Monthly Archives: December 2011

… Without evidence of this nature, defendant is not “media”

So I found this article about a blogger in America who is in court with investment firm Obsidian Finance Group and its co-founder Kevin Padrick after she 'went out of her way' to bad-mouth them on various sites.

It's really interesting to read, and I particularly like the below definition of a journalist, and it demonstrates how the blogger doesn't fit that mould and thus isn't given the same protection/allowances as journalists are:

'Defendant fails to bring forth any evidence suggestive of her status as a journalist. For example, there is no evidence of (1) any education in journalism; (2) any credentials or proof of any affiliation with any recognized news entity; (3) proof of adherence to journalistic standards such as editing, fact-checking, or disclosures of conflicts of interest; (4) keeping notes of conversations and interviews conducted; (5) mutual understanding or agreement ...

D Publishing: AUTHORS BEWARE

Am I allowed to act like a teenager and say "Ha ha told you so!"?

Because I think I should be.

Ever since my interview with Don Grover, former CEO of Dymocks, about D Publishing I knew it wasn't good.

Finally, they've released the contracts and self-publishing deals.

And, well, let's just say, AUTHORS BEWARE.

Steph first told me about it last night and my jaw was literally wide open as she briefly described some of the terms and conditions.

I think the easiest and most concise way to find out is to read The Australian Literature Review's summary of the contracts.

Some of the 'highlights' of the contract include:

Dymocks are given editorial control

The relevant clause here is under the heading of Legally Objectionable Material but don’t let that fool you, because another clause states that:

“headings are [for] the ease of reference only and do not affect ...

4.30am and Eulogies

Hello to my poor neglected website!

Boy it's been a long time and a rough few weeks.

Firstly, to explain my absence over the past week or so: my grandfather died.

He was sick and in a home, but it happened suddenly (stroke Wednesday, died Friday, funeral yesterday) so since last Wednesday I've been in a crying-and-family bubble and haven't done much else.

I spoke at the funeral, saw people I haven't seen for years and generally was a mess the whole time.

It's hard to believe he's really gone, you know?

I am also very far behind in my new degree considering the lack of study over the past week.

Also, two Saturday's ago my car broke down and on Monday that cost $500 to repair. Fun. Times.

This morning I took my sister and her best friend to the airport - I had to be up at 4.30am! ...

The Catch-Up

This week has been a-crazy!

Here's why:

1) My housemate and I re-arranged my desk area in my bedroom. It took us over five hours to clean, move and finally re-assemble everything.

Here's the finished picture:

There's a printer behind the television, that's crushed pineapple in the bowl and the red thing on top of the monitor is my childhood alarm clock! I was so excited to find that (buried under piles of crap :P).

(Don't judge my Taylor Swift poster - focus on all the book things! :P)

I decided earlier that day that I missed using the huge desk I got from the side of the road, because that's in the study and not in my room. So I decided to move it!

The jumbled mess of cords under my old, small desk was an electrical hazard: there was three power boards on top of ...