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Title: Bob Young - The connection between Ibiblio, Open Source, Lulu and the Number 42
Date: October 30, 2007
Place: Sonja Haynes Stone Center, UNC
Download an audio or video of this event

I have a confession to make: I don’t know much about Bob Young, Ibiblio or Lulu TV. Upon hearing about this event, my only connection is a general familiarity with Red Hat, the software company Young co-founded in 1993. The more I learn about Young, the more curious I am about his life and his contributions in the digital communication arena. I hope to experience this event as a relative outsider, so I decided to save any further research for after the event. My goal is to describe the event, gain an understanding of significance, and then piece it all together later.

3:25 p.m. – The Mad Scramble

You would think that by this point in my life one would have learned to allow plenty of time to get to an event in a new venue, but some lessons come hard. Why I thought I could venture deep into the center of the UNC campus in the middle of the afternoon without any delays, is beyond me. By all accounts, I should be settling into my seat at the event by now, but instead I am watching waves of students meaner in front of my car, and the best I can do is write down my thoughts and take a snapshot. Maybe this will help me remember next time?

3:30 p.m. – Parking Anyone?

I’m trapped. I am sitting at the Stone Center entrance gate expecting a parking ticket to spit out of the pin pad device. No dice. The clock is ticking and the car behind me is beeping. Do I try to back up and go somewhere else? There are no instructions to be seen, but there is a list of departments on the intercom. I quickly type the number sequence corresponding to the Stone Center and amazingly a voice crackles through. I try to explain, in my most composed tone, that I am here to see Bob Young speak. Like magic from heaven, the gate rises and a friendly voice invites me in. Once in the parking lot, I am shocked to see a bunch of open spots. I am hesitant to park in the closer spaces, due to my history of Chapel Hill parking tickets. There’s no time to wait, so I whirl my Camry into place, grab my laptop bag and rush in.

3:35 p.m. – Amazed to Find a Seat

Room 103 is a large auditorium bustling with activity. There are laptops everywhere. I find it amusing that I thought the room might be a large class room or something. Of course it’s an auditorium, this is an important speaker. Why am I surprised by all the laptops? This is a computer geek event if ever there was one. I am feeling pretty lucky as I grab my seat dead center in the room and even have time to look fairly cool and relaxed as I open up my MacBookPro and begin typing.

3:38 p.m. – Technical Difficulties

I want to make a podcast of the event, so I begin fumbling about with my computer looking for a way to record audio. Why didn’t I prepare for this beforehand? I don’t know, maybe because it was a busy day at the office. Yeah that’s it. After several attempts, I figure it out and begin recording, just as the master of ceremonies welcomes us and begins his introduction. He has long dark hair and a mustache reminiscent of Dennis Hopper’s character in Easy Rider. His name is Paul Jones, and I think he’s a UNC professor, but I didn’t catch the details. Suddenly, my software crashes and my podcast is gone. I am making a few more harried attempts, but it’s not to be and I’m missing more of the introduction.

3:45 p.m. – Welcome and Introduction

Paul Jones asks us for a show of hands if we did our RSVP for the event through Facebook. About seventy percent of the audience raises their hands, and about 20% indicate they used email. I sheepishly raise my hand for “other.” I am not feeling so cool and hip anymore. I feel awkward because I don’t really know the topic, the speaker or anyone in the audience. I notice that a young bearded student in front of me looks to be recording some audio on his laptop. Maybe I can swap emails with him and get my podcast after all. The speaker introduces Bob Young, showing noticeable fondness and admiration.

3:49 p.m. – Enter Bob Young

Bob Young begins with some comments about how we should forget school, and not listen to our teachers or worry about grades. Say what? Anyway, Young is energetic and warm and seems like a funnier Bill Gates without the bowl cut and the Kermit the Frog voice. I am still wondering why so many people have flocked here to watch a soft spoken old geek talk about Linux and digital libraries. I mean, I am into this stuff and I still find it to be a pretty boring proposition. I notice that Professor Jones doesn’t seem offended by Young’s remarks about pompous professors and why we shouldn’t listen to them. Young jokes that if they (professors) knew anything about being an entrepreneur they wouldn’t be sitting here. I wonder if Young is trying to connect with the mostly young audience by establishing himself as an anti-establishment guy.

4:05 p.m. – On Copyrights

Young is now talking about how the history of copyright law began with its invention by the British government in the early days after the large scale adoption of the printing press. Young said they were able to protect the works of Charles Dickens for seven years before they became public domain. He feels that Disney began to take things to far when they copyrighted Mickey Mouse for a longer period (missed it). Soon we would have the one-hundred year copyright period that we have today. He suggests that the current copyright law could be a big problem. I notice Young’s a Canadian, as I hear several “aboots” in his speech.

4:10 p.m. – On Ibiblio

Young is describing his involvement with Ibiblio. After founding Red Hat, he and some of his partners wanted to find something they could do to give back. Not for profit turned out to be more difficult than he expected. It was harder to get a focus. He adds, “Ibiblio wasn’t the big idea that would get featured in the NY Times, but it brings in everything and puts into practice.” I am not sure what he means by this. At the time, Young was asking: “how do we bring back the public domain.” He adds, “The public piece of the university seemed essential.” He’s joking about being in Singapore and trying to explain, to no avail, what UNC Chapel Hill is. Then the stranger excitedly asked if that was where Ibiblio was created. Everyone but me laughs. Now I am feeling out of place, as I still don’t know much about Ibiblio or Bob Young.

4:20 p.m. – Discussion period begins

That was a short speech, so I guess Young doesn’t like lecturing. After an awkward pause, a student asks, “What has been hardest about taking a new idea and turning it into a successful business?” Young responds, “Lulu TV has been the hardest!” The crowd laughs. Of course I don’t get the joke. Young is explaining that for the first two years Lulu TV didn’t even work. “To be a successful entrepreneur, or anything for that matter, it is all about learning,” he adds. People seem to be very engaged by Young and there haven’t been any early departures yet.

4:25 p.m. – Discussion Period Continues

A student asks, “How do you keep it up and what drives you? Young replies, “Your family is more important than your work. You may have to work 16 hours a day, but you have to communicate with them and let them know they are the priority.” Wow, that seems easier said than done, but he really seems genuine in his belief. “You also better actually enjoy what you’re doing. You can’t force yourself to do things for money,” he adds. The next question comes from an older man right next to me, who asks about the ideal length of patents. Young feels it should be a two-tier system. He believes that one-click shopping is an idea that shouldn’t be patented, but many inventions should be. “Copyrights are my bugbear. Why one-hundred years? That’s stupid,” he adds.

4:35 p.m. – Not Bored Yet

It’s been over an hour now, and I thought I might be tired by now. Young is a good speaker with a warm casual humor that invites you in. I could listen all afternoon. This surprises me, since he is now talking about recent computer industry history and his various business ventures. It’s a dry subject, but he does a good job of interjecting self-effacing humor and personal anecdotes.

4:45 p.m. – An Unexpected Exodus

A bunch of students are beginning to filter out of the room, yet there is no sign that the event is coming to a close. Maybe they are rushing out to their next class. The sensation of jostling books and chairs flipping back takes me back to my undergrad years. The discussion continues with talk about Red Hat, Linux and other business successes and failures.

4:50 p.m. – Closing Remarks

Young says thanks, and then Professor Jones pops onto the stage for some quick remarks. He refers us to internet sites where we can learn more about the open source movement and other topics. While he finishes, I lean over to the student next to me and learn that he hasn’t been recording, so I won’t be leaving here with an mp3. Was he listening to music? I am sure I saw sound levels and audio software.

5:00 p.m. – Socializing with Bob

I am feeling like a snoop at this point, but there is some interesting banter, as Bob Young and some friends are talking shop right next to me. One interesting project involves a “flight simulator for doctors” that helps the field of disease management. Apparently Young has a strong interest in Alzheimer’s disease research. He is mentioning that there’s a history of Alzheimer’s disease on both sides of his family, so he’s got a personal interest in the matter. I think its time to wrap it up.

Retrospective

I still don’t know if going into this blogging experience without much background research, was beneficial or not. If I had found a subject that I was more knowledgeable and passionate about, I could have added more commentary and opinion along the way. On the other hand, I did enjoy the intrigue of going to a new location without knowing what to expect or what I would write about. To be honest, writing about a lecture by the CEO of a software company didn’t sound very tantalizing.

So what is the significance of all this event and the people and projects behind it? Considering my profession, my interests and the subject of this course, there turns out to be quite a bit that is relevant.

An issue that has grabbed my attention lately is the battle between traditional media companies and the new digital media technologies. This relates to Bob Young’s talk about copyright issues and the importance of having information in the public domain. A prime example of the battle between old and new models of content creation is the struggle between the RIAA and digital media and peer to peer networking sites. The printing of the Gutenberg Bible sparked a similar power struggle between the clergy and the first mass publishers. I think Young would agree that the advent of new technologies usually engenders more democratic and beneficial forms of information distribution.

I was ecstatic when Radiohead self-released their new album last month with a pay-what-you-can model. I paid $10, and as it turns out that was the average price paid online. The experiment was a rousing success and a possible harbinger of things to come. The artists got the lion share of the money and the fans got to a pay a reasonable price for a digital album. The record industry probably isn’t so delighted, but I won’t shed any tears.

Ibiblio is one of the largest and oldest websites and a large conservancy of freely available information, including software, music, literature, art, history, science, politics, and cultural studies. This UNC Chapel Hill venture is all about staking out more territory for the public. Bob Young and his colleagues realize that progress and innovation benefit when information is freely available to all. Young alluded to this when he mentioned Google as a new technology company that started out with a “do no evil” approach, but like Microsoft ended up doing the opposite. He points out the dangers of private sector domination of information and digital environments. He really made me think about these issues in new ways, and I came to admire him for his dedication.

Young’s other big recent contribution to digital content creators is Lulu, a self-publishing company headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina, offering print-on-demand publishing. Lulu also produces Lulu TV, a socially networked media exchange that empowers creators to make money from their videos, music and podcasts. Both services are innovative applications of open source principles.

As a UNC student, I am proud of Ibiblio and thankful for Bob Young’s support. As a digital media student and professional, I vaguely knew what open source was but hadn’t really considered its relevance for content producers and the future of communication. The significance is brought out in this passage from a ZDnet article: “In any open source endeavor consensus is necessary to achieve progress. Modeling this behavior on economics and politics gives us a different world.”