February 14, 2026
Friend Computer is Your Mod
What color are your bits? (2004)
Two decades on, an old blog sparks fresh fights over AI, power, and “colour” chaos
TLDR: A 2004 post on copyright is back in the spotlight as the author argues today’s real fight is over AI training and fair use. Commenters split between “let machines learn like humans” and “protect creators,” with extra drama over a broken link and the great “colour vs color” mystery.
A 20-year-old think piece about copyright is suddenly the main character again—and the crowd has thoughts. The author says today’s real battle is over AI training and fair use, not old-school copy‑paste, and drops the grenade: “If a human can learn from a book and write another, why can’t a computer?” That line lit up the room. Some readers cheer the analogy as common sense; others fire back that humans aren’t data vacuums and creators deserve protection. Meanwhile, one commenter delivers the night’s spiciest take: copyright only “works” when it serves the powerful, which has the thread split between “protect artists” and “don’t lock down knowledge.”
Then the subplot steals the show: the “colour” vs “color” snafu. A broken “past” link sends detectives scrambling, and jasode’s fix—“Search with ‘colour’”—turns into a full-on meme. Brits vs. Americans banter, and Paranoia game riffs fly (“Ultraviolet clearance to discuss AI only!”). It’s peak nerd drama: nostalgia for a classic post, frustration that newer essays aren’t getting love, and a community torn between abundance (let machines learn) and scarcity (don’t starve creators). The vibe? High-minded philosophy with a healthy dose of Friend Computer jokes—plus a practical tip to use HN search if your link goes poof.
Key Points
- •The author’s 2004 essay on copyright and copying remains widely referenced in 2024, but newer issues dominate current debates.
- •The author argues that copyright concerns around generative AI training are best approached using existing fair use principles.
- •A 2021 article by the author examines scarcity vs. abundance in institutional hiring and promotion, linking it to IP perspectives.
- •The original essay uses the Paranoia game’s color-coded clearances as a metaphor for access and control in copyright and intellectual freedom.
- •An article based on the original and follow-up essays, co-authored with Brett Bonfield and Mary Fran Torpey, appeared in Library Journal on 15 February 2008.