Wednesday, January 15, 2003

BlogFodder: daily email for weblog authors. A line of text, something you might rant or speculate about on your blog. And an archive. For instance, last Thursday: An ill-advised plan. Another: Be committed to something outside yourself. Be militant about it. Or ecstatic. - Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Challenges to Young Poets I don't subscribe. But maybe I oughta. Or, I wonder, could I set up something like this for myself, to trigger me in less serendipitous, more intentional (but still bound to be serendipitous, just not so random) ways? (thanks, Biz!) 5:27:56 PM    comment []

The Village Voice has a television critic again. Check out Hunks and Has-Beens: Reality TV? Pop Thrills at 'Human Amusement Parks'. TV, by Joy Press 12:26:58 PM    comment []

Scholastic and Bloomsbury have announced a (Saturday) June 21 world English pub date for HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half- moon glasses. It is time, he said for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything. Publisher's Lunch comments that Telling everything apparently requires over 255,000 words—fully a third longer than the mammoth Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. 12:26:55 PM    comment []

Larry Lessig on losing the Eldred case. Damn. Majority opinion by Justice Ginsburg. Dissents from Justice Stevens and Justice Breyer. 11:26:47 AM    comment []

I'd love to see a translation from Farsi of this interview with Bruce Schneier: http://www.jamejamdaily.net/shownews2.asp?n&454&t=com 11:26:44 AM    comment []

Perhaps you know that John Gilmore is suing over secret FAA regs. John writes (via politech): My case against John Ashcroft, TSA, and various other agencies will have its first hearing at 9AM on January 17, 2003 in San Francisco. You-all are encouraged to attend if you're nearby. We'll be arguing about whether the case should be thrown out as invalid. I'm asking for a declaration from the court that would overturn the unconstitutional requirement that US persons must show ID to travel throughout the US. Not only airplanes, but trains, buses, cruise ships, and major hotel chains are now enforcing ID requirements, largely at the behest of the Federal Government. Many skyscrapers also demanded ID for a time after 9/11; I refused, and eventually most of them have relented. I have not flown in the US since 9/11/01, and I've recently been refused lodging as well as travel, for my refusal to present ID on demand. . . . . We free citizens have not only a constitutional right to travel throughout the US without government-imposed restrictions, but also a constitutional right to refuse to identify ourselves to government agents unless there is probable cause to suspect us of a crime. These aren't made-up issues. There are many legal cases that uphold them in the last few decades, as well as more than a hundred years ago. Gilmore's reply brief includes a guide to these cases. The original complaint (from last July), the government brief in the case and the government reply to Gilmore on the question of dismissal are online at cryptome, as well. In fact, you can read all the case documents and peruse reporting on it at: http://cryptome.org/freetotravel.htm 10:26:37 AM    comment []

Dave: I'm planning the blogging website for Harvard in my head, and thought of a question I'd like to ask Harvard students and faculty. Would you like to participate in a project to create knowledge? I would have liked that question when I was a student. Of course! Yes yes yes. That's why I came to college. But there were so few ways for students to participate when I was a student. I wonder if it's like that at Harvard. I think about the Yahoo guys at Stanford and how inspired they were. What if a university like Harvard, not just a few students, got busy mapping the world of knowledge on the Internet. Each student would take responsibility for some period of time for some aspect of world knowledge. When they graduate they pass it on, or even better, take the responsibility with them, into life. Does any of this make sense? I'm beta testing ideas here as I go. [Scripting News] 7:16:36 AM    comment []

Baffling Software/Music Industry Copyright Deal. I'm at something of a loss about the much-leaked, much-hyped "Policy Principles" announced today by the Recording Industry Association of... [Dan Gillmor's eJournal] 7:13:15 AM    comment []

The death penalty: "Arbitrary and capricious". Outgoing Illinois Gov. George Ryan provoked bitter controversy Saturday when he commuted the sentences of 157 death row inmates. In a speech, he explains his decision. [Salon.com] 7:10:25 AM    comment []

Downside to Digital Rights Pact?. Critics fear consumers may be shortchanged by an agreement between the technology and recording industries over the future of digital copyright policy. By Katie Dean. [Wired News] 7:08:59 AM    comment []

Copyright truce excludes key voices. The key detail about a digital-copyright agreement between the recording industry a pair of computer industry groups was who was absent from the press conference. [CNET News.com] 7:07:25 AM    comment []

The Internet Tourbus Guide to the 21 Most Useful Sites in the World (PDF). 6:46:16 AM    comment []