Kindle review of Free Ride: How the Internet is Destroying the Culture Business and How the Culture Business can Fight Back

Free Ride: How the Internet is Destroying the Culture Business and How the Culture Business can Fight Back by Robert Levine was something I recently read on my beloved kindle. Anyhow, I know its been reviewed in other places. Anyhow, here goes.
Robert Levine's book looks at the impact of companies like Google, Apple and Piratebay.
Levine discusses how these three companies (as examples) leverage there companies as platforms for music (Apple and Itunes) and Books (google and google news and google books). They do this without producing themselves, but making money via adverts or ipods.
Obviously, Bill Gates Open Letter to Hobbyists in which he wrote:-

Why is this? As the majority of hobbyists must be aware, most of you steal your software. Hardware must be paid for, but software is something to share. Who cares if the people who worked on it get paid?


More recently Pete Townsend underlined this in the John Peel lecture, when call apple 'digital vampires'.

I found the book interesting, and far removed from people like Lawrence Lessig's approach.

I found the book a pretty good read and would certainly recommend it.

Google Doing evil towards librarians and authors

Ok, I'm being sensational. but Google seem to want to have the library cake, eat it, take over the building and replace it as another server farm. I've been reading Randall E. Stross Planet Google: How One Company is Transforming Our Lives. Stross points out how Lawrence Lessig felt that using snippets of books was like a card catalogue at a library and therefore fair use. Others have disagreed.
Brewster Kahle has today felt that Google are taking advantage of the libraries digitalising there books. Kahle says of google:-

The promise of a rich and democratic digital future will be hindered by monopolies. Laws and the free market can support many innovative, open approaches to lending and selling books. We need to focus on legislation to address works that are caught in copyright limbo. And we need to stop monopolies from forming so that we can create vibrant publishing environments.

We are very close to having universal access to all knowledge. Let's not stumble now.

But will anyone say anything? I am doubting it.

Time for me to start reading again

With my recent acquisition of my Ipod, I have been watching so many films on it, listening to podcasts and gaming. I have therefore restarted reading. So I have bought the following (1, 2, 3 & 4).