BTP 6: Bill and Me

It's 2:39 am and I've just got back from London, had an hours sleep and woken up to discover that the article I'd being planning and researching has already been written and I haven't had a cup of coffee in two days. I'm beginning to shake a little from sleep deprivation and caffeine intake but by the devil's socks I'm going to write something because I need to, because I must, because...because...because why is Beside The Point!


Before I go on I'd like to point out that while I was going to write an article about Tim Burton's take on Alice In Wonderland, it appears to have already been written. And is good. So if you haven't already read it I want you go away, read it, comment on it, take a few moments quiet reflection then come back here for todays sermon. All done? Then let's begin.

Ladies and gentlemen, children of reading age and you strange frog-like creatures of the media, I'd like to talk to you about my new best friend Mr Bill Thompson. "Who the hells Bill Thompson?" you ask. You don't know? He's only the latest ally in an on going moral crusade against greed, corruption and all things evil. He's also an independent journalist currently writing for the BBC with a few things to say in the defense of creativity on the internet. You see kiddies, there's a war going on that you might not be aware of. It has many fronts, some of them legal others cyber based, but they're all hot. And it's going on right now.

This is a war between freedom of expression and censorship, between art and law and between open source and copyright. But the thing I want you to pay most attention to is that it involves YOU. That's right private, you've been drafted. Because in the end almost everyone uses the internet these days and most of us remember a time before paid content on youtube. We remember when web pages didn't insist on users viewing ads in return for articles and most of all we remember having rights.

If you'll allow me to don my smocking jacket and be frank with you here, because this isn't something to be mucking about with like TNT. This is serious. Because of the reckless way the internet has grown, governments and businesses the world over are having to play catch up. And so is everyone else. The sudden influx of infomation and freedom to distribute it has left several gray areas over digital copyright and more pressingly, whether the old way of selling media is even still viable. In their haste to control all this (not necessarily a bad thing), governments have set new bills and rules popping up all over the place that on occasion seem to go too far in repressing freedom of infomation and go too far in giving power to large business interests (both of which are most definitely bad things).

And that's the crux of it. We all need to fight to make sure the internet is both fair and safe for EVERYONE. Not just big business. It isn't wrong to want to see the internet regulated but without public intervention regulation could become domination.

So that's it. I'll continue to cover events as they unfold while you go away, have a little read of the links and perhaps makes yourselves a small sandwich for your troubles. Now I'd like you all to turn to hymn number 34: In Drew we trust (54 verse edition.)

-Drew-

Linkage; Read Bill's thoughts 'ere

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Drew contains 54% more iron filings then the store brand equivalent.