Because there are laws against certain expressions of neo-Nazism in Germany, and because my history-buff son and I are slightly amused by the satire inherent in that otherwise understandable fact, we will jokingly conjure the image of some official kicking a would-be fascist and screaming, “You vill be tolerant!” But if you really like your irony served thick and over-salted, consider ...
This article by Ann Friedman for New York Magazine begins by focusing on the presidential candidacy of Hillary Clinton as a polarizing force, even among likely political allies. But Friedman’s point isn’t politics per se, it’s friendship. Specifically, she offers thoughts on the effect Facebook might have on friendships once politics enters the equation. And it seems to me that politics ...
Not surprisingly, friends contact me from time to time with copyright-related questions. I’m careful not to give definitive answers to most of these, but I can usually point them in the right direction toward a solution. Very recently, a dear friend (let’s call her Sarah) asked my advice regarding an email she received from a photographer who demanded removal of ...
Last December, a few glasses of Rioja and I wrote a pretty grumpy rebuttal to Washington Post tech writer Caitlin Dewey, accusing her of cheerleading for media piracy. A few respondents, including Dewey herself, said that I was unfair, that her article about The Pirate Bay was merely reporting facts without editorial. Of course, with certain styles of communication, it ...
So, I stumbled across this TorrentFreak post by The Pirate Bay founder Peter Sunde, in which he not only concedes that the “pirate movement” is dead but also exhorts the faithful to get over it and find new ways to further the “cause.” Writes Sunde: You’ve all heard it. The “pirate movement” is dead, diminishing and what not. But ignore ...
