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thewallflower00's review against another edition
3.0
A rare non-fiction read for me, but you can't beat the price. And since it's a collection of small essays, each not much longer than a short story, it's a great read for downtimes at work. You all know Cory Doctorow - Internet guru to the stars. He's taken all the articles and essays he's written and compiled them into one neat little package.
Doctorow's an excellent non-fiction writer. Except for "Little Brother" and parts of "Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town", I like this better than his other fiction books. Maybe it's the easy digestibility. Maybe it's his ability to bring up simple, valid points for complex situations and gives examples that I can use in my own arguments. Maybe it's that he's a geek like us, and he's concerned about geek issues, like copyright, DRM, and the changing ways we're getting information.
I recommend this book, mostly because it's free. Read a few essays, and see if you like it. Won't cost you a dime except your time.
Doctorow's an excellent non-fiction writer. Except for "Little Brother" and parts of "Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town", I like this better than his other fiction books. Maybe it's the easy digestibility. Maybe it's his ability to bring up simple, valid points for complex situations and gives examples that I can use in my own arguments. Maybe it's that he's a geek like us, and he's concerned about geek issues, like copyright, DRM, and the changing ways we're getting information.
I recommend this book, mostly because it's free. Read a few essays, and see if you like it. Won't cost you a dime except your time.
misterjay's review against another edition
5.0
Content is a collection of essays previously published in various magazines and websites. They are concerned primarily with copyright issues and some of the legal quagmires content creators can find themselves in these days, although there are a few essays on other topics as well.
Overall, the collection works as a whole, as a treatise on the state of publication these days. Highly recommended.
Overall, the collection works as a whole, as a treatise on the state of publication these days. Highly recommended.
mementomaggie's review against another edition
3.0
Did not realize this was from ‘08. Interesting to read in light of the current state of social media and rampant info sharing. But the essay format can get repetitive.
pablusioumeo's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Technologies that make content available don't have to be monopolized by big tech companies. We can fight back for them.
not_mike's review against another edition
4.0
Audiobook.
A good collection of essays, speeches, and other proposals on DRM, copyrights, the future of books, and other things in relation to the arts and technology. Opened some thoughts on digital rights, whether it's smart to put novels and stories out there for free versus forcing them to pay for everything, and everything else. Along with other nonfiction books for writers such as Karr, King, and Strunk, I'd recommend this book on the reality of art's changing demographic and how an artist, who hopes to make a living wage on their craft, can survive.
A good collection of essays, speeches, and other proposals on DRM, copyrights, the future of books, and other things in relation to the arts and technology. Opened some thoughts on digital rights, whether it's smart to put novels and stories out there for free versus forcing them to pay for everything, and everything else. Along with other nonfiction books for writers such as Karr, King, and Strunk, I'd recommend this book on the reality of art's changing demographic and how an artist, who hopes to make a living wage on their craft, can survive.
davybaby's review against another edition
4.0
In this collection of essays, originally released In a variety of publications, Doctorow argues eloquently for a freer digital society. As a successful sci-fi author who shares all of his books for free on his website, he is an icon of forward-thinking geeky awesome. And he makes a compelling argument. In the world he envisions, the gatekeepers and regulators of information have receded, creating a golden age of knowledge and expression.
Why, he asks, should the fact that a book is digital mean that you can't loan or give it out to a friend? Why do we cling to copyright laws that reject against the very idea of the Internet: to copy and disseminate information freely? It is up to users and the medium itself to determine how a technology will be used, but the draconian laws and regulations restrict the endless potential of the Internet.
Doctorow is compelling, accessible, and brilliant. I highly recommend this, even if it smacks a bit of a utopian dream. Also, it may be better as a bits-and-pieces every so often read, rather than straight through. Many of the essays are fairly similar in theme and...ahem...content, so felt repetitive at times. But with that said, he presents a fascinating and attractive world of information freedom, and I look forward to reading more of his work.
Why, he asks, should the fact that a book is digital mean that you can't loan or give it out to a friend? Why do we cling to copyright laws that reject against the very idea of the Internet: to copy and disseminate information freely? It is up to users and the medium itself to determine how a technology will be used, but the draconian laws and regulations restrict the endless potential of the Internet.
Doctorow is compelling, accessible, and brilliant. I highly recommend this, even if it smacks a bit of a utopian dream. Also, it may be better as a bits-and-pieces every so often read, rather than straight through. Many of the essays are fairly similar in theme and...ahem...content, so felt repetitive at times. But with that said, he presents a fascinating and attractive world of information freedom, and I look forward to reading more of his work.