Posts Tagged ‘legal’
Question Asked: Is It Legal To Copy A DVD?
Assuming, like me, you’re in the United States, it’s a yes and no answer.
No, if you plan on giving said copy to anyone.
Yes, if you plan on making that copy solely for the purpose of backing up a movie that you’ve legally purchased at a retail establishment.
Under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Law), you’re allowed to make one digital copy of a DVD (or CD, for that matter), for your own personal backup use. This is to ensure that if your original copy breaks, goes missing, or malfunctions in some way or another, you don’t have to purchase a second copy.
While it may not be legal to copy, and sell, DVDs, it happens. I’d guess in the hundreds of thousands of times a day. Many countries have little or no copyright law protecting copyright holders. Those countries run rampit making copies, and selling them cheaply in the black market.
If you happen to purchase one of these movies, you may be committing a crime, and not be aware of it. Your safest bet is to get your movies at a trusted retail store, and not from the guy on the corner in New York City.
Question Asked: How Do Fireworks Make Shapes?
In honor of the Fourth of July, I decided this would be a great question to answer.
When many people think of “fireworks”, they’re most likely referring to an “aerial shell”. Aerial shells are the type of pyrotechnic firework that flies up into the sky, and explodes into some array of colors and/or shapes.
An aerial shell normally consists of four parts:
- Container - Usually pasted paper and string formed into a cylinder
- Stars - Spheres, cubes or cylinders of a sparkler-like composition; which gives it the color and shape,
- Bursting charge - Firecracker like charge at the center of the shell; which makes the “boom” that we all know and love.
- Fuse - Provides a time delay so the shell explodes at the right altitude
What shape that shell makes, on explosion, depends on the arrangement of the “stars” inside the shell. The most commonly used types are called; palm, round, ring, willow, and roundel.
Packed tightly inside the container, these stars are usually arranged by hand, by a pyrotechnics expert. Depending on what type of element the stars are made of (strontium salts, magnesium aluminum titanium, sodium, etc), the explosion appears as a different color.
Here’s a diagram of how the inside of an aerial shell may look:
The reason you often see the “shaped” fireworks upsidedown, or sideways, is simple: you can’t predict where the firework will explode, once it’s left the ground. From what I’ve ready, there’s also no way to make the shell right itself once in the air, before detonation. That’s why you often see rings that look more like ovals, and hearts that are upsidedown.
People don’t realize how much science goes into making fireworks. If it were as easy as cramming some gun powder and sparkers into a canister, and shooting it into the air, I’m sure the MythBusters would be kings at it!
Hope that answers your question. Happy fourth of July, to all the Americans celebrating it. In searching for photos of fireworks, I found the photo below, which I enjoyed, and wanted to share it with you. I don’t know who took it, so I can’t cite them. If it’s yours, please let me know, so I can give credit where credit is due.
Remember, celebrate, BBQ, drive, and light fireworks responsibly. If you’re unsure if fireworks are illegal in your state, visit this link for a detailed list.