Bourgeois-Bus, originally uploaded by the biella.

We found this bus at South Street Seaport on Sunday. Someone thought I was photo shopped in but I was really there, lampshade and all. Someone should tell the bus owner that he/she needs to replace the image with something less Amish-like/Chinese-ice-skater and more fitting.

I need a vacation, originally uploaded by the biella.

A two-three day vacation is starting now. I so need it. I have stared at this screen for too many hours this summer.

Poetics and Politics of DeCSS, originally uploaded by the biella.

My slides are thankfully done for open video conference. Thankfully so I can go see the talks tomorrow, which you all should do if you are in town!

This summer I swore off travel, conferences, etc and promised I would sit in front of my computer as much as humanely possible. Well, by making a promise I guess it sets you up for breaking them as well. But no regrets, as the promise was broken for a good reason: I decided to attend and give a (short) talk the The Open Video Conference, which looks like it is going to be quite an event, being held June 19th and 20th at NYU law school.

Why hold a conference about video now? As stated on their website:

As internet video matures, we face a crossroads: will technology and public policy support a more participatory culture—one that encourages and enables free expression and broader cultural engagement? Or will online video become a glorified TV-on-demand service, a central part of a permissions-based culture? Web video holds tremendous potential, but limits on broadband, playback technology, and fair use threaten to undermine the ability of individuals to engage in dialogues in and around this new media ecosystem.

The organizers are not taking what we have now as a given but want to make sure the gifts that keeps on giving and the democratic potential of open video will surive in the future. They have assembled an incredible (and diverse) line up. I am particularly excited about Amy Goodman, DVD Jon (my talk is partially about him) as well as the hackers behind VLC (cuz VLC has saved me on SO many occasions!).

The organizers have made sure to also include some fun, so there is a Friday night after-party, movies, and an informal Hackday on Sunday.

If in the area, *do* drop on by!

Should I or should I not capitalize Free Software?

Despite its name Apartment Therapy, does not act therapeutic. It actually makes me quite depressed, frumpy to be specific. Everything is so cutesy and pretty pricey. I know I will never have home/apts/ like these people and perhaps that is for the best. But the sad thing is it is not only depressing but has induced a mild case of OCD as well: Despite the fact it makes me feel bad, I love looking at the site and like the trillion similar blogs. It is like peering into people’s apartments … everyday.

But there is only one apartment so far that left me pretty breathless. It is French, of course. Wow, what a place.

Struggle.article.jpg, originally uploaded by the biella.

Funny but true. I am still getting a trickle of comments on my rant against Blue Cross NO Shield as they, like most American insurance companies, s.u.c.k.

70swindsurfer, originally uploaded by the biella.

So as part of my efforts to work in PR, I bought a printer. The one that was 1) the cheapest 2) worked with the Linux (an HPJ4550) also had a scanner. I thought it would never work on Linux, or not without some series fiddling and tweaking.

But I bought the postcard, pictured above, to do a test run, and the run of test worked immediately. Go Linux!

Now on to the postcard: love the postcard because it is so 1972-1982 or so. It would be hard to find such a scence today.

Not only are windsurfers a dying breed (kite surfing is the new kid on the block), well, current windsurfers are definitely not so 1970s orange, yellow, and blue.

And so you have to ask: are there just truckloads of these postcards printed decades ago or do they actually print them anew?

Can’t answer but at least I know the scanner works!

Set outside ourselves, we swim in an enigmatic, fiery element, no
longer knowing ourselves nor recognizing the most familiar of
things; we no longer possess any standard of measurement,
everything lawlike and rigid begins to shift, everything gleams in
new colours, speaks to us in new signs and characters.

Free as in pie. Might have to start a gluten free version.