Monday 23rd April is International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day
You've probably seen this already. If not, read it and boggle.

In honour of Dr Hendrix, I am declaring Monday 23rd April International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day. On this day, everyone who wants to should give away professional quality work online. It doesn't matter if it's a novel, a story or a poem, it doesn't matter if it's already been published or if it hasn't, the point is it should be disseminated online to celebrate our technopeasanthood.

Whatever you're posting should go on your own site. I'll make a post here on the day and people can post links in comments to whatever they're putting up on. If you are a member of SFWA, or SFWA qualified but not a member (like me) you get extra pixel-spattered points for doing this. If other people want to collect the links too, that would be really cool. Please disseminate this information widely.

I'm thinking of putting up my odd Rebirth of Pan novel. I'm also thinking of putting up The Prize in the Game which is OOP. The only reason not to is the effort of HTMLing -- would people read ascii text? I'm also hoping to make an effort to prod rysmiel and zorinth to get the rest of my poetry onto my web page this week.

Ideas, useful refinements, volunteers, cheers, hisses?

(Post a new comment)

	mrissa 2007-04-15 12:44 pm UTC (link)
	Just cheers. Will poke the files and see what comes out. (Reply to this)

	wolfinthewood 2007-04-15 12:45 pm UTC (link)
	First reaction, having read Dr Hendrix's rant, is - Blimey. Might manage something more coherent later. (Reply to this)

	beth_bernobich 2007-04-15 12:47 pm UTC (link)
	I love this idea. (Reply to this)

	janetmk 2007-04-15 12:48 pm UTC (link)
	I have some software developed for Distributed Proofreaders (it's a DOS program!) that transforms plaintext into basic html (such as converting _x_ to italics and marking paragraphs). If you'd like me to run your novels through and convert them to html, I'll be happy to give it a try. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2007-04-15 01:00 pm UTC (link)
	That's a really good idea. I'll email them to you. Thank you. Also, if it's a DOS program, when you come up in May, could you bring a copy on a floppy? That could be a really useful thing to have. On Caliban. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	filkerdave 2007-04-15 12:54 pm UTC (link)
	I love the idea, although I wonder if I actually PRODUCE any professional-quality work (if I do, it's probably a song and probably for free on the net anyway ;) ) (Reply to this)

dhole 2007-04-15 12:57 pm UTC (link)

Well, if some sort of creative commons license is used, it would be possible for people to host copies of everything contributed to the project, which would make it easier to keep track of, in case of people's own sites going away or getting renamed. Also, free distribution of that stuff seems like the sort of thing that would upset Dr. Hendrix. Seems like This License would get that done without giving up more rights than are necessary. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	Domains wordweaverlynn 2007-04-15 07:10 pm UTC (link)
	Pixelstained.com is available; technopeasant.com has been registered for five years. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	amberite 2007-04-15 01:01 pm UTC (link)
	Fabulous. I will pass it along in both my blogs. (Reply to this)

	carandol 2007-04-15 01:07 pm UTC (link)
	If your files are saved as .rtf from Protext, it would be a trivial job to load them into OpenOffice (or, god forbid, Word) and save them as HTML. I'm sure zorinth has the technology, but if he has better things to do, you could send them to me, and I'll do it. As for Dr. Hendrix, let's hope some nice therapeutic wood-chopping makes him a little more sanguine. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	ellayn 2007-04-16 06:51 pm UTC (link)
	let's hope some nice therapeutic wood-chopping makes him a little more sanguine Did you just wish that he cuts himself while chopping wood? ;) (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

(no subject) - carandol, 2007-04-16 09:15 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - ellayn, 2007-04-17 12:49 pm UTC (Expand)

	lauriemann 2007-04-15 01:22 pm UTC (link)
	International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day is a GREAT idea! It shouldn't matter so much if you're a pro fiction writer or not. Look at the Web sites/filks/art/etc. that many of us do for free (even if we sometimes do get paid for some of the work). I plan to get that T-shirt and wear it to the Nebulas on Saturday afternoon. I will change for the banquet, of course. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	papersky 2007-04-15 01:36 pm UTC (link)
	Oh brilliant, you're going to the Nebs! I'm really tempted to get the t-shirt and wear it to the banquet. I probably won't, but it's definitely tempting. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

(no subject) - lauriemann, 2007-04-15 01:47 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - papersky, 2007-04-15 01:57 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - gehayi, 2007-04-15 02:17 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - papersky, 2007-04-15 03:00 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - leeflower, 2007-06-19 03:44 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - casacorona, 2007-04-15 02:30 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - papersky, 2007-04-15 03:02 pm UTC (Expand)

	txanne 2007-04-15 01:33 pm UTC (link)
	What a pity I'm not a wordsmith. I give away my knitting for free all the time. Oh, that reminds me...what's your shoe size? I ordered some blue sock yarn that's been telling me it needs to be yours. (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	papersky 2007-04-15 01:43 pm UTC (link)
	I'm a British size five... which doesn't translate very well. Also, I tend to find wool itchy. hobbitbabe knitted me some striped socks out of something that wasn't wool. I really appreciate the thought though! (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

(no subject) - txanne, 2007-04-15 01:59 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - tnh, 2007-04-16 02:44 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - txanne, 2007-04-16 08:17 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - redbird, 2007-04-15 02:01 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - papersky, 2007-04-15 03:05 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - redbird, 2007-04-15 03:44 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - glinda_w, 2007-04-15 08:32 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - dichroic, 2007-04-17 12:22 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - mjlayman, 2007-04-15 03:19 pm UTC (Expand)

noveldevice 2007-04-15 01:42 pm UTC (link)

What a great idea! I wonder how he feels about the growing number of academics whose online CVs include links to self-hosted versions of many of their articles? I worked on a professional research database which was published on CD several years ago, and the initial publication deal gave LEV and PDK the internet rights to the work--with no quibbling! Now the publisher, a U press, has come back as of about six months ago trying to assert that they have internet rights, as they are trying to do a deal where they make a bunch of things they've published accessible online for a subscription fee. Too bad for them! LEV and PDK had already worked out a deal with the National Library of Medicine to publish the database online as part of its body of history of medicine resources. The U press was extremely upset to discover that they had made such a mistake, but typically their anger is displaced onto the scholars who were smart enough to retain a right that the press didn't take seriously at the time. (Reply to this)

	kate_nepveu 2007-04-15 02:01 pm UTC (link)
	Good, this is the prod I need to HTML-ize that law review article I wrote back in the day and put it up (you can get it through paid services now, but I do retain the copyright). (Since nothing fiction I could do would be professional-quality.) (Reply to this)

wyldemusick 2007-04-15 02:02 pm UTC (link)

I regularly post my music, both older recordings (released and unreleased) and new pieces that are being composed for Pendant Audio underscores, and have put up a number of poems in the past. I do have a freely available audio production of one of my scripts coming up shortly, and I rather like the idea of putting my prose fiction online as well. Perhaps even the entirety of The Janus Syndrome, which is presently out of print. Which is to say, I'm in, one way or another. :) (Reply to this)

prusik 2007-04-15 02:23 pm UTC (link)

dhole has already suggested a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivatives license. However, if you were to allow derivatives, I'm sure people will take your ASCII text and convert it into every conceivable format under the sun. I'm pretty sure that's how Cory Doctorow is able to make his fiction available in so many formats. Of course, giving people the right to do that with, say, a Attribution-NonCommerical-ShareAlike license, will also give them the (non-exclusive) right to do all sorts of other things. OTOH, if you specify NoDerivatives, you could always ask people to query you about doing format changes. In any case, given the world we live in, I think it's necessary to slap some sort of license on your work so that we all know what the ground rules are. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	timprov 2007-04-16 10:44 am UTC (link)
	Or you can use NoDerivatives and also give blanket permission for format changes. Using CC doesn't prevent adding other blanket permissions atop it, fortunately. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	casacorona 2007-04-15 02:32 pm UTC (link)
	Brilliant. I'm in. Must convert stories, though. (Reply to this)

On 'creative commons' wolfinthewood 2007-04-15 02:43 pm UTC (link)

I'd enjoy contributing to the project. I haven't thought what yet. However, with regard to the comments by dhole and prusik - I don't myself license any of my work under 'creative commons'. And I don't normally allow anyone to repost my work. This is not because I am opposed to the idea of creative commons licences. But sometimes, mirabile dictu, I actually make some money out of my writing (including, and this would astonish Dr Hendrix, work that has previously appeared on the web), and I like to keep that possibility wide open. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Re: On 'creative commons' papersky 2007-04-15 03:11 pm UTC (link)

I think whatever terms people want to release their own work on is just fine. If people want to use a creative commons license, dhole has provided a link to one. If they just want to put something on their site, that's fine. My general policy with online stuff is "please read, enjoy, link if you want, don't do anything else without permission", and then when asked I usually give permission. Apart from anything else, it's nice to know what people are doing with things. A primary school teacher used a poem of mine in a display about weather, other poems have been used in weddings and funerals, and set to music and sung. I think this is really nifty. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

Re: On 'creative commons' - wolfinthewood, 2007-04-15 03:34 pm UTC (Expand)

	mcroft 2007-04-15 02:47 pm UTC (link)
	I'm a software engineer and I give away professional quality Testing and Release Engineering work on open source projects and as an unpaid Beta Tester for other companies pretty frequently. Do I qualify? I'll file a bug for free tomorrow... (Reply to this)

	ase 2007-04-15 02:55 pm UTC (link)
	The only pro-quality work I do happens in a bio lab, but if people want an icon, they may have it. (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	coolmajaka 2007-04-15 04:29 pm UTC (link)
	Thanks for letting me gank! (Reply to this) (Parent)

(no subject) - ckd, 2007-04-15 04:59 pm UTC (Expand)

From Joel Polowin papersky 2007-04-15 02:56 pm UTC (link)

I've sold several filk songs "professionally", i.e. I've got contracts for the royalties. The texts are all on my website. I don't think I have the right to MP3-convert the recordings themselves, since the recordings were done by others (and in some cases there would also be problems with the rights to the re-used music). I suppose if I did manage to put an MP3 together for one of my completely-original songs, I could add it to the Filk Archive. (Filkerdave, don't you have some stuff up there?) Joel (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	Re: From Joel Polowin filkerdave 2007-04-15 03:16 pm UTC (link)
	I do indeed have several songs up on FilkArchive. And I may have to spend time when I'm in Toronto coming up with a new one, just for the occasion. (Reply to this) (Parent)

Re: From Joel Polowin - ladystarstruck, 2007-04-16 02:19 am UTC (Expand)

	desayunoencama 2007-04-15 03:01 pm UTC (link)
	Jo-- FYI, April 23rd is Sant Jordi in Catalunya, where one gives a book and a rose to loved ones. I know attempts have been made to export this to other countries, although with less success, alas. Lawrence (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	papersky 2007-04-15 03:12 pm UTC (link)
	It's Shakespeare's birthday, too. I picked the date to give people time to find and format something. I remember you talking about Sant Jordi, and I think that's a really cool custom. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

(no subject) - jukkahoo, 2007-04-15 04:52 pm UTC (Expand)

April 23rd or 4th Monday in April? - ysth, 2007-04-17 02:30 am UTC (Expand)

fwiw - desayunoencama, 2007-04-15 04:34 pm UTC (Expand)

Re: fwiw - tnh, 2007-04-16 02:48 am UTC (Expand)

Re: fwiw - desayunoencama, 2007-04-16 04:44 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - catvincent, 2007-04-16 02:12 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - sam_t, 2007-04-16 03:06 pm UTC (Expand)

	coffeeandink 2007-04-15 03:16 pm UTC (link)
	(1) I have been wanting to read *The Rebirth of Pan* since the first time you mentioned it in my hearing (seeing?) on Usenet and would happily read it in plain text. (2) I will definitely join in if I can find an electronic copy of an old pro sale. (Reply to this)

	ilona_andrews 2007-04-15 03:40 pm UTC (link)
	http://www.ilonaland.com/formality.html There we go! I won't have time to do it tomorrow, so I did it today. Weee! Pixel-Stained Power! (Reply to this) (Thread)(Expand)

	safewrite 2007-04-21 08:07 pm UTC (link)
	Dear God, Ilona - I laughed until I cried. Great story! (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)(Expand)

(no subject) - ilona_andrews, 2007-04-21 08:08 pm UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - lindajdunn, 2007-04-24 02:48 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - ilona_andrews, 2007-04-24 02:54 am UTC (Expand)

(no subject) - doranwen, 2007-05-10 06:13 am UTC (Expand)

oursin 2007-04-15 04:06 pm UTC (link)

I already have various academic bits and pieces up on my website (and linked to from various sites with academic cred): things created for some specific purpose but possibly of more general interest, which would require a fair amount of tedious work if I wanted to turn them into something submissable to journals (or just too overviewy rather than primary research to be worth the effort). I do think this guy appears to imagine that all writing is somehow equivalent and fungible, which is so very much not the case. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	cmdr_zoom 2007-04-15 11:12 pm UTC (link)
	and saleable. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	scalzi 2007-04-15 04:07 pm UTC (link)
	Noted it (http://www.scalzi.com/whatever/005037.html), made a graphic for it, and will be participating with chapters of a YA I attempted several years ago. Should be fun. Great idea, Jo. (Reply to this)

	ilona_andrews 2007-04-15 04:28 pm UTC (link)
	Jo, I hit the fangs_fur_fey community with this. :) (Reply to this)

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