Wikimedia panelists discuss EU copyright reform and its effects
Earlier this year, the European Parliament voted to pass a new copyright directive that will take effect across the European Union (EU) and likely affect all online activities. At Wikimedia’s 18 July summer legal fellow panel, “EU Copyright & You,” technology law scholars and practitioners discussed the directive itself, events leading up to its passing, and….
Your weekly photo from the world’s free media repository: 23 August
Jack Delano was an American photographer best known for his work with the US government’s photography program within the Farm Security Administration. The image above was captured in December 1942, in the midst of the Second World War, and it shows Chicago and Northwestern Railroad steam locomotives at rest in a Chicago roundhouse before their….
Your weekly photo from the world’s free media repository: 9 August
The panther chameleon is native to northern and eastern Madagascar, and has also been introduced to Réunion and Mauritius. According to its entry on Wikipedia, “Like most species of chameleons, the panther chameleon is very territorial. It spends the majority of its life in isolation, apart from mating sessions. When two males come into contact,….
Your weekly photo from the world’s free media repository: 2 August
This eharo mask was made by an unknown person in what is today Papua New Guinea. It was acquired by the Museum of Toulouse in 1882. According to its caption on Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository that holds much of the images, videos, and sounds used in Wikipedia articles, “the eharo masks were worn….
The European Commission chooses truly free licenses for its content
Last February, the European Commission defined (pdf) two Creative Commons (CC) licenses as the default for most of what it publishes: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (“CC BY 4.0”) for all content. Commons Universal Public Domain Dedication deed (“CC0”) for raw data, metadata or other documents of comparable nature. The European Commission’s….
Your weekly photo from the world’s free media repository: 26 July
This rock grotto is three kilometers south of the village of Olenevka, located on Crimea’s Tarkhankut Peninsula. The photographer uploaded it as part of Wiki Loves Earth 2017, a photo contest which aims to document the world’s natural heritage for future generations. Over 130,000 images were uploaded during the contest, a total which was winnowed….
Your weekly photo from the world’s free media repository: 19 July
The original Beetle, constructed by the German automaker Volkswagen, was in production from 1938 until 2003. Convertible Beetles were usually nicer than their roofed counterparts. According to Wikipedia, the Beetle convertible was “generally more lavishly equipped than the sedan with dual rear ashtrays, twin map pockets, a visor vanity mirror on the passenger side, rear….
Your weekly photo from the world’s free media repository: 12 July
The Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse is located in Hjørring, Jutland, Denmark, on the North Sea. Construction on it began in 1899; it was lit for the first time in 1900 and its light was extinguished for the final time in 1968. Today, the lighthouse is threatened by heavy coastal erosion in the area, which are bringing….
Your weekly photo from the world’s free photo repository: 5 July
A long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) in Labuk Bay, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia. According to Wikipedia, the long-tailed macaque is native to Southeast Asia. Its social groups are controlled by females, and any male children depart after undergoing puberty. While this macaque “has a long history alongside humans[,] they have been alternately seen as agricultural pests, sacred….
With Wikipedia in the classroom, a former student has become the teacher
Four years ago, Ismael Andani Abdulai was in graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley, working towards a master’s in law. One of the required courses for that degree was on cyber law, focusing on legal issues related to computers, the internet, and information technology. Appropriately, the professor in charge of the class assigned….
Photo credits
Jack Delano/US Farm Security Administration via Library of Congress
Jack Delano/US Farm Security Administration via Library of Congress, digitally restored by Durova
Charles J Sharp/Sharp Photography
Charles J. Sharp/Sharp Photography
Justice Okai-Allotey/Owula kpakpo