[Publib] "If value, then right" taken to a logical end

[Jack Gregory]

You got it, I now owe David Weinberger compensation. Maybe he'll  
accept barter?
It's good to know that in the 21st Century we're all thieves.


On Aug 7, 2008, at 5:28 PM, Jennie J. Stoltz wrote:

> Jack,
>
> I loved this!  Thanks so much for posting it.  But the question is,  
> did David Weinberger get compensated for this list which clearly  
> has value and by posting it here (and by my forwarding this to a  
> dozen of my friends) should it be added as a 21st thing that you  
> and I have stolen?
>
> Jennie J. Stoltz, MLIS
> Director / eco-Librarian
> Pewaukee Public Library
> Pewaukee, Wisconsin
> (262) 691-5670, ext. 20
> (262) 691-5673 fax
>
> Help us to save our environment by printing this document only if  
> it's necessary
>
> GoodSearch for the Pewaukee Public Library.
>
> Raise money for the Library just by searching the Internet or  
> shopping online with GoodSearch - www.goodsearch.com - powered by  
> Yahoo!
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Jack Gregory <jack1 at mac.com>
> Date: Thursday, August 7, 2008 3:03 pm
> Subject: [Publib] "If value, then right" taken to a logical end
> To: publib at webjunction.org
>
>
>> Hilarious. David Weinberger responds to the concept that value
>>  implies compensatory obligation.
>>  (via http://www.boingboing.net/2008/08/07/stealing-things- 
>> acco.html )
>>
>>  POSTED BY CORY DOCTOROW, AUGUST 7, 2008 12:02 PM | PERMALINK
>>
>>  Siva Vaidhyanathan's book The Anarchist in the Library identifies a
>>
>>  theory implicit in much of the copyright wars called, "If value,  
>> then
>>
>>  right." It holds that if something has some value, then the person
>>  who made it has a right to be compensated for using that value.
>>
>>  For example, your DVDs have value as discs you put in a player,  
>> which
>>
>>  you pay for when you buy them at a store. But when you rip the disc
>>
>>  and put it on a portable player, then you realize some new value.
>>  According to "if value, then right," the studio that made the DVD  
>> has
>>
>>  the right to be compensated for that new value. Otherwise, you're
>>  stealing.
>>
>>  Exploring this idea, David Everything is Miscellaneous Weinberger  
>> has
>>
>>  compiled a list of "20 things I’ve stolen" according to the "If
>>  value, then right" theory.
>>
>>  1. I took an extra napkin from a Taco Bell for unspecified use  
>> “later.”
>>  2. I sat on a bench on a hot day, enjoying the breeze as the man  
>> next
>>
>>  to me fanned himself.
>>  3. I read the headlines of a newspaper that was for sale in a  
>> kiosk box.
>>  4. I divided a single-serving DingDong in two, and had it for  
>> dessert
>>
>>  on two consecutive days.
>>  5. I listened all the way through to a Metallica song emanating from
>>
>>  my neighbor’s radio, but closed my window when the commercial  
>> came on.
>>  6. I remembered the movie times in my newspaper from the day before
>>
>>  so I wouldn’t have to buy a copy of the paper today.
>>  7. When a friend’s cat chose my lap to sit in, I petted it,  
>> precisely
>>
>>  to discourage it from moving to the lap of its rightful owner.
>>  8. I said “What a long, strange trip it’s been” without air quotes.
>>  9. On the Amtrak “quiet car,” I listened to a man in the seat ahead
>>
>>  of me explaining to the bored woman next to him how he gets such a
>>  great shine on his shoes. I have since used his technique,  
>> successfully.
>>  10. I have stared carefully at reproductions of great paintings.
>>
>>  http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/2008/08/03/20-things-ive-stolen/
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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