This Oakland Press article does a nice job of explaining what Detroit Startup Drinks is all about. I recommend reading the whole article but my favorite quote comes from Jake Sigal of Myine Electronics: “I am choosy about the events I attend … I like Startup Drinks because of its low key environment – no one is trying hard to sell. It’s like talking over the backyard fence.”
Keeping with the backyard theme, the next Startup Drinks Detroit event will take place this Wednesday, Aug. 26th at Slows BBQ in Corktown.
NPR had a radio story the other day on the Google Books settlement and the privacy concerns raised by authors and publishers. It’s short but does a great job of covering the the issue.
For those that don’t know, Google has been working on a project to scan millions of library books and put them online. Essentially, doing for books what Google has already done for the Internet; making them searchable and accessible. The project is the subject of a copyright lawsuit filed by authors and publishers and a tentative settlement is waiting approval from the judge (which is likely to come this fall). The problem for some authors and publishers, however, is that the settlement covers the copyright issue but doesn’t address Google’s practice of tracking and storing users’ personal search and reading habits. The danger is that this private information could be used inappropriately. The example given in the NPR piece is where your health insurance company may find out what medical books (and diseases) you are searching for and reading. The EFF and ACLU don’t want Google to save this kind of reader data.
To get a better understanding of the issue, I recommend listening to the full NPR story.
Back in March I participated in a panel discussion called “Remixing the Rules” on independent filmmaking and the Fair Use Doctrine, as part of the 47th annual Ann Arbor Film Festival, at the WORK Gallery in Ann Arbor. I previously posted about it here and here. A video of that panel discussion is now available via YouTube. It’s divided into six parts, due to YouTube time limits.
On Wednesday, August 12, 2009, I’ll be presenting a copyright law lecture for musician and composers through VSA Arts of Michigan at the Russell St. Bazaar in Detroit (7500 Chrysler, Detroit, MI 48211) from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. The lecture will cover copyright law basics with a focus on protecting and exploiting musical works. The fee is $10 (scholarships are available for artists with disabilities). A more detailed description of the program can be found here. For more information about this program contact the VSAMI office at 313-832-3303 or email at info@vsami.org.
Incuba8 in MidMichigan is an intensive week-long program focused on concept generation and new business creation. The event is being held this week, August 10-18, at Northwood University and the MidMichigan Innovation Center in Midland. The program includes three workshops, a Concept Crafting Boot Camp, Business Launch Weekend and the Business Set-Up Conference. Also during the program, MidMichigan Innovators Speaker Series will feature Alex Lindahl, co-founder of CollegeMogul.com and director of the Boston Chapter of UltraLight Startups.
