I think that much of the discussion is centered on the wrong topic. According to Lessig (and IMHO), the problem with copyright in the modern age isn't about whether copyright can survive at all, or whether it should last for a shorter period. It's about fair use and privacy.
Fair use is the clause that says it's OK for you to photocopy several pages out of a book you own to bring along on a trip. It's OK for you to make a mix tape of your CD's. It's OK for you to print out that article you read online because you want to read it on the john. You can do all of these things now, perfectly legally, for no cost, and without writing anyone a letter, turning over your credit card number or Social Security number or home phone. All of this is possible partly because our Government had the wisdom to carve out a place for reasonable use, and partly because it's awfully hard to sucessfully enforce restrictions on these behaviors.
In a copyright-enforcing digital world, potentially none of those things are true. As someone above mentioned with shrinkwrap licenses, in the digital world, they can easily write code to prevent you from copying, printing, or reading a work twice in the same day. You can be charged for every time you listen to an album. You can be prevented from copying a short section to add to your journal. And, perhaps most ominously, you can be required to submit personal identification every time you do one of these activities.
For an example, check out eBrary, a site implementing software to charge you a quarter to highlight and copy text, or print it.
Can anyone explain this? It briefly mentions that the satellite contains "minature GPS navigation technologies", among other things.
How does GPS work when you're *in* space? Do you just get a readout of "37 degrees north latitude, 68 degrees east longitude, altitude 5,000,000 feet?" Can you see more of the GPS satellites at once and thus get an even beter fix on position?
Because they work. They have real, useful, usable information in them.
Sure, the web is great for some things. If I want timey news, or up-to-date help with a computer problem, the web is the place to go.
But if I want thoughtful histories of the Civil War, insightful biography, in-depth commentaries on the Divine Comedy, detailed information about Olduvai Gorge archaeology, or a thousand other things, I troop down to the library.
Don't get me wrong, I look forward to the day when all the books in the library will be freely searchable from a computer terminal. That revolution has largely already taken place in my chosen field of neuroscience, with all the major journals available online. But until that day, be real, be practical: go where the information is.
Slashdot Mirror
Fair use is the clause that says it's OK for you to photocopy several pages out of a book you own to bring along on a trip. It's OK for you to make a mix tape of your CD's. It's OK for you to print out that article you read online because you want to read it on the john. You can do all of these things now, perfectly legally, for no cost, and without writing anyone a letter, turning over your credit card number or Social Security number or home phone. All of this is possible partly because our Government had the wisdom to carve out a place for reasonable use, and partly because it's awfully hard to sucessfully enforce restrictions on these behaviors.
In a copyright-enforcing digital world, potentially none of those things are true. As someone above mentioned with shrinkwrap licenses, in the digital world, they can easily write code to prevent you from copying, printing, or reading a work twice in the same day. You can be charged for every time you listen to an album. You can be prevented from copying a short section to add to your journal. And, perhaps most ominously, you can be required to submit personal identification every time you do one of these activities.
For an example, check out eBrary, a site implementing software to charge you a quarter to highlight and copy text, or print it.
Can anyone explain this? It briefly mentions that the satellite contains "minature GPS navigation technologies", among other things.
How does GPS work when you're *in* space? Do you just get a readout of "37 degrees north latitude, 68 degrees east longitude, altitude 5,000,000 feet?" Can you see more of the GPS satellites at once and thus get an even beter fix on position?
I've never considered this possibility before.
Why use a regular "old" library?
Because they work. They have real, useful, usable information in them.
Sure, the web is great for some things. If I want timey news, or up-to-date help with a computer problem, the web is the place to go.
But if I want thoughtful histories of the Civil War, insightful biography, in-depth commentaries on the Divine Comedy, detailed information about Olduvai Gorge archaeology, or a thousand other things, I troop down to the library.
Don't get me wrong, I look forward to the day when all the books in the library will be freely searchable from a computer terminal. That revolution has largely already taken place in my chosen field of neuroscience, with all the major journals available online. But until that day, be real, be practical: go where the information is.
Go to the library.