Google Doctype, an Encyclopedia of the Open Web

Jane Park, May 22nd, 2008

Google recently launched Google Doctype, a wiki-style encyclopedia for web developers of the open web, a “web built on open standards: HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and more.” Anyone with a Google account can contribute and edit. Currently, the wiki consists of HOWTO articles on web security, DOM manipulation, CSS and style, tips and tricks—in addition to code for developers. 

All articles, reference pages and other prose content is licensed CC BY. 

Creative Commons presents ccREL at Semantic Technology 2008

Nathan Yergler, May 22nd, 2008

Ben Adida and myself are attending the Semantic Technology 2008 conference today where we presented on ccREL, the Creative Commons Rights Expression Language (slides).

ccREL provides a framework for describing licenses and how they relate to creative works. In addition to the conceptual framework for describing licenses, ccREL also provides concrete recommendations for marking works using RDFa and XMP. Look for more announcements in the coming months about how we’re using ccREL to increase the opportunities for re-use of CC metadata.

Joi Ito/Ryuichi Sakamoto/bb.tv 150

Cameron Parkins, May 21st, 2008

For the 150th episode of the fantastic Boing Boing tv, Xeni et al. have digi-traveled to Japan, visiting CC CEO Joi Ito to learn how to hunt for and prepare bamboo shoots. Accompanied by a wonderful score from Ryuichi Sakamoto, the video is CC BY-NC licensed and a soothing way to begin your day. You can read about how the whole project came to fruition on Joi’s blog, including a pretty amusing anecdote about finding CC-licensed music (I, for one, think Cornelius would make wonderful musical accompaniment to bamboo hunting).

Podington Bear and Single Frame Films

Cameron Parkins, May 21st, 2008

Podington Bear, a musical artist known for releasing 3 songs a week during 2007 - all under a CC BY-NC license - recently began an exciting new project titled Sound of Picture. The project finds Podington Bear scoring ’single-frame films’, adding an atmospheric/mood driven musical piece to a particular photo he has taken. These compositions are all similarly licensed, allowing for free sharing and reuse with hopes of commercial licensing intact. From WIRED’s Listening Post:

“The idea is that I take a picture and write a score for it,” wrote Podington Bear, whose only known portrait appears above. “It’s very simple. The hope of course is that they enhance each other, or that it provides a means of entry to those not generally inclined to listen to atmospheric music, or for that matter, those who do not visualize things when listening to music. It’s a bit different than my former output. The compositions tend to be short, simple, & experimental. Conspicuously beat-less.”

Podington Bear allows free non-commercial use of these compositions under a Creative Commons license, but one of his goals is to license them commercially (perhaps the images and their associated adjectives will helpproduction companies find a song that suits the feel they are going for). The Bear has had some recent success in this area, licensing songs to the This American Life television series and the video blog Rocketboom.

Stanley the Whale

Cameron Parkins, May 20th, 2008

Stanley The Whale is a CC-powered e-zine that is “dedicated to bringing forth amateur talent from all corners in as many different mediums of art as can be fit within” a particular online space. Focusing on the work of amateur photographers, writers, artists, and game-designers who are hoping to expand their fan base, all submissions are released under a CC BY-NC license, enabling the content to be reused broadly as long as it attributes the creator and remains noncommercial in intent. If you are a a content creator looking for a place to be seen and heard who also chooses to CC license your work, peruse what STW has to offer - it looks poised to be a positive place for up-and-coming creators looking to get their feet wet in the world of online publication.