Posts by Mike Kilpatrick
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Hard News: Mega Strange, in reply to Russell Brown,
Yep, my bad. I shouldn't have written 'perhaps'. To suggest, however, as the press release did that links were out there allowing people to download the book freely seems to be drawing a rather long bow given only one person accessed the book on Mega - the uploader.
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Hard News: Mega Strange, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
It was laughable because it said Mega ripped off Eleanor Catton, which there is absolutely zero proof for. A copy was uploaded by a person, who remains the only person to have accessed that copy.
There are many other sites who are hosting copies of Catton's magnificent work (which I have purchased twice and supported with other books purchased so don't require you to point out anything about Auckland University Press or Sam Elworthy), which could rightfully be criticised for - I think Mega was the wrong target on this occasion.
The release also said links (plural) had been made available for free download of the book. Not true. No-one had those links apart from the uploader and perhaps Whale Oil.
“MEGA should do more to ensure this kind of thing does not occur.” Pardon? They took the infringing content down before they normally would have. Unless you believe any potential host/dropbox etc for online files should scan for possible copyrighted material before accepting it, what else are they supposed to do?
A Google Drive, Dropbox etc account could have done exactly the same as this. Mega was used in this case. Trying to hold Mega up as somehow worse because it's a Kiwi company just seemed strange and yes, laughable, to me.
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Hard News: Mega Strange, in reply to Russell Brown,
I take your point that YouTube has found a way to deal with certain aspects of this.
However there are forums dedicated to people uploading and sharing full movies and television shows on YouTube, which are updated often as the companies who own the copyright get the videos withdrawn.
So not the same, no, but I think it's analogous. People are using YouTube to upload copyrighted material for others to access, without permission, which could well deny those right-holders money via legitimate methods. (I don't necessarily think that argument holds, but for the sake of my point I'm using it.)
Anyway, I was being rather facetious in my original reply so won't digress any further.
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I found the Publishers Association's response laughable, particularly given copies of 'The Luminaries' are available on at least two other more easily accessible sites than Mega.
So one person uploaded the copy, didn't share it with anyone (except possibly WhaleOil if his claims that he didn't upload it are to be believed) and it's a national disgrace?
I also find WhaleOil's railing against the site because they deny artists and publishers their well-earned income galling after he apparently suggested uploading someone else's book to the internet to deny them the very thing he's supposedly defending.
Personally I can't wait for WhaleOil's anti-YouTube campaign given they're, at this point, way worse in providing illicit access to copyrighted work than Mega is.
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Up Front: Good Counsel, in reply to Judith Fursdon,
"Doing what you need to do in order to get help can involve a lot of banging your head against the wall."
This has been my response right across the board in New Zealand - at the doctor, from the depression hotline and from the mental health crisis team. And I know there's a lot of others who feel like that.
It's not that I feel suicidal - ie I'm not at the point where I'm actively contemplating it - it's just that when I'm low it feels as if being dead is a much better option. When I've iterated this in the past it's been ignored across the board.
I'm presuming because I'm articulating it, it means I'm less likely to do so. It doesn't make me feel like I'm getting appropriate help, however.
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Thanks for writing this, Judith.
I've been severely depressed for many years and go through massive ups and downs.
After taking a variety of SSRIs, none of which seemed to work, I was offered six free Cognitive Behavioural Therapy sessions about three years ago. The CBT went well and I thought I developed a good relationship with the therapist - but if I wanted to keep going after my free sessions then I had to pay an absolute fortune.
There was definite value in the CBT sessions, but I have forgotten everything that I learned in there because I never got the chance to embed it. It was over way too soon.
Unfortunately SSRIs continue to be the focus and I'm still unconvinced that any have really helped me. Just last week I had to go back to the doctor and my dosage was simply increased.
When I mentioned prominent thoughts about dying - and being as low as I've ever been - it was pretty much ignored. I gather because I didn't say 'I'm going to find a cliff to throw myself off', their was no real response.
I don't think it's that the doctors don't care - I just think they don't know what to do.
Talking therapy needs to be available for those who need it, otherwise those with mental illness remain at a real risk.