Bunch of Rowdy Drunks
Bill C-61 is Canada’s dark answer to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act used to cut a swath of destruction through fair use rights in America. It goes even further to impinge on the freedoms of Canadians then the DMCA could ever hope to pull off with the citizens of the US. The bill is self-contradictory, broad-sweeping, and really just a mess. This wonderful piece of work is the demon hell-spawn of Jim Prentice, who is currently Minister of Industry for the minority Conservative Party. But with all that being said, this post isn’t really about the horrors of Bill C-61. Every Canadian should be very afraid of this bill, and should write their MP to voice their concerns. If you need some info on why it’s a horrible piece of legislation, I suggest heading over to Michael Geist’s blog. He is essentially Canada’s closest thing to an expert on legal issues on the internet, and how they affect regular Canadians. There’s also a couple other blog posts outlining why this Bill doesn’t help Canadian artists. This whole issue is only the back drop for this post.
In this space I simply want to show my friends in America (OK I know only 5 people read this blog, but I can dream big) how lively the Canadian Parliament can be. By way of blogger Graham Williams, I have a video of NDP MP Charlie Angus essentially taking Jim Prentice to school over the issue of Bill C-61. This lively little piece of video shows the type of mud-slinging and sarcasm thrown across the floor on a regular basis. Let’s watch.
That’s way better than anything shown on CPAC in the US. That stuff could put a two year old hopped up on double-chocolate cappuccino ice cream to sleep. Man that’s why I love watching Canadian parliament. It’s like the US House of Representatives with a 2 drink minimum.
A Feather In My Cap
Some people say that it’s not considered very virtuous to brag about one’s accomplishments. Luckily I have no such reservations. So last week when Stephen Fung alerted me to something he saw at Computex 2008, I have to say I was rather proud.
As Stephen was wandering about the Computex floor, he noticed a Futurelooks.com logo on the display for one of the many products we’ve reviewed. This is always a great achievement for a site, but there’s a reason it’s also a feather in my cap.
The logo was the Editor’s Choice award rewarded to Foxconn for their 9800GTX-512N video card in the review I wrote for Futurelooks more than a month ago. The card was a solid performer, and the review was well received. Even with that in mind, it’s still nice to see the hard work put into the review recognized in such a way.
Computex is the second largest computer trade show in the world, and a great venue for our site to show it’s stuff. I have had my writing featured before, but mostly on company websites buried a few pages deep on the reviews section. Though a useful promotion tool, it usually requires that the visitor to that site be looking in that particular area. Sometimes you luck out, and those links will show up in a Google search. However branding that is front and centre on a banner for one of the largest OEM component manufacturers in the world catches a few more eyes, and is definitely a great boost for both the site and myself.
Anyhow enough of the ego boost. Thanks to Foxconn for the recognition, and thanks to Stephen for making sure this review hit the internet running. I’m quite looking forward to going to Computex in 2009, as I’d like to check out some of these companies in person. It’s also a great opportunity to essentially usurp the North American market entirely and see products before they event have a hint of hitting our shores. In addition to all that, apparently I’m being drafted to find Ed Lau some hot Asian girls.