Alasdair Watson

A lawyer takes the Digital Economy Bill apart.

My own idiots guide to the DEB is at 1500 words and counting, and I'm not sure I'm even halfway through yet. So: serious question – if there anyone reading this who feels it would be useful for me to produce said guide? Is a guide that tries to use short words and explain the whole business practically from absolutely first principles worth it, or are you all going to go "tl;dr" and skip blithely past it? Who is there round these parts that feels like they don't know what's going on on this subject, and would like to?

Dammit, these actually *are* that interesting. An absolute mine of weird crap that illustrates that the world is a pretty damn splendid place, when you get right down to it.

I will have absolutely no need of this kernel patch at any point.

This would violate my EULA. Obviously, I would not wish to do this, because once I have legitimately purchased something, it is completely reasonable that that manufacturer dictate how I use it.

Tools for writers/people who generate text, rather than code, to apply more or less automatic version control to something you're working on, with tools to provide context on what was going on in your head when a given automatic commit happened.

ZOMG! (As I believe the young people say.) Someone has made a website with gifts specifically for me and all my friends!

Gosh, couldn't have guessed this would happen.

Ariana's been doing an excellent series about POD, and generally getting off your ass and making a thing. This, however, is the one where she knocks it out of the park, talking about community, and engaging with people on the internet. The rule is very, very simple: engage with them as humans. Give them space to talk about what *they* want to talk about. And all other things will follow.

A Number 10 petition against the current draft Digital Economy Bill. I strongly urge all of you who are in the UK to sign it – while it will have no legal force, it'll send a message about this legislation that might cause them to back off, especially since we're now in the run up to a general election.

Charlie Stross on the Digital Economy Bill. I am going to keep linking to stuff like this, because it is absolutely vital that this bill is seen for what it is: an attempt by corporate interests to screw small and independent creators. Even if there is a reasonable argument for fighting for copyright, this bill is for far the wrong way to do as to be 100% insupportable, and *every* MP needs to be made to realise this. I've a letter written to my MP – I haven't sent it yet, because I'm holding off until just before the bill is actually under parliamentary review and vote, because I don't want my concerns to be weeks old in his mind at that time, as they would be if I sent it now, but I may post it up later on – it's no good for other people to simply send the same text, but I'm trying to summarise the issues, so if people think it would be useful to them, I'll put it up.

It's on open source font. Which is a little weird, but still: it's also a *gorgeous* font.

Yep, looks like Doctorow is on the level. Right then. Letter writing ahoy. Get on with it, the lot of you.

Awaiting more detail/confirmation on this, but if right, then regardless of which side of the copyright debate one falls on, I think we can all agree that this is particularly shitty. It should not be possible for an individual minister to alter the law without parliamentary oversight and due process, but if this is the case, then this is exactly what Mandelson would like to be allowed to do, and he needs to be stopped.

Considering forking out for this – it's an absolutely lovely, and very powerful theme.

According to the figures published by the Times, the answer is fairly clearly yes. There's a bit of a question as to how much better they're actually doing, but they are doing better. The only people to lose out are labels. What a shame.

This one's done the rounds a lot, but I'm going to want to look it up ater, I know I am, so here's yet another lnk to it. Colour video footage of London from 1927.

MPAA shitweasels decide that they're jsutified in fucking over an entire town's municipal internet facilities in revenge for a single download. This should not be legal. This is what the RIAA, the BPI and any other organisation that is still fighting for the now-outmoded implementation of copyright that we currently have wants the ability to do with three strikes laws, and DCMA notices and all the other apparatus of enforcement that they are accreting to themselves by lobbying – to place the risk to their profits over the common good.

Some absolutely beutiful stuff here – visualisations of the books, and the paths through them, and a on-line playable book. I am simultaneously regressing to childhood, and getting my adult design/informatics brain stimulated. Brilliant.

Oooh. Proper, attractive fonts for your website. OK, it'll set you back 25-50 dollars a year, and I bet most people will still set their font sizes far too small, but at least I can use it to make prettier things now.

Wikipedia in your pocket for cheap, not reliant on network access. Seriously tempting.

You've seen this by now, I just want a reference so I can come back and find the print-ready files at some point.

Andrew's really been on top form lately. One might almost think he really cares about all this gay rights business.

(via Del) I had never heard more of these before. They are basically awesome, and you should go and listen.

If you haven't been paying attention to what happened in Maine last week, I strongly urge you to start here.