Why I infringe

Annalee Newitz in AlterNet: Why I infringe.

I like to violate copyright every day. Usually it's in some small way. I'll copy an Oingo Boingo CD for a friend, photocopy an interesting essay from an anthology, or maybe download an episode of Six Feet Under from a file-sharing network. Sometimes I go bigger, like when I bought a bunch of cracked software from a guy who was literally standing in a shady doorway, or when I bought a pirated DVD on the street in New York City ...

Wesley Clark for VP

More on the political front ...

• I hadn't heard about this site, set up to draft Gen. Wesley Clark for the Democratic presidential nominee. It's a year until the conventions, but if the Dems don't pick Clark to be the vice presidential nominee, they're nuts.

• Ed Cone has a blog-only exclusive interview with Sen. John Edwards, a Democratic candidate for president.

• Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle begins his new blog with an entry about his visit to the Community Health Center in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Smartphone foils teen abduction

Jenny Levine, the Shifted Librarian, posted this, via CNN:

Police: Teen Abduction Foiled by Cell Phone Cam

"A quick-thinking 15-year-old boy used his Sprint cell phone camera to take pictures of a man who allegedly tried to lure him into his car, leading to the man's arrest, police said....

'He was able to have the presence of mind to utilize the technology at his disposal,' Rowan said. 'He was upset at the time, but he's OK. He has a bruise to his arm and wrist....'

A spokeswoman for Sprint, the manufacturer of the phone, says the incident is the first time -- as far as the company knows -- someone has used the year-old technology to foil a criminal."

Idiot Comment of the Week

It's only Tuesday, but the Idiot Comment of the Week goes to Dallas Mavs owner/brash boy billionaire Mark Cuban, for saying the criminal charges against Kobe Bryant are good for the NBA's bottom line.

Howard Dean, in the blog and in the flesh

In today's OJR, Mark Glaser takes a look at Howard Dean's web presence and concludes: The former Vermont governor has a slick and informative Weblog, but if you hope to glean some insight about the man, you might be better off shaking hands with him in person.

Meanwhile, in other Howard Dean news, the former guv appeared on Larry King Live today and declared that the Dems have followed the Republicans too far to the right. I'd say the development and deployment of small nuclear weapons probably counts as part of that right-wing loony tunes mindset.

`Lost' Inca city a royal retreat

This has nothing to do with new media, intellectual property or politics, but I love Incan and Mayan culture, and hope to visit Macchu Picchu some day. Today's San Jose Merc Science section carried an article about new findngs that Macchu Picchu was in fact a vacation retreat for the Incan royal family -- sort of an elaborate Camp David -- and that it was occupied for only 80 years.

Why suing college students is 'the right thing'

FindLaw: Marci Hamilton, a professor at Yeshiva University, writes an essay on Why Suing College Students for Illegal Music Downloading Is the Right Thing To Do.

Meantime, in phillyBurbs.com, Dave Ralis takes a different view: Stop or I'll sue. Here's why the record industry is now more powerful than police.

Copywrongs.org launches

Copywrongs.org, a new web site, has launched with this mission:

If you recently received a subpoena or threatening notice related to P2P file trading from a copyright owner, we invite you to participate in a new web site.

Copywrongs.org is a clearinghouse and connection point for individuals who are the subjects of P2P-related copyright enforcement actions, and a place for the public to learn first-hand about what's going on. Our first project is to offer blogs to all who have been subjected to digital copyright enforcement actions, particularly those who have been caught in the avalanche of RIAA music-trading subpoenas that began in July.

File traders and the public need to hear about the side effects of these legal actions. The press and lawmakers need to meet you as a person with a life and family - and they need to understand how these unprecedented moves against consumers affect both. The music and movie industries need to understand the hows and whys of file trading as well as the many other issues surrounding copyrighted works in a digital age. ...

Copywrongs.org is an all-volunteer project whose goals are (1) to help the targets of p2p-related legal attacks find and collaborate with one another; (2) to educate the public, press and lawmakers about the real impact of these unprecedented legal actions against file traders; (3) to promote discussion and creative thought about solutions to the digital intellectual property dilemma that threatens both the future of creative industries and the freedom of individuals.

Will 'campus jukeboxes' work?

News.com: Colleges Explore Legal Net Music Setups. (This is probably a followup to Jon Healey's article in Friday's LA Times: New Tactic Planned in Antipiracy Campaign.)

Meantime, Kevin Doran on the pho mailing list says he's skeptical of turning campuses into sanctioned jukeboxes:

Because the offerings would be limited in scope and depth as they are for all currently licensed online vendors, it would pale in comparison to the true AYCE smorgasbord that is peer-sharing. Students may not reject campus jukeboxes out-of-hand, but they will never exchange their P2P systems for them. And the labels refuse to believe they must yet license P2P services on the same terms they're now ready to give the universities - i.e., per head, not per file. ...

I'd be much more approving if the deals were divorced from legal threats and they were being initiated by individual vendors all competing on the basis of best service and price rather than being shoved down university throats by an oligopic industry on a take it or see you in court basis. ...

Also, in SFGate: FTC Alert Issued on File-Sharing.

The Metallica hoax

Guardian UK: How did a Metallica spoof turn into a hugely effective viral marketing campaign for an obscure Canadian rock band?

When news of Metallica's latest lawsuit hit the web, music fans across the globe were outraged. Already notorious for their legal action against file-sharing network Napster, the rock band were seemingly trying to stop musicians from using the guitar chords E and F.

Announcing the band's decision to sue the obscure Canadian outfit Unfaith, the drummer Lars Ulrich said: "We're not saying we own those two chords, individually - that would be ridiculous. We're just saying that in that specific order, people have grown to associate E, F with our music."

It was a classic David and Goliath story - obscure, unsigned band picked on by rich rockers - and it was widely reported. As Unfaith singer/songwriter Erik Ashley explains: "Within minutes, literally hundreds of message boards lit up, including those of legitimate music news sources."

It turned up on Ananova and on DotMusic, on MSNBC, MacDailyNews and on weblogs. Industry insiders expressed their outrage in mailing lists, and music fans filled internet message boards with anti-Metallica diatribes. Radio stations played Unfaith's music in anti-Metallica protests, Rolling Stone magazine got in touch, and The Onion sent a message of support.

But they missed one key detail: the story was a hoax. What looked like a bizarre action by out-of-touch rockers was in fact a spoof that within a few hours it had taken on a life of its own.

Like any successful scam, the hoax worked for two reasons: it seemed believable, and it was beautifully executed. ...

Actually, this was a pretty obvious crock on its face (if an inspired bit of viral marketing). Come on, people, checking out these hoaxes is only a few clicks away.

Will Fox lead media to 'partiality'?

Hartford Courant: News Media May Follow Fox From Objectivity to Partiality. Mainstream media, prodded by partisan news outlets like Fox News Channel, will eventually be more straightforward about their political identity, writes James Fallows. Excerpts:

"Sooner or later Murdoch's outlets, especially Fox News, will be more straightforward about their political identity - and they are likely to bring the rest of the press with them," writes Fallows [in the September issue of Atlantic Monthly, not yet online]. "There will be liberal papers, radio shows, TV programs and websites for liberals, and conservative ones for conservatives." ...

Keith Olbermann, host of "Countdown," MSNBC's prime-time news program, says bias in news coverage arises less from ideology than from market forces.

"The seeming fading of impartiality is a direct result of the deregulation of radio and television," Olbermann says. "Networks and stations that pander to a particular political audience aren't doing it for philosophical reasons; they simply perceive a valuable demographic group. I always think of the Monty Python sketch in which the same newscast is repeated five or six times for different animals. `And now the news for Wombats. No wombats were involved in a collision on the M-4 motorway ...' `And now the news for Parakeets. No parakeets were involved in a collision on the M-4 motorway.' " ...

I tend to agree. Both personalization and the increasing fragmentation of media are driving this trend.

Thanks to IWantMedia for the pointer.

Everything is political

Paul Krugman in today's NY Times:

The agency's analysts find that they are no longer helping to formulate policy; instead, their job is to rationalize decisions that have already been made. And more and more, they find that they are expected to play up evidence, however weak, that seems to support the administration's case, while suppressing evidence that doesn't.

Am I describing the C.I.A.? The E.P.A.? The National Institutes of Health? Actually, I'm talking about the Treasury Department, but the ambiguity is no coincidence. Across the board, the Bush administration has politicized policy analysis. Whether the subject is stem cells or global warming, budget deficits or weapons of mass destruction, government agencies are under intense pressure to say what the White House wants to hear. And the long-term consequences are likely to be dire. ...

Howard Dean's Internet power surge

On tonight's PBS NewsHour: Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean calls his presidential bid the "people-powered campaign." While that may sound like old-fashioned populism, the contemporary element fueling Dean's unexpectedly successful outreach effort is the Internet. Through the web site Meetup.com, Dean's campaign organizes monthly meetings to help attract potential voters for the upcoming Democratic primary. These "smart mobs" gather at designated places where organizers rally grassroots support for Dean. Tonight, the NewsHour examines Dean's success at building grassroots support in cyberspace.

Meantime, Dan Gillmor has traveled to Vermont to cover the phenomenon.