.mrt memo

Seems like Canada has the first reasonable big TV network, at least in North America, that is beginning to offer TV shows via BitTorrent. DRM free, simple torrents! “The show will be completely free (and legal) for you to download, share & burn to your heart’s desire.” Funny I don’t see Creative Common Licence attached anywhere near. I guess that would have been too much to ask. One step at a time.

The show’s “Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister“. Downloads via MiniNova.org. The show has it’s own channel on Youtube. For example watch the last year’s finale. But some videos are not available outside the Canada. Like this.

Now of course, if you’re not canadian, as me, then you’d go “Canada’s Next whadda wha?”, but is seems the show within Canadian borders is a hit, with as many viewers tuning in as an episode of House. (.oO how badass would it be to get legal episodes of House like that .. I love House MD.)

Info via various sources, among them Michael Geist, an Ottawa-based advocate of open sharing over the internet. There seems to be somekind of problem with Canadian ISP’s who are restricting torrent traffic in their networks, so basically the irony might very well be true.

“It would be ironic if ISP network management practices ensured that viewers outside the country enjoyed better access to the program than the Canadian taxpayers who helped fund its creation,” Michael Geist wrote in his blog.

More articles:

Guinevere Orvis at last100.com - Inside story: the making of a legal TV ‘torrent’.
Daniel Langendorf at last100.com - They’re not lying: CBC to release TV show for download, free, legal, and via BitTorrent
Cory Doctorow at BoingBoing.net - How CBC torrented a TV show

The people who make Onion happen are ingenious. The dripping sarcasm always refreshes me when I see those clips.

Anonymous Hero Donates Hospital 200 Human Kidneys - They left a note in the bag that indicated that they might be making
more additional donations in the future (the same time a bloody letter
is shown “This is only the beginning!!!”).
Multiple Stab Wounds May Be Harmful To Monkeys - test group of 300 monkeys was stabbed with sharp edged objects.
Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 08 Election - From now on we at Diebold will properly see to it that our illusion of democracy is properly guarded.
Concentric Circles Emanating From Glowing Red Dot - a series of concentric red circles have begun emanating from this glowing red dot in the big blue area over my left shoulder.
Kim Jong-Il’s Approval Rating Plummets to 120% - from 150%.
Ninja Parade Slips Through Town Unnoticed Once Again - A record crowd 3,000 people came out to not see the ninjas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFBZ_uAbxS0

And after that see the Craig Fergusson version - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYBTlI1-fHg

I also suggest you watch some Youtube with the keyword scientology. It seems to be a very popular cult among the Hollywood celebrities - they even have a “scientology celebrity center” - I guess to recruit new followers to “up” the churches reputation.

Some movie stars that are scientologists: Kirstie Alley, Priscilla Presley, John Travolta and a bunch of others.
Scientology mini dictionary:

*KSW (short for Keeping Scientology Working): A policy written by
Hubbard in the 1960’s that requires all Scientologists to follow his
words and his rules exactly.

‘Orgs: Orgs is an abbreviation for ‘organizations’ and describes
all churches of Scientology throughout the world.

*David Miscavige: He is the current leader of Scientology.
He’s the equivalent of the Pope to the Catholics.

*Out-ethics: any behavior that violates any of Hubbard’s
rules of conduct.

*Put ethics in on someone else: make others conform
to Hubbard’s rules of behavior.

*Criminon: Scientology front group that tries to recruit through the prisons.

* SP: Suppressive Person. Anyone that doesn’t like Scientology and/or criticizes Scientology.

*PTS/SP: another Hubbard term to define behavior that goes
against Scientology rules.

*LRH technology or ‘tech’: all the Scientology policies, rules, mandates, procedures.

Short videos of industrial engineering and how all the “stuff” is actually made.
http://science.discovery.com/video/index.html?playerId=1391584921&titleId=1243635978