Telus got a licence to sell television service. Meaning they’ll deliver TV signals over ADSL.
If Videotron could sell me VoIP à la Vonage, we’d have a nice example of convergence and a relatively even field for cable and phone companies.
[via Lawrence’s notebook]
Rockin’ on without Microsoft or how a BSA audit got a Windows user angry enough that he made his company Microsoft-free.
« I’m speaking to a standing-room-only audience at a major technology show because I use a different piece of software–that’s hysterical. «
-Sterling Ball
Paul Boutin in Wired. Why it makes more business sense to give WiFi away to consumers.
I guess it just costs more to charge for it, hence the salt and pepper analogy.
Are digital commodities different than material commodities in that respect?
Why does the music industry think it can preserve an obsolete business model?
Follow the links for a good read.
You wish you had a big nice dock like mine? Keep trying, still not nearly as lickable, plus you need big icons to be in the big boys club …
Oh, the same goes for the Genie effect.
Enters SMS agriculture says SPU newslog: farmers in Kenya will be able monitor prices for their products via their mobile and SMS. The hope is that this will avoid farmer’s exploitation by middlemen since previously, knowing commodity prices required travelling to markets.
First International Mobile IPR Workshop: conference of Rights Management of Information Products on the Mobile Internet in Helsinki.
A team from SIMS at Berkeley is presenting a paper that evaluates and proposes DRM schemes for compulsory licensing.
Mary Hodder also did something that was on my to do list: a chronological list of the public conversation and articles about the compulsory licensing issues that have been going on lately. Very much appreciated and helpful. Thanks.
[via bIPlog]
I like fonts. I mentionned it before.
MeFi points to a little movie about the history of a font, Cooper Black. I don’t particularly like Cooper Black, I often used Hobo instead, and Hobo does make an appearance in the movie.
Cute and instructive. Take 2 minutes and watch it.
I remember getting Hobo bundled with some software, can’t remember which, in my Mac Plus days (which extended way past the usefull life of said Mac Plus). Does the licence allows me to still use it many years later, on a different OS without the original software present anywhere in sight?
Cara will use Wi-Fi technology from NetWireless to turn its Second Cup locations in Canada into wireless « HotSpots »- allowing café customers to use their Wi-Fi equipped laptops and PDAs to access the Internet as they enjoy their lattés and muffins.
[via A Frog in the Valley]
Add that to the McDonald’s announcement to include a few minutes with a burger and we might get some decent urban coverage soon. After wardriving in San Francisco (literally sending email at a red light), I have high expectations though!
From the world of entertainment comes the news that a major hollywood film director has gone digital. That is, letting go film and using digital tape instead to capture the action. Yes, it’s shocking news to see that they still use the same technique and film as they did 20 years ago.
Digital movies have better image quality, cost are lower, risk are lower (no complicated processing), and it even seems to augment the creativity and control of the director on the movie.
In unrelated news, the (read more here) production of a feature film based on the ever popular series called « Dans une galaxie près de chez vous » will soon begin in Montreal…. and guess what… it’s all going to be shot on digital HD !
On doit bien reconnaître que Microsoft a au moins la qualité d’offrir son support à des événements variés.
Par exemple, les lunch de OSCON s’affichaient comme étant "free" as in lunch :) gracieuseté de MS .
Lessig writes about the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (trailer), noting how it builds on caracters from works now in the public domain.
If it is indeed as original as the press material says, it might be a good example on how people (other than Disney) can make movies from material in the public domain, and how and why the fact that there is a public domain in the first place is a good thing.
Or maybe everyone knows that but no one wants to explain to their shareholders why the stuff they created is ending up in a competitor’s movie? Is it just a « not in my portfolio » mentality? Build on the culture, but make sure your work does not end up « stolen »? Is it a trademark-like mentality where you want to create something popular and strong, but not so much as to have it become a generic cultural icon?
This movie is also quite different in another way: it’s soundtrack will be available only on the iTunes Music store.
Quite a statement. Hostile distribution channel? Marketing decision? Affinity for niche markets? Trial balloon? Rational and smart move?
I like Jack Miller’s take on that decision.
I was reminded that ICANN is holding a meeting this week at the Sheraton in Montréal.
Coverage by ICANNwatch and by Larry Solum.
As they say « The meetings are free to attend, and open to any interested person. »