When it comes to free expression, the rule of thumb I assume most of us apply is “the more the merrier,”  and this is certainly my own default position.  But there’s no question that there is a prickly side to this principle that goes beyond mere aesthetics.  After all, this principle was the central argument made by Justice Scalia in ...

Last week, a friend shared articles from both Daily Kos and The Atlantic citing a recent survey by the National Science Foundation suggesting that about one quarter of the American population doesn’t know the Earth revolves around the Sun.  Granted, this grabby headline may not literally mean that some fifty to seventy million fellow citizens are unaware of the heliocentric ...

For anyone who has yet to catch on to the idea that digital media piracy is in no way sticking it to the man, perhaps the simplicity in the graphics and data on this link will help.  Based on a recent study sponsored by the Digital Citizens Alliance, the top 30 P2P and BitTorrent sites that derive revenue solely from ...

some tech thing is a new weekly roundup of tech-related stories you might have missed or even wished you missed.  Co-hosted by David Newhoff and Sandy Davis.  Take a listen and let me/us know what you think. In this episode:  Flappy Bird developer bails; Minecraft filmmakers need permission; Zach Braff’s new Kickstarter project; the day we didn’t fight back; RNCC creates ...

This morning, music industry attorney Dina LaPolt and Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler submitted written comments to the USPTO on the subject of compulsory licensing for remixing and sampling musical works. At issue is a green paper submitted by the US Department of Commerce Internet Policy Task Force that copyright reform could include a measure that would effectively mandate artists ...