This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
"Electronic Frontiers": Where technology, politics, and online culture meet (and sometimes collide!).
Friday, September 3 - Monday, September 6, 2004
Director: Scott M. Jones (scott@aprr.org)
Updated: Saturday, April 23, 2005
Our Purpose
The Electronic Frontiers Forums is a series of panels devoted to online
technology, politics, and culture. We cover pressing issues in online
media, including freedom of speech, privacy online, governance and
enforcement, new trends in technology, and the latest trends in online
culture. Please join us for our next presentation at
DragonCon.
Thank you! Thanks to all who contributed to make 2004 EF Forums a success. Audio recordings are available through the links below and pictures are available here.
Copying: Copyright 2004 Electronic Frontiers Georgia. Copying of audio and pictures is allowed under the
Creative Commons License. Please click below for details. A link back to this site is appreciated.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Schedule for 2004:
| Friday, Sept. 3 | Saturday, Sept. 4 | Sunday, Sept. 5 | Monday, Sept. 6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 AM | (Convention Closed) |
DRM 101: Digital Rights Management As more and more information is delivered using digital means, the organizations who hold the copyrights strive to protect their property. DRM, the acronym for digital rights management, is technology used to protect copyright. Combined with legislation, such as the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, DRM is poised to squash fair use and the benefits of digital mediums. This talk is an introduction, which will include its history, terminology and fair use issues. Jeffery TillotsonRoom: Piedmont |
Life in Cybertown(.com): A 3D Virtual Community A demo and discussion of Cybertown(.com), a family-oriented 3D community of the future. Explores life in 2092, things to do in the city, and the real-world benefits of a 3D community. HawkJolinth Jason_RC jdb_educator Wovencroft mickeyw Room: Piedmont |
Hacking 301 Many folks quietly drinking coffee. Very quietly. jonnyXRhia Drag0n Room: Piedmont |
| 11:30 AM | (Convention Closed) |
Fighting Spam Through the Legal System: Can We CAN-SPAM? Attorney Pete Wellborn discusses the legal aspects of stopping spammers, using both criminal and civil penalties, and why most of the recent anti-spam legislation is both useless and unnecessary. Pete WellbornPeter E. Popovich Room: Piedmont |
Sales Tax for Online Gaming Subscriptions New laws are now taking effect to mandate charging sales tax for on-line game subscriptions. How's this all going to work? Are there things that can be done to minimize taxes, such as picking strategic server locations? Come join CPA Peter H Friedman for a discussion of these and other e-commerce issues, especially as they relate to on-line games. Peter H FriedmanRoom: Piedmont |
Famous Unsolved Codes Game designer and codebreaker Elonka Dunin describes some of the most famous and infamous codes yet to be broken, including the Kryptos sculpture at the CIA headquarters. Elonka DuninRoom: Piedmont |
| 1:00 PM |
(No program)
|
DirecTV and End User Litigation Attorney Albert Zakarian discusses the litigation campaign against owners of certain types of smart card devices by DirecTV. Should owning a "digital crowbar" be illegal even if you've never broken into anything? What if your "digital crowbar" has substantial non-infringing uses? What if your defense case has merit but you can't afford to fight a large corporate entity? Albert ZakarianRoom: Piedmont (cancelled due to Hurricane) |
Fighting MPAA Lawsuits Attorney Albert Zakarian, an expert in end user litigation, discusses the MPAA lawsuits, ways to combat them, when to fight, and when to settle. Albert ZakarianRoom: Piedmont (cancelled due to Hurricane) |
Movie: Willful
Infringement A documentary on the "productization" of popular culture and the stifling effects that current copyright laws have on creative expression, including derivative expression. Billed as "a report from the front lines of the real culture wars". Scott M. JonesRoom: Piedmont |
| 2:30 PM |
(No program)
|
SCO v. Linux Attorney Mark Grant gives an update on the ongoing legal battle waged by The SCO Group against IBM and other corporate users of the Linux operating system. Is this a legitimate intellectual property complaint or a campaign to kill the value of free software in the corporate world (or both)? Mark GrantRoom: Piedmont |
Trusted Computing: Friend or Foe? Security and nanotechnology expert Dr. Ralph Merkle discusses Trusted Computing. Computers today do as they are told -- by whoever or whatever tells them. The result is worms, viruses, spam, and other malware. How can we protect our computers? And who are we protecting them from? Dr. Ralph MerkleRoom: Piedmont |
(movie continued)
|
| 4:00 PM |
Kryptos and the Cyrillic Projector Ciphers Currently famous because of its relationship with Dan Brown's bestseller "The Da Vinci Code", Kryptos is a mysterious encrypted sculpture at CIA Headquarters. Though part of Kryptos still remains unsolved, the KGB code on its sister sculpture, the Cyrillic Projector, was cracked last year by an international team led by Elonka Dunin. In this intriguing multimedia session, Elonka goes over how it was done, and what hints may have been gained that could help with the solving of Kryptos. Elonka DuninRoom: Piedmont |
Tax Credits for Creating Online Games Federal and State Tax laws grant tax credits for creating games. How do they work? How do you qualify? How do you structure them to help get funding? Come join CPA Peter H Friedman for a discussion of these and other tax credit issues, especially as they relate to games. Peter H Friedman CPARoom: Piedmont |
Electronic Voting Machines: Hack the Vote? Local technology activist Aaron Ruscetta discusses concerns that many citizens have over hastily installed touch-screen voting machines and the inability to do a recount inherent in many of these systems. Confidence in the accuracy of the vote is a cornerstone of any democracy, and many people are worried. At least with hanging chads you can see and count the problem. Aaron RuscettaRoom: Piedmont |
Wrap-Up and Comments Give us your comments, questions, and ideas for future panels. Now excuse me while I go take a nap. Scott M. JonesRoom: Piedmont |
| 5:30 PM |
Anti-Spam Arms Race Spam filtering has become an arms race, with clever spammers using constantly changing techniques to evade the most popular spam filters. Randal L. Schwartz discusses the latest strategies useful for sorting out the gems from the junk. Randal L. SchwartzPeter E. Popovich Room: Piedmont |
Nuts and Bolts of Producing a Webcomic A behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to produce a successful web-based comic strip series, given by established artists and authors. From artwork to servers, see how it's done. Mitch CalhounBrad Taylor Coy Powers Kittyhawk Rob Balder Tim Buckley Pete Abrams Jennie Breeden Room: Piedmont |
Trials and Tribulations of a DragonCon Group Manager Behind the scenes of DC fan pages. Why we started a group, problems with trolls, the differences between the groups, content, gaining membership, keeping active after the con, etc. RabidchyldRobio Empooress Room: Piedmont | (Convention Closed) |
| 7:00 PM |
Click Here to Agree: A Primer on Clickable Contracts Does anyone really read all that stuff in scroll boxes that we all have to agree to these days? Is it really enforceable anyway? Attorney James Sanders explores the explosion of clickable contracts, "microcontracts", and agreements on web sites, portable devices, and digital media. James SandersRoom: Piedmont |
Web Cam Girls Why bother to audition for reality TV when you can attach a $30 webcam to your computer and produce your own show? Thanks to the Internet and inexpensive cameras, many people have done just that. This panel explores our obsession with the ordinary, and why people choose to put their daily lives on display. Unlike "reality" TV, many web cams document utterly ordinary day to day events. Panelists discuss anonymity, safety issues, and the shock of having a fan base. MystrysBarDiva sohma g. dawling Room: Regency V |
FCC Broadcast Flag: The FCC Takes a Stand in the Copyright Wars Paul Scheele, an FCC-licensed broadcast engineer, talks about the recent FCC mandate regarding a "broadcast flag" for digital TV. Is this a disturbing new trend in technology control or a necessity in the age of file sharing? Is the threat to consumers real? Will the mandate stand up in court? Will RIAA get a similar "broadcast flag" for digital radio? Paul ScheeleRoom: Piedmont | (Convention Closed) |
| 8:30 PM |
Legal Issues Facing a Non-Commercial Online Game: Never Tell Me the Odds! The Star Wars Combine is a free MMORPG developed by amateurs during their spare time and online since 1998. With its growing success, various legal issues have been raised. From the use of Star Wars copyrighted materials in a game not developed by LucasArts to the financial issues related to such a project, various legal problems will be reviewed, and the solution applied by the Combine team will be described. Jehan Snyers d'AttenhovenAnnette Pohlke Kammy Bonias Room: Piedmont |
Hacking 101 A repeat of the popular panel from previous years. Just what is a hacker anyway? Culture, history, contacts, resources, and pointers for more info. Dispelling the myths from the media and the courts. Brought to you by se2600.org jonny XDrag0n Rhia Randal L. Schwartz Jeffrey Tillotson Albert Zakarian Room: Regency V |
My So-Called LiveJournal (.com) LiveJournal.com is more than just a web site. It has quickly evolved into a major social phenomenon on the Internet. This will be an open roundtable for web diarists to discuss writing, the shock of having a fanbase, and interesting tales of journaling. Mystryssohma g. dawling el Gorgo Zeppo Room: Piedmont | (Convention Closed) |
| 10:00 PM |
MMORPG's, What's Next? MMORPG's are "massively multiplayer online role playing games". We will present a discussion of upcoming MMORPG titles and their impact on current MMORPG's. We will be covering Everquest, World of Warcraft, Vanguard, City of Heroes, Anarchy Online, and others. Kevin StallardWaylon Adams Trevor Legg Elonka Dunin Kirsten Adams Terri Perkins Jorgen Tharaldsen Room: Piedmont |
Anarchy Online Gathering Whether you're hard core, a Noob or just checking out the game - all are welcome to stop by and meet with fellow players, ARK, and some faces behind the Funcom titles. Come on in and discuss AO, Shadowlands, or Alien Invasion. Dress as an AO character or just be in the room and you could go home with Phat Lewt! Terri PerkinsJorgen Tharaldsen Room: Piedmont |
Hacking 201 Q&A from our panel of experts. Play "stump the hacker", maybe you'll win a prize! Brought to you by se2600.org. jonny XDrag0n Rhia Randal L. Schwartz Jeffrey Tillotson Room: Piedmont |
(Convention Closed) |
| 11:30 PM |
Everquest Gathering This is your chance to get together with other Everquest players and discuss the latest goings on in Norrath (and elsewhere). We offer you a place get information for the newcomers and a place to trade war stories for the old-timers. Featuring discussions on gameplay, quests, and personalities within the game. Kevin StallardWaylon Adams Trevor Legg Kirsten Adams Room: Piedmont |
Wit & Wisdom of the Internet Elders DragonCon Yahoo Group social meeting. This year's topic: Kilt Inspector Certification Class. Hosted by The Empooress. EmpooressRoom: Piedmont | (Hacking 201 continued...) | (Convention Closed) |