I have a strange obsession with technology law and I thought a few developments this week were worth a post.

This week there have been two huge news stories related to the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act). This copyright revision adopted in 1998 famously outlawed some very controversial things including ANY cracking of DRM (the stuff that stops you from copying DVDs, old iTunes songs, eBooks, etc.). This week, it seems that the DMCA may not be all that bad, but interpretations of the law have been.

First, the Library of Congress allowed iPhone jail-breaking, DVD ripping for short clips, and eBook cracking for text to speech. All three of these were previously considered DMCA violations, now overridden by the LoC.

Second, and maybe even overshadowing to the last story, fair use finally got some legal precedent in a big way. The Fifth Circuit court gave a very fresh interpretation,

“Merely bypassing a technological protection that restricts a user from viewing or using a work is insufficient to trigger the DMCA’s anti-circumvention provision. The DMCA prohibits only forms of access that would violate or impinge on the protections that the Copyright Act otherwise affords copyright owners.”

So, does this make DVD ripping and such legal? Well, no, and I’m not a lawyer so don’t plan on using this post when the cyber police come knocking on your door. What is does make clear is that fair use, which is generally agreed to meaning copying for personal, non-commercial use, supersedes the DMCA’s anti-circumvention provision (§ 1201(a)).

No telling whether this will be overturned in an appeal, but it could change a lot about copyright…

Before you write me off as a blogger know that just because I’ve had a busy two weeks doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about it. I regularly find myself thinking more about stuff just so I can maybe write about it later. I love the feeling!

So part of my absence was due to the annual as ever Impact Summer Camp. Also becoming an annual event is my drive up to Michigan for it (a 15 hour affair) which is way to much time to sit and think…and listen to an audio book or two. My listening was The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs, an agnostic, secular raised Jew. Reading this lead to two realizations:

1. The Bible is not user friendly. I’ve always understood how daunting and overwhelming the Bible can seem to a first time reader, but the author of this book found over 700 rules that he attempted to follow. This was my frustration with the book (and the reason I do not recommend it). He never took the time to get the heart of the Bible and only once or twice made mention of the God’s love for us part. He got caught up in the religion and never caught the purpose of any of it.

2. But that led to my second realization that I am incredibly sympathetic to skepticism of Christianity. My favorite parts of the Bible have always been the ones that display the struggle of faith in God. For me, Jonah, the author of Ecclesiastes, and Job are some of my favorites. As Jacobs asks in the book, ”Is half of the world suffering from a massive delusion, or is my blindness to spirituality a huge defect in my personality?” It’s not that I too struggle with my faith, it’s just that I really understand how it can be hard to believe in something so illogical. Hopefully  I will return to these topics soon.

I have accomplished a lot of…alright, I’ll say it if nobody else will…amazing things in the last year. Off the top of my head those include:

1. Running a half marathon. Amazing, intense, painful.
2. Completing five weeks of P90X (missing very few workouts).
3. Carrying 1000lbs of camera equipment (including a Cam-Mate) through the woods for two gorgeous shoots.
4. Helping make some amazing videos for NLC.
5. Learning new software, camera equipment, and a lot about video production in general.
6. My first MW2 prestige.

All of these (minus #6) are things I am incredibly proud of. The only problem is none of these were really my goals. They were driven or sparked by people around me. Of course I love where I am and everything I get to do. This is probably the best job in the world for me where I am right now.

Setting personal goals is just another thing I’ve let slide, not that I’ve ever really been good at it. So here we go. Along with starting to think again, I’m going to start setting some goals for myself for the rest of the year:

1. Learn Javascript. I’ve gone back and forth on a language to get into and I’ve just decided.
2. Get on a good Bible devotional scedule. Never been good at this either, but I really really need it!
3. Build some more relationships. I love my co-workers and my roomates but I really want to start branching out.
4. Start a serious dating relationship. Don’t laugh, it’s one of my goals!
5. Set some long term goals. I have some but too few and all too general.

Alright, so that is the end of my two part getting my life together series. Next post will be cool and technical in some way…and concise. Way more concise.

So I’ve been thinking again lately. Not to say that I’ve been completely braindead for the last year and a half but I’ve been stuck in doing mode for so long…there’s just been very little time spent on thinking, learning, and growing.

So you’re probably wondering right now why I have randomly posted on my all but abandoned blog this fine evening. First, I’m on vacation and that has traditionaly been a time that I’ve shared a lot (^{1 2 3}). Second, something needs to get my brain going again!

So why must this brain jogging be in such a public fashion? Well, whether you like it or not, I’ve just signed you all up as accountabilibuddies. If I write here…and I mean really write here, hopefully there will be a desire to think of something interesting to say on a regular basis. What exactly it will be I have not yet decided, but I would like it to be fairly topical rather than randomness.

So thank you loyal RSS subscribers who I will pretend still exist. Thank you for my make believe obligation to you (both?). Together, I cannot fail.

What do you think I should write about?

We are super excited to be launching our internet campus this weekend. The live stream will be the full experience from worship to sermon all in a custom designed page. Joe Hohman from s8e8 did a great job with this and we’re excited to see how the public receives it.

Live services will be Sunday morning at 10:00am and 11:30am every week so join us at internet.newlifechurch.tv!

So let’s watch a video of Rick talking about it!