Taciturn

I recently read that the reason many people refuse to purchase music online and instead prefer to get it by other means is that legally-purchased music is in many cases an inferior product. Users love to have ownership of a product, just look at DVD sales^[1]. If you have the option of obtaining a song electronically from two places, one lets you listen to it wherever you like, lets you convert it between various formats, burn it to a CD to listen to in your car, copy to other devices and computers you use, and the other option only lets you use it on a single device in a single format that you can't back up easily, the choice is pretty clear. Price doesn't even have to be considered — the first is a far superior option. Add to that that it's usually cheaper than the inhibited option. It's a no-brainer.

[1] DVDs have nasty things like region coding and patented encryption. The reference to DVDs is meant to be contrasted with viewing of movies in theatres.

There's an effort to donate iPods to US senators with the aim of helping them understand the value of free culture. I'd love to see this done in Australia too. Via EFFector, Vol. 19, No. 5 (3 February 2006).

The ID card scheme is a completely unworkable concept that will promote wholesale identity theft by storing information in a vast database and allowing a huge range of people to access it.

— Bill Burman, Hertfordshire, UK.

Yesterday I got on a Brisbane City Council bus and counted three CCTV cameras installed. All this surveillance is unnecessary. I've toyed with the idea of wearing a balaclava around in public in protest. If I was more of an outgoing person I'd love to get a shirt printed with the message "I'm not a criminal, I just value my privacy." to wear in combination with the balaclava. If anyone does something like this I'd love to know about it. There are already people in London pledging to give CCTV cameras the finger.

Song of the day: Bora by DJ Facemachine.