Musings on law, tech, chess & other topics by a geek

I am excited to announce that Public Knowledge has launched the Youtube Copyright School Challenge:

In an attempt to educate its users about copyright law, YouTube has debuted a “Copyright School” video that explains why videos are removed from YouTube. While “Copyright School” does a great job of telling you what you can’t do with copyrighted content, it does a very poor job of telling you what you can do with copyrighted content–namely, remix, reuse and repurpose content without permission from the rightsholder as allowed under the doctirine of fair use. So here’s our challenge to you: can you make a better video than YouTube that explains both what you can and can’t do with copyrighted content? Watch the video above (and read the official rules) to find out how you can win $1000 and have your video featured on the Public Knowledge website!* From the pool of submissions, we’ll select six finalists, whose videos will be judged by the following panel of celebrity judges:

Kirby Ferguson: Kirby is a writer, director and editor who is best known for his “Everything is a Remix” video series, which traces the evolution of culture as it is remixed, reused and repurposed into new works.

Elisa Kresinger: Elisa is a remix artist, educator, curator and speaker. She is best known for her “Queer Carrie” remix project, which reconfigures the gendered narratives found in the series “Sex and the City”.

Jonny McIntosh: Jonathan McIntosh is a pop culture hacker, best known for his Glenn Beck/Donald Duck mash-up video, “Right Wing Radio Duck”.

Brian Rowe: Brian is an activist and legal scholar and teaches Policy, Law, and Ethics in Information Management at the University of Washington’s Information School.

I am honored to be one of the judges with three amazing remix artists!  Good luck with the videos.

PS: Last week I blogged about the problems with you tubes new copyright school and  Youtube Copyright Propaganda Remix Challenge over at FFIP.  I will be posting some of the entries there.

Great video explaining the basics of Income Based Repayment (IBR) and loan forgiveness:

As some of you know. I have about a quarter of a million dollars (yes 230k) in student debt. The IBR is essential to me and my family. The monthly payments are manageable. If I continue to work in the NPO area, which I plan to because I love it here and I love the impact I can make, the benefit will equal about $25k a year in forgiveness. Without this program, I could not work for the great nonprofit I work at.

If you have any questions about this program please feel free to ping me. I went to law school to work on human rights and technology issues, the IBR option was one of the things that made my career path possible. I hope that it will enable others to use their law skills for social good.

I just finished a longer game online, 3 days per move, the game took about 2 months to complete.  Near the end of the game I was ahead and got into a hurry and missed a big tactical shot that could have ended the game a lot sooner. For new student one of the earliest lessons I cover is what I call the tactical algorithm.  This is a short series of steps chess players, especially new chess players, should use before making any move. This helps improve ones tactics and sets up a habit that will come in useful later.

Here is the position where I missed a nice tactical shot. White to move:

The Algorithm I suggest in the simplest form is:

Look for targets (undefended or under defended pieces along with an exposed king)

1. Check the Checks +

2. Check the Captures

3. Check the FORCING MOVES (moves that threaten a mate or taking a piece)

If I had followed my own advice I would have found the best series of moves see if you can find what I missed

Spoiler after the cut: Read more

We need a techie geek with a passion for access to justice.  This position is located in Montana.

Member Duties : As legal aid programs seek to integrate new technologies, they must rely on the most relevant and up to date information. The guidance they receive from NTAP will help direct them forward, offering the best opportunity for success and long term sustainability. NTAP has a history of providing key resources through its central website LSNTAP.org, its very active LStech listserv and more recently through the Help Desk. As the “go to person” on the Helpdesk, the VISTA volunteer will help NTAP continue its assisting programs nationwide by providing Drupal website support, researching new innovative technology projects, creating content for lstech.org and working closely with the NTAP Project Coordinator on a variety of tech initiatives and assigned tasks. The NTAP Help Desk VISTA will help programs to choose appropriate technologies based on lessons learned from earlier pioneers. In addition, the VISTA will attend national legal services technology conferences and assist in presentations.

Program Benefits : Childcare assistance if eligible , Choice of Education Award or End of Service Stipend , Health Coverage , Living Allowance , Relocation Allowance , Training .

Terms : Prohibits paid work outside of the sponsoring agency at any time .

Service Areas : Technology .

Skills : Communications , Computers/Technology , Law , Public Speaking , Teaching/Tutoring , Writing/Editing , General Skills

Please forward this on to anyone who might be interested. You can apply at the AmeriCorps site: https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?fromSearch=true&id=40108