The definitive guidebook for using video in modern communication.Video (television, film, the moving image generally) is today’s most popular information medium. Two-thirds of the world’s internet traffic is video. Americans get their news and information more often from screens and speakers than through any other means. The Moving Image is the first authoritative account of how we have arrived here, together with the first definitive manual to help writers, educators, and publishers use video more effectively. Drawing on decades as an educator, publisher, and producer, MIT’s Peter Kaufman presents new tools, best practices, and community resources for integrating film and sound into media that matters.Kaufman describes video’s vital role in politics, law, education, and entertainment today, only 130 years since the birth of film. He explains how best to produce video, distribute it, clear rights to it, cite it, and, ultimately, archive and preserve it. With detailed guidance on producing and deploying video and sound for publication, finding and using archival video and sound, securing rights and permissions, developing distribution strategies, and addressing questions about citation, preservation, and storage—across the broadest spectrum of platforms, publications, disciplines, and formats—The Moving Image equips readers for the medium’s continued ascendance in education, publishing, and knowledge dissemination in the decades to come. And, modeled in part on Strunk and White’s classic, The Elements of Style, it’s also a highly enjoyable read.

This easy-to-use book helps make learning botany fun and helps you acquire a wealth of fascinating information about plants. There are 130 pages with text, each facing a page of beautiful illustrations. Each pair covers a separate subject. The illustration pages are composed of scientifically accurate, true-to-life drawings of plants drawn from live specimens. Using colored pencils and the authors’ instructions, readers can color the various plant structures to stand out in vivid clarity. Your knowledge of plants increases rapidly as you color the illustrations.

This easy-to-use book helps make learning botany fun and helps you acquire a wealth of fascinating information about plants. There are 130 pages with text, each facing a page of beautiful illustrations. Each pair covers a separate subject. The illustration pages are composed of scientifically accurate, true-to-life drawings of plants drawn from live specimens. Using colored pencils and the authors' instructions, readers can color the various plant structures to stand out in vivid clarity. Your knowledge of plants increases rapidly as you color the illustrations.

2008 NOMINEEThe Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries Annual Award for a Significant Work in Botanical or Horticultural Literature From medicinal, industrial, and culinary uses to cutting-edge laboratory techniques in modern research and plant conservation strategies, Natural Products from Plants, Second Edition reveals a vastly expanded understanding of the natural products that plants produce. In a single volume, this bookoffers a thorough inventory of the various types of plant-derived compounds. It covers their chemical composition, structure, and properties alongside the most effective ways to identify, extract, analyze, and characterize new plant-derived compounds. The authors examine new information on the chemical mechanisms plants use to deter predators and pathogens, attract symbiotic organisms, and defend themselves against environmental stress—insights which are key for adapting such mechanisms to human health. Along with updated and revised information from the highly acclaimed first edition, the second edition presents seven new chapters and features more than 50% new material relating to plant constituents, natural product biochemistry, and molecular biology. The book incorporates in-depth treatment of natural product biosynthesis with new collection and extraction protocols, advanced separation and analytical techniques, up-to-date bioassays, as well as modern molecular biology and plant biotechnology for the production of natural products. Unique in its breadth and coverage, Natural Products from Plants, Second Edition belongs on the shelf of interested researchers, policymakers, and consumers— particularly those involved in disease prevention, treatment, and pharmaceutical applications—who need a complete guide to the properties, uses, and study of plant natural products.

Several milestones in biology have been achieved since the first publication of the Handbook of Molecular and Cellular Methods in Biology and Medicine. This is true particularly with respect to genome-level sequencing of higher eukaryotes, the invention of DNA microarray technology, advances in bioinformatics, and the development of RNAi technology

Covering state-of-the-art technologies and a broad range of practical applications, the Third Edition of Gene Biotechnology presents tools that researchers and students need to understand and apply today's biotechnology techniques. Many of the currently available books in molecular biology contain only protocol recipes, failing to explain the princ

Several milestones in biology have been achieved since the first publication of the Handbook of Molecular and Cellular Methods in Biology and Medicine. This is true particularly with respect to genome-level sequencing of higher eukaryotes, the invention of DNA microarray technology, advances in bioinformatics, and the development of RNAi technology. Now in its third edition, this volume provides researchers with an updated tool kit that incorporates conventional as well as modern approaches to tackle biological and medicinal research in the post-genomics era.Significantly revised to address these recent changes, the editors have evaluated, revised, and sometimes replaced protocols with more efficient, more reliable, or simpler ones. The book has also been reorganized with section headings focusing on different biological levels connected to one another, taking into account the central dogma of biology (DNA → RNA → protein → metabolites). The book first explores traditional approaches and then moves to the modern "omics" approaches, including genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. It also discusses the manipulation of biological systems (including RNAi) and macromolecular analyses, focusing on the use of microscopy.In each chapter, various notes and cautionary considerations are presented for potentially hazardous reagents. Filled with diagrams, tables, and figures to clarify methods, most chapters also contain Troubleshooting Guides indicating problems, possible causes, and solutions that may be incurred in carrying out the procedures. Researchers and scientists who master the techniques in this book are putting themselves at the cutting edge of biological and medicinal research.

Covering state-of-the-art technologies and a broad range of practical applications, the Third Edition of Gene Biotechnology presents tools that researchers and students need to understand and apply today's biotechnology techniques. Many of the currently available books in molecular biology contain only protocol recipes, failing to explain the principles and concepts behind the methods outlined or to inform the reader of possible pitfalls in the methods described. Filling these gaps, this book: Discusses a wide variety of approaches, from very basic methods to the latest, most sophisticated technologiesContains clearly detailed, step-by-step protocols with helpful troubleshooting tipsAddresses the needs of researchers in academic and commercial environmentsGuides graduate students in designing, implementing, and evaluating experimental projects.Each chapter covers the principles underlying methods and techniques, and includes step-by-step descriptions of each protocol, notes, tips, and a troubleshooting guide. The book includes sections on how to write a research paper for publication in English-language journals, how to protect research discoveries and inventions via patents, and practical methods of bio-calculation. Written by a team of internationally recognized scientists, Gene Biotechnology presents protocols as well as clear and simple explanations of the key principles and concepts behind the methods. It is a single, logically organized source for the most important new methodologies. This unique resource provides the tools to help ensure success in contemporary molecular and cellular biology research.

Covering state-of-the-art technologies and a broad range of practical applications, the Third Edition of Gene Biotechnology presents tools that researchers and students need to understand and apply today's biotechnology techniques. Many of the currently available books in molecular biology contain only protocol recipes, failing to explain the princ

Several milestones in biology have been achieved since the first publication of the Handbook of Molecular and Cellular Methods in Biology and Medicine. This is true particularly with respect to genome-level sequencing of higher eukaryotes, the invention of DNA microarray technology, advances in bioinformatics, and the development of RNAi technology

Plant biotechnology applies to three major areas of plants and their uses: (1) control of plant growth and development; (2) protection of plants against biotic and abiotic stresses; and (3) expansion of ways by which specialty foods, biochemicals, and pharmaceuticals are produced. The topic of recent advances in plant biotechnology is ripe for consideration because of the rapid developments in this ?eld that have revolutionized our concepts of sustainable food production, cost-effective alt- native energy strategies, environmental bioremediation, and production of pla- derived medicines through plant cell biotechnology. Many of the more traditional approaches to plant biotechnology are woefully out of date and even obsolete. Fresh approaches are therefore required. To this end, we have brought together a group of contributors who address the most recent advances in plant biotechnology and what they mean for human progress, and hopefully, a more sustainable future. Achievements today in plant biotechnology have already surpassed all previous expectations. These are based on promising accomplishments in the last several decades and the fact that plant biotechnology has emerged as an exciting area of research by creating unprecedented opportunities for the manipulation of biological systems. In connection with its recent advances, plant biotechnology now allows for the transfer of a greater variety of genetic information in a more precise, controlled manner. The potential for improving plant productivity and its proper use in agric- ture relies largely on newly developed DNA biotechnology and molecular markers.

Plant biotechnology applies to three major areas of plants and their uses: (1) control of plant growth and development; (2) protection of plants against biotic and abiotic stresses; and (3) expansion of ways by which specialty foods, biochemicals, and pharmaceuticals are produced. The topic of recent advances in plant biotechnology is ripe for consideration because of the rapid developments in this ?eld that have revolutionized our concepts of sustainable food production, cost-effective alt- native energy strategies, environmental bioremediation, and production of pla- derived medicines through plant cell biotechnology. Many of the more traditional approaches to plant biotechnology are woefully out of date and even obsolete. Fresh approaches are therefore required. To this end, we have brought together a group of contributors who address the most recent advances in plant biotechnology and what they mean for human progress, and hopefully, a more sustainable future. Achievements today in plant biotechnology have already surpassed all previous expectations. These are based on promising accomplishments in the last several decades and the fact that plant biotechnology has emerged as an exciting area of research by creating unprecedented opportunities for the manipulation of biological systems. In connection with its recent advances, plant biotechnology now allows for the transfer of a greater variety of genetic information in a more precise, controlled manner. The potential for improving plant productivity and its proper use in agric- ture relies largely on newly developed DNA biotechnology and molecular markers.

Plant biotechnology applies to three major areas of plants and their uses: (1) control of plant growth and development; (2) protection of plants against biotic and abiotic stresses; and (3) expansion of ways by which specialty foods, biochemicals, and pharmaceuticals are produced. The topic of recent advances in plant biotechnology is ripe for consideration because of the rapid developments in this ?eld that have revolutionized our concepts of sustainable food production, cost-effective alt- native energy strategies, environmental bioremediation, and production of pla- derived medicines through plant cell biotechnology. Many of the more traditional approaches to plant biotechnology are woefully out of date and even obsolete. Fresh approaches are therefore required. To this end, we have brought together a group of contributors who address the most recent advances in plant biotechnology and what they mean for human progress, and hopefully, a more sustainable future. Achievements today in plant biotechnology have already surpassed all previous expectations. These are based on promising accomplishments in the last several decades and the fact that plant biotechnology has emerged as an exciting area of research by creating unprecedented opportunities for the manipulation of biological systems. In connection with its recent advances, plant biotechnology now allows for the transfer of a greater variety of genetic information in a more precise, controlled manner. The potential for improving plant productivity and its proper use in agric- ture relies largely on newly developed DNA biotechnology and molecular markers.

How do we create a universe of truthful and verifiable information, available to everyone?In The New Enlightenment and the Fight to Free Knowledge, MIT Open Learning’s Peter B. Kaufman describes the powerful forces that have purposely crippled our efforts to share knowledge widely and freely.Popes and their inquisitors, emperors and their hangmen, commissars and their secret police—throughout history, all have sought to stanch the free flow of information. Kaufman writes of times when the Bible could not be translated—you’d be burned for trying; when dictionaries and encyclopedias were forbidden; when literature and science and history books were trashed and pulped—sometimes along with their authors; and when efforts to develop public television and radio networks were quashed by private industry.In the 21st century, the enemies of free thought have taken on new and different guises—giant corporate behemoths, sprawling national security agencies, gutted regulatory commissions. Bereft of any real moral compass or sense of social responsibility, their work to surveil and control us are no less nefarious than their 16th- and 18th- and 20th- century predecessors. They are all part of what Kaufman calls the Monsterverse.The New Enlightenment and the Fight to Free Knowledge maps out the opportunities to mobilize for the fight ahead of us. With the Internet and other means of media production and distribution—video especially—at hand, knowledge institutions like universities, libraries, museums, and archives have a special responsibility now to counter misinformation, disinformation, and fake news—and especially efforts to control the free flow of information. A film and video producer and former book publisher, Kaufman begins to draft a new social contract for our networked video age. He draws his inspiration from those who fought tooth and nail against earlier incarnations of the Monsterverse—including William Tyndale in the 16th century; Denis Diderot in the 18th; untold numbers of Soviet and Central and East European dissidents in the 20th—many of whom paid the ultimate price. Their successors? Advocates of free knowledge like Aaron Swartz, of free software like Richard Stallman, of an enlightened public television and radio network like James Killian, of a freer Internet like Tim Berners-Lee, of fuller rights and freedoms like Edward Snowden. All have been striving to secure for us a better world, marked by the right balance between state, society, and private gain. The concluding section of the book, its largest piece, builds on their work, drawing up a progressive agenda for how today’s free thinkers can band together now to fight and win. With everything shut and everyone going online, The New Enlightenment and the Fight to Free Knowledge is a rousing call to action that expands the definition of what it means to be a citizen in the 21st century.

How do we create a universe of truthful and verifiable information, available to everyone?In The New Enlightenment and the Fight to Free Knowledge, MIT Open Learning’s Peter B. Kaufman describes the powerful forces that have purposely crippled our efforts to share knowledge widely and freely.Popes and their inquisitors, emperors and their hangmen, commissars and their secret police—throughout history, all have sought to stanch the free flow of information. Kaufman writes of times when the Bible could not be translated—you’d be burned for trying; when dictionaries and encyclopedias were forbidden; when literature and science and history books were trashed and pulped—sometimes along with their authors; and when efforts to develop public television and radio networks were quashed by private industry.In the 21st century, the enemies of free thought have taken on new and different guises—giant corporate behemoths, sprawling national security agencies, gutted regulatory commissions. Bereft of any real moral compass or sense of social responsibility, their work to surveil and control us are no less nefarious than their 16th- and 18th- and 20th- century predecessors. They are all part of what Kaufman calls the Monsterverse.The New Enlightenment and the Fight to Free Knowledge maps out the opportunities to mobilize for the fight ahead of us. With the Internet and other means of media production and distribution—video especially—at hand, knowledge institutions like universities, libraries, museums, and archives have a special responsibility now to counter misinformation, disinformation, and fake news—and especially efforts to control the free flow of information. A film and video producer and former book publisher, Kaufman begins to draft a new social contract for our networked video age. He draws his inspiration from those who fought tooth and nail against earlier incarnations of the Monsterverse—including William Tyndale in the 16th century; Denis Diderot in the 18th; untold numbers of Soviet and Central and East European dissidents in the 20th—many of whom paid the ultimate price. Their successors? Advocates of free knowledge like Aaron Swartz, of free software like Richard Stallman, of an enlightened public television and radio network like James Killian, of a freer Internet like Tim Berners-Lee, of fuller rights and freedoms like Edward Snowden. All have been striving to secure for us a better world, marked by the right balance between state, society, and private gain. The concluding section of the book, its largest piece, builds on their work, drawing up a progressive agenda for how today’s free thinkers can band together now to fight and win. With everything shut and everyone going online, The New Enlightenment and the Fight to Free Knowledge is a rousing call to action that expands the definition of what it means to be a citizen in the 21st century.

The definitive guidebook for using video in modern communication.Video (television, film, the moving image generally) is today’s most popular information medium. Two-thirds of the world’s internet traffic is video. Americans get their news and information more often from screens and speakers than through any other means. The Moving Image is the first authoritative account of how we have arrived here, together with the first definitive manual to help writers, educators, and publishers use video more effectively. Drawing on decades as an educator, publisher, and producer, MIT’s Peter Kaufman presents new tools, best practices, and community resources for integrating film and sound into media that matters.Kaufman describes video’s vital role in politics, law, education, and entertainment today, only 130 years since the birth of film. He explains how best to produce video, distribute it, clear rights to it, cite it, and, ultimately, archive and preserve it. With detailed guidance on producing and deploying video and sound for publication, finding and using archival video and sound, securing rights and permissions, developing distribution strategies, and addressing questions about citation, preservation, and storage—across the broadest spectrum of platforms, publications, disciplines, and formats—The Moving Image equips readers for the medium’s continued ascendance in education, publishing, and knowledge dissemination in the decades to come. And, modeled in part on Strunk and White’s classic, The Elements of Style, it’s also a highly enjoyable read.

This easy-to-use book helps make learning botany fun and helps you acquire a wealth of fascinating information about plants. There are 130 pages with text, each facing a page of beautiful illustrations. Each pair covers a separate subject. The illustration pages are composed of scientifically accurate, true-to-life drawings of plants drawn from live specimens. Using colored pencils and the authors’ instructions, readers can color the various plant structures to stand out in vivid clarity. Your knowledge of plants increases rapidly as you color the illustrations.

This easy-to-use book helps make learning botany fun and helps you acquire a wealth of fascinating information about plants. There are 130 pages with text, each facing a page of beautiful illustrations. Each pair covers a separate subject. The illustration pages are composed of scientifically accurate, true-to-life drawings of plants drawn from live specimens. Using colored pencils and the authors' instructions, readers can color the various plant structures to stand out in vivid clarity. Your knowledge of plants increases rapidly as you color the illustrations.

2008 NOMINEEThe Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries Annual Award for a Significant Work in Botanical or Horticultural Literature From medicinal, industrial, and culinary uses to cutting-edge laboratory techniques in modern research and plant conservation strategies, Natural Products from Plants, Second Edition reveals a vastly expanded understanding of the natural products that plants produce. In a single volume, this bookoffers a thorough inventory of the various types of plant-derived compounds. It covers their chemical composition, structure, and properties alongside the most effective ways to identify, extract, analyze, and characterize new plant-derived compounds. The authors examine new information on the chemical mechanisms plants use to deter predators and pathogens, attract symbiotic organisms, and defend themselves against environmental stress—insights which are key for adapting such mechanisms to human health. Along with updated and revised information from the highly acclaimed first edition, the second edition presents seven new chapters and features more than 50% new material relating to plant constituents, natural product biochemistry, and molecular biology. The book incorporates in-depth treatment of natural product biosynthesis with new collection and extraction protocols, advanced separation and analytical techniques, up-to-date bioassays, as well as modern molecular biology and plant biotechnology for the production of natural products. Unique in its breadth and coverage, Natural Products from Plants, Second Edition belongs on the shelf of interested researchers, policymakers, and consumers— particularly those involved in disease prevention, treatment, and pharmaceutical applications—who need a complete guide to the properties, uses, and study of plant natural products.

Several milestones in biology have been achieved since the first publication of the Handbook of Molecular and Cellular Methods in Biology and Medicine. This is true particularly with respect to genome-level sequencing of higher eukaryotes, the invention of DNA microarray technology, advances in bioinformatics, and the development of RNAi technology

Covering state-of-the-art technologies and a broad range of practical applications, the Third Edition of Gene Biotechnology presents tools that researchers and students need to understand and apply today's biotechnology techniques. Many of the currently available books in molecular biology contain only protocol recipes, failing to explain the princ

Several milestones in biology have been achieved since the first publication of the Handbook of Molecular and Cellular Methods in Biology and Medicine. This is true particularly with respect to genome-level sequencing of higher eukaryotes, the invention of DNA microarray technology, advances in bioinformatics, and the development of RNAi technology. Now in its third edition, this volume provides researchers with an updated tool kit that incorporates conventional as well as modern approaches to tackle biological and medicinal research in the post-genomics era.Significantly revised to address these recent changes, the editors have evaluated, revised, and sometimes replaced protocols with more efficient, more reliable, or simpler ones. The book has also been reorganized with section headings focusing on different biological levels connected to one another, taking into account the central dogma of biology (DNA → RNA → protein → metabolites). The book first explores traditional approaches and then moves to the modern "omics" approaches, including genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. It also discusses the manipulation of biological systems (including RNAi) and macromolecular analyses, focusing on the use of microscopy.In each chapter, various notes and cautionary considerations are presented for potentially hazardous reagents. Filled with diagrams, tables, and figures to clarify methods, most chapters also contain Troubleshooting Guides indicating problems, possible causes, and solutions that may be incurred in carrying out the procedures. Researchers and scientists who master the techniques in this book are putting themselves at the cutting edge of biological and medicinal research.

Covering state-of-the-art technologies and a broad range of practical applications, the Third Edition of Gene Biotechnology presents tools that researchers and students need to understand and apply today's biotechnology techniques. Many of the currently available books in molecular biology contain only protocol recipes, failing to explain the principles and concepts behind the methods outlined or to inform the reader of possible pitfalls in the methods described. Filling these gaps, this book: Discusses a wide variety of approaches, from very basic methods to the latest, most sophisticated technologiesContains clearly detailed, step-by-step protocols with helpful troubleshooting tipsAddresses the needs of researchers in academic and commercial environmentsGuides graduate students in designing, implementing, and evaluating experimental projects.Each chapter covers the principles underlying methods and techniques, and includes step-by-step descriptions of each protocol, notes, tips, and a troubleshooting guide. The book includes sections on how to write a research paper for publication in English-language journals, how to protect research discoveries and inventions via patents, and practical methods of bio-calculation. Written by a team of internationally recognized scientists, Gene Biotechnology presents protocols as well as clear and simple explanations of the key principles and concepts behind the methods. It is a single, logically organized source for the most important new methodologies. This unique resource provides the tools to help ensure success in contemporary molecular and cellular biology research.

Covering state-of-the-art technologies and a broad range of practical applications, the Third Edition of Gene Biotechnology presents tools that researchers and students need to understand and apply today's biotechnology techniques. Many of the currently available books in molecular biology contain only protocol recipes, failing to explain the princ

Several milestones in biology have been achieved since the first publication of the Handbook of Molecular and Cellular Methods in Biology and Medicine. This is true particularly with respect to genome-level sequencing of higher eukaryotes, the invention of DNA microarray technology, advances in bioinformatics, and the development of RNAi technology

Plant biotechnology applies to three major areas of plants and their uses: (1) control of plant growth and development; (2) protection of plants against biotic and abiotic stresses; and (3) expansion of ways by which specialty foods, biochemicals, and pharmaceuticals are produced. The topic of recent advances in plant biotechnology is ripe for consideration because of the rapid developments in this ?eld that have revolutionized our concepts of sustainable food production, cost-effective alt- native energy strategies, environmental bioremediation, and production of pla- derived medicines through plant cell biotechnology. Many of the more traditional approaches to plant biotechnology are woefully out of date and even obsolete. Fresh approaches are therefore required. To this end, we have brought together a group of contributors who address the most recent advances in plant biotechnology and what they mean for human progress, and hopefully, a more sustainable future. Achievements today in plant biotechnology have already surpassed all previous expectations. These are based on promising accomplishments in the last several decades and the fact that plant biotechnology has emerged as an exciting area of research by creating unprecedented opportunities for the manipulation of biological systems. In connection with its recent advances, plant biotechnology now allows for the transfer of a greater variety of genetic information in a more precise, controlled manner. The potential for improving plant productivity and its proper use in agric- ture relies largely on newly developed DNA biotechnology and molecular markers.

Plant biotechnology applies to three major areas of plants and their uses: (1) control of plant growth and development; (2) protection of plants against biotic and abiotic stresses; and (3) expansion of ways by which specialty foods, biochemicals, and pharmaceuticals are produced. The topic of recent advances in plant biotechnology is ripe for consideration because of the rapid developments in this ?eld that have revolutionized our concepts of sustainable food production, cost-effective alt- native energy strategies, environmental bioremediation, and production of pla- derived medicines through plant cell biotechnology. Many of the more traditional approaches to plant biotechnology are woefully out of date and even obsolete. Fresh approaches are therefore required. To this end, we have brought together a group of contributors who address the most recent advances in plant biotechnology and what they mean for human progress, and hopefully, a more sustainable future. Achievements today in plant biotechnology have already surpassed all previous expectations. These are based on promising accomplishments in the last several decades and the fact that plant biotechnology has emerged as an exciting area of research by creating unprecedented opportunities for the manipulation of biological systems. In connection with its recent advances, plant biotechnology now allows for the transfer of a greater variety of genetic information in a more precise, controlled manner. The potential for improving plant productivity and its proper use in agric- ture relies largely on newly developed DNA biotechnology and molecular markers.

Plant biotechnology applies to three major areas of plants and their uses: (1) control of plant growth and development; (2) protection of plants against biotic and abiotic stresses; and (3) expansion of ways by which specialty foods, biochemicals, and pharmaceuticals are produced. The topic of recent advances in plant biotechnology is ripe for consideration because of the rapid developments in this ?eld that have revolutionized our concepts of sustainable food production, cost-effective alt- native energy strategies, environmental bioremediation, and production of pla- derived medicines through plant cell biotechnology. Many of the more traditional approaches to plant biotechnology are woefully out of date and even obsolete. Fresh approaches are therefore required. To this end, we have brought together a group of contributors who address the most recent advances in plant biotechnology and what they mean for human progress, and hopefully, a more sustainable future. Achievements today in plant biotechnology have already surpassed all previous expectations. These are based on promising accomplishments in the last several decades and the fact that plant biotechnology has emerged as an exciting area of research by creating unprecedented opportunities for the manipulation of biological systems. In connection with its recent advances, plant biotechnology now allows for the transfer of a greater variety of genetic information in a more precise, controlled manner. The potential for improving plant productivity and its proper use in agric- ture relies largely on newly developed DNA biotechnology and molecular markers.

How do we create a universe of truthful and verifiable information, available to everyone?In The New Enlightenment and the Fight to Free Knowledge, MIT Open Learning’s Peter B. Kaufman describes the powerful forces that have purposely crippled our efforts to share knowledge widely and freely.Popes and their inquisitors, emperors and their hangmen, commissars and their secret police—throughout history, all have sought to stanch the free flow of information. Kaufman writes of times when the Bible could not be translated—you’d be burned for trying; when dictionaries and encyclopedias were forbidden; when literature and science and history books were trashed and pulped—sometimes along with their authors; and when efforts to develop public television and radio networks were quashed by private industry.In the 21st century, the enemies of free thought have taken on new and different guises—giant corporate behemoths, sprawling national security agencies, gutted regulatory commissions. Bereft of any real moral compass or sense of social responsibility, their work to surveil and control us are no less nefarious than their 16th- and 18th- and 20th- century predecessors. They are all part of what Kaufman calls the Monsterverse.The New Enlightenment and the Fight to Free Knowledge maps out the opportunities to mobilize for the fight ahead of us. With the Internet and other means of media production and distribution—video especially—at hand, knowledge institutions like universities, libraries, museums, and archives have a special responsibility now to counter misinformation, disinformation, and fake news—and especially efforts to control the free flow of information. A film and video producer and former book publisher, Kaufman begins to draft a new social contract for our networked video age. He draws his inspiration from those who fought tooth and nail against earlier incarnations of the Monsterverse—including William Tyndale in the 16th century; Denis Diderot in the 18th; untold numbers of Soviet and Central and East European dissidents in the 20th—many of whom paid the ultimate price. Their successors? Advocates of free knowledge like Aaron Swartz, of free software like Richard Stallman, of an enlightened public television and radio network like James Killian, of a freer Internet like Tim Berners-Lee, of fuller rights and freedoms like Edward Snowden. All have been striving to secure for us a better world, marked by the right balance between state, society, and private gain. The concluding section of the book, its largest piece, builds on their work, drawing up a progressive agenda for how today’s free thinkers can band together now to fight and win. With everything shut and everyone going online, The New Enlightenment and the Fight to Free Knowledge is a rousing call to action that expands the definition of what it means to be a citizen in the 21st century.

How do we create a universe of truthful and verifiable information, available to everyone?In The New Enlightenment and the Fight to Free Knowledge, MIT Open Learning’s Peter B. Kaufman describes the powerful forces that have purposely crippled our efforts to share knowledge widely and freely.Popes and their inquisitors, emperors and their hangmen, commissars and their secret police—throughout history, all have sought to stanch the free flow of information. Kaufman writes of times when the Bible could not be translated—you’d be burned for trying; when dictionaries and encyclopedias were forbidden; when literature and science and history books were trashed and pulped—sometimes along with their authors; and when efforts to develop public television and radio networks were quashed by private industry.In the 21st century, the enemies of free thought have taken on new and different guises—giant corporate behemoths, sprawling national security agencies, gutted regulatory commissions. Bereft of any real moral compass or sense of social responsibility, their work to surveil and control us are no less nefarious than their 16th- and 18th- and 20th- century predecessors. They are all part of what Kaufman calls the Monsterverse.The New Enlightenment and the Fight to Free Knowledge maps out the opportunities to mobilize for the fight ahead of us. With the Internet and other means of media production and distribution—video especially—at hand, knowledge institutions like universities, libraries, museums, and archives have a special responsibility now to counter misinformation, disinformation, and fake news—and especially efforts to control the free flow of information. A film and video producer and former book publisher, Kaufman begins to draft a new social contract for our networked video age. He draws his inspiration from those who fought tooth and nail against earlier incarnations of the Monsterverse—including William Tyndale in the 16th century; Denis Diderot in the 18th; untold numbers of Soviet and Central and East European dissidents in the 20th—many of whom paid the ultimate price. Their successors? Advocates of free knowledge like Aaron Swartz, of free software like Richard Stallman, of an enlightened public television and radio network like James Killian, of a freer Internet like Tim Berners-Lee, of fuller rights and freedoms like Edward Snowden. All have been striving to secure for us a better world, marked by the right balance between state, society, and private gain. The concluding section of the book, its largest piece, builds on their work, drawing up a progressive agenda for how today’s free thinkers can band together now to fight and win. With everything shut and everyone going online, The New Enlightenment and the Fight to Free Knowledge is a rousing call to action that expands the definition of what it means to be a citizen in the 21st century.