The current edition of Business & Economy (apparently "India's most influential business and economy magazine") features a piece on "Global music industry: is this the end or a new beginning? A musical paradox". The upshot is that declining sales of albums and slowing digital downloads mean that it must embrace innovative business models or go … Continue reading Strategies for the music industry – I’m featured in India’s ‘Business & Economy’
Author: johnnyryan
Writer & thinker. Chief Policy & Industry Relations Officer at Brave. Author of 'A History of the Internet and the Digital Future' http://amzn.com/1861897774 .
Cory Doctorow / BoingBoing plugged my book
Cory Doctorow was kind enough to put a plug of the book on BoingBoing yesterday. Said he: an engrossing, well-written account of the Internet's founding and the backstory of the underlying protocols and plumbing, which draws on that rich history to make predictions about the net's future. Good man! (see the full piece below, or … Continue reading Cory Doctorow / BoingBoing plugged my book
2nd extract of my book in Ars Technica — The essence of the ‘Net
Chapter 3 of my book A History of the Internet and the Digital Future has just been published by Ars Technica. This is one of the 3 chapters (of the 13 in the book) that are being published for free. Here it is, or read at Ars. Johnny Ryan's A History of the Internet and … Continue reading 2nd extract of my book in Ars Technica — The essence of the ‘Net
I CAN HAS INTERNET?
I just published the first chapter of my book for free via Ars Technica. Full text over at Ars Johnny Ryan's A History of the Internet and the Digital Future has just been released and is already drawing rave reviews. Ars Technica is proud to present three chapters from the book, condensed and adapted for … Continue reading I CAN HAS INTERNET?
3D printing – Johnny Ryan talks with John Kawola, CEO of Z Corporation
I've been thinking allot about what I call "Objects 2.0" and the impact we will see from 3D printing. I had opportunity to speak recently with John Kawola, the CEO of Z Corporation, one of the leading manufacturers of 3D printers. (I've spoken to the heads of 3D Systems, Objet, Makerbot, etc., and may post … Continue reading 3D printing – Johnny Ryan talks with John Kawola, CEO of Z Corporation
Reformcard event (Dublin city centre) Monday 21st
Come meet Reformcard on Monday 21st! Just four days before the Irish General Election, come and meet political representatives and hear them explain their plans for reform. Reformcard has teamed up with Transparency International Ireland to host a free public forum on Reform. The Facebook event page is: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=198142726878511 Date: 21 February 2011, 1.00pm. Venue: … Continue reading Reformcard event (Dublin city centre) Monday 21st
Social Music Remix
Based on some ideas in my book, and a piece I wrote with Dr Allegre Hadida in BusinessWeek ("One way to save the music industry") in July last year, we have submitted to the ReThink Music business model competition. Allegre is an academic at the Judge School of Business in Cambridge. ReThink Music is run … Continue reading Social Music Remix
Call for Civic Hackists!
There is a strong community element to the Political Reform Scorecard idea because the weighting of the importance of different areas of reform will - or should be - determined by crowd voting. Also, the ongoing tracking of implementation and performance will rely on a flow of government data. We're looking to build a site … Continue reading Call for Civic Hackists!
proposal for a Political Reform Scorecard
A colleague of mine, Joseph Curtin, came up with a simple idea: why not rank, and then track, optimal political reform measures? Building on that core I elaborated a second stage that would begin after the election of a new government, at which point the system would become a way for people to engage with … Continue reading proposal for a Political Reform Scorecard
Objects 2.0
This is an initial note on something I have been thinking about for a while, and which I am now writing on: "Objects 2.0" and the "crowd manufacturing cycle". 3D printing, and the cycle of iterative remixing of physical design that will come with it, are going to dramatically disrupt manufacturing. It promises adjustment challenges … Continue reading Objects 2.0
Speaking notes on the digital future
This afternoon I was doing a prerecord for Drivetime, a popular show on RTE (Ireland's national radio station). I took a few minutes and wrote down some points I wanted to cover. We were due to discuss my new book A history of the Internet and the digital future so they cover the big picture … Continue reading Speaking notes on the digital future
My interview on ABC Australian national radio about Wikileaks
I spoke on BBC World Service and then ABC radio on 9 December about Wikileaks. Transcript of the Australian interview below MP3 download audio This transcript was typed from a recording of the program. The ABC cannot guarantee its complete accuracy because of the possibility of mishearing and occasional difficulty in identifying speakers. Johnny Ryan: … Continue reading My interview on ABC Australian national radio about Wikileaks
Another 5 star review from an Amazon top 10 reviewer!
Five star review on Amazon from top 10 Amazon reviewer (Rebecca Johnson) Rebecca Johnson does not generally review communications or Internet books, so a 5 star review from her shows that A history of the Internet and the digital future is assessable to a general audience. Full text of her review is below, but this … Continue reading Another 5 star review from an Amazon top 10 reviewer!
The Toronto Star publishes feature interview with me about A history of the Internet and the digital future
How the Internet was born By Jennifer Hunter Columnist Al Gore was ridiculed during the 2000 U.S. presidential election for supposedly claiming he had created the Internet. But digital technology expert Johnny Ryan says Gore’s comments to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer were misinterpreted. According to transcripts of the interview, says Ryan, Gore was taking credit merely … Continue reading The Toronto Star publishes feature interview with me about A history of the Internet and the digital future
Top 10 Amazon reviewer gives 5 star review
Amazon has many reviewers and the top 10 is a contested place. Reviews by people in the top 10, top 50, top 100 are a major asset to sales. One such reviewer (top 10) just gave A history of the Internet and the digital future a 5 star review. At Last! A Comprehensive and Comprehensible … Continue reading Top 10 Amazon reviewer gives 5 star review
My talk at Google EU HQ on fairuse
I spoke at Google last Friday (19 November 2010) on fairuse and the need for the law to adapt to leverage the benefits of the Internet. The event was chaired by TJ McIntyre of Digital Rights Ireland.
PhD thesis summary
I have just printed my PhD thesis for submission to the University of Cambridge. The title is 'Militant Islamist radicalisation: does the Internet atomise?'. The following is a summary of the thesis extracted from part of the summary. In a nutshell, I was exploring how ideas traverse the Internet. The State is feeling the first … Continue reading PhD thesis summary
Interview with Myles Dungan (RTE): Documents from the Net’s history
Today I am doing an interview with Myles Dungan of RTE Radio for his new history program. He asked me to select a few items that can guide our discussion of my book A history of the Internet and the digital future. Here are some of the items that we will discuss. Nuclear context: Memorandum … Continue reading Interview with Myles Dungan (RTE): Documents from the Net’s history
Business & Finance article: The end of the media industry – Extruded Content
We live at a hinge in history, between the assumptions of the industrial era on the one hand and the digital era on the other. The industrial revolution created a world of centralization and organized hierarchy. Its defining pattern was a single, central dot to which all strands led. But the emerging digital age is … Continue reading Business & Finance article: The end of the media industry – Extruded Content
Call to bloggers: receive free copy and review my book!
Based on a tip from publishing guru Eoin Purcell, and following the clever example of Joe Konrath, I am soliciting reviews of A History of the Internet and the Digital Future from bloggers of all hues. A free copy of the book will be posted to you in return for a review (of more than … Continue reading Call to bloggers: receive free copy and review my book!
Contents of ‘A History of the Internet and the Digital Future’
Contents of A History of the Internet and the Digital Future ____________________ PHASE I: DISTRIBUTED NETWORK, CENTRIFUGAL IDEAS Chapter 1. A CONCEPT BORN IN THE SHADOW OF THE NUKE Chapter 2. THE MILITARY EXPERIMENT Chapter 3. THE ESSENCE OF THE INTERNET Chapter 4. COMPUTERS BECOME CHEAP, FAST, AND COMMON PHASE II: EXPANSION Chapter 5. THE … Continue reading Contents of ‘A History of the Internet and the Digital Future’
Apple Marketing
I'm getting worried that Apple could sell me... to myself. Here's how _____________________________ Announcing the iME from Apple. What is it? Well, it starts when you start wearing elegant white or charcoal clothing. Then you have a general feeling of aloofness and only partial compatibility with your fellow human beings. You'll quickly get used … Continue reading Apple Marketing
Business Week Op Ed “One Way to Save the Music Industry”
One Way to Save the Music Industry, Business Week, 29 July 2010 By Johnny Ryan and Allègre L. Hadida Given the persistence of digital music piracy, a new subscription-creation model borrowed from online gaming could aid ailing record labels Does the answer to music retailing's collapse lie within the computer game industry? Global music revenues … Continue reading Business Week Op Ed “One Way to Save the Music Industry”
“The Internet, the Perpetual Beta, and the State: The Long View of the New Medium”
Studies in Conflict & Terror, the foremost peer-reviewed journal in its field (edited by Bruce Hoffman), has just published my article "The Internet, the Perpetual Beta, and the State: The Long View of the New Medium". This follows on from an earlier article I published in the journal in 2007, and introduces what I believe … Continue reading “The Internet, the Perpetual Beta, and the State: The Long View of the New Medium”
Endorsements from for the book from Tim Wu, Marc Benioff, Jonathan Zittrain, and more…
In advance of publication in September, I've received some great endorsements for The History of the Internet and the Digital Future "Both an enormously useful work and great read. Read it and understand what has made the Internet different." --Professor Tim Wu, Columbia Law School "Thanks to the proliferation of cloud services, ubiquitous, low-cost bandwidth, … Continue reading Endorsements from for the book from Tim Wu, Marc Benioff, Jonathan Zittrain, and more…
The past 2 years of digital speakers at the IIEA
It's time to take stock. Here's an idea of what we've been up to since 2008 at the Digital Future Group of the IIEA. In reverse chronological order... Videos of some of the on-the-record pieces of these events are available at http://www.iiea.com/digital Federico Etro, Professor at the University of Milan, speaking on "econometric proof of … Continue reading The past 2 years of digital speakers at the IIEA
Three strikes, copyright and copytight?
Together with a colleague at the IIEA, Caitriona Heinl, I have been examining the current state of three strikes measures against music piracy (see earlier related blog entry). This comes as part of an IIEA study. This document presents an overview of “three strikes” measures, what they seek to achieve, the mechanisms by which they … Continue reading Three strikes, copyright and copytight?
Good news for startups in Ireland (iGAP)
Tidbit of news: I attended the final of the iGAP today. iGAP is the Internet Growth Acceleration Program, which was initiated by Colm Lyon of Realex and hosted by Enterprise Ireland. The 10 finalist startups pitching had participated in iGAP for the previous six months, learning from mentors and instructors drawn together by Brian Caufield. This … Continue reading Good news for startups in Ireland (iGAP)
Teaser of research on memes and atomization in webforums
Brief teaser of data mining and statistical analysis: The graphs below are from a small part of the dataset provided of harvested forums. The original forums were harvested by the Dark Web project at the University of Arizona Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. I have data mined them for indications of references to al Qaeda, militant media … Continue reading Teaser of research on memes and atomization in webforums
Kool DJ Herc and the future of hacked media
Celebrating the arrival of page proofs of the book, this snippet comes from a section that describes the future of 'extruded media'... A digital media boom is underway in which assertive audiences are beginning to use and extrude media rather than watch it. To understand the nature of the coming global media boom, reflect on … Continue reading Kool DJ Herc and the future of hacked media
Internet is Fecund but Hazardous (PhD –> the gyst)
The new book, A History of the Internet and the Digital Future, is due in September 010. While I’m waiting for that I’ve been wrapping up my PhD work. And I think I now have answers – at least, almost final answers. Or at least some pre-almost-final answers. Since 2005 various Governments of EU Member … Continue reading Internet is Fecund but Hazardous (PhD –> the gyst)
update – a final (final) title for the new book…
UPDATE: After speaking with Reaktion Books about the title the final wording is A HISTORY OF THE INTERNET AND THE DIGITAL FUTURE hitting the shelves of all good bookstores in the UK and US (and presumably Ireland too...) in SEPTEMBER 2010! Previous post... The new book is now almost out of the copy editing stage, and … Continue reading update – a final (final) title for the new book…
My talk at RUSI on “Terror, The State, The Perpetual Beta, and The Internet: The Long View of the New Medium”
Terror, The State, The Perpetual Beta, and The Internet: The Long View of the New Medium - Johnny Ryan from Johnny Ryan on Vimeo. Terror, The State, The Perpetual Beta, and The Internet: The Long View of the New Medium - Johnny Ryan from Johnny Ryan on Vimeo. Speech by Johnny Ryan at the Study … Continue reading My talk at RUSI on “Terror, The State, The Perpetual Beta, and The Internet: The Long View of the New Medium”
Google vs China: capitalist model, virtual wall (new OpenDemocracy article)
Article in OpenDemocracy, co-authored by Johnny Ryan and Stefan Halper, 22 January 2010: A speech on the theme of internet freedom around the world delivered by Hillary Clinton on 21 January 2010 contained a striking phrase. The United States secretary of state, speaking at Washington’s journalism-focused Newseum, argued that nation-states that chose to limit free … Continue reading Google vs China: capitalist model, virtual wall (new OpenDemocracy article)
New site for the Book
New site and address for the book on the history of the Internet and its lessons for the future of business, politics, and society: http://www.thehistoryoftheinternet.net/
Data mining (help!)
I am examining how certain phrases crop up in vBulletin web forums to see how ideas spread among Internet audiences over time. I'm having problems and suggestions are welcome. (Update: to see how this research worked out, see this post) Method at the moment... Step 1. After trying a few alternatives I've started to use … Continue reading Data mining (help!)
Violent radical content on the Internet – first outputs of IIEA study
As part of the IIEA study on non-legislative measures to prevent the dissemination of violent radical material on the Internet for the European Commission, the following outputs were released in December 2009: Request For Comments document: An initial overview of the legal environment regulating child abuse, hatred and racism, copyright infringement, and terrorist content on … Continue reading Violent radical content on the Internet – first outputs of IIEA study
Links worth clicking: David Simon of The Wire
David Simon, one of the duo behind The Wire, The Corner, and Generation Kill, on society and news journalism: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/video/2009/aug/29/david-simon-edinburgh-interview-full http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8E8xBXFLKE (skip the first 6 minutes of preliminary dialogue) (part 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJNkL12QD68 (part 2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhPZYjRgqTI David Simon, "Does the news matter to anyone anymore?", The Washington Post, 20 January 2008.
Speech at European Commission public private dialogue.
I spoke at the European Commission Public Private Dialogue to fight online illegal activities, Brussels, 27 November 2009. My talk below... Text of statement by Johnny Ryan, Senior Researcher, Institute of International & European Affairs, at the European Commission Public Private Dialogue to fight online illegal activities, Brussels, 27 November 2009.. Preliminary remarks: It is … Continue reading Speech at European Commission public private dialogue.
Measures to prevent the spread of violent material on the Net across the EU?
The IIEA and the European Commission have just signed a contract to begin a study on non-legislative measures that might prevent the spread of violent radical content on the Internet. Our job is to examine the measures currently in practice, determine whether any are appropriate and functional, and whether these would work if applied across … Continue reading Measures to prevent the spread of violent material on the Net across the EU?
Dr Johnny Ryan FRHistS 