Culture

virtual world and LAW

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Bookmarklets | MOVABLE TYPE Via Wired : "You're a dwarf in a virtual world, and that troll over there has just defamed you in front of everyone. So can you sue, or is it all just fun and games?"

The State of Play: Law, Games, and Virtual Worlds was a conference that aimed to "examine the state of play today in an effort to understand the phenomenon of digital games and the virtual worlds they create and to discuss the complex social, psychological, and legal issues to which they give rise."

The game universes are more and more intricate and privacy, fraud, breach (of contract), defamation occur... What should lawyers do ?

good luck guys :)

publications scientifiques sous licence GPL ?

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Via transfert.net Signée par de hauts responsables d'instituts européens de recherche, la déclaration de Berlin, datée du 22 octobre, prône l'accès libre aux archives scientifiques. Pour les signataires, ce choix doit dynamiser le partage et la recherche d'informations, ainsi que la diffusion des connaissances, menacés selon eux par les éditeurs de revue aux archives payantes. Cet appel renforce la dynamique internationale lancée il y a deux ans à Budapest et qui doit maintenant s'appuyer sur des outils concrets : des formats d'échange et de recherche entre les différentes bases d'archives comme celui de l'Open archives initiative et des licences ouvertes empruntées au monde du logiciel libre.

Les signataires en sont persuadés. La déclaration qu'ils ont ratifiée le 22 octobre 2003, en clôture de la Conférence de Berlin sur l'Accès libre à la connaissance dans les sciences et les humanités, est fondamentale. Vingt hauts responsables des principaux instituts européens de recherche soutiennent ce texte : ils demandent que tous les écrits, thèses, articles scientifiques, ainsi que tout le matériel nécessaire à leur argumentation, soient dorénavant publiés en accès libre ("open access").

metada crap

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Bookmarklets | MOVABLE TYPE Cory Doctorow explains why metadata (data about data) fails in this article. According to him, there are "insurmountable obstacles between the world as we know it and meta-utopia":

- People lie - People are lazy : even though we understand the importance of creating and maintaining excellent metadata for our information, we don't take time to create metadata - People are stupid : Even when there's a positive benefit to creating good metadata, people steadfastly refuse to exercise care and diligence in their metadata creation. - Mission: Impossible -- know thyself : People are lousy observers of their own behaviors - Schemas aren't neutral : The conceit that competing interests can come to easy accord on a common vocabulary totally ignores the power of organizing principles in a marketplace. - Metrics influence results - There's more than one way to describe something : Reasonable people can disagree forever on how to describe something.

I really like this kind of quote :"You and me are engaged in the incredibly serious business of creating information."

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En 1954, Debord et ses potes écrivaient dans Potlatch :"Un des plus beaux sites spontanément psychogéographiques de Paris est actuellement voie de disparition. La rue Sauvage dans le XIIIème arrondissement, qui présentait la plus bouleversante perspective nocturne de la capitale, placée entre els voies ferrées de la voie d'Austerlitz et un quartier de terrains en vague au bord de la Seine est depuis l'hiver dernier encadrée de quelques unes de ces constructions débilitantes que l'on aligne dans nos banlieues pour loger le sgens tristes. (...) Nous ne sommes pas attachés au charme des ruines. Mais les casernes civiles qui s'élèvent à leur place ont une laideur gratuite qui appel les dynamiteurs."

grid blogging

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Bookmarklets | MOVABLE TYPE I was invited by ashleyb to participate to his grid blogging project :

"Grid blogging aims to investigate the potentials of a distributed media production model spread across blogosphere nodes. It seeks to ignite attention on specific topics at set times through variegated voices. A kind of decentralised flash mobbing for the mind, if you like. Decentralisation is key here. Unlike single collaborative blogging structures that unite discussions under the same URL, Grid blogging is about synchronized guerrilla publishing attacks carried out across a series of online locations. It respects and heightens the individual voice within a media-wise choir. It allows for idea-jamming and mosaics of diverse perspectives to emerge unfettered. Temporary in nature, the first grid blog is set to happen on December 1. The topic is the "brand". Interpret it as you like, from the comfort of your own blog. As critique, as recollection, as original content, as link-fest or visual interpretation. Whatever. Join in and help us discover where we can lead this dance."

trucker hat building

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for those of you who happen to wear trucker hat, feel free to make yours with this nice tutorial... the website offers also intersting insights about how to make soap with bacon and a lamp with a blender.

It's very nice to see the reasons why the authors went into this kind of things : "BLENDER LAMPS? WHAT IN THE HELL DROVE YOU TO DO THIS?

More than a psychotic ex-girlfriend, more than credit card debt, the one thing I attract and cannot seem to rid myself of is old roommate debris. So about five years ago, after an old roommate left me two or three margarita blenders that had heard Jimmy Buffett for the last time, I decided to do something with the junk.

I thought those blenders could make good lamps and I vowed to teach myself how through the magic of the Time-Life series of books. With only my crude Time-Life wiring skills and an utter lack of tools at my disposal, I nearly electrocuted myself the first time I tried putting one together.

I was trying to teach myself something or other involving switches and I didn't wire them properly or something. Honestly, I don't know and I can't remember much of the incident or September 1986 as a result. Once I plugged the blender in, a sharp bolt of juice zapped me, the fuses blew and the next thing I know, the whole house was dark and smelled like burnt Me.

Over time, I got pretty good at making them from nearly any type of blenders, but newcomers should stick with the plastic, crappy 1970s variety. They're the ones used in this picture, and they're a whole lot easier to drill and glue than metal is.

And one last thing. Don't be all needy and clueless and literal about the directions. You may need to improvise and the directions may not always line up. Keep pushing forward. That's why they invented fuseboxes and circuit breakers."

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Bookmarklets | MOVABLE TYPE Lu sur la spirale : "La contre-culture est totalement intégrée à la culture dominante et son système marchand. Le sexe, les drogues et la musique sont très largement fondus dans la culture dominante, il n’y a plus tellement d’interdits, à part les armes, peut-être. Ce qui m’intéresse dans la sphère culturelle contemporaine, ce sont les trucs gratuits, qui ne sont pas conçus pour gagner de l’argent mais seulement pour être montrés, dans un but militant ou pas. C’est peut-être là qu’il faut chercher un espace de rupture entre culture dominante et contre-culture, vers ce qui est interdit. Aujourd’hui, ce qui est interdit, c’est de ne pas générer de profit." ERIC OUZOUNIAN

fud

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Bookmarklets | MOVABLE TYPE Pas très loin du concept de terror bubble de fab, voila le FUD : Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.

"Ces qualificatifs s'appliquent également à certains politiques, sociologues, philosophes, journalistes (oui, nous aussi...) qui pensent tout savoir et tout avoir compris au net. Ces interlocuteurs diffusent dès lors (puisqu'ils ont accès à la parole et aux caisses de résonance que sont les media) un sentiment de peur, d'incertitude et de doute à propos du réseau, et de toutes les technologies qui lui sont liées. C'est notamment le cas pour les hackers qui deviennent très vite des "pirates" ou des mercenaires à la solde de quelque puissance économique ou étatique."

blue jacking

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Bookmarklets | MOVABLE TYPE blue jacking is the new trend for hipsters who have a bluetooth enabled cell phone. The Esato mobile phone forums discovered the art of bluejacking many months ago, and it has taken off all around the net.

Information here : "First up, you need to know what Bluetooth is. There are lots of types of modern devices that incorporate Bluetooth as one of their many features. PDAs, mobile phones and laptops are a few of these modern devices. Bluetooth means that Bluetooth enabled devices can send things like phonebook/address book contacts, pictures & notes to other Bluetooth enabled devices wirelessly over a range of about 10 metres.

So, we've got past the boring part. Now, using a phone with Bluetooth, you can create a phonebook contact and write a message, eg. 'Hello, you've been bluejacked', in the 'Name' field. Then you can search for other phones with Bluetooth and send that phonebook contact to them. On their phone, a message will popup saying "'Hello, you've been bluejacked' has just been received by Bluetooth" or something along those lines. For most 'victims' they will have no idea as to how the message appeared on their phone. So, personalised messages like 'I like your pink top' and the startled expressions that result is where the fun really starts. "

Examples : "JOIN THE DECEPTICONS!", 'reiciving virus...'' and after a while''virus installed succesfully''...