Techdirt

There are a lot of startups out there trying to become the "Uber of..." something, from valet parking to food delivery to dog-walking. But as much as this might look like mere bandwagon-hopping, it actually represents a fascinating and potentially important trend: the emergence of a new, highly efficient and flexible economy based around individuals offering on-demand services.

Many people have tried to figure out what factors contributed to making Silicon Valley a center of rapid innovation, usually so that they might replicate it elsewhere. But most of these efforts focus on superficial aspects and miss the most important feature of Silicon Valley's culture: the open and free flow of ideas, information and talent. This week, Mike, Dennis and Hersh discuss their personal experiences with Silicon Valley and their observations about what really makes it so special.

Last week, we discussed the many misconceptions that run rampant in the public understanding of copyright. This week, the EFF's Parker Higgins returns for part two of the conversation, looking at how to begin addressing and moving past these false facts.

Copyright is one of the most important fields of law in the digital age, and also one of the most widely misunderstood. The EFF's Parker Higgins joins us to discuss to most common misconceptions about how copyright works, and how it's been abused.

AirBnB has become a massive, popular service despite many people balking at its introduction. But in the big picture, what effect is it having on the urban centers where it thrives?

Following the recent shutdowns of GigaOm and San Francisco's The Bold Italic, we ask a critical question: how can smaller online media players survive in this age of goliaths like Buzzfeed?

Last week, Hersh Reddy helped us navigate the many ways in which the patent system is broken. This week, we turn our attentions to the ways in which it might be fixed, whether by small changes or sweeping reforms. For music, we've got more of Destroy All Patent Trolls by https://soundcloud.com/jonathanmann (CC-BY).

Hersh Reddy, co-host of the podcast, is a patent attorney with a computer science degree and a long history of working in the tech industry. In this first half of a double episode, he discusses the many ways in which the patent system is broken, and how it got that way. This week's music is Destroy All Patent Trolls by https://soundcloud.com/jonathanmann (CC-BY).

Gabriella Coleman is back this week to discuss the astonishing and still-recent shift in the digital world towards real, widespread political engagement on issues like privacy and surveillance.

People (especially those in the news media) love to talk about Anonymous, often making bold, sweeping and generally inaccurate proclamations about the group's nature and goals. Gabriella Coleman, on the other hand, has spent years closely studying and engaging with Anonymous in the real world, and developing a nuanced understanding of the nebulous phenomenon. Her new book Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy: The Many Faces of Anonymous provides insider details about Anonymous that you won't find anywhere else, and she joins us to discuss it on this week's episode.

Adam Fong discusses his thoughts, both as a composer and as the founder and director of the Center for New Music in San Francisco, on the changing opportunities for musicians to make money. The music on this week's episode is Adam's own composition, Five Times Remembered.

Recently, there's been a growing discussion around the concept of a basic income guarantee and its potential to completely change how we think about work, income and leisure. Albert Wenger from Union Square Ventures joins us this week to discuss the potential of this revolutionary idea.

Techdirt co-host Dennis Yang has been trying his hand as a driver for both Uber and Lyft. He shares his experiences, and sparks a discussion about the role and future of these services.

Techdirt has long operated on a homegrown content management system, but while we've been considering a switch to something open like Wordpress, many other media companies have been building their own proprietary platforms. What are the pros and cons of each approach?

It's Fair Use Week, so we're discussing this often-misunderstood counterpoint to copyright law that is in fact one of the most critical safeguards of our evolving shared culture.

Barry Eisler is back, this time in his capacity as a former CIA employee with insight into the intelligence community's inner workings and culture. This week's music is The NSA Hates This Song by Dan Bull.

Bestselling author Barry Eisler discusses the evolving culture and business model of publishing with Mike Masnick and Dennis Yang. This week's music is D.I.Y. MySpam by Jayme Gutierrez.

Cybersecurity has become a big, vague buzzword. But what are the actual underlying issues, and are they really as serious as they're made out to be? Mike Masnick, Hersh Reddy and Dennis Yang discuss.

What if cities provided broadband alongside services like water and garbage pickup? Mike Masnick, Hersh Reddy and Dennis Yang discuss the potential pros and cons.

A panel discussion about threats to internet freedom with the creators of the documentary Killswitch, moderated by Mike Masnick at the BitTorrent office.