Why do spammers bother trying to get around spam filters? It seems to me that if someone goes through the effort of installing one, then they are probably so averse to spam that they are not a potential customer. Still, who knows what goes on in a spammer's mind.
It's stuff like
My uni has just sent an email out to all students reporting that they intend to take action against people who use the university's disk space for storing MP3's. I presume this is a response to the kind of thing reported in this Slashdot article.
I don't really have a problem with them ensuring that thier hardware is not used for illegal activity, but what really gets my goat is this ubiquitous assumption that MP3's and other media formats automatically contain illegal content. They are just file formats! As we all know, there are plenty of artists who are prepared to distribute their music under a liberal license.
I sent them an email detailing my concerns, it will be interesting to see if they respond.
Update: I got a response, and its positive. It seems that the author of the original email does have some experience with the issue, and that he will take a responsible attitude. That's very good news. (See the extended entry for the whole email).
I always feel that I should stand up for what I believe, and make my opinion known, instead of just sitting around moaning about it. The problem is, I usually feel that I am not informed enough to back up my opinion, and I have a constant fear that if I say anything, I won't be able to appropriatly articulate my objects, and I'll end up being backed into a corner. I suppose that I just have to bite the bullet, and stand by what I think.
Here's the email they sent out:
Dear Student, we are currently running some checks and audits on our storage servers and have found a large number of 'illegal' items such as MPEG's, MP3's and unlicensed software. If you do not have any such material on your home area then please accept my apologies and ignore this e-mail. If you DO have any such any items stored on your home areas the following apply: you are breaking the law by storing such material you are contravening University and CMS computer usage rules therefore all items must be removed immediately Please treat this e-mail as a serious warning, we will be re-running some checks starting next week so it would be advisable to remove anything by then. As a warning has now been given all matters will be dealt with accordingly in line with the breaking of University and CMS rules.
And here's my response:
> we are currently running some checks and audits on our storage servers > and have found a large number of 'illegal' items such as MPEG's, MP3's > and unlicensed software. Hopefully you will remember while performing this check that "MPEG's, [and] MP3's" are merely file formats used for storing media content. They are in no way illegal. Before you take any action, you should check the licensing which applies to the individual content contained within each file. There are many sources of media files which are distributed legally, and with the full knowledge of the copyright holders. A blanket policy on this matter is uninformed and inappropriate. You should also take into account the legal right of consumers known as fair use: while distribution of copyrighted music is illegal, storage of that music after it has been purchased *is not*.
Here is the response:
I actually worked for RealWorld Multimedia for a year where I was a sound programmer responsible for sound production of an interactive CD ROM. Whilst there I spent a lot of time with Peter Gabriel's 'legal eagles' discussing copyright issues etc. So yes, I have a good idea of what .mpeg, .mp3 etc etc are and also know a fair bit about the legal stuff. I also know the difference between having say 100 various copyrighted MP3's on one's home area in folders called Kazaa, WinMx etc. and having some legally distributed MP3's. The main issue is how our servers are being used, WE (not the students) are responsible for what is stored on our servers. We cannot just freely allow students to download/distribute copyrighted material. I'm sorry you feel I am being 'uninformed' - if I was using a 'blanket policy' on this matter I would merely disable users accounts containing a lot of MP3's. If only it was that easy, a lot of effort goes into trying to stop our resources being used for things like this. Believe it or not it also adds considerably to your costs as a student. We now pay for certain bandwidth (especially to the US) and are forever having to increase our storage servers at a fairly high financial cost. Do you feel it is reasonable for us to supply expensive resources for activities that could at least be called dubious? > You should also take into account the legal right of consumers known > as fair use: while distribution of copyrighted music is illegal, > storage of that music after it has been purchased *is not*. I certainly do take that into account and if anything I would say we are very lenient compared to other University policies. Most of the offenders are actually running file sharing applications and are therefore offering distribution of copyrighted material. We cannot let this go unactioned. We provide storage area for students to store their work, not music for personal use and other offensive video files. Hope this goes someway to answering your concerns!
Suffice to say, it does address my concerns. Thanks Dave.
I really wish the BBC would read this article. I spend a lot of time listening to net-streamed output of the various BBC radio programs, especially when I want to listen to something I missed during its transmission traditional style. However, I find it extremely frustrating that I have to use RealAudio for this.
I finally got the new Tom McRae album this morning. I am very pleased with it: it is a superlative collection of music.
However, I was extremely disappointed to find that it is copy protected. I bought this CD online, so I could not see the case before purchasing; had I known this, I would have seriously reconsidered buying it. I feel very let down, because Tom McRae is a character I have really come to respect for his attitudes towards music. What's more, if it wasn't for peer to peer sharing networks, I would never even have heard of him, let alone bought both his albums to date. I don't have a large income, so I cannot afford to buy CD's that I don't like. Music sharing allows me to take a risk. I download a few tracks, and if I like them, I buy the album. If not, I don't listen to those downloaded tracks anymore.
I feel that this creates a genuine meritocracy within the music industry, which is exactly the kind of thing that McRae and his peers so vocally support. His music is strong, and can stand up on its own, without the need for a renunciation of my rights as a consumer: the very people who give the artists the finanical stability they require in order to make thier music in the first place.
Over at kunteksto, there is an interesting (if a little under-populated) list of esperanto blogs. If you're interested in that sort of thing, you might like to take a look at my infant esperanto blog.
The other day, I was buying some things from my local Co-Op, when a young girl approached me and asked if I had seen ten pounds while I was wondering the shop. Unfortunately, I hadn't. I felt sorry for her though, she seemed very forlorn, obviously aware of the futility of asking strangers if they have found your lost money.
She waited in the queue behind me, and I paid for my food with a ten pound note. She must have wondered if that was her note. If I had found it though, I would have given it to her, but I guess she'll never know that.
A most amusing entry at interconnected.
I was dissappointed to find that the word "epizootic" did not appear in the Wiktionary, so I added it.
I just watched the first episode of the Animatrix. It is superb: very well written and spookily atmospheric.
The first four episodes will be released for free across a series of months, after which a nine-episode DVD will be made available. My appetite is most definitely whetted, I can't wait.