The Anarchist in the Library: How the Clash Between Freedom and Control Is Hacking the Real World and Crashing the System

Description

"The recording industry has sued the music downloaders into submission, but as a model of communication, their effects still echo around the world. The proliferation of such peer-to-peer networks may appear to threaten many established institutions, and the backlash against them could be even worse than the problems they create. Their effects - good and bad - resonate far beyond markets for music. They are altering our sense of the possible, extending our cultural and political imaginations." "Unregulated networks of communication have existed as long as gossip has. But with the rise of electronic communication, they are exponentially more important. And they are drawing the contours of a struggle over information that will determine much of the culture and politics of our century, from unauthorized fan edits of Star Wars to terrorist organizations' reliance on "leaderless resistance." The Anarchist in the Library is the first guide to one of the most important cultural and economic developments of our time."--Jacket.  Read more... Abstract: Vaidhyanathan uses examples ranging from ancient religions to open-source software to show how this battle will be one of the defining fault lines of 21st century civilization. His radical explanation of the future of information is a warning shot that will mobilize anarchists and controllers alike.  Read more... Content: Public noises -- The ideology of peer-to-peer -- Hacking the currency -- The peer-to-peer revolution and the future of music -- A work in progress or the final edit? -- Imagineering -- Culture as anarchy -- The perfect library -- The anarchy and oligarchy of science and math -- The nation state versus networks -- The empire strikes back -- Conclusion : the heartbreak of oligarchy and anarchy.