Detritus

Property Rights Historically Good For Agriculture

Nick Szabo, a doctoral law student at George Washington University, writes on his blog about the historical relationship between security, property rights, and the success of agriculture. He argues pretty persuasively that the real transition from hunter-gatherer tribal societies to successful feudal-style agricultural ones depended on protecting crops at a certain scale, by force and/or legal rights.

So the very idea, turning into a paradigm, that "I own this piece of land and only I can take food from it," could have been an important key to the turn from neolithic life to "civilization" - for better or for worse.

Apple-Intel vs. The Postal Service

This is kind of an intresting IP case.
the recent Apple Intel tv ad is apparently an almost shot-for-shot remake (or it uses outtakes from) the video for the Postal Service (the band not the USPS) song "Such Great Heights". here's a nice a-b comparison video someone put together:
http://live.watchmactv.com/flash/100/

now, some people blow it off when they find out it's by the same ad agency and director. but
here's a note from ben gibbard of the Postal Service on their site postalservicemusic.net:

A Note from Ben

It has recently come to our attention that Apple Computers' new television commercial for the Intel chip features a shot-for-shot recreation of our video for 'Such Great Heights' made by the same filmmakers responsible for the original. We did not approve this commercialization and are extremely disappointed with both parties that this was executed without our consultation or consent. -Ben Gibbard, The Postal Service

it would be interesting to know what the legality of this is. if the band or their label owns the copyright on the video, then there's a legal problem. if it's the ad agency or the filmmaker, then there's probably no infringement. But either way it's ethically suspect, imho...

Interestingly enough, Apple has rencently placed the Postal Service video on the front page of the Apple iTunes Music Store. Coincidence?

(And may I add that reading song reviews on the music store is a really irritating experience. If I see one more case of someone trying to dicate what "emo" means I'm going to scream.)

Heavway to Stairwen

Thomas Dimuzio does a little revers-o-rama of a novel type with some classic Zeppelin. (via wfmu blog via rumori)

Copy Control

An example of a tray card of a CD with copy protection:

as reported by Noway on his Flickr photostream:

The diagonal repeating text reads "sin restricciones" which is spanish for "no restrictions."

That's the name of this album by the great Argentinian band "Miranda!"

"No Restrictions" is their second album. It's pretty good. Or so we think. We haven't been able to hear it yet.

That's because we have a broken copy of this album. Why is it broken? The answer to that question is in the words COPY CONTROLLED.