Now that I’ve hung up my hat at the Open Rights Group, I actually have time to read stuff for pleasure again. And it has been with great pleasure that I’ve read the two pieces listed below. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what you’re writing about – the quality of your prose sings through. In the [...]
Categories: business, censorship, copyright, freeculture, law, media, networks, open source, politics
This week’s column at the New Statesman is a reaction to all the silly season stories calling for a complete ban of Facebook/YouTube/the internet.
Some people are so quick to judge. At the beginning of August, the national treasure that is Sir Elton John was reported, albeit by that other great national treasure, the Sun newspaper, [...]
Categories: media, networks, newstatesman, openrightsgroup, politics
A few weeks ago, I was having tea and cakes with a friend, talking about the usual stuff – Second Life, DRM, the BBC’s iPlayer. Together we came up with a rather implausible train of thought, which said friend dared me to turn into a piece for my New Statesman column. I think it’s turned [...]
Categories: business, copyright, law, media, newstatesman
Two items of copyright geekery in this morning’s Guardian. Firstly. Alice Gould gives the legal 101 on hijacking”user-generated content” for a traditional media setting (well done Media Guardian for removing that nasty subscription barrier, by the way). Her conclusion:
The law may appear antiquated in the fast-changing world of the internet, but in most cases citizen [...]
Categories: censorship, copyright, media, politics
After James showed me the web is us/ing us video, I wrote about it for my latest openDemocracy piece. It’s the first time I’ve been able to join up my interest in linguistcs with my interest in the information age, and I’m quite proud of the result.
After the Sandinista government took power in Nicaragua in [...]
Categories: freeculture, media, networks, opendemocracy, politics
Like many Brits, the BBC’s Radio 4 holds a very special place in my heart. After two weeks away from home, I was craving two things – a cup of tea made without UHT milk, and the mellow sound of received pronunciation washing over me from the wireless on my bedside.
Imagine my surprise, then, when [...]
Categories: business, freeculture, media
I’m pleased to announce that as of 15 January next year, I’ll be joining the Open Rights Group as their new Executive Director!
Suw Charman, ORG’s outgoing Exec Director, has just posted the announcement on the ORG website. I’m looking forward to working with her, ORG’s Ops Manager Michael Holloway, and the incredibly diverse and talented [...]
Categories: freeculture, law, media, newstatesman, opendemocracy, openrightsgroup, politics, surveillance
Some really fab coverage on Gowers in the Guardian and the Observer, starting with this Leader from Friday’s edition:
“…The report was given a guarded welcome by the recently formed Open Rights group which campaigned strongly against extending the 50-year limit, but the war is not won yet. The Gowers report is only a staging post, [...]
Categories: freeculture, law, media, music, politics
I got to do one of those funny mini-interviews for New Media Knowledge this week, you know, the lovely throwaway kind that ask you what radio shows you listen to and what issues get under your skin. It made me feel very special.
Name: Becky Hogge.
Personal website or blog: Machine Envy.
Day jobs: Technology Director, openDemocracy; web [...]
Categories: media
As predicted, those who want the copyright terms in sound recordings extended are making a huge amount of noise this week. They’re explicit about their hope – that government will ignore the recommendations of an independent review that has taken nearly a year to complete, and give them what they think they want anyway.
If politicians [...]
Categories: business, freeculture, media, music