Monday, November 22, 2004
The Mode Before the Pumpkin Pie a la Mode
We are in pre-holiday mode here at the Daily Aneurysm today. Admittedly, it's not much different from regular mode, except we feel less guilty about blogging instead of doing remunerative labor. Pre-holiday mode also gives us less stomach for all the trouble in the world, although there was some interesting media news today.
First, a package of eight bills before Congress, five of which have been passed already, would drastically affect the principles of "fair use." Now if you want to know what the potential demise of fair use means for intellectual property rights in broad terms, try this post from last week at Lean Left. If you want the short-n-sexy version, it's this: Congress wants to take away your TiVo. The bills would make it illegal even to fast-forward through commercials on old-fashioned videotape. (Technology Review has more details here.) Of course, you gotta wonder how they would catch you doing it--although as we've seen, the Repugs in Congress want to regulate everything you do in your private life, so they're probably working on something.
Also on the media front, Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales, one of the country's preeminent writers on television, took out after FCC Chairman Michael Powell yesterday. Powell's a man on a mission, and the mission is to make the business end of American media safe for corporations, and the programming end safe for eight-year-olds. Shales doesn't get into the issue of whether Powell would like to be president one day, but how could he not? Every time he grandstands on an issue like the Desperate Housewives flap, he banks wingnut IOUs.
Being in pre-holiday mode means, logically enough, that soon we will be in holiday mode, and in turn that means this blog will go on hiatus for several days while The Mrs. and I go over the river and through the woods to visit her family over Thanksgiving. If I can find a computer and a few quiet moments away from the niece and nephews at some point, I may try to post a bit from the road. If not, we'll be offline until Sunday November 28.
People often think it's real funny to ask who atheists give thanks to on Thanksgiving Day. I will leave aside the boorishness of that question and say that I am grateful to all of you who read this bilge on a regular or semi-regular basis. Every time you visit this site (and especially when you weigh in via the "Comments" link), you make my half-assed efforts seem worthwhile. Thank you very much.
We are in pre-holiday mode here at the Daily Aneurysm today. Admittedly, it's not much different from regular mode, except we feel less guilty about blogging instead of doing remunerative labor. Pre-holiday mode also gives us less stomach for all the trouble in the world, although there was some interesting media news today.
First, a package of eight bills before Congress, five of which have been passed already, would drastically affect the principles of "fair use." Now if you want to know what the potential demise of fair use means for intellectual property rights in broad terms, try this post from last week at Lean Left. If you want the short-n-sexy version, it's this: Congress wants to take away your TiVo. The bills would make it illegal even to fast-forward through commercials on old-fashioned videotape. (Technology Review has more details here.) Of course, you gotta wonder how they would catch you doing it--although as we've seen, the Repugs in Congress want to regulate everything you do in your private life, so they're probably working on something.
Also on the media front, Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales, one of the country's preeminent writers on television, took out after FCC Chairman Michael Powell yesterday. Powell's a man on a mission, and the mission is to make the business end of American media safe for corporations, and the programming end safe for eight-year-olds. Shales doesn't get into the issue of whether Powell would like to be president one day, but how could he not? Every time he grandstands on an issue like the Desperate Housewives flap, he banks wingnut IOUs.
Being in pre-holiday mode means, logically enough, that soon we will be in holiday mode, and in turn that means this blog will go on hiatus for several days while The Mrs. and I go over the river and through the woods to visit her family over Thanksgiving. If I can find a computer and a few quiet moments away from the niece and nephews at some point, I may try to post a bit from the road. If not, we'll be offline until Sunday November 28.
People often think it's real funny to ask who atheists give thanks to on Thanksgiving Day. I will leave aside the boorishness of that question and say that I am grateful to all of you who read this bilge on a regular or semi-regular basis. Every time you visit this site (and especially when you weigh in via the "Comments" link), you make my half-assed efforts seem worthwhile. Thank you very much.
