christophe thinks out loud

Cory Doctorow on DRM

Pointing out an article on Boing Boing is a bit like saying, "For strong illumination, be sure to try the sun first." But this post is just so good, so cogent, so together, I have to mention it. Cory Doctorow simply demolishes the arguments in favor of DRM in one easy-to-read article. It's great.

By the company he keeps

It's a good thing that we are courting such open, free, democratic societies like, say, Russia, and steering clear of those without democratic experience, like, say, France.

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Tradescant tomb, west side, Museum of Garden History (formerly St Mary-at-Lambeth), London, December 2004.

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Light, Albert Embankment, London, December 2004.

Porn is the crack cocaine of political hearings

I can barely add anything to this great blog post except to repeat a quote that must be one of the most idiotic things in an area full of idiotic things:

From Dr. Mary Anne Layden:

For example, the myth that women are sexually aroused by engaging in behaviors that are actually sexually pleasuring to men is a particularly narcissistic invention of the pornography industry. This is sexual mis-education.

This is not even “Nice girls don’t.” This is “Girls don’t, and only porn makes men think they do.”

One hardly knows where to begin, except to note that, yes, lovers (male or female) often find it arousing to please their partners in sexual ways. If someone doubts the truth of this, this person is as unqualified to make comments about sex as a fish is to comment on the ethics of flying.

What underlies this, of course, is a deeply held belief about sex: Male desire is corrupt and debased, and threatening to civilization. Female desire, as long as it does not resemble male desire, is pure and good. The absolute worst thing, of course, is female desire that resembles male desire, because that means that the woman in question has gone over to the other side; she’s not just an enemy, she’s a traitor.

If you doubt this, I offer two example terms:

• Homewrecker — I mean, it’s not the man who is doing something to destroy a relationship. A man is doing what men do. It’s that woman who is putting her lust ahead of society. Right?
• A woman-owned and -operated sex toy store — Yes, it’s about sex, but it’s OK. It’s good, healthy chick-sex. Unlike male sex. Right?