When rivalry still openly reigned between the Obama and Clinton camps of the Democratic Party, Ulrich Gutmair spoke to Sci-Fi writer and pioneer of cyberpunk, William Gibson, about American politics, the online age and Voodoo

UG: You invented the term cyberspace when only a few people were online, on an early version of the Internet. What is the most fascinating thing for you on the net today?

Clay Shirky's Here Comes Everybody is reputed to be the best book ever written on Web 2.0. But why the strange silence on questions of copyright, privacy and ownership?

There has been a recent public outrage over anti-piracy lobbyist amendments to a European Parliament Telecom reform bill. The amendments would both implement a 'three-strikes' rule, which would cut off internet access for anyone suspected of illegal file-sharing, as well as giving government control to which internet software and services could be 'lawfully' used. On 7 July 2008, in Brussels, politicians voted in favour of the addition of these amendments to the Telecom law which will be voted on in September.

Taking issue with the argument that, after decentralisation, control is embodied within the protocols of networks, Harry Halpin gives a historical account of the all-too-human actors vying for power over the net. Not technical standards but immaterial aristocrats rule cyberspace and their seats of power are vulnerable to revolutionary attack

Ironic distance is ambiguous. It grounds both critique and detached resignation to the status quo. What becomes of it in the viral world of web 2.0?, ask Pil and Galia Kollectiv

In 1951, in his film Traité de Bave et d'Éternité, Isidore Isou announced:

Launched in July 2006, Norfolk Open Link is the largest community wireless broadband network in the UK and is apparently the only network in the UK that offers free mobile internet access for public sector employees, the business community and the general public.  The network covers much of Norwich city centre and other 'key' locations including the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.  It is managed by Norfolk County Council and is fully funded by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA).  The following links describe the project in m

The latest prol-position newsletter is just out, at www.prol-position.net/ (thanks Mavis for drawing attention to this).  The text here addresses the work of producing the material for the 'immaterial' sector.  Anyone interested in class composition and conflict in relation to technology and 'geopolitics' should look at the whole lot and the archive too.

Philips Contract Struggle

A new zone of media theory, netporn, revealed itself at this October’s The Art and Politics of Netporn conference in Amsterdam. Willing voyeur Sebastian Olma remained largely unaroused – except by the Italians, who were quite affecting

A new zone of media theory, netporn, revealed itself at this October’s The Art and Politics of Netporn conference in Amsterdam. Willing voyeur Sebastian Olma remained largely unaroused – except by the Italians, who were quite affecting.

Steve Wright reviews Network Culture: Politics for the Information Age
by Tiziana Terranova

Tiziana Terranova is a name familiar to readers of Mute. Issue 28 carried a lively and informative discussion between Terranova and Marc Bousquet, addressing the contemporary university as both node of accumulation and site of social conflict.1 Of her other writings to date, pride of place goes to an influential essay on the peculiarities of that labour which capital has sought to subsume to its digital economy.2

Christian Nold visits Jodi’s solo show at FACT, Computing 101B, and considers their shift from PC to gallery installation