Amazon.com's Best of 2001
If The Future of Ideas is bleak, we have nobody to blame but ourselves. Author Lawrence Lessig, a Stanford law professor and keen observer of emerging technologies, makes a strong case that large corporations are staging an innovation-stifling power grab while we watch idly. The changes in copyright and other forms of intellectual property protection demanded by the media and software industries have the potential to choke off publicly held material, which Lessig sees as a kind of intellectual commons. He eloquently and persuasively decries this lopsided control of ideas and suggests practical solutions that consider the rights of both creators and consumers, while acknowledging the serious impact of new technologies on old ways of doing business. His proposals would let existing companies make money without using the tremendous advantages of incumbency to eliminate new killer apps before they can threaten the status quo. Readers who want a fair intellectual marketplace would do well to absorb the lessons in The Future of Ideas. --Rob Lightner
Book Description
The Internet revolution has come. Some say it has gone. In
The Future of Ideas, Lawrence Lessig explains how the revolution has produced a counterrevolution of potentially devastating power and effect. Creativity once flourished because the Net protected a commons on which widest range of innovators could experiment. But now, manipulating the law for their own purposes, corporations have established themselves as virtual gatekeepers of the Net while Congress, in the pockets of media magnates, has rewritten copyright and patent laws to stifle creativity and progress.
Lessig weaves the history of technology and its relevant laws to make a lucid and accessible case to protect the sanctity of intellectual freedom. He shows how the door to a future of ideas is being shut just as technology is creating extraordinary possibilities that have implications for all of us. Vital, eloquent, judicious and forthright,
The Future of Ideas is a call to arms that we can ill afford to ignore.
Customer Reviews:
Good review.......2007-09-10
Deep understanding on what is going on with intelectual property that we don't see on the newspapers
Best on the subject.......2006-11-04
The author has great insight in the area of intellectual property and how it has an impact in future innovation.
Complex But Wonderful Nonetheless.......2005-06-16
The book is written in a very complex style -- especially the sections where Lessig goes into the nitty gritty of the architecture behind the Internet -- but the book is a wonderful read, especially for those who come from the mindset that copyright laws should serve to give full control to the creator. While Lessig's style is unnecessarily complex, the book is ultimately worth the effort -- especially for Internet enthusiasts and entrepreneurs who need to understand the implications of copyright laws and how they affect culture and future ideas.
Important book for IP lawyers and internet architects.......2004-06-19
This is the best of Lessig's books that I've read so far. Lessig is one of the more articulate spokespersons for the movement to protect the public domain, which includes such groups as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Creative Commons, etc., although he may be more moderate in his views than some.
In this book, Lessig does a great job explaining why the Internet became what it is (or at least what it was in 1999 or 2000). Ultimately the success of the Internet resulted from the fact that no one was in control... But his most important message is that corporate interests don't necessary like what it is, and are using their considerable powers to change it into something more useful to them. This isn't because these companies are evil - their approach is completely rational and legitimate. However, their interests and the interests of the public probably don't coincide here.
The only way to ensure that future control and/or regulation properly balances public and corporate interests is to have an informed public. Professor Lessig's book is a great start.
From whence comes invention?.......2004-03-30
Ultimately, the flaw in Lessig's books is his belief that the revolution of personal computing and the internet are the products of intellectuals like himself. Undermining the freedom and property rights of the programmers and companies who really invented these marvels is a profound threat to one of America's most vital and creative industries.
Book Description
Links have recently been established between the study of death assemblages by archaeologists and paleontologists (taphonomy) and the application of physical anthropology concepts to the medicolegal investigation of death (forensic anthropology). Forensic Taphonomy explains these links in a broad-based, multidisciplinary volume. It applies taphonomic models in modern forensic contexts and uses forensic cases to extend taphonomic theories. Review articles, case reports, and chapters on methodology round out this book's unique approach to forensic science.
Customer Reviews:
Useful and Outstanding.......2007-04-07
I am a law enforcement officer who is also a search and rescue coordinator. I am occasionally tasked with providing SAR management and resources during forensic searches. I bought the book after my interest was piqued. However, this book has turned out to be INCREDIBLY useful. The section on animal scavangeing (article after article--bears, canine, rodents, insects) is very useful for ME/coroners or LEO. There's some science, but nothing you can't understand if you stayed awake in high school(!) Virtually every time a new question comes up, it's in the book. I'm currently studying the transport of remains in water. If you need this kind of knowledge, the definately buy the book.
Great place to start.......2006-03-08
Comprehensive review of what happens after death. It's a great book to launch a more in-depth study.
very complete.......2005-09-23
a good textbook for class or for following along with your favorite tv. show.
Overview of the field of forensic taphonomy.......1998-10-16
Haglund and Sorg have done an excellent job of compiling and assembling information about the diverse field of taphonomy. The authors chosen to contribute to this volume are the leaders in their respective sub-disciplines and are illustrative of the many forms taphonomy can take. They further demonstrate that taphonomy is no longer considered just as: the study of skeletal assemblages in paleoecological and archaeological settings. It is a growing, diversifying, multi-faceted field. Students of taphonomy will find references in this book invaluable. In short: it will be your greatest resource in taphonomical studies.
Book Description
When The Holocaust first appeared in Israel in 1987, it was hailed as the finest, most authoritative history of Hitler's war on the Jews ever published. Representing twenty years of research and reflection, Leni Yahil's book won the Shazar Prize, one of Israel's highest awards for historical work. Now available in English, The Holocaust offers a sweeping look at the Final Solution, covering not only Nazi policies, but also how Jews and foreign governments perceived and responded to the unfolding nightmare. The Holocaust is astonishingly comprehensive. Yahil weaves a gripping chronological narrative that stretches from the Norwegian fjords to the Greek islands, from Amsterdam to Tehran--and even Shanghai. Her writing is balanced, objective, and compelling, as she systematically explores the evolution of the Holocaust in German-occupied Europe, probing its politics, planning, goals, and key figures. Yahil uses her command of the many relevant languages to marshal an impressive array of documentary and statistical evidence, driving her narrative forward with telling details and personal accounts--such as a survivor's description of her perseverance during a death march, or the story of the Struma, a boat that sank with over 700 Jewish refugees when the British refused to receive it in Palestine. Along the way, she destroys persistent myths about the Holocaust: that Hitler had no plan for exterminating the Jews, that the Jews themselves went peacefully to the slaughter. Though Yahil finds that Nazi policies were often inconsistent, particularly during the years before the war, she conclusively demonstrates that Hitler was always working toward a final reckoning with world Jewry, envisioning his war as a war against the Jews. The book also recounts numerous uprisings and acts of resistance in ghettos and concentration camps, as well as the activities of Jewish partisan units. Yahil describes the work of Jews in America, Palestine, and world organizations on behalf of Hitler's victims--often in the face of resistance by the Allied governments and neutral states--and explores the factors that affected the success of rescue efforts. The Holocaust is a monumental work of history, unsurpassed in scope and insightful detail. Objective yet compassionate, Leni Yahil brings together the countless diverse strands of this epic event in a single gripping account.
Customer Reviews:
Full of objective facts.......2000-09-13
This is one of the best accounts of the Holocaust that I have read. It is completely objective, just leading the reader through the facts. Instead of taking the stance of "Hitler is evil and to blame for it all," the book shows the reader who all the players were, and how they were created. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants the facts.
Book Description
Foreword by Stanley Hauerwas
Current debates over a host of issues, particularly those relating to homosexuality, have left the 70-million-member Anglican Communion straining to understand what it means to be a communion — and even wondering whether life as a communion is possible.
In this timely book two priest-scholars, Ephraim Radner and Philip Turner, examine the future of the concept of "communion" as a viable church structure, tracing its historical development as a self-conscious Anglican third way between Protestant congregationalism and Catholic centralism. In examining this essential issue, Radner and Turner relate the specific challenges of the U.S. Episcopal Church to the unity of the worldwide communion, touching on such divisive subjects as the place of Scripture, liberal theology, and episcopal authority. Their discussion is at once measured and impassioned, erudite and practical.
Compelling reading for Episcopalians and those in other traditions who are searching for a truly Christian approach to these thorny topics, The Fate of Communion is a forthright, direct examination of a church in turmoil.
Customer Reviews:
Not quite bold enough or deep enough.......2007-04-05
I write what I believe is the second review on Amazon about this book. For the past six months I have been focusing on the "issues" in the Episcopal/Anglican church and have learned most of what I know from articles and blog sites. The title of the book and a positive review in a journal prompted me to buy it and read it.
I was not entirely satisfied. One problem is the the situation in Anglicanism perhaps is morphing too rapidly to be captured in a book. What can and should be captured in a book is a long-term trend. It was, I believe, an Anglican Bishop (Stubbs) who said "The roots of the present lie deep in the past." "Deep" is an operative word in the quote. While Radner and Turner give us a good view of the recent past--their analysis of the "prophetic" voice of the Episcopal Clergy is spot on--they do not go deep enough into the past for us to more clearly see the trajectory that church has been on for over a hundred years, and possibly since its inception.
If one's purpose is to understand what is going on, then Radner and Turner simply don't given enough information. Their stated agenda is to propose a way out and forward. Given Radner's recent comments however, it does not appear that the program he outlines has gained much traction.
I am afraid that for a brief moment this book might have been quite useful, but that moment has passed. Now we must resort to quickly aging articles, or to more magisterial works that examine the church's history for a longer period of time.
I'd give the book 3.5 stars if I could. I'm glad I read it, but if I didn't have it so marked up, I would be selling it as a used book right now.
Highly Recommended.......2007-03-18
This book deserves far more attention that it is getting. The two authors take a discerning look at the current crisis within Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion from a decidedly conservative stance. The book is divided into four segments. The first looks at the current situation in the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church. The second section considers the issue of authority in the Church. The third segment considers what it means to be a Communion. And the final section looks at some of the issues that could well impact the future of the Anglican Communion.
They have written a well reasoned book that manages to avoid much of the rancor that permeates so much of what is written about the current conflicts within the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church. They approach this subject from an unabashedly conservative point of view. A point of view that I do not share on the immediately divisive issue of human sexuality. I feel that I came away from this book with a better understanding of some of the issues surrounding the current Anglican crisis. And, I read the entire book without getting so pissed off that I threw it against the wall. Not once!
A few parts of the book stand out in my mind. Fr. Radner's chapter titled "Children of Cain" was particularly interesting. It examines the negative impact of the American cultural aspects of religious pluralism and religious marketplace mentality on the character and structure of the Episcopal Church. Fascinating material! I will let you read it for yourself.
Dr Turner's chapter titled, "ECUSA's God and the Idols of Liberal Protestantism" provides a very succinct (and perhaps too brief) an analysis of what he calls the Episcopal Church's 'working theology'. The reduction of theology to one of radical inclusion does, I think, lead to a de-emphasis on the concepts of atonement, holiness, discipleship, and even evangelism. I agree with him here. Anyone who has read the Episcopal Church's current Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori's recent book titled A Wing and a Prayer will realize that he is 'spot on' in his analysis. Again, well worth reading.
One issue that is alluded to but not fully examined is whether or not the Anglican Communion is simply a voluntary federation of independent national churches or 'something much more'. Both authors argue that the Anglican communion is decidedly 'something much more' although that is hardly a universal (and most likely not even a majority) view within the Episcopal Church. Certainly, the Anglican Communion has been slowly lurching towards communion, but as late as the 1978 Lambeth Conference, a resolution was passed that explicitly stated that the conference was not legislative body and so its resolutions were not binding.
Book Description
Here, Philip Bobbitt studies the basis for the legitimacy of judicial review by examining six types of constitutional argument--historical, textual, structural, prudential doctrinal, and ethical--through the unusual method of contrasting sketches of prominent legal figures responding to the constitutional crises of their day. Examines the characteristic types of constitutional argument by which judicial review is carried out.
Customer Reviews:
on of the best books on judicial review.......2005-06-30
This is an excellent book for scholars interested in judicial review. Bobbitt breaks down the typology of constitutional interpretation into six categories.
It is not written in a manner that is accessible for the casual reader, but if you are interested in how constitutional interpretation is approached from different philosophies - what separates a Justice Frankfurter from a Justice Black, or a Scalia from Stevens -- then I would highly reccomend this book.
A Post Modern Mess.......2000-12-13
At first Constitutional Fate looks much like a typical anthology of the most significant modes of constitutinal argument, for this I must admit the book does a fairly good job. The problem comes at the end; where we must endure an unconnected attempt to give the book purpose. The authors argument is essentially that there is no argument.
Now I must admit I am reading this for a take home final so perhaps I am just a little jaded. For one minuete I think that there is nothing but brilliance in these last few pages; only for seconds later to conclude that it is all just a bunch of smoke.
Product Description
Multiple books shipped as one item for your convenience. Save on Shipping/Handling charges.
Product Description
great.
Book Description
Asseses the impact of intellectual and political movements of the late twentieth century on law and legal theory
Book Description
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are harmful to human health and to the environment. Their fate in the marine environment is not yet fully understood. An ocean model (FANTOM) has been developed to investigate the fate of selected POPs in the North Sea. The main focus of the model is on quantifying the distribution of POPs and their aquatic pathways. This is the first time that a spatially-resolved, measurement-based ocean transport model has been used to study POP-like substances, at least on the regional scale. The model was applied for the southern North Sea and tested by studying the behaviour of g-HCH, a-HCH and PCB 153 in sea water. This model study proves that transport models, such as FANTOM, are capable of reproducing realistic multi-year temporal and spatial trends of selected POPs and can be used to address further scientific questions.
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- The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States
- The Pentagram Papers: A collection of 36 papers containing curious, entertaining, stimulating, provocative, and occasionally controversial points of view ... by, the partners of Pentagram Design
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Free Culture: The Nature and Future of Creativity
Code: Version 2.0
Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace
Copyrights and Copywrongs: The Rise of Intellectual Property and How it Threatens Creativity
The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom
