14 May 2006
SMH Article: Cutting crime as easy as MP3
Woot. The best bit:
Schools, universities, libraries and other cultural institutions will in the future be free to use copyright material for non-commercial purposes.
Dubious bit:
In a big win for recording artists, the laws will include the removal of the legislative 1 per cent cap on copyright licence fees paid by radio broadcasters for playing sound recordings.
Dubious because I’m really uncertain as to how that’s going to pan out… I’m thinking it’s actually going to further inhibit the scope of the music we hear on commercial radio! Non-commercial radio… well, who knows? Is that a “cultural institution”?
We’ll see how it pans out. I’m now keen on getting an MP3 player/phone that plays MP3s (and has at least 512MB on an SD card, none of this super-tiny-memory stuff you find in phones). Orange stop operations at the beginning of August, I think, so I’ve got until then…
12 May 2006
Find the natural source of light in this picture…
(Quick + dirty digital snap. It looked much prettier IRL.)
11 May 2006
Well, it doesn’t really. In fact, RSS is great. (Even if Atom is better, but more people know what RSS is so I’m using that loosely for “feed”/syndication generally).
It’s mostly good because I never kept a list of favourite sites, and visiting/remembering to visit wherever totally takes up too much of my time/just doesn’t happen. It’s bad because some things don’t support RSS… but I don’t really read anything like that. The exception, of course, being LJ comment feeds which DON’T EXIST. It’s annoying how they can be so advanced/innovative with their OpenID stuff, etc., but so backwards in not providing what is (for every other blog service on the planet) par for the course. Actually, I lie. I think Blogger equally sucks in that regard, but whatever. They shouldn’t.
Having said all that, RSS takes away from the, erm, thrill of the chase. You can’t go looking at “just one more site” because they’re all defined in a list, and aggregated for you in one place! Terrible for procrastination. Ah well. Very little of that still required! (Until exams loom closer, that is).
11 May 2006
(taken yesterday, late afternoon)
“Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.”
How great is God?
Barney’s on Broadway burnt to the ground yesterday, which must be so horrible for people who have memories associated with/in that building… but, despite that, it’s just a building. So thankful that everyone I’ve spoken to who goes there understands that. It’s so encouraging to see faith that is centered in God’s unchanging word + Jesus.
Thanks to God that his church will never be destroyed!
For those who are a part of Barney’s, know you’re in much prayer, especially at the minute.
09 May 2006
I really enjoy writing things to be read aloud. I really don’t enjoy having to make them fit into time constraints. It’s different to normal essay writing because there’s always the temptation to just write more and try and say it faster. Or go really close to what you know the limit is going to be and hope you don’t stumble over too many words/need to pause for breath. Speaking itself is actually exciting. Slowly getting used to it. I think I actually almost like the sound of my own voice now, at least in my head (writing – I think in full sentences, apparently that’s not something everyone does. It’s why if I’m thinking aloud I have a tendancy to rephrase things a couple of times. And/or embarrass myself by arguing over the semantics of a word/reconstructing a sentence.). Invariably, things sound dumber when they’re actually spoken. Ah well.