this post was submitted on 20 Sep 2024
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[ā€“] melbaboutown@aussie.zone 8 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (4 children)

I got an art book with recipes for mixing colours. You have no idea what a help that is, and something that I havenā€™t seen before. It was pure luck I scored that at the op shop.

Itā€™s so fucked you canā€™t share and archive resources. If it wasnā€™t a crime I would be a volunteer archivist scanning or photographing rare or important books and uploading them. Just so things donā€™t disappear when they go out of print and physical copies dwindle.

Iā€™ve also missed out on getting the Morpho books because I didnā€™t want to click a random link on social media to download them and now theyā€™ll be gone off the Internet Archive.

[ā€“] Llabyrinthine@aussie.zone 4 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Open Library has scans of older books online.

[ā€“] melbaboutown@aussie.zone 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Thanks, Iā€™ll check it out

Just concerned about the direction of thisā€¦ thereā€™s increasing crackdowns on lower risk sharing and itā€™s affecting the grey areas I used to hang around

[ā€“] Catfish@aussie.zone 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Hathi Trust also

[ā€“] Gibsonhasafluffybutt@aussie.zone 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Hey I ended up downloading infinity train. I can upload it to my google drive if you want to grab a copy.

[ā€“] melbaboutown@aussie.zone 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Ah thanks, I tend to avoid pirating and downloading though.

Iā€™m just looking at the worsening landscape of entertainment and information access and censorshipā€¦ itā€™s the relentless corporatisation of the internet

[ā€“] Catfish@aussie.zone 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

In many cases you actually can scan things, and potentially share them. There are many loopholes in the Aust Copyright Act, and different ones in those of other countries. Your local library will have an ILL service, an academic library (if you have access) ought have an excellent one. There will likely be fees, but absolutely anything not too fragile to handle can be made available.

[ā€“] melbaboutown@aussie.zone 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Sounds like a massive organisational job for someone like me who can barely run their own life. Iā€™m more thinking about the things I already own.

The art books, a few computer books, craft and sewing booksā€¦ growing up there was a classic recipe book called Australian Cookery and the Vogue Book of sewing but they may be gone now. I had some rare cds but one was lost in a hasty move and another was stolen šŸ™„

Iā€™ll have to look at the laws but Iā€™m so risk averse because I donā€™t have the money for a lawyer and would be hit hard if my internet was cut off.

I wish it was just legally ok to upload things to allow fair access and ensure they werenā€™t lostā€¦ culture, resources, basic skills.

Yes, resources and basic skills. Information on the internet is becoming less verifiable and influencers are gating stuff behind paywalls.

[ā€“] Catfish@aussie.zone 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[ā€“] melbaboutown@aussie.zone 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Archiving? Thatā€™s cool!

Iā€™m just saying Iā€™m intimidated about working out the loopholes and the amount of organisation to do it in an informal setting. Iā€™m caught in a space where I recognise the value but am struggling to contribute.

And criticising the way of things where corporations hoard like dragons

[ā€“] Catfish@aussie.zone 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Otherside, I donā€™t scan, I write the code that lets you find they exist.

Many research grants now require the outcomes to be free and public. Open Access is growing, but somebody still has to pay at some point.

[ā€“] melbaboutown@aussie.zone 3 points 2 months ago

Youā€™re doing good work.

[ā€“] Seagoon_@aussie.zone 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

One of my favourite scenes from The Time Machine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_ZfZaRCWTI and the talking books https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NRMYUpgyJ8

I think more important than accessibility is that people should want to read and write , accessibility will follow

[ā€“] melbaboutown@aussie.zone 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Iā€™m not sure about that.

With AI weā€™re about to have a lot of terrible books, shows and games released - and the talented people may be pushed out of the industry or forced to choose different careers in order to make a living wage. (I know there were SAG AFTRA strikes and now they may be fighting new disadvantages created by AI. Such as actors being pressured to sell the rights to their voice or likeness in perpetuity for a one off fee.) So while there may be content itā€™s likely to worsen.

The content also gets gatekept to ensure maximum profits, price hiked, and wiped out if the corporation feels like it.

And thereā€™s less motivation for independent artists/writers to create or share as a lot of it is being stolen.

Not enjoying this direction.

If it was only a moral matter I would straight up pirate everything. Even provide. Since I lack the experience to know for sure that Iā€™m avoiding the pitfalls (both legal and in terms of continuing internet access/damage to my device) I donā€™t. But I donā€™t blame anybody who does and consider it a service in media preservation.

These arseholes deserve it. A lot of stuff isnā€™t even available in any other way.

Edit: I watched the Time Traveler clip and am struck by the lack of curiosity there. Thatā€™s a danger too. AI may be used as a tool to the point people get too lazy to do their own thinking.