b.cognosco
Where leaping to conclusions is my primary form of forward motion.
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Recently
Ink Jetting the DMCA
Opera and MSN.com
Ventura Arrives on MSNBC
Assessing Risk
Testing the Limits of the Patently Obvious
New Kids on the Blog
Liability and the Law
Why Jack Can't Count
Headed South by Southwest
Variable RSS
Why Jack Can't Read
Friday, February 7, 2003
We Have Met the Enemy, and He is Us
Patriot II -- Ashcroft rides again. On the one hand, we need no-nonsense leaders who will go after the bad guys. On the other hand, we need leaders who have some sense of who the bad guys are. And we certainly need leaders who haven't forgotten that we have a Constitution here. Once again, we have unelected, unregulated, bureaucrats and policy wonks drafting sweeping legislation behind closed doors, endangering the freedom and liberty of every American.Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to America under the Control Freaks.
Justice Dept. Drafts Sweeping Expansion of Anti-Terrorism Act
Center Publishes Secret Draft of Patriot II Legislation[...] The Center for Public Integrity has obtained a draft, dated January 9, 2003, of this previously undisclosed legislation and is making it available in full text (12 MB). The bill, drafted by the staff of Attorney General John Ashcroft and entitled the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003, has not been officially released by the Department of Justice, although rumors of its development have circulated around the Capitol for the last few months under the name of the Patriot Act II in legislative parlance. [...]
Ink Jetting the DMCA
I could explain this to you, Doc, but it would be a violation of the company's copyrighted intellectual property...
J st Wond ri g.Why is it that ink jet printers refuse to print because they say a print cartridge is out of ink when the printer software says the cartridge is more than half full?
[The Doc Searls Weblog]
Opera and MSN.com
Without regard to the nature of MSN's actions, Opera is buggy. After using Opera exclusively for almost two years, I give up. Version 7 stinks. It was supposed to be the most standards compliant browser, yet it breaks at the vaguest hint of DHTML. If you want a great embedded browser for cell phones or PDAs Opera is probably a great choice. But don't waste your time trying to use it on a real computer.
MSN.com plays dirty with Opera. MSN.com misforms their page on purpose to make it look like Opera is buggy. Very naughty. [andersja's blog]
Ventura Arrives on MSNBC
NYT says former wrestler/governor Jesse Ventura has signed a $2 million deal to host a program on MSNBC. The article also says Phil Donahue's show is near to being cancelled. This seems to reinforce the idea that the general public has lost its taste for sniveling whiners and is more interested in butt-kicking attitude. In any case, at least "The Body" is funny, something Donahue never figured out how to do.
[...] The arrival of Mr. Ventura to cable news, in the works for several months, was received throughout the industry as a symbol of the medium circa 2003. When the Fox News Channel first surged in prime time with boisterous and headstrong hosts like Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, it was derided by competitors as the "World Wrestling Federation of television news." Now that Fox News is in first place, the others are trying to capture similar magic. [...]
Thursday, February 6, 2003
Assessing Risk
NYT reports on how modeling and simulation are being used to predict everything from insurance rates to the chances of a terrorist attack.
[...] a rapidly evolving set of conceptual and computing tools allow mathematicians, engineers and insurance executives to assess the risk of what are euphemistically known as low-probability, high-consequence events.The field, known in professional jargon as probabilistic risk assessment, helps companies and government agencies decide whether they are prepared to take the chances involved.
In 1995, these tools helped a NASA consultant estimate the risk of a catastrophic space shuttle failure at 1 in 145, or about 0.7 percent, for each mission. NASA accepted that risk. Similar methods are used to estimate the health risks at toxic-waste sites, to secure nuclear laboratories, weapon stockpiles and power plants, and to determine the safety and reliability of planes and cars. They help determine home insurance rates for tens of millions of people in the United States, Europe and Japan. And now some of the techniques are being used to analyze the chances of terrorist attack. [...] via NYT via [OnDecidingBetter News]
Testing the Limits of the Patently Obvious
A patent has been granted to Cleveland based Test Central, Inc. for making tests available over the web. I've decided to apply for a patent on making advertising available over the web. Also for making calendars, photos, forms, and text in ALL CAPS available on the Internet.This patent was applied for in 1999 and makes the US Patent Office look quite foolish (again.) Test Central isn't trying to license the patent -- they have enough sense to know they would get squashed in court. Instead, they are seeking to sell the patent to a well-heeled megacorp that can afford extended legal extortion battles. They should see if SBC Communications is interested.
[...] Test Central was granted the patent, which covers "making a test and posting the test online for potential test takers," last Tuesday, Jan. 28. (Read about all the patents issued to local companies recently.) Charles Stack and John Anderson, the founders of the company, applied for the patent in February 1999. Mr. Stack also founded the Cleveland-based software company Flashline Inc.Attorney John J. Del Col, of the Cleveland law firm Renner, Otto, Boisselle & Sklar LLP, said the process to get the patent was "routine," despite taking nearly four years. Now that Test Central has it, it is up to the companys competitors to challenge the patents validity.
Under U.S. Patent law any challenger must beat the burden of clear and convincing evidence to overturn a patents validity," Mr. Del Col said. [...] via [evhead]
New Kids on the Blog
Leslie Walker of the Washington Post on how we should all be looking up to the media as our role models for Truth, Justice, and the American Way...
[...] While blogs are a significant publishing phenomenon, I see them as entirely different from professional news organizations, which have paid staffs that ferret out and vet information according to established principles of fairness, accuracy and truth. [...] via [Scripting News] via [Ross Mayfield's Weblog]
Liability and the Law
One more reason to move back to Texas -- one's homestead is protected from creditors. This WSJ article discusses the liabilities a homeowner can incur as a result of an accident or injury and you may be surprised at the things for which you can be held liable. You can find out what the laws in your state protect. I can tell you, in Georgia it isn't much.Why Jack Can't Count
More Valenti-isms. This guy is more entertaining than a presidential campaign.
Can Valenti Get Any Numbers Right?. Libraries On PBS Bill Moyers Transcripts Online "As a follow up on This One , on Friday, January 17, 2003, at 9 P.M., on PBS , NOW with Bill Moyers took a look into the digital future of intellectual property and the debate that has pit private control against the public domain. If you missed the show, like I did, you can now read all about it ." [ LISNews.com ] Question for anyone in or who has graduated from second grade - what is wrong with the following sentence?"JACK VALENTI: A 12-year-old with a click of a mouse, can send a movie hurtling to all the five continents."
Headed South by Southwest
I've been looking for an excuse to go to San Antonio to take care of some business and reunite with old friends. I think this is as good an excuse as is likely to come along. I plan on going to SXSW. Maybe I'll see Ernie there. I know I'll see lots of other interesting folks.
I'm bound for South by SouthWest - also known as SXSW, which is a gathering of techies that takes place every year in Austin. It runs from March 8th to March 11th (at least the programs part, the other parts go on longer), but I'm just going for the first two days. Basically, going for the weekend.
I'm looking forward to seeing David Weinberger and J.D. Lasica again (I met them at PopTech last October). But I am excited about the prospect of meeting other people that I have gotten to know in varying degrees from the blogosphere, such as Cory Doctorow and Michael Alex Wasylik. Then there are the people that I would be happy to just hear speak (and of course be overjoyed to meet): Larry Lessig, and Bruce Sterling. I see that the program has Dave Winer listed for Sunday, which would be great. I would love to hear him talk, and would relish the chance to meet him in person.
Anyone else, especially the lawyer bloggers, going to SXSW this year?
[Ernie the Attorney]
Variable RSS
Thanks to a spiffy upgrade to Stapler, the RSS scraper/aggregation tool by Mark Paschal, you now have a choice of just how much b.cognosco drivel appears in your aggregator:- Full, luxurious, uninhibited feed (the original, untampered Radio-generated feed)
- Truncated feed, containing only the headline and first paragraph
- Headlines only
Thanks to Mark this is a quick, brainlessly simple thing that any Radio user can do with the new Stapler blogHeadline scanner. While providing three different feeds isn't an efficient solution to letting readers have what they want (it should be done with better aggregators) it is much better than the all-or-nothing choices we've had until now.
Thanks, Mark.
Wednesday, February 5, 2003
Why Jack Can't Read
Jack Valenti fails to read the US Code for the single law that lies at the heart of his political maneuverings, yielding another fine tidbit for the Citizens Copyright Information Kit. It really is important to document these kinds of incidents, and to ensure they are as widely disseminated as possible. Public displays of ignorance are a powerful disincentive for people to take you seriously. And to have Mr. Valenti volunteer such an act is more effective than any ad hominem attack. A comprehensive collection of documented quotes from the venerable Mr. Valenti might be fun, and an excellent resource. Is anyone keeping such a thing?Thanks to Ernie for the helpful link to the Fair Use clause in the US Code. As someone once told me, "Lawyers aren't inherently bad, it's just the other guy's lawyer that's bad."
Fair Use is not the Law - noted legal scholar, and MPAA President, Jack Valenti, is now on the record stating that there is no such thing as fair use. Here's an excerpt from the Q&A interview with the Harvard Political Review, as reported by Jenny:
HPR: The MPAA has backed several bills mandating copy prevention technologies. Critics have lambasted these bills for curbing consumer's 'fair use' rights, including the ability to make back-up copies. How can we balance the interests of consumers and the movie industry?
JV: What is fair use? Fair use is not a law. There's nothing in law.
Now I see why he has taken such preposterous positions (i.e. VCRs will destroy the Entertainment Industry and should be declared illegal). Jack has somehow not been alerted to the presence of 17 U.S.C. 107. Could someone see that he reads it before his next trip to Washington?
[Ernie the Attorney]
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This Page was last updated: Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:06:57 GMT
