Darknet

Web Sheriff asks Dabble to remove a video — wrongly

From Mary Hodder at the Dabble blog: Web Sheriff Asks Dabble to Remove a Video — Wrongly

Studios turning blind eye to fan sites

NY Times: 'Star Trek' fans, deprived of a show, re-create the franchise on fan sites. Excerpt:

Fan films have been around for years, particularly those related to the "Star Wars" movies. But now they can be downloaded from the Web, and modern computer graphics technology has lent them surprising special effects. And as long as no one is profiting from the work, Paramount, which owns the rights to "Star Trek," has been tolerant. (Its executives declined to comment.) ...

South Park likenesses

For a while, you could get a South Park cartoon doppelganger of yourself made at Vexatori.de, but it looks like they took down the page sometime this month.

But not before Brian Russell (whom I met at the Duke University symposium on podcasting last month) got his made (that's him, above).

For the life of me, I can't see why copyright owners would get upset about this kind of free viral publicity and goodwill.

Fandom obsessions

From today's San Jose Merc comes the Top Fandom Obsessions.

ALL-TIME TOP 5

1. ``Star Wars'' movies

2. ``Star Trek'' TV shows and movies

3. ``The Lord of the Rings'' books and movies

4. ``Harry Potter'' books and movies

5. ``The Matrix'' movies

Honorable mention: ``X-Files'' TV show and movies; anime movies and TV shows

TOP 5 OBSESSIONS FOR NEXT GENERATION

1. ``X-Men'' comics and movies

2. ``The O.C.'' TV show

3. ``CSI'' TV shows

4. Reality TV shows like ``Survivor,'' ``American Idol,'' ``The Apprentice''

5. ``Donnie Darko''

Honorable mention: ``Napoleon Dynamite''
 
Top 10 Internet Fandom Destinations, from Mollie Skinner of St. Francis High in Mountain View, Calif.:

I did some Web surfing to see what was out there. To make things manageable, I narrowed my search to sites dedicated to ``Harry Potter,'' ``Star Wars'' and ``The Lord of the Rings.'' Here are my 10 favorites:

1. www.jkrowling.com: ``Harry Potter'' author J.K. Rowling's own site, with hints and extra details about the books.

2. www.harrypotter.com: The official ``Harry Potter'' site, by Warner Bros. Find out about the movies, get sorted into a Hogwarts house, get a wand and more.

3. www.hp-lexicon.org: Check facts, read essays and more about the ``Harry Potter'' universe.

4. www.starwars.com: The official ``Star Wars'' site, with details on the casts, movie trailers, merchandise and the ``expanded universe'' of ``Star Wars'' (which is everything outside of the movies -- books, games and more).

5. www.theforce. net: The fan site for all dedicated fans of ``Star Wars,'' with news, interviews, trivia and details on all the episodes.

6. www.starwarschicks.com: Especially for female ``Star Wars'' fans.

7. www.lordoftherings.net: The official site for the ``LOTR'' movies, complete with production details, interviews, movie trailers and more.

8. www.theonering.net: This site is for the ultimate ``LOTR'' fan, with stuff like message boards, fan merchandise, and fan art and fiction.

9. www.lordotrings.com: Loaded with ``LOTR'' information, fan communities and merchandise.

10. www.wizardnews. com: Become the most informed ``Harry Potter'' and ``LOTR'' fan.