"...but I am always horrified when civil enforcement morphs into criminal enforcement.

Civil enforcement? Does that mean if Jeff is guilty of violating Joe's copyright, Joe has to take Jeff to civil court? Why yes it does. If I've broken the law, then it sould be a criminal matter for the government to prosecute. Criminal cases require a greater standard of evidence than do civil cases. If someone is going to enforce the "law" then that should be the governement, not private business. It costs a lot of money to sue someone. Civil law allows punitive damages, a very American way of punishing people, that may not have been otherwise found guilty had their trial been heard in criminal court. O.J. Simpson for instance. Civil law is a pain in the ass in America. It's a way for the government to do less law enforement by shifting the burden of law enforement on the private citizen. Having to enforce the law this way is a way of telling people that they can have justice if they are willing to risk going broke to do so. Justice should be tax supported, not wallet supported.

Antinous, congrats. Can I spit-shine your boots, please?

:)

I use a TV in our home in a similar way. I use a computer to run a graphics program called Soft Skys--clouds and sky. It's a nice big "window" and can give the room a nice feel.

I sleep better knowing the phone won't ring. And that's why I turn it off.

Noen, one of the nice things about our American culture is that it allows for poop art and everything else too. What we allow ourselves to see and question (is it art?) is just as important, if not more so, than what our government allows will us to see and question.

Does it come in hot pink?

One of the modern, established conventions of art is the ethic that art can and should be used to challenge the conventions of the time. We may not like poop-pop-art, but perhaps that's the point. If you can become interested enough in a piece of art to comment about it, then it might very well be "good" art.

It's cute enough. More like a gag in one of the History of the World movies. "Hold on, I'm getting a text..." The young page handed Cory a mini-scroll whereupon it was loaded into the older man's wrist reader. "Almost loaded," he said five minutes later while using one of his micro-Craftsman jewler's pliers to adust the scroll. He then turned the device's knobs to reveal the message: "Herbal Viagra for long lasting...What? I've been spammed!" The young page was then beaten for failing to act as a good filter.

Another good example of why we should consider ourselves lucky to have the ACLU and EFF. Gag orders! And the fun thing about some gag orders is that even telling someone you have one can be a violation of he order. Not very American of us. There are a lot of former agents out there that would love to tell their stories.

Here's my question: Do you care at all if people beleive in you or not?

Reminds me of the song The Animals Were Cut In Two by Half-handed Cloud. Strange but catchy.

http://www.asthmatickitty.com/musicians.php?artistID=3

Having just left the gym industry, I can tell you I do not miss juice-head body builders, at all! What a strange sub-culture.

Pipenta, I was wondering about the design influences of the Golden Compass also; you can clearly see the old mixed with the new. The Compass itself had all the wonderful gears and elaborate movement, but its function was not based on steam, but Dust, and I'm not sure what dust is, other than magic

Tropical Kitten, Thanks! Maybe it just didn't hit the right spot back then. I was one my bike this morning and had to avoid a big dead raccoon, and the dead baby raccoons that had been following their mother and had probably been hit, one by one as they went out into the road, to mommy. Road kill can be very sad. Horribly, horribly sad.

Very pretty little spheres of ice
But not for whisky, single or blend
It's the oak and age you will offend
The smoky taste of peat, amend?
With water, no, it's not our friend
Whisky, neat, it is so nice

Ignatz, I'm just thinking in terms of the future, which will be here faster than we expect...me thinks. I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth; I want the world to be greener, but I'm not going to be the one to give up my paper book. Besides, publishers validate the product.

No, that's what --I-- was going to say! Loved that cover.

A compromise: ask the teens if they want to go to a school where they would learn these skills. There are always going to be kids that want to be firemen and soldiers. Oh, and please make sure they get to read a book too. And if they want to go see a movie or a play or anything else that has the endorsement of our cultural elite, please let them. God knows, we don't want our SWAT personnel being culturally deficient. Anyone who doesn't think in terms of "perceived" weakness or strength, knows very little about world politics, local politics, family politics, basic human psychology, primate psychology or animal behavior and is too naïve to take seriously.

There is something common-sensical about eating plants (organic). If we try to eat with few general guide lines, most of us will get by. The science of nutrition is quite dynamic, and we're learning more and more. I'm sure that Pollan's opinions are in part based on science, the kind that has shown us that eating a lot of crap is bad.

There is a Memex-like trend for people to record more and more of their daily life, enabling them to have a personal history of extreme detail (but that history will contain others, strangers in public…). If the general population adopted this technology then it would be ancillary to what the government has. Both systems could compliment each other. The future is about more information, more facts, more details. Perhaps what we need to do is mandate privacy laws that make it extremely difficult for law enforcement to view city records unless they think it will help solve a documented crime. We might also start adapting our notion of what privacy is. I think most of our notions of privacy are illusions. Just think how a historian could use CCTV records! Don't you wish we had records like that from just 20 or 30 years ago? How about WWII? I love history, so I'm all for it.

My publisher is extremely valuable to me, providing editorial and marketing and distribution services that I couldn't possibly provide on my own without spending a lot more of the cover-price of the book than currently goes to my publisher.

Marketing is free on BoingBoing. I think that there's more to a publisher than just that. Having a relationship with a great editor who works for a great publisher has to be a great thing.

You should do an experiment where you offer a digital story or novella on line and let people pay what they want. I think five dollars is fair. There has to be a point where an author's popularity enables them to cut out the publisher. Not paper, just digital. And it would be a very green thing to promote. This would not be good for the publishing industry. I wonder if you could just have an Editing Industry for E-books? You have to figure paper books are going to be thing of the past before long.

"I am making the future!" sounds like a chaos mage mantra.

Antinous, we do not live in a kind world. I find there are more troubling things than the prospects of sending youth off to school to learn how to fight fires or whatever. We will not survive as a culture if we are weak. But I guess if a kid wants out all they have to do is say "I'm queer! I'm a big horney homo and I want out!" That should work.

Antinous, the problem with going to their place, is that they want something in return. There's no such thing as a free cocktail party where fairies are concerned. Last time it happened I woke up with rope burns and...ah, never mind. What happens in the Underworld stays in the Underworld.

Antinous, there are so many kids in trouble, that getting them into a program that helps teach them some kind of discipline has to be better. You can straighten a kid out if you get them in time. It's not a perfect answer, but it's not a perfect world either.

Antinous, Heinlein's Number of the Beast borrows stuff from Oz. If you don't know this Heinlein story, it puts forth the idea that fictions that become so popular and beloved actually become real places. So, although an author creates a univese, it's there for all to visit if they dare to. Maybe there is a copyright issue there somewhere. I know Charles Stross is doing something wih some of Heinlein's characters (Saturn's Children), very respectfully I'm sure.

I'm sorry, I don't eat anything with a face-- that's happy. I like my meat-faces to be frozen in an expressin of pure horror. Kids must love clown faces sandwiches.

There are toe/foot prints, of course. Don't babies get those taken anymore? I did when I was born, but then I was a military kid. Maybe we were treated differently than civi-babes.

Aaron, I can understand fan-fic, and I do enjoy writing, although not fan-fic, but still what I spend my time on has no monitary value for me. I just find it odd that the anyone would take the story itself and remix it. I can see using settings or characters, so if that is coverd by re-mixing, then I understand. For an artist to say, "do what you want with my original material and see what you come up with," is an interesting idea.

What about all those Israeli youth that have to serve in the defense corps? Do you think they called themselves Hitler Youth? Granted, they are 18 year-olds, not children. But service is manditory.

Sounds like it good be a good trade school for a lot of youth. We have to do something with all these humans, better they have useful skills than not.

Antinous, as I sit and try to write my little stories, I love being able to pop in here or other places and see what's up. I research things, this place being one of them. I'm going to write a book about the subject. Cory is a great study; I've romanticized him into some sort of young Plato or similar philosopher/teacher/rabble-rouser, and would love to sit under some olive trees and just listen to him talk.

Antinous, we've also breed some really great plants and animals. We are part of nature and are part of other creatures natural selection, as well as our own. We are not outside the system, but part of it.

Aaron,
I wasn't counting plays or screen treatments, or screenplays. I guess you could do one, but if it has no commercial application I don't know why you would bother.

I've used these things. I thought they were nice. But then agian, I think my implant is nice too.

I have to image that it would very well in cartoon land. I think for anyone to clap or boo at a post is half the fun of reading posts. I'm not going to bother with a culture that is composed of nothing more than cultish yes-men/women. Intellectual stimulation requires expossing one's self to new and perhaps controversial issues. How boring would it be if you just loved everything all the time and only said as much?

I've made little fairy houses, and little fairy trans-dimensional portals, and it's never amounted to much more than trouble. Do you know that a rowdy bunch of Tuatha de Danna can party all night long and leave a huge mess to clean up in the morning? My advice, do not invite them in unless you know how to deal with them. Don't even get me started on what they do to the wild life for fun!

I would like to know what Re-mixes are about. I can see mixing music, but why would anyone do that to a book? I would see that as being rude. I mean, can you imagine meeting the author and telling them that you changed their story and expecting anything but a cold stare in return? I could see writing a story set in some other author's universe/s, or using another's characters, but that's just fan-fic, right?

for me the big bonus with flip phones is the increased thickness, as I keep it in my underwear. Or a front pocket.

Noen, dude, really, this is just an example that reality is often weirder than fiction. Who in their right mind would ever drop their baby like this? Probably me if my culture said it was okay. You have to admit it prompted a lot of funny stuff. My ivory tower has a basement too.

Find a link for those who like dead people porn. That's the ticket. How relevant could porn ever be to this? LOL.

I agree with Antinous, that the people who hit bikers are not going to notice a ghost bike. They are too busy talking on their cell, putting on makeup, reading, texting, eating, whatever. Maybe the cops could start pulling more idiot drivers over and telling them that a car is not an office or a kitchen or a bathroom. Also, I've seen a lot of bikers do stupid things on the road. I'm a biker.

What a horrible idea. Who needs a sheet when you can use a catcher's mit?

I just bought a steam-punkish light fixture, it's bronze pipes and stuff. I'm sure I only did so because I've been introduced to more of the style elements shown on Boingboing. I don't think I want read about it, but it can look good. I think Jeff and Ann are doing stuff with io9 now.

For most people it won't matter. And for those who have issue with it, don't carry sensitive data around with you. Use your device to access it on line. That may not alway be possible (can't connect to the net), but then that's the price to be paid for keeping all your secrects safe and sound. Unless the Feds really want what you've got, in which case you better make sure your data is kept in an off-shore, Fed-proof facility that you can trust. And if the data suddenly goes missing, the facility where it was held might just get infected with a very nasty bug.

What is an example of some picture that would warrant this kind of security measure?

The irony is rich. As long as we can talk about this stuff a laugh once in a while we probably aren't doomed.

I don't recall a young adult section when I was young, way long ago. I guess I just discovered them on my own, or my reading tutor would get them in my hands. Why am I under the impression that kids read less now than they used to? I hope they read more. I should go look up some stats, I know.

I would think the Chinese athorities would punish the owner of the factory. Ignorance of a flag's meaning is no excuse.

Antiglobalism, parts of it suck, but there is much to be very excited about. Think of all the laws you can break just for kicks?

There is no copyright issue here. This is a freedom of information issue and is clearly tied to something other than serving the public's best interest. laws get changed and there is a defense that can be made for "ignorance of a changed law." I've sceen that defense used in court and with winning results.

Themagus, what I got out of it was that this application will allow you to communicate with your state and federal reps to effect some outcome that I think is specific to the individual using this "petitioning ware." But I might be totally off base.

I'm looking forward to seeing you. I'll be the one that looks like a giant rabbit.

Matt, I don't know if law enforcers are changing. But there's obviously a problem with anyone wasting tax payer dollars on this kind of crap. Okay, so the kid was buzzed. Where's the tragedy here?

Takuan, thank you. LOL. The stool stool...ha ha ha

No thank you. I for one do not want to see more clutter messing up the landscape. It's too bad someone died, but do we need to turn the whole world into a giant junky memorial? How about one nice one in a park. It could be an angle riding a bike, or whatever.

I loved my first chemistry set! My B.Day gift for my 9th. But I caused a little fire that sorta burned up part of the kitchen. Jeff's chemistry set was history after that :(

Antinous, agreed.

They look interesting--I want to pet them. But you know that they are going to become one big matted mess that will require brushing. Gawd, I don't have the time to brush my stools. Anyone who has had a sheep skin rug knows what a mess they can become.

I listened to it and took a few notes. I don't pretend to know anything about Canadian copyright law, or how it's transforming. But I listened to Geist speak and I heard issues addressed, but I did not hear any specific answers given. He said that real counterfeiters have to be punished, but what does that mean? Is Canada going to go after China?

Agent 86, I think the "offer what you want" is a great idea. Let's face it, if enough people just gave a dollar (pound, whatever), that money could go to a lot of other things rather than personal income, such as charity. So a lot of people would still just take for free what is offered for free. Still, the potential is there to make a lot of money just by giving the people the -choice-. All that money could go to the EFF or any organizations that Cory wants to give to.

NPR reported his death this morning. It must be true.

Halloween Jack, there are so many worthy causes to give one's hard-earned money to. If I'm going to give money, it's because I can judge some aspect of the organization I'm giving too. At least with NPR you know what you'll be supporting. I would never ask for money for a movie project unless I had a treatment that people could read. A few concept storyboards, some basic sketches! You just can't tell people you've got a great idea. Many of us have "great" ideas all the time. So what?

A little off topic, but: I learned to code in notepad. If I was going to use software like frontpage or dreamweaver or some other, are there any recommendations?

I dunno. I've worked on an indi project and it was all about money. Sold the movie at Sundance to HBO. Never again. Ever. More power to this creative gang, but it's all about the end product. So tell us about the product.

Moderator, I know my British history. All the way back to pre-Rome. Do you? That said, I'm the one in favor of CCTVs, and I am not in favor of allowing what Lodoners are seemingly okay with. So, is your point that I don't know how bad London has suffered in the past, and that New York hasn't suffered enough, and that New York police are over zealous? Okay, that makes good sense. I'm sorry, but I don't think messing up traffic in New York is nice or effective at doing anything but pissing people off. If the people in London are cool with it, great. More power to them. Strike a Pose.

Noen, I over-react at times. My teacher used to say, "don't react, --respond--." Reaction is more often than not about emotions, response is about thinking. (note to self: I should remember this!)

#37, LOL. How Southpark of you!

Antinous, I agree with your use of the word Ego. I think it's interesting how celebrities, artists, politicians, average Joes, require a healthy ego, but when the line is crossed it can create drama, which itself can help feed the ego. We are nothing without ego, but we can also loose everything because of it. Cory Doctorow's ego seems fine. He -is- charismatic, a "great attractor."

Is hand coding really faster? I have nothing against line work in HTML, but there has to be a better way of doing the work. Maybe it's not Dreamweaver, but something. Technology is going to have to get faster by orders of magnitude and we need that speed yesterday.

That was very nice. I would like to see a whole interview series on BoingBoing TV where Cory takes questions from someone or something. You admitted to being an internet "rabble rouser."

Antinous: I'm an omnivore. Bear's good. ;)

I found another typo, and this time it's not mine but Mark's. But just to add, my father's bear did enjoy it.

It has become too obvious that the EFF is a very worthy foundation to give to. If MS thinks they can just screw people like this, they must be living in a very un-American America. Screw them in court until it hurts.

I see a typo. Do I win anything? How about a bottle of beer?

What is wrong with people? I used to sip my dad's bear as a kid every chance I could get. So what? God, is it cocktail hour yet!? This is Detroit for you!

Noen, I wouldn't have guessed you would respond like you seemingly have. You normally strike me as pretty liberal. It's just one of those posts that you pass on by if you don't think you'll like it. The Boingboinganism has tastes that span the galaxey and can only be defined as eclectic, exotic, excentric and erotic. Just find the best (for you) and leave the rest (for others).

Cory, thanks for pointing in the right direction. It's starting to sink in now. So now I would assume that every publisher of genre fiction (at least) would want to market their writers the same way? That would make sense given what you said in the Forbes piece. But giving it away on audio too? It may be good marketing, but I think it has more to with your nature.

Tim Leary didn't live too long, and he must have used enough of the stuff.

Oragami for Orgone...very good. I'm just happy to see someone use micrometer instead of micron.

If something is True for you, subjectively, then that's all that counts. If the Bible is true, it's should be used as a private, quiet truth that doesn't require band-standing, IMHO.

Cory Doctorow, this "give it away" philososphy of yours is interesting. In theory it shows you aren't just in it for the money and that you want to get your stuff into the hands of those who can't afford it (maybe they'll buy the next book), but I'm not sure I understand why a publisher would give away new material. How does this help a publisher? How do you argue against other writers that say they can't do this because it takes a too big a bite out of the sales that they depend on to make a living? I'm not sure why (I'm trying to learn), but I feel that what you're doing must be a good thing. Do you see a point where every novel/book will be given away and sold at the same time?

Willismonroe said: "However unlike New York we have complete police support."

Well bully for London. Have any skyscrappers blown up of late have you? And although constabulary might support your protestors, I recall reading on BoingBoing that you have a few issues with people taking pictures. There also seems to be an issue with all the CCTVs that are there to help watch the "supportive" police. All is not so merry in Old England.

Mobs tend to display mob psychology, which is not normally considered a state of higher brain function. This is not to say that a well-organized march can not be effective.

What usless webs we weave, when we practice to deceive a spider.

The web material used by this artist is not what the spider requires.

In Detroit we're just going to turn the homeless into biofuel. We're very green in this part of the country.

I was really looking forward to this event, but life got in the way. Oh well, there's always next year.

I'm curious if there is any worth left in this first album? Why would they give the entire thing away when they could just give a few tracks away? Why not continue to sell the out-of-print CD on their own label? I think it's nice to give away a whole album; but does it increase the odds that their next CD will sell better? I think I would just continue to sell the old stuff and contribute the proceeds to charity. Why give it away when you could help out the needy? Fans would still pay a buck for an entire CD, right?

I wonder if there would be a reason to call the emergency number (in whatever country), if some guy was painting a picture of a play area with children. I see people at the shore all the time painting pictures of the beach and city-scenes with people--albeit blurry images of people. I'm sure most people would agree that photography can be an art form.

Cory Doctorow is better off writing bits about politics than getting involved with it himself. Talk about mucking up your Kharma. Besides, if he wants to make a difference (which he seems to), he can continue doing so from within the industry. I currently think that the publishing biz supports copyright law as it stands in the US, for the most part. Publishers do make money from selling their product.

Name-calling is fun. Group dynamics rule number 7: Norming behaviors revert to intimidation tactics when logic and reason seem to be of little use.

If Rowling want to write her own Potter encyclopedia, nothing will stop her. So the fans will yet another book to buy. She's so much money now, that were were to cry about her lost future income is pure bs. She can start giving every penny from royalties to charity now, if she's so concerned. She's invented something the world has embraced and now she doesn't know what to do because she can't control all of it. My advice is that she count her blessings. Greed.

Congrats. I have good taste, don't I? Keep up the great work.

Cefeida, there is a culture here. Boing Boing --is-- a culture. I happen to find it very interesting and have found myself adopting some of the group's norms. Part of becoming part of a group is the tendancy to want to defend the group. This is a common enough dynamic and is fairly text-book. Defending a group is something I've been programmed to do. Takuan too, it seems and others.

Jake0748, I don't think the moderator would argue your point. It's interesting (from a group dynamics perspective), how a certain kind of person rise to the defense of the group's values.

But then again, this isn't just show-and-tell for fans, but for is also for the person who may want to comment negitively on the group esthetic. Reading the comments that steam punk anit-fans leave can be interesting too. They may be making valid points, the same kind of points one can hear at any high-end art-crowd cocktail party/gallery show. The highly educated, heavily invested art-crowd can be very to-the-point about art they don't like. There is an entire lexicon that people use for art they do not think is worthy. If it's validation that we require, then judging art by what Art critics have to say might be a good place to start. All my choices need to be validated. Cory Doctorow has validated my current interest in steam punk. I'm going to build a coal-burning steam-powered lawn mower. It will increase my carbon footprint ten fold, but it'll be worth it.

Airpillo, that was nicely written. But like Horncologne said, you just come here to read. The editing is done by the editors, so what you see might be intentionally provocative to stimulate conversation.

I think this was an obvious failure of security. The Emperor wears no clothes! So this guy gets hung out to dry because he pointed out a failure.

I've been called a sychophant by some who hang her in Boingboing land. I'm happy that Cory Doctorow has a new book out and that he's doing well. Talking down on a self- promotion is just sour grapes as far as I'm concerned. Yeah, I'd love to be the one promoting his new book, but I'm not, so at least let me get geeked for someone who is. Doctorow, I'm happy for you! All your real fans are. If that's being sychophantic then too frakking bad.

I can see it now: guy on park bench with boner under his kebboard, typing away like a mad man. What a great idea.

Custom inscriptions, eh? I'll be buying one for my Nephew. I think he'll eat it up.

Cory Doctorow used the word Toxic because he is a provocateur. I don't eat anything called Pink Berry, and I don't give a shit if they have an American Express Plum card either! Just what American needs, another kind of "food" to get fatter with.

Right now fiddle head ferns are coming up. They taste great sauteed with butter. I love my local farmers market and wish the locals would use it more. It always surprises me when people don't know there is a farmers market ten minutes from their homes.

My personal experience is that my back does better when I wear a good walking/hiking shoe.

This was the perfect post for me to read. Thank you. What does Cory Doctorow think about this case (publisher is from Michigan), where the lexicon of Potter-verse is used? It seems fair to me, in as much as Potter has become iconic and is fodder for others to use.

You can be asked to open up your briefcase, so I guess opening a computer is about the same thing. I guess you could use online sources for software apps and storage, using your laptop as little more than a keyboard. If they want the access for your net-based data they would have to get a court order and present that to the site holding your stuff.

I'm a fan of many, but a true fan of few. I have found I'm often a big fan of dead artists.

I think it's an interesting place, but I'm not cool with the font. It looks grainy. And a white background is best for reading I think IMHO.

So what happens when we just wear our cameras like sun glasses? The technology is almost there, using blinks and other triggers to interface with the camera's computer. So are we going to have to give up looking at things? Pictures are just ancillary devices that our brains use to remember. Is it memory that London or Disney is fighting? And we all get to vote with our money.

Jupiter12, here in the north-western edge of the East (Detroit), taking pictures isn't something anyone would care about. This city's all about text mesgs, not pictures.

Pretty cool. Loved the New Order playing.

Glad to hear New Jersey is leading the way! Come on New York, stop dragging your ass.

Manny, London is special all right. It must be like Mecca for so many. But then, the grass is always greener when it rains more. The Cherry Blossoms must be quite pretty. Are they open yet?

Retro-contempo-techno design is so 2020s.

Are they afraid people could use the pictures to find their car? I do that at the airport all the time.

Does this sort of thing happen in Washington D.C.? I don't think so, but maybe I'm not aware of how Big Brother-ish the D.C. area has become since 911.

At what point is London's anti-photo BS going to piss off the natives? Don't they have something like the ACLU in GB? Truly, this is not a culture that I should support with my money. I'll send a note the Tourism Department and tell them I will not be coming this year. I won't be spending my good money in a police state.

I live in a very well armed part of the United States--Michigan. I've had a hunting rifle since I was 12. I don't think it makes me feel any better; it's just a tool that I have to keep clean and haven't used in several years. But, if some dystopian future emerges (I don't think it will) and the "Nazis" come to my door to take me off to summer camp, I'm going to leave this world taking a few of them with me.

#14, great post. I think you pointed out that liberals (which I count myself as) need to hear from the far left, if only to be reminded of Ideals. The ideals of the mythic pastoral past and the post scarcity future are all about better times. She seems to want us to live better, but does not know how to get us there. She does denounce the system that allows her to sell her goods, and on that point she seems a wee bit hypocritical.

Did you enter real codes? Interesting way to give out info. Love the hair...very handsome ;)

Does a person living in GB with some sort of workers visa have to watch what they say, especially when it concerns government security policies? I assume that there are plenty of Brits that talk about Big Brother in negitive terms. Since Doctorow is a journalist I don't think he has to worry. But I used to think that about the United States, but now I realise that people end up on lists if they aren't careful. Is GB as bad as the US? They sound worse to me in some regards.
But then, I've said public CCTVs are a good idea, but that very strict oversight needs to be in place.

We watch each other for sport; the government should allow access to public feeds but charge for it! It would make stalking so much eaiser! Alas, I do not live in London and expect the Detroit suburbs to be CCTV-free for the next hundred years, or so.

Very interesting. I've never thought of using a font style alphabetical set as an artistic building material. What's it called, Alpharobotica? Cyberalphebetica? Fontaexpressionism?

I wonder what his legal fees were like? I hope there was a defense fund or something. I estimate that he's well into the quarter million point after four years. The government gets to drag your ass into court, bankrupt you, and then fail to make their case. And the citizen gets screwed all the way down unless the ACLU or some other group picks up the case. It makes me sick that justice is often about who can afford the better lawyer.

I'm very conflicted about the police. I've been harassed by local cops and haven't enjoyed it at all. But I know there are good ones out there too. It's easy to become bigoted based on limited personal experience.

This news is so horrible. I need to get away from this fucking machine. It delivers too much sorrow today.

Takuan: "...lobes of meat." Truly gross image. Thanks. All I can see are great big scabs.

I think the Great God Greenspan has shown us the fallibility of "expert." An economist can explain the economy like a meteorologist can explain the weather. And we all know how easy the weather is to control or predict. I don't think Klien is wrong, I just think she's arguing against human nature. Which is okay.

Corporatism, or Supra-capitalism, whatever you want to call it, can be reduced to family dynamics. Buying favors is behavior learned by children and applied by adults, which is nothing new. How do we disallow this "buying of power" when so many of us do it (albeit on a smaller scale) on a daily basis? The very core of capitalism is dependant on someone having less and someone having more. More is often considered Best: I have more than you, therefore I win! Isn't that how people play the game? For the most part?

Takuan, I think we could call our business "Re-boned." And the slogan could be something like, The Bone Makes All The Difference! Bonetastic!

Deposits will be based on weight. What a gross idea! That's why it makes me laugh.

"You see, I have this problem with my sweaty balls, and I was trying to spray them from behind and some how the can slipped right in. Dry. Wow!"

After working in an ER, I can tell you that more interesting things than this have been removed from many an ass.

Santa's Knee, because you want to? Me too!

Are any of those books more interesting than the one you would have listed? Books on mathematics aside, it looks like a fairly average list.

And me just having had lamb for lunch. I don't want synthetic meat unless it has the bones and a little fat. I have enough people to care about, livestock is at the bottom of my list.

Oh no, my Jessica Rabbit post hit a time warp! Anyway, I still think she's hot. Which is kinda weird, but understandable. Right?

Jessica Rabbit is hot. Woof! But generally I like my animations less un-tooned. Takuan, I think my gut-response is that I shouldn't be attracted to fantasy art. I tell myself that only real humans should make me look and wonder about sex.

No more books made out of dead trees! We need mediatronic books. One book to hold them all. Isn't that really the green way? As it is I'm developing a fear of books. Not the information in them, just the actual thing. Too many things to care about. Of course I say this while thinking about my signed copy of Little Brother that I need to get.

It's not all that uncommon for people to adopt the mindsets of those in power. For instance, if you want to speak for the administration you need to agree with the president. the Gray Area is not always an easy place to live in, but if you're intelligent, that's probably where you're at.

Antinous : "Oy, I have such a craving for a burrito now. And there are no good taquerias in Palm Springs. ¡Qué lastima!"

What about that place right on main street, with the outside patio/court yard?

Jeff @18, it's nobody's fault; more a matter of outgrowing the previous set of arrangements.

That's not quite code-speak. I knows there's a bug in the {return from post} line. Because I usually don't get returned to the blog, but sit in the out-going post line.

And I didn't mean it to sound as if I was blaming anyone, just that it's a problem and I was courious what it was.

Maybe a few highlights could be posted. I don't think I'll be able to make it, although it does sound interesting. I'm not even sure what Cory Doctorow has to say about copy right, at least not that I could quote. Is there a way to describe the emerging Copy Rights Culture? Can it be reduced to one sentence, preferably a copy right protected quote?

Violent decorating, the kind of thing you'd find in Hell's Kitchen (the TV show).

All Hail Eris! All Hail Chaos!

How does this sort of thing jibe with being an Open Source advocate? Is the problem caused by bad coding?

I just mixed some hardwood mulch with butter and now I have a mouth full of splinters. Thanks for the great idea!

I've heard too much about starvation today. We should not turn food into fuel. It's too sad to deal with.

Lords of Acid. What a fun group. The kind of thing I like to play when my mother comes over.

Xeni, you add a level of spice to this blog that it can't do without. Brava.

I assume that this news was printed in one of Canada's larger papers. Cory Doctorow should mail them a bit to put on the editorial page. Canada is too liberal to put up with sort of thing, isn't it?

Blueworld, thank you. It took me too long to find that old papperback!

Oh London, I'll be spending my money in Dublin, instead. Let the Brits have their CCTVs and stupid anti-picture-taking-pseudo laws. Support that culture and you support the enemy of democracy. Right? And the Brits think they're soooo above us in the US.

Zikzak, I've gone off of regular coffee and tea at times, but then I always fall back. I just need a kick right about now! Instead I'll go ride my bike. I have addicts in my family and stay away from all of it! With the exception of pain killers and anything I can smoke ;)

It matters not if something is part of the concensus reality or is purly subjective. If the experience is interpreted to be "real" then that's all that matters. Humans are masters of the "real."

Enochrewt, I would have to agree. I'd read it just to see how these authors speak to younger readers.

I've seen kids like this in the sewers under New New York! Very common. The legs are tasty when fried.

I read a collection of stories in book called the Starry Rift. Is it an on-going series? I love the cover art. Very handsome.

For those of you who enjoy reading about natural tripping, the book The Cosmic Serpent, DNA and the origins of knowledge by Jeremy Narby is very interesting. I don't recall that he called the Amazonian cocktail he use as Ayahuasca, but it did allow him to have "great" insights. Not the best science in the world, but still an interesting story.

The issue of vulnerability to 'ware attack will only get more important as some of us run to have our brains augmented with the best upgrades. Charles Stross's Glasshouse deals with this idea wonderfully.

I can see why image archives would be part of the C.C. access movement. But why not have a site that is federally funded instead of using a privatly owned distribution site? Doesn't that allow a site like Flickr to bennifit from pictures that are in effect owned by a government museum?

Coffee is my drug of choice. And Boing Boing is a drug. I now feel sad/uncomfortable when I can't make it here. Some of this stuff is so interesting. And many of the people here seem very nice and very intelligent and I just feel lucky to have finally found it. It is a place with wonderful stuff.

It's a very interesting concept. I'd be interested in reading about the different aspects of how these forms of entertainment/stories play out. Very cool, Doctorow.

I think those storm troopers remind me of the Necromongers (sp?) From the Riddick movie. Did you know that the Nazi's uniforms were designed by Hugo Boss? I like the look of these characters better than the original.

These ideas may seem silly in context, but I wouldn't mind using some of them in a story. In a Charles Stross novel, Iron Sunrise I believe, a terrorist uses some unlikely means to threaten New York. It's good fiction and demonstrates that crazy people can do crazy things, but that we are quite lame when it comes to predicting these things. A crazy idea like flying planes into buildings was used by a crazy writer named Tom Clancy (correct me if I'm wrong). These writers are obviously guilty of using the best of crazy ideas to entertain us with. Because this stuff is fun, not real. Until it happens.

I looks, ah, very thick. I'm not sure my weak wrist could support it. Is it powered by steam? :)

I had no idea something like this could exist. So, physics can be patented? Thank you for sharing this. I feel dirty at times knowing what kind of culture I'm part of. The corruption of our intelligence by corporate memes (supported by capitalist memes ((supported by legal system memes)), makes me understand how radical shifts in government can be stimulated. I'm voting for the crypto-communist-green party!

With the Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Springs....use water, they better put a stop to Nestle draining the aquafir. That water is needed for golf courses, damit! And swimming pools and palm trees and beautiful green lawns. Such is the folly of man.

And what's with the text error and wrong ID messages?

Just buy your own water filter and fill an empty bottle, or in my case, a sippy cup.

Machiavelli's The Prince contains all sorts of tid-bits like this. And for the more serious Mafia Don, there is The Psychopath's Bible by C.Hyatt. One of the more disturbing books I've read.

"U.S. taxpayers paid for it..." IMHO, this is the operative sentence. We paid for the technology, we should be able to make models and use the name. This insane claim to "ownership" is so abstract at times. Where does it come from? Is greed the core issue here?

How many bottles of water go into a 55 gallon container? Water costs more than oil and should be taxed that way.

It would be interesting if fake CCTVs were mixed in, just too see how good criminals are at predicting which ones are real. And fakes are cheaper too. Better yet, make all of them mobile. The place is going to be crawling with mobile observation drones before long, and they're not gong to be any bigger than a bee. "Please be good. The Bees are watching YOU!"

Brainpicker, if the point is that music should be free unless you want to go to a show, in which case you can pay, may be fair enough. Record lables could sign an artist just like a sports team. If the "Player" makes money, it's primarily because he put on a show. There still seems to be a gray area here that might have more to do with the resentment of wealth than anything else.

Yer Maw, perhaps you can give me an example? What makes the music "imaginary property?" How is the value of a piece of music changed just because it can be digital? Is that like saying it's easier to take, so it shouldn't have an value? Is that like saying: $20 bills are easy to print so we should, because they have only "imaginary" value? Which they do, of course. Don't all things have "imaginary" value?

Lexica, point well taken. It's true I was guilty of preaching my expectation. I was also telling Cory something he already knows, which is to expect people to be judgmental and rude. At least once in a while. The comment was made to be helpful, not hurtful.

Music seems like a special case because it's so easy to share. Software is too, but there seems to be enough legitimate use to countermand the free stuff or pirate stuff. I don't know what the answer is, that's why I'm asking. How does the music industry protect its products? Is it counting on honesty? I doubt it.

I'm all for hearing someone's groked views on this world. What's one more model of reality running on my brain?

Cory, dude, take a deep breath....

Art can be a passionate subject, remember? You're an artist, and art critics are required, just like book ediors are, and books critics are. When you hold your art (or art you like) out to be judged, just expect some negitivity. The universe requires both sides of the coin.

Sorry, I'm pretty new with this issue and probably missed some good answers in previous posts. If there is no filtering to prevent file sharing, what is to prevent a culture of "Free" music from killing the music industry? I'm not even sure that's a valid premise, only that I know people take what is free and will not pay for something they can take. But that's in my world, and that might not be true across the board. Are honest people that common? I would love to think so. I know if I could download free chocolate I would. Why buy anything when it's free?

The BANKS are to blame for this! Or rather the brokers and the bankers are, since then are all in cahoots. Who's going to fix the trouble, the people that caused it in the first place, or the idiots in Washington that deregulating the banking industry? I'm moving to Canada.

I have access to data bases like these, and they are wonderful. And lawyers and judges protect their own culture, so I wouldn't expect much to change.

Free water comes out my tap and I use it. But I also buy bottled water. I pay for a product that I've been told is better than the free stuff (I'm a lemming). But what if people just decide that free's the only way to go? We trust that someone's going to be good enough to buy a song instead of download it for free. We are such a trusting people. Quick, someone straighten me out. I want figures that support that give-a-way marketing works with digital products. All I see in the world is people who want somethin fer nothin.

Really "Good" science states a hypothesis (the world is warming up because...). Then the hypothesis needs to be tested. Over time. A long time. Until then, global warming is a theory that seems to make sense, but it's only just a theory. What happens if there is a 15% increase in volcanic activity over the next 100 years? Guess we'll have to see what happens in the next 100 years to find out. That's how science works. I predict an Ice Age is coming. "They" were saying that less than 30 years ago. Guess what, "They" were wrong. People are such lemmings.

The amount of hazard we allow in our lives is enourmous at times, but we just avoid thinking about it. Our "sense" of security is predicated on the illusion that we can predict the future. Which we can, just not regarding everything.

Wdoud: That would be awesome! Awesome to the Max!

Moon, how many hours would the entire Baroque cycle take to listen too? It took me several years to read! I loved it, but I had to read it in small doses.

Congrats, Cory Doctorow. And the cover is nice too.

Declan, that's one of my peeves. Or it could also be said that, "You can't have your cake and eat it too." The phrase originates in the 16th century, I think. It's a way of saying you can't have something both ways, and the phrase always gets reversed.

I guess I just don't know when something is a joke or not. I just took it as another example of insane wealth acting stupid. How funny.

Reminds me of this great big, old, Amercian Gothic mental hospital where I would work from time to time when I was in high school. It was torn down a few years ago. What a spook house.

The primary reason I'm here is because I fell for Cory's writing. I loved what I just read, and I loved Snow Crash. It's got so much gusto, and is just so damn fun. Thanks for the new find. And for those of you who didn't like Snow Crash, maybe you would enjoy the audio version better. It's very theatrical. I've listened to it several times now.

Oh, just tell them it's for personal terrorist activity and be done with it!

Nick, I think being watched while on my private property would be uncomfortable. In public I wouldn't care. I'm not sure our culture isn't in fact infantilizing itself by its inceased tolerance for bad, spoiled-brat behavior. There is an increase in mental illness in America and Europe. That means more crazy behavior, more crime, more violence against innocent people. All the numbers are on the rise. The point has been made that the people watching the CCTV screes are humans and will make mistakes. My only answer is that AI will do a better job. Or it will kill us after it decides we are vermin. Either way, we have some important social issues to deal with, and trusting that people will behave themselves is not working too well.

The is some evidense (I can look for it if someone wants it), that the nanotubles which support the neurons and dendrites in the brain show signs of activation befor thoughts can be detected it the larger cells. This somewhat suggests that the stimulous for the thought is preceding the arrival of sensory signals. It's as if these nanostructures might be registering, or creating reality before it "really" happens. That sounds like quantum-crazy to me. And I think Bohm would agree that it makes sense, as his explicate and implicate orders suggest.

I'd like to say my enthusiasm for this project is tempered by my expectation of the cost. This will eat up hundreds of billions of dollars. And I think they should talk to someone who's really looked into the money side of space exploration, such as Charles Stross, so they can get a sobering opinion. We have way too many people on Earth that could use help with that money. Yes, there will always be people to help until we become a post scarcity society, but Mars is dead and Earth is just sick and can be saved. Going to Mars to do what, terraform it? We need to start here by just getting fresh water to hundreds of millions of people! More egos with too much money.

I don't know anything about occult stuff in libraries, but if you want to find occult books just go to an occult book seller. When the entire store is occult, then you have to rely on the sub-catagories the seller comes up with.

People of both persuasions are required, aren't they? Our culture can have athoritarian aspects as well as those that celebrate individuality. I think it helps to realize that we've never lived in this day in age before. The kind of chaos that can emerge from a truly "free" society might be a level of chaos that would shock us silly. Humans need controls in place, boundries. CCTVs support the belief that people are less likely to misbehave if they are being watched. This hypothesis has been tested before and has support. Or haven't you ever noticed how much better children and adults play while they are not only watched, but moderated? Moderated is good here. It must be good everywhere.

Humans create their reality by collapsing probability wave function. Mind is the misssing variable in M-theory. We're all part of a great big mind-machine. Maybe.

Belac, any system as rigid as the one you discribe seems so illogical from the start that we can be fairly sure this won't be the case. Our technology will improve and will reflect our culture. If our culture continues to support sub-cultures such as Facebook and Myspace, then the idea of privacy might be in for some radical transformations. After all, people by the millions are divulging personal information that would have been considered absolutely private not too long ago. A culture where you live in the "open" may seem horrible in some ways, but then, the people that govern will be expected to live in the open also.

If the ultimate goal of humanity is to know everything, aren't we on the right track? I'm impressed with the technology that allows us to accumlate so many facts. Fear of misuse should not prevent us from making "Information Wants To Be Free" a universal core ethic. And the problems with abuse can not be avoided, ever. We live in a duality: where there is good from something, there can also be bad.

I think she looks as if she's asleep, no more or less beautiful than she was when awake. I don't know if I ever want to see pictures of my friends or family like this. The thought is too sad.

It's a very phalic little dispenser, isn't it?

Clockwork, in what seems like prescience, Robert A. Heinlein called this time period The Crazy Years. Some of those predictions/speculations seem right. Of course, other aspects of his future history are way off mark. Anyway, I just expect that personal identity will become an even more abstract concept as we learn to scan our brains and use them as backups.

C.D. said, "...was eerily prescient..."

Do you really believe in prescience? "Knowledge of actions or events before they occur; foresight." Or are you just throwing the word around? Was it just a guess, or a vision, or a logic train (logical prediction that can be made when you're on the right track)? The thing about Prescience, says F.Herbert, is that it is more about the power to see and then make the future happen, than to just see it.

Noen, oh please. You know, a lot of people serving in the armed forces are very much in favor of democracy. I, having been in the military, would have to say I think I'm in favor of Communism now, but only if it's run by wonderful AI, or a hive mind similar to the one that's trying to form here. (Evil laugh track playing now...fade off...).

I love Boston for a lot of reasons. Some of the "natives" that I know, from the older familes, can speak of newer arrivals with some disdain, as if the blood supply were being contaminated.

Oh wait, on second thought, bloggers actually like to blog. Scrap that idea.

Antinous: In the beginning(s) there was/is the white-hot hole of creation, the font out of which the great god Chaos gives form to energy. All things are entangled, all things are soul. At least that's my theory.

For those of you who got to watch Canadian TV as a kid: I think I expect to see a Friendly Giant hanging upside down and arranging chairs. "And let's move the rocker over here for Cory." Kinda fun. I know my spiders would love this stuff!

It's time to put on your camera glasses and go around recording everything to your heart's content. Including the cop that's going to be recorded trying to take your camera. But he won't know he's being set up just for a special Youtube segment entitled: Why is this pig trying to steal my camera? A little more negitive press and this won't be an issue.

I enjoyed Alex Hardison's piece. I'm not sure it's Post cyberpunk. It seemed fairly similar to many in that genre, style wise. Maybe more Egan than Gibson.

Noted :) ha ha ha. I'll note you, dude. Seriously, it wasn't very complex, and all that stuff Reads so similar. I'm sure if I'd heard the familar voice I would have thought it sounded like Chef on South Park..wait, that was Issac Hayes. Never mind.

I had no idea! See, I can spot greatness...of sorts. I have almost no experience with Al Green, as I do not like soul or most jazz at all. But thanks for thinking I might have not have been culturally depraved. But, I do have a strong back ground in classical disco and bubble gum pop! Abba Forever!

Or...ah, have lots of mice in the bag! They'll all run out and make elephant artists stampede, crushing all the cops to death! And everyone else too! But, since it's artists doing the stamping, the bloody mess can be saved as a huge work of public art. Perfect.

Antinous said, "It's just that I always wonder about the motives of someone who complains to the gardener that the maid isn't doing a good job"

I'll complain to one employee about others not doing their job (naming no one specifically), so I can pass on the message to the person I'm talking to and about. Employees talk and, I hope, are able to pick up on a hint from time to time. You're not faulting the whistle blower, are you?

Takuan, but does it come as a Prada man-purse?

Taking pictures of everything is a tourist's duty, and any place that wants to suck the money out of tourists' pockets better have a better policy than this market does. Isn't there an ACLU-like organisation in GB?

I see it and think the colors are nice, but all I find myself doing is feeling the Florida heat in July! Like being steamed alive. If I hadn't gone there in July I woudn't have this response, I'm sure.

This issue reminds me of a TV show I watched where a famous art critic was asked about an abstract painting. "Oh, it's very important..."

A chimp named Congo painted the "very important" piece. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4712948

And so, experts are at times, like all humans, and full of shit. "Oh, then it's not a very important piece after all," was her enlightened response. It should have been: (some light laughter with with a self-depricating tone), "Oh my gosh! And here I thought I knew it all. I'm so full of myself...ha ha ha."

As far as I know, we're being thrown into alternate universes every fraction of a second. This is a crazy world for a reason!

I like reading about London's social issues, but what I'm not hearing is the criticism of the British Government that allows these sorts of things. If I was Mr. Neilson Hayden, I would have told this mugger-in uniform to get the hell away from me. I will not be bullied by people that are paid to protect the public. So Big Brother's London is filled with CCTVs, and there are places that don't allow picture taking, and the cost of living is insane and the air is bad and traffic is horrible. To each his own, but Canada sounds Much to me. Or New York. I would not support a Police State the likes of which is obvious in London if I had a great city like Toronto to live in. Come back home Cory, Canada needs you.

Takuan, she does seem to like you, and you're important :) I like the idea about keeping an open thread, a sort of Volcano Bar and Grill for people to come in and just bitch about anything. All cultures need pressure release systems. There is a culture here and this thread is evidence that the culture has volcanic pressures under the service. Give people a safe place to rant and they will use it. IMHO.

Takuan, very nice! A good rap/poem, man.

I think this image is great, exactly the kind of evoloution in VR-metareality that we expect. It's all falling into place now.

That was a nice demonstration. At least Flint as this going for it. But of course this guy is wrong. Ha! Everyone knows alien tractor beam technology was used to build Stonehenge.

C.D., in your book Down and Out, you examine the issue of future sex/realationships. Has your stuff be discussed by Arse Eledtronica? I'm specifically talking about the issue of large age differences between sex partners. I know Heinlein raised this issue also.

Boombotz used his real name. For me that earns credit. Seeing how many of the posters here do not.

Takuan, we don't say pyschopath any more (of course we do), but rather we say "individuals that are suffering from Antisocial personality discorder--APD." Or: a more common and probably closer to the truth term: "Narcissist". Of course psychopath is a hell of lot easier, so I don't know why the DMR-3 changed it.

Yummo! I'd like an eye, please, with some extra slime on the side.

Is Rococco a color? (I don't think so). I just thought it was a style. How about "Sanguine" instead?

I was once part of a group that dressed up like Darko rabbits and then went bar hopping in Detroit. I wish I had some good pictures of the looks we got.

Yo, Sarah, best of times. Congrats!

Holy smoke, Batman! This must be the work of dope fiends!

Antinous said, "There's a common belief that Jesus went to India for a decade and studied yoga."

Are you sure it's a --common--belief. Because the way I heard it, he went to Egypt and studied magic. Hehehe.

Takuan, yeah, I thinking that was pretty damn good for something on the fly. But it worked for me. The picture was great. LOL. The BoingBoing Gimmoire.

Boombotz, very interesting. The plot thickens...

Takuan, I like your poem back there. You're obviously a sycophant! Good job ;)

Kurzweil is so cool. I wouldn't want to take all the sups, but his ideas are wonderful things!

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Teresa, for posting that fantastic document..."
Cory

Cory, do long post like that normally interest you, because I have a short story here I'd love you to read ;)

There have been a lot of good posts here. Many of these people are your fans (like me)and many of their comments reflect a culture of expectation that you, yourself have fostered. Cory, you and the other BoingBoingers want people to be here because they like it, and I think it's a fair expectation that they be respected as part of this culture, and to be treated fairly. Number 28 had some very constructive things to say. You might do yourself a great service to read just that one post and try to see if some of it rings