27 Feb 2008
Feb. 27, 1812: Rage, Rage Against the Industrial Age

Chant no more your old rhymes about bold Robin Hood,
His feats I but little admire
I will sing the Achievements of General Ludd
Now the Hero of Nottinghamshire
Brave Ludd was to measures of violence unused
Till his sufferings became so severe
That at last to defend his own Interest he rous'd
And for the great work did prepare

For a modern "Luddite" perspective, you might want to check out this fine rant.

The machines are coming to take their jobs away, so the workers resist. A band of craftsmen rally behind the mythical figure of Ned Ludd in a quixotic attempt to halt progress.

(link) [Wired: Top Stories]

07:28 /Politics | 1 comment | permanent link

If IP Is Property, Where Is the Property Tax?

An interesting idea, even if the author gets a bit confused on the difference between patents and copyrights. I just wonder if it wouldn't lead to "copyright squatting" (as in domain squatting) or possibly copyright trolls.

Still, an interesting thought.

With a proper tax system, publishers like the L.A. Times or scientific journals may maintain a copyright for only a year or so before letting the content revert to public domain and letting Google and everyone else utilize the material for its small, but socially significant, remaining value. The human enterprise could continue to build on itself in these creative, sustainable and non-resource-consuming ways, with copyrights only applying to a small subset of this enterprise.

(link) [LA Times]

via Slashdot

07:17 /Copywrongs | 0 comments | permanent link