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michaelstearns's review against another edition
4.0
I kind of love Cory Doctorow, so I can't claim objectivity here. Still, I think this collection of essays (all of which appeared elsewhere) are pretty splendid, and cast a penetrating light on a lot of business having to do with writing, publishing, and technology. Doctorow is a great explainer of tedious arcana (he understands copyright issues better than any number of contract lawyers I've worked with), and his discussions of such thorny issues as internet book piracy or the octopoidal ambitions of Apple are refreshing and smart.
Some complain that these essays, all so brief, are also perforce limited in scope. Which is to say that his considerations of any subject tend to be shallower than, say, a book-length essay about copyright. True, but also: Thank god. I, for one, am not really interested in reading lengthy essays about most of the subjects covered here. A brief, perceptive discussion will do for most topics; for more in-depth, look elsewhere.
Some complain that these essays, all so brief, are also perforce limited in scope. Which is to say that his considerations of any subject tend to be shallower than, say, a book-length essay about copyright. True, but also: Thank god. I, for one, am not really interested in reading lengthy essays about most of the subjects covered here. A brief, perceptive discussion will do for most topics; for more in-depth, look elsewhere.
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