-
Archives
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- May 2011
- March 2011
- November 2010
- October 2010
- August 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- August 2004
- July 2004
- June 2004
- May 2004
- October 2003
- September 2003
- August 2003
- July 2003
- June 2003
- May 2003
- April 2003
- March 2003
- January 2003
- December 2002
- November 2002
- October 2002
- September 2002
- August 2002
-
Meta
Monthly Archives: January 2003
ticketstubs
Matt Haughey is one of the creators who helped make Creative Commons happen. He’s built an amazingly cool site called ticketstubs that enables people to share stories around events. Continue reading
Posted in creative commons
Comments Off on ticketstubs
the race to the top continues
There’s a very interesting article in the Times (registration blah blah blah) about a new push in Europe to increase copyright terms. Let’s remember the sequence here. Germany increased its terms to compensate for WWII. The EU then increased its terms to match Germany. The US then increased its terms to “harmonize” with the EU. That was the Sonny Bono Act. But of course, the “harmony” of the Sonny Bono Act was like some of the worst of the Bono and Cher acts — disharmony. (For a chart showing how the Sonny Bono Act actually increased disharmony between US and EU terms, see Dennis Karjala’s page). So to respond to the disharmony caused by the Sonny Bono Act, now Europe is calling for another increase in their term. Japan too is doing the same.
Jason Schultz’s work shows clearly what we’ve been arguing for a very long time: Longer terms lock up much more than it could ever benefit. This spiral of increasing terms will mean that less will be available, not more. Obviously, there is a world of work to do before this message is understood. Continue reading
Posted in eldred.cc
3 Comments
on competing with free
So Peter Wayner reports that after he put his book, Free for All, under a Creative Commons license, the price for used books at Amazon has gone up by 40%. RIAA (or better, artists the RIAA is supposed to represent): Take note. Continue reading
Posted in creative commons
2 Comments
walt’s creativity
So I’ve been telling this story about the birth of Mickey Mouse for some time now. See, e.g., my OSCON speech. The story goes like this: Walt Disney was a great creator in the tradition of great creativity: his creativity was to rip, mix, and burn popular culture. Even Mickey Mouse, who was born as Steamboat Willie (released in 1928), was a rip, mix, and burn take-off on Buster Keaton’s Steamboat Bill (released in 1928).
But I hadn’t realized just how true that was until I opened my very cool set of Disney “Treasures”�a special DVD release of the early Black and White Mickey Mouse films that Disney is now selling (comes in a cool tin case, with a serial number pressed into the tin). The DVD is a great collection of the early cartoons, with some “bonus” features including the script for Steamboat Willie. Here’s a screen shot of the first page of the script. Notice the direction from Walt: “Orchestra starts playing opening verses of ‘Steamboat Bill.'” Try doing a cartoon take-off of one of Disney, Inc.’s latest films with an opening that copies the music, and see how far your Walt Empire gets. Continue reading
Posted in heroes
6 Comments
putting my job where my mouth is
A kind-hearted email and a nice analysis of spam have given me an idea:
First the analysis: Philip Jacob has a great piece about spam and RBLs. The essay not only identifies the many problems with RBLs, but it nicely maps a mix of strategies that could be considered in their place. But, alas, missing from the list is one I’ve pushed: A law requiring simple labeling, and a bounty for anyone who tracks down spammers violating the law.
Then I got an email from a kind soul warning me about my work�”do you know how powerful your enemies are?” this person asked. No, I thought, I don’t, but let’s see. If I’ve got such powerful enemies, then I’ve got a good way to do some good.
Here goes: So (a) if a law like the one I propose is passed on a national level, and (b) it does not substantially reduce the level of spam, then (c) I will resign my job. I get to decide whether (a) is true; Declan can decide whether (b) is true. If (a) and (b) are both true, then I’ll do (c) at the end of the following academic year.
So: Is there anyone else advancing a spam solution who would offer this kind of warranty? Continue reading
Posted in ideas
39 Comments