[okfn-discuss] Viral Spiral

[Jonathan Gray]

As you may have seen, David Bollier (Public Knowledge +
onthecommons.org) has recently released a book called Viral Spiral
about F/OSS, Creative Commons, OER, and related things:

  http://www.viralspiral.cc/

(The OKF, Jordan Hatcher and Charlotte Waelde get a passing mention in
relation to open data.)

J.

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"A world organized around centralized control. strict intellectual
property rights, and hierarchies of credentialed experts is under
siege. A radically different order of society based on open access,
decentralized creativity, collaborative intelligence, and cheap and
easy sharing is ascendant."
—FROM VIRAL SPIRAL

>From free and open-source software, Creative Commons licenses,
Wikipedia, remix music and video mashups. peer production, open
science, open education, and open business. the world of digital media
has spawned a new "sharing economy" that increasingly competes with
entrenched media giants.

Reporting from the heart of this "free culture" movement, journalist
and activist David Bollier provides the first comprehensive history of
the attempt by a global brigade of techies, lawyers, artists,
musicians, scientists. businesspeople, innovators, and geeks of all
stripes to create a digital republic committed to freedom and
innovation. Viral Spiral—the term Bollier coins to describe the almost
magical process by which Internet users can come together to build
online commons and tools-brilliantly interweaves the disparate strands
of this eclectic movement. The story describes major technological
developments and pivotal legal struggles, as well as fascinating
profiles of hacker Richard Stallman, copyright scholar Lawrence
Lessig, and other colorful figures.

A milestone in reporting on the Internet by one of our leading media
critics, Viral Spiral is for anyone seeking to take the full measure
of the new digital era.