Miguel Caetano › Comments

"Since the mid-1980s, US audiences have watched the majority of movies they see on a video platform, be it VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, Video On Demand, or streaming media. Annual video revenues have exceeded box office returns for over twenty-five years. In short, video has become the structuring discourse of US movie culture. Killer Tapes and Shattered Screens examines how prerecorded video reframes the premises and promises of motion picture spectatorship. But instead of offering a history of video technology or reception, Caetlin Benson-Allott analyzes how the movies themselves understand and represent the symbiosis of platform and spectator. Through case studies and close readings that blend industry history with apparatus theory, psychoanalysis with platform studies, and production history with postmodern philosophy, Killer Tapes and Shattered Screens unearths a genealogy of post-cinematic spectatorship in horror movies, thrillers, and other exploitation genres. From Night of the Living... more... - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"Film stocks are vanishing, but the image remains, albeit in a new, sleeker format. Today, viewers can instantly stream movies on demand on televisions, computers, and smartphones. Long gone are the days when films could only be seen in theaters: Videos are now accessible at the click of a virtual button, and there are no reels, tapes, or discs to store. Any product that is worth keeping may be collected in the virtual cloud and accessed at will through services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Instant. The movies have changed, and we are changing with them. The ways we communicate, receive information, travel, and socialize have all been revolutionized. In Streaming: Movies, Media, and Instant Access, Winston Wheeler Dixon reveals the positive and negative consequences of the transition to digital formatting and distribution, exploring the ways in which digital cinema has altered contemporary filmmaking and our culture. Many industry professionals and audience members feel that the new... more... - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"The creator of Bitcoin-- who I think he is, and why." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"Nobody knows who invented the digital currency Bitcoin. The developer used a pseudonym, Satoshi Nakamoto, and since then there's been a lot of inconclusive internet sleuthing. Ted Nelson, a computer scientist, has posted a video to the web claiming that he's figured it out, and that it's Kyoto University math professor  Shinichi Mochizuki." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"The more energy we have access to, the more we feel the urge to burn. And we produce children to help us do it, and raise them accordingly. There seems to be a pattern here. We make sure every next generation is even more dependent on burning even more energy, and less capable of doing without. Not because we don't understand this can only end in tears and blood and piles of corpses; we do. All the evidence says we simply can't help ourselves. So wearing that extra sweater is useless; we'd just come up with something like keeping it on in summer and jacking up the airco, so at least we can keep burning that oil and gas and electricity, in increasing amounts." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"It is time to try to describe, at first abstractly and later concretely, a strategy for destroying capitalism. At its most basic, this strategy calls for pulling time, energy, and resources out of capitalist civilization and putting them into building a new civilization. The image, then, is one of emptying out capitalist structures, hollowing them out, by draining wealth, power, and meaning from them until there is nothing left but shells." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"The purpose of this note is to suggest a way forward, whereby the IGF could step up and meet the unmet need for a multistakeholder forum for work on the draft opinion from Brazil, through a new pilot process that aims to produce a non-binding output document, that governments and other stakeholders alike could choose to support." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"This is the official overview page of the conference. For research on the topic of "commons economics", check the category page here: [1] See also the ECC Communication Platform for communication between the participants, at http://commonsandeconomics.org/ Live streaming of keynote presentations will be available from here" - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"It is, however, no longer as obvious as it was for Mauss, Polanyi and Keynes where the levers of democratic power are to be located, since the global explosion of money, markets and communications over the last quarter-century has severely exposed the limitations of national frameworks of economic management. We are clearly witnessing the start of another long swing in the balance between state and market. Central banks are pumping liquidity into failing asset markets. The rapid switch by the ‘masters of the universe’ from market triumphalism to the public begging bowl would be surprising, if it were not so familiar. Before long, a genuine revival of Keynesian redistributive politics seems to be inevitable. But the imbalances of the money system are now global. Society is already taking the form of large regional trading blocs; and the inability of the Bretton Woods institutions (World Bank, IMF, WTO) to serve any interest beyond that of western capital has long been obvious. The... more... - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"This image, from the indiegogo crowdfunding page, shows two currently available Arduino boards and, at the left, the new addition: Pinoccio Pinoccio’s strong points are its WIFI networking capability, a long battery life and an almost infinite expandability by little add-ons called shields. There are shields for - accelerometer - bluetooth - environment (temp, humidity, light intensity) - infrared channels - midi - security (infrared motion detector and mic) - motion sensing - solar charging and more are coming…" - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"Kanye West gave the world its first official taste of his new album on Friday night by projecting the new song, "New Slaves," along with visuals on buildings across the globe. The video was projected at various times throughout the night on 66 buildings in cities including New York, Toronto, Chicago, London, Paris and Berlin. In West's hometown of Chicago, it was projected on a wall of Wrigley Field; in Toronto, on the Royal Ontario Museum; and in New York, Kanye's face appeared on the wall of a 5th Avenue Prada store, among other locations." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"Rio de Janeiro - O aumento da renda, o acesso ao mercado de trabalho, o crédito fácil e a perda do "medo" da tecnologia entre os mais velhos foram fatores decisivos para a inclusão digital no País entre 2005 e 2011. Mais da metade da população com 10 anos ou mais de idade, porém, ainda não tem acesso à internet." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"O secretário de Estado da Cultura, Jorge Barreto Xavier, disse esta quarta-feira no Parlamento que a regulamentação que se encontra em falta na Lei do Cinema vai ser concluída em Maio. Barreto Xavier falava durante uma audição da Comissão Parlamentar de Educação, Ciência e Cultura, que está a decorrer na Assembleia da República, respondendo a perguntas da deputada do Partido Socialista Inês de Medeiros. Entre outras questões, noticia a Lusa, a deputada socialista interpelou o secretário de Estado sobre o ponto da situação da nova Lei do Cinema, que entrou em vigor há poucos meses, mas cuja regulamentação ainda não foi publicada na totalidade." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"Evento “Golpe comunista 2014 no Brasil” tem mais de 25 mil confirmados Criada para satirizar o temor de determinados setores conservadores da sociedade, segundo os quais o Brasil estaria à beira de uma ditadura comunista, o evento “Golpe Comunista 2014 no Brasil” passou hoje de 25 mil pessoas com “presença confirmada” no facebook. O evento foi criado pela página Golpe Comunista 2014. Desde sua criação, a página do evento vem abrigando dezenas de enquetes bem-humoradas de seus participantes confirmados, tais como:" - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"O disco em questão foi lançado em 1974 para aproveitar o sucesso dos personagens Baiano e Paulinho, criados por Chico Anysio e representados, respectivamente, por ele e seu maior parceiro, o cantor, compositor, ator e também humorista Arnaud Rodrigues. O grupo Baiano & Os Novos Caetanos fazia engraçadas aparições no Chico City, um dos vários programas que Chico Anysio teve na grade de programação da TV Globo durante os anos 70. Ao que consta, a idéia dos personagens surgiu da revolta que a prisão e o exílio de Caetano e Gil causaram em todo o meio artístico - servia como sátira, sim (incluindo no meio os Novos Baianos, de Moraes Moreira e Luiz Galvão), mas era uma homenagem a dois artistas cuja prisão sequer pôde ser noticada decentemente nos jornais nacionais, devido à censura. Atitudes como a da dupla Chico/Arnaud e a de outra dupla, Roberto e Erasmo (ao compor "Debaixo dos caracóis dos seus cabelos" para Caetano) ajudavam a passar a mensagem por debaixo da porta - e versos como o... more... - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"Moreover, it defines a programme for cinema designed to provide financial incentives for the writing, development, production and co-production as well as for the exhibition and distribution of national cinematographic works. Another programme for the support of the audiovisual and multimedia sector is provided in order to financially assist independent productions and to promote television broadcasting. A specific audiovisual programme is also considered with the main purpose of complementing, with funding from the Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual (Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Media – ICA), the support given to television broadcasters for the writing and production of films, series and documentaries. Nevertheless, this funding comes mainly from fees collected from TV broadcasters: a fee applied to the exhibition of commercial advertising (namely by cinema theatres and TV broadcasters), which is 4% of the price paid, a fee of EUR 5 for each subscription applied to TV... more... - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"Google outstripped its arch-rival, Apple, with the launch of a subscription music streaming service on Wednesday while simultaneously mounting a threat to other providers such as Spotify. The service, labouring under the full name of Google Play Music All Access, was unveiled at Google I/O, the tech giant's annual developer conference in San Francisco, where delegates also heard about significant updates to its search and mapping services." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"A Anatel (Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações) divulgou nesta sexta-feira (17) um estudo em que todas as maiores empresas do país que oferecem serviço de internet fixa --Net, GVT, Oi, Vivo e CTBC -- aparecem cumprindo, com folga, a meta mínima para velocidade e qualidade do serviço imposta pela agência. A avaliação apresentou dados de medições feitas em abril nos Estados de Minas Gerais, São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro. Em todos os casos, apenas foram consideradas as companhias que tinham mais de 50 mil assinantes ativos." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"Today EFF joins organizations from the around the world representing a diversity of interests in launching a new coalition to ask for A Fair Deal on intellectual property (IP) in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP). The coalition has launched a website at www.OurFairDeal.org calling for TPP negotiators to “reject copyright proposals that restrict the open Internet, access to knowledge, economic opportunity and our fundamental rights.” The TPP meetings are taking place in Lima, Peru this week until May 25th, and EFF has been on the ground working with groups to fight those provisions and demand a seat at the table at these secretive negotiations." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"The Center for Copyright Information, a partnership between the RIAA, MPAA and several major Internet providers, has had its company status revoked. The CCI, who are leading the “six strikes” anti-piracy scheme in the US, has violated state laws and is unable to conduct any official business anywhere in the United States. In addition the outfit faces civil penalties and risks losing its name to a third-party company." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"Nearly two years after its launch, Google is still dealing with people who question why they should bother with Google+. But in recent weeks, the company has released what it considers “game changing” features that it feels will better enlist both marketers and developers to embrace its platform. “You’re now seeing us put out, on a constant drumbeat, tools and capabilities for developers and marketers that I think are game changing, that they may not get anywhere else,” said Seth Sternberg, product management director for the Google+ Platform, when meeting yesterday with a small group of reporters at the Google I/O conference. I’d asked Sternberg about adoption because even in the middle of the biggest gathering of people who seemingly want to adopt anything Google pushes out, it was clear developers and others still don’t get what Google+ is supposed to be or why they should use it." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"Carnal implications abound on "Sex Mission," a new techno track from the Brooklyn-based musician Laurel Halo. There's the not-exactly-subtle title, and the EP from whence it comes is called Behind the Green Door (out May 21), a nod to a ground-breaking porn flick from the 1970s. The music itself throbs like an accelerating heartbeat. A looped grainy sample — "be still" — conjures up an imaginary lover who's about to show you a really good time. But, like Lucille Bluth, "Sex Mission" gets off by withholding. Halo keeps things at a tantalizing simmer as the song chugs along, never quite reaching boiling temperatures. It's as tasteful as the title is crass." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"Telecoms regulator Ofcom has just published a study into the state of online copyright infringement in the UK, with some very interesting conclusions. The researchers found that 10% of the country’s most prolific infringers are responsible for almost 80% of all infringements carried out online, but with a bonus. These plus an additional 10% of infringers spend 300% more than ‘honest’ consumers who don’t infringe copyright at all." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"Scholars are starting to use tools such as Google Trends much more frequently in their work. Yet, a central ‘search-engine’ field of inquiry has yet to emerge. Rather, academics using search-engine data to address social issues are spread across many disciplines, which makes search valuable across fields but not critical to any one particular area in social science. In an effort to promote a comprehensive debate on these issues, this paper provides a review of pioneering work that included data generated through search engine accessory applications, making the point that the greater value of search-engine research lies in using such tools for broader inquiry rather than examining search engines themselves as the central object of research. The challenges and opportunities involved in this methodological transition are addressed, with a view to benefiting both social researchers and technology developers. This paper was written as a reflection and further research on the nature of... more... - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"Locking in Europe and the United States to “old” intellectual property regimes is the one “killer argument” against including an IP chapter in the upcoming Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), according to Bernd Hugenholtz, director of the Institute for Information Law (IViR) at the University of Brussels. Hugenholtz spoke at a workshop on “What Role for Intellectual Property Rights in the TTIP?,” organised by Marietje Schaake, member of the European Parliament for the Liberal Group. Questions also were raised during the meeting about the lack of transparency of free trade negotiations." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"Georgia Institute of Technology has announced a partnership with Udacity to offer an online Masters Degree in Computer Science for $7,000, down 80% from the existing cost of $40,000 for the on-campus, instructor led program. Suddenly, masters programs around the country will have to compete with Georgia Tech‘s $7,000 program, and that won’t be easy or fast in coming." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"In the wake of the AP scandal, in which federal investigators obtained the phone records of journalists using only a subpoena, four lawmakers have introduced legislation in the House that would prevent federal agencies from seizing any phone records without a court order. Currently, the Telephone Records Act allows the feds to demand phone records from service providers by using only an administrative subpoena to obtain basic subscriber information. Basic subscriber information can include a customer’s name, address, credit card number, and phone records." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"I see the DPLA as an encouraging example of our emerging digital civil society. Libraries in their familiar form represent community centers of knowledge, havens for voracious readers, on-ramps to broadband, and accessible hubs staffed by expert researchers there to help you. In the U.S., they rely on tax revenue and philanthropic resources and are often governed and managed by a robust mix of citizen volunteers, professional experts, and public servants. They physically embody the democratic ideals of inclusion, pluralism, participation, and progress. The digital form evolves from these same ideals, yet must work within a digital economic frame that is distinct from its analog predecessor. Digital materials raise deep questions about ownership, permanence, and access. In its approach to each of these questions, the DPLA is on the frontier of what building a digital civil society will require. Like The Mozilla Foundation, Creative Commons, and WikiMedia, the DPLA is a non-profit... more... - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"I’m writing to you today to explain what's happening with the new ACTA: the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). TPP has been around since the Bush administration, but recently the pace has picked up, with governments saying they want to get the agreement signed and done by the end of this year. Global activism can stop TPP, but preventing the endless merry-go-round of new IP treaties means tackling the problem at its roots. I'd like to describe what we're doing on both those fronts, and how you can help. But first, I'd like you to meet this gentleman:" - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet

"O que um cidadão pode perguntar ao seu governo? Aos seus tribunais? E às câmaras municipais, assembleias legislativas, ao Congresso Nacional? De acordo com a Lei de Acesso à Informação, temos o direito de saber sobre praticamente toda a atividade do poder público. O princípio básico da lei é de que toda informação produzida pelo poder público deve ser realmente acessível, e que o sigilo é uma exceção. Na vida real, contudo, como mostra o caso de Victor, o caminho para obter respostas é tortuoso." - Miguel Caetano from Bookmarklet