Kaustubh Srikanth wrote: [ on 04:01 PM 12/31/2007 ]
The second instalment of "Steal This Film" has just been released for
download (available in 4 different resolutions here:
http://www.stealthisfilm.com/Part2/)
As the name indicates, it is the successor of the widely popular
documentary about the 2006 raid on the pirate bay
(http://www.stealthisfilm.com/Part1/).
"Steal This Film" Part 2 attempts to insert the conflicts over
file-sharing and distributed communication in a historical context.
Beginning with the book and the printing press, STF 2 tells of the
disruptive consequences of new technologies of reproduction, and how
these inventions are resisted by those in power.
I am assuming that the title (I haven't seen it yet) is a direct
reference to _Steal This Book_ [1] - the full text is available at [2].
The Wikipedia page provides a decent summary:
<q>
Steal This Book is a book written by Abbie Hoffman in 1970 and
published in 1971. It includes advice on such topics as growing
marijuana, starting a pirate radio station, living in a commune,
stealing food, shoplifting, stealing credit cards, preparing a legal
defense, making pipe bombs, and obtaining a free buffalo from the
U.S. Department of the Interior. It discusses various tactics of
fighting as well as giving a detailed list of affordable and easy
ways to find weapons and armor that can be used in the event of a
confrontation with law enforcement. The book advocates rebelling
against authority in all forms, governmental and corporate.
The book's reflexive title is a classic example of Yippie culture
jamming. Many bookstores refused to carry the book, because some
patrons followed the advice of the book's title. [1]
As the book ages, the specific information it contains has become
largely obsolete, but the book captures the yippie zeitgeist.
On the success of the book, Hoffman was quoted as saying, "It's
embarrassing when you try to overthrow the government and you wind up
on the Best Seller's List." Hoffman would not respond to accusations
that he had plagiarized the book, as published in a detailed article
in Rolling Stone magazine (No. 92, 10 September 1971), entitled "How
Abbie Hoffman Won My Heart and Stole Steal This Book."
</q>
[1]
<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steal_This_Book&oldid=179995885>http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steal_This_Book&oldid=179995885
[2] http://www.tenant.net/Community/steal/steal.html
--
((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
