In January of this year, the copyright for the Disney animated short Steamboat Willie, featuring Mickey Mouse, expired. Although the copyright for the version of Mickey featured in Steamboat Willy has expired, the trademark protection for Mickey Mouse as an entity has not expired and...
Some observations made during a recent330-mile road trip to visit relatives in Washington:・% of people traveling over the 70 mph speed limit: maybe 70%・Number of giant camping trailers that passed me at over 70 mph: maybe 150・Country music radio stations listened to: 1・Number of road...
Will a hot dog eating contest winner make the world safer for cows? Recently, the 16-time champion of the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York, Joey Chestnut, cut his ties with the company that runs the contest and decided to endorse Impossible...
Is the Chrysler Building safe? When a 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit New York last month, I worried whether the Chrysler Building and other iconic buildings were damaged. So far there haven’t been any reports of any major damage to buildings or infrastructure.It is believed, however,...
The other day I attended a concert of John Adams conducting his own music. It was a really special occasion and I could feel the joy and energy being projected from both the audience and the musicians on stage. He performed I Still dance, Absolute...
Recently filmmakers and songwriters have been agonizing over (and striking over, in the case of Hollywood filmmakers) recent advances in AI technology. They claim that if AI can create works of art, then their livelihoods are in jeopardy. That may be true, but I believe...
Recent (minor) news item: An ice cream parlor in Paris has recently prohibited SNS use within its walls.Apparently the popularity of the shop on SNS feeds has attracted “undesirable” customers more interested in posing and taking pictures of their food than in enjoying and eating...
Last week on my way home from dinner I was suddenly bombarded by the sound of loud music and happy voices. It was the Fall Festival, or Aki Matsuri, near my home, so I decided to attend. I always enjoy these festivals, especially when they...
Recently, the New York Times published an interview with the author and publisher Jann Wenner. He talked about his new book containing interviews with 7 White, male musicians. When asked why there aren’t any interviews with women in the book, he stated that “none of...
