Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy

I’ve been so out of touch with the eBay world, that I completely didn’t see that I now have 158 points on my feedback score instead of 147, due to the new counting method that gives credit for repeat buyers.

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Hat tip to Slashdot.org

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Then I remembered to check in at the Computer Help for A(uction) L(isting) Boardies Group that I’d set up years ago. There was even a question there waiting for me. eBay in its oh-so-infinite wisdom still doesn’t want me participating in the .com Forums, yet they don’t mind if I use .ca or the .com Groups. A couple of the Moderators a few years ago took a dislike to me and gave me the boot, and a year later when they’d moved on/were forced out/whatever, a better employee reinstated my ability to post questions and answers to the Canadian forums. Until they reinstate me further, it’s unlikely I’ll bother supporting eBay by selling anything there regularly (or even occasionally).

One of the few email newsletters that I subscribe to is the Ironic Times. I don’t think any of the single headlines that they’ve emailed to me over the last year or more, haven’t made me crack a smile or LOL.

Here’s one of the latest gems:
World Population to Reach 7 Billion in 2012
-Thanks to abstinence-only programs.

The lack of clickable headlines kind of throws me off, but then I appreciate that it’s part of the joke that there’s nothing more behind them.

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In sad news, Miss Cellania’s computer was killed by dust bunnies. Don’t bother recommending a Mac to replace it. It was a Mac that died!

Neither Minister Prentice nor Minister Vernier understands the digital technology they are legislating out of the hands of millions of Canadians. I doubt Prentice has used an iPod more than a little, and would probably curse a blue streak if he ever got a computer virus and formatted. He’d not know how to (or would not be legally allowed to) save his DRM’ed (locked) music.

He’s encouraging Digital Restrictions Management (digitally locked) as the standard format for digital work. There is no incentive for artists to not use DRM, should this law pass. Think about it: If your copyright is infringed, you can only seek $500 damages if you did not DRM your work. If you have put DRM on a CD, DVD, or download, then you can get $20,000 in damages awarded to you in a case of infringement. That’s 40 times more money at your theoretical fingertips!

Vernier using “download” for “upload” was not an english/french language barrier, it’s a technology one. These people are not competent to write a bill that is technology based.

Also, why is the same protection of “digital locking” not provided in the analog world to creators who can’t digitally lock their content? A painter can copyright a work, but they only get $500, not $20,000 if they sue someone! How does that “protect” or “balance” anything among creators?

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Hat tip to Alberta: Get Rich or Die Trying

Canadian creators see how this bill harms them too:

It’s anti-constitutional, and not Canadian.

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If the Conservatives survive another session of Parliament, Bill C-61 will be among the scandals that they will have to face up to.

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Hat tip to POGGE

And my title isn’t quite what the meme is, but enjoy this photo at The Wingnutterer. It would be useful if Jim Prentice became aware of Internet traditions, preferably all of them.

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Hat tip

The Canadian DMCA Bill C-61 has tens of thousands of Canadians plotting to take down the Conservative government. Almost surprisingly, in my opinion, the more formal education you have, the more likely you are to oppose this bill. I don’t think that’s taking into account young people who haven’t yet graduated from high school, most of whom would surely oppose their lifestyles being criminalized. Disturbingly, if the poll is accurate, the educated have a lot of teaching to do, in order to turn public opinion squarely against this outrageous sell out to American special interests.

Poll courtesy of Lance.

You also SHOULD NOT MISS the [almost] 10 Minute Interview with Jesse at Search Engine cornering Prentice on every day, real life scenarios. Prentice says nothing true, or ethical aside from pointing out that the government is not going to find copyright violators, it’s going to be all private damages sought in court by copyright holders. Supposedly record companies can’t sue for the copyright holding artists, that was the probably bogus suggestion given by Prentice since it’s my understanding that the record labels own the copyrights for the artists they represent.

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Hat tip to Geist’s Facebook group, which you should join if you have Facebook.

There will be more in my series on Bill C-61, you can count on that.

CC’s blog has some apt words for the Minister too.

The Conservatives are coming! The Conservatives are coming!

I guess Jim Prentice is looking to lose his seat next election, or at the very least his Ministry. Cory Doctorow at Boing Boing, Michael Geist, myself, and many, many others are going to take his political career down if he empowers the MAFIAA and their army of litigious lawyers.

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Also worth noting, is that CIRA (not the MAFIAA tied CRIA) has changed its WHOIS policy, and allows copyright holders to get your personal .ca domain registration information just by CLAIMING that they want to sue/contact you. Sick!

Just make up quantum particles, and you are on your way to being a Bogonologist.

It’s not often that a Wiki article makes me laugh out loud. There’s something superbly humourous about politicians emitting bogons, and computers and tax payers acting as bogon sinks. And now I wonder if “fat electrons” are attracted mostly to skinny protons. Everything in the universe seems to want mostly what it isn’t.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a computer, I’m sure the MAFIAA will find a way to sue you anyway. Maybe they’ll get Jim Prentice to do it for them.

Do you happen to know anyone who has managed to fill even a 4GB iPod with purely purchased music (even transferred from CDs they bought)? Who knows, maybe it will become a crime to move songs from your CDs to your iPod after this bill passes? IF it passes.
And if you ever go over the border, when (if) you come back home, the custom copyright police will be sure to poke through your iPod and laptop for any files that don’t have a digital signature from an authorized music distributor. Next, watch for the Conservatives to ban street music, lest you get entertainment for free. OK, I’m exaggerating. Or, am I?

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Hat tip to Jeff

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A little math for you:
MP3 song ~= 5MB
4GB ~= 4,000MB

4000 / 5 = 800 songs

song ~= $1 iTunes price

$800 to fill a midrange iPod minus some room left for free podcasts and FREE videos. Does that actually happen? Do people actually spend $500+ on a music collection that can’t easily be moved to another device?

$500 / ~$25 Walmart CD price = 20 CDs. Oh, so it’s not unreasonable I suppose, except that with CDs they have a lifetime from 2 - 100 years, while an iPod might last 5 years.

So, keep in mind that if the max is $500 per infringement as the rumour suggests, what’s to stop the CRIA (MAFIAA) from going after someone who *might* have a 800 * $500 goldmine in their pocket? Did that person with the full iPod inflict even a significant FRACTION of $400,000 worth of damages on artists? Artists who have told the MAFIAA lobby to shove it?