Posts by Russell Brown
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Roger's opinion piece is shockingly poor. He says virtually nothing about the part of the law in dispute, other than to imply that anyone who doesn't like it is in favour of stealing.
I think Section 92 is not a strong enough deterrent and should be tougher.
Losing one's internet connection seems to me like a wimpy punishment for persistent theft. Perhaps we should be also looking at hefty fines that feed into a recording fund for our musicians.
Hey, why not go the whole way and put people in the stocks? But seriously, Roger seems to be saying that forcible disconnection from the internet is a lesser penalty than a fine. And he skips right past the bits about proof, evidence and all those other wacky liberal concepts.
Still, Section 92 is a belated, moderate step in the right direction and fulfils the need to educate the public regarding copyright issues. Much unnecessary hysteria and misinformation have surrounded what is essentially a cautious, commonsense remedy to a major problem for our creative industries.
And yet, oddly, the Auckland District Law Society said in a formal submission that 92A threatens “fundamental precepts of our common law system”. The experienced District Court judge David Harvey took a similar view in his own TCF code submission. Do you think it's possible they might actually be right in law?
I'm actually tired of people I respect wading into this issue on the basis of little more than raw emotion -- and of them demonising anyone who dares disagree. Yes, some people on the protest side have done the same thing, and I've complained about that too.
And this is alarmist bollocks:
Great ideas and those who have them need support, and that involves being paid. Without Section 92, the wheels will fall off our local music industry and there will be no more homegrown successes. Without it, there will not be another New Zealand-based, globally recognised success like Flying Nun.
There are many things that could be done to, as Roger says, "tip things back towards the artist and his interests" -- including establishing fair returns to artists and composers along the lines proposed last week by the Featured Artists Coalition. Passing a faulty law that was rejected by a select committee really isn't near the top of my list.
And, to be honest, I don't think the Flying Nun catalogue -- or most New Zealand music -- is file-shared that much. And if it is, isn't that a bloody great big market signal to make it available to fans? Seriously: I think the FN catalogue's current owner is doing more damage to it than any file-sharer ever will.
CFF has a detailed response.
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Man, Stuff are having a serious problem this afternoon ...
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The Quest on The Terrace -- a vile office conversion -- used to be top of my list of Wellington hotels to avoid but it may have improved since its refurbishment.
Quest on Gilmer claims to be four-star, but beware of its cheaper rooms. They looking nothing like the pictures on the internet and are depressing in the extreme. Try CityLife next door -- it's suite.
Confusingly, the Quest Wellington is actually alright -- and you can see all of Xero's wi-fi networks through the wall. (Yes, they're secured.)
The Quality on Cuba St is way cool. Ask for a corner room. Just don't mix it up with the Comfort, with which it shares a reception -- that's looking seriously unimproved these days, and the rooms only have dial-up internet.
The Museum Hotel is nice on the newer apartment side, but a bit pricey with it.
The last time I stayed in the James Cook, my room was small and scruffy. I try and avoid staying in "proper" hotels now -- a decent kitchenette, a flat-screen telly and a couch are all more important than a fancy reception, IMHO.
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The worst hotel I've ever stayed in wasn't particularly dirty -- but it was weirdly depressing.
I arrived at the Swan & Dolphin, Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Florida, about 4am; the last to be dropped off by the airport shuttle after flying for ever.
I got up about 8am, a Sunday, and staggered down to one of the restaurants, where actors in Disney character costumes were bothering children. That was weird. I've never been comfortable with fancy dress ...
I never got used to the hotel's design: the building was semi-circular and lacked internal reference points, so it was hard to work out where you were.
The horrible marine-themed paintings on the stippled walls didn't help either -- it was like a lame attempt to add some soul to the place, and it didn't work. And it got worse when the Lotus convention I was there for started on the Monday -- the hotel simply wasn't big enough or fit for the purpose, and I got pinned against the wall trying to get to my first session.
If ever there was a place to make you hate capitalism, this was it.
I wondered whether it was just me, but Paul Brislen went there a couple of months later for an IBM conference. He felt the same way.
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Did anyone else find something about Coleman's vocal delivery a little like someone else's? I guess the sandy blond hair kind of helps as well...
If I had a dollar for everyone who told me after the recording that Coleman reminded them of Key, I'd have ... five dollars.
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If your heart is no longer in something it is better to get out and do what you are now interested in, than hang onto until Hard News becomes like a once-fine pub that has declined into decrepitude.
Tom, I've been writing something called Hard News for nearly 18 years, and I'm sure people have, for most of that time, gotten pissy about it being not as good as it used to be, or something.
In one sense, I suppose it's gratifying that people feel such a sense of ownership, but it's my blog. I'm proud of what we're doing with the TV show and I enjoy having people discuss the issues it raises here -- and I'm massively proud of what my autistic son is doing right now.
If that's "navel gazing" to you, fine, don't read it. But don't insult the rest of the community here, and please don't tell me my heart isn't in it.
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Fixed now ...
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Good show , I wondered if you were tempted to get out a whip at any stage to get those unruly buggers back in line.
I opted to sit back and just watch for a while ...
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The world's worst hotels were recently listed, including the most disgusting in America and Britain. Share your own stories of bad, good, awful, excellent and interesting places you've stayed.
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That Kevin Smith music sounded great. Homerecording indy stuff was a diferent game before pro-tools.
I think all of it was made on a Portastudio -- a machine that turned a cassette into a four-track tape. That was the cool thing to have.
Loose as heck drums, I love it!
Pat's drumming was always more about texture than than any fascist idea of being "tight" or keeping the beat.
But mostly, with permission, we'll have SYTA's 'This is Your Lucky Night' (album version) available for download here tomorrow. It's their country song about someone maybe leaving the band.
And you thought Wilco thought of that?
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