How to avoid paying for medielicens

NOTE: This article is no longer actively maintained. Until the media license is fully removed, it is unlikely that anything will change and the information below should be good for you to use. Please do not contact me for specific questions. Everything you need to know is stated below:

This guide will explain how to not pay for the media license issued by Danmarks Radio (or DR), it is basically a translation of this guide, intended to help my fellow international students at the IBA save some money on a stupid fee they, of all people in Danmark, have absolutely no use of.

Some facts:
DR has no legal rights or the ability to force you to pay the fee.
DR can NOT see whether you have a TV, internet, smartphone or cable-TV package (except by visual observation - looking through your windows).
DR does not record conversations (phone or in person), as this is illegal. Unless they state this at the very beginning of the conversation in which case you can simply say: "No comments".

Q&A:
Q: DR sent me a bill, should I pay it?
A: No, not if you did not sign up for the media license yourself. Simply put the bill in the trashcan. Their system relies on people paying out of blind fear for the system. Then go and unsubscribe from the media license.

Q: How do I unsubscribe from the media license?
A: Go HERE. DR is bound to respect your unsubscription.

Q: Can I be forced to pay the fee for months already gone by?
A: In principle yes. DR has to prove that you were obliged to pay the fee, which they can not unless you yourself told them that you should have.

Q: What do I tell the inspector if he shows up at my apartment?
A: They have no legal right to access your home, consider them a private person. Tell them that you are not subject to paying the fee and never have been. (Note: If you open the door and they can see a smartphone, TV, radio or similar - see next question).

Q: What if DR signs me up after visiting or being in contact with me?
A: DR has stopped accepting emails on the usual address, I recommend using solution 2, but you can also use number 1.

Solution 1: for cancelling DR Medielicins

Go to https://www.dr.dk/om-dr/licens/afmeld-medielicens and fill out the form like in the picture on the right.

Solution 2: for being a pain in the ass of DR

If they sign you up, you can easily avoid paying by emailing them at "direktion@dr.dk" all of the following emailadresses:
bornholm@dr.dk, kbh@dr.dk, nordvestsjaelland@dr.dk, sjaelland@dr.dk, fyn@dr.dk, sydweb@dr.dk, trekanten@dr.dk, syd@dr.dk, p4aarhus@dr.dk, vest@dr.dk, nord@dr.dk, drkommunikation@dr.dk, draarhus@dr.dk

The letter could sound like the following:
"Dear DR.

I am sorry to be using this address, but "direktion@dr.dk" is no longer available and I am unsure how to contact you. Please see to it that this message is forwarded to the right people.

I have been contacted by you on the Xth of Month, where I explained that I was not subject to the license fee. Yet you have, against my will and the law, signed me up for the media license. I request that you forfeit your claim against me, and I request access to ("aktindsigt i") my license case, so I can have an overview of the reasons for the faulty sign up. Remember to respect the time frame for "aktindsigt" as specified in "forvaltningsloven".
Best regards Name".

After this they will hopefully remove your subscription as they have no proof of your obligation to pay the fee.

Q: Why do I ask for access to my license case ("Aktinsigt").
A: "Aktindsigt" is a right you have according to "forvaltningsloven", to see what is recorded about you, whenever a public authority is treating a case in which you are involved. In relation to DR, this is the legal tool to use to make them say that they have no proof that you should pay the fee. This request should in principle be answered within 10 workdays (2 weeks). This is the key to have them unsubscribe you, because they know they have no proof.

Q: What consequences will it have for me to unsubscribe from the media license, even though I have TV/Smartphone/Internet/Cable-TV?
A: None other than they can sign you up again. There are no fees and DR does not require you to pay for months gone by.

Enjoy not having to pay the media license anymore!

Google Drive and DropBox sync

So for some time I have had the issue that my documents were on my Google Docs because that was the best way to share and collaborate on note taking for school, and all the materials we used were on DropBox because it could be on my computer and phone at the same time. I've been wondering about a solution that could combine the benefits of the two, so that come exams, I wouldn't have to download all my Google Docs and not be able to edit them in an exam situation (because I do that so that they're up-to-date for later exams). Anyways, a solution provided itself with the release of Google Drive, which also has a desktop application, just like DropBox.

It is, in its core, very simple.
1. Install Google Drive
2. Install DropBox
3. Put the DropBox folder into your Google Drive folder
4. PROFIT!

It's that simple, and you can of course do it the other way around as well, putting your Google Drive into your DropBox folder.

Enjoy seamless syncing across devices!

Beware of Speck Computer Cases!

Together with my Macbook Pro I got myself a case as well (via the Apple online store) as I am very particular about my electronics, and always have screen covers and hard cover cases etc. for everything, ensuring that once I am done with them, they are in perfect shape for resale. Example with my latest acquisition, my iPhone 4S: I did not leave the store until it had a piece of plastic on the screen and a hard plastic cover on the back. Sure the screen is less smooth and the phone itself is less physically appealing, but it stays protected!

For a long time I was very happy about my Speck case except that it didn't fit perfectly on the bottom part of my MBP. One day the upper left corner (near the powerplug) broke and the case would not stay on anymore, fair, that is why my computer had a case anyways.

I took off the case since it was loose anyways, and saw that the rear of MBP had A LOT of small indents and pokes everywhere. After some thinking and reapplying the case I noticed that this could only be from tiny tiny pebbles or sand, that would have been stuck under the case, and once the computer was put on a table, they would press against the computer, and and make these little holes in the bottom of it's aluminium casing.

This has meant that my MBP which would have dropped only a little in price in comparison to when I purchased it, will be reduced to a mere 20-30% of it's original price since it is no longer flawless, but instead has severe physical damage to it's outer side. For an investment of 303 DKK (50 USD), supposed to insure that my MBP stayed protected, this was a very bad choice. Since without the case, this would never have happened, with the little pebbles simply never getting to be pressed against the computer under normal use like they were with the case.

To be honest I am disappointed with Speck and would under no circumstance recommend anyone to use any of your cases for their computers, but instead simply keep the computer in a sleeve instead, when not in use.

To be fair, the screen cover works perfectly and to this day is still on my Mac, so from my experience it is safe to use, but the bottom part - STAY AWAY FROM IT!

How to set up your IBA email account on your iPhone

To help out my fellow students at the IBA, here's a short 5-step guide on how to set up your IBA email on your iPhone, with pictures!

Go to Settings, and tap "Mail, Contacts, Calendars"

Tap "Add Account..."

Choose "Microsoft Exchange" (2nd from the top on the picture below).

Now enter your credentials as below, note that the "Server" line will not show up until you tap "Next". It will give you an error message, then enter the server as below, and tap next again.
Note: You can write whatever you want in the "Description", this will be the name that shows up in the overview (picture 1).

Now choose what you want to sync with the server. "Mail" must be on in order for you to read your school emails on your phone and synchronizing "Calendars" will allow you to see your schedule in your calendar on your iPhone. "Contacts" and "Reminders" are both optional.

And that's it, your iPhone will now display your schedule and you will receive emails from the IBA directly on your iPhone.

Artemis: Spaceship Bridge Simulator - What is it and is it good?

This summer I was lucky enough to actually be able to attend the annual reunion at my boarding school, and here I saw something that I have missed in many years, seeing the growing popularity of online games: A group of people, sitting together around their computers and having fun playing the same game. This is what we call a LAN-party, but sadly, I haven't been to any lately, as all the games are online anyways and you talk with each other for free through Skype, so why bother?

One person however wasn't sitting, he was walking around, looking at everyone's screens, pointing at people and giving orders: "MORE COOLING!" - "INCREASE ENERGY ON THE FRONT SHIELDS!" all while he was getting reports back from the people around him: "DS3 NEEDS ASSISTANCE!" - "We are low on energy, sir!". There was a lot of tension in the air as the spacecraft that these people were running was fighting a fleet of enemy spacecrafts, but there was fun too.

They were playing Artemis: Spaceship Bridge Simulator. Thom Robertson, the creator of Artemis, writes on his website about Artemis:

"Artemis is a multiplayer, multi-computer networked game for Windows computers.

Artemis simulates a spaceship bridge by networking several computers together. One computer runs the simulation and the "main screen", while the others serve as workstations for the normal jobs a bridge officer might do, like Helm, Communication, Engineering, and Weapon Control.

Artemis is a social game where several players are together in one room ("bridge") , and while they all work together, one player plays the Captain, a person who sits in the middle, doesn't have a workstation, and tells everyone what to do.

Artemis is a software game for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7."

I found the game so amazing, that once I got home, I started toying around with Artemis myself, getting it ready on my Mac laptop (super easy with Wineskin).

One week later, I had 3 friends come by to act crew for me and we headed into space! With only 4 people on the bridge I doubled as Captain and Science while my Helm was also taking care of Communications. We had a fantastic evening, switching roles a few times so everyone could try the different positions, and my next experience with Artemis is due this weekend, where we plan on bringing the game to a 'real' LAN-party and play it, not in a small room, but somewhere where everyone can see what we are doing, for Artemis is not only a cool game for the players, but also spectators.

I can highly recommend this game to anyone who would like to challenge themselves both as individuals and as a team. Playing Artemis requires very little knowledge of computers and games, but does require that your crew knows how to work together. 

You learn more about, and try out Artemis for yourself at:
http://www.artemis.eochu.com/
The Demo is free, but unfortunately doesn't include all functions of the game, but if you ask me, the 40$ for a license is better spent here than on anything else, AND you can share the game, for free, with your crew!