taniwha_nz

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my habit of reading an SMS then promptly deleting, has just bitten me

i have no idea what that message was - i do remember, it made me happy

but... what was the contents!

did one of you send it?

in other news... 8 days till "full term"

/me goes back to work (drupal drupal drupal drupal druuuuuupal)

Originally published at coffee.geek.nz. Please leave any comments there.

We got a new copyright act in New Zealand late last year - any regular reader of my blog will already know this.

Amongst the many changes, the new copyright act finally allowed "format shifting" - for example copying your music from your CD collection into your ipod.

However, this was limited to sound recordings only. - You cannot copy that movie or tv show you have recorded into your ipod.

Here's a quote from NZ's Ministry of Economic Development FAQ explaining exactly that:

Why is there a format shifting provision and why is it limited to sound recordings?

The new format shifting provision responds to the concern that people want to transfer music they have legitimately bought onto different devices to take advantage of new technology. It also recognises this has been common practice for a long time.

The markets for audio visual works and music are evolving, they are different. There are numerous business models for audiovisual works that do not apply to music. Theatrical release, commercial rental (both physical and online models), free-to-air TV and pay TV do not have counterparts of any significant extent for music. It is also unlikely that consumption of audio visual works "on the move" using mp3 players and the like will ever be as ubiquitous as for music. It is not, therefore, possible to simply apply the conclusions reached about music to audio visual works.

So, it is perplexing that there are adverts for Tivo in New Zealand saying the exact opposite -- they say you can copy the tv shows you recorded into your ipod - and while true you physically can, you'd need to acquire permission from every copyright holder -- so you'd need hunt down whoever owns the rights to the TV show and gain permission.

It also calls into question the statement that made only last October that: "It is also unlikely that consumption of audio visual works "on the move" using mp3 players and the like will ever be as ubiquitous as for music" --- just what planet are our lawmakers from?

see also: ubiquitous format shifting - Why just sound?

Originally published at coffee.geek.nz. Please leave any comments there.

Wired reports "Copyright Treaty Is Policy Laundering at Its Finest"
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/11/policy-laundering/

The language in the Sept. 30 memo shows the United States wants ISPs around the world to punish suspected, repeat downloaders with a system of “graduated response” — code for a three-strikes policy that results in the customer eventually being disconnected from the internet with the ISP alone deciding what constitutes infringement and fair use.

So, no trial - punishment apon accusation - and ISPs replacing courts.

(and remember, the ISP is liable themselves if they don't disconnect customer based only on accusation, and it turns out the customer were really infringing copyright - ISP have big incentive to just disconnect every time to avoid this liability)

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Note: i'm not an offical spokesperson for OLPC - this is my own small rant

A couple things people don't get about OLPC (and perhaps open source too):

The design process is out in the open - you can see the ideas, prototypes, and half baked suggestions all being discussed for everyone to see. For those used to getting their technology from someone like Apple, Nokia, or Microsoft this can be confusing - they see something discussed, and then they see OLPC change their mind... and the confused person equates this with failure. It's not, it's just the organic process by which things are designed being exposed for all to see.

And their target probably isn't you - you are not their market (i'm making assumptions about who is reading my blog). If you're sitting in a developed nation somewhere with a wad of cash in hand wanting to buy laptops for your 2.4 children, sorry. Just have a read of the start of the OLPC mission statement: To create educational opportunities for the world's poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop ..... The goal is both the poorest children (i.e. not your children) and it's mass deployment. You not being able to purchase one doesn't make it vapour ware. Every single child in Uruguay has one of these laptops. Very soon every single child in Peru wil have one also. That makes the project MASSIVELY SUCCESSFUL in my book.

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A draft of the ACTA treaty has been leaked just as government representatives of the world begin secret negotiations in Korea today. This treaty originates in the USA, and is being negotiated with many countries including New Zealand.

Boingboing have some analysis of the leaked draft::

* That ISPs have to proactively police copyright on user-contributed material. This means that it will be impossible to run a service like Flickr or YouTube or Blogger, since hiring enough lawyers to ensure that the mountain of material uploaded every second isn't infringing will exceed any hope of profitability.

* That ISPs have to cut off the Internet access of accused copyright infringers or face liability. This means that your entire family could be denied to the internet -- and hence to civic participation, health information, education, communications, and their means of earning a living -- if one member is accused of copyright infringement, without access to a trial or counsel.

* That the whole world must adopt US-style "notice-and-takedown" rules that require ISPs to remove any material that is accused -- again, without evidence or trial -- of infringing copyright. This has proved a disaster in the US and other countries, where it provides an easy means of censoring material, just by accusing it of infringing copyright.

* Mandatory prohibitions on breaking DRM, even if doing so for a lawful purpose (e.g., to make a work available to disabled people; for archival preservation; because you own the copyrighted work that is locked up with DRM)

Electronic Freedom Foundation release has further analysis of today's draft leak:

First, the US government appears to be pushing for Three Strikes to be part of the new global IP enforcement regime which ACTA is intended to create – despite the fact that it has been categorically rejected by the European Parliament and by national policymakers in several ACTA negotiating countries, and has never been proposed by US legislators.

Second, US negotiators are seeking policies that will harm the US technology industry and citizens across the globe. Three Strikes/ Graduated Response is the top priority of the entertainment industry. The content industry has sought this since the European office of the Motion Picture Association began touting Three Strikes as ISP “best practice” in 2005. Indeed, the MPAAand the RIAA expressly asked for ACTA to include obligations on ISPs to adopt Three Strikes policies in their 2008 submissions to the USTR. The USTR apparently listened and agreed, disregarding the concerns raised by both the US’s major technology and telecom companies and industry associations (who dwarf the US entertainment industry), and public interest groups and libraries.

From NZ Computerworld today: ACTA update: A question of sovereignty, say law professor

A leaked chapter of the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) could "eliminate sovereign choice on domestic copyright policy", Canadian internet law specialist Michael Geist says.
Computerworld reported the leak and apparent contradictions between the new text and statements last year from New Zealand MED negotiator George Wardle. Last year, Wardle told Computerworld the treaty was aimed at piracy on a commercial scale.

Internet NZ's press release today: InternetNZ alarmed by latest ACTA leaks

"Because the ACTA process is secret, none of us can know the precise details of what is being discussed.

"New Zealand should take a stand against any attempt to hijack the negotiations.

"Big music and movie interests, and other content producers, are conducting a global campaign to put their interests ahead of citizens' rights to use the Internet and to not be subject to unreasonable and arbitrary penalties that do nothing for the public interest.

and the artists at Creative Freedom Foundation once again today say "NOT IN MY NAME!" - ACTA Treaty Draft Leaks, calls for Guilt Upon Accusation And More..

Michael Geist, Canadian Copyright law expert blogged today:

The Internet chapter raises two additional issues. On the international front, it provides firm confirmation that the treaty is not a counterfeiting trade, but a copyright treaty. These provisions involve copyright policy as no reasonable definition of counterfeiting would include these kinds of provisions. On the domestic front, it raises serious questions about the Canadian negotiation mandate. Negotations from Foreign Affairs are typically constrained by either domestic law, a bill before the House of Commons, or the negotiation mandate letter. Since these provisions dramatically exceed current Canadian law and are not found in any bill presently before the House, Canadians should be asking whether the negotiation mandate letter has envisioned such dramatic changes to domestic copyright law. When combined with the other chapters that include statutory damages, search and seizure powers for border guards, anti-camcording rules, and mandatory disclosure of personal information requirements, it is clear that there is no bigger IP issue today than the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement being negotiated behind closed doors this week in Korea.

Originally published at coffee.geek.nz. Please leave any comments there.

(this saturday is Carl Sagan day)

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Statusnet, the open source (agpl) microblogging platform is readying up to a 0.8.2 release this weekend.

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At today's OLPC testfest, the team did some experimentation on other groups at the Southern Cross:

Social experiment: put some XOs on a table about two metres from us,
watch people walk up and play with them. Kids look real close then sit
down and play activities (we did not start any activities). Adults
look from a distance and look around for owners, see us and walk away.
Kids get dragged away to eat but when they return they bring friends.
The kids are showing each other everything, very exciting. They have
enough XOs for one each but they are constantly looking at each others
screens and pointing and talking. They worked out and then showed each
other how to use the frame and activity circle.

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Many of the world's cities have suburbs that are predominantly (and proudly) populated by gay or lesbian couples and their families.
e.g.
Melbourne : Northcote
Sydney : Darlinghurst
San Francisco: Castro

Are there any such suburbs in New Zealand cities?

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Equality March DC 2009, originally uploaded by Paul Frederiksen.

Alas, i can't find a passage in levicitus that actaully says that...

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Mike discovers there's a new CHEESE SHOP in Petone

Pamela the midwife has a blog post of thoughts and info on teenage pregnancy in New Zealand.

Mark Osbourne mentions Uruguay gave a laptop to every single child.

Vampire wannabies can buy bags of tasty blood fit for human consumption.

There's a Save Maranui fundraiser involving speedos.

Open office is spreading quickly all over Belgium according to The Open Source Observatory and Repository for European public administrations.

Someone invented a Robot that loads and unloads the dishwasher

Rachel Alpine talks about need for plain language and official information

Live scribe, the makers of that shiny gadget pen i use alot are opening an app store of applications that run on the pen.

In other news.. posting 4 short links over and over doesn't make you a blogger..

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This is very very very shiny.
The nook book reader by Barnes & Noble

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from Melissa Draper:

The Toes Clause
If you witness someone stepping on someone else’s toes; do not harangue the person with the bruised toes for being hurt, simply because you did not feel the crush. If you step on someone’s toes; apologise for stepping on their toes. Resist the urge to point to an inconsiderate witness, or people whose toes you have not yet stepped on, as excuses for not apologising.

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The prototype XO 1.5 laptops have arrived in Wellington - Some will be heading to Christchurch and Auckland in time for the weekend.

Grant with one of the XO 1.5 laptops

First thing we did - we pulled them apart. Inside in a new processor (faster), as well as a very different looking motherboard. We spotted 1Gbyte of RAM, and a 4GByte microSD card serving as the non-volatile storage.

They arrived with Sugar OS 0.8.4. This isn't a stable release, and the hardware is still being tested by people like us -- so finding a few things not working was to be expected.

We really like the new touchpad -- it's like you'd find on any "normal" laptop, instead of the fancy, kinda expensive one that the original XOs had. Now you'll notice the edge of the usable area if you stray too far.

There are some device drivers missing - such as the video capture - and the screen driver hiccups. But we did manage many hours of playing food force, which usualy crashes on the older hardware. Foodforce needs lotsa CPU and memory.

Some more structured testing will be this saturday's testing.

Auckland Saturday - 11:00 am @ The Windsor Castle 144 Parnell Road, Parnell - they have internet, Tabitha bring one of the XO 1.5 machines

Wellington Saturday - 10:30 / 11:00am @ The Cross, 35 Abel Smtih St, Wellington - Tim will bring some of the XO 1.5 machines

Christchurch: TBA.

Originally published at coffee.geek.nz. Please leave any comments there.

The following is happening at Victoria University this week, as part of Open Access Week.
I should follow up with a blog post on how the concept of open data, open govt, and also open source are spreading rapidly in New Zealand.

The people mentioned below as speaker are all leaders in their field in New Zealand. I highly recommend them all - try and have a conversation with some of them after the talks, they're all very approachable and clearly love their topics.

Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand
Monday 19 October, 1pm-2pm
Location: Easterfield Building, Room 206, Kelburn
Jane Hornibrook and Stephanie Pietkiewicz will present on open access and the creative commons
licenses. Learn about how to secure your rights as an author with the SPARC author addendum and
how to take the open access pledge.
Open Access Publishing Workshop
Tuesday, 20 October, 12.30pm-2pm
Location: Old Kirk Building, Room 301, Kelburn
Fergus Barrowman from Victoria University Press, Stuart Yeates from the New Zealand Electronic
Text Centre, and Sigi Jöttkandt from Open Humanities Press will hold a workshop on open access
publishing. Bring your laptop and your ideas for an open access journal and get started through the
new free journal hosting service with the Open Humanities Alliance.
Open Educational Resources: WikiEducator
Wednesday, 21 October, 1pm-2pm
Location: Rankine Brown Building (Main Library), Lower floor, Room 105
Wayne Mackintosh, the founding Director of the International Centre for Open Education based at
Otago Polytechnic, will speak by video conference on his work to help the freedom culture develop a
free version of the entire education curriculum by 2015.
Institutional Repositories Roundtable
Thursday, 22 October, 12.30 pm-2pm
Library Seminar Room, Level 3, Rankine Brown (Main Library) Building
Emma Shepheard-Walwyn will present on the Victoria University of Wellington Library’s Research
Archive, and explain how VUW academics can archive their scholarly research and make it freely
available to the rest of the world.
Rowena Cullen and Brenda Chawner from the School of Information Management will discuss their
research on New Zealand academics’ attitudes towards open access. Join a lively discussion about
what NZ academics love - and love to hate - about institutional repositories.
Open Access and Net Neutrality
Friday, 22 October, 1pm-2pm
Library Seminar Room, Level 3, Rankine Brown (Main Library) Building
Jordan Carter from InternetNZ will speak on the importance of net neutrality for open access and
other open content initiatives

Originally published at coffee.geek.nz. Please leave any comments there.

he DigitalNZ API HackFest is making its way to Auckland. Telecom are kindly hosting this event for us.

10am-5pm, Saturday 7 November 2009
Telecom, Hereford St, Auckland
http://digitalnz.org

DigitalNZ Search aggregates information about NZ digital content from more than 65 content providers and makes them available via an API. You can get a glimpse of what's inside at http://search.digitalnz.org

Come along and

* Make nice stuff using the DigitalNZ API
* Whip up some code samples to help other developers kick-start their own DigitalNZ API creations
* Consume pizza, beer and sugary confections

Some examples of things that have happened at other HackFests: http://digitalnz.org/widget-gallery?type=applications

We're not just looking for developers. Other people we'd also love to come along are designers who can help make the apps look shiny or people with great ideas for apps.

Bring yourself and your laptop. We'll provide the WiFi. This is a low-key event - feel free to come along for however long you can, even just a couple of hours.

Numbers are limited, so please RSVP to jo.eaton@natlib.govt.nz
I'd love to see some Kiwi Foo Camp people there!

More info:
http://digitalnz.org/blog/news/article-digitalnz-api-hackfest-auckland-7...

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New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs has a "filter" that is intended to block access to pedophilic content.

It's currently optional -- meaning your ISP can choose to use it. I'm on cable and every single cable provider has opted in, so it's barely optional at all unless I switch to inferior more expensive DSL technology... but that's irrelevant as I have no doubt the end game is to make it compulsory.

What's the problem then?

1) This makes it trivial for future governments, or even public servants with a crusade, to start blocking / tracking other things. The Australian version is already blocking abortion info, and even a dentist's website.

2) it's trivial to circumvent for those that spend the time

I'm already needing to circumvent this filter - i need to connect to servers directly, not via a filter, in order to do my job. Also, at times the filter is unreliable and I can't connect.

Here's a simplified version of how these things work

Picture one: a normal internet connection, your computer talks to servers that contain the website you want to view. Website normally appear on port 80 (hence the :80 in the picture)

Picture two: The DIA filter in the way. Because websites are normally on port 80, your isp just redirects all port 80 traffic from your computer to a "transparent proxy" which then implements the filter.

Picture three: You reconfigure youre browser to not use port80. Instead it goes to a ultra cheap vserver you bought for a meesly $10, running in USA or russia or somewhere. It's no longer using port 80, so the filter doesn't appy.

Other ways to get around this: The website uses SSL - this is the same technology used when acessing internet banking. It's encrypted. It cannot be (easily) read by DIA, so no filter is applied
Another way is for the website to run on any port other than 80.

It's so trivial -- the DIA's filter is ludicous. It's not going to stop any but the stupidest of criminals, it's has very large potential for abuse by governments, and adds one more point of failure in your internet access.

Alas this is something very hard to talk about - because it involves an attempt to catch pedophiles - the worst scum in the universe - it is difficult for various techies who understand this to come out explaining why it doesn't work. This hampers the protest against this. Please think beyond that and consider how little this filter will actually do to stop actual criminals.

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Originally posted by laptop.org.nz by Tabitha Roder:

Wellington OLPC volunteers caught up with Ian Thomson, OLPC Oceania Coordinator today, and heard about the pilot deployments at Nauru, Niue, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.

There have been 3400 XOs deployed so far, with another 1600 to be deployed in the Pacific region. By working with ACER Australian Council of Education Research there is an evaluation being conducted of the Solomon Islands, anticipated publish date of November 2009.
As part of the pilots work has been done with teachers, parents and education ministries to ensure the best success of the pilots. Some of the lessons learned include reinforcements that the OLPC programme enhances, strengthens and aligns with regional and country education goals and plans. The communities have been supportive of the deployments.

Traditionally, in pacific cultures it is not typically acceptable that the children know more than the adults, however the pilots have shown that it is okay for children to know more than adults with regards to technology and literacy.

There is interesting discussions happening on how XOs can be used to support traditional knowledge.

Another lesson learned by the pilot groups is that a standing stock of XOs and hardware peripherals should be centrally maintained in the region to efficiently feed deployments in a timely and cost-efficient manner.

The pilot phase has resulted in the development of community consultation guidelines that recommend principles for ensuring OLPC is introduced with the full involvement and consent of local communities.

Translation projects are under way for Papua New Guinea pidgin, Solomon Islands Pidgin, and Kosraean. Future translations to start are Fijiian, Samoan and Tongan working with the local Ministries of Education.

One of the challenges they are still working on is funding trials in 15 Pacific countries. The technical working group have scoped the rollout trial phase at US$3.5 million including the hardware and all the support required for implementation.

The NZ testers will offer any support they can in testing and recommend any educational technologists wanting to donate their time, take a working holiday in one of these locations:
Piloted: Nauru, Niue, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu
Trials: Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Fiji, French Polynesia, Republic of Marshall Islands, Palau, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu.

Originally published at coffee.geek.nz. Please leave any comments there.

via jwz

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ZDnet story on developements today in the AFACT versus aussie ISP court case. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/AFACT-bombarded-iiNet-wi...

Cobden [isp's defence lawyer] yesterday worked towards reducing the number of alleged breaches of copyright that had been collected by AFACT's two investigators, which were claimed by AFACT's barrister Tony Bannon to have reached 100,000 instances. Cobden told Justice Cowdroy that BitTorrent file-sharing were often pre-configured to be left open for sharing, meaning that many of the alleged breaches were actually single instances.

What's an ISP to do after recieving 100,000 allegations of coyright infringment? just do what hollwood says & disconnect every customer? All on one accuser's say so?

Or is the ISP supposed to spend the time and money investigating all these accusations as an unpaid copyright police force and justice system?

iinet chose to refer the complaints to the Australian police. - and now they're defending themselves in court for "allowing copyright infringment" to occur.