Although many of you listen by stream or rss subscription, there are also listeners in the Bay area who tune in the old-fashioned way, by turning a radio dial (figuratively, in all likelihood). I want to give all of my guests the “full” radio treatment. Hence, I do not do new shows when the show is preempted on KZSU-FM. While this quarter’s schedule on KZSU makes this decision particularly impactful, it is in the best interests and treatment of Hearsay Culture’s guests. So, thanks for your understanding and please stay tuned! You can look forward to the outstanding slate of guests that will carry us through the summer!

Separately, on a personal note, I am thrilled to announce that I will be joining the faculty of Elon University School of Law in the fall. Have no fear, the show will continue uninterrupted on KZSU and the other media channels through which the show is distributed. I’m very excited at joining Elon and helping build a great and forward-thinking law school! Talk to you soon!

Hearsay Culture will be on hiatus during KZSU-FM’s interim period. Look for new shows beginning April 15. I am very excited about the slate of guests coming up! As always, if you have any suggestions for guests, please email me at dave@hearsayculture.com.

Show #72 is my interview with Michel Bauwens of the Foundation for P2P [Peer-to-Peer] Alternatives. Michel is an Internet and technology philosopher, and we discussed P2P theory and Michel’s conception of P2P as a mode of organization that transcends technology. P2P as a unifying theory of a new focus in communal creation is the primary focus of the discussion.

Finally, Show #73 is my interview with Prof. Neil Netanel of UCLA School of Law, author of Copyright’s Paradox. Neil focuses on the tension between US copyright law and the First Amendment. The paradox becomes how to reconcile the two within the framework of copyright and IP principles generally. Our discussion raises both the practical and theoretical tensions in copyright law as it relates to speech.

I enjoyed these interviews and I hope that you enjoy listening!

The show will be on hiatus until Wednesday, October 1st. I have lined up an outstanding group of guests for the Fall and Winter and look forward to those interviews. Enjoy!

Also as always, I would love to hear from you with any suggestions for guests, comments, criticisms, praise, or any other feedback. I can be reached at dave@hearsayculture.com.

Not that I’m the busiest blogger, but the next month or so will be generally quiet here. Other than posting new shows after they’ve aired on KZSU-FM, I will be focusing on my own research and writing (with some vacation) — for those not familiar, this is what professors generally do (or try to do) with their “summers off.”

Enjoy the upcoming shows and your summer!

In honor of Sunshine Week, I will shed some sunshine on the inner workings of the Hearsay Culture machine. The big question: will Hearsay Culture return to regular weekly new shows? Yes! The coming quarter should find more regular shows.

Now, here’s the sunshine: Alas, my first year of teaching has been both exhilarating and very busy. I taught two new classes this past Fall (Contracts and Intellectual Property) and am now teaching one new class and a repeat in Civil Procedure and Contracts. I love teaching but preparation for classes takes a lot of time and it has eaten into my time for other activities, among them Hearsay Culture. Nonetheless, I envision more flexibility in the coming month.

More sunshine by way of thanks: Chizzy, the wonderful KZSU DJ who mans the board at KZSU in my east coast absence, will be at the board another quarter. Thanks Chizzy! Thanks also to Joe Neto at Stanford Law School, who continues to expertly convert the radio show into the podcast that many of you hear.

Lastly, some good press that is masked as sunshine: as you may notice, I do not have paid advertising on the website nor do I seek to make a dime from the show (I ask for money on the show — but it’s for KZSU!) My main form of advertising for the show is word of mouth. Thus, I am very gratified when I read positive reviews of shows, as the commentary is unsolicited. So I see no ethical or moral issue (other than the general obnoxiousness of self-promotion) in noting some recent press: Concurring Opinions (listing the show as one of the author’s six favorite podcasts of 2007), and Technology Liberation Front (reviewing interview with Prof. Richard Epstein, and author noting that it is “one of [his] favorite podcasts”). Thanks much for your support!

I love doing the show, and hope that you find it educational and entertaining. Looking forward to the new quarter. In the interim, reach out and let me know, to quote former NYC Mayor Ed Koch, how I’m doin’! Email me at dave@hearsayculture.com.

Thanks for listening and reading!

Prof. Lanham was an excellent guest, and, as I discussed on the show, I commend you to check out his “background conversations” in his book. These are the “backstories” of his book, and discuss numerous primary and secondary sources that he utilized in researching and writing his book. A testimony to the usefulness of these “conversations” is that I have acquired at least eight of the books that he mentioned. It is a fascinating book and well worth your time.

A different but no less interesting guest was Julian Dibbell. His book is a great primer on virtual worlds, and although we did not discuss them on the show, he identifies many interesting characters as he winds his way through Ultima Online. His take on the economics of these worlds is also notable, and my attempt to explore some of these economic concepts in some detail on the show reflects his focus.

I hope that you enjoy both shows.

Finally, a program note: those that listen to the show live on KZSU-FM, Wednesdays from 5-6 PM PST, know that I play music on the live show. I usually pick songs that in some way match the theme or a particular topic of the show, generally based upon lyrics and almost always with a humorous bent (based upon my somewhat obtuse sense of humor), and I have a lot of fun choosing the right songs for the shows. For example, I chose R.E.M.’s “Gardening at Night” for the portion of Julian Dibbell’s show when we discussed virtual “gold farming;” such is my sense of humor and fun.

Unfortunately, as I discuss under the heading “Listen,” United States copyright law prevents me from replicating the music on the podcast. But, I am aware of no US intellectual property law that prevents me from listing the playlists for each show [if anyone is aware of such law, please let me know!]. Thus, I will list the playlist for each show as they are posted, for those that are interested. If you can’t listen live, the truly industrious can replicate the glory of the live show by placing (or imagining) each song in each gap: song (1) at the beginning of the show, (2) before the interview begins, (3) at the bottom of the hour, (4) at the end of the interview, and return to (1) at the end. Especially for music fans, I hope that you find the playlists at least amusing (especially if you figure out the connection between the lyrics/title and the topic), if not integral to following the interview.

So, here’s the playlists (in song name/artist/album format):

Show #27, Prof. Richard Lanham
(1) Ignoreland/R.E.M./Automatic For The People
(2) Pretzel Logic/Steely Dan/Pretzel Logic
(3) Old England/The Waterboys/This Is The Sea
(4) One Thing Leads to Another/The Fixx/Reach the Beach

Show #28, Julian Dibbell
(1) Synchronicity 2/The Police/Synchronicity (Remastered)
(2) Pay Me My Money Down/Bruce Springsteen/We Shall Overcome – The Seeger Sessions
(3) Easy Money/Lowell George/Thanks I’ll Eat It Here
(4) Gardening At Night (Different Vocal Mix)/R.E.M./Eponymous

If anyone has any music suggestions for future guests, please let me know! Enjoy!

I intend to use the blog to post information, links and other comments about each show after it airs. In other words, the blog will serve the (hopefully) useful purpose of allowing listeners to find more information about the guests and the topics discussed.

As for shows that have already aired (i.e, shows one through 23), I will do my best to backfill and provide links on a time-available basis.

I’ll also occasionally blog on other items, but for non-Hearsay Culture musings (as if you haven’t gotten enough of me by listening to the show and checking this website), you can find my personal blog here. Thus, the following will be one of the few times where I post media: my favorite mashup, the brilliant “Big Screen Version.”

I welcome comments on other ways to use the blog, but until then, look for a post within a week following the Wednesday airing of a show.