I’ve finally watched the excellent video “Patent Absurdity: how software patents broke the system”, and I highly recommend it. It contains several interviews surrounding the Bilski case in the U.S. Supreme Court, with commentary from some of the biggest names in the software patent debate. I will let the video Read more…
Some weeks ago I had a conversation with a fellow academic about privacy (*waves at Judith*). This is a recurring discussion between us, as we have diametrically opposed views about privacy, technology and how to manage one’s image online. I tend to be in the open camp, while she cherishes Read more…
(via Ars Technica) Just a couple of weeks ago yours truly was bemoaning the preposterous abuse of statistics in order to produce a set of dodgy figures about the cost of piracy to the European economy. Now a U.S. government institution has produced a report that pretty much tells us Read more…
The latest issue of SCRIPTed, a journal of law, technology and society, is now live. In this issue: Editorial Health Legislation: Devolution, Reservation and Derogation, Murray Earle, pp.1-4 Reviewed Articles The Intellectual Property Implications of Low-Cost 3D Printing, Simon Bradshaw, Adrian Bowyer and Patrick Haufe, pp.5-31 Knowledge Management and the Read more…
One Mr Liam Gallagher has eloquently expressed what many musicians feel about file-sharing: “I don’t mind it. I hate all these big, silly rock stars who moan – at least they’re f**king downloading your music, you c**t, and paying attention, know what I mean? You should f**king appreciate that – Read more…
As someone who often bemoans technophobia, I feel the obligation to point out its opposite when it makes an appearance. I have read the unintentionally funny named article in TechCrunch “Dear Authors, Your Next Book Should be an App, Not an iBook”. Here the author gushes about the iPad, repeats Read more…
This qualifies as my favourite April’s Fools yet. UK e-commerce game retailer Gamestation has modified their Terms and Conditions to include the following clause: “By placing an order via this web site on the first day of the fourth month of the year 2010 Anno Domini, you agree to grant Read more…
So, what many suspected has come to pass, our deepest fears confirmed and one of the worst possible texts adopted. The Digital Economy Bill has gone through the wash-up process in the very last day of this Parliament. I am expecting others to go into the detail of what is Read more…
Thanks to yesterday’s post about Wikileaks, the BBC World Service invited me to their program “World Have Your Say“. If you are bored, you can find the program here as a podcast. I’m on after 30 minutes or so (note to self: eloquence is not your forte, stick to writing). Read more…
In case you have not seen it yet, Wikileaks has released a video of an American helicopter crew opening fire on a group of men in Iraq, and later firing on a van that was trying to retrieve the wounded. I have been debating with myself whether to embed the Read more…