Via Larry D. Larsen

Defend your trademark or loose your rights to it forever. TiVo, apparently is putting up a fight and sending nasty letters to newsies around the country to cease-and-desist using “TiVo” as a verb.

“So as you pull up the ZIPPER of your SPANDEX running suit and ride the ESCALATOR down to the TARMAC, keep in mind that these were all trademarks lost to the “genericized” use of the word. Also on that list is HEROIN, formerly a pain reliever registered by Bayer.”

I remember an advertisement in Editor & Publisher several years ago that Xerox paid for. Essentially, it asked that the word “Xerox” not be used as a verb. I also cringing when my mother uses it to this day to mean “copy” something.

Via Ann Van Wagener

For designers and educators: Thinking with Type and Design For Democracy.

Minnesota Public Radio‘s Greta Cunningham speaks with Larry Millett, author of Strange Days, Dangerous Nights. Click on the audio link and turn up your speakers.

The University of Mysore has conferred a honorary doctorate degree (Honoris Causa) on Mr. T. S. Satyan, a well known and well-respected photojournalist based in Karnataka.

I would like to take this oopportunity to salute his legendary work in India and wish him a very happy 81st birthday. From a recent email exchange with him, I know he has an autobiography being published. Perhaps an exhibit of his work is also underway. I'll keep you posted.

By sheer coincidence, Mr. Satyan is related, albeit distantly, to my wife.

Well, here is the deal. I have to renew my TypePad (the tool that I use to blog at Tiffinbox, Omlog and the SAJA Photoforum) service this month.

Now through January 15, 2004 the kind folks at SixApart (the company behind MovableType and TypePad) have offered a rather unique deal. If I renew with them, I get to choose one person (or organization) to receive one year's service to TypePad for free! The great thing is this – I have a PRO account. Whoever is lucky enough to win this will also receive a PRO account. Clear?

I am taking nominations of individuals or non-profit organizations working in one of the following fields: the arts, health, social justice, new media/journalism or photography. The only other caveat is that the blog service you or your organization will receive (valued at $119.60/year) should be used for the public good (doesn't really matter where it is in the world, but hooray if it is South Asian). So, those interested in only creating personal blog spaces need not apply.

I am turning COMMENTS off, so please email me at – tiffinbox[at]pipalproductions[dot]com. Send in your nominations by December 31, 2004 with the subject header of the email reading “BLOGGING FOR FREE.” If I don't see that, your email won't get looked at for a while. Include a brief description of what the organization is about, or who you are as an individual, what your plans are for the blog you intend setting up and why you think you should receive this gift. I am neither asking for a financial statement or proof of your 501(c)3 status, but I trust that you will honor and hold steadfast my wishes as outlined above when you apply. Please be aware that at the end of one year, you will be responsible for continuing the service for whatever SixApart decides to charge you at that time.