Comments on: RFP: design open federal regulations http://boingboing.net/2009/06/02/rfp-design-open-fede.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Sun, 19 May 2013 09:40:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: morcheeba http://boingboing.net/2009/06/02/rfp-design-open-fede.html#comment-509062 morcheeba Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-509062 I think this hits do-it-yourselfers the hardest. Companies can usually afford to buy copies of the regulations (despite what an ill taste it leaves in the mouth) and recoup the costs over a larger project. Individuals do one-off projects and are left guessing. For example, I made a motorcycle tail light. Through my office, I had all the properly calibrated equipment to test it to make sure it was bright enough (and not too bright)... but to learn the rules would have cost me hundreds of dollars - much more than the project itself cost. I could have gone with an outdated used copy of the standard for $200 on ebay, but that left me no guarantee of compliance and was still too costly. All I needed was about 3 pages of information out of hundreds in the standard. So, what's a solution? I understand that some groups are better at making sensible regulations than lawmakers -- as long as there isn't a conflict-of-interest or self-regulation. The government should do these as works-for-hire so that they own the copyright. I don't understand why this isn't done; otherwise these standards organizations are essentially collecting a private tax on all people that need to read the laws. I think this hits do-it-yourselfers the hardest. Companies can usually afford to buy copies of the regulations (despite what an ill taste it leaves in the mouth) and recoup the costs over a larger project. Individuals do one-off projects and are left guessing. For example, I made a motorcycle tail light. Through my office, I had all the properly calibrated equipment to test it to make sure it was bright enough (and not too bright)… but to learn the rules would have cost me hundreds of dollars – much more than the project itself cost. I could have gone with an outdated used copy of the standard for $200 on ebay, but that left me no guarantee of compliance and was still too costly. All I needed was about 3 pages of information out of hundreds in the standard.

So, what’s a solution? I understand that some groups are better at making sensible regulations than lawmakers — as long as there isn’t a conflict-of-interest or self-regulation. The government should do these as works-for-hire so that they own the copyright. I don’t understand why this isn’t done; otherwise these standards organizations are essentially collecting a private tax on all people that need to read the laws.

]]> By: josephlrc http://boingboing.net/2009/06/02/rfp-design-open-fede.html#comment-509158 josephlrc Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-509158 Morcheeba, I hear you and have had good luck with local libraries in this respect. Occaisonally I have had to check a local university library, and for this reason I suggest always hiring an intern... Morcheeba, I hear you and have had good luck with local libraries in this respect. Occaisonally I have had to check a local university library, and for this reason I suggest always hiring an intern…

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