Pit Schultz on Mon, 10 Mar 97 23:10 MET |
[Date Prev] [Date Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]
nettime: review: Anarchy online |
High Tide on the Big Sur Pirates, Pornographers, Legislators, Prosecutors, Thieves, Christians, Crackers, Hackers, Anarchists, Suprematists, Fetishists, Scammers, Spammers, Cypherpunks.. and their Epic Struggle to control the Internet Anarchy Online by Charles Pratt $24.95 365 pages, illustrated Published by Black Sheep Books Review by Skott Skinner Probably the last thing the world needs right now is YABOH (Yet Another Book On Hackers) After all, is there anything left in this genre that hasn't already been adequately covered/exploited by such noteworthies as the *The Cuckoo's Egg, Cyberpunk, The Hacker Crackdown, Masters of Deception, The Fugitive Game, Takedown, The Cyberthief and the Samurai*, and slues of other lesser known works? This question was foremost on my mind as I plowed through the first chapter of Charles Platt's *Anarchy Online*, which begins with a tiresome recap of hacker ways and means. By the end of the book, I was happy I endured, for several elements combine to make *Anarchy* a unique and worthy read, and which allows me to answer my aformentioned question with a definitive yes. Whereas another recent publication, Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon's *Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet*, paints a vivid portrait of the Internet's genesis, *Anarchy* picks up where *Wizards* leaves off, discussing the complex social issues and corresponding power struggles contributing to the "anarchy" online. *Anarchy*, then, is very much aware of its predecessors, featuring and acknowledging Katie Hafner and other authors as it examines topics ranging from free speech issues to online pornography to digital cash. Indeed, perhaps the only common thread that ties these chapters together is their close relation to the Internet (with one notworthy exception being its excellent examination of satellite video piracy). In this respect, Platt breaks from the usual thematic literary approach and instead presents us with a second-order view rich in meta-content, a book about other books and issues relating to the Internet. This second order view allows Platt to make observations and judgements that are usually reserved for the critic. For example, examining not only the Kevin Mitnick saga, but the books written about Kevin, and the authors of those books, and the books written about those authors, etc. While *Anarchy* exercises hindsight to the extreme, it also breaks some new ground, especially with its considerations and analysis of some of the most recent issues affecting netizens, including the Internet's inevitable entrenchment into the world of commerce. Overall, Platt takes a positive approach toward the Internet, acknowledging its many probems (including hackers), but also putting those problems into perspective. *Anarchy*, for example, points out that many "ex-hackers" from the past are now Internet Service Providers of the present, using their unique perspectives to secure free speech and online rights, in contrast to the extreme censorship that characterizes such conservatve giants as AOL, and Compuserve. On the down side, *Anarchy* lacks both source notes and an index, both of which are of inestimable value for those of us hoping to find our names mentioned somewhere in its pages. Additionally, I was disappointed that the story of Edward Cummings (a.k.a. Bernie S.) was not mentioned, as his ordeal is perhaps the clearest demonstration yet of a chaotic and unfettered Internet nonetheless resulting in a powerful political gestalt capable of empowering individuals and grass-root efforts, and initiating change. Production and Availability According to the author, *Anarchy* was originally intended as a HarperCollins imprint, but after several delays in publication, Platt decided to self-publish the hardcover edition and let HarperCollins produce the softcover. Readers should understand that this is largely unheard of in the publishing industry, as even a book worth buying requires the massive resources of a publishing giant for marketing and distribution, without which there is little guarantee for financial success. Still, Platt's compromise may indeed be better off for everyone, including the reader. While not available in bookstores, *Anarchy* is nonetheless a full-cloth hardcover printed on superior paper-stock - far better in quality than HarperCollins would have done. The book can be ordered easily enough by calling 1-800-879-4214. In addition, by saying the magic words "I heard about it through the Internet," copies cost only $12.95 (plus postage). This is cheaper than the paperback edition HarperCollins is scheduled to release in March 1997! [ 2600 Magazine Winter 1996/97 , www.2600.com Yearly subscription: U.S. and Canada -- $21 individual, $50 corporate (U.S. funds). Overseas -- $30 individual, $65 corporate -> subs@2600.com posted with permission] -- * distributed via nettime-l : no commercial use without permission * <nettime> is a closed moderated mailinglist for net criticism, * collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets * more info: majordomo@is.in-berlin.de and "info nettime" in the msg body * URL: http://www.desk.nl/~nettime/ contact: nettime-owner@is.in-berlin.de