Today Must Be File 770 Day

Otherwise, how else explain the wealth of really cool articles that Mike links to or highlights…?

Indeed, one hardly need go anywhere else on this fine (80+ degree NH spring day) – except perhaps to do the laundry, which task I will be undertaking in just a few short minutes.

AFTER reading just about everything Mike linked to.

Talk about bringing balance to the universe: the other day I ranted a small bit about McCormack’s The Road, and the publishing establishments refusal to indict it with a science fiction label.? Today, Mike brings us a piece of BBC commentary, unearthed by none other than Michael Moorcock, in which J G Ballard – the man himself – says these words:

“I never disowned the idea of being a science fiction writer, though I know that it’s a thorough disreputable thing to be.? I’d been made to feel that many, many times. So I’ve always insisted that I certainly was a science fiction writer and very proud of it.”? J G Ballard

Yes, J G Ballard, science fiction novelist and sometime author of semi-biographical works that are made into award-winning films by award-winning directors.? Take that you hoity-toity literaryalists!? OK, so maybe we can’t can’t on folks like McCormack (and sometimes we can’t even count on our pet literary authors who claim to like science fiction, like Chabon), but we can sure as heck count on folks like Ballard, Aldiss and Moorcock.? The piece was apparently forwarded to Mike via Moshe Feder – thanks for being the recipient, Moshe.

THEN Mike tops off that little bit of in your facedness with a link to a piece about Chesley Bonestell and his work with Disney, von Braun and others in presenting the future of space exploration as it was once believed it would be.? (And still needs to be: imagine the changes that might be wrought if every school kid could go out in the back yard at night and look up into the sky to watch the wheeled space stations drift by, or barely discern the growing moon colony with a pair of decently powered binoculars.)

The link is to an article by Steven Worth and can be found on the ASIFA website devoted to Hollywood animation.

Two of the Disney films – Man in Space and Mars and Beyond – that are referenced in Worth’s piece can be found on the Classic Science Fiction Channel’s education page* – where you can see more of Bonestell’s work in its working environment.

Then Mike moves on to his roundup of interesting links and, well, let me put it this way: if you eat cereal in the morning – get another bowl.? If you drink coffee, get another cup.? If you are rushing out the door to head for something important – call whoever up and tell them you’ll be a bit delayed – cause you aren’t going to be able to stop reading and clicking for a while yet.

Giant Saturn V WORKING models soon to be launched – its in there

A write up about the Royal Swiss Navy Gazette’s latest issue – its in there

Words of insight for SMOFs (possibly) in there

and so much more.

Don’t miss Sunday’s doorstep delivery from File 770?- and maybe check out some of the other fine pubs at efanzines.com

*

The new incaranation of The Classic Science Fiction Channel is almost ready for a reveal (www.rimworlds.com/theclassicsciencefictionchannel).

The site was up to something close to 150+ featured films.? Recently however, one source of SF movie linkage over at YouTube has been shut down, breaking the links to several films.?

This is, I expect, a normal consequence of providing a site that curates links rather than hosting its own content.

Now I don’t know why the site has been made unavailable.? It is entirely possible that some or all of the materials were infringing on someone’s rights, in which case they certainly have the right to enforce them.?

This does give me the excuse to explain my philosophy regarding the source sites and the links I provide on the channel.

My purpose is to find as much free SF content on the web as possible, organize it in a fun, friendly and interesting manner, provide additional information regarding the various properties (pics, original story sources, info about authors, etc) and put them all in one easy to find location.

I’m not looking to publicize illegal content.? I do wish to some property rights holders would be a little more liberal, but I’m not here to step on their toes.

In sourcing properties, I rely on the hosting site’s TOS as my bases for establishing legality.? So, for example, YouTube’s EULA states that users will not knowingly upload materials that infringe on a third-party’s intellectual property rights.

Therefore and ipso facto, if a movie is available on YouTube (or elsewhere having similar language in its EULA), it must be legal content and I can comfortably link to it.

This does give me a bit of wiggle room and has obviously led to the linking to some properties that ought not to have been available.? I’m sure that some would take issue with my definition of ‘legal’ but, in reality, handling things this way works for BOTH folks who want to watch free movies online AND for the rights holders who wish to control acccess to their properties.

If a film is in the public domain, there’s someone out there (me) gathering them all together.? If something I highlight is not legally on the web, I’ve just given it a fair amount of publicity and have made it easier for the rights holder to find the offending material and issue a DMCA take-down notice.

Yes, some quick-thinking downloaders may be able to get ahold of FLV/SWF copies of films they’d like for free during the intervening period (the time between listing on the site and the DMCA issue) which is money lost so far as the rights holders are concerned, but contrast that with the number of folks who have gone ahead and purchased a better quality copy of the movie from a legal source (which would seem to be quite a few if my traffic stats/ad stats are any indication).

It certainly is an interesting middle ground to be in and a microcosmic illustration of the entire copy-fight process.

Unfortunately, if you aren’t interested in all of that stuff, what it also means is that sometimes you’ll go to watch a film and it won’t be linked to anymore.

Which is why I’m now engaged in a constant search for alternative links (and would be happy to receive the same from anyone interested in forwarding them) and am working on installing a link-checker on the site.

As well as researching the costs of a blanket license to host and broadcast the films myself.? Those efforts are underway, so keep your eyes peeled.