Archives for March 2004

Lessig puts his money where his mouth is

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lessig.gifLawrence Lessig is giving away digital copies of his new book, Free Culture, on his Web site. The AP quotes Lessig: “This is an experiment, but it is my view that exercising less control over at least some content is a better way to drive demand.” I think he’s right.

Recently a friend recommended I read G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy, which was published in 1908. Not wanting to wait until I found myself a paper copy, I downloaded the Project Gutenberg version. I read the first chapter on my computer screen, and I learned two things. First, that I wanted to read the rest of the book; second, that there’s no way I was going to do it off a screen. So, I went and got myself a dead-tree version.

The lesson is that there isn’t yet a technology that can comfortably replace paper for reading a 400-page book. Free Culture is offered as a PDF, which has the advantages of being universal, true to the original, and searchable. That said, no one but the most obsessive fanboys will read Lessig’s book off their flatscreens or PDAs–so he isn’t going to lose too many sales to digital. What’s more, he will likely increase sales as people who might not otherwise pick up the book will do so after reading a few pages online.

Won’t people just print it out? Printing it will cost as much, if not more, than buying the book. They’ll print it at the office, you say? First, it’s not easy sneaking off a 400-page print job. Second, you have to be incredibly hard up for cash to stomach flipping through a hefty, amateur-bound 8×10 document. Buying the book is just easier for the type of person who is going to read Lessig’s book in the first place.

This is a win-win situation for everybody. Lessig sells more books and draws attention to his Creative Commons licenses, and we get a searchable preview. Although there have been some failures using this model (remember Stephen King’s The Plant?), I think the market will ultimately bend to the much-maligned maxim that information wants to be free. There’s money to be made in giving up on control over content. [Thanks to KJT for the tip!]

Mar 27, 2004 | 2 Comments

The laughing senators

The funny folks over at zug.com wrote to every U.S. Senator pretending to be a 10-year-old boy working on a school project and asked them to reply with their favorite joke. The results are interesting. My favorite letter is from renowned dog lover Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) who replied with a three-paragraph letter, but no joke. Explained the senator, “Although my favorite joke doesn’t immediately come to mind, I do enjoy laughing.”

Mar 19, 2004 | Comment

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