Tag Archives: USA

Is the world my oyster?

I’m thinking on many things lately. Mainly, on what I’ll grow up to be. Am I going to be a graphic designer? a web designer? a filmmaker? Or is it going to be some kind of interface designer… or a game designer.

Sometimes I’d like it to be a mix of all the things I do. Could it be?

I’m confused.

I’m growing up, I can feel it. And in some ways I feel that I might miss the train. I have some great ideas, and I find it hard to bring them to life. I think I’m waiting for something and I don’t know what. I’d just like to move on.

I’ve been sending some applications for internships. For all three subjects that are intersting to me: design for print, design for web and film production. I tried also for the game industry, but it seems there aren’t a lot of them, at least not in the design section.

I feel that I’d like an answer. Should I go this way? Should I go that way? or should I turn to a total different direction?

Some say the world is my oyster. I sure hope it is.

Run on Air

Last night we went to New York to eat sushi. Yes, just for the sushi. The train (NJ Transit) was free for a week for students and yesterday was the last day. So we packed our things and hopped to New York. The sushi and the maki were great and cheap (like it should be for students). I will do it again.

This shot was taken outside Penn Station and was edited via Adobe Lightroom (I’m still thrilled by the capabilities of this software). (link).

Stop DRM – another right is lost!

From Wikipedia:

Digital Rights Management (generally abbreviated to DRM) is any of several technologies used by publishers (or copyright owners) to control access to and usage of digital data (such as software, music, movies) and hardware, handling usage restrictions associated with a specific instance of a digital work.

The producers of films and music are trying to keep the rights to their own. Slowly government rules are taking place, forbidding the right to copy digital work, even if its for personal purposes.
Lately, a bill has passed in France, known as DADVSI (in English: “law on authors’ rights and related rights in the information society”).

Most of the bill focuses on the repression of the exchange of copyrighted works over peer-to-peer networks and the criminalizing of the circumvention of DRM protection measures. The law… could significantly hamper free software, and also may significantly restrict the right to make copies of copyrighted works for private use.

StopDRM, (translated, original page here), a group of French activists are calling against the law.

After the adoption of law DADVSI by the government, greatest confusion reigns: the users of peer-to-peer received the insurance of the Minister for the culture which justice will be lenient, but the members of the StopDRM Collective worry for the consumers, who “do not pirate” but buy the music and films: what will arrive to them, now that the law was promulgated, if they circumvent the DRM for the legitimate use of works? And if they say it and inform the population? Are they assured them also any leniency?

3 members of the group have stepped forward. They went to the police to get arrested under the slogan “A lawsuit is wanted“.

The three have bought the original work of either music from iTunes or DVDs and transferred them to their portable media players by circumventing the code, thus breaking the law. One of them even have created a page Internet explaining how to remove the DRM of a protected bought work so that everyone can transfer its pieces on its portable player. While waiting for the response of the legal authorities, this page is accessible to all and is on http://drm.mediaarea.net.
The third, for its part, used a free software to read a DVD under GNU/Linux.

All of the three are about to face charges. The police officer was thinking that they are kidding with him, but at some point he discovered that they are right – this is illegal.

They most probably are facing sanctions of 3.750 euros fine for deliberated use with technical measurements realized by a Net surfer by his own means, six months of imprisonment and 30.000 euros fine for the provider of means of skirting, which acts in a deliberated way.

The problem is not the fact that you can do it at home, and nobody will know, but the fact that it is illegal to do so. A similar law is already applied in the US, and sooner or later, will take place in most of the countries in the world.
Ripping a DVD that I bought in order to save a copy of it at home or to be able to transfer it to a portable device and breaking the DRM of a song I bought from iTunes in order to play it on a non Apple device are my rights.

Lately, microsoft have released their own portable player, Zune, which is applying DRM to every song and video which is transferred to it, even if the title is under a GNU or a Creative Commons licence (of which, its against the licence to apply DRM).

The fight has only just begun.

The power of the web – in solidarity!

Anagram Map London

Anagram map of London Underground
Mirror of the original at Geofftech.co.uk

About a week ago Boing Boing posted on a map of the London Underground where the station names were anagramed.

Then came the sad post that Transport for London censored the map, as it breaches copyright. Instead of the original map the page now reads: “Content removed at the request of Healeys Solicitors acting on behalf of Transport for London and Transport Trading Ltd.”

And then came the solidarity movement…

It started with Robot Johnny who produced an inspired version that remixes the Toronto Transit Commission’s subway map with anagrammed station-names”.

Anagram Map Toronto

Toronto Transitt Anagram map (PDF Version)
Courtsey of RobotJohnny.com

Update: Since then the TTC cencored this map as well…

Then came remixed versions of the Amsterdam Metro and the Metra Map of Chicago.

The other day Boing Boing added a list of maps from around the world that influenced by the original censored version.

Anagram Map Oslo

Oslo Anagram Map
Courtsey of The Martin

The Precision Blogger decided to make a really unorthodox version of the Subway map of New York, and maps of Atlanta, Boston, and Oslo.
Then came the anagramed U-Bahn of Vienna, the “DC Metro map anagram mix“, Stockholm, Los-Angeles, Berlin, Copenhagen, and Baltimore.

Then the first and the second booms arrived and the remixes of Calgary, Vancouver, Philadelphia, buffalo, Hong Kong, Seattle, Minneapolis and Detroit, together with Miami, Dublin, Ontario, Dallas, Galsgow, Portland, OR, Ottawa amd Houston appeared online.

Anagram Map Sydney

Sidney Anagram Map
Courtsey of Leslie Nassar

The never ending story also brought the maps of Montreal, Helsinky, Monterrey and San Diego.
Last, but I’m sure that not for long time, joined the NY/NJ Path and Sidney.

Thus the story ends with 2 outlawed anagrams and over 30 different anagram-maps from different cities of the world. I reckon this is a marvellous demonstration of the power of solidarity on the web. I believe the ideals of copyright should change, especially when they concern art. No money making scheme was in any of these maps and the whole concept is made with humour. I think that the executives of TFL should learn something about humour as well as about creativity.

And now, the first manifestation of the change in the minds of executives. This is what Adam Livingstone, a producer of BBC’s Newsnight wrote yesterday:

First though, an apology. File sharing is not theft. It has never been theft. Anyone who says it is theft is wrong and has unthinkingly absorbed too many Recording Industry Association of America press releases. We know that script line was wrong. It was a mistake. We’re very, very sorry.

If copyright infringement was theft then I’d be in jail every time I accidentally used football pix on Newsnight without putting “Pictures from Sky Sport” in the top left corner of the screen. And I’m not. So it isn’t. So you can stop telling us if you like. We hear you.

Please stop with the ‘cease and desist’ orders and accusations of copyright infringement for they will not stop creativity but will harm the corporations more then they think.
Let us do our art in peace.

Update: The final cities have joined the party: Brisbane, Syracuse and Chicago.

Thank you guys for doing this and thank you BoingBoing for the networked platform to tell the world about it.

No hell to ‘Paradise Now’

Paradise Now

We still haven’t seen the movie ‘Paradise Now’, which has received the Golden Globe award for the best foreign movie, and is nominated for the Oscar in the same category. However, we do have to say a few things on the controversy around it.

The movie describes the process that leads two young palestinians to commit a suicide attack in the city of Tel Aviv.

“Each has his own reasons — and neither of them fits the image we have of the fanatical suicide bomber”.

 (from the Jerusalem Cinemtheque website)

Few moments ago we received an email from a friend. The friend, who lives in a settlement in the West Bank, forwarded a large number of recipients a petition calling “The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences” to withdraw the nomination of the movie for an Oscar. The petition is supported by a letter from a mother who lost her son in a suicide bombing.
The Main argument behind the petition and the letter, is that “giving an Oscar to this film will glorify these murderers & the groups that have sent them [and] may even encourage more murders of this type”. If the movie represented the executers of the Twin Towers’ destruction, argues the petition, it would have been severely condemned and certainly wouldn’t be nominated for such a prestigious prize.

It is possible to understand the logic behind this petition. It is also possible to understand why a mother who lost her son in a suicide bombing, will not like to see that kind of film nominated for (or winning) the Oscar. However, it is important to remember that the film’s dealing with the issue of a suicide attack doesn’t mean that it legitimizes the act of doing it. On the contrary, a complex, serious and insightful treatment of the issue can help to promote a fresh approach and a critical thinking in both sides of the conflict.

Judging by the comments and reviews we’ve read of the film, it doesn’t idealize the suicide bombers and attacks but

“without letting anyone off the hook, examines the most horrific phenomenon of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”.

(Jerusalem Cinemtheque)

The attempt of the petitioners to cause an avoidance of the issue will not make it disappear, but will prevent awareness and thwart serious discussion of it. Both sides still have to do a lot of learning and thinking on the issue, which this film could catalyze.

This is not the film that evokes protest for dealing with controversial issues. One of the most prominent examples is the film ‘Trainspotting’. The movie presents an unprecedented point of view of youth’ consumption of drugs, and especially heroin, in Scotland. The film doesn’t explores the question whether taking drugs is good or bad, but presents a sharp and unique description of an existing phenomena. The critics of ‘Trainspotting’ argued that the movie encourages the use of class A drugs.

One cannot control the personal interpretation of the viewers to every film. However, the very possibility of a problematic interpretation should not prevent films from dealing with controversial issues. Any art work should not be restricted by the common norms of good and bad, neither should be censored when it contradicts those norms.

Pushing the borders of the legitimate has always been the prime factor behind every intellectual and cultural development.
Thus, preventing ‘Paradise Now’ from an Academy Award nomination, will narrow its chances to become an incitement of critical thinking and re-evaluating of the accepted stereotypes.

Written in cooperation with Dina Fainberg.

Update: We have seen the film and we stand strong behind what we said!