paralympic.org -> Alpine_Skiing

The 2008 Olympic are over, but the 2008 Paralympic Competition is just starting.

If you want to see something really impressive, check Goalball and Judo. Both these competitions are open to completely blind people.

Of course, it does not come close to this winter sport: Alpine Skiing Calssification B1 - Completelty blind. Yet Alpine Skiing by completely blind skiiers, guided by another skier that gives them directions. I watch the competitions in disbelief: Theses guys are simply amazing!

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The last tree

I want this image as background. It is simple, yet powerful ...

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My Apps

I lost a couple of hours looking at the Lifehacker Desktop Show and Tell Flickr Pool. It got me thinking about what I use on a daily basis and how my desktop should reflect my current productivity push (I'm basically cleaning up my life, and trying to be more productive. It's not perfect, but I'm slowly getting there)

So, in case my computer exploded, or in case I bought a new machine and had to redo everything from scratch, here is a list of the things I use the most:

On Windows:

• Launchy: Must have. Good alternatives includes Executor and Dash Command. Quicksilver on Mac.
  
• ClipX: I can finaly get a bigger clipboard (Linux had that for ages)
  
• allSnap: Snap app to edges of desktop
  
• Snarl: Notification system for Windows.  Like Growl on Mac
  
• AppSnap: Install free apps. Sort of like a package manager.
  
• Mp3tag: I don't have that big of a MP3 collection, but I like my stuff consistent
  
• Picasa: Manages pictures from my camera.
  
• PuTTY: I use Linux-based servers, sort this is a must-have
• Xming: To get Linux/Unix X-Windows system on MS Windows. Run graphical application remotly!
  
• WinSCP: Copy files. Ftp is too old and too insecure.
  
• Flock: The Social-based browser: I'm typing this blog entry in it. Also integrated Facebook, twitter, Youtube, etc...
  
• Adobe Air with:
• twhirl: I twitter. This helps. A lot.
  
• TWiT Live AIR App: Watch Leo Laporte live :)
  

Ironicly, I can get most of this functionality on my Linux desktop (again with the right applications installed), but it's not third party. The only reason I'm not 100% Linux right now is gaming. (TES: Oblivion these days, with a bit of Simcity 4)

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R.I.P. Randy Pausch

Randy Paucsh died on july 25. I feel like I should say something about it but since I can't think of anything that would do him justice, I'll let his own talk speak for itself:

The "Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch

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Business faces challenges under copyright legislation

Business faces challenges under copyright legislation

I like this quote from the article: "The consumer marketplace is increasingly going beyond that apathy to a type of lawlessness. They'll just ignore the government because it's so irrelevant."

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Life is about the journey, not the destination

I heard this adage time and time again:

"A voyage is not about the destination, it's about the journey all the way."

Of course, we all have heard this in various form, but I never really realized what it really means, and how it matters to me. And I am not taking about basic comprehension, but more about a more depth and psychological level.

I am notorious for not finishing anything. I start something, get very exited, but then, after some time, I lose interest and leave the project half-finished. It not always because I'm lazy. I learned Spanish, but I cannot say a single sentence today: I didn't practice enough. Same with Japanese. (English is another story... It's harder NOT to practice English these days.) And it's not just languages. I started taking piloting course (flying, yeah!) but I lost interest because of the cost.

Well, I felt really bad because I never finished any of this. But I never realized that it wasn't all for nothing. I felt guilty and ashamed that I never finished anything...

Until this very morning...

Well, what I have learned is not lost. I am better human being because of all this. And it wasn't all for nothing because, It is still an experience all the way to the finish line. The goal of a marathon runner is to get to the finish line, but if you ask him about his experience, it boils down to everything before that finish line. The entire journey is significant, not just the last part of the last mile.

Thus, I think I'll stop having second thoughts about trying sometime out... Experience is never really lost...

Analyse du projet de loi C-61

J'ai fait une version française de L'analyse du projet de loi C-61 sur le wiki de la section Montréalaise de "Fair Copyright for Canada" ( traduit par "Pour un droit d'auteur équitable au Canada")

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John Derr at Ted About Greetech

Embedded Video

It made me think twice about what I do...

Original is here

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Sixth Topic Of Bill C-61: Digital Locks

This is the biggest part of the bill and the most complicated, yet one of the most important part.

Definitions:

“circumvent” means [..] to descramble a scrambled work or decrypt an encrypted work or to otherwise avoid, bypass, remove, deactivate or impair the technological measure, unless done with the authority of the copyright owner; and [...] to avoid, bypass, remove, deactivate or impair the technological measure.(Clause 31, section 41, subsection a)

“technological measure” means any effective technology, device or component that, in the ordinary course of its operation, [...] controls access to a work, to a performer’s performance fixed in a sound recording or to a sound recording and whose use is authorized by the copyright owner; [...]Idem

No person shall:

• circumvent a technological measure(Clause 31, section 41.1,Section 1, subsection a)

• manufacture, import, provide — including by selling or renting — offer for sale or rental or distribute any technology, device or component if(Clause 31, section 41.1,Section 1, subsection c)

• the technology, device or component is designed or produced primarily for the purposes of circumventing a technological measure,
• the uses or purposes of the technology, device or component are not commercially significant other than when it is used for the purposes of circumventing a techno- logical measure, or
• the person markets the technology, device or component as being for the purposes of circumventing a technological measure or acts in concert with another person in order to market the technology, device or component as being for those purposes.

Does not apply if:

• to a person who circumvents a technological measure that protects a program for the sole purpose of obtaining information that would allow the person to make the program and any other computer program interoperable.(Clause 31, section 41.12,Section 1)

• to a person who manufactures, imports or provides a technology, device or component for the purposes of circumventing a technological measure if the person does so for the purpose of making the computer program and any other computer program interoperable and uses that technology, device or component only for that purpose(Clause 31, section 41.12,Section 3)

• to a person who, for the purposes of encryption research, circumvents a technological measure by means of decryption if it would not be practical to carry out the research without circumventing the technological measure and the person has informed the owner of the copyright in the work, the performer’s performance fixed in a sound recording or the sound recording who has applied the technological measure.(Clause 31, section 41.13,Section 1)

• to a person who circumvents a technological measure to prevent the collection and communication of personal information without the user’s consent. (Unless a notice is provided)(Clause 31, section 41.14,Section 1)

• To a person doing security flaw assessment with the consent of the owner or administrator of the Network.(Clause 31, section 41.15,Section 1)

• a person with a perceptual disability who circumvents a technological measure for the sole purpose of making a work, a performer’s performance fixed in a sound recording or a sound recording perceptible to that person.(Clause 31, section 41.16,Section 1)

• To a broadcasting undertaking that circumvents a technological measure for the sole purpose of making an ephemeral reproduction of a work.(Clause 31, section 41.17,Section 1)

And a very special notice:

• No person shall knowingly remove or alter any rights management information in electronic form without the consent of the owner of the copyright in the work, the performer’s performance or the sound recording, if the person knows or should have known that the removal or alteration will facilitate or conceal any infringement of the owner’s copyright or adversely affect the owner’s right to remuneration

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Bill C-61 in laymans terms: Archives

Fifth topic of bill C-61, Archives

This part concerns libraries, museums and archives.

According to Bill C-61,
They are allowed to:

• Make a digital copy of a printed work(Clause 20, section 30.2, subsection 5)

They must:

• Prevent any reproduction of the digital copy (Clause 20, section 30.2, subsection 5, paragraph a)
• Prevent any communication of the digital copy (Clause 20, section 30.2, subsection 5, paragraph b)
• Prevent using the digital copy for more than 5 days (Clause 20, section 30.2, subsection 5, paragraph c)

My own thoughts:
I wonder how you are supposed to enforce that.

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