Sim-O

Oh, FFS, Bluetooth Boy. Get your head out your arse.

Labels: Odds and Sods

The Guardian:

The excellent programme for Pop Art Portraits, the current exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery, has a lot to say about the pictures hanging on the walls and the diverse source material the artists used to produce their provocative works.

Apparently they cut up magazines, copied comic books, drew trademarked cartoon characters like Minnie Mouse, reproduced covers from Time magazine, made ironic use of a cartoon Charles Atlas, painted over iconic photos of James Dean and Elvis Presley – and that’s just in the first of seven rooms.

The programme describes the aesthetic experience conjured up by these transmogrified icons of high and low culture. Celebrated pop artists including Larry Poons, Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol created these images by nicking the work of others, without permission, and transforming it to make statements and evoke emotions never countenanced by the original creators.

Despite this, the programme does not say a word about copyright. Can you blame the authors? A treatise on the way that copyright and trademarks were – had to be – trammelled to make these works could fill volumes.

Reading the programme, you can only assume that the curators’ message about copyright is that where free expression is concerned, the rights of the creators of the original source material must take a back seat to those of the pop artists.

There is, however, another message about copyright in the National Portrait Gallery: it is implicit in the “No Photography” signs prominently displayed throughout its rooms, including one by the entrance to the Pop Art Portraits exhibition.

These signs are not intended to protect the works from the depredations of camera flashes (otherwise they would read “No Flash Photography”). No, the ban on pictures is meant to safeguard the copyright of the works hung on the walls – a fact that every member of staff I asked instantly confirmed.

Labels: Capitalism

One very good reason for reading Ben Goldacres Bad Science:

Science is fun when you’re making people look Stupid

of a new commment facility

The Independent:

Sir Ian Blair refused to resign yesterday after the official report into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes criticised the Metropolitan Police Commissioner for attempting to stop the independent investigation of the shooting. The report also found the force had committed “very serious” and “avoidable” mistakes.

Come on, Sir Ian. Just resign and get it over and done with so we can all move on.
It’s not gonna be that bad is it? You’re bound to get a nice fat golden handshake.

Labels: The Police

New York Times:

The MySpace page of singer Alicia Keys has become the latest vehicle for malware on the Web.
…
When visitors click almost anywhere on these infected site, they are directed to co8vd.cn/s, which appears to be a Chinese malware site. The visitors then see a box on their screen telling them they need to install a special codec to view the video – a legitimate possibility on any site rich in media. But if the visitor clicks ‘yes’, the site installs software that appears to be a rootkit and DNS changer. This would allow the hackers to take over what you see on your browser and what you download onto your computer.

Could be worse. They could download some of Alicias’ music to your computer.

Funny, no mention of the attack on MySpace in the Sun, online at least.

Labels: Capitalism, Music, The t’internet

Part I:

Defence Minister Lord Drayson has taken a “leave of absence” from the government in a bid to take part in the world-famous 24-hour Le Mans race.

But now in The Guardian:

The real reason Paul Drayson quit as minister for defence equipment was out of “frustration” with bureaucracy and lack of money, a former chief of the defence staff said today.
Lord Charles Guthrie admitted he was “surprised” at the resignation of Lord Drayson, who claimed in a letter to Gordon Brown yesterday that he was stepping down to pursue his dream of racing in the Le Mans 24-hour race.

Are you sure, Lord Guthrie? You wouldn’t be putting words in his mouth would you?

“I found it a very surprising story. I would think that probably – and I’m putting words into his mouth – his is frustrated by the bureaucracy and that some of the plans of modernising procurement are just not achievable unless more money is available but he is a loyal member of the government. He is not going to say that. That’s what my interpretation would be.”

Ah, so you’re not even putting words in his mouth, you’re projecting your opinion of why he resigned to raise the issue of underfunding in the services, aren’t you.

Labels: Government

I found this in Haloscan, but not sure which post it’s from as I reposted one or two due to being rubbish and it might have become dislocated.

Anyway, whatever I did, you’re welcome.

Labels: Odds and Sods

Combining the words (for a change) of Beau Bo D’Or, with a picture from Mike Power:

The one man flea circus formerly known as Prince doesn’t like his fans posting images of him on the web.
I understand this is because if your resolution is less than 1280 by 1024 then he appears larger than he is in real life.

Labels: Music

Bloggerheads:

I had her filed under ‘ignore/sheep’ until…

Ellee, Well Done. You have my admiration.
I think you are very brave taking a stand and keeping to it like you are.

There are not many people that would dig a hole to the size that you have, and then, keep digging.

You have evaded and you have smeared and you have denied and you have allowed other people to do the same with your consent.

Well done. Good on you.

*walks away shaking head*

Labels: Blogging