Category: Weblogs

FABULOUS SCRABULOUS, LAWRENCE LESSIG AND A FACEBOOK CRISIS

ScrabulousWay back a million years ago in the 1990s, the Internet mantra was "information wants to be free."  In other words, if you could figure out how to get something up on the Web, it was meant to be there.  So there was Napster – all the music you could grab.   Books, games,  news, music, images — whatever you wanted you could find. — for free.  Just like, right now, you can find the wonderful Scrabulous on Facebook.

Then attorney and — really — guru of the Information Age Lawrence   Lessig launched an entirely new way to define copyrights and began to institutionalize a new perspective on information.  Basically, since musicians, film makers, visual artists and authors were all sampling previous works within their new creations, Lessig demanded a new approach to the protection of intellectual property. 

So our beloved Interweb offers us a chance to find out anything about anything and gather any information from any source, but it also offers us real ethical problems:

For most of my life, I’ve made my living producing television news pieces and being pretty well paid for it.  Now, I’m often compensated for my work on the web – except for this blog.  I wrote and published a book, published book reviews for years and have written and published other features.  I get paid for my work; that’s how I live.  If all information were to break free — who would pay the creators?  Or, for that matter, the distributors.  Even if books are published online they need to get there; advance URLS have to be sent to reviewers, someone has to edit and proof-read.  That work, unlike information, does not want to be free.  Lessig would say it’s too late to worry about that – online access has released the information so stop complaining and find another way to monetize your work.

Fair enough.  I have heard Lessig speak about this and it’s thrilling.  The 60’s girl in me loves the anarchic idea — after all, information does want to be free.  But the analysis and creation of that information – not so much. Right now Hasbro and Mattel are trying to get a restraining order against Facebook, requiring the removal of the Facebook version of Scrabble, Scrabulous, for copyright violations.  Created by a couple of brothers in India and posted for free, it’s one of Facebook’s stars.  I’ll be devastated if the game is actually removed because it’s such a kick.  At the same time, I understand the concept of getting paid for distributing content, not just for creating it.  The Scrabulous brothers chose to built and post Scrabulous for free.  That’s their decision.  But even company employees (including the people who make Scrabble boards and design their labels and ship the game to gift shops and Toys R Us, also have to eat.  It’s as if all sides are right.  Lessig’s exploration of all this is invaluable, but there’s no answer yet – except of course in the law, which currently favors the terrestrial owners of such properties.  Josh Quittner, in his Fortune blog, has another perspective.  We’re on a journey here just as we’ve been with the rest of the wonders and miracles that are the Web.

What do you think?  It’s worth a comment here, no?   

BOY DO I HAVE SMART FRIENDS: MORRA AARONS CALLED IT WHEN NO ONE ELSE DID!

Hillary_election_night_nh
Yup.  There’s lots more to say about the Hillary victory and I’m sure there will be plenty of time.  It was pretty damn amazing, and her speech, I thought, was good and more like the woman we think she really is.  I have admired for years her work with the Children’s Defense Fund, foster care advocacy and the innovation of HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) in Arkansas.  She’s always been a champion of children and so I’ve seen her as a force for good.  hat’s what she needs to continue to communicate along with the rest of her message — she’s done a lot of what Obama is talking about too.

Now, before I show you how right Morra, of Women and Work, and TechPresident and Huffington Post, was, I have a very superficial but interesting question.  Remember all the crap Al Gore got for getting fashion advice from Naomi Wolf?  Well.  Last night was the first time I remember seeing Mrs. Clinton wearing other than a solid color. I only noticed because it struck me how much it had reduced the severity of her look.  (And because I never learned to dress in a way that looked good on me until I was well into my 40s so I notice these things.)  So I wondered if it was on purpose.  That does not take away from any of the substance of her candidacy or victory – it’s just an interesting question.

OK Now – listen to Morra – from January 6 in New Hampshire (the prediction is near the end):

EVERYBODY LOVES A CARNIVAL – BLOG OR OTHERWISE (BLOG CARNIVAL #49)

I’m now part of this week’s Boomer Blog Carnival – my first.  I was invited by the indomitable Wendy Spiegel of GenPlus; it’s a way to get to know new bloggers and enjoy the work of others we might not remember to check often enough.  The entries are fun and varied.  I’m privileged to be a member.  Stop by – you’ll enjoy it.