Nisadas

So there I was feeling all upset that my crappy photo made it to the front page of Ada Derana without my being credited.

But why stop there? Turns out the people at the Daily Mirror (http://www.dailymirror.lk) aren’t very original either.

Barely a coupla days after my photo turns up on Ada Derana, it turns up on Daily Mirror as well, which at the time I took the screenshot below, was right next to their own copyright notice.

It’s just amazing.

My photo is licensed under a Creative Commons license. It’s free as long as it’s used with acknowledgement of the author.

As of September 24, 2009 their article on the subject at http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=61811 still carries the photo, despite an email informing them of their unauthorised use in violation of the licensing terms.

What occurs to me however, is that these guys probably stole the photo off the Ada Derana site and therefore don’t even know the licensing terms in the first place.

O tempora o mores!

…of my intellectual property that is. What really hurts is that it’s not even one of my better works.

UPDATE (2009-09-15): The folks at Derana replied my email and apologised for the unauthorised use. They have taken off the pic from their site. I forgive them, but am keeping the post up, since I still think there will be a need for a stock photo site.

ORIGINAL POST: So I’m surfing the net on a lazy Sunday afternoon and I come across the pages of Ada Derana. I scroll down and find something that looks vaguely familiar (click on image for larger picture):

The picture highlighted seems a little familiar, so I click on the link http://www.adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=5210 to get to the main story:

And there it is – why does this image look so incredibly familiar?

Then it occurs to me that this picture is identical to the one you will finid on my blog. Yes, the same one in the post Pow-Wow-II dated September 07, 2005. That’s not very nice. Especially since my blog has always carried a copyright notice, which generally means you’re not supposed to copy my work without my endorsement. Even then, the picture itself – if you were to browse on Flickr – is licensed under a Creative Commons license that requires the author to be acknowledged. Don’t see any of that either.

Is there any point in even bringing this to the attention of the authorities at Ada Derana? I drafted them an email just in case. What really irks me is that this is just a photo randomly taken, with no greater a camera than the one that comes with the Nokia 7260 (VGA, 640×480). Obviously it’s not high quality.

I can imagine photos by Thishya W, Chamil T or Sandun S (all of whom have some fantastic photos on Flickr) being stolen. But then again, those are just fantastic, high quality photos. Nothing very humdrum about them.

So here’s an idea for all you photographers out there in lovely Sri Lanka: A stock photo site. Maybe something like ThreeBlindMen, but with some ordinary, day to day photos thrown in (I’m not an expert, but I don’t think either Rukshan Jayewardene’s, Dominic Sansoni’s or Sebastian Posings’ photos can ever be called ordinary). Licensing might be an issue (did I mention that www.creativecommons.lk seems to be down?) but I’m sure there’s someone out there who can help. Charge an appropriate fee (not too expensive, since the local media prefer stealing, which only costs them their reputation) and you just might be on to something.

Melting ice cubes by Stevendepolo

Following up on the maverick Junichrio Koizumi’s 2005 “Cool Biz” campaign it seems that that “the Prime Minister of Bangladesh has ordered public servants to ditch suits and ties for short-sleeved shirts to cut air-conditioning use in the power-starved nation.” (via the Freakonomics blog).

This brings to mind the subject of the necktie. I’ve hated having to wear the  thing since my school days, but mostly because of the heat. Not many school halls were air conditioned in those days. If I were living in colder climes (perhaps Kandy even) I’d be more sympathetic towards this accessory. I certainly don’t mind wearing one in the air conditioned environs of our offices, but I make sure it comes off if I ever have to take a walk in the afternoons. How our schoolgirls cope is beyond me.

With Sri Lanka’s position so close to the equator, heat will always be a problem. Well, a problem for anyone wanting to wear clothes designed for countries with colder climate. Therefore, I can understand why there would be a leaning towards changing things as drastically as in Japan and Bangladesh.

However, I doubt Sri Lanka will adopt such a measure and doubt even more whether our corporate execs will let go of their “corporate image”.

Nevertheless, there’s good reason why reducing our power consumption for air conditioning purposes would be a good idea. According to an article in the Nation, 60 percent of Sri Lanka’s electricity generation is through diesel. This may not be a problem if we hit oil off the coast, but with global oil prices slowly rising, there’s bound to be problems with the related costs.

Therefore, I forsee opportunities for the future;

1. In terms of suits and clothes, I’m sure there’ll be demand for those that can maintain a “corporate” look while still being compatible with the scorching heat of Sri Lanka.
2. In terms of design, architects who can design the coolest buildings (in both senses of the word) will undoubtably have a higher demand for their services, especially with the shortage of hotel rooms forecast.
3. Air conditioning companies could step in and provide services for making exisiting air conditioning systems more efficient and effective. Sometimes our buildings might be unnecessarily cold and thereby costly due to not using the most efficient settings.

Not much chance of the necktie going away, but I’m sure Sri Lanka will find some interesting ways of keeping cool…

So recently I get a photograph in my mail of President Barack Obama checking out a young lady’s behind. While I’d normally shrug this off as instinct getting the better of the man, a friend also sends me the link where the situation behind it all is cleared through a youtube video, which proves Sarkozy to be a true frenchman.

Okay, so it’s old news but you can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbifTbJtgJA.

Seeing world leaders’ little indiscretions caught on tape for the world to see reminded me of a good friend of mine doing a (impromptu and with only a little egging on by the compere) funky dance right out of an American Pie kinda movie on stage at an Interact function many years ago. No cameras (in phones or otherwise) to record this strange occurence or the shocked fascination of the crowd; just human memory in all its fallibility to carry those images for posterity, to be brought up at get-togethers and laughed about.

Nowadays, you can bet that any incident of that nature will be recorded and found on a social network. With any luck, the poor soul will end up tagged and watched by millions of people who never knew he existed until they saw the video.

This simply means that today, we need to be far more careful about what we say and do; especially the moments of spontaneous craziness (see the part about the Star Wars Kid in the article at Scientific American on social networks and privacy).

This point was driven home extra hard when I took part in a training recently. When the guy doing the training pointed out that my Outlook calendar was easily visible to my superiors at office – something that I understood was possible, but something that I never really thought about. I got a little bothered about this and asked him “Where’s the privacy in that?”

The response was simple – “What privacy? Your system adminstrators have full access to the information on your computer – you just need to make sure that you don’t do anything unnecessary with it.”

And then it struck me – all those personal details on Facebook? All those emails in my “personal” mailboxes hosted by big “free email” companies? Just how private are those emails? Or my events in Google Calendar?

The main argument presented in this case is that “Good people have nothing to hide”. But what if I’m just a private person? Okay, not so private that I blog under my real name, but private in the sense that I like having control of how much information about myself is revealed?

There are so many facebook photos that get saved on to folders and forwarded via email that you might wonder if being in touch is worth the price. It just means that you have to be careful about what the world sees. What used to be the private pain of celebrities the world over has now become a far more common problem. Sure, you can try and sue the moron from the photo studio who decided to share all those interesting photos of your girlfriends off your digital camera with his friends, but how do you intend on proving it?

It seems that privacy as we used to know it died quite sometime ago, around the same time that it became possible to fish out old “personal” emails and forward them to people who weren’t in the loop. All that can be done now is to watch your step – and hope that if anything about you is on the net, you know about it.

After what has been undoubtably ages, I planned on actually posting something instead of just trawling along achcharu and facebook.

And then I came across xkcd on Jerry’s blog. The theme’s changed, so I think he typed IDDQD again.

After that, on FB I found a link to Gossip Aiyahs Juicy juicy mambalam Blogage.

Looks like I will spend this weekend consuming, not producing – not that you really noticed, anyway…

A fruitful day of voting to all of you voting in the Western Provincial elections today!

Just make sure you know who you’re voting for, what symbol to vote and wear your glasses!

A few years back a friend of mine listened intently to my impassioned speech on why the JHU should be voted into power. Entirely missing the sarcasm and irony in said speech, she went to the booth firmly convinced that she should vote for them. Unfortunately, not having worn her spectacles the young lady ended up voting for the “Pol Gediya” (Coconut) instead of the “Hak Gediya” (Conch Shell) – something that went unrealised until she overheard an old lady talking about how the two are incredibly similar on the ballot.

Ah well, at least that party got another vote.

Isn’t democracy a wonderful thing?

Years ago, firecrackers were lit to chase away evil spirits.

Today, firecrackers are lit to herald the arrival of politicians.

The irony of it all…

I was reading Seth Godin recently on Demonization. Whilst he writes  what would be interpreted as a marketing-centric post, he makes a very valid point.

The closer you get to someone, something, some brand, some organization… the harder it is to demonize it, objectify it or hate it.

Reading through Achcharu today, I also came across some interesting posts – Indi’s rant against the diaspora in Canada and Rajaratarala’s innovative suggestion for reconciliation.

My socio-political views have and will be private, and are unlikely to be published. However, in all three cases above, one point is common – isolation from each other contributes most to the rifts in society. Seth talks about (or at least I interpret it to be) how being isolated from an issue makes it easier to demonize it; Indi talks about the Diaspora and how they talk to themselves in the comfort of Canada about the war in Sri Lanka; Rajaratarala talks about how giving the opportunity for the internally displaced to live normal lives again will help heal the wounds of war.

During my studies in secondary school, I had the opportunity to be part of the Interact movement (of which perhaps the less said now, the better). Through this I was able to make friends from different schools and different ethnic and religious backgrounds. The single biggest lesson I learnt from this was that there was just so much we all had in common. Teenagers the world over will have the same issues, albeit in different languages and different settings. Why else was Dawson’s Creek so popular amongst TV viewing Sri Lankan teenagers?

Closeted away in their own little enclaves, it’s easier for people to demonize others and act all morally superior. But then again, it takes a lot of confidence and courage to buck the trend and actually treat others as human beings and not as the labels they choose to stick themselves with.

But it all comes down to the fact that you’re no different from me or the person next to you. You didn’t choose the race you were born in to. You didn’t choose the country you were born in to. You can choose who you are – what your actions will mean in the greater scheme of things, no matter how small.

I only hope that the future holds for all of us the freedom to live our lives in relative normalcy and worry about stuff like learning new things, holding a job, raising a family and such-like – problems that have been around as long as civilisation.

In conclusion, I’d like to share something that Terry Pratchett wrote in his book Interesting Times, where the wizard Rincewind while running away from a major battle, finds himself in a field criss-crossed with drainage ditches (I’m hoping that this excerpt falls within fair-use, please notify me if it doesn’t – I can’t afford a lawsuit ):

Someone was watching him.

It was a water buffalo.

It would be wrong to say it watched him with interest. It just watched him, because its eyes were open and had to be facing in some direction, and it had randomly chosen one which included Rincewind.

Its face held the completely serene expression of a creature that had long ago realized that it was, fundamentally, a tube on legs and had been installed in the universe to, broadly speaking, achieve throughput.

At the other end of the string was a man, ankle-deep in the mud of the field. He had a broad straw hat, like every other buffalo holder. He had the basic pyjama suit of the Agatean man-in-the-field. And he had an expression not of idiocy, but of preoccupation. He was looking at Rincewind. As with the buffalo, this was only because his eyes had to be doing something.

Despite the pressing dangers, Rincewind found himself overcome by a sudden curiosity.

‘Er. Good morning,’ he said.

The man gave him a nod. The water buffalo made the sound of regurgitating cud.

‘Er. Sorry if this is a personal question,’ said Rincewind, ‘but . . . I can’t help wondering . . . why do you stand out in the fields all day with the water buffalo?’

The man thought about it.

‘Good for soil,’ he said eventually.

‘But doesn’t it waste a lot of time?’ said Rincewind.

The man gave this due appraisal also.

‘What’s time to a cow?’ he said.

Rincewind reversed back on to the highway of reality.

‘You see those armies over there?’ he said.

The buffalo holder concentrated his gaze.

‘Yes,’ he decided.

‘They’re fighting for you.’

The man did not appear moved by this. The water buffalo burped gently.

‘Some want to see you enslaved and some want you to run the country, or at least to let them run the country while telling you it’s you doing it really,’ said Rincewind. There’s going to be a terrible battle. I can’t help wondering . . . What do you want?’

The buffalo holder absorbed this one for consideration, too. And it seemed to Rincewind that the slowness of the thought process wasn’t due to native stupidity, but more to do with the sheer size of the question. He could feel it spreading out so that it incorporated the soil and the grass and the sun and headed on out into the universe.

Finally the man said:

‘A longer piece of string would be nice.’

Before you point it out, Yes, I’m an apolitical idealist who is quite possibly out of touch with the world around him.

Or maybe not. I’ll fill you in once I’ve figured it out.

The allure of books written by millionaires or billionaires is that there might be something in it that’ll help the reader along the same path. Of course, reading alone won’t get you far, but it helps understanding how some people made it to the top.
Jon M Huntsman is a billionaire who has written a slim little book called Winners never Cheat. It covers some lessons on morality and integrity that immediately appealed to my idealistic side. These lessons are broken down into ten compact chapters, each beginning with a couple of quotes relevant to their content.

• Chapter 1: Lessons from the sandbox. Everything we need for today’s marketplace we learned as kids.
• Chapter 2: Check your moral compass. We know darn well what is right and wrong
• Chapter 3: Play by the rules. Compete fiercely and fairly, but no cutting in line
• Chapter 4: Setting the example. Risk, Responsibility, Reliability – the three R’s of leadership
• Chapter 5: Keep Your word. It’s high time to corral the corporate lawyers
• Chapter 6: Pick Advisors Wisely. Surround yourself with associates who have the courage to say no.
• Chapter 7: Get Mad, Not Even. Revenge is unhealthy and unproductive. Learn to move on.
• Chapter 8: Graciousness Is Next to Godliness Treat Competitors, colleagues, employees and customers with respect.
• Chapter 9: Your name is on the Door Operate businesses and organisations as if they’re family owned
• Chapter 10: The obligation to give back Nobody is completely self made; return the favours and good fortune

Finally, the book ends on the note that Acceptable moral values are child’s play, not rocket science.

Starting with a quote about the fourth of Gandhi’s seven sins - “Commerce without morality”, the book covers Huntsman’s take on the ups and downs of doing business in America – the American Dream and how so many people cut corners to make a quick buck.

A recurring point in the book is Huntsman’s dealings with H. R. Haldeman - the White House Chief of Staff during Nixon’s tenure. As White House staff secretary, Huntsman was independent and demurred to the practice of “blind faith” in the president that Haldeman propounded. As a result he left the post within six months – making him possibly “the only West Wing staff member not eventually hauled before the congressional Watergate committee or a grand jury”. Throughout the book, the idea conveyed is that values are not ambiguous, but are simple lessons that are learnt at an early age.

Huntsman includes Sophocles’ message that “There is no witness so terrible or no accuser so powerful as the conscience“. He presents that laws and ethics may overlap, but the exercise of the latter is often up to the individual.

The painful truth that doing something because you were “pressured into it” is merely a way of glossing over a lack of backbone is driven home quite solidly.

On leadership, there is a small anecdote on how Huntsman misheard the confirmation of his orders from a helmsman during his time in the navy. As a lieutenant who was responsible for ensuring the formation of ships, this caused a dangerous disarray, with possible collisions between warships of different nations. The captain immediately takes over (albeit in his bathrobe) and instead of berating his junior, explains that he continues to be responsible for what happens on his ship and that the occasion will be a life-long learning for the young Huntsman. This is a lesson for all CEO’s the world over, a reminder of what we call Agency Theory.

Huntsman seems to have a dislike of corporate lawyers and their insistence in creating mounds of paperwork just to ensure that people keep their word. Of course, this is going to be de rigueur until everyone in the world decides that their word is their bond, but his point is that these long clauses tend to impede the execution of a promise.

The best example is a quote featured from the National Review:

The First Amendment is 45 words;

The Lord’s Prayer is 66 words;

The Gettysburg Address is 286 words;

There are 1,322 words in the Declaration of Independence,

but the Government Regulations on the sale of Cabbage total 26,911 words.

That there is a danger in being surrounded by “Yes-Men” is also included in chapter six. As mentioned in the book, the reason for having so many whistle-blowers is the lack of a proper internal warning system -something that many companies will be mindful of in these times of crisis.

Chapter seven was my favourite, since it pretty much summed up one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in life. Getting beyond petty squabbles and thoughts of revenge (for whatever reason) helps keep a much clearer mind and causes less heartburn in the long run.

The most compelling message however, is at the end of the book in the tenth chapter, about giving back to society. That Jon Huntsman Sr is one of America’s biggest givers lends more credence to his appeal that businesses and individuals spend time and money to make better the lives of the less fortunate. As he says (and the same is often said by my better half), “Save for God’s grace (and a few worldly breaks), there go us“.

I’m fairly sure that at some point people will read this book and criticise it for the high level of Christianity prevalent in it. That Huntsman is close to his religion and has leveraged it to make him a better person is beyond doubt. Reading this book, my cynical self thought whether it was just good morals and values or Christianity that was being propounded – a point many anti-conversion types the world over are likely to pounce on.

However, if anyone is willing to read this book for what it is – a slim volume of thoughts cleverly and appeallingly written about the importance of morals and values in both business and life – they will not be disappointed.

In a case of synchronicity, it turns out that the Vesess blog has an interview with a company responsible for a site about good deeds.

Facebook and Privacy

I was recently reading about the furor about Facebook’s new Terms of Service and its subsequent repeal.

All this made me a little worried about what happens to my content, until I remembered that being slightly paranoid pays off.

Not being the most social of people, I stayed out of the Hi5 and MySpace networks for quite some time. Soon after, I began to realise that I was losing touch with some of my good friends, so much so that I’d be sure to drop a brick on the conversation once if ever one happened.

The result of this was my foray into social networking via Facebook. Its initial attempts to scan my email accounts for potential friends bothered me no end. How could I be sure that they wouldn’t just steal my details and use them for some nefarious activity?

My fears are hardly unfounded, but as can be seen from the power of the community that has been built in Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg will have a hard time doing anything that can be construed as “evil”.

That said, it’s still a good idea to ensure that you upload nothing on the net that you wouldn’t want other people to see. Once it’s on the net you have no control over what’ll happen to it.

As a result, I’m a very boring member of Facebook. I don’t add applications that let me do weird things to my friends and I don’t upload crazy photographs. But it still lets me keep in touch, which is what matters. The only photos I do upload are the ones I don’t mind sharing.

Applications on Facebook are yet another concern for me. Their need to access my information is a little scary, given my nature. But it turns out that applications are not the only possible culprits in data theft as can be seen in this article on Yahoo.

Going Phishing

Furthermore, I found the following email in my inbox recently:

While the subject immediately gave it away as spam, you’ve got to give the creator some credit for making it look like something legit straight out of MSN. Had you been a regular newsletter subscriber and thought this was something you accidentally subscribed to, any attempt to unsubscribe would lead to a chinese url, as seen at the bottom left.

This isn’t the only method currently being employed, as can be seen from various users’ experiences when you do a flickr search as below:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=phishing&m=text

With such attempts at data theft and scamming getting more numerous by the day, it’s up to all of us to be more careful when on the net.