After a quick dinner across the street at the Granville Room folks have made their way over to Republic for this month’s Third Tuesday.
A follow up to his first talk last winter — Jeff will be touching on the topics of trademarks, rights of privacy, and intellectual property law. Everyone really enjoyed his first talk, so we thought we’d ask him back to continue where he left off. [Meetup]
Update: My battery power is at 49% so this will be a quick live blog but I’ll try to get in as much as possible for those in attendance, and those following along online.
Update: On my way to the bar to grab a tasty beverage for my friends Duane and John, I ran into Steve Jagger from Ubertor and Reachd – I am now in possession of a Flip camera… and a beer. This is turning into one pretty great night!
Jeff Young takes the stage opening with a note about blogger defamation on the internet. Last time he spoke to copyrights, trademarks, privacy and various other things that would cause legal problems for us doing what we do (as bloggers).
He immediately addresses a big myth about how people think if you write down your idea, put it in an envelope and mail it to yourself then that is proof that it belongs to you. However, “just because you have the ability to stuff something in an envelope and mail it back to yourself does not mean you’re the creator,” says Jeff.
Photography permission is different from copyright law, Jeff says the people in the pictures have a seperate right of privacy and publicity than the photographer.
Case example: A man and an outdoor adventure company have a falling out and he writes a blog about the same types of outdoor adventures and competing companies. Without naming names he says that “some other companies claim” and “if you go with other companies you’ll end up in a soggy tent.” He was actually naming names on his blog saying that this company was unfavourable and shouldn’t be recommended to anyone else. This company goes on to form a law suit and Jeff states the man with the blog actually went to name “good companies” and “bad companies” and listed this particular one in the “bad” category. This case then went to court.
Note: Emails are written evidence and can be produced in court – either against your or in your favour regardless of intent. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
Often when people think of donating to a noble cause they think of dollar signs, however we all have much more to offer our fellow man than cash. Canadian Blood Services has launched a campaign to encourage those who have received blood to share their story and thank their donor through the power of the internet.
Thank Your Donor …lets recipients of blood, platelets, plasma or stem cells to say “Thank You” to their donors and attract new people to give blood by sharing their stories. Every donation given can save up to three lives. Find out how these gifts have made a difference to lives of people in your community.
If you or a loved one received a donation in a time of need, you’re encouraged to share your story (text, photo or video) on the website.
From the Thank Your Donor Flickr account
With that in mind, there are numerous clinics around Vancouver where you can give blood and the Thank Your Donor initiative is nation-wide. Also, Canadian Blood Services does accept monetary donations for those who would like to help make a difference by other means.
Update: July 13, 2009: Over 40,000 people are affected by a power outages in Vancouver today, West of Cambie street. Check out the BC Hydro map to see who is without power at this time.
Power outages, transformer blowouts and traffic gridlock are all part of a chaotic scene in downtown Vancouver today.
I’d include some traffic camera footage here but go figure – they’re currently offline.
About 4,500 BC Hydro customers are without power in the area stretching from Beatty to Burrard and Hastings to Robson, roughly between Canada Place and Gastown. Numerous traffic lights are also out, and the outage has left a number buildings without electricity.
There are reports of a few people trapped in elevators. Waterfront Station has been evacuated, but SkyTrain and SeaBus passengers are being allowed in, as both services are still running. Bus service is being disrupted due to traffic lights not working at many intersections. [News1130]
A source for power outage information is the BC Hydro website. That came in handy last week when an area of South East False Creek (including the stations where John works) was without power for several hours in the afternoon, also shutting down work at construction sites at the Olympic Village.
I’m used to power outages, we used to have them almost monthly when I lived in a certain area of Surrey, but these are no run-of-the-mill blackouts as according to reports something pretty big happened this morning.
For all those without power (running off laptop battery or who have changed locations) make sure to unplug your computer so that when the power comes back on there’s no potential frying of circuits.
Update: Carol Browne also has some pretty amazing shots of the electrical fire near Richards Street today on her Flickr.
Update: 3:20pm from News1130: “Approximately 1,500 BC Hydro customers are still without power, in a grid from Smithe St. to the Burrard Inlet, and between Columbia St. & Burrard St. At one point around 4,500 customers were without power in the area stretching from Beatty to Burrard and Hastings to Robson.”
Update: 8:00am July 15 from News 1130: “It could be late tonight, or even tomorrow before all of downtown Vancouver has power restored after an underground electrical fire. 20% of the downtown core had power knocked out yesterday morning.”
This weekend I’ll be out in Surrey for Fusion Festival but for those who cannot make the Skytrain out to Surrey Central for this (free) three day event filled with dancing, food and concert performances in the park, there’s another event happening down at Jericho Beach Park.
Celebrating three days of world music. Vancouver Folk Music Festival takes place every third weekend of July. Founded in 1977, this annual festival uses eight outdoor stages, located at Jericho Beach Park on the west side of Vancouver, British Columbia. [DiscoverVancouver]
There are seven stages including performances by Michael Franti and Spearhead, Aimee Mann, Ozomatli, Jajouka and Abigail Washburn, and the Sparrow Quartet featuring Bela Fleck. There are weekend passes for $165 but the price can be broken down by day and kids 12 and under get in free.
If you cannot make it out to Jericho Beach or Surrey, there’s also Summerfest happening in Delta at the Wellbrook Winery on Saturday July 19th.
Featuring: Blueberry Festival with blueberry pie eating contest, Blueberry Bake Off and more. Specialty Farmers’ Market. Classic Car & Motorcycle Show. Live Music. Vendors & Displays — We have more than 30 artisans and farmer’s market vendors registered to date. Salmon BBQ lunch and dinner with Chef Romy Prasad and much more.
There is no admission price for Summerfest and partial proceeds from event sales will be donated to the Delta Hospital Auxiliary.
Check out my summer outdoor concert listing for more upcoming events in the sunshine.
The Georgia Straight (the newspaper, not the body of water) is known for being an authority on all-things passing through and within Vancouver and they’re putting the call out for your picks for the 13th annual Best of Vancouver 2008.
There are 238 questions in categories like City Life, Media, Arts, & Culture, Travel, Mind Body & Soul, Sports & Recreation, Living, Style, Food & Drink, Nightlife, and Sex & Romance.
According to their website, “Readers who answer 25 or more questions are automatically entered in a draw for a trip for 2 to Las Vegas,” so there’s a little incentive for your vote and speaking up for that little mom ‘n pop diner or day spa you’d like to promote.
A highlight this year is that they have added more to their “Media” section, including: Best local blog page, Best local webcam, Best local website for green living, Best local activists’ website, Best online community web page, Best Vancouver Facebook group, Best local podcast, Best online source to buy music, Best online source for free music.
I’ll more than likely be doing another Best of 604 as I have my own picks for things like the best site for green living so perhaps this year we’ll have some similar results.
You can vote for the Straight’s Best of Vancouver 2008 through their online ballot and the issue will be out September 18, 2008.
