This is coming a bit late, since I’ve already made a few posts (automated and not), but welcome to my new website with an integrated and self-hosted blog. I’ve switched to using WordPress as my publishing platform as you can probably tell. I’m still in the process of transferring content over and updating the website. All posts and comments from my old blog have been copied over to my new one. I recently set up Feedburner for it and I’m not sure if it’s kicked in yet or working properly so please let me know if you have any problems and keep in mind that the rss feed may change in the near future. You should be able to subscribe to a variety of feeds one way or another, from the general website/blog and comment feeds to individual post comments to individual post categories and tags. If you have any comments, suggestions, criticisms about or technical difficulties with the new format, please post them here.
October 2009
Cory Doctorow recently announced an experiment to prove that giving away free ebooks works. Michael Stackpole responded with a deconstruction of Cory’s experiment. He makes a number of good points about the experiment, though I think he comes off unnecessarily harsh on Cory personally. And one gets the impression that he feels threatened by the growing anti-IP movement. He has his own (antiquated) business model and bottom-line to protect after all, though I applaud him for being a pioneer in experimenting with ebooks and podcasting. One remark of his in particular, in his second blogpost on Cory’s experiment (“What is Cory Doing Right?“), cuts right to the heart of the matter. I left a comment on his blogpost in response but for whatever reason it hasn’t appeared yet and might never appear [Update: must have been stuck in moderator limbo, it finally appeared] , so I’m reproducing it below:
“For some reason folks think it’s okay to say to a creator of intellectual property that the product of our labors should be free; yet they never convincingly press that argument at a farmer’s market.”
This is because intellectual property is not legitimate property, whereas a farmer’s produce is. You might check out the following:
- Stephan Kinsella, “The Case Against IP: A Concise Guide,” Mises Daily (Sept. 4, 2009).
- Stephan Kinsella, Against Intellectual Property, Mises Institute (2008).
- Roderick T. Long, “The Libertarian Case Against Intellectual Property Rights,” Formulations Vol. 3, No. 1 (Autumn 1995).
- Michelle Boldrin and David K. Levine, Against Intellectual Monopoly, Cambridge University Press (2008).
Due to human error, fiddling with settings for the Twitter Tools plugin, this post actually contains my tweets for the past two weeks (in chronological order from oldest to most recent).
- @gragek @waggz This college tweeple aggregating site might be of interest: http://globalquad.com/ | Linked to other cool aggregaters too. #
- C4SS: An IgNobel History http://bit.ly/14QGxG #
- RT @torforgeauthors: Charles Stross: Why I hate Star Trek http://bit.ly/OfYMw #
- RT @WiredGeekDad: New on GeekDad: A Perspective on Reading to Children (through verse): GeekDads all know the impo.. http://bit.ly/1mAlYs #
- RT @WiredGeekDad: New on GeekDad: A Nerd or a Geek? It’s all in What You Think!: It wasn’t until a little ov.. http://bit.ly/9Jx1k #
- RT @bradspangler: RT: @libertysnippet: Reading Handbook for Nonviolent Campaigns, free online by War Resisters’ Int’l: http://is.gd/4hsAo #
- @Wiltster Good comment.
in reply to Wiltster # - RT @IndependentInst: Higgs: “Amid all the partisan sound & fury, hardly anybody notices that political reality boils down to two ‘parties’…” #
- RT @IndependentInst: “…(1) those who, …., use state power to bully & live at the expense of others; & (2) those unfortunate others.” #
- RT @michaelshermer: Capitalism—A Propaganda Story (my review of Michael Moore’s film): http://bit.ly/toquz #
- <–fellow LSU alum | @THE_REAL_SHAQ Yo momma so fat that before God said “Let there be light,” he said “Get your big butt out the way!” ;o) in reply to THE_REAL_SHAQ #
- @jfcarpio Best not to encourage a person’s inner tyrant with the sight of many rules inevitably being broken. Simplicity is key. in reply to jfcarpio #
- I’m Wavin’ baby yeah. | RT @mashable: First Google Wave Firefox Add-on is Here: Google Wave Notifier – http://bit.ly/1q3t2a #
- RT @mises: The House That Goldman Sachs Built: The U.S. Treasury Department is the central headquarters of Wall Street.. http://bit.ly/cgsW2 #
- RT @2020science: New blog posting, Do peer review journals need a media code of conduct? – http://2020science.org/2Q #
- @waggz @gragek Testing Google Wave, can’t wait until it’s mature enough to replace, or supplement, services like Angel & Blackboard. #
- RT @Lifehacker: Google Wave’s Best Use Cases http://lifehacker.com/5381219 #googlewave #wave #
- Whoa! | RT @newscientist: First black hole for light created on Earth http://bit.ly/4h7AKo #
- @DrPrettyBad It’s still cool. in reply to DrPrettyBad #
- @waggz @gragek Still invite only, early preview stage. in reply to waggz #
- RT @chuckmoulton: “Apparently Buchanan didn’t get the memo from Virgil: everyone at GMU is an anarcho-capitalist.” – Larry White #
- RT @webgeekcom Q: How many Marxists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? A: None: The lightbulb contains the seeds of its own revolution. #
- RT @Techmeme: Walmart Offering $45 Unlimited Cellphone Plan Nationwide (Mark Wilson/Gizmodo) http://bit.ly/1By3CJ #
- RT @ahp: John Mackey on healthcare, the history of Whole Foods, and dealing with government interference: http://tinyurl.com/yjbxgz7 #
- RT @rationalreview: Judge blocks public from Blackwater hearings http://tinyurl.com/yf6va9x #
- RT @hackernewsbot: Senate blocks transparency, refuses to put bills online… http://bit.ly/uEGu7 #
- RT @nprnews: Should Biden Resign In Protest Over An Afghan Build-Up? Arianna Says Yes http://su.pr/3f0ySB #
- @wombatron Shhhh!!! Now I’m going to have poor “cousins” I never knew I had hitting me up for my dwindling riches! in reply to wombatron #
- @wombatron I added you to some waves. in reply to wombatron #
- RT “I want V @torbooks” Random drawing @ 3PM EST. #
- @seesmic Want Want. RT @mashable: TweetDeck Adds New Notification System and New Follower Column – http://bit.ly/1CA6V #
- RT @Sheldon_Richman: Obama should read Elinor Ostrom. Bottom-up beats top-down rule-making. #
- RT @reasonmag: John Stossel on Michael Moore: Government power is the problem, not capitalism http://bit.ly/TNhWi #
- RT @sfsignal: [RT @MerecalBksSciFi] Political Science Fiction (Paperback) is out December 17th http://merecal.com/1202Z #scifi #fantasy #fb #
- RT @C4Liberty: “Pro-Obamacare Republicans in the pay of the #healthcare industry” http://is.gd/4l9tH #
- RT @paolobacigalupi: “GNP is a measure of throughput, not welfare.” – Herman E. Daly #
- To be a complete economist, a man need only be a mathematician, a philosopher, a psychologist, an anthropologist, a… http://ff.im/-9Tdzu #
- RT @bantamspectra: Want to know how a writer reads? Check out C.L. Anderson (BITTER ANGELS) recent @suvudu post http://bit.ly/1W6xGa #
- RT @reasonmag: Now Playing at Reason.tv: Whole Foods and Health Care http://bit.ly/QoZEg #
- @Greg2812 Luckily people don’t have to shop at Whole Foods all the time for everything, but those who want to, & can afford it, can. in reply to Greg2812 #
- @Greg2812 As for insurance, you can blame the government-corporate partnership for unrealistic expectations, high prices, hidden pricing,… in reply to Greg2812 #
- ….restricted competition, and distortion of what insurance is actually used for. #
- Haha! ASCAP. What a fitting name/acronym for obnoxious IP socialists. | http://bit.ly/JFZg2 #
- RT @JazzGuru Obama to appoint “Balloon Czar”, use stimulus money to create government agency regulating balloons. #balloonboy #tcot #tlot #
- Rt @JazzGuru Obama to hold press conference on #balloonboy incident pending the programming of his teleprompter. #TCOT #TLOT #
- @Greg2812 Government, insurance companies, hospitals, the AMA, producers of medical equipment. Break up the partnership. in reply to Greg2812 #
- @Greg2812 Eliminate subsidies, allow competition across state lines, eliminate regulations that stifle competition, …. in reply to Greg2812 #
- @Greg2812 …eliminate the employer tax break and offer individuals tax breaks for having insurance, … in reply to Greg2812 #
- @Greg2812 …stop mandating the content of insurance policies and who insurers have to provide insurance to, … in reply to Greg2812 #
- @Greg2812 …end legal support for the AMA’s medieval-style guild, phase out social-welfare programs. in reply to Greg2812 #
- @Greg2812 Encourage people to comparison shop on price, discourage them from relying upon insurance or govt to pay for their health care. in reply to Greg2812 #
- @Greg2812 People and the HC industry have gotten used to having procedures done without talking price. Consumers don’t realize what it… in reply to Greg2812 #
- @Greg2812 …all costs until long after the fact. They aren’t paying out of pocket. Doctors and hospitals get away with charging… in reply to Greg2812 #
- @Greg2812 …ridiculous things. Ex: My wife & I had a baby recently. One hospital charged $80 for disposable (why?) BP cuffs,… in reply to Greg2812 #
- @Greg2812 …$25 for disposable (why?) fetal monitor bands. There’s no good reason for this. in reply to Greg2812 #
- @Greg2812 RE: not-for-profit insurance corp… Maybe, but for-profit insurance as such isn’t the problem. in reply to Greg2812 #
- @Greg2812 The problem, partly, only partly, is big insurance getting in bed with the govt. in reply to Greg2812 #
- @tobiasbuckell Haha! Yeah. LA also licenses florists, to protect us from bad floral arrangements I guess…. Guess who administers the test? in reply to tobiasbuckell #
- @johnjosephadams RE: Lightspeed. Awesome! in reply to johnjosephadams #
- RT @johnjosephadams: Announcing new SF online magazine, Lightspeed: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com I’ll be the fiction editor! #
- @johnjosephadams Beautiful cover image on http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com. #
- 4 hours of sleep, 2 X 2, yay fatherhood! #
- http://twitpic.com/lqeru – Who is the worst villain in this pic? #
- RT @hackernewsbot: Goldman Sachs Is Robbing Us Blind… http://bit.ly/13ALg8 #
- RT @nprnews: Bank Of America Racks Up $2.24 Billion Loss http://su.pr/6aq7jP #
- RT @Sheldon_Richman: TGIF: Frustrating Michael Moore http://bit.ly/4sOvCN #
- RT @radleybalko: Streaking now a sex crime. Larry Dallas forced to live under a bridge in Florida. http://tinyurl.com/ykdpxrz #
- RT @markchitty Great SFF publishers @torbooks @_TheVoyager_ @Pyr_Books @SolarisBooks @UKTor @angryrobotbooks @gollancz @orbitbooks #ff #
- RT @reasonmag: Only Jokes Thrived Under Communism http://bit.ly/4yMFOz #
- RT @jfcarpio What did the Nazis learn from the American Leftist Progressives in the 1910′s and 20′s? > http://tinyurl.com/yjf2ztk #
- RT @jfcarpio State funding of science is neither necessary nor beneficial: http://bit.ly/3yVld #
- @tobiasbuckell Could be worse. You could be in Louisiana! in reply to tobiasbuckell #
- RT @XaqFixx: RT: @RichardMorrison: New study – TN, CA, WA, OK & LA have highest combined state & local sales tax rates: http://bit.ly/SyvPS #
- RT @reasonmag: How The British Welfare State Excels at Creating Bums http://bit.ly/fneaR #
- http://bit.ly/eWWwD #
- Whoops! Gnome Do Operator FAIL. That last tweet is a link to Rodrigo Y Gabriela’s latest album, on sale for $5 at Amazon. Get it! #
- @vanguardist Heroic! #
- @feedly_chrome How are the invites going out? By DM? in reply to feedly_chrome #
- Just installed @feedly_chrome for Google Chrome Linux. Time for some private alpha-testing fun. Thanks! in reply to feedly_chrome #
- @feedly_chrome Awesome! Didn’t even have to log in manually. in reply to feedly_chrome #
- @feedly_chrome I like that it doesn’t make the bottom toolbar show up on Linux Chrome like other extensions. Can’t hide it on Linux Chrome. in reply to feedly_chrome #
- @feedly_chrome I just turned Feedly into a desktop app. W00t! in reply to feedly_chrome #
- @feedly @feedly_chrome Feedly works…fast…on Google’s official Linux Chrome build too. Thanks! in reply to feedly #
- I think this is the Android phone I’ve been waiting for. | RT @Techmeme: Motorola Droid hands on! (Boy Genius Report) http://bit.ly/K9K8m #
- http://xkcd.com/651/ on airport security theater. #
- RT @Lifehacker: Turn Your PC into a Home Surveillance System http://lifehacker.com/5385018 #security #
- RT @sfscope: SciFinal aims to be the TV Guide of sci-fi web series: http://tinyurl.com/yljuue5 (Category: Websites/Organizations) #
- @wombatron Troll a certain someone. That’s always fun. #
- About to watch @wilw on Big Bang Theory on CBS. Geekfest! #NOK #
- Damn @wilw, that was cold, using meemaw like that. But funny!
# - Rodrigo y Gabriela live on NPR. Heavy metal flamenco. Pure awesomeness. | http://tr.im/Cn8g #
- RT @TechCrunch: Android Avalanche: A Complete List Of The Android Phones So Far http://bit.ly/OTt6b by @Nik #
- @aspireonenews I think you’ve been hacked. in reply to aspireonenews #
- RT @bruces: http://tr.im/CErR “The old fashioned novel really is dead” – killed by telephone in 1896. #steampunk #nook via @alexismadrigal #
- Recovery! | RT @nprnews: Jobless Claims Rose By 11,000 Last Week http://su.pr/1xu0UK #
- RT @nprnews: Poll Shows ‘Sharp Decline’ In Percentage Who Believe In Global Warming http://su.pr/1JDufu #
- RT @CatoInstitute: 9 huge problems w. Medicare system http://bit.ly/l4XV4 & you want to extend Medicare to every1? #hcr #p2 #handsoff #tlot #
- Yes, Mr. President, a Free Market Can Fix Health Care (CATO) | http://tr.im/CHAz #
- Wha…!?! | RT @Techmeme: Chase Carey: Hulu to Charge in 2010 (Claire Atkinson/Broadcasting & Cable) http://bit.ly/izo8u #
- Wha…!?! | RT @suvudu: And awaaaaaaaaaay we go! RT @scifirules: Fox pulls Dollhouse from November schedule #scifi http://bit.ly/1B5R60 #
- @suvudu Will yet another Whedon show be killed off by Fox, sweeps and the World Series? Will he learn his lesson this time?
in reply to suvudu # - RT @XaqFixx: “This is congress masturbating to the sound of it’s own voice.” – Flash Forward #
- RT @TheOnion: [audio] Pack Of Chimps In Tuxedos Crashes Nobel Prize Dinner http://ow.ly/15WJBJ #
- Nook’s lending feature very overrated. Very disappointed, but can’t say I’m surprised. Down with IP! | http://bit.ly/304l3p #
- Note to publishers/sellers: I won’t buy #ebooks that cost as much as the hardcover/paperback. Even $9.99 is (generally) too high. #
- RT @suprisinglyf Internet angels: the story of private security providers http://bit.ly/TLZhJ #
- @scalzi @wilw TMI!!! #
- “Obama’s ‘Change you can believe in’ means ‘After the bailouts, all we’ll have left is some change’.” – Arsenio Hall, Jay Leno Show #
- I just noticed a @feedly icon on the top toolbar of Linux Chrome. Neat. Better than on the bottom toolbar like other extensions. #
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- RT @nprnews FTC Says Bloggers Must Disclose Paid Endorsements http://su.pr/1rgmv6 | The corporatist nanny state strikes again. #
- @noor91 Homework sucks. Glad I’m done for good. But now I have to GRADE homework. in reply to noor91 #
- RT @bradspangler Over & over again, it’s the same story. The establishment can’t diagnose the problem b/c the establishment IS the problem. #
- @noor91 Currently I teach State & Local Politics & an intro seminar on globalism, both online. My specialty is political philosophy though. in reply to noor91 #
- @scodtt Thanks! in reply to scodtt #
- @noor91 The globalism seminar is new, mostly global warming/environmentalism stuff (I didn’t design it). in reply to noor91 #
- @noor91 It’s something all online students have to take at Buena Vista U. now, focuses also on research/writing/oral presentation skills. in reply to noor91 #
- RT @bradspangler Another indication gov’t is the reason health care is unaffordable: http://tinyurl.com/ydnsy68 #
- RT @hackernewsbot Use an Old Linux Computer to Put your Baby to Sleep… http://bit.ly/KyLtC #NOK #
- @thefraggle Google Chrome for Linux has desktop app functionality now. Plus you can activate the flash plugin. Pretty stable. in reply to thefraggle #
- @tobiasbuckell @KarlSchroeder But note that “local communities manage forests better than governments…” That’s key. | http://bit.ly/xn76c in reply to tobiasbuckell #
- SQUEE!!! RT @TechCrunch Hulu Labs Cooks Up Linux Support For Hulu Desktop, New Publisher Tools http://bit.ly/8hmGf by @jasonkincaid #
- @tobiasbuckell I knew there was a reason you were a finalist for the 2008 Prometheus Award! ;o) in reply to tobiasbuckell #
- @tobiasbuckell Aw. Well, I still like your fiction. Incidentally, I consider myself libertarian, but neither left- nor right-leaning. in reply to tobiasbuckell #
- @XaqFixx Do you have any invites? I’d love one. in reply to XaqFixx #
- @feedly_chrome What about the Linux build? That’s what I’m using. in reply to feedly_chrome #
- @feedly_chrome Yeah, the extension page is there. in reply to feedly_chrome #
- is wondering how a warring, detaining, torturing, murdering, sitting president wins the Nobel Peace Prize. Have people lost their minds!?! #
- Answer: Govt bureaucracy. RT @Gizmodo: How Did NASA Manage to Make a Moon Bombing Boring??? http://gizmodo.com/5377937 #rant #lcross #
- RT @feedly: RT @feedly_chrome Announcing the Feedly for Chrome preview http://bit.ly/1Mh2Lz #
- @TheRenaissance Sorry. I’ve never used Wiffiti. in reply to TheRenaissance #
- So the warring, detaining, protectionist, torturing, murdering Obama won the Orwellian Nobel “Peace” Prize. Congrats. #
- RT @IndependentInst: Two-parter: #Nobel is for “the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, #
- RT @IndependentInst: for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” -Alfred Nobel #
- @noor91 I’ve heard worse, like mining the moon for water could damage its biology and ozone layer. in reply to noor91 #
- RT @C4Liberty: The “general Welfare” clause was actually meant as a limit on power – not an excuse to expand it http://is.gd/48xUE #
- RT @vanguardist: The Peace Prize Body Count Afghanistan, Feb-July: 886 Iraq, Feb-Aug: 2,629 http://bit.ly/17kzC0 #
- The Peace Prize Body Count – Civilian Casualties: Afghanistan, Feb-July: 886; Iraq, Feb-Aug: 2,629 | http://bit.ly/17kzC0 #
- RT @masstrovato: RT @SetonMotley Whoopi Goldberg: “Well there’s peace, and then there’s peace peace.” #tcot #tlot #
- First-Year Grad Student Wins Nobel Prize in Economics! | http://tr.im/BnsK #
- Spangler (too soft) on Francois Tremblay. “Franc’s not a bad guy, but he can be a bit limited at times.” | http://tr.im/BtQM #
- @Franc28 You’re confused. in reply to Franc28 #
- RT @XaqFixx: Health Care: A Future Free-Market Alternative (plz Read!)http://tinyurl.com/ly873n #
- RT @CatoInstitute: Americans catching on that health care overhaul is really about redistributing health. http://bit.ly/QJeea #tcot #hcr #p2 #
- RT @IndependentInst: Exemptions from minimum sentences for violent cops? http://bit.ly/RGOKJ #
- RT @TheEconomist: Right to bear arms – Support for banning handguns continues to fall in America http://ow.ly/15UptM #
- @susanhogarth So I shouldn’t switch for the Android phones then? Spring just got one too, I think; should I stick with Sprint? in reply to susanhogarth #
- RT @michaelshermer: Econ Nobel 4 research on private solutions 2 “tragedy of the commons” (top-down governance not needed) http://tr.im/BA5o #
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