The company I used to work for was a bastion of Apple goodness. Even a year later, I still miss my old-school black PowerBook. As hard as I’ve tried, my Dell Latutude simply hasn’t grown on me. How they remain so firmly extrenched at number 1 is a mystery to me.
Of course, the minute I realize I’d have to throw down over 2 g’s for a new PowerBook, I calm down. I spent 2 plus weeks traveling around southeast Asia for around $2k, so I’m not sure that iPhoto can really compete with that. I guess I’ll just have to wait until my 3 1/2 year old PC starts to make some wheezing noises.
For curious parties, I finished the race in 58:54. I started out on pace for 8 1/2 to 9 minutes miles, but my bum left foot acted up around mile 3 1/2. Such is life.
I woke up with a mission: figure out how to get to Bali. First, I went to the bank to get some cash. I was running low, and I needed to pay Chris back for some things as well as get dollars to exchange for Indonesian rupia.
I was very apprehensive about the Bali idea. I vasilated between wanting badly to go and feeling like I should stay. Money played a role. I have spent quite a bit to this point: $1500+. The trip to Bali would set me back anywhere from $400 – $600 depending on what I did.
In the end, I said “fuck it”. In for a dime, in for a dollar. So, I’m now on a plane to Bali. No place lined up to stay, arriving at night, and all alone. I’m definitely a bit nervous.
I’ve arrived in Bali and made a friend on the plane. Her name is Emily and she’s in the middle of some post-college travelling. She just got here from Bangkok and plans on staying for two months. We decide to split a cab to Denpasar (the capital of Bali) where we’ve read about a couple of places to stay. We end up staying at a family-run Bali version of a B&B. Typical Balinese home, with several living units surrounding a garden. The room is clean, has a fan and shower, all for just 25,000R ($3). Tomorrow I’ll wake up early and figure out how to catch a bus east.
The debate was interesting, and really more of a discussion. Larry and Jim saw eye-to-eye on many topics. It simply boiled down to Jim believing that market forces and enforcable property rights will always bring about the optimum outcome.
Ironically, this was a thought-pattern beat into me by my father and one I clung to for quite a while. But there are too many situations where market forces alone don’t work. That’s why we have fair-use rights, compulsory licenses for radio, etc. Private ownership has its place, but we should be vigilant about its breadth and scope into our lives. I don’t want to live in a place where everyone owns the sliver of sidewalk in front of their house and extracts rents from pedestrians who just want to walk around. Things are going too far.
One item that distressed me was the willingness of both gentlemen to consider renewable (perhaps perpetually) copyrights. This flies in the face of my understanding of why we have copyrights. Copyrights are a temporary monopoly granted by the state (government) so as to incentivize artists to create. So, from my point of view, an economically efficient copyright system would only grant as much protection as is necessary to allow creativity to flourish. So, ask any entertainment executive what kind of timeframe they give themselves to recoup (using the copyrights they are granted) their investment. I’d wager the (honest) answer would be 5 years, max.
I think the crux of this debate is the inability for many people to imagine (or calculate) the harm being done by the lack of compelling derivative work. In the same way that Disney brought ancient fables and fairy tales to multiple generations of people in a fresh way, moving forward we will be deprived of this. What’s that worth?
D: producers need a market incentive, otherwise no one will make a sequel to Master and Commander
D: consumers and producers, if polled seperately, turn out to have congruent interests and would (hypothetically) selfishly erect similar system to their own ends
L: free culture doesn’t mean free beer, commercial interests are strongly served by free culture
What is wrong with the current copyright system?
L: copyright, in its current form, is inhibiting creativity that would otherwise exist
L: Sonny Bono Copyright = special (corporate) interest driven
L: the internet, by its very nature, triggers copyright laws (intersection of 1976 chnages to copyright with the emergence of the internet)
How would you reform copyright?
L: Congress should no longer be able to extend copyright
D: Create a central registry of copyrighted materials
L: Clarify fair-use
Position on DRM
L: forceful imposition of immature technology (DRM) could cripple the internet
L: the architecture and infrastructure of the internet are changing rapidly; soon file-sharing (hoarding) will be more trouble than its worth for users
My news aggregator tells me that Dave’s site has a new post (several actually). My aggregator is web-based, and automatically refreshes the page to alert me of new posts.
He mentions that Harvard is holding a Internet law conference this May. The cost is $2000 but bloggers who have an interest in Internet law (me) may apply for a fee-waiver (scholorship).
I send in an email, crossing my fingers.
The odds of this happening a few years ago would have been slim. Everything would have hinged on browsing Dave’s site just as the post went up, so that I might notice it sitting at the top of the page. The ineffiencies of the past are staggering.
And it doesn’t stop with blogs. Why isn’t Amazon.com offer a feed for new products (maybe by category)? How great would it be to know (immediately) when a new cell phone or MP3 player is being offered for sale? How can these features not exists already?
It occurs to me, from time to time, that I’m not a very good writer. This typically happens when I’m reading what I consider to be good writing, and my deficiencies become manifested in the contrasts. My frustration grows when I stop to examine why my writing doesn’t hold up and I realize it has a great deal to do with laziness.
Writing, for most people, is work. It requires careful reflection and a willingness to spend the time to develop in words what’s going through one’s mind. More often than not I’m not willing to take the time to properly express myself, and that’s a shame. It’s a shame because not only do I gyp the few peoeple who read this blog, I cheat myself of the opportunity to become a better writer through practice.
This said, I’m going to try and be a better writer. Bear in mind, that’s doesn’t mean I’ll be a better person. So, simply expect better prose but not better behavior.
Eminem said it best, predicting a future that we’re all living in now. As absurd as it sounds, this witch hunt by the FCC, the Congress and the President is actually getting me upset enough to consider voting. I can’t help but see this as a slipperly slope that will eventually find its way into cable, satellite and (god help us) the Internet.
Of course, before I flip out and start filling out my ballot for Kerry, would someone like to explain to me where the Democrats stand on this issue? I haven’t exactly perceived any fierce resistance on their part. You want my vote? Show me something.
When I was sick on Monday I dusted-off and popped-in my copy of “Transformers: The Movie” on DVD. I totally forgot what a great movie this is. And I mean great. Before you dismiss it as a cartoon, you should really watch it. Reasons include:
Great villian. So great, in fact, he functions as a common foe (at a critical juncture in the plot) between the two normally opposed factions.
Death. The struggle between good and evil and is given a gravity that only sacrifice and death can provide. Main characters fall by the wayside, and the outcome increasingly falls into doubt.
Kick-ass soundtrack. Just try not to imagine Marky Mark singing “You Got the Touch” from Boogie Nights.
Adult themes: betrayal, genocide, injustice, hope. All weaved into a compelling plot with compelling characters.
