun that any cereal maker could use for its product.

A Foolish Consistency : Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Trial Lawyers

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 10:13:40 +0000

Agreed. I guffawed reading that.

A Foolish Consistency : TMI

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 10:43:06 +0000

Thoughtful perspective. No one is forced to use the sites. If users understand the implications of these sites before volunteering their information then that\\\'s their choice, but we know most users will not understand the implications.

A Foolish Consistency : When in Rome . . .

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 10:40:16 +0000

Wise advice!

A Foolish Consistency : Put the Fish Down Slowly, and Just Walk Away

Wed, 9 Mar 2011 11:24:47 +0000

If the explanation is situational, it must have been a really badsalmon experience.

A Foolish Consistency : Financial Crisis Resources

Wed, 9 Mar 2011 11:22:39 +0000

This chart is fantastic. Thanks for the link.

A Foolish Consistency : A Coke By Any Other Name

Wed, 9 Mar 2011 11:22:13 +0000

If they found the recipe printed in the newspaper, it's not secret.

A Foolish Consistency : Right to Review Applicants' Facebook Pages?

Thu, 3 Mar 2011 01:34:39 +0000

Great story about your father finding the dirt on the groom-to-be. An aside about arranged marriages. About six years ago my wife and I hosted dinner for ten or so members of Chankaar, for which I am faculty sponsor. All were first-generation, born in the U.S. and very westernized. The conversation moved to arranged marriages and my wife and I were surprised to learn that all of them approved of their parents being heavily involved in sifting through prospective mates and vetting their character and career prospects. None would go so far as to give their parents total control over finding a spouse, but they were happy to let their parents do the leg work and exercise veto power over their choices. It was a good lesson about the power of tradition and cultural identity.

A Foolish Consistency : Black Hat SEO

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 00:42:32 +0000

It's not illegal. It violates Google's rules, which are central to Google's value proposition. If users lose faith in the quality of Google's results they'll use the site less, making Google searches (and the company) less valuable. Why does Google get to set the rules? Because it's their search engine, their algorithm, their reputation and good will.

A Foolish Consistency : Black Hat SEO

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 01:23:49 +0000

Obnoxiousness worked for DecorMyEyes-for a while, until the company's owner was arrested for cyber-stalking: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/decor...

A Foolish Consistency : "Check out the big brain on Brett."*

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 10:29:53 +0000

ding! ding! ding! ding! ding! ding! ding! ding! ding! ding! ding! ding! ding! ding! ding! ding! Good things will flow to you in abundance.

A Foolish Consistency : Black Hat SEO

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 10:28:32 +0000

Fairer than JC Penny's SEO. If Penny wanted to appear on Google's first page it could have paid for ads. People rely on Google's organic searches because they have some faith the SEO playing field is level. Google doesn't charge for its organic searches. As a private company, it can set compliance rules. If users don't trust Google responses they'll drift away. Google's response to JC Penny protect's Google's goodwill.

A Foolish Consistency : Poor Strategic Thinking

Sun, 6 Feb 2011 04:11:26 +0000

Well-put.

A Foolish Consistency : Do Laptops Impede Classroom Learning?

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 19:03:47 +0000

That's why I've opted for the "Gadget Ghetto." I hope it inhibits those web-surfing laptop users who distract me during teaching while enabling students like you to use laptops effectively.

A Foolish Consistency : Ignorance Loses a Round

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 10:06:37 +0000

Buffoon--and according to Gail Collins in the NYTimes, he lives rent-free.

A Foolish Consistency : Ignorance Loses a Round

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 10:04:53 +0000

At least someone appreciates my feeble attempts at wit. A lot of craziness in current U.S. politics--is there room on your sofa for thousands of ex-pats?

A Foolish Consistency : Limewire

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 22:13:52 +0000

Copyright law is enforced by copyright owners through lawsuits. There are no copyright police. It took years of litigation and hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more) in legal fees to shut down Napster, and next-generation file-sharing sites and technology were in place before the ink was dry on the final Napster judgment. It's like playing whack-a-mole with a slow, cumbersome ineffective hammer and really clever moles.