The Pirate Book

December 28, 2015 7:27 AM

The Pirate Book: a digital zine about technology, media piracy, and international cultural exchange
posted by overeducated_alligator (4 comments total)

I really liked the article about El Paquete : the Cuban sneakernet version of piracy. (Link goes to the article)
posted by zabuni at 7:54 AM on December 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

The Music from Cellphones article was very interesting to me as a contrast. In the U.S., I feel as if the rise of MP3 players has removed some of the social aspect of music discovery and sharing. We're all in our own bubbles of personal file collections or streaming playlists. Several companies have attempted to social-media-ize the system of internet music discovery (like scrobbling via Spotify to your Facebook feed, etc.), but nobody has replicated the experience of making a mixtape for a friend (and ONLY that friend!), or borrowing an album from a friend. The reasons for this are obviously in the service of the IP holders, not the listeners.
posted by overeducated_alligator at 8:01 AM on December 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

I'm about half way through the book, and the only thing I don't like about it is something I don't like about it is the same thing I don't like about most pro-piracy advocacy: an unwillingness to look at the downsides. The same Shanzai quick copy culture that is ballyhooed in the book also leads to shitty QC and thus to exploding hoverboards. The hollowing out of the creative middle class, etc. Can they just admit for once that it's all not wine and roses?
posted by zabuni at 8:04 AM on December 28, 2015 [3 favorites]

The same Shanzai quick copy culture that is ballyhooed in the book also leads to shitty QC and thus to exploding hoverboards.

“These are known as ‘low cost li-ion batteries’ by most in the industry—they are not knockoffs or copies, but are instead just mass-manufactured cells.”
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:19 AM on December 28, 2015