Blog

Posted on

IP: Intellectual Property Course (Part 1). Power to the Creators!

IP: Intellectual Property course

Intellectual Property, or IP, is a subject that affects all creative people. As a singer-songwriter, I compose songs (melody and lyrics). Using my Ableton DAW, I do enough production to be something of an arranger. A number of self-penned and self-published works is available in formats like Soundcloud, Youtube and Instagram. So, I wonder:

If I have published something online, is it mine or do I lose the right to it once it is in the public domain?

-rachelrose

The answer may lie in the course I am currently following: “Curso de propiedad intelectual en el sector musical (nivel básico)” [Intellectual Property Course in the Music Sector (Basic Level)]. This four-module course is offered by Ainara LeGardon via her web site https://legardon.net/

Ainara LeGardon

LeGardon is a Spanish musician from the “Basque Country”, a mountainous coastal region of Northern Spain. She became specialised in IP out of necessity. Like many independent artists, LeGardon became increasingly wary of publishing and record deals, and so began self-publishing her art in 2003. Here she is in action:

LeGardon announced the course on her Twitter account. So, I immediately emailed to reserve a place and was fortunate to secure one as places were initially reserved for members of the musical collective Musika Bulegoa whose aim is to support artists working in the Basque language, Euskadi.

Module 1

I jumped right into the first module today. The content is interesting, and simple enough.

First and foremost: the UX is excellent. A layout that is simple and clean, with legible black text on a white background is always a treat for tired eyes. Infographics are provided for each section of the module. A well-recorded and equalised spoken soundtrack in which LeGardon expands on the subjects covered accompanies the written text. Finally, the entire course is available to download as a PDF. Well done – kudos!

The takeaway from today’s material:

Artist’s Rights vs Copyright

Artists’ Rights (Derechos de Autor), as they are known in Europe, are fundamentally different from Copyright, the format used in most Anglo-Saxon countries, including my native Canada. Artists’ Rights include “Moral Rights” to a work, something that copyright does not.

The copyright © sign

LeGardon says that using the copyright sign “seals” a creator’s enactment of their rights. But, also, not using it DOES NOT imply that they are relinquishing their rights. So, basically, if you created it, it’s yours.

Ideas vs. works

IP is not about ideas. Rather, it is about realised works. Having said that, a playwright does not have to stage a play. A manuscript and guide suffice. A musician does not have to score a work, a simple demo recording is enough.

A number of useful links were provided. One of the most interesting is “WIPO-PROOF” which defines itself as “an online service that rapidly produces tamper-proof evidence which you can use to prove that your digital file existed at a specific point in time.” As I delve into UX, I think that it is useful for me to keep IP front and centre. All creatives are eventually faced with the same sad truth. That is, our work requires investment, time and original ideas, but it is far too easy to mis-appropriate. I will never forget the time I shared an advertisement for a Yoga Festival in Alicante only to have my friend Suki Zöe, who lives in Bali, exclaim “that’s my photo“!

As the course lasts a maximum of four weeks, I will get through it at a sprightly pace and keep you posted. Meanwhile, ask yourself if you would register your IP, or perhaps better to ask “should I”?

Posted on

u-he Diva software synth on sale

U-he Diva on sale again finally! Just picked it up today for 50% off.
byu/tylertul insoftsynths

That’s the reddit post I found, and here is the link itself: https://www.native-instruments.com/en/specials/komplete/u-he-offer-2020/diva-pricing/

I had been trialling the DIVA synth since I read about on another Reddit thread. The demo version has all the sounds, but it gives some random crackle every now and then.

With the Arturia MiniLAB already onboard, and the Ableton native sounds, the bass sounds I wanted were still proving elusive. For my yoga and meditation music, I want warm, organic, non-intrusive sounds.

The native Ableton stuff is all way to techno for what I am after. Arturia has some great sounds, but my CPU maxes out if I put more than one Arturia VST on a track. So, I was getting stuck.

Always thinking of the yogi trying to chill the heck out, I decided to invest in the Diva.. Music production for yoga had to be very sensitive as you must understand the relaxation process in itself, how the brain calms down, how the breathing rate slows, how the heart beat becomes less variable, and compose accordingly.

Anyway, I am super happy to have the Diva on board now. Back to the DAW. Bye!

–Rachel

Posted on

Rose gold gradient with CSS: freeCodeCamp Assignment #5

freeCodeCamp Responsive Web Design Certification

Hey guys. So, I told you last night that I was blasting though the FCC assignments. Well, I am proud to announce that I have just finished the last assignment for the Responsive Web Design Certification, create a Personal Portfolio Page. Here is a screenshot:

rose gold gradient created with CSS for the freeCodeCamp Responsive Web Design Certification.
Rose gold gradient with CSS: freeCodeCamp Assignment #5 4

I used a “rose gold” background because I am really digging those colours at the moment. I like the way the linear gradient draws your eye to the centre of the page, and is bright without being blaring.

Rose Gold Gradient

Rose gold is a tone that has gained increasing popularity in the last few years. It is an alloy that contains copper, which gives it its unique color.

Code for the rose gold gradient:

body {
background-image: linear-gradient(to right, rosybrown, pink, navajowhite, cornsilk, navajowhite, pink, rosybrown);

Other coding challenges

The challenges were relatively easy – a sticky navigation menu, a responsive grid – but I gave it my best shot and added some design elements that we had covered in the curriculum. Namely, I used the CSS drop-shadow effect on my tiles and aligned the tiles horizontally.

Code for the Navbar

     <div>
<nav id="navbar">
    <a class="nav-link" href="#about">about</a>
  <br>
    <a class="nav-link" href="#projects">projects</a>
  <br>
    <a class="nav-link" href="#contact">contact</a>
  <br>
  <a class="nav-link" href="#welcome-section">home</a>
  </nav>     
     </div>

CSS for the Navbar

navbar {

position: fixed;
top: 0px;
right: 0;
width: 4em;
background: lavenderblush;
border-radius: 10%;
padding: 10px;
}

CodePen Page

Here is the link to my CodePen page, just in case you are interested in connecting.

Finishing things is fun!

I have always been mostly a “task oriented” person. I like to plan, put structures into place, and sequentially work until I finish things. This is probably why I thrive on running my own small business, tend to practice solitary pursuits (yoga, meditation) and enjoy a busy but very structured schedule.

Finishing this challenge gave me a sensation is one near to elation – how nearly had I forgotten how much I love to tell a computer what to do! Looking forward to starting the JavaScript course is putting it vey mildly. Check in and watch me grow my skills. I still have some strings to my bow….Peace out.

Posted on

freeCodeCamp Assignment #4: Technical Documentation

This assignment is a technical documentation project. I chose to write a recipe for Spanish tortilla.

The Internet is full of how-to’s, isn’t it? Most of us self-taught techies learned very early on that the best source of information about the Internet and its inner workings is the ‘net itself.

The latest challenge in the freeCodeCamp curriculum is the creation of a Technical Documentation Page. Here is a screenshot of mine, proudly served on Codepen. The image is clickable, but you probably need a Codepen login to see it there.

screenshot techdoc
freeCodeCamp Assignment #4: Technical Documentation 6

As you can see, I decided to write a technical document about how to make a Spanish tortilla, or an onion and potato omelette. I love a slice of tortilla, but admit that I am a bit rubbish at the turn. Thankfully, any Spanish bar has tortilla on offer, so I don’t have to prepare it at home!

I worked quickly by using the same method that I mentioned before: working sequentially through the challenges and running the test script after every change. I wonder if this might use more resources on whichever server hosts the script. But, it’s pretty light, in the grand scheme of things.

The trickiest thing about this assignment was coding the floating menu that appears on the top left corner. It has to be always visible, no matter what screen size and where on the page the user is scrolling. It took a couple of attempts, but I got there.

Tomorrow, the last assignment and the onto another course, this one in the world of finance, “Factura Digital”. Whoop whoop!

Posted on

freeCodeCamp Assignment #3 – Product Landing Page

Hey guys. As I told you earlier, I am charging along through the first part of the freeCodeCamp training. It is quite easy for me so far as I have some knowledge of HTML and CSS. Still, having to conform to a set of rules rather than code to my heart’s delight is more stringent and challenging.

Here is a screenshot of the landing page that I coded today:

landingpage
Click on the image to see it in Codepen.io

As you see, I recycled design elements from pages that I already have published online. It strikes me that this course would be far more challenging for a complete beginner. First of all, what kind of “Product Page” would you invent if you didn’t already have a product to promote? And secondly, if you didn’t have design elements (logo, videos), then it would be much more time-consuming to code the page.

Thankfully, I could whack in a video from my YouTube channel, Alteayoga. And, the logo I used is from my Rose Tint Your Life project.

This time, I did the code-and-check method that worked so well last time. Let me tell you, it keeps you much more focused and you catch errors much more quickly. I finished this assignment in just over three hours, with a couple of short breaks. Notably, I had none of the head-scratching and frustration that I had in Assignment #2. So, if you are reading this because you’re learning to code, please check your code after every change. It only takes a second.

The only thing that I need to go back and check is the alignment of the sections at the bottom. Specifically, I wanted the “Massage” “Yoga” “Meditation” and “Sound Healing” boxes to be aligned horizontally. The actual design was meant to be a bit like the RTYL homepage. But, despite using the CSS flex property, I still have a vertical list. The page passed the script test, so I handed it in. I need to keep moving. But, my meticulous mind will have me back at the code to straighten things out, just you wait and see!

This is the code that I need to fix:

massages {

display: flex;
flex-direction: row;
margin-left: 10%;
border-style: double;
width: 60%;
height: 250px;
}

yoga {

display: flex;
flex-direction: row;
margin-left: 10%;
border-style: double;
width: 60%;
height: 250px;
}

meditation {

display: flex;
flex-direction: row;
margin-left: 10%;
border-style: double;
width: 60%;
height: 250px;
}

soundhealing {

display: flex;
flex-direction: row;
margin-left: 10%;
border-style: double;
width: 60%;
height: 250px;
}

Posted on

freeCodeCamp Assignment #2 – Survey Form

As you know, I am doing the freeCodeCamp online coding curriculum. My efforts so far are humble. I am proud of myself for getting this far. I just finished an HTML/CSS form and it’s on my Codepen page. If you like it, you can use it. I think that Codepen is all Open Source, but if you want me to share it with you, just ask.

surveyform 1
Yoga Survey Form

I took longer than intended on this task, but I know why. There were 17 things to do, and the first time around, I did most of them before running the code test script. I got a repeated error in number 13, and could not fix it for love or money. In the end, I started again. Not from scratch, but doing each job one by one, running the test, and evaluating the results.

Lo and behold, with practically the same code, I got through all the code. What had gone wrong? Well, I was trying to make the formatting nice and pretty, and put an “unordered list” (<ul>) inside the form. Evidently, this confused the script. The HTML was right, but wrong for this particular challenge.

Conclusions: 1) Test your code early on, while it’s still short and sweet and 2) Be patient and persistent. If I had thrown my hands up in frustration, I would not be nearing the end of this part of the course!

Tomorrow, I shall tackle “Build a Product Landing Page”. Let’s see how that goes! Wish me luck. Happy coding.

Posted on

freeCodeCamp first challenge

I finished my first freeCodeCamp challenge! OK, I know it’s not much, but I finished the first freeCodeCamp challenge. Just a little web page. I used to do this stuff in my sleep, but I was always self-taught, so it is interesting to have to code in a specific way to satisfy the test. Anyway, we had to make a tribute page, and I chose to write a little bit about Clara Campoamor, a Spanish Sufragette.

Here is a screenshot of my tribute page:

codepen screenshot
freeCodeCamp first challenge 10

8-10-2020: Update: I went back into Codepen to check my work – always a good habit – and discovered that I had not saved it correctly. In the assignments, we are given an example of a page with similar look or functionality, and also a very general template with a testing script. As this was my first assignment, and my first time using Codepen, I did one page from scratch, straight-up HTML. But, then I could not test it. In truth, all I needed to do was copy one line of code (the script) into my document. Well, now I know that.

So, innocently, I started again, using the template this time. Well, it seems that I saved it wrong! Good thing I checked as I had submitted incomplete work! So, now I have saved it correctly, tested it, and spruced it up in the process.

Today I am going to start the third assignment: “Build a Product Landing Page”. More news later…