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Posted 2 days ago

Why it works as it is now and benefits the groups trying to stop it.

1. Online piracy — while it is definitely illegal and immoral — is, as a practical problem, nothing more than (at most) a nuisance. We’re talking brats stealing chewing gum, here, not the Barbary Pirates.

2. Losses any author suffers from piracy are almost certainly offset by the additional publicity which, in practice, any kind of free copies of a book usually engender. Whatever the moral difference, which certainly exists, the practical effect of online piracy is no different from that of any existing method by which readers may obtain books for free or at reduced cost: public libraries, friends borrowing and loaning each other books, used book stores, promotional copies, etc.

3. Any cure which relies on tighter regulation of the market — especially the kind of extreme measures being advocated by some people — is far worse than the disease. As a widespread phenomenon rather than a nuisance, piracy occurs when artificial restrictions in the market jack up prices beyond what people think are reasonable. The “regulation-enforcement-more regulation” strategy is a bottomless pit which continually recreates (on a larger scale) the problem it supposedly solves. And that commercial effect is often compounded by the more general damage done to social and political freedom.

This is part of a larger article in the introduction to the Baen Free Library detailing how it works for them and that copyright owners make money through us sharing things for free, all copyright holders do, it is a form of free, if not always so legit but exceptionally powerful and far reaching FREE advertising, and this amazing article was written some time ago (in the year 2000, I think). The full introduction to their excellent resource is here and worth reading:

http://www.baen.com/library/intro.asp

And yes, I personally have read and downloaded books and excerpts online there, books I would not have looked at otherwise, and subsequently purchased them!

SOPA, PIPA, ACTA and any new law like this they attempt to pass will actually negatively impact the very groups pushing for it, by its nature.

Tumblr users, whoever reads this, can we also post known examples where the exposure of copyrighted materials shared or distributed for free (officially with the copyright owners knowledge, acknowledgment and support if possible or where it’s been noted by some other source to add a curious kick to it) is known to heavily benefit the sales of the product and interest in the franchise? (Reblogs to spread this if you have nothing personal to add are also great).

No they don’t get a cent every time someone mentions it, reads it, views it, listens to it, but through the internet they do get masses of free advertising, hype, recommendations, and continued or enhanced interest (and so, a lot more cash from happy consumers) that would otherwise not be feasible with their budget if they had to launch an expensive advertising campaign to reach even a fraction of the numbers the information reaches for free, in ways people will listen. This is potentially true for all things under copyright. No need for a sales pitch that might fail or reach only a small target audience (and then only if you’re lucky! Companies have died in obscurity and disgrace no matter how good their product may have been due to bad and ineffective add campaigns, and you know it) because people are good at reaching people in ways you can’t with a big impersonal billboard that we can ignore, or commercials that we don’t watch or switch the sound off. We get recommendations from friends that matter to us or from unrelated websites run by people we admire, from idle tweets and reblogs that pickup pace and all the myriad other ways we communicate over the internet. We are doing their work for them, and it does work and they are getting money and massive exposure and advertising they otherwise would not have, just not in the way some organizations believe it should be.

The internet is an incredible free advertising machine because it’s advertiser and shop all in one. You see a link to something, realize how much you like it for the first time in who knows how many years then with a few more clicks you’ve tracked it down on Amazon or any other online DVD and CD retailers you favour and bought it.

This kind of purchase effect is hindered in non online mediums because it’s not as instantaneous; few people will feel so compelled by a television commercial to drive to their nearest department store and hope they have it in stock. They may look for it next time they go but by then might not like it or need the money for other purchases, or see something they like better on the way. They could alternatively switch on their computer and order or phone after seeing a commercial, but again there’s been a delay where other things can happen that would potentially affect the purchase. It’s the nightmare/dream of the impulse buyer for almost anything anyone could want that was referenced somehow in the last few seconds by the very same device that they can then use to purchase it! An exceptionally effective if accidental system.

As far as official sites alone fulfilling this function they do to an exceptionally small extent, but only if people are already interested and looking for that thing specifically or if those sites advertise heavily on other sites, and even then there there isn’t anything remotely comparable to the numbers reached through other means.

It is a system that gives us the freedom and joy to share the things we love, which we then want to buy. Because, we like to buy and own Official things no matter (and many many times because!) how much free material we’ve ever shared and willingly want to support the people who made them but if no one had shown it to us free to start with we would not have developed an interest or attachment to it OR that ever so vital need to buy that pays their salaries. it would’ve gone unnoticed in a clamor of similar works that we uniformly ignore, they would not have received anything for it, and we wouldn’t care.

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Notes
Posted 2 days ago

Culture of Resistance: My Fellow Tumblrers:

anoncentral:

Consider this your call to action.

I know that we all love this site as an expression of our individuality, but the fact of the matter is, we are under attack. And what we do is distracting us from that fact.

The American government now has all the records from Megaupload’s servers. Do you know what that means for you? That means that if you have ever used Megaupload, the government has your fucking number. And they will come for you.

You doubt what I’m saying? The government has been after Jamie Rasset, a single mother, now for years for $1.9 MILLION for downloading 24 songs from Kazaa. She’s been appealing, and they’re still coming after her.

$1.9 MILLION. FOR 24 LOUSY SONGS. And they will not let off.

Now look at your music folder. How many songs do you have? How many movies, how many books? It’s going to cost you $150,000 for EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. How much are you going to be out?

And you can’t escape it. Even if you claim bankruptcy, you can’t escape it. They’ll toss you in jail because you can’t pay.

So no matter what you do, you. Are. FUCKED.

And this is your call to arms. This is when you stand up. I don’t care if you’re a kawaii blog, a grunge blog, a nerd blog, a pony blog. It doesn’t matter what you post. Because I am calling on you to get this word out. Think it doesn’t affect you? Just wanna bury your head in the sand? Fine. Guess what? The government doesn’t care how much you ignore it.

In fact, they’re counting on it. Because if you ignore it, it makes it so much easier for them to come after you.

You cannot hide from the government, because they will hunt you down like a rabid animal. And in ignoring this, you are CONDONING THEIR ACTIONS.

Imagine this, for a moment. You go to a website, enjoy their content. You link it to your blog. But the site you linked has copyrighted material. I hope you’re ready to land in jail. Because it’s already happened. Richard O’Dwyer, A UK RESIDENT, is in the process of being extradited to the US for doing just that: LINKING TO COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL.

Look at all those gifs you have, all the ones you’ve posted. Starting to realize how this is going to affect you? Everything you have on your computer that’s copyrighted, everything you’ve ever posted that’s now on the tumblr servers, if those are seized, becomes evidence. Anything you ever linked to on Facebook, evidence, because it’s there permanently. Even deleting it does no good, because it’s still there on the server.

If you’re still not convinced this is going to affect you, goddess, I envy your ignorance. Because the fact of the matter is, they will come after you for this, eventually. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but it will happen.

You need to make your voice heard.

If you are a musician, use your voice and your music to speak up.

Artists, paint the world with the word of this injustice.

Bloggers, writers, anyone with any access to social media, SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS.

WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS INJUSTICE TO STAND. WE CANNOT GO SILENTLY. I AM CALLING ON ALL OF YOU NOW TO MAKE YOUR VOICES HEARD BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!

I AM CALLING ON ALL OF YOU TO TAKE 5 MINUTES OUT OF YOUR DAY AND SPEAK YOUR MIND. LET IT ALL OUT. SAY WHAT YOU REALLY THINK! If we’re all fucked, and this is coming down on our heads, THEN GET THE WORD OUT NOW!

WE CANNOT BE DIVIDED BY OUR DIFFERENCES ANY LONGER.

WE CANNOT ALLOW THEM TO SILENCE US.

WE CANNOT AND WILL NOT ALLOW THIS TO STAND. BECAUSE WE ARE THE VOICE OF THE WORLD!

That’s right, you. The person reading this right now. Think of it. Millions of voices from around the world, all speaking out, singing the same song in perfect harmony, saying WE WILL NOT BE SILENT IN THE FACE OF THIS OPPRESSION.

Because they want your information. They want you to be complacent, a happy little sheep in their giant corral. Because the more sedate you are, the easier it is to slowly steal your rights until you’re nothing but a mindless automaton, another cog in the machine.

And do you really want that? Do you want the reality of Huxley and Orwell to come to light, Big Brother watching our every move, monitoring our spending and our viewing habits, coming down like the Sword of Damocles hanging over your head, barely there, only a hair holding it up from swinging down and taking you?

Or do you want to be the ones to wield the power? Do you want to be the ones saying “NO. WE BROUGHT YOU HERE, WE CAN OUST YOU!”

If there is one thing I’ve learned over the past year, it is that the people have power. Look at Egypt, at Libya. The people took back the power, and it changed things. They stood up to their government and affected change, because they stood up as a UNITED FRONT!

And that, my dear Tumblrers, is what I ask of you. Reblog this if you can’t think of the words to say. Say it with music that you love, with your own message attached. Make a gif if it’s your form of expression.

BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DON’T JUST SIT THERE AND DO NOTHING. It doesn’t matter how old you are, or where you live. It doesn’t matter what race, what religion, what gender you are, or your orientation. It doesn’t matter if your blog only covers certain subjects.

Because soon, the way things are going, this will all be gone if we don’t fight.

The internet, as we know it, will no longer exist.

There will be no more free media. No more access to the television shows you love so much. No more free access to music. No more free articles on the latest fashions, or the latest trends. No, this will all be gone, replaced by whatever the government sees fit.

So please, PLEASE, if you love the internet, if you love your fandom, your fashion, your gifs, your music, your movies, your facebook, your twitter, your blog, your anything that you get from the net, MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD.

I’ll close this essay with a poem that truly does fit, for all of you that don’t believe this will affect you. I’m changing it a bit to better fit the subject matter of this essay/rant/plea:

First they came for the downloaders,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a downloader.

Then they came for the youtubers,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a youtuber.

Then they came for the bloggers,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a blogger.


and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a social networker.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Thank you for your time. Goodnight, my fellow tumblrers. I hope to continue seeing you for a long time to come…If not, it was an honor blogging with you all. And ask yourself this: If they come for you, how will you feel knowing you could have helped to prevent this if you’d just spoken up in the first place?

via leupstripes
Photo 16296
Notes
Posted 3 days ago
3liza: ACTA passed one of the several voting gates it needs to get through before becoming law. It was ratified in Poland last night. This was the scene at Polish parliament afterwards, as (presumably) a bloc of anti-ACTA politicians expressed their displeasure and, perhaps without knowing it, foretell of the Anonymous repercussions to this bill. Some things you should know: Online petitions are meaningless. While they are well-intentioned and organized, the signing of a digital petition takes about twenty seconds, and does not require that you leave your beanbag chair in the coal cellar. Politicians know this, and pay just as much attention to online petitions as is warranted by a “political action” that is literally less strenuous than leaving a YouTube comment. Nothing except direct action is going to do a goddamn thing. This means getting out in the street, it means DDoSing, it means vicious and widespread boycotts, site blackouts, and other strongarm tactics that actually impact the flow of money from corporations to lobbyists to politicians. How do you, as a tiny flailing consumer, do this? You can’t, really. You can join up with groups that are intent on doing actions that actually mean something, adding your voice to a chorus of hundreds or thousands, instead of screaming alone. You can contact celebrities, the spokespeople of our time, as ask them to leverage their followers on the issue. You can write to Tumblr and ask for more blackouts. None of these things will be very effective, so don’t be too disappointed when they don’t work, but they sure as fuck are more effective than online petitions, and the intense response to SOPA by corporations and consumers was responsible for getting it “tabled” (not dead, but dreaming lies). ACTA was already signed by Obama in September of 2011. He had been praising the bill for over a year prior, and signed it without reservation. Most of us didn’t hear about it, and he likely used the 9/11 coverage to make sure of that. Eventually, one of these bills will pass, and the pro-corporate laws will go into effect. Expect it. Be prepared. Learn to circumvent this garbage and you’ll have a leg up when the feds shut down the internet as we know it. The best thing you can do now is install Tor and learn how to use it. Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security known as traffic analysis. In order to circumvent the coming corporate takeover of the web, we’re going to have to go underground, creating a sub-internet of encrypted nodes known as a “darknet”. It’s probably going to be like the internet was in the beginning, with most people only seeing what AOL wanted them to see, and only a small group of super-nerds existing outside of that bubble in the “real” internet. It’ll take another twenty years for them to catch up to us again. Welcome to the grim cyberpunk future. Zoom

3liza:

ACTA passed one of the several voting gates it needs to get through before becoming law.

It was ratified in Poland last night. This was the scene at Polish parliament afterwards, as (presumably) a bloc of anti-ACTA politicians expressed their displeasure and, perhaps without knowing it, foretell of the Anonymous repercussions to this bill.

Some things you should know:

  • Online petitions are meaningless. While they are well-intentioned and organized, the signing of a digital petition takes about twenty seconds, and does not require that you leave your beanbag chair in the coal cellar. Politicians know this, and pay just as much attention to online petitions as is warranted by a “political action” that is literally less strenuous than leaving a YouTube comment.
  • Nothing except direct action is going to do a goddamn thing. This means getting out in the street, it means DDoSing, it means vicious and widespread boycotts, site blackouts, and other strongarm tactics that actually impact the flow of money from corporations to lobbyists to politicians. How do you, as a tiny flailing consumer, do this? You can’t, really. You can join up with groups that are intent on doing actions that actually mean something, adding your voice to a chorus of hundreds or thousands, instead of screaming alone. You can contact celebrities, the spokespeople of our time, as ask them to leverage their followers on the issue. You can write to Tumblr and ask for more blackouts. None of these things will be very effective, so don’t be too disappointed when they don’t work, but they sure as fuck are more effective than online petitions, and the intense response to SOPA by corporations and consumers was responsible for getting it “tabled” (not dead, but dreaming lies).
  • ACTA was already signed by Obama in September of 2011. He had been praising the bill for over a year prior, and signed it without reservation. Most of us didn’t hear about it, and he likely used the 9/11 coverage to make sure of that.

  • Eventually, one of these bills will pass, and the pro-corporate laws will go into effect. Expect it. Be prepared. Learn to circumvent this garbage and you’ll have a leg up when the feds shut down the internet as we know it.

  • The best thing you can do now is install Tor and learn how to use it. Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security known as traffic analysis. In order to circumvent the coming corporate takeover of the web, we’re going to have to go underground, creating a sub-internet of encrypted nodes known as a “darknet”. It’s probably going to be like the internet was in the beginning, with most people only seeing what AOL wanted them to see, and only a small group of super-nerds existing outside of that bubble in the “real” internet. It’ll take another twenty years for them to catch up to us again.

  • Welcome to the grim cyberpunk future.
via leupstripes
Photo 40
Notes
Posted 4 days ago
leupstripes: I’ve been planning to make an infographic for the leupaks for a long time; something short, sweet, and to-the-point with a good selection of different ones to emphasize the whole crazy versatile lizardmonster thing angle. I’ve finally finished this thing off tonight— posters will be available shortly, too. :) If you guys wouldn’t mind doing me a favor, please reblog this if you can spare it! It’d mean a lot to me to have a little help getting my guys (and my work!) out there. :D leupaks - one of the most awesome things on this planet or any other. [yes i may be biased, i own a few =] ] Zoom

leupstripes:

I’ve been planning to make an infographic for the leupaks for a long time; something short, sweet, and to-the-point with a good selection of different ones to emphasize the whole crazy versatile lizardmonster thing angle.

I’ve finally finished this thing off tonight— posters will be available shortly, too. :)

If you guys wouldn’t mind doing me a favor, please reblog this if you can spare it! It’d mean a lot to me to have a little help getting my guys (and my work!) out there. :D

leupaks - one of the most awesome things on this planet or any other.

[yes i may be biased, i own a few =] ]

via leupstripes
Link 19
Notes
Posted 5 days ago

monster in a tumblr.: Thoughts from a creator.

leupstripes:

I am currently:

Listening to my own music on winamp and drawing four pet poses all at the same time, at a desk upon which several toys of my own design are sitting, in front of posters I made on the wall

Meanwhile, I am also questioning my artistic capabilities and right to consider myself…

via leupstripes
Video
Posted 1 week ago

one of my favourite video games and soundtracks from that era.

Text 6
Notes
Posted 1 week ago

amazing lizard adventure.

it’s amazing because it contains lizards, because this is likely the first original content on my tumblr, and because these are some of the first low light photographs taken with a digital camera i’m trying to learn to use.

i’m ecstatic enough that no one else reading this actually has to be unless you also like lizards, then feel free. =]

after telling http://leupstripes.tumblr.com/ we had lizards in the backyard on hot nights that ran all over the wall i was determined to try and photograph them, despite the fact that it’s badly lit out there even with all the outdoor lights on and the fact that these lizards move at a speed that make toddlers powered by sugar seem like humanoid sloths.

lizard with glowing eyes on a wall.

lizard on the aforementioned wall, taken in almost complete darkness with a flash. their eyes don’t usually glow.

i saw this one on the wall but as i started walking over to take a picture a much smaller gecko ran out in front of me, stopped less than twelve inches from my feet and started doing some kind of lizard foot preening completely unaware of me. so i took a deep breath and accidentally shouted ‘oh, AWESOME!’ which made it stop preening and flatten itself against the concrete immobile. which was still good, except my family wanted to see what was awesome and couldn’t be persuaded to stay inside and before i could photograph the lizard all the foot clomping had made it run over to some pots on the other side of a clothes airer.

blurry sideways pot with lizard attached.

if i crept around to get closer i couldn’t see him any more so resigned to trying to hold the camera at an angle weird enough to get through most of the airer rungs and with some luck at least prove there was a lizard with this exceptionally blurry sideways photo.

then i lost sight of him over the rim of the pot so started sneaking back around the airer trying to see if he’d moved somewhere easier to photograph. after a while the spinach leaves shook slightly and he reappeared and started running all over them.

and run and run...

in a place a heck of a lot better for me to photograph, although he was almost invisible without the flash [not as you see here. this is a shot with low light and twilight setting and flash which you benefit from] so i missed him in a few shots and he wouldn’t stay still for others.

the camera manual suggests if your subject moves too fast it will blur so i have a few otherwise great pictures of the other leaves with a blurry but still neat lizard making every leaf he touches blur too. that and i was shaking trying to hold the new weird stance i was attempting to photograph him with so i’m not sure who’s fault it was that this one blurred or if something else was wrong with the camera settings.

still cute.

run run run blur.

he seemed fairly calm and ignored the weirdo with the camera at times and i’m happy i didn’t alarm him too much.

you bore me, human.

i’ve never seen one run onto a plant before or be so photogenic and allow people so close, so it was kind of amazing. given the way they usually act i wasn’t even sure i’d be able to photograph any before they ran off.

after i’d taken what felt like an amazing amount of photos i decided to leave him in peace and see if any of them were actually viewable, and that’s it. =]

seeya.

Photo 5
Notes
Posted 3 months ago
leupstripes: Medipak has found the bandaids; your argument is now invalid. a year or longer ago when someone i knew passed an emergency care course i drew them a first-aid leupak with pockets mutation for holding items it couldn’t grow, bandage skin with extensions on its ears and tail that grew like giant floppy fingernails but were made from bandage cloth thus providing a regrowing source of bandages, i think maybe the rest of its skin grew and flaked too at a lesser rate or could be peeled away in thin layers occasonally like weird wool, can’t remember. it also had retractable hollow claws on its front paws leading to secretion/fluid filled pouches further up its forelegs that did various medical things when injected into people, and venom that was somehow medically themed/appropriate. i forget its facet power and its back doubled as a stretcher. being awesome they thanked me profusely after i explained what a leupak was and it now rides around taped to the inside of a medical journal they own. =] wish i’d thought of a tail like yours has, though.

leupstripes:

Medipak has found the bandaids; your argument is now invalid.


a year or longer ago when someone i knew passed an emergency care course i drew them a first-aid leupak with pockets mutation for holding items it couldn’t grow, bandage skin with extensions on its ears and tail that grew like giant floppy fingernails but were made from bandage cloth thus providing a regrowing source of bandages, i think maybe the rest of its skin grew and flaked too at a lesser rate or could be peeled away in thin layers occasonally like weird wool, can’t remember. it also had retractable hollow claws on its front paws leading to secretion/fluid filled pouches further up its forelegs that did various medical things when injected into people, and venom that was somehow medically themed/appropriate. i forget its facet power and its back doubled as a stretcher.

being awesome they thanked me profusely after i explained what a leupak was and it now rides around taped to the inside of a medical journal they own. =] wish i’d thought of a tail like yours has, though.

via leupstripes
Video 7
Notes
Posted 5 months ago

leupstripes:

Say hello to my little friend.

Third mantid I’ve seen in person in my entire life. Finding these guys around here is always fucking woah.

when i was a kid i kept a few i found as unofficial pets. =] none were a species that grew that large but one lived for almost a year and was tame and smart enough to be taught tricks and let out of its enclosure for a while.

seeing them around is always awesome.

via leupstripes
Photo 6
Notes
Posted 8 months ago
leupstripes: Woke up with an urge to draw Nef being pretty. Man, it’s weird to see him not smirking — that can’t be a good sign, artistically. I have absolutely no idea where the hell my style is going. I’m just sort of trailing cluelessly along behind it with a broom in case it makes a mess. he seems much less scary, controlled, and driven/predatory here. i guess this kind of expression wouldn’t happen often. it’s a very peaceful picture to look at. Zoom

leupstripes:

Woke up with an urge to draw Nef being pretty.

Man, it’s weird to see him not smirking — that can’t be a good sign, artistically.

I have absolutely no idea where the hell my style is going. I’m just sort of trailing cluelessly along behind it with a broom in case it makes a mess.

he seems much less scary, controlled, and driven/predatory here. i guess this kind of expression wouldn’t happen often.

it’s a very peaceful picture to look at.

via leupstripes