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How to Save the Music Industry
I first started getting interested in “copyfight” and issues related to filesharing in college, where I was introduced to a local network where resident students across the university campus could connect and share what they loved on- and offline. As the music industry continued to ratchet up their anti-sharing campaigns, I thought that the iTunes…
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Who Really Has the Moral High Ground on Filesharing?
A number of people I have talked to claim that they do not engage in filesharing because “it’s wrong,” a sentiment that seems deeply rooted in the idea that sharing files involves taking something that doesn’t belong to you; that is, stealing. These people believe they are taking the “moral high ground” by refusing to…
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Music, Evolved
I have been talking about the evolution of content distribution in my last couple of posts, and I’ve pulled together some thoughts about how this has affected the music industry specifically. Robert Heinlein said it best in his 1939 novel, Life-Line: “There has grown in the minds of certain groups in this country the idea…
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The “Right” to Get Paid?
The concept of an artist’s “right to get paid” for their efforts inevitably arises in any discussion of filesharing and the future of the web. The thought is that artists have worked hard for what they’ve produced and as a result, should be guaranteed some kind of compensation. Following this is the idea that if…
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Deconstructing Michael Lynton
For those of you who missed it, Michael Lynton is the venerable Charmain and CEO of MPAA member studio Sony Pictures entertainment who said, in words that are destined to be etched on the monument to the Days That Were, that “I’m a guy who sees nothing good having come from the Internet. Period.” He’s…
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Student Government Meets Federal Government
A guest blog from Michael A. Castello, Assistant Speaker of the Senate at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. This past Friday I had the unique opportunity to take a trip to Washington, D.C. with several members of EDUCAUSE, a higher education organization dedicated to the “intelligent use of information technology.” Representing UMBC students and the…
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Bricks, Windows, and Sam I Am
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, president and CEO of the LEGO Company; William Gates, founder of the Microsoft Windows operating system; and Theodor Seuss Geisel, author-illustrator of over forty children’s books. While at first blush these three men may appear entirely unrelated, they do share one common aspect. Each has had a great influence on my life, providing a…
Matter, Energy, and Life of Michaela A. Castello.
Category: Matter
Things that matter, such as professional work or published writing.