Enlightenment, Copyright, Expression; An Eternal Bitter Struggle
Changes are coming. The Copyright Act is apparently due to be modified Tomorrow, or at least, an attempt will likely be made.

iPods could very easily be made essentially illegal to use(except in a narrow scope--to use only insofar as Apple Computer allows). In general All Technology will only be usable as the designer of that technology decrees. As if from god, our tools will have one use, and all other uses will be forbidden. Care to pull a nail with your hammer? Forbidden---hammers are for putting nails in, not pulling nails. If you want to pull nails, you must purchase an unhammer. This is the kind of absurdity that the new law will hold, and more. Restrictions on free speech, no compromises have been made.

Speaking of free speech, while this copyright kerfuffle is going on, it might be worth noting that there are other issues going on. Mr Steyn, whose case I am in part protesting in my current lj icon, was in "court" yesterday to answer for his thoughtcrime.

But back to copyright; now may be the time to rise up, and begin again to fight against this DMCA menace. The last time, although some doubted that the public could do anything, the 30,000 odd people who became aware of the issue *did* actually make a direct change in the turn of events---the law was postponed. It gave both sides a chance to regroup. They have been busy. Have we?

I have.

But enough on Mr. Steyn, and political matters, I write today to announce that at last, I am "done" reading Goedel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid (Douglas Hofstadter). It's probably my new favourite book. Writing a summary will occur later, after I've had a chance to think things through a little(and read another three books!!!).

And yet, there's a kind of ease?, consonance?, relaxation? that I feel at "the end" of this great book. I've been building this book up, step by step, since roughly 2002, possibly before my first class began. And now that I've read the book, I must say it's earned it. Sort of. It's an intersection, nay, a weaving, of pretty much everything that I've done(that would have been accessible to an author from the 70's), and everything that I've been interested in. Everything can be tied back to this book. It's not Kuhn-Scientific, but it discusses Kuhn. I started university seeking enlightenment as a primary goal, keep in mind, and this book I think gave me at least a good set of directions to follow towards attaining that. Even if those directions are circular.

But still, the war drums, like tired hearts, are beating, and I must join the swelling force against oppression and greedy backwardness. In doing so, I hope we're together.