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A review by davybaby
Content: Selected Essays on Technology, Creativity, Copyright, and the Future of the Future by Cory Doctorow
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.