You’d be forgiven for expecting little from a guy with a blog called Craphound, another called Boing Boing, and a penchant for distributing digital versions of his science fiction free of charge. The thing is, Cory Doctorow’s blogs are read by millions, and his traditional paper books have been distributed by some of the biggest publishing houses in America.

Commercial sales of Doctorow’s books, like his essay collection Content and his novel Little Brother, have not suffered from free electronic distribution. He’s simply reaching more readers, who often end up buying something he wrote. His free editions become raw material for other creative people, who have produced comic books, iPhone apps, and even translations (including one in Braille ).

Jeff Severns Guntzel talked to Utne visionary Cory Doctorow about his penchant for giving it all away and his passionate critique of any person or entity that attempts to quash creativity with copyright laws.

The music is courtesy of the Bombay Sweets and the Cold Readers.
Image by Paula Mariel Salischiker , licensed under Creative Commons.

Hello UtneCast listeners. The Utne Reader editorial staff is in the process of improving and rethinking what the UtneCast is, and what it could be. So we’re turning to our listeners, and including all of you in the process.

We’d like to know, what other podcasts do you listen to?

Send us an email at Survey@utne.com

Michael Franti has never been shy about his politics. The latest album by Franti and his band Spearhead, called All Rebel Rockers, mixes the songwriter’s progressive-minded lyrics with some of the best music of his career. It’s also been his most commercially successful album, showing that people are hungry for consciousness-raising music.

In the latest episode of the UtneCast, senior editor Keith Goetzman talks with Franti about recording All Rebel Rockers in Jamaica, Franti’s politics of inclusion, and his music’s role in rallying progressives.

You can listen to the interview above, or to subscribe to the UtneCast for free through iTunes, click here.

Inventions aren’t just for inventors, according to Saul Griffith, one of Utne Reader’s “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World.” His myriad innovations, including low-cost eyeglass lenses and a smart rope that’s able to sense its own load, are undoubtedly impressive. What makes Griffith different is that he wants to help everyone share in the inventive process.

In this episode of the UtneCast, senior editor Keith Goetzman talks with Griffith about the future of invention and innovation, which he believes will be more open and collaborative. Griffith is also helping bring that future to fruition with HowToons, a series of science-based cartoons for children.

You can listen to the interview above, or to subscribe to the UtneCast for free through iTunes, click here.

On Nov. 4, news outlets from around the world beamed images from Chicago’s Grant Park to captivated audiences awaiting the U.S. election results. Thousands of excited Chicagoans packed the park to hear Barack Obama deliver his first speech as president-elect. Afterweard, they spilled out into the streets to celebrate.

In this episode of the UtneCast, we recapture some of the voices and sounds from downtown Chicago the night Barack Obama won the presidency.

You can listen to the interview below, or to subscribe to the UtneCast for free through iTunes, click here.

The world is facing a potentially catastrophic water crisis. More than a billion people currently lack access to clean, safe drinking water. Multinational corporations including Nestlé, Vivendi, and Coca Cola are buying up the world’s fresh water supply and selling it back to people at a profit. A movement is growing, however, opposing the tide of privatization, wrestling control away from the corporations, and working to bring water to everyone.

The documentary FLOW: For Love of Water explores this fight over who owns the world’s water. For this episode of the UtneCast, I spoke with Irena Salina, director of the film, and Maude Barlow, one of the world’s most prominent activist against the privatization of water.

You can listen to the interview above, or to subscribe to the UtneCast for free through iTunes, click here.

Election day is almost here and questions still remain about the security of the voting process. A lot of attention has been paid to accusations of voter fraud and the McCain campaign’s attacks on the community organizing group ACORN. What has been largely ignored is the rampant misinformation that’s already being spread in low-income and minority communities, and the unjust voter disenfranchisement that’s likely to occur.

For this episode of the UtneCast, I spoke with Rachel Bloom and Nancy Abudu, organizers from the American Civil Liberties Union who are working to make sure that every legal vote is counted. We talked about race, fraud, and the organization’s efforts to protect people’s votes in 2008.

You can listen to the interview above, or to subscribe to the UtneCast for free through iTunes, click here.

Right now, congress is negotiating a $700 billion bailout plan for Wall Street. For most people, $700 billion is an inconceivable figure. “The mind boggles,” Joel Best writes in his new book, Stat-Spotting: A Field Guide to Identifying Dubious Data. “We may be able to wrap our heads around a million, but billions and trillions are almost unimaginably big numbers.”

During campaign seasons, confusing statistics and unimaginably large numbers are commonplace. For the latest episode of the UtneCast, I spoke with Best about how regular people can make sense of statistics, polls, and the $700 bailout.

You can listen to the interview above, or to subscribe to the UtneCast for free through iTunes, click here.

It’s difficult to tell difference between ethical, sustainable seafood and the environmentally destructive fish you find on many menus. The seafood industry wreaks havoc on the environment, using massive ocean trawlers that destroy ancient habitats and kill massive amounts of fish unnecessarily. In the September-October issue of Utne Reader, Taras Grescoe, author of the book Bottomfeeder, helps readers navigate the confusing world of seafood and find delicious fish that can be eaten with a clear conscience.

For the latest episode of the UtneCast, I talked with Grescoe about the ways that everyone can enjoy healthy, sustainable seafood without destroying the environment.

You can listen to the interview above, or to subscribe to the UtneCast for free through iTunes, click here.

For more information on ethical seafood, visit www.utne.com/seafood.