@Bill: Thanks for stopping by and commenting. As well as spreading the word, it is encouraging to find other people who get it. I admire your own stance on these principles and enjoy your blog even if I don’t always understand the science stuff. :-)

@Amy: That reminds me of a story in the local paper (Minneapolis StarTribune) about the head of the patent office (I think) visiting a local elementary school and brainwashing them about “intellectual property.” It made me really sad to hear a comment from one of the kids: (something like) “Don’t copy other people’s work or you will get in trouble.” Great. Way to squelch the natural impulse to share and reuse. It will be so much better if we raise our kids to freely share and reuse *free* (as in freedom!) information and knowledge. It’s just 1s and 0s, after all. :-)

Kudos for bringing more freedom into your social circle!

I agree! And, way to go, Stacy, for joining in. I talk to my teenage kids about this, as well, and I *proudly* overheard my daughter sharing this with a group of friends the other day as I was walking by her in the hall at her high school.

Love Stacy’s site - the only problem I have visiting it is the extreme jealousy I feel.

Scott - thanks for the “Subscribe by email” option. I just added that and it helps keep your posts in front of me. I like that.

ttyl…Amy :)

This is very important! A big idea like the commons (for software, culture, science, everything) takes some getting used to, and one of the most important ways it spreads is person-to-person, through individual connections. The more people exposed to the idea of free ideas, the better. Someone who uses cc-by-sa for their own photos has a direct, intuitive connection with the reasons why the RIAA is a vicious band of thieves, or why Stallman is right, or why PLoS Biology is better than Nature.

So, kudos for bringing more freedom into your social circle!