gapingvoid: “We think we’re obsessed with media. In fact we’re just obsessed with our own lack of power.”

Refound this link again today - Scott Rosenberg on the continuing myth of objectivity in journalism and some of its strange side effects.

Creative Commons launch the Developing Nations license. Good work!

I saw this a while back and decided to wait until I’d seen the movie before I checked it out. I still haven’t had time yet, but some of my friends have now been to see the film I thought I’d post it, if only for my own future reference.

59 Deceits in Farenheit 911.

UPDATE: I’ve started going through the extensive list. Some good points made, definitely worth checking out (if you have the time - it’s quite long).

Tim Wu: “He�s right. Years of DMCA & term extension criticism can easily boil down to ‘not controversial.’”

Point taken: it may be controversial to some of us, but the rallying cry of opposition has been around local cultural content on national TV and the PBS, not on the copyright term extensions. I for one didn’t even think to write my local member about this - what is likely to happen? With our current government we are highly unlikely to get any traction with opposition to things like the FTA, and the opposition has largely done little to oppose the agreement at all (despite the political point scoring taking place now).

It is a silly situation, and as Tim points out in a later post, there is little reasoning behind the extension, certainly from a public interest perspective. Obviously it is commercial interests that are being looked after in such moves.

Update: Some additional discussion at Ars Technica.

P.S: My apologies to Tim Wu - I incorrectly attributed the quotes mentioned in this post to Larry Lessig, forgetting that Tim Wu is guest blogging at the moment. (Thanks to John who pointed this out in the comments)

Nik picked up this tidbit via SMH. This is silly - we used to have provisions in our local copyright law for copies for personal use. Where’d they go? I don’t fully trust the article - Mr Tripp’s contention that we “You own the bit of plastic and that’s it” is technically accurate, but my understanding, as a musician and consumer, you are buying a “right” to the content that is provided via the distribution mechanism that is a CD (you don’t get “ownership” - that remains with the copyright holder - but you do effectively purchase a licence to personal use of the content. This is why there is a disclaimer on CDs about not broadcasting the material - that is licensed differently. However, the implication of the SMH article is that the letter of the law does not reflect this. Something to look into further…

Ted Turner: My Beef with Big Media - looks interesting - haven’t checked it out - posting for future reference.

Larry Lessig demonstrates a funny Doonesbury about Outfoxed.

Scott Rosenberg on Farenheit 9-11. Our merry band of four who were originally attending the film on Saturday has since grown to around ten. There’s a lot of anticipation about this film.

On a related note, I went to the local Collins bookstore and was surprised to see an entire shelf of books aimed squarely at Bush and the current administration. I’ve been asking people if this is a suprising amount of negative literature on a sitting president in their first four-year term? I don’t think even Bush Snr, widely derided and voted out after four years, didn’t get such a hard time. Apparently Clinton got hit pretty hard too, but as hard I wonder? I don’t know. Interesting nonetheless.

Yet there are only three books I know of that are visible in mainstream book stores on Howard’s misdeeds - Dark Victory (Marr, Wilkinson), The Axis of Deceipt (Wilkie) and Not Happy John! (Kingston). The “teflon Prime Minister”, perhaps?

Mitch Ratcliffe responds to the flurry of criticism of Michael Moore’s new film Farenheit 9-11. Mitch’s comments reflect my own feelings on Moore’s output. We’re booked in to see the film next Saturday (the 17th) at the Dendy in Newtown - can’t wait!