Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I didn't actually do anything today. Well, I did. The new year started at 12:30 am with my company's security phoning to ask me who they should phone since the freezer alarm for PLAS 1 was sounding (i.e. one of the monitored freezers at work was faulty and warming up). That means that I started the year with the choice of selecting who was to be woken up and forced to go into work at 1 am on New Year's Day! Unfortunately I was so sleepy I was honest and gave the name of the person I thought was actually in charge of the freezer contents instead of picking the name of my Biggest Enemy. Oh well.

On my way back on December 31st I passed a nasty accident on the Ortega Highway at approximately the point I was being a Stingray the day before. Good thing I was paying attention today. (Largely because the motorcyclist in front of me was doing a steady 40 mph. But for whatever reason, I was driving safely when we came across the three fire tenders and two ambulances and one twisted up solo spin-out. )

It's lucky no one saw me when I was listening to Echoes in my car that day, too, as the Washington Post (here reported in the Register) says that the RIAA thinks that MP3 players are evidence of criminal activity. (Ripping one copy of your legitimate CD for your own use is stealing, apparently.) CIO Today says that's not the case. It's ripping CDs and putting them into a "share folder" (like a Kazaa folder) that's illegal, not ripping them.

W/E, as the kids say. But it is lucky I was in the car by myself as I'm sure the RIAA would consider ripping a CD and playing it in a car with a passenger as being an unauthorized public performance. At least, that's the law in the UK, as reported in EDP:

Staff at a Norfolk company were stunned to learn they must buy a licence for their radio, even though only one person listens to it. Simnick Supplies, which sells glassware and cleaning products to pubs, was contacted by the Performing Right Society (PRS).

The organisation collects licence fees from anyone playing music in public places, including shops, offices and factories. The caller asked if any music was played on the premises.

Told that warehouse manager David Loveday listened to a radio, she said that a licence costing £87 a year was needed. She also said a licence was needed to cover the music played on the company's phone system.

May 2008 be the year the music companies realize music consumers are their source of income, not their sworn enemies.