Hello, its Thursday and welcome to another Levy Letter. I hope youre having a good day and I hope as always that youll be able to join me for tonights Look North at half past six on BBC One. Well have all the days news and stories from our part of the world, and also the weather forecast as usual. As I write this its starting to rain a bit, lets hope it clears up before the weekend.
Thank you for all your comments on our stories this week. Weve had a big response on some of the things weve covered, and lots of people got in touch last night about the Ambulance Service. Thank you for all of those, and keep them coming in. If you have something you think we should know about, then get in touch with us and email in to [EMAIL PROTECTED] We read every one, and if you watch the programme regularly youll know how many of those stories become items on Look North. I look forward to reading your messages. Mouse Experts are predicting the demise of the traditional computer mouse as soon as the next three to five years. To those of us who remember the days before computers, it seems like the mouse is still a relatively new invention, but things move fast in technology. Its thought that new the desk bound mouse will become a thing of the past as we move to gestural devices like touch screens, and face recognition. I dont know how face recognition software can help you use your computer. Perhaps it can register the frustration on your face as a computer crashes or loses one of your documents, and apologise! Im told that one of the most popular computer games at the moment is controlled by waving a remote control around in your hand, and the movement is translated to the screen. That sounds interesting, and will probably keep you more active than moving your hand around a little bit on a mouse or keyboard. One device is apparently controlled by your thoughts. You wear a headset and control the computer simply by thinking. The technology is amazing, if it works. According to the article I read, the inventor of the computer mouse never received any royalties for his device because the patent ran out before the PC revolution really kicked in. Talk about ahead of your time Well have to see how were controlling computers in five years, maybe itll all be touch screens, or maybe well be acting out what we want to happen on the screen with our bodies. It all sounds a bit futuristic, but then who would have predicted wed all be using computers as we do? Rock Royalties Im sure we all feel sorry for millionaire rock stars who just cant seem to make enough money from their work, well maybe its more like envy, but aging musicians are now trying to get longer royalty periods to profit from their creations. Currently music royalties end after 50 years when the copyright expired. After that, any label can release the music cheaply, and artists dont get any payments for sales or airplay. For performers like Sir Cliff Richard and other 60s icons, that deadline is approaching in the next few years. However, theyre attempting to get the law changed just in time and ensure that artists receive royalties for a whopping 95 years. Now given that the life expectancy of a rock or pop star is apparently shorter than that average person, that should just be enough. The Beatles hits will start to enter the public domain in 2013, and some of Sir Cliffs work will be out of copyright next year. The controversial ruling hasnt gone through into law yet, but with people like Cliff, U2, and The Whos Roger Daltrey supporting the change, you wouldnt bet against it. Its good to know theyll be kept comfortable in their old age! Well thats it from me for today. I hope you enjoy the rest of your afternoon, and I hope you can join me tonight at half past six on BBC One for Look North. Bye for now Peter Your email address will be held by the BBC and kept confidential, and will only be used in relation to this newsletter. You will be given the option to unsubscribe from this newsletter each time you receive it. Please visit the BBC's Privacy & Cookies Policy (www.bbc.co.uk/privacy) for more information And for the latest news and more where you live, go to: http://bbc.co.uk/humber and http://bbc.co.uk/lincolnshire ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the BBC Look North newsletter, go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/looknorthhull/newsletter/newsletter_index.shtml, enter your email address in the unsubscribe box. 1.94.4
