Geek in Review: Brave New World

This week's Geek in Review is about a communications revolution I see happening right now. It crosses generations, and it scares the absolute shit out of a lot of people who benefit from ignorance and the control of information.

Communication empowers people, and an empowered people are very, very scary to the powerful upper class who hope that we’ll just go away, right after we buy a lot of crap from them that we don’t need. And holy shit are they scared right now. The revolution may not be televised, but it’s being blogged, YouTubed, MySpaced, Facebooked, Dugg and Netscaped. Instead of embracing this new technology and the generation that’s growing up with it and taking it for granted, the big media conglomerates and their *AA organizations are spending time, money and energy they could be spending on creating awesome content on trying to destroy the technology that scares them. Is it any wonder the big media cabal want to destroy network neutrality? Is it any surprise that they’re clinging to stupid DRM schemes that punish honest customers and infect computers with rootkits?

The audience isn’t going to stop consuming content online, and creators aren’t going to go back to the old way of groveling at the feet of some network boss or studio head or label president, because they don’t have to anymore. Instead, they’ll just use inexpensive technology to put it all together, and use the Internet to distribute it directly to the audience. The studios have a choice now: continue their full-on war against consumers and technology, or join and benefit from the revolution.

This column has the potential to generate some discussion, you know . . . some communication. Am I nuts? Or does anyone else see or experience the revolution, too?

Comments

[arspoetica028]

From reading that column I can see what you're talking about...you're not crazy. I've heard people say that print is dead, but I don't believe we can ever go without having books lining our shelves at home. And besides, I would rather sit and read a newspaper than sit in front of a screen all day (like I'm not enough of a computer geek already...let's add more to it LOL).

[bjgis]

I have experienced it for sure, especially the evil DRM. I have also been reading a financial analyst who is very into the revolution concept. You'll need to search a bit, and he writes for a subscription site as well, but he is Cody Willard, and he is at http://codywillard.com now, and has been at http://thecodyblog.typepad.com/ , and at http://realmoney.com (pay subscription). You can find some free stuff of his at http://thestreet.com. He has also started a network of "Revolution" sites, starting with boomrevolution.com. "You can't stop the revolution!" (and no, I don't get anything for pimping his sites - I just think they're relevant to your question!)

[MuppetCoat]

In an amusing coincidence, my Grandfather was complaining at dinner last night that he can't believe some of his friends don't use e-mail.

[starshine_diva]

All this is just so true. Well written.

[Rainne]

Dude, holy shit. I quit working to go back to college (at age 29, I feel like the campus token fogey) and I just joined the freaking revolution. My college has an on-campus "cell" of Solidarity, and it's freaking AWESOME the stuff we are doing. Yes, the revolution is happening.

[StacekTheWise]

Hey Wil,

The Bad Astronomy Blog guy mentioned you GiR article in his latest update.

You are apparently his "mancrush". lol

[cryssyer]

Interesting points - I especially agree with ech.

However, if there is a great revolution goig on, why can't I get my husband to understand how to work the cable/tv/dvd remote? No lie! When he is off, he calls my cell to find out how to turn the channel...My 90 year old GRANDMOTHER can do it, but he cannot. Sigh. I should have married a geek!

[Robert Cruze Jr.]

Another good spot to read about the evils of DRM is Jim Baen's Universe. Eric Flint, the editor, has a column called "Salvos Against Big Brother," in which he discusses DRM, Fair Use, and Copyright -- among other things. And all the "Salvos" articles are posted in their entirety for non-subscribers to read. Just go to http://www.baens-universe.com and click on the "Issues" tab on top. That'll take you to the back issues which you can peruse at your leisure. The other stories and articles are only viewable in their entirety if you subscribe, but the "Salvos" are free.

Oh, and BTW, if you do subscribe, the editions of the magazine available for download have *no DRM whatsoever.* Ditto for everything else Baen publishes electronically. Which might explain why they're one of the few publishers that isn't losing money when it comes to e-books (imagine that).

Like Eric Flint says: "DRM isn't just evil. It's evil and stupid."

Oh, and BTW: I might be a little bit biased towards them because they bought a story from me (my first and only so far) :-D

[Drev]

I see revolution, and I support it wholeheartedly. Not only because I'm a cheap bastard, but because the revolution supports and fosters creativity.

I've always felt, deep down in my heart, that a *true* artist cares more about reaching people and making a difference in their lives than getting a paycheck. ( I know; mouths to feed, addictions to finance, etc.)

Have you been following Trent Reznor lately?

[vark]

Since I never figured out how to do trackbacks, I'll comment that my most recent blog entry cites this post:
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
http://www.theandrewmeyer.com/
website of the florida kid who got tasered at kerry speech.
That got me thinking of what Wil was saying the other day at Geek in Review.
Communication empowers people....