For those of you who’ve missed my blog profiles, fear not. This week I profile The Evolution of Jeremiah, a very personal journal of a gay man studying to become a minister at Christ Church Cathedral:
“Among all the gay reads I have on my blogroll, I am the only one who writes about life and religion,” he says. “If I help change one life or I help a gay person come out and live to tell the tale, or I help an HIV-positive person live another year after diagnosis, then I say I have done my job.”
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Also this week, another Bluffer’s Guide, this time about copyright reform going on in Ottawa. It’s as quick a summary of the situation as I could fit into 750 words (with lots of movie title puns that honestly were last-minute throw-ins). Those of you interested in it should check out Michael Geist’s blog.
It’s a tricky issue because nobody has actually seen the copyright reform bill that Industry Minister Jim Prentice is going to put forward next year. Most of the concerns are based on Bill C-60, an attempt by the Martin Liberals to amend copyright in 2005. It was heavily criticized as favouring the interests of big media companies instead of users, and was never passed. There are concerns this is a similar attempt, mostly because there has been no public consultation about the bill.
UPDATE: Geisted!
Great intro guide to the copyright debate. I really like the style and believe this will help people get into the discussion.
I am curious about your “Open-ended discussion question: How would you feel if people copied your works of art without offering you cash?”
I am a software author who is strongly opposed to the WIPO Internet treaties not because I don’t want creators to get paid, but because I do. The WIPO Internet treaties aren’t really about allowing creators to make more money, but to allow specific historical intermediaries to gain even further control over creativity. WIPO Internet treaty ratification will mean less money for artists, not more.
Please understand the intent: The WIPO Internet treaties “deal with” modern technology in the same way that the Mafia might “deal with” someone who didn’t pay their debt – with the breaking of kneecaps of anti-circumvention just being the start of the pain planned to be inflicted.
I would be happy to discuss this more with anyone who is interested. I’ve dedicated quite a bit of volunteer time since the summer of 2001 when the government first threatened to introduce legislation to enable Canada to ratify these anti-Internet treaties.