An author spends a year writing a book and then, magnanimously, decides to give it away for free.
Why? Because they want those ideas spread. Perhaps they want to build an audience. Maybe they want publicity, or to get consulting contracts or speaking engagements. For that they need to be associated with those ideas.
Now, Nina, who did a fast shuffle talking about "art" and then switching to Lessig's book, apparently wants the "freedom" to take his book, put her own name on it, and sell it as her own.
Or the freedom to rewrite it, and then redistribute it under the original author's name, substituting her ideas for his own or perhaps leading people to believe the author supports a certain position when in fact they do not.
Or not have some ripoff artist (like the Amazon ebook spamming) profit from it.
Now, if I, as an author, am willing to let you do ANYTHING with or to my book, then I'll say so. Maybe we even need a specific CC contract that says so.
Otherwise, even if I'm giving it away for free, I'd probably prefer my words to continue to be my words. Why is that so hard to understand?
What if the "touches" you add are nothing more than replacing the artist's name with your own?
That's the problem with releasing art and books without restriction. Someone spends a year writing a book and then, to everyone's benefit, gives it away for free. They get recognition and gain stature and we get free books. Win-Win.
But apparently we need the "freedom" to simply replace the author's name with your own, and the ability to then charge others for a book that was given away freely.
"It is *impossible* to create something without inspiration. ...anything you create is a remix"
One doesn't follow the other, and to attempt to do so belittles creativity.
I can mechanically "create" a remix by simply copying stuff from here and there and pasting it together. Doesn't mean it's good nor useful nor particularly creative, for that matter.
Take the Gutenberg press. Yes, the pieces needed to create it existed for years. But where did the inspiration to combine them together come from? To create a new FUNCTION (automated printing) that previously didn't exist?
The remix video implies that all Edison did was follow a mechanical process to create his light bulb. But where did his vision of his light bulb come from? Swan? Fine. Where did THAT vision come from?
Yes, we often build on the work of others. But Everything is a Remix implies that creativity is little more than a simple mechanical process that anyone can do, and as such supports a meme that's typical of the "everyone is special" generation.
No one is smarter than you. No one is a genius. No one can see farther, or more. You'e safe in your mediocrity.
That's why I think Amazon should require a $99 "publishing fee" per book.
In fact, requiring a fee would be the "first filter". If you don't think a book is good enough to earn back $99, it's probably not good enough to be on the store in the first place.
Some guys has spammed the store with over 8,000 titles ripped off from hither and yon and selling for a buck a head. Would he have still done that if doing so would have cost him $80,000 up front?
"There [Their] best solution (after taking into account their wages) would have a cost recovery of about 2000 years. I have encounter [encountered] many much [sic] such cases."
Perhaps just a little more education might have been in order?
And perhaps there's more to the decision than you realize? Regardless, this is little more than a repeat of the anti-elitist, anti-intellectual rhetoric I see every day on Fox.
"Be ignorant! Be free! Down with the elitist ivory tower snobs who want to tell you what to do! Elect us instead... so we can tell you what to do!!!"
I've been seeing quite a few variations on this article recently, and they remind me of an Allstate insurance commercial that ran a year or so ago. In it, the black guy talks about how we've all come together, how we've all learned to make do with less, and about how we've all realizing what "really" matters.
Funny how a major insurance company, whose CEO's and VP's make millions, are essentially telling us little guys to settle for less.
Same here. An education? No... heaven forbid you actually learn something. That's elitist! Besides, you can get a great job at Walmart without one! Work hard, and in 20 years you could even be an area manager!
Oh, and pay no attention to that man behind the curtain, the one pulling all of your levers...
We'll see. Apple's Newsstand app in iOS 5 supports multiple magazines and newspapers, automatically delivered to your iPhone or iPad, with notifications, a common UI, a standard format (epub), and with subscriptions automatically managed with your iTunes account.
This distinct from a web "magazine" that will require monthly visits to a specific web site from a mobile browser, with a separate subscription and payment process. Repeat for each magazine. Rinse.
I wasn't too sure about Apple's cut with magazine "apps", but Newsstand's automatic one stop shopping approach to mobile magazines is probably worth it in the long run, and really, really hard to beat from a convenience standpoint.
It's going to take a LOT to get people to go outside of the system and subscribe elsewhere...
"So you're suggesting that IP addresses correspond to individuals? They don't."
Please. An IP address, coupled with a timestamp, point to the location that was assigned that particular address at that particular point in time.
Now, for the sake of this argument, let's assume that location is your house. The police have followed the trail to your front door... and smashed it in. Now what?
Well, it's possible... that someone piggy-backed on your open WiFi network. It's also possible that someone issued the request through your Tor exit server.
And it's ALSO possible... if not probable... that it was you all along. So the police seize the equipment found at that location and turn it over to forensics.
What else *could* they do?
And no, the problem is not the police. The problem is that someone hijacked a system designed for one thing and twisted it to their own ends. Blame them, not the cops.
Tor can be used for good, anonymous reasons. Whistle-blowing. Dissent. Preserving privacy in the case, say, of HIV testing. All true. Unfortunately, Tor can ALSO be used for illegal purposes. Specifically, and apparently in this case, child porn.
The problem is this: You run a Tor exit node, and someone uses it to request child porn. As such, that request appears to originate from your IP address. The police hit your house, take your equipment, and maybe even arrest you to boot.
You imply that this is bad, and it is. But you can't give anyone who runs a Tor exit node a free pass. What if -- just as an example -- you jump on your Tor server and start visiting child porn sites.
The police knock on your door, and you now innocently point to your Tor server and claim that some other "anonymous" person made the request through your machine. You're innocent.
Bingo. You've got your instant Tor "get out of jail free" card.
It's not that far-feteched. Remember the rulings and convictions given to "journalists" who were just "researching" child porn for an article or study? Same principe applies.
As long as some people misuse the system, the people who support the system are endangered.
If they want to increase retention, stop running 6 to 8 commercials back-to-back. If they want to increase viewership, do more "limited commercial interuptions", with no more that 2-3 ads.
Why the hell is a hour show barely 40 minutes long? Why is a full third of an hour devoted to selling crap?
ION television is running a set of commercials for their network that feature the word "more". More drama. More fun.
When in actuality all I see are more commercials. Much more...
"Plus the fact that the phone has been rooted doesn't necessarily mean that any agreement has been violated..."
Like I said. Read your carrier service contract and your device EULA. I'll bet dollars to donuts that rooting your phone and installing "unauthorized" software is prohibited, and a violation of your agreement.
Regardless of terms of the Android OSS license, I'm pretty sure that the standard user contract with AT&T or Verizon forbids "rooting" the phone. As does the typical manufacturer EULA.
The source may be "open", but the Samsung Super Epic X (or whatever) itself is locked down. Root it, and you violate the terms of your agreements.
That's the deal you signed when you bought the silly thing.
Well, from their viewpoint, a rooted phone has already shown that its owner could care less about violating his carrier contract, and his device EULA, and probably Google's Android agreement to boot.
Given that, if someone believes that X set of circumstances is unfair, or that they're entitled to "cheat" under Y set of circumstances, then Google has no reason to believe that they won't rationalize their way into cheating under other circumstances as well.
If it's such a competitive advantage, the state is free to lower or even drop state sales tax and find other ways and means to generate income. Several states, in fact, have no state sales tax.
As far as "roads and such" go, I'm pretty sure that UPS and FedEx pay local taxes for their trucks.
And one FedEx truck on the road delivering 50 packages is a hell of a lot less wear and tear and traffic than 50 vehicles on the road traveling hither and yon.
The patent abstract: "In an exemplary system, information is received at a central location from different units of a commodity. The information is generated from two-way local interactions between users of the different units of the commodity and a user interface in the different units of the commodity. The interactions elicit from respective users their perceptions of the commodity."
Now, the patent itself throws in everything it can think of in nearly 70 claims, but the patent itself seems to be primarily about a distributed ratings system, and not about a system of in-application purchases and upgrades.
As such, Apple would seem to have a good chance at getting it tossed out as not being applicable.
Regardless, Apple needs to throw a "pro bono" million-dollar legal defense team at each case and drown the suckers in legal fees, and then hit the "company" with it's own lawsuit. (Notice, however, how the "company" was setup simply to engage in a lawsuit. No assets.)
This kind of thing needs to get slapped down, and hard, or otherwise every Troll, Dick, and Harry with a vague patent is going to attempt the same thing.
On the post: Shouldn't Free Mean The Same Thing Whether Followed By 'Culture' Or 'Software'?
Re: Re:
Why? Because they want those ideas spread. Perhaps they want to build an audience. Maybe they want publicity, or to get consulting contracts or speaking engagements. For that they need to be associated with those ideas.
Now, Nina, who did a fast shuffle talking about "art" and then switching to Lessig's book, apparently wants the "freedom" to take his book, put her own name on it, and sell it as her own.
Or the freedom to rewrite it, and then redistribute it under the original author's name, substituting her ideas for his own or perhaps leading people to believe the author supports a certain position when in fact they do not.
Or not have some ripoff artist (like the Amazon ebook spamming) profit from it.
Now, if I, as an author, am willing to let you do ANYTHING with or to my book, then I'll say so. Maybe we even need a specific CC contract that says so.
Otherwise, even if I'm giving it away for free, I'd probably prefer my words to continue to be my words. Why is that so hard to understand?
On the post: Shouldn't Free Mean The Same Thing Whether Followed By 'Culture' Or 'Software'?
Re: Here is an idea...
That's the problem with releasing art and books without restriction. Someone spends a year writing a book and then, to everyone's benefit, gives it away for free. They get recognition and gain stature and we get free books. Win-Win.
But apparently we need the "freedom" to simply replace the author's name with your own, and the ability to then charge others for a book that was given away freely.
On the post: Everything Is A Remix: The Invention Edition
Re: Re:
One doesn't follow the other, and to attempt to do so belittles creativity.
I can mechanically "create" a remix by simply copying stuff from here and there and pasting it together. Doesn't mean it's good nor useful nor particularly creative, for that matter.
Take the Gutenberg press. Yes, the pieces needed to create it existed for years. But where did the inspiration to combine them together come from? To create a new FUNCTION (automated printing) that previously didn't exist?
The remix video implies that all Edison did was follow a mechanical process to create his light bulb. But where did his vision of his light bulb come from? Swan? Fine. Where did THAT vision come from?
Yes, we often build on the work of others. But Everything is a Remix implies that creativity is little more than a simple mechanical process that anyone can do, and as such supports a meme that's typical of the "everyone is special" generation.
No one is smarter than you. No one is a genius. No one can see farther, or more. You'e safe in your mediocrity.
It's all "just" copying. It's all just a remix...
On the post: Kindle Spam Is A Filter Issue, Not A Spam Issue
Re: Re:
In fact, requiring a fee would be the "first filter". If you don't think a book is good enough to earn back $99, it's probably not good enough to be on the store in the first place.
Some guys has spammed the store with over 8,000 titles ripped off from hither and yon and selling for a buck a head. Would he have still done that if doing so would have cost him $80,000 up front?
On the post: DailyDirt: Hey Teacher, Leave Those Kids Alone!
Perhaps just a little more education might have been in order?
And perhaps there's more to the decision than you realize? Regardless, this is little more than a repeat of the anti-elitist, anti-intellectual rhetoric I see every day on Fox.
"Be ignorant! Be free! Down with the elitist ivory tower snobs who want to tell you what to do! Elect us instead... so we can tell you what to do!!!"
On the post: DailyDirt: Hey Teacher, Leave Those Kids Alone!
Funny how a major insurance company, whose CEO's and VP's make millions, are essentially telling us little guys to settle for less.
Same here. An education? No... heaven forbid you actually learn something. That's elitist! Besides, you can get a great job at Walmart without one! Work hard, and in 20 years you could even be an area manager!
Oh, and pay no attention to that man behind the curtain, the one pulling all of your levers...
On the post: Newspapers Finally Realizing They Don't Have To Use Apple's High Priced Payment Offering, Or Locked Down App Store
This distinct from a web "magazine" that will require monthly visits to a specific web site from a mobile browser, with a separate subscription and payment process. Repeat for each magazine. Rinse.
I wasn't too sure about Apple's cut with magazine "apps", but Newsstand's automatic one stop shopping approach to mobile magazines is probably worth it in the long run, and really, really hard to beat from a convenience standpoint.
It's going to take a LOT to get people to go outside of the system and subscribe elsewhere...
On the post: Miami Beach Police Tried To Destroy Video From Bystanders, Holding Them At Gunpoint
Re: Re: Is there an app for that?
How soon to live streams?
On the post: Austrian Police Seize Computers From Tor Exit Node
Re: Re: Re: Re: A Valid Concern
On the post: Austrian Police Seize Computers From Tor Exit Node
Re: Re: Re: Re: Tor is the future of piracy!
Please. An IP address, coupled with a timestamp, point to the location that was assigned that particular address at that particular point in time.
Now, for the sake of this argument, let's assume that location is your house. The police have followed the trail to your front door... and smashed it in. Now what?
Well, it's possible... that someone piggy-backed on your open WiFi network. It's also possible that someone issued the request through your Tor exit server.
And it's ALSO possible... if not probable... that it was you all along. So the police seize the equipment found at that location and turn it over to forensics.
What else *could* they do?
And no, the problem is not the police. The problem is that someone hijacked a system designed for one thing and twisted it to their own ends. Blame them, not the cops.
On the post: Austrian Police Seize Computers From Tor Exit Node
Re: Re: A Valid Concern
How about setting up your own Tor exit server? And then, perhaps, down the road we can read a story about your arrest and presumed innocence.
The problem isn't with Chris. The problem lies with the people who abuse the Tor system and twist it to their own ends.
On the post: Austrian Police Seize Computers From Tor Exit Node
Re: Re: Tor is the future of piracy!
The problem is this: You run a Tor exit node, and someone uses it to request child porn. As such, that request appears to originate from your IP address. The police hit your house, take your equipment, and maybe even arrest you to boot.
You imply that this is bad, and it is. But you can't give anyone who runs a Tor exit node a free pass. What if -- just as an example -- you jump on your Tor server and start visiting child porn sites.
The police knock on your door, and you now innocently point to your Tor server and claim that some other "anonymous" person made the request through your machine. You're innocent.
Bingo. You've got your instant Tor "get out of jail free" card.
It's not that far-feteched. Remember the rulings and convictions given to "journalists" who were just "researching" child porn for an article or study? Same principe applies.
As long as some people misuse the system, the people who support the system are endangered.
On the post: Smartphones Make People Ignore Commercials Way More Than DVRs
Re:
But I'll gladly pay the two bucks just to skip the ads, and get twenty minutes of my life back.
On the post: Smartphones Make People Ignore Commercials Way More Than DVRs
Why the hell is a hour show barely 40 minutes long? Why is a full third of an hour devoted to selling crap?
ION television is running a set of commercials for their network that feature the word "more". More drama. More fun.
When in actuality all I see are more commercials. Much more...
On the post: Google Won't Let You Rent Movies If You Root Your Device
Re: Re: Re: This has been my argument
Like I said. Read your carrier service contract and your device EULA. I'll bet dollars to donuts that rooting your phone and installing "unauthorized" software is prohibited, and a violation of your agreement.
On the post: Google Won't Let You Rent Movies If You Root Your Device
Re: Re: Re: This has been my argument
The source may be "open", but the Samsung Super Epic X (or whatever) itself is locked down. Root it, and you violate the terms of your agreements.
That's the deal you signed when you bought the silly thing.
So no, coward, I'm not making up "crap"...
On the post: Google Won't Let You Rent Movies If You Root Your Device
Re: This has been my argument
Given that, if someone believes that X set of circumstances is unfair, or that they're entitled to "cheat" under Y set of circumstances, then Google has no reason to believe that they won't rationalize their way into cheating under other circumstances as well.
On the post: Bezos: Attempts To Collect State Sales Tax On Amazon Sales Is Unconstitutional
Re:
As far as "roads and such" go, I'm pretty sure that UPS and FedEx pay local taxes for their trucks.
And one FedEx truck on the road delivering 50 packages is a hell of a lot less wear and tear and traffic than 50 vehicles on the road traveling hither and yon.
On the post: Patent Troll Lodsys: All We Want Is 0.575% Of The Entire Mobile In-App Payment Ecosystem, Is That So Wrong?
Valid???
Now, the patent itself throws in everything it can think of in nearly 70 claims, but the patent itself seems to be primarily about a distributed ratings system, and not about a system of in-application purchases and upgrades.
As such, Apple would seem to have a good chance at getting it tossed out as not being applicable.
Regardless, Apple needs to throw a "pro bono" million-dollar legal defense team at each case and drown the suckers in legal fees, and then hit the "company" with it's own lawsuit. (Notice, however, how the "company" was setup simply to engage in a lawsuit. No assets.)
This kind of thing needs to get slapped down, and hard, or otherwise every Troll, Dick, and Harry with a vague patent is going to attempt the same thing.
On the post: It May Soon Be Illegal For Doctors In Florida To Ask About Gun Safety
Re: Re: Oh that's easy...
That should make them happy!
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