Ignorance is bliss Boing Boing and Ursula K Le Guin

An apology to Ursula K Le Guin - Boing Boing

Earlier this year Cory Doctorow posted a 500-word article by the writer Ursula Le Guin, that had previously been published elsewhere.

Le Guin protested at this, claiming it breached copyright laws.

Cory Doctorow claimed that copying the entirety of Le Guin's article was justified under copyright "fair use" laws as it was one paragraph. Albeit one that is 500 words long.

Here is yet another example of the attitude that people regard "fair use" as meaning "I can copy whatever and however much I damn well want, when I want, from where I want."

The "fair use" laws allow parts of artistic works to be copied. Not the entire thing.

And for a professional writer to be that ignorant of copyright laws is shocking. Writers have to know about copyright laws to defend their work.

New job II

Tonight I found out that my new job involves drinking beer while playing computer games in the office (after work of course), and going to awards ceremonies held at strip clubs.

Specifically the Games Media Awards at the Soho Revue Bar.

And the weirdest thing of the night - during the awards ceremony's breaks Miss Polly Rae and the Hurley Burley Girls gave performances. During each of which half the men left, returning when the dancers had stopped.

Probably the first time in the Soho Revue Bar's history that men left the theatre when dancers came on stage.

And keep an ear out for the Games Media Awards podcast. Judging by the events of the night, it'll be edited.

Heavily.

Cool T-shirts

How can you not like T-shirts like this?