Lately the discussion about pirated media and software has fallen out of the headlines. This is a subject that I’ve been following rather closely, not just because I’m a big music fan but also because I firmly believe that, if unchecked, the MPAA and RIAA will eventually succeed in eroding away some pretty basic rights. Here are some recent bits of news.

Earlier this month the RIAA announced that they were ending their practice of suing those they suspected decided had shared music.  Although they are not dropping cases they’ve already started, their new approach involves forcing ISPs to threaten disconnecting the service of those who use Bit Torrent sites. I for one think this approach will fail. Since ISPs can’t be held responsible for how their customers use the Internet they really don’t have any vested interest in cutting off service and therefore, revenue.

I found this post today on Max Barry’s blog.

The most famous cases of the RIAA suing end users and the only one to go to trial is that of Jamiee Thomas who was found guilt and ordered to pay the RIAA $222,000 for allegedly having shared 24 songs.  Almost a year after the trail the judge, without being petioned by the defense, declaired a mistrail after deciding that simply having music in an open access folder was not a violation of the copyright act. The RIAA recently requested permission to appeal the mistrail decision but the judge denied their request. (Wired.com)

I picked up a nasty bug from my niece and nephew over Christmas. I’m mostly over it now but I’m working from home to prevent the spread and stay close to a bathroom.

I’m networked in to my work PC so I can see what’s going on at work and I’m running Outlook on my home PC to give me quick access to emails. Every time I get an email at work I have two audible notifications from my computer, two pop-ups on my computer and an alert on my mobile in the other room.

I had the following email exchange last night with a total stranger:

Heather Baswell: Merry Christmas Andy!!!!!!! What are you doing?

Me: Being decidedly not someone called Andy. You have the wrong email address.

Heather Baswell: Well are you hot?

I love Six Pence.  This is a new release and also features Dan Haseltine from Jars of Clay. It’s beautiful.

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My friend Heather left a few hours ago and since then I’ve been roaming my house aimlessly, missing the sounds of having someone else here.

She had her two children with her, Daniel and Genevia, ages three and six, which naturally held heavy influence over what we did. We just had one day together and spent most of it at the museum and the Chic-fil-a play area.  We spent time at the house talking with our conversations constantly interrupted by children. We waited until the children were in bed before we watched movies and had more adult conversations.

All in all I had a family experience. I was out of the house before eight on Monday morning to go to the grocery store, I sat in the car with sleeping children and spent much of my time being climbed on by Daniel and Genevia.

I cherished every minute of it.

And now that it’s over, now that Heather and her wonderful offspring are off to Heather’s parents for Christmas, I miss them.

For thirty-six hours I had everything I ever wanted.  It’s like getting to lick the spoon but never, ever getting to eat the cake.

Mark Felt died of heart failure Thursday at the ripe old age of 95. He’d managed to outlive many of those whose lives he ruined for his coward’s stance in the shadows.

For many Felt was a hero, a man who had the courage to stand up against what was by all accounts a corrupt administration. For others he was a weak traitor who sold out his president and country. I think that this quote from from his daughter pretaining to whether or not old Felt should tell his secret sums up the man:

We could make at least enough money to pay some bills, like the debt I’ve run up for the kids’ education

So long Felt.  I’m sure that your family will honor your memory with a biography, a made for TV movie, action figures and maybe even a Deep Throat Watergate Hotel playset. 

They’s got bills!

I knew three people murdered in 2005. My friend Sandra’s father-in-law, my mother’s former boss’ husband and a girl I’d once gone to church with. The last of the trials ended yesterday.

The woman who killed Sandra’s father-in-law, a woman he’d married after the death of Sandra’s mother-in-law. She’d agreed to plea guilty but at the last minute refused to do so and was instead quickly found guilty of first degree murder. She’s currently serving life.

Terry Justus plead  to second degree murder in the death of Sharon “Sheri” Acosta. He was sentenced to thirty-five years with no chance for parole, a sentence he filed for relief from citing inadequate council. The courts turned him down so he filed an appeal to the Knox County Court of Appeals asking to set aside his plea and let him stand trial. They denied this request and he’s currently in prison.

The last of the trials ended yesterday when James “Mike” Flinn was found guilty of first degree murder in the death of Greig Beggs. The trial lasted for eight days and the state called more than fifty witnesses.  The jury was out for only a few hours before returning with their guilty verdict. I’m sure Mike will appeal from here to eternity but most likely he’ll do it from a jail cell…for life.

I don’t watch SNL as nearly 100% of the time is it drivle. Apparently last Saturday’s episode had a sketch making fun of NY Gov. David Patterson. One of Paterson’s hand puppets has issued this statement:

this particular Saturday Night Live skit unfortunately chose to ridicule people with physical disabilities and imply that disabled people are incapable of having jobs with serious responsibilities

I think that Mr. Michaels is smart enough not to make fun of people with physical disabilities handicaps. The sketch was not making fun of Gov. Patterson because he is blind. They’re making fun of him because he is woefully underqualified and unprepared to govern.

Just a few days after I upgraded the software on this site and launched the music site a new version of the Wordpress software came online. I’ve installed it on both blogs now and, through the grace of God, managed to not loose anything.

It’s been a long time since I played You Don’t Know Jack. We used to play in my apartment on Brown Avenue in Cleveland so it’s  been at least ten years. I did alright, $17,606.