In July, I posted an excerpt from a small Ursula K. Le Guin piece. I never had any intention of reproducing Le Guin’s piece in full, because I recognized that it was a short piece. But I now realize that I was wrong to reproduce as much as I did, and I have since reduced my excerpt to one sentence, which I feel constitutes fair use. Cory Doctorow, on the other hand, seems to feel that reproducing an author’s piece in whole is “fair use.” And his disingenuous citation of 17 USC, which entailed reproducing a “single paragraph” of a single paragraph piece strikes me as a dubious interpretation to say the least. His apology is nothing more than self-serving adulation. Whatever one’s thoughts on “information wanting to be free,” when one reproduces the whole of a piece, one knowingly commits copyright infringement. Thus, Doctorow indisputably committed piracy here and should really be careful if he wishes to continue dunning his nose into his idols’ posteriors. Le Guin’s thoughts on the matter can be found here.

Her Hagness, apparently closing up shop on the blog front, makes her LATBR debut.

My review of Kate Christensen’s The Great Man appears in today’s Philly Inquirer.

Deadlines, interviews, and other obligations keep me away from Reluctant today. In the meantime, stay tuned for the exciting prospect of seeing no new posts for the next two and a half days! That’s right. I promise you no new content until Monday. Where others might promise you several blog posts today, I take comfort in honoring my pledge of nothing. Because aside from work, there is, of course, some living to do.

And speaking of which, if you aren’t listening to Dr. Dog right now, you’re missing out. Have fun, folks.

The pattering pelts now hitting my window remind me of long rainy days as a teenager getting lost in mammoth books that nobody else I knew read. I never cared much for the rain in San Francisco. That city was more the natural domain of fog and inconsistent sunshine trickling through ever-shifting clouds. But on the East Coast, rain, thunder, and lightning makes as much sense as it did during those rare days in Sacramento. The five boroughs collectively represent a milieu designed for such weather. That it comes crashing down with such Hollywood gusto during both the summer thunderstorms and the autumn list from the heat is a tribute to its beauty and its fortitude. Alas, this rainy day romanticism comes at a great cost. I am now contending with the worst ceiling link I’ve ever experienced.