An older story of how copyright can harm even the children who can’t even keep up with all the information about the things they are not allowed. I can’t even imagine how a 12 year old is supposed to be aware of all legal and illegal activities yet. Damn, we are turning into a world where papered money is more important than the life of the regular citizen who has more rules to obey than words he knows at the age of 12 
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Barely 24 hours after suing alleged file swappers around the United States, the recording industry has settled its first case, agreeing to drop its case against a 12-year-old New York girl in exchange for $2,000.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed 261 lawsuits Monday against computer users it said were exclusively “egregious” file swappers. One of the targets wound up being Brianna Lahara, who was identified by the New York Post as a 12-year-old honors student who lives in a New York City Housing Authority apartment.
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Posted in Internet, Life
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A guy named Lawrence Lessig, a proffesor at Stanford University is behind the creativeCommons.org project which allows authors to share their inventions, music, books etc. The idea is to allow people to use your product with no fear of a copyright infringement. Acts like the DMCA voted in by the Clinton administration a few years ago have even abolished the so popular “fair use”. There is a great presentation I found on the subject at: http://www.eff.org/IP/freeculture/free.html (8MB). It’s worth having a look at as it will give you a broader idea of how patents, laws and modern technology combined together can destroy future creativity. Just think about it… every creativity lies on an idea from the past in some respect. If the past is regulated creativity would be in trouble since you would have to pay for every single copyrighted or patented element. Earlier this year I heard of a case where the US patent bureau was considering a patent on patterns of software coding, so if you are programmer that uses a similiar approach already patented by Adobe, Microsoft etc. then you have to pay first. As you will see in the presentation Bill Gates confesses that patents limit the creativity, but they do bring in a lot of money in terms of royalties plus a future extension of a legalized monopoly. So no doubt Microsoft policy is to patent as much as possible for things ludicrous as it may seem as how a mouse click is programmed in a software program.
Consider the fact that since 1770 when copyright was brought to the USA from England, you could hold it for no more than 14 years. With the latest amendments in the law you get a Life + 70 years of copyrights. This can easily mean over 100 years for whatever idea you come with and get commersialized to bring you cash-flows for generations to come into your family. Walt Disney invented the Micky Mouse based on a fair tale by the Grim brothers. But Walt business geniusity masterminded the patent holding for all his works, even thouigh he stole lots of ideas from the past. So in essense Walt Inc. can use your idea, but from there on you will have to pay them for whatver use. And since the USA generally supports the big corporation interests it extends the Micky Mouse copyright every time the date of its expiration approches. It was about to expire in 1998 but little earlier the law was amended and gave the corporation another 25 years of law-protected copyright.The mighty USA has now imposed a world-imposable copyright law. If a country needed to amend its copyright laws then the USA would pay it help to overcome the “struggle” just as it did with Bulgaria. We were given money from the usaid program and alike to help us “reform” our copyright laws so that they would further extend the right of US patents in each country they help them “reform” it 
“… Obviously, I cannot link to the original LJ post that I made, because I have removed it from my LJ to protect myself and those who commented in that thread from receiving any further visits from the FBI. I apologized for the miscommunication, though I did *not* apologize for voicing my opinion of George W. Bush. I will never apologize for speaking my mind. I will, however, apologize when I say something wrong way and for unintentionally offending/threatening someone, because I am an extremely nonviolent person. … ”
entire story
There is a great article about the show that seems to have overtaken the auditorium interest in the last few days. Even though I find it very crappy, cheap-style show that lures you bye seducing you to see the stupidity of real people on semi-real conditions, it’s a fenomenon for all these western-style countries where it has taken the front sea of TV watchers. No doubt even I was seduced several times waiting in anticipation to see if some intimacy would arise in it. I can tell when it comes to media we are already extremely influenced by the westerners so whatever has been brought to life in the USA or West Europe and turns out to be successful would most likely come here within a year or so. I guess next step is for the local TV stations to attract the very popular “Survival something” shows… happy TV-watchers, happy advertisers, a huge waste of energy and time but after all that’s what the media strives for
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A CURIOSITY for some, a major talking point in the bus on the following morning, or “voyeurism” and “major stupidity” for others, reality show Big Brother has made its debut on Bulgarian television – now meet the contestants who will keep hardcore viewers talking, and ratings high, for weeks to come.
No doubt too, the show will remain the highlight of the days, and nights for that matter, for all friends and relatives of the “12 monkeys”, as dubbed by a friend of mine, locked up in the house.
The long-anticipated reality show was launched on October 18 at 8.30 pm on Nova TV.
According to a Nova TV press release, the ratings of Big Brother on its first night were as high as 51 per cent of all viewers in Sofia.
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Study says if the Dow drops more than 0.5% in the month before the election, incumbents lose.
October 29, 2004: 5:29 PM EDT
By Jacqueline S. Gold, CNN/Money contributing writer
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – If the historical performance of the Dow Jones industrial average is any guide, John Kerry will be the 44th president of the United States
According to a recent study by the Hirsch Organization, publishers of the Stock Trader’s Almanac, if the Dow loses more than 0.5 percent of its value in the month of October before Election Day, then an incumbent president is going to lose his job. The Dow fell 0.52 percent in October.
This predictor has been true without exception from 1904 to the present, according to Jeffrey Hirsch, editor of the Stock Trader’s Almanac and president of the Hirsch Organization.
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European Union leaders have signed the new EU constitution in a lavish ceremony held in Rome.
Heads of state and government took it in turn to sign the text in the same room where the Treaty of Rome was signed to establish the EU in 1957.
The ceremony came amid a row about the views of prospective Italian EU commissioner Rocco Buttiglione.
Incoming Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has withdrawn his entire team and is now considering changes.
“We need more time so I can go back to some of the prime ministers, so that I can get better choices… I’m sure I can get a better team,” he told reporters in Rome on Friday.
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Услугата интернет адреси на български език се стартира като пилотен тестови проект на изследователската мрежа в България със съдействието на Агенция “Развитие на съобщенията и на ?КТ” към министъра на транспорта и съобщенията. Технологията позволява без инсталация на никакъв допълнителен софтуер на компютъра на потребителя, да се отварят интернет страници чрез изписване на наименованието им изцяло на български език. Например, вместо да помните и изписвате сложни адреси като http://www.taxadmin.minfin.bg ще е достатъчно просто да напи?ете Данъчно, Данъчна дирекция или просто данъци, за да се зареди горепосочената интернет страница на Главна данъчна дирекция. Continue reading →
Дистанционната форма на обучение за вис?е образование е равностойна на редовната и студентите могат да следват от разстояние за специалисти, бакалаври, магистри и доктори. Това гласи новата наредба за държавните изисквания за организиране на дистанционна форма на обучение, която Министерският съвет прие в четвъртък. Реално университетите могат да започнат приема за дистанционни студенти от следващата учебна година.
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Рядко гледам филм повече от веднъж… но този е изключение! Гледал съм го вече 3 пъти и винаги преоткривам нови елементи, сюжети, емоции… първия път гледах толкова захласнат че ми остана само спомена за придружаващата го музика, втория – вече сънувах неестевесните красоти на планетата Земя, заснети от най-нестандартни перспективи и места, на третия път забелязах силното емоционално излъчване на отделни кадри блозък план на племена от африка; забързаните, почти роботизирани движения на хора от “цивилизования свят”; духовността, с която живеят индийците и мизерията на която се подлагат за да се смиряват пред личния си Господ и всякакви други кадри, където “героят” е съвкупността от движенията на маса от хора в забързан интервал от време. A must see movie!
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“Без думи камерата ни показва свят, който не казва ‘къде’, а – ‘какво има там’. Филмът започва със сутрин, природни пейзажи и молещи се хора; вулакни, водопади, равнини и гори; няколко стотин свщеника пеят пласмът на маймуната. Местни хора боядисват телата си, цялото село танцува. Кадрите се сменят с разрущената природа, изсечените гори, взривените и изоставени мини. Картини на мизерия, бърз градски живот, фабрики, канцентрационни лагери и масови гробища. Появяват се древни руини и свещената река, където поклонниците се къпят и мъртвите тела изгарят. Молитвата и природата се завръщат. Свещеник удря огромна камбана; звездите се завъртат в небето.” от ouim.org
снимки…
Posted in General, Movies
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Бейзболна ?апка, най-често карирано, понякога с етикет “Burberry”, а в повечето случаи – евтино менте. Никога не се носи на обратно или настрани, а с козирката ниско напред, за да не се вижда много добре лицето.
Спортна ризка с къси ръкави, предпочитани фирми “Nickelson” или “Pringle”.
Бели маратонки и то не какви да е, а колкото се може по-скъпи. Особено уважавани са “Reebok Classics”. ?зключително важно е да бъдат почиствани старателно всеки ден, за да блестят и да изглеждат чисто нови. Continue reading →
Posted in General, Life
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