ISP Suggestion
OK, so I was just on hold for forever as a business cable modem was down this morning.
I was informed that it was a general problem with cable modem service for all areas and they did not have any idea yet as to when it might be fixed.
Fair enough.
The problem is that I might wait forever and not call back because I still have a problem when they think all is cured. Or, I may waste more hours calling back to check the situation when they are still working on it.
I suggested that they might want to give me a web page to check for status information. This seemed too much. I don't think it should be too much. Alternately, I could give an email address and they could email status updates.
They did let me leave a phone number and promised to call back when the fix was done but this seems to be sub-optimal for my case.
Perhaps they should consider offering all options to customers.
How does your ISP handle such issues? Telco? Other utility?
all the best,
drew
Friday, September 9, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Online National Insurance Payments
Online National Insurance Payments
So here is the deal Bahamas Government. Allow people to make their National Insurance payments online.
Let them fill out the forms online. Remember what they last filled in an pre-fill the form for them. Let them pay directly from their bank account to you.
I have a feeling that if you do this, you will have a lot of the small guys at least being more up to date with their payments.
Here is another little thought. Let people pay up to a year in advance and fill in the forms for up to a year in advance. Then make change forms available to them if needed.
all the best,
drew
So here is the deal Bahamas Government. Allow people to make their National Insurance payments online.
Let them fill out the forms online. Remember what they last filled in an pre-fill the form for them. Let them pay directly from their bank account to you.
I have a feeling that if you do this, you will have a lot of the small guys at least being more up to date with their payments.
Here is another little thought. Let people pay up to a year in advance and fill in the forms for up to a year in advance. Then make change forms available to them if needed.
all the best,
drew
Friday, July 15, 2011
AudioTrackComments
AudioTrackComments
So I was reading this forum thread on Kompoz this morning and I had an idea.
I think there may be a non-SoundCloud way to get this done. On top of that, I think that besides being different, it may be better for what we would want it for on Kompoz.
So let's say we are listening to a particular track of Turn Off This Light and we can see that at the bottom we have a Add a Comment section with a Submit Comment button. All we would need is to add a radio button choice section:
[X] Entire Track [ ] Current location in track
We could default to Entire Track.
If we post a comment with the default, everything works as it currently does for Kompoz track comments. If we choose [X] Current location in track then a play button link gets added to the post which when clicked will begin playing at the spot where the posted had paused the track when making the post.
Is this explanation clear? Would this work for us?
all the best,
drew
So I was reading this forum thread on Kompoz this morning and I had an idea.
I think there may be a non-SoundCloud way to get this done. On top of that, I think that besides being different, it may be better for what we would want it for on Kompoz.
So let's say we are listening to a particular track of Turn Off This Light and we can see that at the bottom we have a Add a Comment section with a Submit Comment button. All we would need is to add a radio button choice section:
[X] Entire Track [ ] Current location in track
We could default to Entire Track.
If we post a comment with the default, everything works as it currently does for Kompoz track comments. If we choose [X] Current location in track then a play button link gets added to the post which when clicked will begin playing at the spot where the posted had paused the track when making the post.
Is this explanation clear? Would this work for us?
all the best,
drew
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Stronger Attribution-Share Alike For Photos & Illustrations
Stronger Attribution-Share Alike For Photos & Illustrations
I have tried having this discussion on the Creative Commons mailing lists before but feel I have never even gotten to the point of being properly understood.
At the urging of Mike Linksvayer in a discussion on Identica, I am trying again.
@zotz … http://wiki.creativecommons.org/CC_Attribution-ShareAlike_Intent (3) says scope of copyleft will only increase…
@zotz … so make sure you campaign incessantly for increase in copyleft scope in 4.0 discussion. :-)
The Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license works well to preserve the Freedoms of people with respect to many types of copyrighted works.
It does not work nearly as well for photos and illustrations however. To show the problem we will take two similar situations and see how they differ.
1. A BY-SA licensed recorded song that someone wants to use in a film or video.
2. A BY-SA licensed photo that someone wants to use as an illustration in a book or article.
There seems to be wide agreement that in order to use the song in a video, the video will have to be put under the BY-SA license as well. There is even special language in the license to make this clear.
There also seems to be wide agreement that the same would not hold in the case of the photo in the book.
I would like it to hold in the second case as well as the first.
Up until now, every time I bring up this desire, people indicate that it is impossible as the licenses reciprocal provision kick in on the making of a derivative and in the first case, the law stipulates that a derivative is made while in the second case, no derivative is make according to the law.
That reasoning is fine and makes sense if one thinks that the making of a derivative is the only tools we can use to activate the reciprocal provisions of the license. I think there may be another possibility.
I propose an additional trigger in the license. It would work like this.
You have a right to copy and / or distribute the work alone. If you want to copy and distribute the work along with other copyrighted works, we contemplate two possibilities.
1. The group of works will be distributed together in such a way that no extra copyright comes into existence. In this case you have permission to copy and / or distribute the work.
2. The group of works will be distributed together in such a way that the group or collection or "container" gets a copyright of its own. In this case you do not have permission to copy and / or distribute the work unless the "container" is also put under a BY-SA license and all of the other works in the "container" are also under "Free" licenses.
So, we are not constrained to requiring a BY-SA license in the case of a derivative. By using the restrictions in copyright law on copying and distribution, we can require it in non-derivative situations.
That is the bones of the thoughts at least. I am looking for input along several lines.
1. Is this possible from a legal point of view?
2. Is there a better way to do this?
3. Should this be done?
4. Benefits of doing this?
5. Problems with / dangers of doing this?
6. Am I missing anything?
I have tried having this discussion on the Creative Commons mailing lists before but feel I have never even gotten to the point of being properly understood.
At the urging of Mike Linksvayer in a discussion on Identica, I am trying again.
@zotz … http://wiki.creativecommons.org/CC_Attribution-ShareAlike_Intent (3) says scope of copyleft will only increase…
@zotz … so make sure you campaign incessantly for increase in copyleft scope in 4.0 discussion. :-)
The Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license works well to preserve the Freedoms of people with respect to many types of copyrighted works.
It does not work nearly as well for photos and illustrations however. To show the problem we will take two similar situations and see how they differ.
1. A BY-SA licensed recorded song that someone wants to use in a film or video.
2. A BY-SA licensed photo that someone wants to use as an illustration in a book or article.
There seems to be wide agreement that in order to use the song in a video, the video will have to be put under the BY-SA license as well. There is even special language in the license to make this clear.
There also seems to be wide agreement that the same would not hold in the case of the photo in the book.
I would like it to hold in the second case as well as the first.
Up until now, every time I bring up this desire, people indicate that it is impossible as the licenses reciprocal provision kick in on the making of a derivative and in the first case, the law stipulates that a derivative is made while in the second case, no derivative is make according to the law.
That reasoning is fine and makes sense if one thinks that the making of a derivative is the only tools we can use to activate the reciprocal provisions of the license. I think there may be another possibility.
I propose an additional trigger in the license. It would work like this.
You have a right to copy and / or distribute the work alone. If you want to copy and distribute the work along with other copyrighted works, we contemplate two possibilities.
1. The group of works will be distributed together in such a way that no extra copyright comes into existence. In this case you have permission to copy and / or distribute the work.
2. The group of works will be distributed together in such a way that the group or collection or "container" gets a copyright of its own. In this case you do not have permission to copy and / or distribute the work unless the "container" is also put under a BY-SA license and all of the other works in the "container" are also under "Free" licenses.
So, we are not constrained to requiring a BY-SA license in the case of a derivative. By using the restrictions in copyright law on copying and distribution, we can require it in non-derivative situations.
That is the bones of the thoughts at least. I am looking for input along several lines.
1. Is this possible from a legal point of view?
2. Is there a better way to do this?
3. Should this be done?
4. Benefits of doing this?
5. Problems with / dangers of doing this?
6. Am I missing anything?
Saturday, April 16, 2011
One Reason To Choose A Strong Copyleft License Over A Public Domain Dedication / Release
StrongCopyleftVsPD
One Reason To Choose A Strong Copyleft License Over A Public Domain Dedication / Release
*Note: in my view, a license is not copyleft if it is not Free.
In today's copyright environment, a strong Copyright license is a beautiful thing. (I encourage you to consider putting one on your works.)
It is not a perfect thing however and there are some problems and issues that go along with it.
Doing your best to put your work in the "Public Domain" (See: The Corruption of Our 'Public Domain' · Thursday August 05, 2010 by Crosbie Fitch http://www.digitalproductions.co.uk/index.php?id=252 for thoughts on this) will overcome some of these problems but I think choosing a strong copyleft license instead is a better option. Why?
If a work is in the "Public Domain" (Not copyrighted, copyright has expired, or copyrights purposely given up / donated to 'the public' in some way) anyone can use if for any purpose. This includes making a derivative of it and obtaining a copyright on the derivative and making money on that derivative while declaring "All Rights Reserved". This includes those whom some refer to as "copyright maximalists" just to be clear.
If everyone who was opposed to copyright maximalism were to release their works under a strong copyleft license, we would build up a pool of works that would advantage those willing to play a #Free game over those who refused to do so.
Now, nothing would prevent a copyright maximalist from enjoying the benefits of a work under a strong copyleft or even profiting from it. However, if they choose to do so it might make it harder for them to claim that it is impossible to make a profit from a work with a Free license. It might make it harder for them to claim that we need even stronger protections and harsher punishments for people to be willing to create and to profit from their creations.
My gut tells me that we are unlikely to see copyright maximalists making derivatives of works with strong copyleft licenses in the near term. This is why I think such a pool would give advantages to those willing to play a #Free game in a way that a similar pool of public domain works will not give.
Such a pool could be a game changer. If you would like the game changed, consider adding your works to such a pool.
"Free Cultural Works" defined: http://freedomdefined.org/Definition
"Free Software" defined: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
One Reason To Choose A Strong Copyleft License Over A Public Domain Dedication / Release
*Note: in my view, a license is not copyleft if it is not Free.
In today's copyright environment, a strong Copyright license is a beautiful thing. (I encourage you to consider putting one on your works.)
It is not a perfect thing however and there are some problems and issues that go along with it.
Doing your best to put your work in the "Public Domain" (See: The Corruption of Our 'Public Domain' · Thursday August 05, 2010 by Crosbie Fitch http://www.digitalproductions.co.uk/index.php?id=252 for thoughts on this) will overcome some of these problems but I think choosing a strong copyleft license instead is a better option. Why?
If a work is in the "Public Domain" (Not copyrighted, copyright has expired, or copyrights purposely given up / donated to 'the public' in some way) anyone can use if for any purpose. This includes making a derivative of it and obtaining a copyright on the derivative and making money on that derivative while declaring "All Rights Reserved". This includes those whom some refer to as "copyright maximalists" just to be clear.
If everyone who was opposed to copyright maximalism were to release their works under a strong copyleft license, we would build up a pool of works that would advantage those willing to play a #Free game over those who refused to do so.
Now, nothing would prevent a copyright maximalist from enjoying the benefits of a work under a strong copyleft or even profiting from it. However, if they choose to do so it might make it harder for them to claim that it is impossible to make a profit from a work with a Free license. It might make it harder for them to claim that we need even stronger protections and harsher punishments for people to be willing to create and to profit from their creations.
My gut tells me that we are unlikely to see copyright maximalists making derivatives of works with strong copyleft licenses in the near term. This is why I think such a pool would give advantages to those willing to play a #Free game in a way that a similar pool of public domain works will not give.
Such a pool could be a game changer. If you would like the game changed, consider adding your works to such a pool.
"Free Cultural Works" defined: http://freedomdefined.org/Definition
"Free Software" defined: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
Friday, March 18, 2011
AntiSpamIdea
AntiSpamIdea
Anti Spam(er) Idea for Kompoz and other similar sites.
Give posts weights, somewhat like slashdot does but not with voting on posts like they do.
Known good users post at level 2.
New users and suspect users post at level 1.
Non-logged in users only see level 2 posts. Level 1 posts are invisible to the world.
Level 1 users see level 1 and level 2 posts.
Level 2 users default to seeing level 2 posts only but can change this behavior via a profile toggle.
Perhaps even have level 1 accounts invisible to the world?
all the best,
drew
Anti Spam(er) Idea for Kompoz and other similar sites.
Give posts weights, somewhat like slashdot does but not with voting on posts like they do.
Known good users post at level 2.
New users and suspect users post at level 1.
Non-logged in users only see level 2 posts. Level 1 posts are invisible to the world.
Level 1 users see level 1 and level 2 posts.
Level 2 users default to seeing level 2 posts only but can change this behavior via a profile toggle.
Perhaps even have level 1 accounts invisible to the world?
all the best,
drew
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Copyright Questions
Copyright Questions
Well, I was searching some of my old domains on the internet archive this morning looking for something for my wife and I came across this old article from 2000 I think. Here is the link:
http://web.archive.org/web/20001213071000/www.cayspot.net/ii/zbro/copyrightq.php3
And here is the article:
Copyright Questions
Copyright Questions - and a few ramblings.
I was just reading an article posting over at Technocrat.Net and decided to finally get around to starting in on writing this. I have been meaning to start for ages now.
The article that prompted it was an editorial by Bruce on Music Bootlegging with Napster hurting Free Software.
This is not relevant to the rest of this piece, but why is there so little notice or discussion of the fact that there is almost no Free Music but there is a lot of Free Software. Where is the GPLed music distributed in source form? Is it that we don't have the tools to support a Free Music movement?
OK, here are the questions. If it would be better to think patent or some other mechanism (other than trade secret) in place of copyright, so be it. For each question, if you choose to send in the answers for inclusion, state whether you think it is moral/ethical, and whether you think it is legal or illegal in your country and whether it is legal or illegal in any other country. I am hoping to get a script online that can take responses. If you feel like knocking one up before I get to it, great. (I would prefer php, but any standard free solution will do.)
* Can I take a picture of a tree in a forest and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I take a picture of a tree in someone's front lawn and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I take a picture of a 'lion tree sculpture' in someone's front lawn and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I take a picture of an artist's oil painting and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I take a picture of a sculptor's work and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I take a picture of a model in a designer dress and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I take a picture of a model in a designer dress and sell or give away copies of the picture with only the models permission?
* Can I take a picture of a building designed by an architect and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I take a picture of a float in a parade and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I take a picture of a room papered with designer wallpaper and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I hear a joke and tell it to someone else?
* Can I hear a joke and tell it in a comedy club where I get paid for my act?
* Can I read a recipe in a copyrighted cookbook and make the dish for sale in my restaurant?
* Can I make a comedy version of a hot song and sell my version without paying anyone royalties?
* When a song is played on the radio, which of the following gets paid? The person who wrote the words, the person who wrote the music, the person who performed the song? The individuals who own the rights to the words, the music, the recording?
* If you commission a sculpture of your dog and the sculptor gives you the finished piece in raw marble, can you paint it to be lifelike and display it on your front lawn?
* Can I sing the latest hit song in my shower?
* Can I get together with my friends and sing the latest hit song in my living room?
* Can I get together with my friends and sing the latest hit song on the street corner for free?
* Can I get together with my friends and sing the latest hit song on the street corner and accept donations in a hat?
* Can I get together with my friends and sing the latest hit song in a club for free?
* Can I get together with my friends and sing the latest hit song in a club and get paid?
* Can I recite the words to a current hit song in a poetry reading contest?
* Can I recite the words to a poem my friend wrote (without their permission) in a poetry reading contest?
*
*
*
*
I hope this helps to get someone thinking. Please feel free to help me make this clearer or suggest new questions if you can. Also, feel free to treat this as if it had been GPLed for now. Still looking for the best GPL like license for non-programs.
--------
Thoughts? (Fixed a few spelling mistakes.)
Well, I was searching some of my old domains on the internet archive this morning looking for something for my wife and I came across this old article from 2000 I think. Here is the link:
http://web.archive.org/web/20001213071000/www.cayspot.net/ii/zbro/copyrightq.php3
And here is the article:
Copyright Questions
Copyright Questions - and a few ramblings.
I was just reading an article posting over at Technocrat.Net and decided to finally get around to starting in on writing this. I have been meaning to start for ages now.
The article that prompted it was an editorial by Bruce on Music Bootlegging with Napster hurting Free Software.
This is not relevant to the rest of this piece, but why is there so little notice or discussion of the fact that there is almost no Free Music but there is a lot of Free Software. Where is the GPLed music distributed in source form? Is it that we don't have the tools to support a Free Music movement?
OK, here are the questions. If it would be better to think patent or some other mechanism (other than trade secret) in place of copyright, so be it. For each question, if you choose to send in the answers for inclusion, state whether you think it is moral/ethical, and whether you think it is legal or illegal in your country and whether it is legal or illegal in any other country. I am hoping to get a script online that can take responses. If you feel like knocking one up before I get to it, great. (I would prefer php, but any standard free solution will do.)
* Can I take a picture of a tree in a forest and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I take a picture of a tree in someone's front lawn and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I take a picture of a 'lion tree sculpture' in someone's front lawn and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I take a picture of an artist's oil painting and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I take a picture of a sculptor's work and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I take a picture of a model in a designer dress and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I take a picture of a model in a designer dress and sell or give away copies of the picture with only the models permission?
* Can I take a picture of a building designed by an architect and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I take a picture of a float in a parade and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I take a picture of a room papered with designer wallpaper and sell or give away copies of the picture?
* Can I hear a joke and tell it to someone else?
* Can I hear a joke and tell it in a comedy club where I get paid for my act?
* Can I read a recipe in a copyrighted cookbook and make the dish for sale in my restaurant?
* Can I make a comedy version of a hot song and sell my version without paying anyone royalties?
* When a song is played on the radio, which of the following gets paid? The person who wrote the words, the person who wrote the music, the person who performed the song? The individuals who own the rights to the words, the music, the recording?
* If you commission a sculpture of your dog and the sculptor gives you the finished piece in raw marble, can you paint it to be lifelike and display it on your front lawn?
* Can I sing the latest hit song in my shower?
* Can I get together with my friends and sing the latest hit song in my living room?
* Can I get together with my friends and sing the latest hit song on the street corner for free?
* Can I get together with my friends and sing the latest hit song on the street corner and accept donations in a hat?
* Can I get together with my friends and sing the latest hit song in a club for free?
* Can I get together with my friends and sing the latest hit song in a club and get paid?
* Can I recite the words to a current hit song in a poetry reading contest?
* Can I recite the words to a poem my friend wrote (without their permission) in a poetry reading contest?
*
*
*
*
I hope this helps to get someone thinking. Please feel free to help me make this clearer or suggest new questions if you can. Also, feel free to treat this as if it had been GPLed for now. Still looking for the best GPL like license for non-programs.
--------
Thoughts? (Fixed a few spelling mistakes.)
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