File Sharing Ruling - own goal

A couple of days ago a ruling in the good ol' US of A made file sharing network developers responsible for the media that is shared on them. Own goal music companies!

This will be an impossible law to enforce, not because it implies by it's logic that gun companies can be sued (or should it be the bullet manufacturers) for someone being shot, or car companies for accidents, but because we now live in a society where most computer and entertainment systems are networked, and the ability to share information, in watever format, is inherent in this system.

On a basic level, it's easy to e-mail files to people - marketing companies even use this to create spoof videos to market their products that people think are a joke. Now, with the increasing penetration of instant messaging solutions, particularly those like Skype that offer cheap voice calls, it is even easier to share files directly.

However, on a deeper level this poses a big headache for the multinational, or indeed any company with more than one connected office, as there is a potential to share files accross these networks without anyone loggin what's going on. Who do the music companies sue under this ruling - apparently not the individuals sharing, but the company providing the infrastructure. Sure, you could get sacked, even sued, but do you really have the money to pay what the record companies will be going after the company to pay? Who's going to keep their music on their hard drive - most people will copy it onto a portable media player and delete the evidence.

How would they find out you cry! Well, for some time now companies, particularly in the adult industry, have been embedding information in their clips to manage their digital rights, but to also spy on users, particularly those that think they're getting in by a back door method. These, as with the marketing campaigns mentioned earlier, could be easily planted by the record companies to see where files are being shared.

I agree with the record and movie companies that what's happening here is theft, and I like systems like ITunes that make it easy to download music, but it really should be cheaper and offer better deals on bulk buying. The recording industry should also think about monthly subscription services where you can listen all you want to tracks (without doanloading them).

The bottom line, however, is that the music companies are dinosaurs who can't keep up with the developing world around them. Nothing illustrates this more than the fact that none of them seem to have thought of buying Napster and commercialising it years ago, but they just wanted to shut it down - did they not think that other people would develop similar technology? Do they think that this ruling will change anything. It's an unprecedented ruling that will drive these things underground, probably generating a new file format that will alert people to any embeded tracking code and be based out of a third world country at odds with the rest of the world, like the good ol' US of A.

Affino - Affordable Innovation

For the past 18 months I've been maintaining a number of websites using a system called Affino, developed by a dynamic company called Emojo, with a refreshing attitude towards their partners and clients, always making that extra bit of effort other companies just don't offer, even if you pay!

Affino is a browser based system that means for 99% of the things you want to achieve with a web site you can do through the browser, the only part that needs some effort is the actual web site design, but this is fairly straight forward considering the number of great sites out there that can be used as "inspiration". To help you get started, Emojo have created some sample sites that can easily be edited.

What makes this system great is that you can add your own content from any browser without needing to know any HTML, just fill in the forms and the content is there - you can choose when it is available from and to, and also using the easy security center you can allow access based on the security rights you set up. This makes the system perfect for allowing access to sensative iformation to your clients, employees, partners etc.

When you set up the web site, you set up the styles, fonts, colours, picture sizes etc. so that when users enter their articles they cannot mess the look of the site up even if they upload an image which is too big!

You can also easily organise your content using channels and sections, move your content around the web site without caving to cut and paste, assign the content to a number of sections in your web site, an almost infinite number of possabilities that would take hours to achieve with many other systems but take only a couple of clicks with Affino.

Affino allows you to design and redesign your site with ease using the skinning system. This allows you to create and test designs with live content without interrupting your current site, and then to implement the design within a few seconds with the click of a button. This then allows for powerful promotional opportunities where a web site can be redesigned for a period of time and then switched back oncethe event is over, e.g. Christmas.

Emojo offer a number of bolt on modules that enhance an already impressive system, including an advertising system, forums, polls and syndication to name but a few. These bolt ons integrate seamlessly with your current web site without needing any messy bespoke integration.

But for me, the most impressive part of the system is the update facility. Working in much the same way as the Windows Update service, when Emojo release an updated version of the system, all you have to do is log in and update the system, and in a few seconds you're running the latest version!

If you need to run a web site that you want total control over, i.e. not having to pay and wait for a web designer to upload your latest changes, check out http://www.emojo.com. They have a number of solutions to allow for all kinds of budgets and even have a demo that you can download and trial.

Pay as you go driving - the privacy issue

Much has been made of the issue of privacy with the pay as you go driving scheme proposed by the government. I believe that this is a non issue, as we have already not only lost our privacy, but are close to losing our right to privacy outside our homes.

Addressing the first point is quite simple - most people in the UK now have a mobile phone, and this is essentially a way of tracking us as we move through our societies. The proliferation of mobile phone masts, to deal with the volume of people using mobile phones, means that we can be tracked more accurately than ever, and indeed new services are available where you can text for a taxi and they know roughly where you are. This is where the mobile phone companies use information about which mast you are using, and ultimately this will be developed to for triangulation from a number of masts to locate your exact position - this technology I believe, if not available now will be soon.

Therefore, the only way for you to be anonymous in today's society is to switch off your mobile and live somewhere where there are no CCTV cameras and not to shop in any of the high street or supermarket shops! Unless you're fan of the Goode Life you don't stand a chance.

My seconds point is a bit more involved, as I state that we are close to losing our right to anonymity. At this point you must understand that I am not in favour of losing our privacy, but I am fundamentally in favour of people being identified when they are being anti social or breaking the law. This is a tough one to call, as the majority (although I believe not the vast majority) of people are law abiding, however, there is an increasing minority, and not such a small minority in towns and cities, who are not law abiding, be that anti social behaviour, illegal driving (no tax or insurance) or just criminal, e.g. violent attacks. I believe that broadly speaking (I also accept that these things cannot be addressed in only a broad manner) that there are three areas that need to be tackled now so that a future government cannot justify tagging us all because of this rising trend.

The first area and easiest to deal with is immigrants. In the UK we have a crazy policy that if someone wants to come to this country they can do so in two ways - by declaring themselves an asylum seeker or by being sponsored by a relative already living in the country (of course, if they are European they can come and go as they please). Either way, they will not be allowed to work with the exception of a work permit for a short period with proof that no one else in the country is available for the job. So, we end up supporting these people with shelter, food, health etc. and human nature being human nature, they want a bit more out of life, so they get cash in hand jobs.

This is where we need to address a big issue that would benefit all - let these people work as soon as they enter the country (unless they are a perceived threat to the country - another posting!) and contribute to the country from the outset. They will not be taking "our" jobs as they are already doing them for cash, and will be putting at least something back into the country's coffers to help our ailing heath and educational services. This would than put an end to their illegal (by necessity rather than choice) activities and remove the need to tag this growing part of our society.

The second area focuses on the youth of today, or "youf of toda" as they are otherwise known. Youths need their energy focused away from graffiti and anti social behaviour, which is increasingly becoming a trendy thing to do. There are two main factors which affect this sector of our society, with a third, equally important but sadly missing today, that needs to be reinstated.

The first are is parenting, and no I'm not attacking parents as I believe the vast majority do what they can under increasingly difficult circumstances. Parents toady are under too much pressure from the workplace, and as a result do not spend the time with their children that my generation received and use the easily provided distractions of games consoles and TV to give themselves time, not usually for themselves, but to do the chores awaiting them on their return from work. This also has the side effect of making our children unhealthy and lacking in social skills.

The second are that needs to be addressed is schools, and again I'm not attacking the schools. Rather, the curriculum needs to be less focused solely on the academic, but needs to be able to bring out the best in each child, so if a child shows the ability in practical matters, why shouldn't they be taught car maintenance, plumbing etc. instead of being tagged a failure because of their academic ability - this type of teaching would also bring out better results in other academic subjects due to their essential requirement in the skill being taught, e.g. maths and English.

The third point would provide a healthy solution for parents to give more focused time to their kids and would use facilities available in all schools to help benefit the community - after school activitied. These would not be run by teachers (unless they wanted to do them, and they would be paid extra for the service) but by qualified coaches and teachers. Sports are a great way of not only keeping fit, but of developing social, leadership and organisational skills to name but a few.

Yes, this would cost money, but the main reason this is not being done is because of the public liability insurance required, and in this era of "where there's pain there's a claim" this has become uneconomical. This attitude needs to have a line drawn around it - if you participate in sports you're going to get injured, and as long as the coach is not negligent, what's the problem? In this country we throw our arms up in disgust when a child is killed in a tragic accident and blame the teacher or coach - accidents happen, even to kids, but if we wrap our kids up in bubble wrap they will be devoured when they have to fend for themselves in the real world, and indeed more and more are finding it impossible to cope when they leave home.

We need to channel the energy of our young people in different ways, they are not all academically gifted, and provide them with activities that will remove the need for them to behave in an antisocial way, which again will ultimately end up with a future government using this behaviour as an excuse for tagging us all.

The third area, and indeed an underlying reason for the pay as you go driving proposal, is the way people drive. More and more drivers show disregard for the Highway Code that is reckless and dangerous. The only feasible way for the government to deal with this is to tag each car so that this kind of behaviour can be punished. This will happen if people continue to drive the way they now do. The only benefit (in terms of lack of privacy) of this system is that the roads will become safer and therefore insurance cheaper.

Pay as you go driving - more tweaks

Living in London, it's just occured to me that I may have to pay a premium for living where I do, even though it is one of the few areas within the M25 that we could afford a house! So here's another tweak to the system - a zone around where you live where you pay a lower rate, allowing you to make those essential journeys like going to the supermarket, doctor, etc.

This system would then allow for rural areas to be charged to non local users at a level that local people could not afford, but they would pay a much lower rate. This would be more important in rural areas than in cities as cars are actually essential in these areas, as public transport is often poor and impractical, e.g. 1 bus a day if that. Charging a higher rate to non local users would also keep people from using rural roads instead of motorways to try and make journeys cheaper.

Another feature which would be immensly practical would be the ability to automatically call out a rescue service at the touch of a button, primarily for the RAC, Green Flag, AA etc. but there could also be another feature for calling the emergency services if you have an accident, and these services would know exactly where you are. This system would not be open to abuse as the caller would be immediately identified (or at least car owner, who should know who's using their car!) and would cut the times of calls to the emergency service dramatically as this information would not be required. The system could use Bluetooth (or similar) to communicate via a mobile phone and initiate the calls for you.

Pay as you go driving

I have to say that I have been in favour of something like this for a long time, but not in he simplistic sense being proposed by our beloved government!

I think that the system should be intelligent, and should start with a grading system for the car it is to be used in. One of the great things about using petrol is that the more unecnomical the car, the more tax you pay. This should be reflected in the new sysetm - there's no reason why fuel consumption can't be added to the equation. This could be extended to the suitability of the vehicle for the area it is being driven in, e.g. 4x4s on the school run in town!

This methodology could also be used for companies with large fleets of cars and travelling salesmen, giving them a tax break for choosing more efficient cars and and bulk payment for travelling, in a similar mode to the mobile phone comanies where you can pay x amount for so many minutes, and if you go over, you pay for what you use.

The system should also alert the user to alternative transportation methods, e.g train, buses etc. and the cost and timings available. For this to be a viable option the public transport system needs to be reliable and cost effective, and also not charge a premuim for last minute bookings. So if you're planning a trip from London to Manchester, it could cost you £100 by car, but only £75 by train, the train also allowing you to work whilst travelling.

The system could also keep a track of who's driving by interacting with your licence, and although this is, in addition to other privacy issues with this system, the ultimate tracking of the actual driver, not just car owner, it could then allow you to pay for insurance as you go (or not allow you to drive the car!) allowing you to drive your friend's car knowing what it will cost you. This then opens up the possability of car sharing and makes it feesable.

Tracking the driver would also allow the police and local authorities to issue fines for everything from speeding to parking illegally (depending on the resolution of the system, but by adding base stations in built up area you can get an accuracy of +-1 meter). More importantly, it could be used to analyse dangerous driving, e.g. tailgating, cutting people up etc.

Another benefit of the system would be to manage traffic, allowing the system to monitor all traffic and provide route changes and updates on the fly to avoid gridlock and heavy traffic. It could also provide speed limit change information and allow for dynamic speed limits, e.g. the A40 into London has a speed limit of 40 mph, which is a little too quick in the rush hour, but way too slow after 7pm when the traffic is very light. This system could manage the speed of the traffic to keep a steady flow.

However, although I am a fan of such a system, there is one rather huge issue that would need to be addressed, namely what happens if it's switched off! This could happen by sattelites failing, but would more likely happen as a result of an accident or terrorist attack, as these systems would be openly available and would potentially allow a terrorist to navigate a targetted missile, which cuold take the form of a missile, plane or even car - no more suicide! This would mean that the government could switch the system off on the basis of an intelligence tipoff - and haven't they already over reacted to so called dead certs in the past, e.g. WMDs in Iraq, and maybe soon Iran?

Another issue is privacy, but having been driving for nigh on 15 years, I have seen the standards of drivers in the UK exponentially decrease and believe there are far too many people driving on our roads without insurance, tax or even a licence. Many have a foreign licence, but don't bother (are they required by law?) to get a UK licence. People should also be forced not just to pay money, but resit their test for certain offences, starting with the theory for lighter offences (3 points) and the full theory and practical for heavier offences (6 points or more). The biggest issue with all types of offence is identifying the driver of the vehicle, and this type of system could be used to do that, and I believe that in the UK we are forefeighting the right to keep our privacy when we drive as too many people are committing offences and getting away with them, e.g. send in your grandparents licence instead of yours to colect points, even though they don't have a car and haven't driven in ten years.

At the very least, the cameras in petrol stations should be linked up to the DVLA and police database systems so that if a car that has outstanding fines or not TAX or insurance is flagged by a system and not given fuel and the police alerted. With these types of people off our roads insurance premioms would tumble!

This is all possible to do TODAY - the government should launch a national discussion and give people the full possabilities of the system and get on with it. This can work, but not in a simplistic fashion.