A must-read for anyone interested in what copyright and patent laws are doing to creative works ( )

A very readable introduction to the issues mentioned in the title, although because it's cobbled together from various essays, talks, and so on it tends to be a little repetitive. ( )

The first book I read this year is the first e-book I have ever read.

Cory Doctorow is a sci-fi author, electronic rights activist, uber-geek and co-founder of the excellent blog BoingBoing. His new publication Content is well-summarized by its subtitle: Selected Essays on Technology, Creativity, Copyright, and the Future of the Future. (Nothing big.)

Doctorow holds many opinions that may seem shocking at first but are revealed to be quite reasonable once he explains the reasoning behind them. First of all, he thinks that by giving away electronic copies of his books online, he can sell more physical copies at the bookstore. (Sales figures appear to back him up.) He asserts that artists like himself should worry less about piracy and more about censorship, since the only way governments can even pretend to fight illegal downloading is by turning into Big Brother. He points out that trying to impose 19th- (or even 20th-) century copyright law to 21st century technology is foolhardy. Et cetera. Plus, he talks to a guy who seriously believes that soon we'll be able to upload our brains to computers.

Content is just a gallimaufry of Doctorow's occasional journalism, but as gallimaufries go, it's very diverting and thought-provoking. Those new to Doctorow are still encouraged to begin with Little Brother, where he dramatizes many of the concerns mentioned here and tell a ripping good yarn as well. Doctorow's impatience with dull art endears him to me: "As artists, it would be a hell of a lot easier if our audiences were more tolerant of our penchant for boring them."

http://rivkat.livejournal.com/206695.... ( )

Cory Doctorow is co-editor of Boing Boing, a popular technology blog. He released this e-book in Portable Document Format for free download from the Internet. ( )