November 2006 archive

Assorted Miscellany

I must be crazy. I just got a call from a market research firm looking for men between the ages of 18-44 to participate in a study about snacking. They would pay $75 for a 2-3 hour session. I’m a terrible snacker–probably just the kind of subject they’re looking for. Imagine being paid to snack and talk about snacks! But I turned them down. That would be selling a precious evening cheap for such a shallow end.

The days slip by and I deeply regret the neglect to which you’ve been treated here. And still tonight, I have only light fare to offer. Not that it ever gets very deep here. Well, it might get deep, but more in the way of what you’d find in a …

Makin’ Copies! ‘The Promise of a Post-Copyright World’

Remember the Richmeister character from SNL? One of Rob Schneider’s recurring characters. The sketches were funny, although it was the kind of potent stuff that quickly got overplayed.

The catchphrase–Makin’ Copies!–occurred to me today in the wake of several things I’ve been reading about copying. When I looked around I found this transcript that made me smile. (And made me miss Phil Hartman.)

Anyway, it occurs to me to think about what a great thing it is to be able to make copies. Perfect copies. Today of digital information, tomorrow of physical objects. I’m amazed and dismayed at how threatening this is to so many people, and how they would like to restrict and …

Turkish Star Trek

Please, forgive me another YouTube:

Turist Ömer Uzay Yolunda

Deliciously incomprehensible. The captain appears to be related to Dieter from Sprockets. Awesome transporter and phaser effects. A first class production.

It’s when I encounter things like this that I truly appreciate how great the Internet is.

And speaking of cool things, I should mention that I found it via the forum for the excellent Starship Exeter fan production.

And then I look around and see that Ömer made the rounds over a month ago. Oh, well, I guess I’m just not meant to be a breaking news blog.

In a discussion at digg, it’s pointed out that this was made in the 70s and that it is a parody. I don’t speak …

‘Moving to Freedom’ Subscription and Social Bookmarking Notes

If you know all about RSS syndication and social bookmarking services like del.icio.us, this post is not for you. (Although you’re welcome to read it, if you’d like!)

This post is also not intended for someone looking for a complete and exhaustive introduction to syndication and social bookmarking. Instead, it is meant to be a gentle introduction and to get you started at least thinking about these useful services.

I’ve been meaning to write this for a while so I could link to it from the “Subscribe” area of the sidebar. My guess is that a lot of movingtofreedom.org visitors know these topics, so it hasn’t been a priority. But I found myself tinkering with the subscription …

Kids Against Hunger (Feeding Children International)

It’s Thanksgiving and by chance I’ve been presented with an apropos topic to write about: Hunger. I can even tie it to free software, more or less, but it’s really about feeding people.

First, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s a great time to get together with friends and family and enjoy a great meal, with very little associated pressure. (In most cases.) Like many people, I’m fortunate to have a four day weekend, and I like that the big day is first so that you can just decompose for the next few days. Er, I meant: “decompress.” You won’t find me shopping on Black Friday, so that becomes just a day to relax. Thanksgiving day itself is mostly relaxing, but it can be a lot …

Thanksgiving Holiday Post Promo

This is my first Moving to Freedom Thanksgiving, and while I didn’t have it ready for today when I might have had a bigger audience, I wanted to promote a special feature Thanksgiving post that should be ready by Thursday.

Please stop by tomorrow for something more substantial to “eat.” And then it may be a light posting weekend as I try to work on miscellaneous projects over the long holiday.