http://Ardith.stumbleupon.com/review/26348309/

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:00:07 -0700

Cyber-bullying: it's real. Even when you write about space, you can wind up with your own stalker and bully.

We must do something about how people bully people on the 'net. Today I wrote about my policy, on my column--and about the people who are the Destroyers.
http://www.examiner.com/x-504-Space-News-Examiner~y2008m10d11-Comment-policy-for-this-column-defanging-the-Destroyers

http://Ardith.stumbleupon.com/review/7896672/

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 19:17:58 -0700

You Belong in the UK

Blimey!

A little proper, a little saucy.

You're so witty and charming...

No one notices your curry breath

What English Speaking Country Are You?

http://Ardith.stumbleupon.com/review/7229186/

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 13:53:29 -0800

You Belong in Winter

Quiet, calm, and totally at peace...

You're happy to be at home, wrapped in a blanket, completely snowed in

Whether you're lighting a fire or having a snowball fight, you always feel best in the winter.

What Season Are You?

http://Ardith.stumbleupon.com/review/5600923/

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 18:47:51 -0700

I very rarely give a "thumbs down" to a site. But please check the "pages I dislike" to see the link to someone called Phoebus Apollo's rant about copyrights.

From the page: "Will people want to be creative without a government willing to back their monopoly power over society for their creativeness?"

This page misses some important things. First is something basic: if you knew someone who made, say, gorgeous individually-designed and hand-carved chairs that took a year to make, would you feel justified in going to their shop and walking away with one because you "like it?" Or would you feel like that was stealing?

The author doesn't seem to understand that what he lightly dismisses as "intellectual property" is very real--and it takes hard work to create good creative works. He doesn't understand that creating a symphony or a good book isn't something you toss off in a weekend--it requires not only talent, but education, continued education, discipline, and hard work for months or, sometimes, years on end, just to create one "product" (i.e., book, symphony, painting).

He seems to think that creating books, art, music, etc. is the equivalent of say, writing a post to a blog. He also slyly equates the often-ridiculous trademark (different than copyright) lawsuits of big corporations, and some bigger corporate copyright lawsuits, with the work done by individuals who are making their living selling what they do.

He might be surprised to learn that sometimes, when you get up from 10 hours or so at the computer that you ache all over, as though you'd been doing physical labor. He might be surprised how much research and other work goes into the preparation for the work; and how hard the work is.

He's obviously contemptuous of people who have creative talent and who work at what they do. And I find that very sad. I hope that he's in a minority.

He also is wrong on something else: "...most people concede that artists are less inspired when money is not involved." Maybe he needs to read the history of some great writers, artists, and musicians. Creative people create because that's what they do. Sometimes, they create and are able to get paid for their work.

And what's so wrong with someone getting paid for their work? And what's wrong with a copyright law that stops him from copying someone else's book and selling it to a publisher and reaping the profits from someone else's work?

He thinks that those who provide him with books, art, and/or music are of little value, and that paying such workers creates a "monopoly." Copyright is simply, at its core, the thing that says "Hey! Don't steal this chair from the showroom--pay the craftsman. Don't take this chair and then pass it off as your own--maybe even making a profit for you--because it isn't yours. And the same thing is true for creative workers."

Yes, America is lawsuit crazy. But that's true in every industry. Citing that in an attack on copyright law is a smoke screen.

The real issues are: Do you respect other people? Is creative work of value? Should creative workers be allowed to earn money for their work, just as other workers do? And, finally, should you be able to steal someone else's work?

StumbleUpon | Ardith's blog posts

http://Ardith.stumbleupon.com/review/26348309/

http://Ardith.stumbleupon.com/review/7896672/

http://Ardith.stumbleupon.com/review/7229186/

http://Ardith.stumbleupon.com/review/5600923/