Hailed by Bruce Sterling as “a political activist, gizmo freak, junk collector, programmer, entrepreneur, and all-around Renaissance geek,” the Internet’s favorite high-tech culture maven is celebrated with the first collection of his infamous articles, essays, and polemics. Irreverently championing free speech and universal access to information—even if it's just a free download of the newest Britney Spears MP3—he leads off with a mutinous talk given at Microsoft on digital rights management, insisting that they stop treating their customers as criminals. Readers will discover how America chose Happy Meal toys over copyright, why Facebook is taking a faceplant, how the Internet is basically just a giant Xerox machine, why Wikipedia is a poor cousin of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and how to enjoy free e-books. Practicing what he preaches, all of the author's books, including this one, are simultaneously released in print and on the Internet under Creative Commons licenses that encourage their reuse and sharing. He argues persuasively that this practice has considerably increased his sales by enlisting readers to promote his work. Accessible to geeks and nontechies alike, this is a timely collection from an author who effortlessly surfs the zeitgeist while always generating his own wave.
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"Doctorow here proves he's smart, funny, and good at accessibly boiling down issues he's passionate about . . . a pleasure to read, not to mention thought-provoking." —Booklist
"Cory Doctorow straps on his miner's helmet and takes you deep into the caverns and underground rivers of pop culture." —Neil Gaiman, author, American Gods
"We should all hope and trust that our culture has the guts and moxie to follow this guy. He's got a lot to tell us." —Bruce Sterling, author, Zeitgeist
"Cory Doctorow is the apotheosis of what we talk about when we talk about the Web." —SF Site
"If all those Generation Z and proto-Singularity kids reading Doctorow's Little Brother also find their way to Content, this book may well become a classic." —mattselznick.com
"The most articulate and accessible writer engaged in these topics." —Time Out Chicago
"A nice collection of essays." —TeleReads
"More than just insightful, brilliant, and to the point—it's also funny and fun to read." —Electronic Frontier Foundation
About the Author
Cory Doctorow is a science fiction novelist, a blogger, a columnist, and a technology activist. He is the coeditor of Boing Boing, and a contributor to Make, The New York Times, Popular Science, and Wired. He is the author of Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, Eastern Standard Tribe, Overclocked, and Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town and was named one of Forbes Magazine's 2007 and 2008 Web Celebrities.
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Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars
9 reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cory's book is a great resource on DRM and copyright problems.
Oct 19 2008
By FrankT
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've read or seen most of the material in this book online and am a big fan of Cory's work. I thought this would be a great resource to have instead of a bunch of print outs or bookmarks. Cory Doctorow has some of the best thought out arguments against DRM and for digital freedoms, pointing out tons of interesting historical examples along the way. Great read!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great overview of Doctorow's non-fiction work
Sep 18 2008
By Ken Kennedy
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Excellent way for someone relatively new to Cory's non-fiction to come up to speed quickly. A great overview of his thoughts on copyright, the Internet, and society. And even if you're a dyed-in-the-wool True Fan (like me), you'll probably find something new, and you'll definitely enjoy having the essays collected in one place. His Microsoft DRM essay is included, which is a favorite of mine. Well worth picking up if you have any interest whatsoever in topics like the future of copyright, media and the Internet, etc.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
refreshing read from a kindred spirit
Feb 3 2009
By B. T. Reedy
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Doctorow has put the opinions that have been bubbling round in my head since the metallica/napster debaucle into eloquent, well-informed words. I can only hope that such a vision of the world will become reality. This collection is a call to arms for anyone concerned about what I believe is a war being fought for a truly democratic internet. One of the best purchases I've made recently!
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4.3 out of 5 stars
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