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Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

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Re: Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

#101

Post by favorited »

hallway_monitor wrote: post #96
favorited wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to be the webmaster for my parent's HOA[0], and I bought their .com domain name when it became available (a realtor had owned it originally). They eventually hired a firm to run the site, and I pointed the domain at their nameservers, and forgot about it (paying the ~$20/year in renewals, because that's not a lot of money & I have fond memories of living there). 15 years later, I get a registered letter from a…

I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I’m disappointed you didn’t end up extracting a couple thousand dollars from the HOA. Then again, maybe there’s less hate for HOA’s here than in other spaces. This is typical HOA behavior!

I totally understand that, but theirs is genuinely not an HOAzilla – they just took a stupid approach to this particular problem. It's honestly the prototypical example of how to run an HOA – low fees (no outside management), providing community features (pool, tennis courts, paved private roads, etc.) basically at-cost, and even hiring folks from the community to help out (teens as lifeguards, retired folks as maintenance, etc.).

Also, my parents still live there, so I didn't want to start any more drama. In fact, they sold their previous home and built a new place in the same community, while it would have been far cheaper to build outside the HOA.

All this to say that, while the internet is full of genuine examples of nightmare HOAs, my parents' HOA is normally run by a few retired folks who mind their own business.

Re: Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

#102

Post by zettabomb »

hamandcheese wrote: post #29
Blackthorn wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's amazing to me that the writer of that piece walked away with the conclusion that Eric Alexander was in the right.

I don't think you read the piece? > My overarching sense is that this whole saga has been largely Mr. Alexander’s fault and it could have been easily avoided. > Alexander has dropped the Mother Of All Bombs on this situation, displaying disrespect towards the reviewing industry, and regarding reviewers as trivial annoyances that can be easily brushed aside. The outcome of this saga and who will ultimately withstand t…

I believe they're referring to this bit:

>There’s no doubt in my mind that Eric Alexander of Tekton Design is largely in the right, and in principle, challenging these reviewers was mostly justified.

The next sentence is revealing though:

>The problem, and the reason we’re here now dwelling on it, is how he went about it.

I'm not sure if I understand the first of the quotes, honestly, given the rest of the content. But that seems to be what GP was referencing.

Re: Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

#103

Post by favorited »

xlii wrote: post #98
favorited wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you are willing to type this up for karma If I cared about HN karma, I'd just post "why not Rust?" on every Go post, and "why not Go?" on every Rust post. > why wouldn't you just tell the lawyer this or contact the current webmaster Because the lawyer was trying to scare me with nonsensical legal threats. I'm not interested in helping people who threaten me with legal action. > your retelling just seems really p…

I, personally, thank you for sharing. I come here for news and anecdotes from smart and interesting people, as I perceive HN crowd. Your story entertained me in my Saturday morning and I’m grateful you decided to do so.

Wow, thanks! As someone about to go to sleep on a Friday, I'm looking forward to seeing what is posted here on my Saturday morning :)

Re: Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

#104

Post by metalman »

brendoelfrendo wrote: post #44
jaredandrews wrote: post #36

I had no idea Monster sold anything other than over priced guitar cables... About 15 yeard ago, I knew a guy who exclusively bought Monster... well he had two of them, one from the guitar to the pedal board and another from the board to the amp. But it wasn't because of their alleged improved sound quality or whatever, it was because they had a lifetime warranty. Dude had bought two monster 1/4inch cables and gotten…

I definitely got upsold on a Monster cable when I bought my first guitar on the back of that lifetime warranty. Joke's on me, I guess; the cable is almost 20 years old and still working, never had to use the warranty even once. I need to take worse care of my things.

Guitar cable?, ya...noooo cordless my droogys prolly cheaper too did a custom stealth mod to one guitar where the transmitter, plugs into 1/4 jack,under the back cover nice thing is that its possible to turn an amp up to face peeling loudness, and step back, and not get hurt, got to watch for things vibrating off of shelves though and are you kidding me?, I know that as a guitarer there are cumulative cognitive effects, but when a fucking speaker cable outfit starts suing people, something has definitly gone off the rails but oh ya, there are people in jail for "cheating" on video games, but somehow there are government weed stores tone is in the hands

Re: Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

#105

Post by AceyMan »

biglyburrito wrote: post #2

The complete story: https://www.bluejeanscable.com/legal/mcp/index.htm

Blue Jeans Cables was what I switched to towards the end of my serious audiophile days. Before that, I was set up with StraightWire mostly, but I respected Kimber Kables, though I never ended up getting any of their goods.

Now tonearm cables are a whole different animal, and my pair was a mid-priced custom set though one of the high-end dealers — all substance, no flash => aka, not paying for an advertising budget & fancy packaging.

Re: Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

#106

Post by tgsovlerkhgsel »

flomo wrote: post #83
favorited wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to be the webmaster for my parent's HOA[0], and I bought their .com domain name when it became available (a realtor had owned it originally). They eventually hired a firm to run the site, and I pointed the domain at their nameservers, and forgot about it (paying the ~$20/year in renewals, because that's not a lot of money & I have fond memories of living there). 15 years later, I get a registered letter from a…

[flagged]

Because humans are petty, and if they feel slighted, they will go out of their way to take revenge, even if it provides them no material benefit.

This may seem illogical, but is actually crucial to make society function, because it punishes non-cooperative behaviors.

Re: Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

#107

Post by ttyprintk »

schumpeter wrote: post #4

You have to wonder what it is with companies having “monster” in their names that makes them such monsters. This story reminded me of the multi-year battle by Monster energy going after MonsterFishKeepers.com https://reefbuilders.com/2016/03/01/monster-fish-keepers-win...

Monster cables went after Monster Mini Golf rather than the categorically obvious option of advertizing on their go-karts or whatever.

Re: Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

#108

Post by ttyprintk »

noduerme wrote: post #40
ghshephard wrote: post #38

I read the letter and it looked like pretty much the first negotiating position of any lawyer. Regardless of what you think, convince the opposition that you are prepared to litigate to the end of time.

Just speaking as someone who's not a lawyer, but who grew up in a family of lawyers: This isn't so much a negotiating position as a rigorous way of thinking about everything. It's also the default position if e.g. your child asks you to buy them a book, let them sleep over at a friend's house, etc. (Something an ex-girlfriend of mine categorized as "child abuse", whereas I think it was a fantastic education). Cross-e…

“You’re increasing the volume of your voice but not the logic of your argument.”

Re: Monster Cables picked the wrong guy to threaten (2008)

#109

Post by bayindirh »

metalman wrote: post #104
brendoelfrendo wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I definitely got upsold on a Monster cable when I bought my first guitar on the back of that lifetime warranty. Joke's on me, I guess; the cable is almost 20 years old and still working, never had to use the warranty even once. I need to take worse care of my things.

Guitar cable?, ya...noooo cordless my droogys prolly cheaper too did a custom stealth mod to one guitar where the transmitter, plugs into 1/4 jack,under the back cover nice thing is that its possible to turn an amp up to face peeling loudness, and step back, and not get hurt, got to watch for things vibrating off of shelves though and are you kidding me?, I know that as a guitarer there are cumulative cognitive effec…

I prefer a cable in my active bass, because it's one less set of batteries to think about, and that guy has a pretty hot output. Analog distortion is way better than the sounds you get when you saturate a digital signal path, heh.
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