Well, Zeitgeist is over.
Our panel went ok, we both felt like we could have done a better job in presenting ourselves, but such is life.
The big thing that happened is that I got into a nerdfight with Salman Rushdie (you can see it start at the 24:44 mark below)
I was a bit nervous starting out, but I was genuinely pissed at the guy’s condescending attitude that making books searchable and accessible to the larger web is good thing for publishing, not the death of an industry as he so implied.
It was especially hypocritical since he spoke so highly of using Academic resources that are protected behind university passwords that allowed him to create his most recent book.
Also if he was so opposed to giving away books, then did everyone at the conference receive a complimentary copy? Maybe because those free copies would drive awareness to an audience of influencers that may would not have picked up the book otherwise.
But that’s just me. I wasn’t hunted down by a foreign government or married to hott chef.
Creators of Intellectual should be in control of what they create, it’s just pennywise and pound foolish to treat your potential buyers as hostile thieves. Intrigue them and entreat them to buy your wares by providing free samples.
It works for Hickory Farms, it works for Trent Reznor, and it can work for you too.
14 Comments
May 21, 2008 at 2:54 pm
He’s wrong about academic libraries being restricted to the Ivory Tower.
Residents of California can get access to the UC Berkeley library for $100 a year. There are some restrictions, but if you can afford it, you can get access.
http://lib.berkeley.edu/services/borrowing.html
May 21, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Thanks for asking the question. I feel the same way.
It’s interesting that the main defense Rushdie mentions is intellectual property. Commercial search providers like Lexis Nexis charge a premium to access to a lot of public information that they do not own. What if someone was researching me as an individual? Like hiring a private investigator, someone could pay Lexis Nexis to provide all my previous addresses for the past decade or so. Shouldn’t I be paid a premium for that information? Shouldn’t I at least be given the courtesy to know that the information has been sold?
May 21, 2008 at 3:02 pm
What a douche bag he is for hoarding history.
May 21, 2008 at 4:34 pm
“Scholarship is serious business.”
My new favorite t-shirt.
Not sure he understood the notion that people can *elect* to make their material available to the public. It’s not all stealing.
And scene.
May 21, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Man…why must I be ‘enrolled’ somewhere to have a thirst for knowledge?
Universities are about education, not IP. That’s why teachers and students have additional liberties with IP…to educate, to inform, and to spread knowledge.
What a closed-minded individual. It’s people like him that form the front line against patent reform.
May 21, 2008 at 8:31 pm
[...] Nerdfighting in the UK « Kent’s Official Blog Ask A Ninja’s Kent Nichols vs. Salman Rushdie! (tags: video) [...]
May 21, 2008 at 10:27 pm
You totally got him all riled up! Adorable!
May 22, 2008 at 1:13 pm
It really sounded to me like you guys were talking about two different things. One side was saying “knowledge should be free” the other defending “why colleges aren’t obligated to publish their research and materials for free”.
Those are two different topics… it would have been nice if you guys had the chance to discuss the same thing, maybe we’ll get to see that some time.
BTW, “ivory tower” sounds way more condescending than anything I heard Salman say, and instead of opening discussion up it put him on the defensive.
May 22, 2008 at 3:01 pm
@Doc Pop
Yeah, I’m not saying I come off as a saint, and I’m certainly not the best spoken on this issue. But I will say that no one else was going to call him on it and I was pissed.
I just screwed up my courage and dove in.
May 23, 2008 at 8:21 am
All I’ve got to say is I’m eagerly awaiting being more ninja-like in August
May 25, 2008 at 8:11 am
“Scholarship is serious business.” LOLOLOL
I’m declaring war on scholarship.
June 3, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Ummm… Did he just say that reading a book in the library is the same as stealing a car?
I think he’s a little confused.
June 12, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Anyone catch him on The Colbert Report promoting his new book, he is a tool and a half!
November 20, 2008 at 3:08 am
LOL the kids are not impressed.
Man, the web doesn’t shorten your attention span, it just gives you more options.
Mate, TV vs books? I’ve had that debate.
You wanna make a film? got to have a script. I wanna make a site? start with paper.
But I finish with bits an bytes. Oh if you wanna finish, global levels of finishment, yup. I want to see it get up and run around.
Papyrus and quill, how quaint. Typewriter ribbon.