So "Atlas Shrugged" is a very large audio book. Audible divides it into 7 separate downloads and lists the book as taking 52 hours and 19 minutes to listen to.
I'm now about a third of the way through section 2.
"Atlas Shrugged" strikes me as somewhat speculative. There is a pirate off the coast of New York, and a new type of steel alloy that has miraculous properties. There are vague references to the sorry economic state of the world and mention of a hijacked shipment of relief aid to the "people's state of france".
Much of these first two sections seem to be taken up with the scheming machinations of government, especially those who wish to use government to ensure that they are able to maintain a comfortable standard of living with minimal effort. As I listen, I can't help but think of the recent lawsuits brought by Verizon against Vonage, and by Viacom against Google.
These two lawsuits have something in common with each other and with the machinators in "Atlas Shrugged". Both Verizon and Viacom represent industries which have grown comfortable on the status quo and which are threatened, like Rand's Orin Boyle, by revolutionary technical innovation. In Verizon's case this is voice over IP, and in Viacom's case this is YouTube and viral TV. Rather than attempt to compete fairly, both Viacom and Verizon have sought the aid of the government to help them preserve their market position.
Verizon argues that Vonage is infringing on a patent. Possible though this may be, the concept of patent was not intended for this purpose--to squash innovation through the use of courts and Verizon 's lawsuit is both a misuse of the legal system and dishonest.
Similarly, Viacom has sued Google for copyright infringement because its television shows are occasionally posted on YouTube. Instead of suing, Viacom should adapt to the new medium, should find a way to profit from the changing entertainment ecology. To use the courts to stave off innovation is, as Rand portrays in "Atlas Shrugged", harmful and unethical.
I'm now about a third of the way through section 2.
"Atlas Shrugged" strikes me as somewhat speculative. There is a pirate off the coast of New York, and a new type of steel alloy that has miraculous properties. There are vague references to the sorry economic state of the world and mention of a hijacked shipment of relief aid to the "people's state of france".
Much of these first two sections seem to be taken up with the scheming machinations of government, especially those who wish to use government to ensure that they are able to maintain a comfortable standard of living with minimal effort. As I listen, I can't help but think of the recent lawsuits brought by Verizon against Vonage, and by Viacom against Google.
These two lawsuits have something in common with each other and with the machinators in "Atlas Shrugged". Both Verizon and Viacom represent industries which have grown comfortable on the status quo and which are threatened, like Rand's Orin Boyle, by revolutionary technical innovation. In Verizon's case this is voice over IP, and in Viacom's case this is YouTube and viral TV. Rather than attempt to compete fairly, both Viacom and Verizon have sought the aid of the government to help them preserve their market position.
Verizon argues that Vonage is infringing on a patent. Possible though this may be, the concept of patent was not intended for this purpose--to squash innovation through the use of courts and Verizon 's lawsuit is both a misuse of the legal system and dishonest.
Similarly, Viacom has sued Google for copyright infringement because its television shows are occasionally posted on YouTube. Instead of suing, Viacom should adapt to the new medium, should find a way to profit from the changing entertainment ecology. To use the courts to stave off innovation is, as Rand portrays in "Atlas Shrugged", harmful and unethical.
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