just how crap is the CBPDTA/SSSCA? even the anti-piracy goonsquad at the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) hate it.

the SIIA (and its evil doppelganger the Business Software Alliance) is no stranger to piracy agitprop -- they even have a piracy snitchline for cybergrasses -- but the spectre of Big Content's paid-for government sock-puppets regulating product design was apparently too much:

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) and its predecessor organizations have been fighting digital piracy longer than any other trade association in the world. During the 16 years we have combated digital piracy we have gained invaluable experience as to what anti-piracy policies are effective and what level and type of Government involvement is appropriate and necessary. Based on our years of experience in this area, we believe that S. 2048, the "Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act," is bad policy and establishes unwarranted and intrusive level of Government regulation into the development of technology.

(via Politech)

Big Content supremo Jamie Kellner's mission is to whip Turner Broadcasting into synergistic shape. happily, he sees his success in making life easier for you:

JK:...I'm a big believer we have to make television more convenient or we will drive the penetration of PVRs and things like that...

great! except that he doesn't actually mean what he just said -- he doesn't give a rat's ass about convenience for the viewer:

...which I'm not sure is good for the cable industry or the broadcast industry or the networks.

CW: Why not?

JK: Because of the ad skips.... It's theft. Your contract with the network when you get the show is you're going to watch the spots. Otherwise you couldn't get the show on an ad-supported basis. Any time you skip a commercial or watch the button you're actually stealing the programming.

so, as far as believing in making television more convenient -- not so much for Jamie Kellner.

thankfully, Jamie's not completely psychotic. our compulsive need to urinate (and thus steal from the networks) will continue to be "tolerated":

CW: What if you have to go to the bathroom or get up to get a Coke?

JK: I guess there's a certain amount of tolerance for going to the bathroom. But if you formalize it and you create a device that skips certain second increments, you've got that only for one reason, unless you go to the bathroom for 30 seconds. They've done that just to make it easy for someone to skip a commercial.

creepy.

if Jamie's any indication, Big Content's lost all sight of the fact that every time we indulge in their product, we're doing them a favor.

Doc Searls takes a second look at what lefty British journohacks think American capitalists can learn from Eurobusiness. as i look for all the European technology in my house that doesn't say "Nokia" and isn't a coffee maker, i think i'm developing my answer.

what i particularly like is this turn of phrase from Dr Searls (is that PhD or MD?):

Once again we've got an OR story about an AND issue.

i'm going to use more Booleans in my everyday speech -- much more self-explanatory than clichés like "zero-sum".

...i forgot to blog yesterday.