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CMU Fine Arts students go madiFesto
The digital age has reached
the arts as students disassembled computers and parts and then connected
them.
The Chiang Mai University Faculty of Fine Arts students
are holding their annual madiFesto exhibition at the CMU Art Museum on
Nimmanhaemin and this year’s theme is generally multimedia interactive
exhibits, often featuring live models, video, and interactive displays.
Often informative, generally thought provoking and interesting, the
madiFesto exhibition also features seminars on photography, art and
ethnography, performance art and multimedia presentations.
It would seem this display was
well aware of the implications of Nazi Germany as the performance artists
had a very forbidding and frightening air.
Another exhibit featuring live
models was also quite forbidding.
Some students showed their
photographic skills, offering up images that were either posed to make a
statement or every day images of people.
New Chiang Mai Ensemble
The newest group to enrich
the Chiang Mai music scene are well known talented local musicians; Mutita
Narkmuang, Ong-ard Kanchaisak, Remi Namtep, and Xavier Vichitporn.
With the recent formation of the “Chiangmai Ensemble”,
the music scene in Chiang Mai has been enriched with a new formation for
Chamber Music. Mutita Narkmuang, Guitar, Ong-ard Kanchaisak, Counter-tenor,
Remi Namtep, Piano, and Xavier Vichitporn, Flute, will play in varying
combinations, and perform Classical Music. The four musicians are well-known
soloists, but also successful teachers at various musical institutions in
this city.
The “Chiangmai Ensemble” will give its first concert on
Saturday, October 29, 2011, at the AUA-Auditorium, Ratchadamnern Road,
Chiang Mai. The concert starts at 19:30 PM. On the program are compositions
by Dowland, Telemann, Haendel, Giuliani, Mangore, Chopin, Rachmaninov,
Saint-Saëns, and Mekara/Namtep.
Tickets at 200 Baht can be obtained from the musicians or
by reservation through phone number 089 757 9875, and (if still available)
before the concert at the door.
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Thai Police announce pirated software raid results
Say violations also occur in industrial estates
Thai police have announced an overview result of raids
into businesses suspected of committing software copyrights violations, and
advised those located in industrial estates to use genuine software to
prevent possible legal problems.
From January to August 2011, there have
been software copyrights violations on 2,715 corporate PCs amounting to
355.4 million baht worth of losses to copyrights owners. The figures are
higher when compared to the same period last year in which there were such
violations on 2,085 corporate PCs worth 224.9 million baht in value of
software.
From time to time, the Economic and
Cyber Crime Division (ECD) has received complaints from software copyrights
owners, asking police to investigate into alleged use of illegal software at
factories and businesses, including those located within industrial estates.
“My advice to business operators has
always been to follow copyrights laws and use only genuine software so that
you can be assured of quality and efficiency of use in running their
businesses and also to protect themselves against possible legal problems
later on,” Pol. Col. Chainarong Charoenchainao, Deputy Commander and
spokesman of the ECD.
Several of the businesses that are
currently under ECD investigation have revenue in excess of 100 million baht
and more than a few earn over one billion baht in revenue. Recent cases
include one Thai-German-Singapore joint venture that makes 185 million baht
in revenue and a Virgin Islands-Japanese joint venture with 260 million baht
in assets.
By using only genuine software and
following copyrights laws, companies are immunizing themselves against legal
problems and complaints from software copyright owners as well as malware
and other system security risks. “The cost of software legalization is
worth the peace of mind,” Pol. Col. Chainarong said. “It’s also about
integrity. I believe every Thai business can succeed without having to rely
on pirated software.”
Thailand aims to overtake Hong Kong
with the fastest drop in software piracy reduction in Asia Pacific. For
four consecutive years now, the country has been making continued progress
towards lowering software piracy rate from 80% in 2006 to 73% in 2010 –
pointing towards greater use of genuine software in accordance with
copyrights laws among corporate entities.
Last year, nearly half a billion baht
worth of illegal software were seized. Under the
Copyright Act B.E. 2537, infringement of a copyrighted computer program
either by selling, occupying for sale or offering for sale carries
punishment of up to 4 years of imprisonment and/or a fine of up to 800,000
Baht. (ECD)
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Half the world’s pc users are regular software pirates
China leads 32-country study with 86 percent
Nearly half the world’s personal computer users — 47
percent — acquire software through illegal means most or all of the time,
and in developing economies the figures are much higher, according to the
most extensive study ever undertaken on users’ behaviors and attitudes
toward software piracy and intellectual property rights.
The Business Software Alliance (BSA)
released detailed findings from the study today on its official blog,
BSA TechPost. Ipsos Public Affairs conducted the research
for BSA by surveying approximately 15,000 PC users in 32 countries. This
included 400 to 500 in-person or online interviews per country.
The study finds that large majorities
of computer users in the developing world regularly acquire software through
illegal means — such as buying a single license for a program and then
installing it on multiple machines, or downloading programs from
peer-to-peer networks — even though they express support for intellectual
property principles.
China had a higher percentage of these
regular software pirates among its PC-using population than any other
country surveyed — 86 percent. Nigeria was second with 82 percent. Vietnam
was third with 76 percent.
The study finds that significant
majorities of software pirates in developing markets incorrectly believe
that typically illegal means of acquiring software are in fact legal. At the
same time, they believe software piracy is common, and they think it is
unlikely that software pirates will be caught.
Critically, business decision-makers
around the world exhibit behaviors and opions that are similar to those of
other computer users.
“It took hundreds of millions of
thieves to steal $59 billion worth of software last year. Now we have a
better understanding of what they were thinking,” said BSA President and CEO
Robert Holleyman. “The evidence is clear: The way to lower software piracy
is by educating businesses and individuals about what is legal — and ramping
up enforcement of intellectual property laws to send clearer deterent
signals to the marketplace.” (BSA)
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Cloud computing and the digital economy
Enhancements to Thailand’s cloud computing and digital
economy policy framework will help the country to achieve its ambitions of
building a larger innovation-based economy that will see sustainable job
growth, higher wages, and greater standards of living. However, some hurdles
remain before this promise can be fulfilled.
These are among the findings from a new
study on The Digital Economy and Cloud Computing from the Business Software
Alliance (BSA) and research firm Galexia. This inaugural study, which
focuses on 14 Asia-Pacific economies, is the only study of its kind to
examine the legal and regulatory environment in relation to cloud computing.
According to the study, the Asia
Pacific region has the potential to become the worldwide hub for cloud
computing services. However, it found that virtually all economies across
the region would benefit from improvements in varying degrees to existing
laws and regulations to promote cloud computing across borders.
“The rapid growth of cloud computing
requires Thailand to quickly establish its policy priorities so that the
country’s business community can maximize opportunities in the cloud and
digital economy,” said Mrs. Jirawan Boonperm, Permanent Secretary of
Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT). “Thailand
clearly has strengths in our policy framework, but there are areas in which
we can and must do better. Inspiring online confidence and trust will help
to give Thailand a competitive edge in attracting investors, creating good
jobs and growing our IT industry.”
Thailand has made a positive start with
regard to cloud computing and digital economy policy—however there are
significant gaps that must be addressed to keep up with the Asia-Pacific
region’s competing economies. Bolstering cyber security and protecting
privacy are among the policy enhancements that would raise Thailand’s
economic opportunities in relation to cloud computing and digital economy
regulatory environments.
“There are strengths in some areas of
Thailand’s policy framework on cloud computing, and with enhancements in
other areas Thailand can have a very compelling policy framework for the
digital economy,” said Roger Somerville, BSA’s Senior Director for
Government and Policy, Asia Pacific. “Enacting privacy laws would give
Thailand a significant boost in maximizing opportunities presented by cloud
computing.”
Somerville noted that Thailand has
developed comprehensive cybercrime legislation, which will help to enhance
confidence in ICT. Thailand also has good laws in place regarding electronic
commerce and electronic signatures, he said.
The study examines the legal and
regulatory framework of 14 Asia-Pacific economies: Australia, China, Hong
Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines,
Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. It examines eight
categories, and key findings and challenges in these areas include the
following:
Security. The majority of Asian
economies have have clear, technology neutral electronic
signature laws, and have established regulatory schemes for the
certification of signatures, where necessary. Security requirements are in
place in most jurisdictions. However, a large number of economies have
introduced Internet filtering/censorship regimes that may act as a barrier
to the expansion of the digital economy and cloud computing.
Cybercrime.
The majority of economies have either computer crime legislation or
cybercrime legislation, and many laws are broadly compliant with the
Convention on Cybercrime. However, there is great divergence in rules
relating to investigation and enforcement, including access to encrypted
data and extraterritorial offenses.
Interoperability.
Although the majority of Asian economies have laws or
regulations establishing a framework for interoperability and portability of
data, there are inconsistencies in the approach of governments to standards
development processes. Many ad hoc decisions are made in the absence of
national frameworks and policies. This is an area where serious work is
required to promote and accelerate standards development.
Data privacy. The majority of
Asian economies has data protection laws in place and has established
independent privacy commissioners. There are substantial law reform in the
field, with major review and proposals in Australia, China, Hong Kong, New
Zealand, Philippines and Taiwan. However, key jurisdictions, including
China, India and Indonesia do not yet have data protection laws in place.
Intellectual property rights.
The region is moving towards a consistent approach on
many key rights and protections, although there is still a diversity of
approaches to rights management information and circumventing technology.
There are some gaps in the IP laws of key jurisdictions, including India and
the Philippines.
International harmonization of
rules. E-commerce laws were very consistent across
the region, with most economies implementing laws based on the UNCITRAL
Model Law on E Commerce and/or the UN Convention on Electronic Contracting.
Several economies have signed or ratified the Convention, leading to greater
harmonisation. Tariffs and trade barriers for online software and
applications are extremely rare in the region.
Free trade. There remains
scattered adherence to procurement preferences. Such preferences reduce
competition and may have a long-term impact on the availability and cost of
cloud computing products and services in some economies. Nevertheless, a
growing number of economies had become members of the WTO Agreement on
Government Procurement, which liberalizes such policies.
Infrastructure. Broadband
availability and penetration in the region is inconsistent, and there is a
risk that several economies do not yet have the infrastructure in place that
can support and take full advantage of the digital economy and cloud
computing.
The study does not rank the quality of
the legal and regulatory environment in the economies examined. It was
intended to provide relevant information on whether issues that need to be
addressed in laws or regulations are so addressed in the respective Asian
economies. Because of the breadth of issues and the number of economies
covered, the study presents a ground-level evaluation, one that looks at
whether the foundational requirements of a digital economy have been
addressed, rather than probing deeply into how well such requirements have
been addressed, said Somerville.
“With this study, we hope to provide a
platform for discussion with policy makers, with a view towards further
advancing the growth of digital economy and cloud computing in Asia through
policy innovation and greater economic and trade integration. Our intent is
for it to be used as a tool that can help policy-makers conduct a
constructive self-evaluation, and determine the next steps that need to be
taken to build confidence in the cloud environment by protecting the
privacy, security and safety of cloud users; to promote interoperability and
data portability; and to stimulate the innovation that is essential for an
economy to enjoy the full benefits of cloud computing,” he said. (PR)
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The HUCKY Eichelmann - ANTHONY Garcia Thailand Tour
Hucky Eichelmann and Anthony
Garcia perform in Chiang Mai.
Thousands of excited fans cheered and celebrated the
concerts of this world-class guitar duo in Nakhorn Rachasima, Mahasarakham,
Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pai-Mae Hong Son, Bangkok, Phatthalung
and Phuket. The tour, which ran from 15 August to 03 September and featured
nine concerts and six workshops, was organized by AMI Events in cooperation
with the Australian Embassy in Bangkok, in celebration of His Majesty the
King’s 84th birthday. During the tour the prestigious Hucky
Eichelmann-Mahsarakham University Award was given to Watcharanont
Saengmuenna.
The two highly-acclaimed and
classically-trained guitarists enthralled audiences with their mind boggling
ability to play many musical styles and genres ranging from classics, folk,
world, Latin, Irish, Spanish, Chinese, Thai, Australian, contemporary to the
beautiful melodies of His Majesty the King.
The tour aimed to give international
and local communities of Thailand an opportunity to see a new and broad way
of approaching music, and to encourage a better understanding of the
fundamental aspects of music and life. It offered a wonderful opportunity
for audiences to hear these astounding musicians up close and personal.
"Playing for crowds of up to two
thousand and seeing some concerts being teleconferenced into additional
venues due to high demand felt great but what touched me the most on this
tour was a concert in the South were, reportedly for the first time, Muslim
and Buddhist students attended and shared an event together and in full
harmony, too." says Hucky Eichelmann.
More than 300 students participated in
the workshops, which included topics such as guitar performance and
composition techniques and practices. During the workshops students enjoyed
the opportunity of practicing and demonstrating their performance skills.
Plans are already underway for the next
Hucky Eichelmann Thailand tour in 2012. Who Hucky's partner will be is still
not revealed but rumors have it that it might be Grammy Award nominee and
14-time British Jazz Award winner Martin Taylor.
Visit www.amithailand.com and/or
www.huckyeichelmann.com for more news about the next mega-guitar event from
AMI and Hucky. (PR)
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