Wes Phillips

Set your irony scanner to high and read about the kerfluffle involving the MPAA making copies of a film submitted for a rating. Even better, if the film maker sues, the MPAA's defense will probably hinge on whether or not it intended to sell it. Does that mean if they argue successfully that intent to profit is the definition of piracy that we can make copies too if we promise not to sell them?

Great, readable essay by William Gibson on the season that changed his life. He has some fascinating thoughts on H.G. Wells that have made me want to dip back into that writer's work.

Here's an article from USA Today about vendors selling fully loaded iPods on eBay. Is this a legitimate fair use issue? My gut reaction is no—if vendors were selling loaded iPods for market value or used value, it might not trip my BS detector. But when you are charging several hundred bucks extra for the 11,000 songs you've loaded on the iPod, it seems to me that you've crossed that fair use line in the sand—we've established what you are and now we're just negotiating price.

San Francisco's wonderful Jon Carroll points us towards Regret The Error, a compendium of error correcting slugs that have run in newspapers and journals.

The Inquirer goes medieval on DRM's butt. This rant is passionate and incandescent. Wish I'd said it, but linking to it is pretty satisfying, too.

'Fess up—you've always wondered about that butter side down thing.

I'd try this myself, but I expect that Huckleberry's revenge would be severe.