University of Cincinnati doctoral student Julia Taylor has done some interesting work on artificial humor, she gave a presentation about it to the Cincinnati Programmers Guild in December 2007.
I have a relevant experience to relate concerning this issue:
About 6 months ago, I wanted to transfer a domain name from NSI to another registrar. I'll mention here that the domain name is a fun one, and could potentially be used by any flesh peddler out there (although that's not what I'm using it for).
I tried the transfer at least 3 times over a two week period. Failures every time. At the same time, I successfully transferred three unrelated (and less valuable) domain names from NSI to my new registrar using the exact same procedures and information.
I became suspicious, and figured that maybe NSI had some kind of technical problem. I then read an article on/. about how NSI was getting ready to take possession of unrenewed domain names, auctioning them off. I was starting to feel a little paranoid about losing my domain name, so I decided to just do the more expensive thing and renew the name with NSI in order to avoid the transfer process and simplify the issue.
I couldn't renew the domain name through their website either. I got very odd, vague error messages on their website when I tried to pay via credit card.
So I decided to call their 800 number and renew over the phone as a last-ditch effort. First the person on the phone told me she couldn't renew the domain name. When I pressed for details as to why, she claimed that she didn't know. She sounded confused by what she was seeing on her computer, and put me on hold. I was transferred to someone higher up the food chain, who tried the same process, and apparently encountered the same difficulty.
After about an hour on the phone and 4 or 5 long hold sessions, a person in accounting took my credit card info and forced the transaction through.
Funnier still - the computer system wouldn't allow me to renew for only one year, until the issue was manually overridden by someone in accounting. My only option was a two-year renewal according to the people I spoke with before that.
I was very concerned at this point. I waited on the telephone until receiving my renewal confirmation email specifying the new expiration date.
At the end of the phone conversation, I told the latest representative of the problems I had run into on their website paying by credit card, despite successfully doing the same thing with another domain the day before. She sounded surprised, and put me on hold again.
When she came back on the line a few minutes later, her voice had gone very stiff. She said "There is no problem with our website, sir." I expresses a little surprise, and told her that she could check the unanswered technical support emails I had sent a few days before to confirm that I had been having the problem I described.
"There is no problem with our website." she replied, very monotone, all traces of her previous friendliness completely absent.
I transferred the domain name the next day to another registrar. NSI still sends me renewal notices for this domain name.
So, what happens when all those in othodox religions realize that we've just neutered God? It's one more "Act of God" that won't happen any more, and one more step up the Tower of Babylon.
Just sent this off to the transasia people.;-) Ethermeme
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To: fmonnot@leonardofinance.fr, yves.delacour@leonardofinance.fr Subject: Protect your trademark from dilution, pay me $$$
Hi there,
I read that you're hammering the Leonardo Art/Science Network through slashdot.org this morning. Having the police raid them for incriminating evidence was quite a coup d'etat. What a great idea! I hadn't thought of that tactic before. Since I admire your style so much, I'd like to make a suggestion or three to you. Here's some other possibilities you may want to consider investigating to protect your trademark from further dilution:
1. da Vinci - He's dead, so there's probably not much money to be made here, but perhaps you could pioneer retrograde trademark dilution payments. Think of the possibilities: For every mention of this man in every form of media, you could get a few pennies restitution. You'd bankrupt the education system and put the entire science community in disarray, but hey, they're not competing with you very hard, are they? It must be their lack of foresight.
2. DiCaprio - Like he even *deserves* to use your trademark! This opens teen magazines and most syrupy Hollywood producers to your lawyers. This could be a very big stream of revenue for you. Sure, he's had the name since birth, but only your company was wise enough to trademark it, right? The last ones to the party always get the stale chips. Tough for them. And think of the possibility of royalties on every pre-teen girl's bedroom wall space!
3. Leonardo, New Jersey - Were you even aware of the money-making potential that this city holds for you? I can see a future where every city pays licensing fees in the form of higher local taxes to legitimize their use of corporate-owned trademarks. I'm sure you could, ahem, influence US politicians to help you set up the licensing structure. After all, they've got lots of other peoples' money to give away, and you will be neither first nor last in line at the trough.
By the way, leonardo.com,.net and.org are all in use by other entities on the Web. You're going to have to play some hardball with these groups to enforce your trademark. Have you tried threatening their families yet? I've heard that usually turns these deals around in record time!
Now, I believe in the right for business to succeed despite all resistance from society at large and their silly ethicists, and I can see that your heavy-handed tactics will lead you to greatness. So I'm offering the information I've shared with you in this message as complimentary trial information, meaning that you can peruse the concepts for free for the next 30 days. But if you decide to pursue any of these fine money-making possibilities, I will bill you a 30% finder's fee for any revenues earned from such efforts. I'll make best-guess estimates on the first bill to get the process moving. Sound good?
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through this email address, or simply squelch the basic rights of another non-threatening group of people and I'll be sure to follow the stench right to you.
Sincerely, Troy Davis V.P. Persecution Copyright Retaliation & Arbitration Panel Cincinnati, OH USA
Slashdot Mirror
University of Cincinnati doctoral student Julia Taylor has done some interesting work on artificial humor, she gave a presentation about it to the Cincinnati Programmers Guild in December 2007.
http://cincypg.org/events/2007/12
http://homepages.uc.edu/~tayloj8/
I have a relevant experience to relate concerning this issue:
/. about how NSI was getting ready to take possession of unrenewed domain names, auctioning them off. I was starting to feel a little paranoid about losing my domain name, so I decided to just do the more expensive thing and renew the name with NSI in order to avoid the transfer process and simplify the issue.
About 6 months ago, I wanted to transfer a domain name from NSI to another registrar. I'll mention here that the domain name is a fun one, and could potentially be used by any flesh peddler out there (although that's not what I'm using it for).
I tried the transfer at least 3 times over a two week period. Failures every time. At the same time, I successfully transferred three unrelated (and less valuable) domain names from NSI to my new registrar using the exact same procedures and information.
I became suspicious, and figured that maybe NSI had some kind of technical problem. I then read an article on
I couldn't renew the domain name through their website either. I got very odd, vague error messages on their website when I tried to pay via credit card.
So I decided to call their 800 number and renew over the phone as a last-ditch effort. First the person on the phone told me she couldn't renew the domain name. When I pressed for details as to why, she claimed that she didn't know. She sounded confused by what she was seeing on her computer, and put me on hold. I was transferred to someone higher up the food chain, who tried the same process, and apparently encountered the same difficulty.
After about an hour on the phone and 4 or 5 long hold sessions, a person in accounting took my credit card info and forced the transaction through.
Funnier still - the computer system wouldn't allow me to renew for only one year, until the issue was manually overridden by someone in accounting. My only option was a two-year renewal according to the people I spoke with before that.
I was very concerned at this point. I waited on the telephone until receiving my renewal confirmation email specifying the new expiration date.
At the end of the phone conversation, I told the latest representative of the problems I had run into on their website paying by credit card, despite successfully doing the same thing with another domain the day before. She sounded surprised, and put me on hold again.
When she came back on the line a few minutes later, her voice had gone very stiff. She said "There is no problem with our website, sir." I expresses a little surprise, and told her that she could check the unanswered technical support emails I had sent a few days before to confirm that I had been having the problem I described.
"There is no problem with our website." she replied, very monotone, all traces of her previous friendliness completely absent.
I transferred the domain name the next day to another registrar. NSI still sends me renewal notices for this domain name.
So, what happens when all those in othodox religions realize that we've just neutered God? It's one more "Act of God" that won't happen any more, and one more step up the Tower of Babylon.
I bet they'll lobby DC to get it outlawed.
"Preserve God's Right to Destroy!"
:-D
Just sent this off to the transasia people. ;-)
.net and .org are all in use by other entities on the Web. You're going to have to play some hardball with these groups to enforce your trademark. Have you tried threatening their families yet? I've heard that usually turns these deals around in record time!
Ethermeme
----------
To: fmonnot@leonardofinance.fr, yves.delacour@leonardofinance.fr
Subject: Protect your trademark from dilution, pay me $$$
Hi there,
I read that you're hammering the Leonardo Art/Science Network through slashdot.org this morning. Having the police raid them for incriminating evidence was quite a coup d'etat. What a great idea! I hadn't thought of that tactic before. Since I admire your style so much, I'd like to make a suggestion or three to you. Here's some other possibilities you may want to consider investigating to protect your trademark from further dilution:
1. da Vinci - He's dead, so there's probably not much money to be made here, but perhaps you could pioneer retrograde trademark dilution payments. Think of the possibilities: For every mention of this man in every form of media, you could get a few pennies restitution. You'd bankrupt the education system and put the entire science community in disarray, but hey, they're not competing with you very hard, are they? It must be their lack of foresight.
2. DiCaprio - Like he even *deserves* to use your trademark! This opens teen magazines and most syrupy Hollywood producers to your lawyers. This could be a very big stream of revenue for you. Sure, he's had the name since birth, but only your company was wise enough to trademark it, right? The last ones to the party always get the stale chips. Tough for them. And think of the possibility of royalties on every pre-teen girl's bedroom wall space!
3. Leonardo, New Jersey - Were you even aware of the money-making potential that this city holds for you? I can see a future where every city pays licensing fees in the form of higher local taxes to legitimize their use of corporate-owned trademarks. I'm sure you could, ahem, influence US politicians to help you set up the licensing structure. After all, they've got lots of other peoples' money to give away, and you will be neither first nor last in line at the trough.
By the way, leonardo.com,
Now, I believe in the right for business to succeed despite all resistance from society at large and their silly ethicists, and I can see that your heavy-handed tactics will lead you to greatness. So I'm offering the information I've shared with you in this message as complimentary trial information, meaning that you can peruse the concepts for free for the next 30 days. But if you decide to pursue any of these fine money-making possibilities, I will bill you a 30% finder's fee for any revenues earned from such efforts. I'll make best-guess estimates on the first bill to get the process moving. Sound good?
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through this email address, or simply squelch the basic rights of another non-threatening group of people and I'll be sure to follow the stench right to you.
Sincerely,
Troy Davis
V.P. Persecution
Copyright Retaliation & Arbitration Panel
Cincinnati, OH USA