why plagiarism is about the stupidest thing you can do in today's world (II)

I don't make this stuff up (or steal it from other authors without attribution).  Here is the link to the full article.

I am a huge fan of researching and remixing others' ideas and creations into original work.  I do it myself.  But too many people misunderstand the boundaries between ethical attribution and ripping others off to make themselves look good.  My freshman year R.A. at UCLA had a sign on her door with this Wilson Mizner quote: If you steal from one author it's plagiarism; if you steal from many it's research.  That's a witty line, but it's not accurate.  This year we'll spend some time this year with digital fair use experts and university administrators figuring out how you can make the most effective use of everything you can find without stepping over the line.