[00:00.000 --> 00:01.280]  We have an outage.
[00:01.540 --> 00:03.580]  The elevator is down, which...
[00:06.400 --> 00:10.460]  Thank you guys for coming out to The Next HOPE.
[00:11.820 --> 00:13.160]  Quickly about myself.
[00:13.540 --> 00:14.900]  My name is Lazlow.
[00:15.260 --> 00:20.320]  I had a syndicated radio feature for 12 years called The Technophile that was syndicated around the world.
[00:20.820 --> 00:23.240]  I was a writer and journalist.
[00:23.240 --> 00:30.680]  I wrote for magazines such as Playboy and High Times, which contained some of my favorite things.
[00:32.840 --> 00:35.800]  And I taught at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
[00:36.200 --> 00:42.280]  I've also worked on a lot of video games including Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto, Bully, and the like.
[00:43.840 --> 01:02.600]  What I want to talk about is this battle that we've got right now between content creators and consumers and how it's threatening journalism, magazines like 2600, as well as interactive companies in this online landscape that is now expecting everything for free.
[01:03.740 --> 01:07.220]  So let's talk about the history of the Internet.
[01:07.560 --> 01:13.100]  Most people were on the Internet starting 15 years ago when they thought AOL was the Internet.
[01:15.700 --> 01:20.300]  But let's go back to the roaring 90s.
[01:22.760 --> 01:25.300]  Wow, the launch parties were amazing.
[01:25.540 --> 01:30.500]  For those of you that were here in New York, Silicon Alley was like our Studio 54.
[01:30.900 --> 01:33.140]  There was a launch party every other night.
[01:33.380 --> 01:40.200]  All of your friends that could close an HTML tag were making six figures and worth a million dollars on paper.
[01:41.200 --> 01:48.500]  It was a phenomenal time in that all of a sudden we had all this content online for free.
[01:49.240 --> 01:55.420]  Movies, music, video games, newspapers were all rushing to go online.
[01:55.560 --> 01:58.540]  And all these websites wanted your eyeballs.
[01:58.780 --> 02:00.800]  That was the currency that they were trading in.
[02:01.420 --> 02:04.180]  And, of course, a lot of them went out of business.
[02:05.560 --> 02:12.780]  But we've got this sort of expectation of the value of content that's affecting a lot of different industries.
[02:13.040 --> 02:17.180]  So I'm going to touch real quickly on sharing.
[02:21.420 --> 02:25.100]  Sharing is... it's inherent in human nature.
[02:25.840 --> 02:29.440]  We would not be here today if people did not share.
[02:29.440 --> 02:35.800]  Since we're talking about history, let's go back to the roaring 50,000 B.C.
[02:35.980 --> 02:39.540]  If these fools hadn't shared, we would not be here today.
[02:39.880 --> 02:46.700]  They shared technology, information about tools, where the antelope are, how to kill them.
[02:48.940 --> 02:53.340]  If there were patent trolls back then, we would be extinct.
[03:02.920 --> 03:08.180]  So, for tens of thousands of years we shared, it ensured our survival as a species.
[03:08.900 --> 03:15.500]  If you were a bit of a shitty farmer one year, hopefully somebody else in the tribe could give you some food to survive the winter.
[03:16.540 --> 03:19.560]  Well, so things have changed since then.
[03:19.760 --> 03:26.080]  We now, instead of working outside, we work in cubicles moving ones and zeros around.
[03:26.080 --> 03:28.760]  But we still have this sort of inclination to share.
[03:30.640 --> 03:35.760]  These days, though, most people don't grow food unless it's in Farmville.
[03:38.820 --> 03:41.800]  But we're all connected to this network.
[03:42.420 --> 03:47.780]  We've got these expectations and this perceived value of content.
[03:48.860 --> 03:52.520]  And in the last 15 years, some idiotic things have happened.
[03:56.060 --> 04:05.340]  We have been involved in this weird battle with industry associations that has made no sense.
[04:05.340 --> 04:10.360]  It is insane that I'm considered a felon for ripping a DVD I own to my iPhone.
[04:10.620 --> 04:12.000]  It's ludicrous.
[04:13.800 --> 04:18.880]  Many of you remember the DeCSS case that Emanuel was involved in.
[04:21.820 --> 04:33.680]  And I was there protesting outside of Miramax's office because it was absolutely ludicrous that printing this code was somehow going to end you up in prison.
[04:33.680 --> 04:39.540]  So, we wonder as consumers, how are these trade groups so stupid?
[04:40.680 --> 04:43.560]  Why are they so out of touch?
[04:44.600 --> 04:47.100]  And I can explain it in one word.
[04:47.700 --> 04:48.720]  The penis.
[04:49.940 --> 04:51.960]  The penis makes us dumb.
[04:52.200 --> 04:54.680]  And when a lot of men get together...
[04:56.880 --> 04:59.020]  Here's the secret of industry trade groups.
[04:59.020 --> 05:02.680]  They are composed of people that hate each other.
[05:03.560 --> 05:04.700]  Hate each other.
[05:05.480 --> 05:14.340]  If you're in an industry trade group like the Motion Picture Association, you are sitting on a board with other companies that you want to put out of business.
[05:14.860 --> 05:17.180]  You're in a fierce competitive environment.
[05:18.140 --> 05:23.780]  So, you get all these company representatives together and nobody wants to look like a pussy.
[05:27.000 --> 05:33.940]  So, somebody says, well, we've got a report here of a grandma who's been uploading some music to the Internet.
[05:34.460 --> 05:41.880]  And instead of somebody around the table saying, well, you know, that sounds a little far-fetched, they go, well, we ought to teach her a lesson.
[05:42.200 --> 05:44.280]  And the guy next to him says, oh, yeah?
[05:44.560 --> 05:46.720]  Well, I'm going to seem even more ballsy than Sony.
[05:46.960 --> 05:48.980]  We should go to her house and arrest her.
[05:48.980 --> 05:58.900]  And then the other guy from another company who wants to puff his chest out anymore says, we ought to go over to her house and drag her out in the street and set her ass on fire.
[05:59.520 --> 06:09.980]  And so, you have this mob mentality on these associations where people completely lose their sanity.
[06:11.660 --> 06:16.620]  It's sort of like when you get a bunch of frat boys together, the mentality that results there.
[06:16.880 --> 06:26.860]  So, it's difficult to have real discussions about sharing and how much content is worth when you've got these clowns that are basically polluting the landscape.
[06:31.960 --> 06:37.320]  So, this relationship that we have with content and the Internet has created another issue.
[06:37.460 --> 06:40.000]  In a lot of ways, we don't value content anymore.
[06:40.000 --> 06:41.640]  It's ephemeral, it's all over the place.
[06:42.540 --> 06:47.600]  You know, most people on their MP3 player have 10,000 songs.
[06:48.300 --> 06:52.140]  The value has diminished, but who cares about music?
[06:52.140 --> 06:53.520]  Who cares about music?
[06:53.520 --> 06:54.960]  Who cares about video games?
[06:55.500 --> 06:59.840]  The real issue is that journalism is being gutted with this mentality.
[07:01.620 --> 07:13.260]  The fourth estate, who is supposed to be keeping tabs on our government and shenanigans from a low-level newspaper in Paducah all the way up to Washington, D.C., is being gutted.
[07:13.260 --> 07:15.140]  Newspapers are shutting down.
[07:15.680 --> 07:17.180]  They are downsizing.
[07:17.380 --> 07:19.120]  They're closing foreign desks.
[07:19.260 --> 07:21.080]  And a lot of people say, well, we've got blogs.
[07:22.480 --> 07:25.240]  Blogs, in a lot of ways, just piggyback on newspaper content.
[07:25.700 --> 07:33.260]  It's some clown linking to a real journalist article and saying, I've got some opinions on this.
[07:35.940 --> 07:43.300]  The weird thing about newspapers right now, and journalism for that matter, it has more reach than ever.
[07:45.900 --> 07:49.140]  James Surowiecki from The New Yorker had a great article about this.
[07:49.220 --> 07:52.200]  And he says, the problem with newspapers isn't the Internet.
[07:52.440 --> 07:53.360]  It's us.
[07:53.800 --> 07:55.400]  We want access to everything.
[07:55.400 --> 07:56.700]  We want it for free.
[07:56.900 --> 07:57.740]  We want it now.
[07:58.260 --> 08:01.540]  It's a consumer's dream, but it's an unsustainable relationship.
[08:01.540 --> 08:09.880]  Without paid journalists, democracy will continue to head down the path of corporations pillaging our country.
[08:11.720 --> 08:18.540]  And instead of good journalists, in a lot of ways now, we've got blogs and cable TV news.
[08:19.240 --> 08:21.300]  Because we are drunk on commentary.
[08:21.520 --> 08:28.920]  God damn if you can't turn a cable news station on, and it's people talking about what they think about a story, rather than giving you facts.
[08:29.180 --> 08:32.060]  Who, what, when, where, why, and how have gone out the window.
[08:34.160 --> 08:35.440]  Journalism costs money.
[08:37.360 --> 08:44.340]  So, we as a community have to support magazine and newspapers, and not throw a tantrum when they ask to be compensated for their work.
[08:44.340 --> 08:46.960]  I, uh, I love Boing Boing to death.
[08:47.240 --> 08:48.540]  I'm on there all day long.
[08:49.160 --> 08:54.980]  But, damn if they don't throw a hissy fit when a newspaper puts their content behind a paywall.
[08:55.420 --> 08:57.380]  Um, I hate paywalls.
[08:57.500 --> 08:58.460]  I think they're horse shit.
[08:58.980 --> 09:02.040]  But, 15 years ago, there was a paywall.
[09:02.200 --> 09:07.260]  It was called putting 50 cents in a box and paying that company and those journalists for their work.
[09:07.900 --> 09:16.640]  Um, what we need is some kind of micropayment system, where a dollar goes into a fund.
[09:16.860 --> 09:22.540]  And that money is distributed per day across all the news websites that you visit.
[09:22.700 --> 09:24.920]  So, if you only visit two, each one gets 50 cents.
[09:25.160 --> 09:28.700]  If you visit a thousand, they divvy that up, um, incrementally.
[09:28.860 --> 09:31.920]  And it will mean that journalists can actually get paid for their content.
[09:32.080 --> 09:36.860]  Because a lot of people say, well, advertising will pay for journalism.
[09:37.540 --> 09:41.560]  Um, journalists dependent on advertising are beholden to corporate sponsors.
[09:41.560 --> 09:52.340]  When I had a nationally syndicated radio show, uh, and started talking shit about Gateway, you know, I had radio stations calling me saying, we're not running your feature because Gateway runs commercials on our station.
[09:53.080 --> 09:58.960]  Um, so, um, and the other thing that you have...
[09:58.960 --> 10:05.740]  So, great, you've got this, this, uh, model where newspapers and magazines are supported by advertising.
[10:05.740 --> 10:07.720]  Well, what's happened in the last two years?
[10:08.500 --> 10:09.800]  Advertising's gone down the crapper.
[10:10.080 --> 10:14.580]  Uh, I don't know if you've noticed, but magazines that used to be that thick are now, like, a fraction of it.
[10:14.700 --> 10:21.920]  And so, what happens is major magazines are shutting down, and, um, newspapers as well.
[10:22.580 --> 10:22.600]  Um,
[10:26.110 --> 10:30.450]  there's a big stink going on about Murdoch and the paywalls over in the UK right now.
[10:30.450 --> 10:32.590]  And, uh, David Mitchell of The Observer had a great quote.
[10:32.690 --> 10:37.650]  He said, like the bile that is spouted in newspaper website comment sections, this demonstrates a lamentable truth.
[10:37.770 --> 10:39.750]  Many people only really value something they paid for.
[10:40.050 --> 10:51.010]  It is staggering to me when you read a fantastic article online by a smart journalist, and then right under it, not an inch, is somebody going, Obamacare sucks!
[10:51.010 --> 10:56.510]  Um, how have we allowed this kind of discourse to happen?
[10:57.130 --> 11:03.290]  Um, so, what we've got is an unsustainable relationship.
[11:03.290 --> 11:14.490]  We can scream and shout that everything needs to be free, but we've got to figure out how to pay journalists to cover the government, each other.
[11:16.390 --> 11:20.670]  Um, the most watched news station in America is headed by this man.
[11:21.590 --> 11:27.310]  His, uh, one of my favorite quotes from him is, uh, my first qualification is, I didn't go to Columbia Journalism School.
[11:27.810 --> 11:32.570]  Uh, Fox News is proud to not hire journalists.
[11:33.250 --> 11:37.290]  Um, journalists have things like ethics, which really get in the way of stuff.
[11:37.530 --> 11:39.910]  Um, I know it's easy to bash, uh, Fox News.
[11:40.030 --> 11:42.030]  I think MSNBC is equally full of garbage.
[11:42.030 --> 11:46.470]  Um, but it's just easier to digest for some reason.
[11:46.790 --> 12:01.430]  Um, you know, Fox is running articles, uh, TV stories right now in Chicago about why the library system should be shut down and that money can be funneled to the police.
[12:02.410 --> 12:05.510]  Um, it's, uh, yeah.
[12:05.510 --> 12:05.610]  Yeah.
[12:07.350 --> 12:13.510]  We're in the middle of a propaganda war, and we're refusing to fund the good guys.
[12:14.330 --> 12:17.370]  Um, so who are the good guys?
[12:17.890 --> 12:18.710]  2600.
[12:19.590 --> 12:28.230]  Um, you know, with major magazines going down the toilet, uh, it has affected all publishing, including 2600.
[12:28.230 --> 12:32.210]  You know, uh, magazine distributors are increasing their cut.
[12:32.450 --> 12:36.270]  Uh, it's becoming quite unprofitable in the last couple of years to publish.
[12:36.510 --> 12:48.290]  Um, which means that all of this and this community and the things that we do when we get together and all the cool stuff that we find out at these conferences is in jeopardy.
[12:48.390 --> 12:51.330]  Uh, because it's bankrolled by the magazine.
[12:51.330 --> 12:58.630]  Um, so I ask all of you to put your money where your mouth is and get a subscription.
[12:58.870 --> 13:00.770]  Don't, don't rely on the newsstand sales.
[13:00.770 --> 13:02.710]  Like, none of that money goes to 2600.
[13:03.410 --> 13:09.650]  Um, sign up for a multi-year subscription and just get it over with and support this community.
[13:09.650 --> 13:11.390]  Because if you don't, it's gonna go away.
[13:11.530 --> 13:13.670]  And Emmanuel needs money to keep people out of jail.
[13:14.130 --> 13:17.070]  Um, he has busted more fools out of prison.
[13:17.190 --> 13:21.070]  Every time I'm talking to him, he's posting bail for somebody at a protest.
[13:21.070 --> 13:22.230]  At the RNC.
[13:22.890 --> 13:27.190]  Um, that's where this money goes, is to protect this community.
[13:27.930 --> 13:28.070]  Um,
[13:31.540 --> 13:37.840]  so, but this relationship that we have with content is not just affecting, uh, journalism and newspapers and, and democracy.
[13:38.180 --> 13:39.920]  It's affecting other industries.
[13:40.340 --> 13:44.460]  Um, how many of you, uh, were big PC gamers?
[13:44.840 --> 13:45.580]  Show of hands.
[13:46.520 --> 13:49.900]  Um, kind of hard to find PC games these days.
[13:49.900 --> 13:58.300]  Um, a lot of times they're ported from, uh, a console or they come out many months later.
[13:59.780 --> 14:07.840]  One of the reasons is, is because there's an unsustainable relationship between the PC gaming community, uh, and video game creators.
[14:07.840 --> 14:13.800]  Um, and that is, within seconds of a game coming out, uh, it's online for free.
[14:14.000 --> 14:16.580]  And people say, well, you know, I'm not gonna pay for it.
[14:16.660 --> 14:19.140]  Mobile games, which I love like crazy.
[14:19.940 --> 14:23.920]  Um, you spend several years making a mobile game.
[14:24.480 --> 14:31.340]  Um, and for every one copy that's purchased, three copies are, uh, are downloaded.
[14:31.340 --> 14:35.120]  So 75% of people enjoying your work are not paying for it.
[14:35.200 --> 14:36.760]  This is an unsustainable relationship.
[14:37.420 --> 14:42.500]  Um, and of course, other industries are affected by, by this as well.
[14:42.780 --> 14:50.500]  Um, and I say this because this all leads up to, uh, a discussion on network neutrality.
[14:50.500 --> 14:59.800]  We've got this 15 to 20 year party that we've been involved in here, um, where everything's been free for all.
[14:59.960 --> 15:01.620]  And we've had an, an open Internet.
[15:02.440 --> 15:15.880]  Um, for those of you that don't know what network neutrality is, um, it's a principle proposed for user access networks participating in the Internet that advocates no restrictions by Internet service providers and government on content sites, platforms,
[15:16.120 --> 15:20.340]  on the kinds of equipment that may be attached, and no restrictions on the modes of communication allowed.
[15:21.000 --> 15:38.200]  Um, at some point, these trade groups and entertainment companies, my prediction is, are going to convince politicians to pass laws to allow Internet filtering.
[15:38.560 --> 15:40.740]  Uh, and at that point, we're in, in big trouble.
[15:40.740 --> 15:50.400]  Um, their, their argument's going to be that net, these networks are being used to, uh, traffic stolen goods, and that they need them shut down.
[15:50.700 --> 16:02.320]  Uh, I, I would like this to not be the future, but every time we as a country sort of get into an issue, um, insane laws are passed.
[16:02.800 --> 16:09.980]  Uh, if you look at life 25 years ago as opposed to now, every day more and more rules get passed in this country.
[16:11.580 --> 16:17.480]  Um, I don't think any of us will ever be able to take a tube of toothpaste on a plane again.
[16:17.880 --> 16:23.320]  Um, we're, we're heading to a world of more restrictions and not less.
[16:23.520 --> 16:26.700]  Um, and people always say, you know, uh, the people will rise up.
[16:26.780 --> 16:28.160]  They're not going to stand for this kind of stuff.
[16:28.480 --> 16:29.960]  Look at robotic cameras.
[16:29.960 --> 16:34.500]  Every town in America is installing these things to issue tickets.
[16:34.800 --> 16:40.580]  And, um, what we should be doing is taking them out from a distance with a pellet gun.
[16:41.260 --> 16:41.340]  Um,
[16:49.560 --> 16:56.920]  but people tend to give up a lot for, um, convenience.
[16:57.620 --> 17:03.840]  Um, every one of us in this room probably carries, uh, some, some form of mobile phone.
[17:03.840 --> 17:09.220]  The trade-off that you've got with that is that the police can triangulate your position, um, at any time.
[17:09.380 --> 17:19.280]  And there's all sorts of really exciting server logs that are kept, uh, that show where you were when, that, um, can get subpoenaed in case you have done something wrong.
[17:19.900 --> 17:28.300]  Um, so my prediction is that this wild west of the Internet could very well get clamped down on and regulated.
[17:28.300 --> 17:45.400]  The more these entertainment companies get involved buying ISPs, um, the cable companies, uh, are already looking to monitor what you're doing online, uh, and try to keep you from doing supposed bad things.
[17:45.400 --> 17:53.780]  Um, the, uh, is this going to be the death of network neutrality?
[17:54.040 --> 17:58.610]  Um, these telecom and entertainment companies want to privatize the net so badly.
[17:59.220 --> 18:02.380]  Um, they want to have unregulated pricing power.
[18:02.380 --> 18:06.760]  And if you look at our, the, the FCC, you know, will they allow this?
[18:07.180 --> 18:12.040]  Uh, the FCC has rubber stamped more nonsense in the last 20 years.
[18:12.200 --> 18:12.980]  It is disgusting.
[18:13.660 --> 18:22.760]  Uh, one of the ones that my favorite was they handed out licenses to two radio companies and said, you guys are going to be two satellite radio companies.
[18:22.960 --> 18:26.660]  And in, in order for you to get this spectrum, you can't merge ever.
[18:27.040 --> 18:28.140]  And they're like, awesome.
[18:28.580 --> 18:31.620]  And so they run out and XM and Sirius launched.
[18:32.360 --> 18:42.920]  And then they came back a few years later to the FCC and said, oh, we're sorry, um, we spent all our money, uh, giving it to Major League Baseball and, and football so that we could run their shit games.
[18:43.440 --> 18:47.240]  Um, you've, you've got to let us merge.
[18:47.240 --> 18:51.300]  And so the FCC said, oh, we're sorry that you failed in business.
[18:51.300 --> 18:53.140]  Of course, we'll let you create a monopoly.
[18:53.760 --> 18:59.960]  And so, um, and so they, and so they merged.
[19:00.020 --> 19:03.960]  And I had a show, uh, a national show on, uh, Opie and Anthony's channel.
[19:04.480 --> 19:09.580]  And, uh, Sirius came in and said, guys, and this is a bunch of entertainment assholes.
[19:10.000 --> 19:11.640]  Those guys love the show.
[19:11.900 --> 19:12.800]  Uh, a little bit of a problem.
[19:12.940 --> 19:14.580]  We're cutting your pay by 75%.
[19:15.300 --> 19:15.740]  Wow.
[19:16.080 --> 19:16.740]  Thanks a lot.
[19:16.740 --> 19:17.500]  See you later.
[19:17.640 --> 19:19.860]  Won't be providing content for your platform anymore.
[19:20.560 --> 19:27.660]  Um, the, uh, the FCC has rubber stamped a lot of horrible stuff.
[19:27.920 --> 19:37.140]  And, and I could see them allowing broadband providers to not let you connect to certain sites.
[19:37.460 --> 19:38.980]  It's, it's absolutely feasible.
[19:39.800 --> 19:43.800]  Um, how do we keep this future from happening?
[19:43.800 --> 19:46.140]  We've got to support newspapers and magazines.
[19:46.400 --> 19:49.120]  Subscribe to make, subscribe to 2600.
[19:49.820 --> 19:52.140]  Um, you know, support public radio.
[19:52.840 --> 19:53.900]  Um, WikiLeaks.
[19:54.120 --> 20:01.580]  I, I don't know if you read the article in the, uh, the New Yorker about, um, WikiLeaks, but it was outstanding.
[20:01.780 --> 20:07.640]  The journalists that ran around with them, uh, while they were putting this video together, uh, was absolutely amazing.
[20:07.640 --> 20:16.700]  And organizations like that who went through a lot of steps that a journalist is supposed to go through, vetting material, getting things right.
[20:17.340 --> 20:21.960]  Um, those kinds of organizations need to be supported.
[20:21.960 --> 20:28.840]  And, and finally, you know, support people that make content you enjoy or it may not be around for much longer.
[20:29.220 --> 20:40.340]  You know, we take a lot of this stuff for granted, but in the, in the discussion over content, it's always the, you know, the big companies, the big movie companies, but it's affecting the small guy.
[20:40.920 --> 20:44.420]  Uh, it's affecting 2600 and it could affect this community.
[20:44.420 --> 20:46.380]  So keep supporting this community.
[20:46.620 --> 20:55.760]  And, uh, I'll take, uh, questions from anybody about video games.
[20:56.200 --> 20:56.440]  Hello?
[20:57.000 --> 20:57.520]  Yes.
[20:58.100 --> 21:08.500]  Um, so earlier you talked about a social micropayment system that would sort of make it convenient for consumers to support, um, a lot of content providers that are online.
[21:09.220 --> 21:14.040]  There's one that is almost exactly what you described called Flatter, F-L-A-T-T-R.
[21:14.040 --> 21:27.840]  And basically you put a badge on your site and anyone who has a Flatter account can just like do a thumbs up and then they pay Flatter a monthly fee that they set themselves and it gets distributed to all the sites equally.
[21:28.060 --> 21:29.920]  And it's pretty straightforward.
[21:30.420 --> 21:36.040]  Um, I haven't looked at their privacy policy or anything like that, so I don't know how evil they are, but...
[21:36.040 --> 21:51.780]  Well, it sounds awesome, but there needs to be some kind of top-down, uh, thing that happens where all the newspapers get together and say, okay, we're all going in on this, we're all going to put our content behind this paywall, uh, and have this micropayment system.
[21:52.080 --> 21:56.140]  The problem with that is that somebody would probably file an antitrust suit.
[21:56.660 --> 22:10.440]  Um, so, I know one of the creators of The Wire went in front of Congress and recently and begged them and said, you guys have got to figure out a way to fund newspapers, uh, because they are in big trouble.
[22:11.340 --> 22:17.240]  And, uh, this, this idea that news is and always should be free is killing them.
[22:18.040 --> 22:18.680]  Next.
[22:20.000 --> 22:29.840]  We now have a culture from the last 20 years where all opinions are essentially, uh, treated as if they are equal.
[22:30.220 --> 22:31.520]  I teach math.
[22:31.820 --> 22:36.700]  I had a kid tell me that the answer to a problem was X.
[22:37.220 --> 22:39.700]  I responded, I don't think so.
[22:39.960 --> 22:41.380]  I love X, by the way.
[22:41.380 --> 22:44.760]  And, uh, I do too, actually.
[22:45.660 --> 22:46.860]  Y is almost as good.
[22:49.540 --> 22:51.780]  My response was, I don't think so.
[22:52.460 --> 22:57.980]  And he argued with me about the answer to a problem.
[22:57.980 --> 23:04.740]  As in insisting, I had to be wrong and even my answer book had to be wrong.
[23:05.400 --> 23:09.260]  Because his opinion was equally valid.
[23:10.460 --> 23:12.980]  I don't know if there's a question here, but you want to comment?
[23:13.340 --> 23:17.880]  Um, I don't know if, if any of you are familiar with the term millennials.
[23:19.100 --> 23:22.920]  Um, it's some interesting reading online about millennials.
[23:23.520 --> 23:35.100]  Um, there's a generation that, that has come up, um, that is this constantly connected generation that expects, you know, and has always had everything for free, so why should you pay for anything?
[23:35.100 --> 23:41.320]  Um, but they're having, they're getting out of college, which was funded by mommy and daddy.
[23:41.640 --> 23:43.700]  Um, they've been coddled their entire life.
[23:43.920 --> 23:47.580]  You know, they had a mobile phone since the, since, uh, they were two.
[23:48.340 --> 23:55.120]  Um, and there's these, there's all these articles about how horribly they're doing in the workplace.
[23:55.120 --> 24:03.860]  Um, because they, they, they, uh, they will literally, they've been so coddled, they'll have their mom call their manager.
[24:04.540 --> 24:10.580]  Um, and, and I've managed people, um, and managed production teams.
[24:10.580 --> 24:18.480]  And, um, you've really gotta weed out the millennials because, um, they, they're like, you know, really, I can't work hard because I've got yoga.
[24:18.900 --> 24:22.000]  And, um, it's like, obviously you don't understand the entertainment industry.
[24:22.280 --> 24:24.800]  We're here to grind ourselves stupid to make this product.
[24:25.460 --> 24:26.320]  Um, next.
[24:27.200 --> 24:27.940]  Thank you.
[24:28.320 --> 24:30.060]  Um, very much enjoyed your talk.
[24:30.700 --> 24:32.620]  Um, here's my question.
[24:32.620 --> 24:42.300]  We, we come together and I, I, I can't remember the gentleman's name yesterday, but we, we come together in a room like this.
[24:42.500 --> 24:50.060]  And that's of, the comment that he made was virtual communities are great, but, you know, there's nothing like getting together face to face.
[24:50.560 --> 24:53.460]  And, you know, really hashing stuff out.
[24:54.460 --> 24:55.420]  Net neutrality.
[24:55.820 --> 24:58.060]  It's a big grand concept.
[24:58.220 --> 25:01.860]  It means different things to different people, but I totally get what you're asking for here.
[25:02.440 --> 25:06.700]  And at the same time, I feel like we need more.
[25:06.960 --> 25:20.220]  Like, I, I want to find a way, and I'm not sure what that is, to organize and bring this issue to the forefront of the American mindset that they are losing something.
[25:20.680 --> 25:22.900]  And it doesn't, you know, not everybody's going to get it.
[25:23.440 --> 25:29.320]  But I'm just wondering what ways, and I don't know, again, whether there's a question in here either, but I just want to put this out to the room.
[25:29.320 --> 25:38.980]  What ways can we organize that aren't just supporting what the content we love, which I totally agree with, to, to really like, you know, to really drive this point home?
[25:39.140 --> 25:44.280]  Because as you say, it's almost, I mean, you know, sadly, you sit here pessimistically and say it's a fait accompli.
[25:44.440 --> 25:46.360]  You know, they, they're going to do it.
[25:46.360 --> 25:48.640]  And I'm like, no.
[25:50.180 --> 26:08.360]  So, yeah, I mean, I, I always try to send money to as many organizations like the EFF and, and folks like that, that, that I can, hoping that somebody else has the time to fight these issues.
[26:08.360 --> 26:17.680]  Who's, um, it's very difficult as a, as a, as an activist, not to be a paycheck activist, where you're just like, all right, here's 20 bucks, don't kill any more whales.
[26:17.680 --> 26:41.780]  Um, but, you know, as I was a, a, a journalist for many years, and especially, uh, covering stuff like the, uh, Digital Millennium Copyright Act and, and, and all that, there's, um, I think there's a point where sometimes we can, we as, uh, sort of liberal electronic activist people can go a bit,
[26:41.780 --> 26:42.980]  uh, too far.
[26:42.980 --> 26:57.480]  Um, I, I, I will say, perfect example, like 2600, um, sales of this magazine are down considerably, uh, while people are scanning it in and putting it up on BitTorrent.
[26:57.980 --> 27:10.060]  Um, you know, sharing information is awesome, but if the source of that information goes out of business, we're all screwed, uh, and we lose a lot.
[27:10.540 --> 27:16.260]  And, you know, I don't, I don't know if, you know, we should get some posses together and go get these guys.
[27:16.420 --> 27:20.360]  I mean, what can you really do about the, uh, the pirating community?
[27:20.380 --> 27:23.220]  And they're not just pirating movies, they're pirating magazines.
[27:23.380 --> 27:28.280]  Any magazine that you, uh, want is scanned in and available for free online.
[27:28.440 --> 27:31.280]  So, of course, you know, why would you, why would you pay for it?
[27:31.280 --> 27:32.440]  It's what a lot of people say.
[27:32.860 --> 27:37.760]  Um, and, you know, again, like the boing boing thing, I love them to death.
[27:37.760 --> 27:49.100]  But, you know, when they're raising that cheer for The Pirate Bay, it's like, no, dude, actually a lot of people, you know, bust their ass to make magazines like 2600 or games like Grand Theft Auto or whatever.
[27:49.260 --> 27:52.060]  That's what they do, that's their art, and they should get paid for it.
[27:52.060 --> 27:57.420]  And, you know, you rooting them on, uh, in my mind, is kind of weak, you know.
[27:57.640 --> 27:59.840]  Pirates, uh, are not online.
[28:00.080 --> 28:07.320]  Pirates wear, uh, shitty Adidas shirts and, uh, shoot from little boats, uh, outside of Somalia.
[28:07.880 --> 28:11.320]  Um, they are the worst dressed pirates ever.
[28:11.920 --> 28:14.260]  Um, my God.
[28:15.200 --> 28:17.940]  I mean, dude, get an earring or some shit.
[28:17.940 --> 28:20.380]  Let's, let's, come on.
[28:21.020 --> 28:21.580]  Next.
[28:21.960 --> 28:24.660]  Um, okay, so first, just a general statement.
[28:25.040 --> 28:37.480]  Um, I find it really interesting that newspapers and TV news channels now are both forms of journalism that are, you know, sort of forced to transition to this new medium, the Internet.
[28:37.860 --> 28:46.020]  Um, and I was just wondering if you could elaborate on what you felt was, or if they have different charges on the Internet, um, in terms of...
[28:46.020 --> 28:47.060]  What do you mean different charges?
[28:47.060 --> 28:50.000]  Um, what's the mission of their website?
[28:50.340 --> 28:55.680]  You know, what, are they both going after the same audience because they're both journalism or...?
[28:55.680 --> 28:58.240]  No, it's a, it's a very, uh, different audience.
[28:58.520 --> 29:05.360]  I mean, TV news executives sit around and segment up the population, uh, and then they, they filter their news stories based on that.
[29:05.620 --> 29:11.900]  Every, every news channel had a different name for the Iraq war that was branded and trademarked.
[29:11.900 --> 29:17.960]  Um, you know, they flash across that horrible graphic at the, the bottom of the screen.
[29:18.340 --> 29:18.820]  Mm-hmm.
[29:18.820 --> 29:37.380]  So, um, but one of the things that I love about trying to fill up this 24-hour TV cable news cycle is when you have two talking heads and they will show a screen and they're like, this website's reporting something.
[29:37.640 --> 29:38.540]  Yeah, the iReport is really...
[29:38.540 --> 29:43.340]  And then they're, they're moving a mouse around and surfing the Internet for you.
[29:43.440 --> 29:43.560]  Mm-hmm.
[29:43.920 --> 29:50.880]  And it's like, you know, actually, I, I don't need you to make stupid comments while I surf the net.
[29:50.880 --> 29:51.960]  I can do that myself.
[29:52.580 --> 30:05.880]  Um, you can, you know, focus on interesting stories like, is baloney gonna, uh, kill your children and, um, you know, stomp on grapes and fall off the table, so, um...
[30:06.720 --> 30:20.320]  Well, and it seems like the news state, or news station websites are trying to live up to the level of stimulation that we're used to on the Internet and it, um, newspapers in general, uh, I mean, this is a generalization, are trying to stay away from that.
[30:20.480 --> 30:23.620]  Do you think that they can survive that way, or...?
[30:23.620 --> 30:28.060]  Uh, no, and again, that's why I think we have an unsustainable relationship, um, with content.
[30:28.060 --> 30:50.320]  It's, um, there was, uh, some journalists that got together, uh, about a year ago and issued a statement that newspaper, newspapers are now requiring journalists who would file one story every couple of days to be working on that story, but also posting smaller stories like several a day,
[30:50.340 --> 31:09.400]  uh, in this mad dash for traffic, because, you know, the more traffic we get, then we can sell some more of these great banners that pop up, um, and so working journalists are having to work even harder, you know, they've got to keep a blog now, um, and it's like,
[31:09.520 --> 31:18.840]  no, I would actually like you to look into that story for a long period of time and then post it and give me something of quality instead of dishing out small bits of nonsense.
[31:19.720 --> 31:20.280]  Next.
[31:21.160 --> 31:22.400]  Brief two-part question.
[31:22.880 --> 31:29.760]  Earlier when you're talking about shrinking magazines and small newspapers shutting down, are you talking about the death of journalism or the death of print?
[31:30.420 --> 31:40.120]  And secondly, uh, if, you know, the future is to have this content cartel and micropayments, how does a small guy in Podunk Iowa compete with that?
[31:40.920 --> 31:44.900]  Well, I think the small guy's got to be part of that, the whole thing.
[31:45.240 --> 31:47.080]  Make it so that anybody can sign up.
[31:47.180 --> 31:49.920]  If you're a content creator, anybody can sign up.
[31:50.020 --> 31:57.580]  And if you end up getting traffic, um, and people are, are linking and looking at your material, then you're getting a cut of the action.
[31:57.780 --> 32:06.200]  So the small newspaper in Oklahoma, you know, in the outskirts of Oklahoma somewhere is, is on the same payment system as the New York Times.
[32:07.140 --> 32:10.440]  To me, that's the only way that, uh, that it will work.
[32:11.520 --> 32:12.760]  What was the other part of the question?
[32:13.220 --> 32:14.780]  Uh, death of print versus death of journalism.
[32:15.140 --> 32:28.540]  Well, I mean, when I first started reporting about, uh, technology and the Internet on the radio back in 95, it was funny when you talked to some people at Wired Magazine, they were like, uh, you know, paper's, paper's dead.
[32:28.700 --> 32:29.840]  Nobody's gonna be using paper.
[32:30.100 --> 32:31.600]  I'm like, but you print on paper.
[32:31.600 --> 32:34.480]  I don't really, what are you talking about?
[32:35.040 --> 32:36.960]  Like, we're gonna, you know, the whole world's gonna be paperless.
[32:37.100 --> 32:40.620]  That, this concept that the world's gonna be paperless is crazy.
[32:40.960 --> 32:43.380]  Uh, we're using more paper than we ever have.
[32:43.960 --> 32:47.520]  Um, go to the printer in your, in your office.
[32:47.800 --> 32:49.880]  People print some stupid shit.
[32:50.580 --> 32:54.440]  Um, and my favorite is when they print an email, I'm gonna read this.
[32:54.440 --> 32:55.460]  Oh, good.
[32:55.600 --> 32:56.060]  Thanks a lot.
[32:56.800 --> 33:04.420]  Um, you know, I think the, people have always said, well, you know, the newspapers are gonna, are gonna be, uh, the print is gonna be dead.
[33:04.640 --> 33:06.560]  Everybody's gonna have a Kindle or an iPad.
[33:07.100 --> 33:12.800]  I'm sorry, but the construction worker on the way to work is not carrying a Kindle or an iPad.
[33:12.820 --> 33:19.420]  They're gonna have a 75-cent paper and a cup of coffee and, uh, some Vicodins.
[33:19.900 --> 33:20.300]  Next.
[33:20.600 --> 33:20.960]  Thank you.
[33:24.120 --> 33:27.360]  I'm gonna hazard that construction worker also has a cell phone now.
[33:28.000 --> 33:28.520]  Yes.
[33:28.840 --> 33:30.600]  Um, I am a working journalist.
[33:31.320 --> 33:40.920]  And, uh, I have noticed, uh, in the past few years that the worst media companies do, the more well-informed the public becomes.
[33:42.020 --> 33:54.680]  And to that point, and essentially why I disagree with a lot of your points, is that, um, the sins that we lay at the feet of the Internet come from media consolidation and started long before the Internet really had any impact.
[33:55.180 --> 34:07.420]  Um, and, um, and I, I don't see how giving Rupert Murdoch more micropayments is actually going to fix journalism.
[34:07.440 --> 34:09.640]  I just want to cite a study from, I believe, 2006.
[34:09.640 --> 34:13.000]  I want to say Pew, but I'm not in front of the Internet.
[34:13.180 --> 34:20.460]  Um, that showed that there were 14,000 stories on Google News covering 25 distinct news events.
[34:20.700 --> 34:29.700]  And I have in my head every day that I work, and I'm a freelance journalist, I work for all sorts of different formats, that I don't want to be 14,001.
[34:31.480 --> 34:33.300]  And that's where we're at.
[34:33.420 --> 34:37.440]  What makes this sick isn't that things are free, that people won't pay, so on and so forth.
[34:37.440 --> 34:47.800]  It's that there's too much repetition in the system, and there's no incentive to do novel things, because the way news directors figure out what's newsworthy is what's already been covered.
[34:48.740 --> 34:49.880]  So you get power laws...
[34:49.880 --> 34:50.900]  Right, so it's like, it's like radio stations.
[34:50.920 --> 34:53.320]  They decide what to play based on what other stations are playing.
[34:53.480 --> 34:53.620]  Yes.
[34:53.880 --> 34:54.140]  Um.
[34:54.380 --> 34:55.880]  And that's not going to work.
[34:56.020 --> 35:00.880]  And I, well, but, and, great, Rupert Murdoch is an asshole, and, you know, like I said...
[35:00.880 --> 35:01.320]  He's a very rich asshole.
[35:01.320 --> 35:14.240]  I'm not, I'm not saying yay paywalls, but what I'm saying, and what is an unarguable fact, is that journalists are getting fired, is that these foreign news desks are getting shut down left and right.
[35:14.360 --> 35:19.840]  But the thing that's coming up in the place of foreign news desks is global reach of local reporting.
[35:19.840 --> 35:24.280]  Great, great, global reach, and I'm not going to get into a long argument with you.
[35:25.040 --> 35:27.720]  Yes, we are reading a ton of newspaper articles.
[35:27.980 --> 35:30.300]  This information is going all over the place.
[35:31.240 --> 35:35.800]  But this concept that it should be free, to me, is what I have an issue with.
[35:36.140 --> 35:37.600]  And I'm not here to cut her mic.
[35:37.720 --> 35:37.820]  It's always been...
[35:37.820 --> 35:39.800]  I'm not, I'm sorry, I'm not here to argue with you about it.
[35:39.860 --> 35:42.280]  This is a sort of a one-way kind of thing.
[35:42.380 --> 35:42.800]  No, okay.
[35:43.220 --> 35:44.940]  But what I'm saying, what I'm saying is great.
[35:45.660 --> 35:48.580]  You, you'll win, if you win the battle, you're going to lose the war.
[35:48.740 --> 35:49.920]  That's why I bring up 2600.
[35:51.000 --> 35:57.300]  Um, you can say that, that all these people are consuming this journalism, but...
[35:57.300 --> 35:58.720]  My understanding is...
[35:58.720 --> 36:00.440]  If those people aren't getting paid for it...
[36:00.440 --> 36:01.860]  This is the biggest ever hope.
[36:02.100 --> 36:03.180]  Right, it's fantastic.
[36:03.520 --> 36:10.200]  Which seems to be, which seems to be a good sign for 2600 as an institution, if not for the print edition of the magazine.
[36:10.420 --> 36:10.560]  Right.
[36:17.300 --> 36:25.200]  You know, there's this, there's this mentality in the media, and it happens in radio all the time, where people want, they want to pay you in fame.
[36:25.800 --> 36:28.420]  Um, satellite radio is doing it right now, as well.
[36:28.980 --> 36:36.060]  Um, where, and when I had a syndicated show, they would say, you know, well, hundreds of thousands of people are going to hear your product.
[36:36.560 --> 36:41.420]  Well, that's great, you know, and I, and I strive to do a good journalistic product.
[36:41.700 --> 36:44.780]  But, I do this to put food on my table.
[36:45.320 --> 36:46.840]  Um, fame doesn't pay the bills.
[36:48.860 --> 36:58.800]  And, you know, I, I guess my, my main point of this is that whether it's paywalls or a micropayment system or something, uh, we need to figure out a way to support good journalism.
[36:59.040 --> 37:10.320]  Uh, because right now, a lot of good journalism is going away, and we're listening to, uh, Mel Gibson upset about, uh, the jacuzzi.
[37:10.960 --> 37:12.200]  Uh, wow.
[37:12.640 --> 37:15.400]  That was a, if you haven't heard that one.
[37:15.400 --> 37:16.620]  Anyway, next.
[37:18.020 --> 37:18.520]  Hi there.
[37:18.740 --> 37:25.860]  Um, so, I was wondering if you could speak to the current, um, the current political, um, motivations and net neutrality.
[37:26.200 --> 37:32.680]  Uh, like, where people, um, are, like, leaning, what Congress may be thinking of doing, and if there's any movements that people can support.
[37:32.780 --> 37:34.820]  Because, I guess in the end, that's who makes the laws.
[37:35.180 --> 37:36.160]  Uh, you know, the politicians.
[37:36.340 --> 37:39.280]  And so, who can we tell the loudest that this is a bad idea?
[37:42.300 --> 37:48.840]  Well, explaining things, especially, things about, uh, you know, the intranets to Congress is brutal.
[37:49.200 --> 37:49.620]  Yeah.
[37:49.620 --> 37:55.220]  These people don't know shit about the Internet, about electronic rights.
[37:55.740 --> 38:00.740]  They're gonna side on the side of these big content companies.
[38:00.740 --> 38:05.100]  Um, and so we think, well, I hope the Democrats will save us, right?
[38:05.240 --> 38:15.660]  Well, the Democrats are the one that railroaded through the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that allowed, you know, the previous woman's discussion about media consolidation.
[38:15.660 --> 38:20.900]  You want to talk about a law that changed the media landscape forever.
[38:21.440 --> 38:24.420]  That law completely screwed us.
[38:24.940 --> 38:31.220]  Um, these entertainment companies donate a ton of money to the, to the Democrats and to the Republicans.
[38:31.620 --> 38:33.640]  Uh, and they've got their ear.
[38:33.820 --> 38:37.720]  You know, and then, when they're like, well, these kids are, they're downloading our movies.
[38:37.720 --> 38:40.060]  You know, let us, uh, restrict them.
[38:40.720 --> 38:45.800]  Um, I, I think that Congress is gonna be listening to them, in a lot of ways, more than us.
[38:45.940 --> 38:51.780]  So, you know, you've gotta be loud, and you've gotta be heard, and you've gotta contribute to organizations that are fighting this.
[38:52.580 --> 38:52.880]  Awesome.
[38:53.020 --> 38:53.240]  Thank you.
[38:56.480 --> 38:56.920]  All right.
[38:57.040 --> 38:57.860]  So, I'm from Canada.
[38:58.120 --> 39:01.240]  So, I know a little bit of things, of how things are done in Canada.
[39:01.240 --> 39:16.680]  And when Canada was faced with this problem of newspaper not being trusted to not complete their race to the bottom, where they produce nothing but bullshit, what they did is they borrowed the idea from, from Britain.
[39:17.000 --> 39:19.900]  They said, let's create our own version of the BBC.
[39:20.240 --> 39:23.700]  We're going to have the government break off a bunch of people, give them money.
[39:23.900 --> 39:27.540]  You're going to produce good news that's essential for the quality of our democracy.
[39:27.540 --> 39:29.440]  They created the, the CBC.
[39:30.760 --> 39:33.800]  Here in the United States, I don't know why.
[39:33.920 --> 39:34.960]  People don't think like that.
[39:35.160 --> 39:39.360]  When they were confronted by the same problem, they said, let's create NPR.
[39:39.600 --> 39:40.720]  People will send money in.
[39:40.900 --> 39:41.840]  It will be a charity.
[39:42.040 --> 39:42.700]  It will work.
[39:42.800 --> 39:47.820]  It has about 1%, less than 1% of the radio, what, radio ear.
[39:48.380 --> 39:50.600]  Um, that's not going to work.
[39:51.640 --> 39:56.160]  I'm thinking of the other source of non-bullshit in our culture.
[39:57.780 --> 40:06.720]  The science establishment, which is doing fantastic work, just changing the world, just producing good information through the scientific process.
[40:06.900 --> 40:07.880]  Where do they get their money?
[40:08.180 --> 40:09.400]  They get it through the government.
[40:09.800 --> 40:09.960]  Right.
[40:10.600 --> 40:13.780]  Um, what do you think of the CBC, BBC model?
[40:13.880 --> 40:15.060]  I think it's a fantastic model.
[40:15.060 --> 40:18.640]  I was interviewed by the BBC two, uh, two months ago.
[40:18.940 --> 40:23.320]  And compared to journalists here, wow.
[40:23.580 --> 40:25.880]  The difference in professionalism is amazing.
[40:26.400 --> 40:28.360]  Um, the fact checking that goes on.
[40:28.920 --> 40:36.600]  Um, even when they're interviewing somebody about, I was over there talking to them about a video game that I worked on called Red Dead Redemption.
[40:38.060 --> 40:46.060]  And they, they will not allow you to talk too much about, uh, products on the BBC.
[40:46.680 --> 40:48.920]  Um, you can talk about the creative process.
[40:49.100 --> 40:50.300]  You can talk about things like that.
[40:50.420 --> 40:53.620]  But the, the restrictions at the BBC are phenomenal.
[40:53.620 --> 41:00.880]  And the fact that everybody, the fact that there's a TV tax over there makes so much sense.
[41:01.280 --> 41:06.540]  Um, because it funds good content and it funds good journalism.
[41:06.840 --> 41:15.180]  I, you know, I don't know how many times I'm clicking around and I'm reading a phenomenal article written by a BBC reporter.
[41:15.180 --> 41:18.260]  I, I wish we could replicate that here in the United States.
[41:24.770 --> 41:27.710]  Hi, so I just wanted to ask you about the scale of content.
[41:27.710 --> 41:30.050]  Uh, content is getting cheaper to produce.
[41:30.390 --> 41:33.250]  More people have access to the tools to create content.
[41:33.630 --> 41:46.330]  And I think that might actually push out some of the triple A movies, games, and music that, um, have to appeal to the lowest common denominator often to actually pull a profit.
[41:46.510 --> 41:57.610]  So I was just wondering if you think that the distribution of production, um, will affect, you know, your vision of how net neutrality and the future of the Internet is going to work.
[41:57.610 --> 42:02.810]  And whether that's less of a problem for the content providers in the future.
[42:03.070 --> 42:15.890]  Well, I think there's always going to be, you know, people making, like you say, you know, home, making movies at home that we have, we have the capacity now to make these amazing things.
[42:16.050 --> 42:20.690]  However, we as a culture tend to love the lowest common denominator.
[42:20.690 --> 42:34.050]  Uh, when I drive by the movie theater, it's shocking to me that anybody's in there watching half of that stuff, um, because it is, uh, a lot of it, just low, low quality garbage.
[42:34.050 --> 42:39.290]  I don't think that, that any of that's going to affect net neutrality.
[42:39.410 --> 42:52.350]  What will affect it is that, um, a lot of the content that, that is created is more expensive than ever to make, um, especially with, with, uh, film, uh, and video games.
[42:53.210 --> 42:54.010]  And, I think...
[42:54.010 --> 42:55.310]  Do we really need that, though?
[42:55.530 --> 42:56.850]  I mean, that's kind of my point.
[42:57.030 --> 43:03.450]  Do we really need the super expensive stuff, or can we keep things smaller and more local and more personal and more long tail?
[43:04.230 --> 43:07.990]  Well, a lot of times the local and the personal stuff isn't so good.
[43:08.410 --> 43:11.590]  Um, there's, uh...
[43:12.490 --> 43:17.850]  And, and then there's a lot of stuff that is done by the major studios is, is, uh, is absolute bar.
[43:17.850 --> 43:20.450]  But you just said the stuff in the movie theater isn't that good either.
[43:20.450 --> 43:23.430]  Well, but there, but there are phenomenal, there are phenomenal films.
[43:23.590 --> 43:29.810]  I, I don't see how, uh, you know, because we have more stuff, how that affects the, the argument over net neutrality.
[43:30.910 --> 43:31.410]  Thank you.
[43:35.630 --> 43:40.330]  I just actually have to question, to some degree, the logistics of what you were proposing of the U.S. putting up some kind of unified paywall for all the, uh, all the news companies.
[43:45.630 --> 43:56.450]  So, because, at least as, at least as far as I see it, you, it would be, well, unless it's an international effort, which I don't see ever getting through with the way the international state is nowadays.
[43:57.090 --> 43:58.350]  Because, I mean, say CNN even.
[43:58.650 --> 44:01.550]  Um, CNN, so they can remain a U.S. company, but it seems to me that, okay, if the U.S.
[44:03.550 --> 44:19.450]  is going to do this thing and they want to remain, keep their stuff free, they could just move their, um, server bases overseas so that their country, uh, the company's still here, but they're hosting out of a, another, another country, which is going to open up all sorts of litigation crap for this.
[44:19.530 --> 44:25.470]  And even, even then, um, just from a human psychology point of view, you're going to go to the, you're going to go to the cheapest point.
[44:25.610 --> 44:31.570]  That can be argued whether you should or not, but it's probably going to happen, which means if you start charging for the U.S. sites, most of the U.S.
[44:33.130 --> 44:37.410]  people would probably go to other out-of-country places like BBC or whatnot that still cover world affairs.
[44:37.670 --> 44:44.470]  Oh, it would absolutely be, uh, damn near impossible to implement on a, on a global, uh, on a global platform.
[44:44.750 --> 44:55.690]  And I'm not saying that, that, I'm not even advocating that sort of micropayment system, but, um, some kind of system needs to fund good journalism.
[44:56.650 --> 45:03.330]  I, I would, I, there was, there's no way that you could pass a BBC-like, entity here in the United States.
[45:03.510 --> 45:07.610]  People throw a tantrum when you try to give their little rugrats health care.
[45:07.770 --> 45:08.970]  They're like, I don't want socialism!
[45:09.150 --> 45:11.110]  It's like, alright, your little stupid kid's gonna die.
[45:11.250 --> 45:11.650]  Good job.
[45:19.230 --> 45:22.750]  Now, uh, I just had, uh, one more question on a slightly different topic.
[45:22.950 --> 45:28.090]  I was wondering what your thoughts, then, on the same kind of vein or on the concept of creative commons, then?
[45:28.090 --> 45:41.650]  I mean, I, I, I mean, as, as it applies to this, a, a lot of people I've, uh, people at my university, for example, I've actually heard, have pushed that they, that, um, they would actually like to see the intellectual properties gone in an entire institution of,
[45:41.710 --> 45:44.290]  like, creative commons, pretty much take over almost on everything.
[45:44.850 --> 45:51.730]  And, I'm, I'd be a perfect fan of intellectual property roles going much more to scale than they are now.
[45:51.730 --> 45:53.130]  I think that, right now, they're frickin' ridiculous.
[45:53.550 --> 45:55.130]  But, uh, particularly with Microsoft and other places.
[45:55.690 --> 45:57.690]  But, uh, I'm not exactly sure.
[45:58.310 --> 46:00.890]  I'm just curious what your thoughts are on that entire thing with creative commons at all.
[46:01.090 --> 46:10.710]  Um, I love creative commons, and, uh, people dictating, you know, how that their content can be used, um, to me makes a lot of sense.
[46:10.710 --> 46:17.490]  The thing that we're, is a, a big issue is Mickey Mouse.
[46:17.930 --> 46:25.230]  Uh, Mickey Mouse and this extension of keeping things out of the public domain is criminal.
[46:25.650 --> 46:35.430]  Um, it's disgusting that we as a culture have, have allowed this to happen, where they just keep extending the years, um, on this.
[46:35.430 --> 46:42.910]  And, you know, I hope that more of a creative commons situation, uh, works out.
[46:43.130 --> 46:50.930]  But, you know, right now, the people writing the laws about content, um, are, are not listening to us.
[46:51.690 --> 46:52.130]  Next.
[46:53.010 --> 46:55.850]  Um, I had a question, a one point and a question.
[46:56.150 --> 47:01.750]  The point about video games and things is, like, I've watched the price of video games go up from $30 to $60.
[47:02.210 --> 47:04.670]  Like, we don't have the money to consume all this stuff.
[47:05.230 --> 47:05.550]  And...
[47:05.550 --> 47:06.250]  Do you have cable TV?
[47:06.850 --> 47:07.330]  I'm sorry?
[47:07.490 --> 47:08.110]  Do you have cable TV?
[47:08.310 --> 47:08.590]  No, no.
[47:08.890 --> 47:09.590]  Oh, me neither.
[47:09.850 --> 47:10.010]  All right.
[47:10.070 --> 47:10.170]  Yeah.
[47:10.430 --> 47:10.650]  Next.
[47:10.830 --> 47:11.410]  So, like...
[47:12.570 --> 47:12.890]  Yeah.
[47:13.110 --> 47:21.130]  But I mean, like, when we purchase, when we purchase a video game for $60, like Doom 3, and, you know, within two levels, like, I could predict what's gonna happen.
[47:21.170 --> 47:22.850]  I run around the corner and there's an imp behind me.
[47:22.890 --> 47:25.670]  And, like, I don't get any enjoyment out of it and I just wasted $60.
[47:26.430 --> 47:29.890]  So, the part of forcing me to pay a set amount...
[47:29.890 --> 47:30.750]  Nobody's...
[47:30.750 --> 47:31.070]  Yeah.
[47:31.530 --> 47:33.730]  And, I mean, I don't want to sort of get into that...
[47:33.730 --> 47:37.370]  That whole debate is another whole issue.
[47:37.690 --> 47:38.670]  Um, but...
[47:39.210 --> 47:43.630]  I mean, I would say nobody's forcing you to spend $60 on it.
[47:43.630 --> 47:46.350]  Well, that's the only way I could get the game is to spend $60 on it.
[47:46.350 --> 47:46.550]  Right.
[47:47.290 --> 47:47.610]  So...
[47:47.610 --> 47:48.450]  But this is entertainment.
[47:48.590 --> 47:49.130]  What choice do I have?
[47:49.350 --> 47:50.870]  Well, let's be clear here.
[47:51.390 --> 47:52.030]  We get...
[47:52.030 --> 47:52.430]  We get...
[47:52.430 --> 47:55.090]  There's a lot of passion about this topic.
[47:55.670 --> 47:56.550]  Uh, and I...
[47:57.010 --> 47:58.870]  And I brought it up because I was hoping...
[47:58.870 --> 48:01.330]  You know, I hope that we can continue to have a discussion about it.
[48:02.830 --> 48:03.150]  Um...
[48:03.650 --> 48:03.970]  But...
[48:04.510 --> 48:04.830]  Well...
[48:04.830 --> 48:05.190]  Oh, yes.
[48:05.270 --> 48:05.690]  Play the demo game.
[48:05.790 --> 48:09.910]  But my point is, quickly, we're talking about entertainment.
[48:11.170 --> 48:12.350]  Um, it's not food.
[48:12.350 --> 48:13.290]  It's not shelter.
[48:13.590 --> 48:18.070]  Uh, it's not things that are, um, that you have to have to survive.
[48:18.970 --> 48:19.850]  And I...
[48:19.850 --> 48:26.450]  I think a lot of times, I've caught myself getting a little bit too wound up about, um, what is in...
[48:26.450 --> 48:28.650]  What is in essence, uh, entertainment.
[48:29.450 --> 48:32.850]  I think we as a culture have gotten way too drunk on entertainment.
[48:33.750 --> 48:34.190]  Um...
[48:34.190 --> 48:34.670]  That's fine.
[48:34.810 --> 48:36.850]  But, like, I can't return the game once I've opened it.
[48:36.910 --> 48:38.110]  Dude, I know.
[48:38.330 --> 48:39.070]  It's capitalism.
[48:39.410 --> 48:40.950]  Sometimes you buy stuff and it sucks.
[48:42.210 --> 48:42.570]  It's...
[48:42.570 --> 48:42.730]  It's...
[48:42.730 --> 48:44.690]  You know, read reviews online.
[48:45.230 --> 48:46.390]  I mean, that's why we pirate stuff.
[48:46.650 --> 48:46.930]  Like...
[48:46.930 --> 48:49.350]  So, you pirate stuff because you don't want it to suck.
[48:52.190 --> 48:52.550]  So...
[48:52.550 --> 48:53.070]  So...
[48:53.070 --> 48:53.270]  Yeah.
[48:53.470 --> 48:54.890]  Well, I buy...
[48:54.890 --> 48:57.790]  Like, if I pirate something and I like it, I'll go out to the store and buy it.
[48:57.850 --> 48:59.690]  I support the people who make quality content.
[48:59.890 --> 49:00.630]  Yeah, and I...
[49:00.630 --> 49:04.870]  I say the same thing when I've pirated stuff and I never went out and bought it.
[49:05.770 --> 49:06.730]  Well, I...
[49:06.730 --> 49:07.750]  Maybe you should.
[49:08.290 --> 49:09.090]  Like, I do it.
[49:09.110 --> 49:11.550]  I'm just saying, I've heard this argument before and it's nonsense.
[49:12.350 --> 49:12.750]  People...
[49:12.750 --> 49:13.830]  This whole, like, well, let me...
[49:13.830 --> 49:14.610]  Well, I mean...
[49:14.610 --> 49:14.910]  Let me...
[49:14.910 --> 49:15.390]  Let me...
[49:15.390 --> 49:15.670]  Let me...
[49:15.670 --> 49:15.870]  Let me...
[49:15.870 --> 49:16.010]  Let me...
[49:16.010 --> 49:19.070]  Let me consume it and then I'll decide if I want to pay for it.
[49:19.630 --> 49:21.150]  Hey, dude, I can't stop it.
[49:21.230 --> 49:21.530]  Do it.
[49:21.890 --> 49:22.930]  Go nuts, man.
[49:23.290 --> 49:23.870]  That's why...
[49:23.870 --> 49:24.430]  That's why...
[49:24.430 --> 49:28.050]  That's why I bring up the, uh, the PC gaming issue.
[49:28.050 --> 49:28.650]  No.
[49:28.770 --> 49:34.530]  This is, this is one of the reasons that a lot of companies are not making PC games is this mentality right here.
[49:34.750 --> 49:37.170]  They're gonna focus on the closed architecture systems.
[49:37.290 --> 49:44.590]  They've got more control over that and most people don't know how to solder a chip into an Xbox or a PS3 so that they can play pirated games.
[49:45.150 --> 49:50.870]  So, I mean, you know, I'm not gonna stop downloading and, dude, pirate your face off.
[49:50.990 --> 50:01.210]  But I'm saying the entertainment industry is reacting to this and if you're upset that the PC gaming landscape sucks now compared to what it used to be, this is the reason.
[50:01.810 --> 50:02.170]  Sorry.
[50:09.940 --> 50:13.380]  But for, but for journalism, like, there was an article that was...
[50:13.380 --> 50:14.220]  Hang on, we got two minutes.
[50:14.360 --> 50:15.740]  Let me get somebody else get another question.
[50:15.880 --> 50:16.040]  Sorry.
[50:16.280 --> 50:16.600]  Go ahead.
[50:16.600 --> 50:22.800]  I just wanted to make a comment on the previous guy who was making a, like, kind of like a, it's almost like a false choice between Creative Commons and IP.
[50:23.460 --> 50:27.820]  Just, everyone should keep in mind that Creative Commons is an alternative licensing scheme.
[50:28.300 --> 50:30.100]  It's, it doesn't work without IP.
[50:30.200 --> 50:31.400]  We can't get rid of IP laws.
[50:31.760 --> 50:33.660]  It's kind of like a ridiculous choice to present.
[50:33.680 --> 50:39.600]  Right, because America doesn't make anything now except for, uh, porno and bad movies and...
[50:39.600 --> 50:40.700]  Oy.
[50:41.620 --> 50:41.840]  Um...
[50:41.840 --> 50:42.700]  Guts!
[50:42.860 --> 50:43.300]  Yes.
[50:43.580 --> 50:44.640]  Oil spills!
[50:44.820 --> 50:47.260]  Yeah, oil spills we're pretty awesome at, actually.
[50:49.400 --> 50:51.880]  I'd like to take it back to journalism for a moment.
[50:52.160 --> 51:05.820]  Um, the reason that I do not consume corporate media and I hope it goes bankrupt is that at some point they stopped treating me as the customer and started treating me as the product selling me to the advertisers.
[51:06.640 --> 51:07.200]  Absolutely.
[51:08.880 --> 51:14.240]  If you want to restore democracy through the Fourth Estate, the Fourth Estate needs to function.
[51:14.640 --> 51:22.660]  And in order to function, there needs to be a firm division between journalism and advertising and entertainment bureaus.
[51:22.800 --> 51:23.260]  Absolutely.
[51:23.560 --> 51:29.120]  When, when news in this country became a for-profit situation, it used to be a loss leader.
[51:29.360 --> 51:33.560]  You, you had to have news on your network in order to maintain your license.
[51:33.840 --> 51:35.360]  And that all changed.
[51:35.360 --> 51:37.020]  Now news makes money.
[51:37.260 --> 51:39.740]  And when news makes money, you're getting sold bullshit.
[51:40.320 --> 51:43.680]  Uh, and with that, thank you so much everybody.
[51:43.680 --> 51:43.820]  Thank you so much everybody.
[51:49.720 --> 51:52.300]  I don't have the audio for these two tracks.
[51:53.380 --> 51:54.520]  Yesterday I missed you.
[51:54.520 --> 51:54.820]  Thank you.