Doctorow tells librarians to reject DRM

Last month I read Little Brother by Cory Doctorow and really liked it. Liked it so much that I wrote a review of it for the upcoming issue of Canadian Bookseller Magazine. Little Brother is a YA novel dealing with issues close to Doctorow’s heart (and mine): increasing loss of privacy, surveillance in our society and a growing apathy toward giving away our most intimate life details in exchange for new shiny tech devices or web apps.

Recently, Doctorow spoke at the American Library Association’s Conference in a panel called: “Privacy: Is it time for a revolution.”

Doctorow eloquently explains his fears over where GPS enabled, tethered appliances like iPhones and RFID embedded items, like UK Tube passes are taking us as a society. He quotes Mitch Kapor when he says “Architecture is politics.” The technology network we are building now with GPS enabled smartphones, tell-all social networks and tethered appliances able to remove features after purchase is also evolving the political system that will come out of them.

The video is on BoingBoing, but you can watch it here:

These are the discussions that must be added to media literacy classes from elementary to high school and beyond.

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YES Mag features my video game math lessons

Last March, I wrote the post Levelling Up: two-digit math in kids’ video games, about how I used experience points and coins in kids’ mmos like Runescape and virtual worlds like Club Penguin to teach my Grade 5 students two-digit math. Writer Cora Lee and the editors at the great kids science magazine, YES Mag, took note and have featured my experience in the article “Adding Culture to Math”, appearing in the July/August 2008 issue.

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Writer emerges from Azeroth with news

029384Ok, so here’s how it goes: Writer announces that he’s delving into World of Warcraft, purely for research purposes ;) and doesn’t blog for nearly a month. A classic case of gamer widowhood? Not really (honest!) I have been busy and there is much to report. For instance:

Wild Ride has gone into its second printing AND has been picked up by the Scholastic Book Club for the 2008/09 school year. Very cool. This is first time any of my books have gone into a second printing and it’s completely due to my fantastic publisher, Orca Book Publishers, and their even more fantastic connections in the USA.

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Max Finder wins 2nd Distinguished Achievement Award

max2small2.gifNot only was yesterday Canada Day, but it was also the day I learned that Max Finder Mystery Collected Casebook Vol. 2 won a 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers in the United States.

This is the second year in a row that my Max Finder Mystery series of graphic novels has received the nod from the AEP. The Collected Casebook Vol. 1 picked up a 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award for its innovation in children’s publishing.

I’m honoured that the AEP enjoyed the second book in the Max Finder Mystery trilogy as much as it liked the first. The AEP seal of approval means a lot because it more librarians will purchase the book and more kids will get to read Max & Alison’s mysterious adventures.

Cool!

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Smashing beasts for Science

kawendel-021To celebrate my recent completion of my Bachelor of Education from OISE/UT, I decided to have a little fun and re-open the World of Warcraft account laying dormant on my hard drive. Part of this decision was to kick back and have some well-deserved fun, but it was also to help me with my latest (top-secret) writing project about mmos, avatars and all that online fun stuff. When I rolled up my toon, I thought I would be a warrior, rogue, or shaman. I never thought I’d become a scientist. But that is exactly what happened.

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Why the proposed copyright law is bad for you (and me)

I’m running out the door to sign at Book Expo, but I have to put up this assortment of voices denouncing Bill C-61, the new copyright law proposed by the Conservatives earlier this week. Overall, I agree that it’s bad for Canadians and fantastic for Hollywood and the American record labels. Jesse Hirsh appeared on CBC radio and explains why it’s bad in the video below:

Michael Geist has a barrel full of reasons why it’s bad and what you can do about it.

Digital Copyright Canada is on top of the recent developments and Appropriation Art has even put together 51st State, a comic book explaining the real reasons why the minority Conservative government is so eager to ram this bill through Parliament just weeks before it breaks for summer. The pdf comic is fully linked with sources that will debunk the myths about Canadian copyright that the right are using to frame this issue (like how Canada has weak copyright laws, even though Canada is ranked in the top 10 for the best Intellectual Property laws.)

But mostly, the thing that stinks about this bill is the way it’s being introduced: right at the end of this year’s session and with no consultation with ordinary Canadians.

If you own an ipod, surf the web or plan on accessing culture (ie watching movies) in the future. This bill concerns you.

Gotta run and sign some books.

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Book Expo Canada takes over my weekend

Okay, not the entire weekend. But Book Expo Canada is here and I’ll be out tonight at the CCBC Children’s Gala, (which I’ve stated before, is neither for children or a gala, but is always fun) schmoozing with fellow writers and editors who I normally only email with.

Tomorrow, I’ll be signing advanced copies of the latest title in the Graphic Guide Adventures series: Ramp Rats, with my good friends at Orca Book Publishers. I’ll at their booth from 2pm until around 2:30ish. So, if you’re in the Metro Convention Centre and want to learn how to pull a stalefish grab, come see me and I’ll get you sorted.

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First impressions: Wizard 101

Last night, I got my beta invitation to Kingsisle Entertainment’s new mmo for kids: Wizard 101 and although I’m still a mere Novice Conjurer who hasn’t explored much beyond Unicorn Way, I am impressed with the game so far.

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Bill Moyers throws it down on media reform

Speaking at the National Conference on Media Reform, Bill Moyers outlines the dismal landscape that is mainstream media today, while encouraging all viewers, listeners and readers to demand that the media tells “what we need to know.”

More at alternet.org

Added: Just got back from stumbling on Antonio Lopez’s Mediacology blog where he’s posted a video of Bill Moyers schooling a Fox reporter on how real journalism is done at the NCMR 2008. Check out the video:

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