Customer Reviews

Content: Selected Essays on Technology, Creativity, Copyright, and the Future of the Future

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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!

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.

Most of this collection of "rants" is about the stupidity of DRM for digital content. The rants are both witty and have a seriousness that befits this topic. Unlike most authors, Doctorow actually has "skin in the game" and puts his money where his mouth is by offering free digital versions of many of his books. His argument that paper books are not the same as digital ones, each having different features that meet different needs is very persuasive. However, we should be very careful of extending this argument to other media, like music, where this distinction is not clear at all.

The only issue I have with this collection is that it is a little repetitive, some rants being just reworkings of other ones.

Overall, a good, quick read, offering a fairly simplistic take on DRM in an amusing style.

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!

A great series of talks and essays on the problems of digital rights management and related IP issues. A very enjoyable read. The fact that the author releases his books for free online, and relies on people to buy the books as gifts and donations to make money, shows he really believes in what he is saying.

Cory Doctorow is one of those cool hipster technologists with lots of opinions that are mostly well-founded, and an arrogant certainty that the opposing viewpoint is represented by Sauron and Emperor Palpatine.

This book is a selection of previously published essays, magazine articles, and conference presentations, mostly on the theme of copyright and intellectual property law, piracy, privacy, ebooks, and related matters. He makes some compelling arguments, but as these articles were mostly published between 2005 and 2007, they are already becoming dated and one can see that Doctorow is no more prescient than any other futurist.

The essays range from thought-provoking to trivial. He's released all of his books (including this one) as free ebooks, and argues that he's profited by doing so, but I am not convinced that every writer can be Cory Doctorow and succeed with the same business model.

This book gave me a new perspective on the motivations and implications for open publishing. I love that Cory walks the walk by making his books freely available. Readers will not be disappointed.