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The Bennet Lincoff proposal has been getting a decent bit of play from the “copyright compromise” crowd, and advocates replacing copyright with a renamed “digital transmission right” that covers how digital files are used online. It’s voluntary, but the unspoken part is of course that if you don’t pay for a license, you’re operating illegally at worst, and immorally at best. The same old story with a different name, it’s all about control, and continuing to make money from past work indefinitely. Continue Reading »

A friend linked me to this post over the holidays, and the similarities stunned me. I highly recommend reading the article, but the gist of it is that we’ve essentially been through the whole “property” debate before, with slavery (Ah! The S-word). People saying some of the exact same things to defend and protect intellectual property that others once used in support of slavery. Continue Reading »

I’ve been meaning to photograph and post pictures of my better traditional art pieces for some time. Over the weekend I was inspired by my boss to actually follow through with the plan, and as a result there will finally be some content in the dusty “Creative” inglenook of this site, after standing vacant for longer than it takes the Earth to journey around the sun. Continue Reading »

It’s inspiring to see people breaking out of the box and coming up with truly creative ways to use free content as part of a business model. Free culture makes for better business – just not for the crusty middlemen. Definitely check out Georgia Wonder.

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My ears are still ringing from the concert last night, but it was most definitely worth it. Flyleaf played in the smallest room of Sonar (warning: flash), and Rachel, Kyle and I were right against the barrier. We could practically touch the performers from where we were in what was the closest possible approximation to a private show. Continue Reading »

This article by Mike Masnick is a bit of a long read, but it goes along with some things I’ve said far less eloquently. Yes, the internet, corporations, and globalization make for bigger hits (think Oprah joins twitter), but at the same time it enables powerful subcommunities (Oink.me.uk, game modders). Continue Reading »

Filesharers are all too often characterized as lawless neanderthals who “just want things for free.” Of course, the evidence shows that in fact, digital sales are increasing and many studies have suggested that sharers actually buy more. Unfortunately, two of the most popular conclusions from this completely overlook the nature (and power) of global information exchange. Continue Reading »

This season I’ve started following the television show House again and I’ve taken advantage of the “bye” week to catch up. I doubt any avid followers of the show have as much lag time between air time and watch time as I do, but in the off chance you fail worse than me: Spoilers Ahead. Continue Reading »

All too often my weekends pass by in a blur of responsibilities, visiting families, and going places that, after ensuring I am sufficiently dizzy, cruelly abandons me on Monday morning. I am left drinking coffee and asking myself just where that time went, and how long is it until Friday again? In a refreshing inversion, this wasn’t one of those weekends. Continue Reading »

I first started getting interested in “copyfight” and issues related to filesharing in college, where I was introduced to a local network where resident students across the university campus could connect and share what they loved on- and offline. As the music industry continued to ratchet up their anti-sharing campaigns, I thought that the iTunes Music Store, the EFF’s Voluntary Collective Licensing plan and later, Warner Music’s Choruss were effective ways to “monetize” widespread music trading. While at least the EFF’s idea isn’t horrible, I’ve more recently realized that creating “digital storefronts” that are essentially retooled versions of the record store are terribly lacking strategies for benefiting from 21st century technology. Continue Reading »