"Content isn't king: culture is."

[eldritchhobbit]

Happy birthday to a wonderful woman, writer, teacher, and scholar who has been and remains an inspiration to me: st_crispins. May you have a great day and year to come!

In other news...

* Cory Doctorow has an interesting and important article on copyright issues in Locus Online: "Why I Copyfight."

* The Annual Apex Digest Raffle is underway. The Apex folks have pulled from their high-security cellar vaults some of the most fiendishly delightful goodies you've ever seen, like free fiction critiques, ARCs of as-yet unavailable books signed by the authors, valuable rare books worth more than $50, a steampunk classic with zepplins--REAL ZEPPLINS!--doodled by the author himself, and the only Maurice Broaddus Quintuple Threat Pack in existence. All tickets are $1.


Here's a quote for the day:

Because if copying on the Internet were ended tomorrow, it would be the end of culture on the Internet too. YouTube would vanish without its storehouse of infringing clips; LiveJournal would be dead without all those interesting little user-icons and those fascinating pastebombs from books, news-stories and blogs; Flickr would dry up and blow away without all those photos of copyrighted, trademarked and otherwise protected objects, works, and scenes.

These conversations are why we want the things we're conversing about. Fanfic is written by people who love books. YouTube clips are made by people who want you to watch the shows they're taken from and discuss them. LJ icons demonstrate affinity for works.

If culture loses the copyright wars, the reason for copyright dies with it.
- Cory Doctorow, "Why I Copyfight"

Comments

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

Hey thanks! I've lived long enough to be an inspiration!

[Better than being a warning :) ]

BTW: glad to see that Doctorow article posted. I was going to, too. It's good.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

ROFLOL!

Doctorow's article is good, isn't it?

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

It is. Nice to read.

[And I should have said above: Better to be an inspiration than a cautionary tale] :)

Hmmm..might make a good icon.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Ha! I like it.

You do realize, don't you, that you're even more of an inspiration now that you've been hugged and kissed by Frank Langella?! LOL! *wink*

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

I wish it had happened 30 years ago when he and I were both younger ;)

[estellye.livejournal.com]

That was an excellent essay. I agree, this is an important issue that we're going to have to formally address in a big way very soon. Ultimately, if we get regulated out of our own culture, we'll go create another one elsewhere to the very great detriment of the regulators. I'd like to think they are aware of that.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Ultimately, if we get regulated out of our own culture, we'll go create another one elsewhere to the very great detriment of the regulators.

Oh, beautifully said!

[arymetore.livejournal.com]

Cool :) Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin :)

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

You betcha! :)

It seemed only fitting on st_crispins' birthday post, since she wrote the book (literally) on U.N.C.L.E. We also co-authored a book chapter that was published this year called "Sexy Nerds: Illya Kuryakin, Mr. Spock, and the Image of the Cerebral Hero in Television Drama" - which was ironic, since both of us find Napoleon Solo sexier than Illya (although we may be the only two gals in the world who think so). LOL!

[arymetore.livejournal.com]

Awesome! And hehe, possibly :P I know at least my mother who is familiar with the show is one of those that practially squees at Illya even now :P

[ievil-spock-47i.livejournal.com]

Love the userpic, I has a pair of Illya Kuryakin yellow glasses. Don't have a pic of me in them, I'll have to work one up.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'd love to see that picture! :) Those glasses were the height of cool.

It seemed only fitting to use that icon on st_crispins' birthday post, since she wrote the book (literally) on U.N.C.L.E. We also co-authored a book chapter that was published this year called "Sexy Nerds: Illya Kuryakin, Mr. Spock, and the Image of the Cerebral Hero in Television Drama." I love my job. LOL!

[maidoforange.livejournal.com]

That was indeed a great article, thanks, EH!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

You're most welcome! I'm so glad you liked it. I thought it was great, too.