A bunch of my posts need updates and rather than create a lot of little posts, I’m “batch-processing” them.
Pride Toronto and Anti-Israeli Apartheid protesters.
On June 8th, I had posted a piece on Pride Toronto’s decision to ban Anti-Israeli Apartheid protesters from Pride Week events. The Toronto Star reports that Pride Toronto’s board has reversed its decision to ban the phrase “Queers against Israeli apartheid.” The group of the same name will be able to participate in Pride Week as long as it signs and abides by the City of Toronto’s Non-Discrimination Policy.
Bill C-32, Canada’s Copyright Modernization Act
Heritage Minister, James Moore, was caught saying that the only people who oppose the proposed copyright legislation are “radical extremists.” He has been criticized for polarizing debate and, in effect, warning the public that debate is pointless in any event. As I pointed out in my initial look at Bill C-32, there are legitimate concerns around the issue of anti-circumvention provisions which appear to undermine the whole thrust of what is otherwise a decent piece of legislation. See commentary from Cory Doctorow on Boing Boing and Michael Geist.
Kobo eReader’s scalable font issue
In my review of Kobo eReader and in a later discussion, I had pointed out that if you purchase epub books from vendors other than Kobo, font resizing doesn’t always work. There are ways around this, of course, but only for epub books that aren’t protected by digital locks. Kobo has since announced a soon-to-be-released firmware update that will address this and other issues. Read more about it on Kobo’s official blog.
Apple reverses censorship decision
On June 10th, I reported that when the creators of Ulysses Seen, a comic version of James Joyce’s novel, applied to Apple for approval of their app, Apple refused because the comic includes full frontal nudity. Following considerable public outcry, Apple reversed its decision, allowing an app which will permit the work to be viewed on iPhone and iPad.
Mosquito teen repellant must be banned
Way back in October of 2006, I posted a piece about the “mosquito ringtone.” It’s a high-frequency sound which teens can detect but which older people can’t hear owing to a natural deterioration of hearing which occurs as people age (presbycusis). It had been developed to keep teens from loitering around convenience stores. Well, according to the Guardian, the European Council has declared that it must be banned in Britain because it is “degrading and discriminatory” to youth.
Related posts:
Thu, Jun 24, 2010
From the Drainpipe