"Over protecting intellectual property is as harmful as under protecting it. Culture is impossible without a rich public domain. Nothing today, likely nothing since we tamed fire, is genuinely new. Culture, like science and technology, grows by accretion, each new creator building on the works of those who came before. Over protection stifles the very creative forces it’s supposed to nurture."

- Judge Alex Kozinski, Dissenting in the White v. Samsung Elec. Am., Inc., 989 F.2d 1512 (9th Cir. 1993) ruling.

Last Thursday at 11:00 there was an excellent example of the flash mob form in Liverpool Street train station in London where most of the concourse starting dancing.  I am calling it an "example of the form" because it was actually organised by T-Mobile, but aside from that it had all the hallmarks: A group of people who turn up, do something, melt away afterwards, and most important of all; the general public knows nothing about it.

I think I have stumbled across my WTF moment for the month.

Constitution Arms (how's that for a name) claims that they have received federal approval to market a handgun as a medical device - because it has been designed to be used by the disabled and by seniors.

What we have here is Reyn Ouwehand performing a fabulous modern version of the "Green Beret" theme by (the great) Martin Galway.  It also happens to be an excellent example of what a single talented musician can do with a handful of instruments and a loop machine.

Another first for Nostromo, he has (to my knowledge) created the first 60 fps AMV.  He used special software to interpolate extra frames into the Anime to make it effective.

God it's smooth. It might as well be an advert for HD.

24 fps may be the minimum rate for smooth images (in a medium that produces motion blur), but it is clear that the eye can keep up with higher rates.

Probably much higher.

A couple of my friends are into steam punk, and I have just seen what I am sure they would regard as a wonderful birthday or Christmas present: HD3 Complication's Bi-Axial.

Ah dammit, how did I miss this?

19-May-2008 - Arthur W. Burks, Early Computer Theorist, dies.  Burks worked on Eniac, (amongst other things) and wasn't one of the "old guard" so much as he was part of the "original guard".  I guess there aren't many left.

This is a gem from Yahtzee (of Zero Punctuation fame) which I found over at despotliz's journal, where he takes a rather articulate exception to the dissenting email he received following his, apparently, controversial review of "Super Smash Bros. Brawl".

When critic’s attack.