Copyright, Patents and Statements of Concern
There has been much talk in the writer community about the life span of a copyright. I agree with Lawrence Lessig and would have you read his wiki on the topic. I do not agree with writer Mark Helprin’s view. Keep the copyright life span as it is and let’s move on.
Patents have been in the news again thanks to Microsoft’s FUD about how many patents the Linux kernel may possibly violate. I believe that the patent war would be a can of worms that nobody would seriously want to open. Not unlike invading a country for no valid reason and then… never mind. The voice of reason in this debate, seems to come from two sources on the side of Open Source. Jonathan Swartz the CEO of Sun has some good advice for the litigious from his blog. But perhaps the most eloquent argument for not opening the patent genie comes from Mark Shuttleworth the front man and benefactor for Ubuntu Linux.
Sticking with Ubuntu Linux, you can get a peek at the upcoming Dell offerings here.
Finally, if you are a scientist, parent or concerned clergyman, in Indiana, Ohio or Kentucky, please sign the petition against the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY. If I were a scientist I would not hesitance to show my disdain for this. Thanks to BA Phil Plait for that heads up.