Google Books: The Path to Monopoly

Today Andrew Sullivan posted the following excerpt from David Post’s blog, The Volokh Conspiracy:

The Google Books project has the potential to become one of the great information-gathering activities in human history — every book (just about), at everyone’s fingertips, searchable and instantly accessible from any corner of the globe. And we want to deter that?? Because that will decrease “respect for IP laws”? Talk about putting the cart before the horse!! Because it will inflict some sort of terrible “harm” on copyright holders? I’m not terribly sympathetic. Copyright, as Jefferson stressed so long ago, is a “social right” — given by society because we feel it serves useful ends (incentivizing authors to produce new creative works). When it ceases to serve those ends, it should be eliminated. The Google Books project is another example of how copyright interests, these days, do little more than obstruct useful innovations. There are 7 million (or more) out of print books that Google would like to place on-line where they can actually be accessed and read. I’m sorry if that infringes someone’s copyright, but really — in what way is society better off, exactly, from recognizing the copyright holder’s rights in this circumstance?

Here is my response:

The Technocratic Economy

“The price system, born of agrarian culture with handtools and human perspiration and all of its scarcity values, is incapable of managing affairs in a high-energy civilization.” — Arvid Petersen, member of Technocracy, Inc.

 

Lecture with Arvid Petersen, 1980.  Part 1 of 7.

 

In 1918, the Technical Alliance, a coalition of scientists, engineers, doctors and educators representing the academic community, the private sector and the federal government,  was founded with the key purpose of conducting the Energy Survey of North America.  This survey was conducted to measure and analyze the continent’s natural resources, manufacturing capabilities, and energy usage.  Based on this research, the Alliance concluded that the modern economy, which in the industrial and post-industrial economy had transformed the money system into a system based on debt and expansion rather on true supply and demand, contained and perpetuated enormous inefficiency and waste that could account for the majority of society’s problems.  

Another Try

So, I did with this project exactly what I do with most projects.  I started it in a fury of inspiration, but let the weight of my ambition burden my progress.   Also, I was moving from Vermont to New York City and it took time to get my computer set up with Internet and settle into a rhythm, &c., &c.   By the time I could start writing again, my head was in a different place.

But here I am again, back in Vermont, looking for work with more than enough time to read and reflect.  I’m working on getting through Darwin, Chardin, Gould, Fritjof Capra and I’m ready to start writing again.

Pondering Eidolon #1 — Religion

Hello everyone.

The first project I wish to tackle in this blog is the analysis of a series of videos done by YouTube user EidolonTLP. In a relatively short amount of time (Jan – Mar 2008), the videos produced by this user generated a prolifically substantive intellectual discourse on a whole host of issues concerning the future of Consciousness. I wish to take them on one-by-one, adding my own interpretive slant and generating questions to prompt further discussion.

In addition to using these videos to prompt debate, I also wish to use this blog to archive EidolonTLP’s words, in case, for whatever reason, the channel is taken down, the words will not be lost. I apologize if the extra wordage this adds to my posts makes them cumbersome to read. The transcriptions on YouTube are probably abridged for this very reason, but I feel it best to include both the spoken and full written versions (it may also be easier to read along to keep yourself engaged with his rather droning voice). Also, in this quoted text, I will include hyperlinks whenever necessary to specific passing references he makes to provide further explanation, a knowledge base that is required for an understanding of the concept of Singularity.

So without too much explanation (because really there is no easy way to introduce Eidolon), we will start with the first video:

Cosmism and Its Roots

Welcome.  This is the Cosmist Ponderer, version 1.0, written for your consideration by //davd.mkknyr/

“The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever. ”
–Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

Herein lies my own vision concerning the transition from the individually-contained semi-dormant Terran consciousness into the collectively-accessible waking Cosmist Consciousness.  I will attempt to devise a unique method of approach based on my own imagination and the knowledge I’ve acquired from the imaginations and labor of many before me –and ahead of me.  I plan to utilize the immense resource that is Web 2.0 to develop and edify my own awareness on the subject of posthumanity.  I will also attempt to raise queries that draw attention to the significant unknowns of the world ahead.  I also wish to express the weight of importance I place on shared creative expression and encourage anyone who feels they have an expression that is relevant to the topic to allow me to share it.

Now on to business.