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Archives for January 2003

The Economist weighs in on copyrights

January 27, 2003 by Michael Boyle

The Economist weighs in on copyrights

in a January 23 article entitled A Radical Rethink with the subtitle: The best way to foster creativity in the digital age is to overhaul current copyright laws. The article starts out well, but then ends up suggesting that the fair bargain for short copyright terms is to give industry system-wide strong DRM. This is quite simply a non-starter, both practically and theoretically.

Tags: Copyfight, DRM, Economist

Doc Searls cited

January 27, 2003 by Michael Boyle

Doc Searls cited

Hannah Arendt’s excellent though deeply flawed masterwork, The Origins of Totalitarianism yesterday, correctly suggesting that it’s worth a re-read in the current context. Doc: “…it deals with verities I think we need to factor into our convesations about the War on Terrorism, whatever that is.” He’s right, it does. I studied it several years ago and even had the opportunity to have dinner with her former student and intellectual biographer Elisabeth Young-Bruehl, and I totally agree with Doc that it deserves to be read again.

Tags: Doc Searls, International Affairs

Continuing with the YULBlog theme,

January 25, 2003 by Michael Boyle

Continuing with the YULBlog theme,

read this story at Mellow Kitty, especially her analysis down at the end. “This situation also highlights something that many yulbloggers have blogged about from time to time: just how small the Montreal anglo community can be and how everyone is typically separated by one–not seven or six or five–degrees.” As if to prove that – I was at Reservoir and waved at her that very night. I was not, to be clear, in the main part of the story in any way, however.

Tags: Blogging

I’ve been neglecting to say something

January 25, 2003 by Michael Boyle

I’ve been neglecting to say something

else for ages, out of a fear that it would be misinterpreted. But today seems like the day. First off, I strongly recommend that anyone who speaks French, well or poorly, should go and visit Les coups de langue de la grande rousse. At the same time, I must admit that I find the concept implicit in Dolores’ site simultaneously funny and frustrating. The site is based on the idea that there is one correct word for everything, and a proper way to use that word in practice.

The very idea that there could be one correct English is incomprehensible to many, if not most, who are proficient in the language. And the idea of forming – and listening to – a body who would make such decisions? It could never happen.

The frustrating part is that attached to the idea that there is a single correct French is the idea that language determines culture, which is, I believe, precisely backwards.

Tags: French, Language, Montreal

I’ve also added

January 25, 2003 by Michael Boyle

I’ve also added

a YULBlog icon down there to the right. It’s about time – in March it will be three years since we started YULBlog in the first place (we = Ed, David, Heather, Aaron and I).

Tags: Blogging

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