TMX’s Blog

And when I get bored, I do silly things like this:

I had posted this video up, and the posts below, previously. However, in my infinite wisdom I set the posts to be invisible. As is the case with most of the posts below, so you may need to read down a bit to catch up.

The camerawork is a little dodgy, I was using the camera on the back of my mobile, and was using my elbow as a tripod (or, more accuratly, monopod).
Perhaps the next time you are down, Matt, we could try something like this using your tripod and a proper camera.
Direct download here, and here for dialup users

Edit: removed dead link

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Depending who you talk to, DRM can either stand for Digital Rights Management or Digital Restriction Management. If they wear a suit and make more money than you the chances are they they use the former, and if they are wearing headphones and actually listening to music they might use the latter… or, they might not be able to give you an answer. Most people can’t, so here is an overview for the uninformed:

DRM (officially, its Digital Rights Management) is the name for any technology that restricts the usage of digital media. Although not limited to music, the DRM in the music industry has been criticized more than other mediums in recent months. DRM exists in many forms, including files downloaded from the iTunes music store (and a host of other online stores), Sony’s Rootkit and Copy Controlled CD’s. In the case of Apple’s iTunes, DRM allows music files to be copied to a maximum of 5 computers, limits mobile use to iPod music players and restricts editing of the file. Possibly the most malicious piece of DRM, the Sony Rootkit scandal broke when users discovered that music CD’s they had purchased were secretly installing software that “installs itself as a root kit, which is a set of tools commonly used to make certain files and processes undetectable, and they’re the favored tool of crackers who are, as Wikipedia puts it, attempting to ‘maintain access to a system for malicious purposes.’ In fact, root kits are often classified alongside Trojan horses.” (Molly Wood, C-Net Article about Root Kit). Users hated this and Sony quickly released an apology and fix, but the clandestiny of DRM was compromised. Finally, Copy Controlled CD’s are music CD’s that are packaged with software that will not allow a user to copy the CD to his computer. I, being a person who deals with music in mp3 format 90% of the time, was disgusted and upset when I saw LCD Soundsystem’s self titled release had this software and refused to buy it. For me it isn’t worth the price of the CD if I can’t have it on my computer.

Then why is the record industry attacking its customers? Well, they would say that it is the customers who are attacking them by pirating and sharing music, and that they are only defending themselves. In a press release on the RIAA site in 2003, president Cary Sherman was quoted as saying “…when your product is being regularly stolen, there comes a time when you have to take appropriate action. We simply cannot allow online piracy to continue destroying the livelihoods of artists, musicians, songwriters, retailers, and everyone in the music industry.” So, to make it harder to distribute files illegally online, the RIAA and many record companies (most, actually) are making it harder for a person to copy, rip, and backup files, all of which can be done for personal use. Sherman was also quoted as saying “More and more P2P users are realizing that there are dozens of legal ways to get music online, and they are beginning to migrate to legitimate services.” So are these technologies helping to save lost revenue and return it to the artists? RIAA says yes, a few grass roots organizations say no.

Backed by the Free Software Foundation, DefectiveByDesign.org wants to do away with DRM. They define themselves as “a broad-based anti-DRM campaign that is targeting Big Media, unhelpful manufacturers and DRM distributors.” They continue: “These products have been intentionally crippled from the users’ perspective, and are therefore ‘defective by design.’ This campaign will identify these ‘defective’ products, and target them for elimination.” Groups like DefectiveByDesign.org feel that DRM only inhibits the use of media by people who have purchased and are using said media lawfully. Richard Stallman, president of the FSF, went as far as to say that “the motive for DRM schemes is to increase profits for those who impose them, but their profit is a side issue when millions of people’s freedom is at stake; desire for profit, though not wrong in itself, cannot justify denying the public control over its technology.”

From my own experiences, DRM has not stopped piracy. As this is being written the LCD Soundsystem album mentioned earlier is available online, illegally. There is another interesting fact worth noting: Big Media, which includes the RIAA and MPAA, has been against most new technologies involving media (VHS, MP3 Players, Tivo ect…) while they were in the beginning stages, fearing a lack of profit. This time, instead of adapting their product they are crippling it.

So what should you, the average music listener, do? First off, don’t take my word for it; do some more research and get yourself informed. Pay attention to what you are paying for, and if you want to download music without DRM you can head over to emusic.com or some of the other DRM-free sites.

~John Vining

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Because someone told him to.

Enough Said?

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A stats professor plans to travel to a conference by plane. When he passes the security check, they discover a bomb in his carry-on-baggage. Of course, he is hauled off immediately for interrogation.
“I don’t understand it!” the interrogating officer exclaims. “You’re an accomplished professional, a caring family man, a pillar of your parish – and now you want to destroy that all by blowing up an airplane!”
“Sorry”, the professor interrupts him. “I had never intended to blow up the plane.”
“So, for what reason else did you try to bring a bomb on board?!”
“Let me explain. Statistics shows that the probability of a bomb being on an airplane is 1/1000. That’s quite high if you think about it – so high that I wouldn’t have any peace of mind on a flight.”
“And what does this have to do with you bringing a bomb on board of a plane?”
“You see, since the probability of one bomb being on my plane is 1/1000, the chance that there are two bombs is 1/1000000. If I already bring one, the chance of another bomb being around is actually 1/1000000, and I am much safer…”

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Quiz Master: What was Dorothy’s second name in The Wizard of Oz
Stephen: Perkins?

Random Person: You’re mad, you know that don’t you?
Stephen: Yeah, maybe I should go see a chiropodist… PSYCOLOGIST!

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Been a week or 2 since I last updated, due to parallel failure of all computer equipment (my laptop and desktop decided to break both at the same time). Laptop got sent back to apple 4 days before I came up to hull, and the desktop machine must have had something shaken loose on the way up.

However, I now type this post on my laptop, and my desktop is currently playing Star Trek Deep Space 9.

Lectures began Monday, and they seem to be a little more challenging than last year. Text books also seem to be more expensive, I’ve spent about £200 and I still have one or two books to buy.

Worst part is the internet connection here, a mere 1 megabit. How ever will I cope?

The more astute readers may hve noticed that over the last couple of weeks I have been making some minor updates to the site, most noticeably the theme.

I got bored of the old one, so decided to freshen the place up.

If you are looking for the links to the quotes pages, then look up. You will also see 2 new pagelinks, one containing the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition (a good read) and another containing the top 239 things I would do if I were an evil overlord (essential reading). As much as I would like to, I cannot claim credit for these works, and their respective sources are mentioned at the end of each page.

If you cast your eyes to the left, just below the search box, you will see a number of brightly coloured buttons. The first, is my webhost. If you are looking for webspace, and click that button before ordering from the same company as I am hosted with (I have had 99% uptime over the past 6 months, so I can recommend them wholeheartedly), then Dreamhost will pay $97 towards my student loan payments

There are also google ads in 2 or 3 places, click them if they intrest you, if not, block them (using AdBlock or your mind).

Just below the webhost button, there are several more. These are several not-for-profit organisations that I support, most notably the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Defective by design campaign.
Take a few moments to read over what these organisations deal with; while for most of you , you have never heard of DRM (Digital Rights Management), you are exposed to it every day; its the content that restricts what you can do with digital music bought from online stores, prevents you from copying some audio CD’s to your computers, and prevents you from making backup copies of your DVDs.

Finally, tonight, I leave you with a couple of Chippie-isms:
Adam: They {subway} didn’t ask me if I wanted it toasted or not!
Stephen: Did you want it toasted?
Adam: No, but that’s beside the point!
Stephen: Well, maybe they employ psychopaths *pause* TELEPATHS!

There were another 2… if I remember them I’ll edit this post.

PS1: The holiday photos have now been distributed by CD. However, I am now back at uni, so I can upload the photos to here if anyone wants to download them because they didn’t get a copy.
Email me at one of my addresses and let me know if you do.
In fact, Email me regardless. I like getting email.

Coding Project of the Moment: “plasma” effect scrensaver.

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