Recording Industry vs. the People

If you haven't seen this blog, it's a good one if you are interested in the RIAA and related legal action.  This is hard news!  Court opinions, technical commentary, and the like.  

 Here's an introduction to their latest post:

Between The RIAA And A Hard Place.
By Andrew Harden

In the case of Elektra v. Barker, attorneys for the Recording Industry Association of America have made the argument that simply having a "Shared" folder on your computer can be considered grounds for infringement and, by extension, prosecution. These RIAA lawsuits have long been criticized, and the arguments which the RIAA uses to support them have been as well. But this particular point is, at best, a Slippery Slope.

The problem with this is that nearly every PC in use right now, running a modern operating system like, for example, Microsoft Windows XP, has a "Shared" folder on it. In fact, it might even have several. But you know who created these folders? Not the people using them, not some fiendish Internet pirates (sans eye patch and cool boat), but rather, Microsoft itself. This folder, most likely called "Shared Documents" and perhaps its counterparts "Shared Pictures" and "Shared Music" were created by Microsoft's Windows installer program. They were placed by default. Is there an option during the installation process to stop this? No. Is there a way to stop the installer? Well yes, but that would involve the reverse engineering of proprietary code, which might involve copyright violation by itself.
For the rest…

Rocky Horror movie screening Friday!

F&M Free Culture will be screening Rocky Horror this Friday at midnight (i.e., 11:55 p.m. Friday night). The screening will take place in the Green Room Theater and is sure to be a wonderful time and a great way to take a break from studying for finals.

Link to facebook event
See you Friday!

More on the expansion of the DMCA

The article talks to several professors and details the provisions of the bill that's heading to Congress. CALL, not email, Rep. Joe Pitts about this. We really reducing the burden of DMCA with greater "fair use" liberties, etc:Lancaster County Court House
50 North Duke Street
Lancaster, PA 17602
(Duke and Orange Streets)
717 393-0667
717 393-0924 (fax)

Get in touch with your inner dork…

"Dorkbot," (is) a loose forum for the exchange of creative technological ideas that is developing a cult following around the world.

I'm really excited about this article and this concept of bringining people together, in real human space, to talk about creative technologies that they are working on.  One of the great things about Free Culture, the organization, is the human aspect.  A danger of technology is that it can isolate us from the physical community; on the flip side, it can also engage us with the rest of the world virtually.  If it weren't for the need of coffee, however, I'm not sure that some people would leave their cubicles at all.  

This looks like a great outlet to build comradery with other people doing tech-savvy projects in a tangible way. 

Save the Internet

Right now Congress is pushing a law that would abandon the First Amendment of the Internet — a principle called “network neutrality” that preserves the free and open Internet. Congress needs to hear from you today or they will hand over control of what you do online to companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast.

Politicians are trading favors for campaign donations from these companies. They’re being wooed by people like AT&T’s CEO, who says “the Internet can’t be free.” Sign this petition to tell your elected representatives to protect Internet freedom now.

Check out Save the Internet.com for more information.

New Technology May Force TV Ad Viewing

Somehow I think this is wrong:

A patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office says researchers of the Netherland-based consumer electronics company have created a technology that could let broadcasters freeze a channel during a commercial, so viewers wouldn't be able to avoid it.

One of the amazing aspects of technology is that it has developed new media that is not commercial, that is independent, that is free.  Technology, however, is neutral in and of itself with respect to its benefits or lack thereof to society.  World according to Ben: this gives us an awesome responsibility in Free Culture to develop and support the technologies that promote freedom.   

Songbird

You love iTunes, I love iTunes but I have really enjoyed this player and am sure that it will supplant iTunes for me at some point in the future.  It's an open source media player, Songbird.  It's only in 0.1 so it's a little rough going but it works, doesn't crash at least on PC, so it's worth toying around with until it's time to make the switch. 

Don't worry – you'll still have your three pane goodness.

Municipal Broadband

Many Free Culture types were excited when Philadelphia developed a plan to implement broadband throughout Pennsylvania's largest city.  Unfortunately, the legislature then passed a law to mandate the okay by the broadband industry first.  Feel free to let your state legislators know how you feel!

On a positive note, this is a national trend.  San Francisco is going to be a municipal broadband service:

The city of San Francisco awarded a contract Wednesday to the duo of Google and EarthLink to build a citywide wireless network to bring affordable broadband Internet access to its residents.

 

The fact that the city chose the prominent team came as little surprise to industry watchers, but the decision is an important milestone in the growing movement of citywide Wi-Fi.

 

Cities across the United States are planning and building wide area wireless services that offer low-cost broadband Internet access to residents and bypass the networks the traditional phone and cable companies have built.

This is a great trend and with any luck the new 2006 state legislature in Pennsylvania will reverse their current law and allow municipalities to bridge the digital divide and put the power of internet in the hands of all their citizens.   

Categories of Software

One of the concerns in the free culture movement has always been how to say the message in a soundbite.  The complexity is just part of a free culture's nature.  Things are constantly moving, technology, law always changing.  Take for example fthe categories of software:

• “Free software''
• “Open source''
• “Public domain software''
• “Copylefted software''
• “Non-copylefted free software''
• “GPL-covered software''
• “The GNU system''
• “GNU programs''
• “GNU software''
• “Non-free software''
• “Semi-free software''
• “Proprietary software''
• “Shareware''
• “Freeware''
• “Private (custom) software''
• “Commercial software''

Those types are off of the GNU philosophy page.  To the average observer saying freeware is no different than saying free software while there is a significant difference.  Personal news flash: there is a difference between free software and open source software, while minor, other than the preference for the name.  

I have been wrestling with this over the past several weeks.  it's the same thing with the aisle of breakfast cereal.  Do we really need to a half dozen different kinds of raisin bran?  100 kinds of cereal in total?  The essence of the free culture movement, is that, freedom.  In a free culture, where does the balance lie between freedom to create and possible paralysis that comes from, say, 10 aisles of cereal, categories of software with more than one hyphen, etc?   

Steve Jobs thoughts on life

Thought you might enjoy some Steve Jobs tid bits of knowledge:

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.”

“.. almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.”

Enjoy.