Tuesday, January 29, 2002

Time to rewrite the DMCA, a guest editorial by Representative Rick Boucher "At the time, libraries, universities, consumer electronics manufacturers, Internet portals and others warned that enactment of the broadly worded legislation would stifle new technology, would threaten access to information, and would move us inexorably towards a "pay per use" society. That day is now close at hand." [in News.com, via MeFi] Rep. Rich Boucher is one of two Congressmen who "get it" when it comes to the implementation of the horrible Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).  Here are what I think are the key points in his essay: 1.  "The DMCA, as enacted, quite clearly tilted the balance in the Copyright Act toward complete protection and away from information availability."  Now remind yourself that libraries are in the business of INFORMATION AVAILABILITY!!!! 2. "A time may soon come when what is available for free on library shelves will only be available on a pay-per-use basis. It would be a simple matter for a copyright owner to impose a requirement that a small fee be paid each time a digital book or video documentary is accessed by a library patron. Even the student who wants even the most basic access to only a portion of the book to write a term paper would have to pay to avoid committing a crime." How are you going to collect a payment from a nine-year old photocopying a page from an encyclopedia and send that payment to the copyright holder? And how will you assure them that the nine-year old won't use those two paragraphs for nefarious purposes? 3. "We need to rewrite the law for the benefit of society as a whole before all access to information is irreversibly controlled. In short, we need to reaffirm fair use." And if you think the copyright holders are lining up to preserve and maintain libraries' access to materials, then I've got a bridge to sell you. But with only a handful of supporters in Congress, how are we going to make this happen?  If you're a librarian and you're not tracking DMCA and SSSCA issues, you should be.  The time will come when you have to let your voice be heard, not just for yourself, but for your patrons. We have to make our own place in the "heavenly jukebox." 10:44:42 PM  Permanent link here

My old friend Darren is in Chicago this week, and tonight I got to have dinner with him!  I say old, because even though I just had a birthday, he will always be older than me! We had a great time catching up while consuming a wonderful meal at my favorite Indian restaurant.  It's difficult to believe that it's been 17 years since we first became friends working at the Bookslinger Bookstore! I mention Darren because he's become an actor of sorts, or so he claims.  I have yet to see him in anything, but he assures me he has proof and witnesses.  Even more exciting is the fact that he is figuring out how he is going to write the great American novel.  So here and now, I declare, "I knew him when," just in case. Hopefully, when he becomes rich, famous, and published, he won't pull a Franzen and tick off Oprah. Space reserved for a link to his Web site when he gets it up and running. 9:59:30 PM  Permanent link here

Study: Consumers go wireless at home. "People are pulling the plug on traditional phone lines at home as wireless service and broadband connections become cheaper, according to Forrester Research." [CNET News.com] That's what my friend and colleague Kate is doing.  She has a cable modem at home and a 16-year old daughter with a cell phone.  When she moved last summer, she kept wondering why she was having a landline phone installed in the new place, and now she realizes she doesn't need it after all.  So she got herself a cell phone, and it's goodbye, Ameritech! Now if we only had better cellular coverage like they do in Europe and Asia.... The article continues, "By 2006, more than 5 million U.S. homes will start using mobile and high-speed broadband networks as their primary connection, according to Forrester. That would make wireless services the primary means of communications in 11 percent of households." My seven-year old has already asked for a cell phone.  She's seven!  Okay, she'll be eight in March, but she's seven now and she wants a cell phone! Don't tell me these kids aren't going to grow up using their [portable] phones to pull in information. 1:15:55 PM  Permanent link here

Blah. Today I got an email from the Chicago Tribune asking me to register with them for access to all of their content and the ability to search seven measly days of the archive.  I can't remember where, but I recently read a rant about the NY Times and how they should get rid of their silly registration process, and now the CT goes and joins them.  Goodbye, CT.  In this day and age, you should be thrilled that I'm coming to your site, not putting up barriers to my quest for information. 10:49:46 AM  Permanent link here

Cellphones in Japan: A small pictorial report "DSLR recently spent a short time in Japan and instead of just getting jealous of the state of the cellular network there, snapped some pictures to prove that despite the well reported Japanese economic slump, Japan continues to maintain its network and handset lead over the USA and Europe .. " [in DSL Reports via MeFi] Oooh, I'm so jealous!  Asia and Europe are 12-18 months ahead of us in wireless technologies and adoption, so this isn't surprising.  There are reasons for the wide reach of wireless in Japan, but I still think we'll see a similar situation here as the Net Generation grows up with portable communications devices.  We're going to have to start thinking of the cell phone as an information appliance, not just a long-distance walkie talkie.  Remember - information is coming to you wherever you are. 9:17:30 AM  Permanent link here

Psalm's New E-Book Reader. Prayers, hymns and psalms are but a click away. Also: The demand for print on demand ... e-book publishing rights redux ... and more, in M.J. Rose's notebook. [Wired News] "While an e-book of the Bible can be bought and read on any e-reading device, the Godspeed offers a holy host of Christian-specific applications. Based on the Hiebook from Korea e-book, the Godspeed -- which is loaded with standard PDA applications -- will retail for approximately $250. " What Would Jesus Read?  (WWJR)  I can't imagine this will take off any better than other niche attempts. 8:16:37 AM  Permanent link here