Earth: Mostly Harmless

Copyright term extension

There is currently a private member’s Bill in the UK Parliament which aims to extend copyright on sound recordings beyond 50 years. Hopefully it isn’t too likely to pass, but I thought I should do something. It was proposed by Pete Wishart MP, an SNP guy.

The letter I just send to my MP via WriteToThem.com is quoted after the break. Feel free to use it as food-for-thought if you want to write a letter yourself, but bear in mind that boilerplate letters get binned. So copying from mine - although not something I’d be against so long as you link to or acknowledge me - is perhaps not a good strategy.

I should have perhaps made more clear in the letter that I was referring to sound recording copyright terms only.

Happy reading…

Continue reading Copyright term extension…

Still want ID cards, folks?

This story reminded me of an occasion about three years ago when I was photographed by a a budget airline (BMI or Ryanair, I’m not sure) check-in desk operator for a domestic flight from Bournemouth. They had a camera placed just above the desk. I wasn’t that happy about it at the time, but since I was on my own and on somebody else’s dime to get home I felt less able to challenge it.

The notion that fingerprints or photographs should be required for domestic travel is really offensive. To be honest I don’t see any more reason for it in international travel, unless you’re suspected of a crime - but that’s trickier legal ground to fight on.

We have to start asking serious questions about where Gordon Brown is headed on issues like these. His government is leading a particularly pernicious and deceitful campaign aimed at softening people up and getting them to accept routine ’security’ checks in preparation for the introduction of identity cards.

Routine fingerprinting at Heathrow provokes outrage

Civil Liberties campaigners have accused airport chiefs of sneaking in mandatory fingerprinting of passengers on domestic routes without proper consultation. Heathrow Airport has quietly introduced compulsory fingerprinting and photographic profiling of passengers on domestic routes, including to Glasgow and Edinburgh, ahead of the opening of its fifth terminal late next month.

The move has already caused disquiet among some passengers who were handed leaflets warning they would be barred from their flights unless they co-operated.

Anti-ID card campaigners have demanded to know why no public announcement was made and fear compulsory fingerprinting is smoothing the path for the controversial scheme’s introduction UK-wide.

The British Airports Authority (BAA), which operates Heathrow, claims the profiling is needed because the new terminal will have a single departure lounge for domestic and international travellers.

Touché, Neelie.

Bill Gates should ask for EU voting rights:

Perhaps Bill Gates should cut his losses and buy a small EU nation state (Malta is nice at this time of year), keep paying the same money, but this time ask for voting rights at EU summits.

Ouch.

(Via The Economist: Certain Ideas of Europe.)

Lessig for Congress

Just wanted to add a few bytes to the campaign to persuade Lawrence Lessig to run for Congress, replacing the late Tom Lantos.

The signifiance of the vacancy? Ars has a nice summary.

There’s this nice video on the Draft Lessig site:

First Draft Video Sighting

A friend forwarded us a link to this “Draft Lessig” video.

Lessig For Congress from Matt Agnello on Vimeo CC BY-SA.

…stay tuned for future sightings.

Someone get the blue guy a Pulitzer.

NPR interviews Cookie Monster.

Check out my mad Photoshop skillz.