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Techno Page - By Harendra Alwis Computer law The short answer
is "no". While it is quite easy to scan images out of
books and magazines, and to place computer-readable (GIF and JPG)
copies in one's web site, the fact that it is easy does not make
it legal (or moral). The safest course of action is to obtain permission from the copyright owner before posting a scanned image into your web site. Suppose you take a photograph yourself... can you freely scan it and put it on your web site? Even this sort of photograph can cause trouble. If it is a photograph of someone else, it is safest if you obtain a 'model release' from that person releasing you from liability for use of the photograph. The aim of the above discussion is not to provide legal counsel. For clarification, you should seek advice of competent counsel. Feel free to share your views on computer law with us at technopage_lk@yahoo.com Starting
a career in IT? For those just
starting to consider technology as a career, it is best to avoid
the temptation to jump into a potentially expensive, time-intensive
training programme, unless you know it's the right programme and
career path for you. Instead, explore the field on-line and pick
and choose from the 10 mix-and-match steps below to get a sense
of the technology job world and what you're likely to find fulfilling. 1) Learn
HTML 2) Read
computer books 3) Write
a programme 4) Take
an on-line course 5) Talk
to technology professionals 6) Install
Linux 7) Attend
an industry organisation's meeting On Google,
you will find a directory of groups for technology professionals. 8) Volunteer
your services 9) Enrol
in a workshop 10) Build
a Web site Improve your
computer literacy VRML is, in
the words of the VRML Consortium, "an open standard for 3D
multi-media and shared virtual worlds on the Internet." * An open standard:
VRML was recognised as an international standard (ISO/IEC-14772-1:
1997) by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO)
and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in December
1997. * 3D multi-media:
Long before its official standardisation, VRML became the de facto
standard for sharing and publishing data between CAD, animation,
and 3D modelling programmes; virtually every one of those programmes
now exports VRML or has a utility or plug-in to convert its native
file format to VRML. VRML is included or referenced in the upcoming
MPEG-4 standard, Java3D, and in other developing standards. * Shared virtual
worlds: Being able to talk and work in a 3D shared virtual space
was one of the earliest motivations of the VRML pioneers. Still,
a substantial amount of work on VRML is being done to realise this
vision. * On the Internet:
Unlike previous 3D applications, using the Internet to share 3D
objects and scenes was built into VRML from the very beginning.
The standard is even published in HTML. VRML isn't
a general purpose programming language like C++, a script language
like JavaScript or a page specification language like HTML. It's
a scene description language that describes the geometry and behaviour
of a 3D scene or "world". Have you got anything to say? Write in to technopage_lk@yahoo.com A
girl accused of crying out loud The incident
took place on January 10 in London in the toilet of the nightclub. Toilet attendant
Sophie Amogbokpa claims Cheryl Tweedy insulted her after allegedly
refusing to pay for sweets in the bathroom counter. Reports claim
Amogb-okpa is going to press charges against the Girls Aloud singer
as the toilet attendant suffered a swollen eye in the fight. As claims and
counter claims got maximum press exposure, Cheryl Tweedy is reported
to be "shocked and horrified" by the club worker's allegations.
The 19-year-old
singer denied claims that she is racist. Tweedy had to spend a night
in a police cell after the club management called in the law enforcers
as the brawl was getting out of hand. As Tweedy was
taken to the local police station for a recording of a statement,
there was no mention of racism in the document. Meanwhile,
the record label Polydor to which Tweedy is signed on says they
are taking the matter up with their lawyers. On the chart
scene, the news is better for Girls Aloud. The group managed to
stay clear ahead in the race and retain the No:1 position with the
song 'Sound of the Underground'. The song has
managed to be on top despite the drop in the ratings for Popstars
groups. Perhaps the song 'Sound of the Underground' is an exception.
This is the
fourth consecutive week Girls Aloud has spent at the top of the
UK singles chart. The last song to spend four consecutive weeks
at the top of the chart was 'A Little Less Conversation' by Elvis
Vs JXL back in June 2002. The big new
hit for 2003 entered the UK Singles chart at No: 2. 'Danger High
Voltage' by Electric Six added a fresh outlook to the music scene
with a mix of garage rock and disco beats. The Electric
Six is an US act formed in 1996 in Detroit as The Wild Bunch. The house track
'The Way (Put your hand in My Hand)' by Divine Inspiration checked
into the chart at No: 5. The female vocalist on the song is Sarah-Jane
Scott. Solsbury Hill
brings an old chart act, Erasure, back into the top 20 after nearly
nine years. The duo, Andy Bell and Vince Clarke cover Peter Gabriel's
first solo hit which reached No: 13 for the one-time Genesis member
in 1977. Erasure were
exponents of synthesisers and quite big in the 80s. Their biggest
hit was the 'Abba-Esque EP' which topped the chart in 1992. Since
then, the group has released awful tracks. But 'Solsbury Hill' is
a good track deserving recognition. An old Whitney
Houston song, 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' takes the air by storm
via Flip & Flap at No: 13. The vocalist on the song is Jo James.
Also, former
Verve leader Richard Ashcroft checked in at 14 with 'Science of
Silence' a follow up to his previous chart hit 'Check the Meaning'
from October last year. It's described as a good track. Chart debutants
this week are the Audiobullys with 'We Don't Care' at No: 15. The
group consists of Simon Franks and Tom Dinsdale. They are certain
to keep dance music alive this year. The surviving
brothers of BeeGee Maurice Gibb - Barry and Robin said on January
13, the group will continue, despite the death of the 53-year-old. Meanwhile,
one of the Bee Gees songs featured on their 2001 album is covered
by One True Voice. The song 'Sacred Trust' appeared on their album
This Is Where I came In. Tommy Motola
resigned on January 9 as chairman of Sony Records after a 14 year
association. The move came
after a difficult year for Sony resulting in financial losses of
over $100 million. Motola plans to launch a new label in partnership
with Sony Music Entertainment. He signed on
and made stars of Hall+Oates, John Mellancamp, Carly Simon, Michael
Jackson, Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez. He was also responsible
for signing on Mariah Carey whom he later married. Pete Townsend
of the rock group The Who was arrested on Monday, January 13. He
was questioned for an hour at the Richmond Police station in England
and released on bail without charge. He will be called back to the
police later this month. Townsend was questioned at his home earlier
in the day for nearly four hours. The Who guitarist admitted he had accessed a 'pay to view' paedophile porn website. He issued a statement saying he was not a paedophile and offered to co-operate fully with police to clear his name. UK top 20 |
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