public-domain

Space is the place. Again. And SoundCloud is now a place you can find sounds from the US government space agency, NASA. In addition to the requisite vocal clips (“Houston, we’ve had a problem” and “The Eagle has landed”), you get a lot more. There are rocket sounds, the chirps of satellites and equipment, lightning on Jupiter, interstellar plasma and radio emissions. And in one nod to humanity, and not just American humanity, there’s the Soviet satellite Sputnik (among many projects that are international in nature). Many of these sounds were available before; I’ve actually used a number of them …

Stock footage has long been a VJ cliché, and remixes in and of themselves aren’t always meaningful. But in the right hands – just as in audio sampling – sampled content can take on new life. It might even find an unrecognizable form. And with publicly-funded documentaries, why not give the actual content back to the people who supported its creation, whether they render it as entirely new art or political material. The US public broadcasting network, PBS, is doing just that with its Open Content series. For instance, I recently watched an episode of NOVA on the future of …

When is it legally permissible to sample and reuse content? What’s in the public domain? And what is this Creative Commons thing about? These questions are perpetually important to anyone in digital media, but there have been a number of resources I’ve come across just in the last few days that may be friendly to those curious about these questions. Fair Use Seesmic, the video community, has started a discussion with LA-based entertainment lawyer Michael Donaldson about copyright and the oft-misunderstood Fair Use provisions of US copyright law. Here’s a teaser video; follow through and the Seesmic community asks questions …

Seems I spoke too soon. While NASA claims to have the first-ever 3D images of the sun, John Cabrer claimed the honors on the Make blog way back in September, with a couple of homebrewed shots. They’re not as sophisticated, of course, but the real deal-killer is he did only still shots — no video. And video is what we love here. That said, got any 3D photography/videography experience you’d like to share? (Or questions you’ve always wanted to ask but were too shy?) Fire away.

It’s a huge disappointment: the best eye candy on earth causes blindness. And it’s a little hard to see, even as our closest star. Enter NASA, with the solution: the first-ever stereo three-dimensional images of the sun. STEREO: First 3-D Images of the Sun NASA’s Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) satellites have provided the first three-dimensional images of the sun. For the first time, scientists will be able to see structures in the sun’s atmosphere in three dimensions. The new view will greatly aid scientists’ ability to understand solar physics and there by improve space weather forecasting. STEREO, baby! You’ll …

Not that public domain status has ever stopped visualists from using footage in sets, but if you want to mix in brilliant vintage video footage and be legal (perfect for that six hour set you’re doing at the FBI Intellectual Property Unit after-party in Vegas), here’s yet another answer: OpenFlix: Public Domain Movies Unlike the awesome treasure troves of the Prelinger Archives, there aren’t direct downloads. Fortunately, some of these movies are so obscure / awful / not popular with the kids today, they’re quite cheap on Amazon, and OpenFlix is more than happy to take your affiliate dollars when …