It seems only appropriate to use this place to announce a talk I’m giving tomorrow at 19:00 at Kiberpipa .

I’ll be talking about degradable javascript and its benefits and the talk should be accessible to all, even javascript newbies. Just to clear any misconceptions, degradable AJAX will be demonstrated, but the point of talk is general javascript use and misuse and not the latest fashionable tricks.

The talk will be given in Slovene unless there’s a wide enough interest to give it in English. I hope you’ll come and stay for a chat and a drink.

See you there.

FSF Europe has prepared a short document describing problems with IPRED2, the new “Intellectual Property” rights directive from European Union. If passed, it could lead to jail sentences for intellectual property violators. Proposal doesn’t distinguish between kinds of intellectual property, but it does limit itself to sadly undefined willful infringement.

Not being a lawyer makes it hard to judge, if FSF’s objections are valid. According to a report from FFII, big IP companies are not happy with it either. Directive’s proposal certainly leaves a lot to interpretation and FSF’s scenario doesn’t seem far fetched. Especially for those of us who’ve seen how difficult it can be for lawyers to agree on anything.

In short, it’s another piece of ill-considered legislation that wants to help entertainment industry in their fight against reality at the expense of almost everyone else.

I wonder if someday people will look at IP legislation of late 20th and early 21st century the way we see now tax on windows (not to be confused with windows tax, which opens gates to completely different discussion).

This year’s first snow fell couple of days ago and while I enjoy it immensely, I’m getting more and more annoyed by our snowplowers. Snowplowing in Slovenia is a state provided service without any business competition and like most such services it sucks. In fact, we relive the same story every year:

• some time in the fall there’s a story published, how everyone is ready for snow this year and there won’t be any problems with our roads
• we get a correct weather forecast a few days before the first snow
• snow falls, plowers are nowhere to be seen and there’s a complete mayhem on slovenian roads
• snowplowers provide some meaningless statistics about resources used and journalists write stories about how they were surprised by the snow

Now, could you treat your customers and users like this? Probably not.

Except if you, like them, are the only provider of vital service. It’s probably still a poor business strategy because even if you are, like telecoms used to be, can you be absolutely sure that this will remain so?

Personally, I’d just like to know how is it possible fo them not to be embarrassed infront of their family and friends.