Triggered by a weblog entry by the always-interesting Seth Godin, I stumbled on this fascinating 17-minute presentation by Clay Shirky, with his always-skillful way to present deep insights and analyses.

I no longer go watch TV. That trend started many years ago. Oh sure, I do watch movies, documentaries, and interviews (not news - all the Dutch news channels seem to be aimed at infants). But it’s been ages since I sat down to do nothing, waiting to be distracted or entertained. I’m grateful that Shirky finally explains how “the media” - as they are today - are essentially an aberration.

It also explains why open source communities have a virtually unlimited amount of time, energy, and talent at their disposal.