Frontier XML Python Module Personal Notes 7/18/2001; 3:39:34 PM I've released a Python module for Frontier's Table XML format. Please follow the link for more info if you're curious.

Case highlights law's threat to fair-use rights DMCA7/18/2001; 12:39:49 PM 'The music industry is no longer threatening computer science professor Ed Felten with civil lawsuits for his research into one of the industry's digital copy-protection schemes. He doesn't have the same assurance, however, that the United States government won't launch a criminal prosecution if he proceeds.'That uncertainty grew more pronounced this week when the FBI arrested a visiting Russian computer scientist Monday in Las Vegas, charging him with violating the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act by distributing software that cracked a system for encrypting electronic books.

Swedish Supreme Court on the EU Data Directive Free Speech7/18/2001; 10:51:10 AM 'The Swedish Supreme Court has made an important decision regarding the EU data directive. This directive has been interpreted by many people as a serious infringement in the freedom of speech, since it requires permission from the person you write about before you publish any information about a person on the Internet.''The case was a person, who had published a web site, in which he seriously criticized several Swedish banks and named individuals working at these banks, which he regarded as having improperly cheated the customers of the bank from their money.

Going on vacation Administrative 7/6/2001; 8:40:45 AM I'll be leaving for a week so the already-sporadic updates will be getting even more sporadic. Every time in the last week I've tried to post something here, I've been unable to get through. The problem's not always the ETP.com server, but it doesn't much matter. I think that when I get back, I'm moving to another server under my control, 'cause this week has been annoying.

Microsoft drops Smart Tags from Windows XP Free Speech6/28/2001; 8:56:32 AM 'As first reported by CNET News.com, the Redmond, Wash.-based company has included Smart Tags in the most recent test versions of Windows XP, an upgrade to the Windows operating system. But a company spokesman said Wednesday that the technology will not be included in the final version that will be released Oct. 25.'Let's hear it for the power of whining!

Napster copyright ruling upheld Music & MP3 6/25/2001; 9:42:29 PM 'A federal appeals court has upheld its February decision that Napster contributes to copyright infringement and must remove protected works from its song-swapping service...' 'The court's ruling leaves the U.S. Supreme Court as the remaining legal arena for Napster Inc.'

Free-lance writers win Supreme Court case Misc. 6/25/2001; 3:56:11 PM 'The court ruled 7-2 that compilation in an electronic database is different from other kinds of archival or library storage of material that once appeared in print. That means that copyright laws require big media companies such as The New York Times to get free-lancers' permission before posting their work online.' Personally, I'm more intrigued by the idea that signing away "

A Microsoft opinion on Smart Tags Website Annotation6/21/2001; 12:08:34 PM Dave link's to a Microsoft's employee's opinion on Smart Tags. I wanted to say a couple things.'When you write a piece, when any author writes a piece, he or she is always at a tremendous advantage over the reader. Theoretically at lease, you have at least familiarity if not command of the topic about which you write. The reader most likely does not.

Teens Shrug Off E-Pervs Misc.6/21/2001; 8:59:13 AM 'High schoolers just don't seem too bothered by the online come-ons. "The kids are generally all right," said ABCNews.com. "Kids assume it's all part of being online," said USA Today. Referring to the Pew study, USA Today reported that 57 percent of teens surveyed have blocked messages from hasslers, indicating that at least sometimes, minors can take care of themselves. Maybe a co-author of the JAMA-published UNH study said it best: "

Legislation urged to protect corporate data Misc.6/21/2001; 8:52:39 AM A lot of littler interesting tidbits in this article. The one they picked as the lead story isn't even particularly interesting. I was most amused by this one:'In other testimony, trade group officials said legislation is needed to keep corporate security data that's shared with government agencies from becoming public under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). '"Companies worry that if information sharing with the government really becomes a two-way street, FOIA requests for information they have provided to an agency could prove embarrassing or costly,"