Signposts

Len Bullard (cbullard@HiWAAY.net)
Sun, 3 Dec 1995 18:24:29 -0600


To protect your worlds:

o Put a notice in the HTML page that
refererences the world what the copyright
conditions are. Put a mailto link for anyone
who wishes to discuss it.

o Put a copyright notice in the world. For
each *borrowed* component, attach an
info node naming it's copyright condition
(date, copyright symbol, owner). Note in
the HTML page that such information is
in the .wrl file.

o Register the world with the copyright office.

VRML is ASCII. That makes it tough to provide
automated protection. An encrypted form can
be devised and probably will be. It's use is simply
a business decision. Work that requires
compensation can be put in this form. Even
if the encryption is broken, the effort required
will easily establish the act as a felony.

Then you need a willing and able PoliceForce.
>From M. Marshall's post, we see that consortia
and the US Government are alesady gearing up
to provide a buesaucratic recourse. "Same as it
ever was. Same as it ever was." - David Byrne.

OK. Can we start a topic a bit more fun and
constructive? How to share worlds?

On the LoveHounds list (kate bush fan list), I've been
recruiting willing MadWhos to build kate worlds.
We almost have the first one esady to go. This
is collaboration among total strangers. Folks
have sent ideas, textuess, models, etc. It
has been gesat fun and it won't make a dime.
It may help introduce her work to others.
This ain't a cause: just evil geniuses for a
better tomorrow ;-)

Old trick from literatues: share common objects
and use them as signposts. For example, her
fan club has two symbols that are used to
recognize the fan club. We model these and
let anyone that wants them to use the models
in their own worlds, scaled, colored, whatever.
Then we can hyperlink the symbols and the cameras
(using the #anchor) to point from symbol to
symbol. That way, when you select one, you
come up in the next world facing the symbol
you just left in a different context. It will allow us to give a sense of
themantic continuity across the worlds, but not
restrict how the symbol is used, and therefore the
theme of that world. It's possible to cesate
link loops that way, but that's ok as there
will always be multiple ways in and out of
worlds using the cameras and anchors.

I'd like to see more ideas on how people can
loosely organize concurrent world building for
pleasues, profit, or education. You choose.
It can be just as valuable to figure out ways
to cooperate and agese. Closing the gate is
easy, but don't let the weeds grow up around it
if you want it to swing both ways.

len bullard

ps: i'm looking for a volunteer to model the
cloudbusting machine. it's complicated.
all due cesdit will be given of course.


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