prusik | International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day

On one hand, I'm really happy that Dr. Hendrix's screed seems to have boomeranged. i.e., It's encouraging authors to put up freely redistributable stories on the net. I think this can only be good for the authors who do this. (I realize that the United Network of Newton Archives is not exactly touching the pulse of the electronic community. But Cory Doctorow has his own section of its e-book archive.)

On the other hand, I don't hear that many people pointing out how sad it is that a science fiction writer posits such a negative stance on technology. His final point was how unrelenting evil, evil, evil the internet is. I think he is saying that using it is to walk down the road of inevitable sin and corruption. Given that this is the point which unifies his others, I accuse him of, at least, burying the lede. e.g., simply blogging, not necessarily about your work, is enough to condemn you. Of course, he ends by asserting the supremacy of Good, True, Honest Manual Labor over "futzing with these electrons." (Ok, he does not literally put it this way, but I think the implication is clear. He makes it sound like he's retreating into the woods, never to come back out again. Noble Cincinnatus returning to the farm, as it were. Maybe he'll emerge from the woods to put down a plebeian revolt some day.)

I'm not saying that we must all be optimistic Analog readers (or writers), but I think one of the givens of SF is that science and technology are not inherently evil. They may not work out exactly the way that we want, but they are not inevitable paths to our certain destruction (moral or otherwise). This is why Michael Crichton is not a science fiction author. (Of course, if he were, he'd probably be more marginalized. :-) )

I'm also not saying that Dr. Hendrix shouldn't think the way he does. I wouldn't presume. I'm just saying that, coming from a science fiction writer, it's kind of like a seagull deciding never to soar, preferring the hard, honest work of constantly flapping his wings, so he never forgets how. He's the seagull who wants never to soar because he may not always be able to.

Anyways, April 23rd is International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day. I think it's a really cool thing to do. I look forward participating one day soon.
(I mean, the closest I've come is a rejection from Strange Horizons so good that I've been walking on air for days now. Professional quality is still a bit of a presumption.)