Were you intrigued by “The $8 Billion iPod,” Rob Reid’s short TEDTalk about the new science of Copyright Math (TM)? We were. We needed to know more. More numbers, Rob! we said. And Rob (whose comic novel Year Zero comes out in July) sent us this treatise, a master class in creative mathematics:

A few weeks back, I gave a short TED talk about “Copyright Math.” Since TED draws both Hollywood and Silicon Valley bigwigs, I thought it would be a great venue for raising certain rights issues that have been a sore point between the two industries for years. But January’s brawl over the proposed SOPA law was a raw and recent memory. So I decided to make my talk playful, rather than sermonizing. Everyone can laugh at silly infographics. And who DOESN’T want to deface a Leave-it-to-Beaver-like Christmas scene with pirate-and-Santa graffiti?

Since the talk was so short, I couldn’t dive deeply into the numbers and sources that I based it on (which would have shattered the whimsical tone anyway). But even my silliest numbers were derived from actual research, performed by an actual Copyright Mathematician (me, that is). So I thought I’d use this blog post to put my sources and calculations out there for anyone who’d like to nerd out on the details.

First, the Motion Picture Association’s claims of $58 billion in actual US economic losses and 373,000 lost jobs came from this press release[1] (which can also be found on Scribd[2]). These numbers originated at a think tank called the “Institute for Policy Innovation” – an organization that Businessweek once profiled in an article called “Op-Eds for Sale.”[3] In it, an IPI analyst freely admitted to taking payoffs from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff[4] in exchange for writing “op-ed pieces boosting the lobbyist’s clients.” The IPI’s president supported this behavior, saying it was neither wrong nor unethical, and dismissing those who apply “a naïve purity standard” to the business of writing op-eds.

Via Ted Talks Blog

So if anyone has read my previous article about the CBSA using Wikipedia as justification to search my stuff… you know I don’t get along well with them.

Our primary area of corruption? Politicians. 

No, not me… poor Anne Muir, a 58-year-old grandmother of eight. She was was sentenced today to three years in prison and psychiatric help. What did this wicked woman actually do? She plead guilty to file sharing.

If you are upset by this ruling, then you will be really upset when you think about it this way: Anne is not going to be able to spend time with her grandchildren because of less songs than it would take to fill up a bottom of the line iPod.

The media industries of the world are creating a system where innocent people of non-violent crimes are being put into prison and being treated like animals. The media industries call this a “victory”, but it is nothing of the sort. It’s an attack on reasonable people who want to share their culture, a right that was listed as a “Human Right” by the United Nations. She didn’t download those songs because she hated the artists and wanted them to suffer, she downloaded them so that they could bring her joy, and so she could share her love of great music with the people she cares about.

Obviously this is just something being blown out of proportion though, right? I mean she probably look like some crimainal… (Sorry my blog is acting up so I am just going to have to link http://travismccrea.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/53079138_copyright_muir.jpg )

Nope… She doesn’t look like a criminal to me. She looks like a sweet woman in her youth++ and doesn’t appear to be a threat to society.

What’s worse about this entire action is that they have labelled her a hoarder for storing these files on her computer and will require her to get psychiatric help. Anyone who is is lucky enough (and unfortunate enough at the same time) to look through my /home folder, and especially my ~/Downloads folder will learn a whole new definition to hoarding. I don’t accept that this lady is a criminal and I don’t accept that she deserves to spend three years away from her family.

This is just another case of the Media Industries (being pressured by US media industries) trying to circumvent rights and circumvent what is right, just to keep their old business models.

Running in election 41 ( #ELXN41 ) has taught me a lot about running in a campaign, doing debates, and screwing with (unfortunately now elected) @HedyFry and the Conservative candidate Jen Clarke, who both work together to represent everything I hate about politics. I have no regrets for any of the election process but here are a few things that I want to fix for next election:

I will not neglect my core voters. I felt that I would have the pro-internet crowed in the bag, so I didn’t really do any advertising on Facebook/Adsense/forums etc. This failed for me, because there are a lot less internet-savvy folks who know of the Pirate Party than I thought.

Focus on myself more, and promoting me rather than promoting minority voting. While inspiring, the call for a minor party voting should be something I do outside of elections. I spent too much time at green party rallies and events for other parties trying to network and encourage people to vote for minor parties that I neglected myself and my own party.

Organize volunteers better. Even on my party for election night I wound up only having one other supporter there with me. We need a better system which should actually be built by the party itself to make getting members connected with candidates. Also organize team activities to make sure everyone knows about me.

I will also do more effort in actual on-the-street canvassing and talking to people, maybe make some signs so when I approach them they are not thinking I am a sales person or any other type of canvasser.

I am ready to move forward, luckily my networking has provided me great opportunities to find a job within some organization which will allow me to protect the environment or protect democracy. I will also be putting in my request to volunteer for SSCS soon too! So I can spend my mornings working with them protecting the seas.

Sad days are ahead with a Conservative majority, which was not the will of the people but only the will of 40% of the voters. We must stand strong and stand up for our rights and protect ourselves at home and protect our internet. Keep on rocking Canada, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.