November 30, 2006
Retired
sLop (the blog you are reading) is retiring..
The archives should stay up indefinitely though so feel free to continue linking in if you like..
In the coming weeks, I should have something new up. Please stay tuned.
Posted by vanevery at 11:49 AM | TrackBack
May 27, 2006
The War Tapes, Opening Soon
The War Tapes: The War Tapes Opens in NYC June 2!
I saw and early cut of this and must say that it was incredibly moving and left me feeling very conflicted. War is definitely not pretty and this film shows that along with the human side. Want to know what is really happening in Iraq (from a service man's perspective), see this.
Posted by vanevery at 11:47 AM | TrackBack
Net Neutrality takes a step forward
Free Press : House Judiciary Passes Net Neutrality Bill
I love how AT&T is trying to spin this:
“While we are disappointed that the Judiciary Committee chose to move toward regulating the Internet, we are pleased that the majority of the majority recognized that this legislation would deter investment in our nation’s broadband infrastructure,” said Tim McKone, AT&T executive vice president federal relations, in a prepared statement. “We are optimistic that the majority in Congress will see this legislation as an attempt to solve a problem that does not exist, and will instead focus on bringing choice to consumers by passing video choice legislation.”
"the majority of the majority" .. That is nonsense.
"will instead focus on bringing choice to consumers by passing video choice legislation" .. Now there is a problem that doesn't exist!
Wake-up!
Posted by vanevery at 11:27 AM | TrackBack
May 26, 2006
Poor Earth..
Posted by vanevery at 06:35 PM | TrackBack
May 21, 2006
Protesting the telco money machines
National Day of Out(R)age | Save Access
Not only are the telcos giving over your call records to the NSA but public access and the like are in trouble with National Video Franchising legislation in consideration by Congress being pushed by the telcos.
Posted by vanevery at 10:17 AM | TrackBack
May 19, 2006
Colbert Roasts Bush
Colbert Roasts President Bush - 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner - Google Video
Slightly dated, I know but Colbert has some guts!
Posted by vanevery at 06:44 PM | TrackBack
April 19, 2006
ITP End of Year Events - Thesis Presentations and End of Semester Show
ITP Spring Show 2006
A two day exhibition of interactive sight, sound and physical objects from the student artists of ITP.
This event is free and open to the public. No need to RSVP.
ITP Thesis Presentations 2006
ITP's graduating students will be presenting a wide variety of highly creative and interactive projects that they have constructed over the course of their final project seminars.
Students have been encouraged to undertake projects that bring together the conceptual and design issues that they have engaged in during their two years of study at ITP.
Projects will include installation based work, digital video and audio pieces, interactive 3D, games and educational applications, to name only a few.
ITP will be providing a live webcast of all the thesis presentations.
Posted by vanevery at 02:41 AM | TrackBack
April 07, 2006
Beyond Broadcast: Reinventing Public Media in a Participatory Culture
Beyond Broadcast, May 12-13 2006 — Beyond Broadcast 2006: Reinventing Public Media in a Participatory Culture Archive
Beyond Broadcast, a conference being put on at the Berkman Center is coming up in a bit more than a month. The conference second day will be a second convening of the Open Media Developers Summit and is shaping up nicely.
Please feel free to visit the blog and wiki, attend and participate.
From the blog:
You are invited to an open convening at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School. We will explore the thesis that traditional public media — public broadcasting, cable access television, etc — face a unique opportunity to embrace new participatory web-based media models — podcasting, video blogs, social software, etc — and create a stronger and more vital public service.
Posted by vanevery at 10:13 AM | TrackBack
January 23, 2006
New Senate Broadcast Flag Bill Would Freeze Fair Use
EFF: DeepLinks
From the article:
Draft legislation making the rounds in the U.S. Senate gives us a preview of the MPAA and RIAA's next target: your television and radio. (Please write your Senator about this!)
You say you want the power to time-shift and space-shift TV and radio? You say you want tomorrow's innovators to invent new TV and radio gizmos you haven't thought of yet, the same way the pioneers behind the VCR, TiVo, and the iPod did?
Well, that's not what the entertainment industry has in mind. According to them, here's all tomorrow's innovators should be allowed to offer you:
"customary historic use of broadcast content by consumers to the extent such use is consistent with applicable law."
Had that been the law in 1970, there would never have been a VCR. Had it been the law in 1990, no TiVo. In 2000, no iPod.
Posted by vanevery at 12:24 AM | TrackBack
January 18, 2006
Al Gore's MLK speech...
LibertySpeeches.org: A Joint Project of the American Constitution Society and the Liberty Coalition
Let's hope people keep speaking out against Bush!
Posted by vanevery at 04:00 PM | TrackBack
Network Neutrality
Free Press : Press Release
From the report:
"Congress should enact tough new laws prohibiting cable and telephone companies from blocking consumer access to content and services on the Internet, bilking both consumers and Internet-based companies," said Jeannine Kenney, senior policy analyst at Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine. "If they don't, these big companies will use their market power to line their pockets by discriminating against competitors in favor of their own content and service offerings."
I completely agree.
Hopefully, if Congress doesn't do something, the marketplace will.
Here is an idea: http://www.freepress.net/news/13403
Posted by vanevery at 02:28 PM | TrackBack
January 17, 2006
Free Chris
evilutionary virtual log >> Blog Archive >> Free Chris
Webmaster of NTFU thrown in jail on obscenity charges after opening his adult site up to soldiers in Iraq to post pictures.
From the post:
Chris Wilson, of Lakeland Florida, is the webmaster of NTFU, a user forum created in June of 2004 where people could post pictures of their wives or girlfriends nude. It recieved some national attention for the “G.I. Jane” controversy, but most recently for images of corpses in Iraq.
Chris granted interviews to dozens of news agencies and websites about this issue. He expressed his opinion on the morality of posting these images, and pornography in general. This sparked some major controversy with islamic groups, and anti pornography groups.
On October 7th, 2005, Polk County Sheriff officers raided his home and seized computer equipment and other files, including 20 films and 80 photos, and arrested him on 300 counts of obscenity charges. He is currently being held on $101,000 bail.
Posted by vanevery at 02:59 AM | TrackBack
January 16, 2006
Massive Media, distilled
Future Of Television Is Self-Service, P2P Distributed Media Consumption - Robin Good's Latest News
Robin Good edits and re-presents Dan Melinger's Massive Media thesis.
Posted by vanevery at 11:48 AM | TrackBack
January 15, 2006
NYC Grassroots Media Coalition Conference - February 11
Posted by vanevery at 06:13 PM | TrackBack
December 09, 2005
Future of Television Conference
Beyond TV: TVSpy.com Next Generation TV
So, I went to the Future of Television conference a couple of weeks ago and was somewhat suprised. Last year, I poked my head in to see what was being discussed and it was a big snooze. After checking out the website, I figured it was worth my time this year so I went.
Wow.. I was surprised. You wouldn't know it but there are people in TV who really "get it"... Larry Kramer from CBS most notably get's it.
Here is what I had to say on the day of:
I am writing from Future of Television Conference at NYU's Stern School of Business today. I am here for several reasons, first of all I would like to know what the networks and traditional media concerns think of the scrappy interactive folks. Second, I am here doing recon. Specifically, I would like to know how long video bloggers and other decentralized media creators have before traditional media begins to offer enough of what they are doing to satiate "consumers". (Perhaps that is not exactly my fear but close enough for now.)
First of all, I have to say that Larry Kramer gets it. He really does. He is open to experimentation. At CBS he has launched many interactive initiatives from a broadband news channel to podcasts of daytime soaps to fantasy sports sites to deep entertainment content add-ons to viewer/user photo posting to writer and producer blogs to actual audience participation through SMS. Phew..
CBS isn't the only media company doing this type of experimentation. The other networks, cable and broadcast are doing the same or similar. Notable is ABC News Now, ESPN, Playboy and the like.
The question is, whether or not this is enough. Will this engage and empower viewers enough to keep them despite the ever growing number of alternative content channels. The networks certainly know how to deliver programming to a passive audience. They are just beginning to support a more engaged and digitally connected viewer.
A later speaker in the day, IBM's Saul Berman described the audience by categorizing them in 3 camps. "Massive passives", the folks that CBS has always served, lean back, over 35, want to be entertained but don't feel compelled to buy the latest gadget or create their own media.
The next camp, arguably the focus of most of these efforts he described as "Gadgetiers". He describes this group as heavily involved in content, they are fans, will seek out other individuals who are interested in the same content they are. They will purchase the latest devices, use time shifting (TiVo) and will space shift (TiVo To Go). They are also the heavy buyers, the early adopters, in short, the people that the advertizers (and therefore the networks) covet.
It remains to be seen whether what the networks are starting to do will appeal to this group in the long run. In the short term, it is clear, if you put it out there they will come. How long they stay is another matter.
The last camp, the "Kool kids", the ones really getting all of the attention, are the hardest to understand. He suggests that this is the group that rejects DRM and "walled gardens", in short, the group that wants media on their own terms. This is the group that uses P2P software and is heavily social. They have dream devices that aren't out in the market as of yet.
I know that the kks (short for "Kool kids") are what have network executives up at night. They are the hackers and inventors who are really driving the internet. TV and media in general will fit into their game or be disregarded.
Ok.. So the big question at the end of the day? Will the cable and TV networks run scared and do everything possible to protect their business models or will they embrace the new like they must. My feeling after this conference is that they have learned something from the music industry and will try to embrace but there will still be a major shakeup and Yahoo! and Google just might become the "new" networks. Good or bad.
Posted by vanevery at 09:31 PM | TrackBack
December 08, 2005
EPIC is about to arrive, powered by Googlezon
Posted by vanevery at 02:28 PM | TrackBack
October 19, 2005
Fighting FCC closed door decision making
Hear Us Now:
I like the animation ;-)
Resist the Tower! Fight Media Power!
Don't let the FCC regulate your media behind closed doors. Turn up your speakers and tune in! And sign our petition calling for the FCC to hold at least 10 public hearings across the country.
Posted by vanevery at 01:52 PM | TrackBack
October 09, 2005
Closed Caption Text from Blog RSS feeds..
META[CC] -Main
From the site:
META[CC] seeks to create an open forum for real time discussion, commentary, and cross-refrencing of electronic news and televised media. By combining strategies employed in web-based discussion forums, blogs , tele-text subtitling, on-demand video streaming, and search engines, the open captioning format employed by META[CC] will allow users to gain multiple perspectives and resources engaging current events. The system we are developing is adaptable for use with any cable news or television network.
Posted by vanevery at 10:29 PM | TrackBack
October 08, 2005
Advocating Bicycling in NYC
Transportation Alternatives, NYC
Posted by vanevery at 12:01 PM | TrackBack
September 17, 2005
3 Bills up in Congress that will Kill Public Access
MNN Announcement
Hmmn.. I am going to have to read these bills.
Here is some more information from the Alliance for Community Media: http://www.alliancecm.org/index.php?page_id=201
Posted by vanevery at 02:18 PM | TrackBack
August 09, 2005
Darknet: J.D.'s New Book is out
Darknet
From the site:
Darknet: Hollywood's War Against the Digital Generation is a new book that offers first-person accounts of how the personal media revolution will impact movies, music, computing, television and games
Posted by vanevery at 04:33 PM | TrackBack
March 06, 2005
Forget about Free Speech
Dan Gillmor on Grassroots Journalism, Etc.: The Gathering Storms Over Speech
Dan gives an overview of how Apple, recent legislation and politicians under corporate influence are doing everything and anything to take away our Freedom of Speech rights.
From the article:
We're moving toward a system under which only the folks who are deemed to be professionals will be granted the status of journalists, and thereby more rights than the rest of us. This is pernicious in every way.
Posted by vanevery at 02:34 PM | TrackBack
February 25, 2005
Want to know what your representatives are voting for?
GovTrack.us: Track Federal Legislation
From the site:
GovTrack is one step in a process that will change the way we deal with information about our government. The next steps are to create more tools, based on free & open information, for participating in politics, and from there creating a semantic web of political information.
Posted by vanevery at 06:54 PM | TrackBack
February 20, 2005
Dept of Ed vs. Buster the Bunny
Ryanne's Video Blog
Ryanne's Video Blog has an interesting interview piece regarding the recent issues that have come up between the show and the Department of Education over an episode that included a segment with a that has same sex parents. This could perhaps be the pivitol piece that kicks citizen journalism via video blogs into high gear.
Check it out: Dept of Ed vs. Buster the Bunny
Posted by vanevery at 08:12 PM | TrackBack
February 16, 2005
Stay Free! now has a blog
Stay Free! Daily
The tag line:
Periodic ramblings from Stay Free!, a Brooklyn magazine focused on American media and culture
Posted by vanevery at 11:51 PM | TrackBack
February 03, 2005
State of the Union Parsing Tool
style.org > State of the Union Parsing Tool
Fun.. Almost
Posted by vanevery at 12:10 PM | TrackBack
December 13, 2004
The Betamax case of the digital age
Wired News: File Sharing Goes to High Court
I have my fingers crossed on this one. If these file-sharing services can be held responsible for the actions of their users, what does that mean for any company developing software that allows people to connect via public networks? What about ISP's and common-carrier laws? What about FTP, IM, Email and so on?
The devil in this one may be that the media companies will renew vigor in lobbying congress for legislation like the INDUCE act.
Posted by vanevery at 01:40 AM | TrackBack
December 06, 2004
Decide where your money will go
Choose The Blue
ChooseTheBlue tells you what corporations donated to political parties.
Here is a quick example:
| Brand | Parent Company | % to Dem | % to Rep | $ to Dem | $ to Rep | Other Brands of Parent| Gap Inc | Gap Inc | 61% | 38% | $144,621 | $90,092 | None Known | Barnes & Noble | Barnes & Noble | 98% | 2% | $101,283 | $2,067 | None Known | Bed Bath & Beyond | Bed Bath & Beyond | 93% | 7% | $76,725 | $5,775 | None Known | Bigg's | Circuit City Stores | Circuit City Stores | 3% | 97% | $3,496 | $113,053 | None Known | Costco Companies | Costco Companies | 98% | 2% | $196,296 | $4,006 | None Known | Home Depot | Home Depot | 6% | 94% | $40,642 | $636,727 | None Known | JC Penney Co | JC Penney Co | 18% | 81% | $17,921 | $80,647 | None Known | Saks Inc | Saks Inc | 5% | 95% | $5,830 | $110,770 | None Known | Sam's Club | Wal-Mart Stores | 19% | 81% | $356,355 | $1,519,201 | Wal-Mart Stores, others... | Sears, Roebuck & Co | Sears, Roebuck & Co | 24% | 76% | $63,706 | $201,737 | None Known | Staples Inc | Staples Inc | 42% | 58% | $46,819 | $64,655 | None Known | Target Corp | Target Corp | 28% | 72% | $81,133 | $208,629 | None Known | Wal-Mart Stores | Wal-Mart Stores | 19% | 81% | $356,355 | $1,519,201 | Sam's Club, others... | Walgreen Co | Walgreen Co | 47% | 53% | $59,671 | $67,289 | None Known | Wax Co | Wax Co | 0% | 100% | $0 | $77,000 | None Known | |
Posted by vanevery at 04:17 PM | TrackBack
Hillary support's The INDUCE Act
I was dismayed to learn that Senator Hillary Clinton has come out and in fact co-sponsored Senator Hatch's Induce Act. What follows is a draft of a letter that I am writing to Sen. Clinton to express my concern. I hope that others will do the same.
Here is some background material:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:S.2560:
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,64315,00.html
http://techlawadvisor.com/induce/
http://www.corante.com/importance/archives/004563.html
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20040618-3906.html
http://www.futureofmusic.org/articles/INDUCEanalysis.cfm
http://action.eff.org/site/pp.asp?c=esJNJ5OWF&b=164928
Like your iPod, read this:
http://www.eff.org/IP/Apple_Complaint.php
Please comment on the letter as you see fit.
Dear Senator Clinton,
I was dismayed to learn that you have come out in support of Senator Hatch's Induce Act. I hope that on further consideration of the issues that this bill covers that you change your stance to better reflect the opinions of your constituents and for the betterment of our society.
The Induce act as it currently is written does much to stifle free-speech, artistic and fair uses of media. Imposing legal responsibility on the makers of devices and software for illegal use such device or software will create a burden so great on manufacturers and creators of such programs that they will not develop or offer products that have potential for misuse.
I fear that by trying to curb the theft of copyrighted material you will instead be curbing the ability for individuals and groups with legitimate uses for the technology that enables such to use it. Being thoroughly immersed in an academic and artistic atmosphere, I am witness every day to fair uses of technology that would not exist today were such a law in existence. In fact I feel that the software that I am using to write this letter would not have been developed simply because it includes the ability to cut and paste text from any source into the document.
I believe that should this Bill become law that it will undo much of the progress of free-speech and alternative media creation that has been enabled by the internet, personal electronic devices, computers, tape recorders and so on. Furthermore it will be a giant step backwards and lead to increased power by the media and further relegate citizens to the role of consumer without a voice.
I hope that you will reconsider your position on this matter.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Shawn Van Every
Posted by vanevery at 11:35 AM | TrackBack
CANADA CHARGES PRESIDENT FOR WAR CRIMES - BUSH ARRESTED
CNN.com
;-)
Posted by vanevery at 03:35 AM | TrackBack
Why I LOVE the direction of this country - This is ridiculous
Boston.com / News / Nation / Aid cuts threatened by US over tribunal
From the article:
The US government is quietly threatening to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars of foreign aid aimed at combating terrorism, resolving conflicts, and building democracy unless countries agree to shield Americans from prosecution at the UN permanent war crimes tribunal.
Thanks to Ann for the Link.
Posted by vanevery at 02:53 AM | TrackBack
December 02, 2004
Here we go again...
Wi-Fi Acacia's next patent target | CNET News.com
Acacia, a representation of all that is wrong with our patent system, having successfully extorted companies using streaming technologies has turned to companies using WiFi, attempting to enforce another patent that they apparently have purchased.
I heard a while ago that they Acacia was short on money. Hopefully a couple of high-profile legal battles will drain them and we can sing good night Acacia, good night (until they sell their patent portfolio to another company willing to sue sue sue).
Posted by vanevery at 01:21 PM | TrackBack
November 11, 2004
black box voting - "consumer" protection for elections
Posted by vanevery at 11:12 AM | TrackBack
November 04, 2004
Unhappy with the election results?
Electing to Leave (Harpers.org)
An enlightening article on the difficulty of leaving.
Posted by vanevery at 10:27 AM | TrackBack
October 20, 2004
Share the political media
About : p2p-Politics
From the site:
There is an extraordinary range of political speech that has been created for this election, some of it professionally made, most of it not. We are volunteers who think that it should be easier for people to show other people the content they think they should see before they vote.
We built this peer-to-peer site to enable people to send personalized messages with links to video clips about this election.
Posted by vanevery at 04:32 PM | TrackBack
October 17, 2004
I read this as "Ashcroft Vows Privacy Assault" :-)
Wired News: Ashcroft Vows Piracy Assault
Nothing more to say..
Posted by vanevery at 02:15 AM | TrackBack
October 10, 2004
Debates Re-Mixed
Been coming across more and more audio and video remixes of the debates. Going to list them here as they come:
Posted by vanevery at 10:28 AM | TrackBack
October 09, 2004
Watching the Electoral College
Welcome
From the site:
Al Gore won the popular vote by over half a million votes but George Bush won the electoral vote by 5 votes and became president. Thus watching the electoral vote is more important than watching the national polls. This website is dedicated to tracking the electoral vote by examining the state-by-state polls.
Posted by vanevery at 05:04 PM | TrackBack
August 29, 2004
Konscious Convention Broadcast
Konscious.TV Konscious Convention
A bit of blatant self promotion. Monday and Tuesday night we will be broadcasting on MNN (Time Warner channel 34 in Manhattan) and streaming online from within Madison Square Garden during the Republican National Convention as well as from a couple of spots around the city. All of the camera people will be using the Interactive Tele-Journalism system for a truely engaging interactive television experience. Check it out!!!
Posted by vanevery at 11:24 PM | TrackBack
Bikes Against Bush creator arrested during interview
NYC IMC: feature/106015
Josh arrested while demonstrating his polictically motivated bicycle to Ron Reagan. Talk about ridiculous arrests, his bike sprays chalk messages on the street/sidewalk. A little water and the message is erased. Are they going to start arresting kids who draw hopscotch squares on the sidewalk?
Posted by vanevery at 12:03 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Aug. 28th Critical Mass Coverage from Indymedia
NYC IMC: feature/104892
It turned ugly as the police used excessive force and trapped many of us at various spots. It was a good ride and I am proud to have participated.
The video from IMC is particularly disturbing.
Posted by vanevery at 11:56 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 17, 2004
Will YOU vote for ANYBODY other than Bush?
(Vote for) Anybody but George W. Bush?
From the site:
Americans disgusted with President Bush have promised to vote for "anybody but Bush." To which we respond, "ANYBODY?" To test critics' mettle, we've decided to put the matter to a vote. Thanks to our state-of-the-art survey software, people typically forbidden from voting -- teenagers, felons, Canadians, and African-Americans who live in Florida -- may join the rest of us in helping select the next U.S. President
Posted by vanevery at 06:58 PM | TrackBack
August 05, 2004
Where can you join Michael Moore, Hulk Hogan, Mr. T and Howard Stern to DEFEAT BUSH
Posted by vanevery at 12:19 AM | TrackBack
June 06, 2004
Very nice - Truth in labeling
Posted by vanevery at 12:52 PM | TrackBack
May 31, 2004
A nation of debtors
Maxed Out Generation - A Consumer Debt Blog
I've been thinking about the massive debt that I have incurred as a result of school. It was quite a wake-up call for me to look at the total owed on credit cards and student loans in relation to my income (which is $0 right now) and monthly expenses.
This blog offers a sympathetic human perspective to the problem.
From the blog:
Millions of people are caught in the trap of credit dependence. There is a silent epidemic of shame and anxiety because our society perpetuates the belief that this problem is self-inflicted, that people who have debts are deadbeats. Meanwhile, credit card companies keep coming up with new ways to deceive us and to keep us locked in debt, with the help of our lawmakers. This blog explores the human side of debt, what the credit industry doesn't want us to know, and strategies for survival.
Posted by vanevery at 02:24 PM | TrackBack
Clay's talk about games, rules, code and the real world
Shirky: Nomic World: By the players, for the players
In this talk (edited version online), Clay Shirky discusses code as the rules and structure of virtual worlds (online multiplayer games). Much is stated about the structure that these worlds might assume if control was given to the players and what the out-comes might be. In the end he states: "We should experiment with game-world models that dump a large and maybe even unpleasant amount of control into the hands of the players because it's the best lab we have for experiments with real governance in the 21st century agora, the place where people gather when they want to be out in public. "
Posted by vanevery at 10:59 AM | TrackBack
May 30, 2004
Wow! Japan copyright laws worse than ours..
Japanese website closed after screenshot-related arrest - Ferrago
From the story:
Reports this morning inform us of the rather troubling news from Japan that the owner and Editor of popular online gaming site Gamesonline, one of Japan's most popular news sites, has been arrested for alleged breach of copyright concerning screenshots used on his website.
Posted by vanevery at 11:57 AM | TrackBack
RIAA: We must not allow any use, let alone fair use
Mindjack - Will Digital Radio Be Napsterized? by J.D. Lasica
From the article:
The Recording Industry Association of America has discovered that digital radio broadcasts can be copied and redistributed over the Internet.
The horror.
And so the RIAA, the music business's trade and lobbying group, has asked the Federal Communications Commission to step in and impose an "audio broadcast flag" on certain forms of digital radio.
Posted by vanevery at 11:52 AM | TrackBack
Clear Channel using patent to keep bands from selling concert CDs
RollingStone.com
Another example of patent abuse.
From the story:
Artists net about ten dollars for every twenty- to twenty-five-dollar concert CD that's sold, no matter which company they use. But with Clear Channel pushing to eliminate competition, many fear there will be less money and fewer opportunities to sell live discs. "It's one more step toward massive control and consolidation of Clear Channel's corporate agenda," says String Cheese Incident manager Mike Luba, who feuded with Clear Channel last year after promoters blocked the band from using CD-burning equipment.
Posted by vanevery at 11:46 AM | TrackBack
May 17, 2004
What is the dominant party where you are right now?
Red | Blue from Gravity Monkey
Good illustration of some of the interesting software that may be developed with cell phones as they start integrating various technologies and bridges between them with J2ME.
From the site:
red | blue (pronounced 'red or blue') is a free Java app that figures out where you stand, or perhaps more accurately, where you are standing in our politically polarized country.
Posted by vanevery at 11:55 PM | TrackBack
The truth about the H2 (Hummer)
FUH2 | Fuck You And Your H2
From the site:
The H2 is a gas guzzler. Because it has a gross vehicle weight rating over 8500 lbs, the US government does not require it to meet federal fuel efficiency regulations. Hummer isn't even required to publish its fuel economy (owners indicate that they get around 10 mpg for normal use). So while our brothers and sisters are off in the Middle East risking their lives to secure America's fossil fuel future, H2 drivers are pissing away our "spoils of victory" during each trip to the grocery store.
Posted by vanevery at 10:51 PM | TrackBack
April 25, 2004
Air America really streams
RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter
Air America broke a couple of records for concurrent streams on it's first day out of the gate. The article mentions some interesting metrics for internet radio.
RealNetworks said that it delivered 50,000 concurrent streams on the network's first day of broadcasting (March 31), which the company says makes it the highest-ever usage of the Real Broadcast Network for a "non-breaking news service."
Posted by vanevery at 01:00 AM | TrackBack
April 24, 2004
Portrait of Bush made of soldiers killed in Iraq
Posted by vanevery at 11:58 PM | TrackBack
April 07, 2004
There is always more to the story
FactCheck.org
Taxing Social Security & Gasoline: Bush Attack Lacks Context
Political ads are like statistics, the facts can be used for whatever you want with the right spin. Here is an example of how Bush is using facts against Kerry in a well, let's just say a not completely honest way.
Posted by vanevery at 06:11 PM | TrackBack
March 27, 2004
Fighting for LPFM (Low Power FM) in the Cities
About the Prometheus Radio Project!
What is Prometheus all about:
To serve as a microradio resource center offering legal, technical, and organizational support for the non-commercial community broadcasters
To research and develop technical resources in anticipation of legalized micro-radio. Upon legalization, we will offer technical services to non-commercial micro-stations- equipment testing, frequency searching, submitting FCC applications, studio advice and so on
To sponsor and produce educational tours, conferences, events and literature on microradio and democratic media issues.
To serve as a public interest advocate on microradio issues, and to help facilitate public participation in the FCC rulemaking and legislative process.
To help start a regional micropower association, which could eventually serve as a self-regulating association for low power fm analagous to the ARRL for HAM radio. Until this is formed, we will perform some of its future functions, primarily performing a coordinating and secretarial role to facilitate communications among existing stations.
Posted by vanevery at 07:11 PM | TrackBack
March 26, 2004
Lessig's new book, Free Culture
== Free Culture ==
From the site:
All creative works - books, movies, records, software, and so on - are a compromise between what can be imagined and what is possible - technologically and legally. For more than two hundred years, laws in America have sought a balance between rewarding creativity and allowing the borrowing from which new creativity springs. The original term of copyright set by the Constitution in 1787 was seventeen years. Now it is closer to two hundred. Thomas Jefferson considered protecting the public against overly long monopolies on creative works an essential government role. What did he know that we've forgotten?
I have uploaded a PDF copy of Lessig's book, Free Culture, download it.
Posted by vanevery at 02:08 AM | TrackBack
March 21, 2004
The Center for Democracy and Technology
CDT Mission
From the site:
The Center for Democracy and Technology works to promote democratic values and constitutional liberties in the digital age. With expertise in law, technology, and policy, CDT seeks practical solutions to enhance free expression and privacy in global communications technologies. CDT is dedicated to building consensus among all parties interested in the future of the Internet and other new communications media.
Posted by vanevery at 01:47 AM | TrackBack
March 20, 2004
Power Pilgrims - Strange tech/performance art..?
Power Pilgrims
From the site:
The Amber Order is a cult that pays reverence to, and expresses their trust in, the Great Technological Systems through sartorial submission and silent praise. Four Amber brothers made their first pilgrimage to Den Gr Hal for the 1/2 machine event in August 2003.
Posted by vanevery at 04:37 PM | TrackBack
Nuclear war, yup that's what the US does.
Posted by vanevery at 02:41 AM | TrackBack
March 18, 2004
See what your neighbors do with it and how they make it
Neighbor Search
Wow! Donating more than $200 to a campaign, the world knows..! From an art organization, what does this mean? Is Eyebeam showing everyone what information is collected and available to those in the know?
From the site:
Use the location search (on your home address) to find those who live near you that have made presidential campaign contributions. You can also search for friends or celebrities by name
Posted by vanevery at 03:58 PM | TrackBack
March 17, 2004
What happened inside the Pentagon leading up to the War in Iraq
Salon.com | The new Pentagon papers
From the article:
I witnessed neoconservative agenda bearers within OSP usurp measured and carefully considered assessments, and through suppression and distortion of intelligence analysis promulgate what were in fact falsehoods to both Congress and the executive office of the president.
Posted by vanevery at 12:38 PM | TrackBack
March 13, 2004
P2P video archive and sharing system
NGV
From the site:
New Global Vision is a digital video archive project. The goal is to build up a network of dedicated ftp servers and a peer-to-peer file sharing system able to overcome the bandwidth problems related to the size of video files.
Posted by vanevery at 04:39 PM | TrackBack
March 10, 2004
I hear Al Franken, literally.
Air America Radio
From the site:
On March 31, 2004 Air America Radio begins airlifting entertaining, progressive talk radio to millions of Americans who for far too long have been and are being neglected by talk radio broadcasters today.
Our on-air personalities and guests represent today's top political and popular humorists, commentators, activists and analysts.
Our irreverent, informative programming sparks the kind of challenging political and social dialogue that has been absent from AM radio for years.
Posted by vanevery at 11:02 PM | TrackBack
March 09, 2004
You only feel safer
Wired 12.03: VIEW
A nice concise argument why we are wasting our money on all of these precautionary measures intended to make us safer but do nothing but make us feel safer.
From the article:
Every day, some 82,000 foreign visitors set foot in the US with a visa, and since early this year, most of them have been fingerprinted and photographed in the name of security. But despite the money spent, the inconveniences suffered, and the international ill will caused, these new measures, like most instituted in the wake of September 11, are mostly ineffectual.
Posted by vanevery at 02:55 PM | TrackBack
March 03, 2004
Make your voice heard.
EFF: Homepage
"Defending Freedom in the Digital World"
Where would we be without them?
Posted by vanevery at 10:44 AM | TrackBack
Looky here, we aren't all consumers after all.
Internet News Article | Reuters.com
The article states the 44% of internet users post or upload information to the web. Look out Big Media...
Posted by vanevery at 10:38 AM | TrackBack
February 29, 2004
Public Access TV Related Sites
The Alliance for Community Media
Global Village CAT
The Buske Group
Study of US PEG Access Center
Policy and Media Activism Sites:
National Federation of Community Broadcasters
Media Reform Network
Center for Creative Voices in the Media
Independent Media Centers
Prometheus Radio Project
Media Access Project
Spectrum Policy, New America Foundation
The Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers
NY State Legislation:
New York State Public Service Commission
New York City Public Access Centers:
Brooklyn Community Access TV
BronxNet
MNN
Queens Public Television
Staten Island Community Television
Posted by vanevery at 10:07 PM | TrackBack
1968 was messed, maybe more so than now, maybe.
Posted by vanevery at 01:50 AM | TrackBack
February 28, 2004
"Where Left is right and Right is wrong" ...
Posted by vanevery at 08:36 PM | TrackBack
Free Radio Berkeley
Free Radio Berkeley: International Radio Action Training Education
From the site:
Welcome to Free Radio Berkeley. Founded on April 11, 1993 as a Free Speech voice challenging the regulatory structure and power of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Free Radio Berkeley has been engaged in an ongoing legal battle with the FCC. Until it was silenced by a court injunction in June 1998, Free Radio Berkeley was broadcasting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 104.1 FM with 50 watts of power as the alternative voice for the greater Berkeley/Oakland area. The original Free Speech mission to provide community news, discussions and interviews, information, a wide range of music, and more has now been taken up by Berkeley Liberation Radio.
Posted by vanevery at 12:40 PM | TrackBack
Pirate radio information
Great information on creating a pirate radio station.. W