VMs: RE: Copyrighting VMS (was RE: Map scans now posted...)

["GC" <glenclaston@xxxxxxxxx>]

Matt wrote something, and many others wrote something on this subject, so
I'm kinda making my comments between many lines:

MY name on a donor list?  I'd rather be on the "Friends of the Voynich"
list, as this is a very elite group! :-)  For years I've had to satisfy
myself with being the top name on the "crypto-crackpot" list, but now Nick
and Steve are ready to vote me out!  What is a poyson to do???? :-)

On the subject of copyright, Beinecke has said that they are willing to
release the VMS material as long as we use a byline giving them credit.
This does not apply to print however.  To print something using their
images, you must gain their permission and provide them copies of the
printed work.  Still not too restrictive, considering their stance just a
few years ago, a written agreement that called for a pint of blood, a pound
of flesh, 39 lashes with a shark-skin dildo, and intellectual rights over
your first born.  (It's just possible I made up the "dildo" part).

My original suggestion was for us to obtain a list of all pages that have
color negatives available (there are quite a few more than Beinecke has on
their site) and then for each of us to purchase a page and post a very
hi-res scan of that image for the rest of the group.  This works because
we're a private list, not a newsgroup.  I buy one at say $40 dollars, that's
all I'm out.  Someone else buys one and posts it, they're out the same, but
now my personal cost for two is 20, not 40.  This keeps on going until we
have all the pages available at the best quality available.  I know for
certain that many of these pages exist because I've seen them on color
slide, and the clarity of these color images when projected on a wall is
35mm slide quality.  Beinecke has to have copies of these slides because it
has been their policy to retain the negatives of all photo-shoots of their
manuscripts.

No one would be holding anyone else's money, and what you buy, you own.  No
one is holding it for you or requesting donations.  For those of you who
can't scan slides or color transparencies, I've been to a few copy and photo
places that can do this for you rather on the cheap.  There's a bunch of us
with a lot of webspace, and when you want to post it, just ask and you'll
have everything you need.

What we would rquire is someone familiar to the folks at Beinecke who can
get them to take the time to provide us with a list of available color
and/or high quality images.  That might require someone to physically
catalogue their negatives, but this is what we'd need.  Then each of us pick
a page and spend our few dollars, then we'll have the best set of images
available for whatever pages are available.

Meanwhile, some of the more computer savvy can come up with an idea of what
consistutes a workable hi-res scan, taking into account disk space and
"zoomability".  Something the quality of the sections posted earlier by
(-forgot who, Rene?  Jorge?  Jacques?), where you can zoom way in on the
text and picture detail.

There's no doubt there will be certain people moving faster on this idea
than others, which is the way things work in Flatland (my alma mater).  But
it really starts with a list of available images and someone who can
sweet-talk enough to get this list in short order.  After that, each person
is responsible for how they handle copyright and intellectual property.

[alternatively, you could all appoint me holder of all VMS intellectual
property, sort of a bank, where I could divvy it up and out, and treat it
all as if it was my own? :-)  Naw, didn't think that'd catch on!!!!
Seriously, since we're acting as a group, there is no way to tell whose idea
sparked another idea, even when the ideas appear to be contentious.  This is
why anything I release is public domain material, my font, my transcription,
my graphics, my ideas.  There are some things I do hold back, but only until
they've "grown up" enough to venture out into the world on their own.

Matt wrote:
> All that said.  I would still probably contribute
> something to "end the list" on a positive note.

Yes!  The end is near -----you've actually been studying the Strong
material, haven't you?

GC


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