A Seed is a sculpture or object that contains digital data that is sold for the purpose of keeping the information out of the hands of pirates for as long as possible, in addition to associating the transitory digital information (music, literature, movies, software) with the perceived permanence of the medium of sculpture. Additionally, the data sold in sculpture form is kept free from amendment, deletion, or corruption. This allows for the curation of virtual data in the same way that books, albums, or DVDs are collected. Additionally, a seed is one solution to the problem of how you "gift" a virtual product.
Contents
The name is derived from the BitTorrent term for a peer who has a complete copy of a torrent and still offers it for upload. The name and philosophy behind the concept comes from an article by Miracle Jones called "Wunderkammer Seeds: A Fantasia" published in The Fiction Circus.
Seeds in music
Recent high-profile examples of seeds include The Beatles, who have released their full collection of studio albums in a miniature lime-green apple that conceals a removable USB flash drive. The White Stripes also released their album Icky Thump on two different USB drives, one shaped like Meg White and the other shaped like Jack White.
Seeds in literature
The Fiction Circus online literary magazine has released a short story collection entitled simply "Seed" in a USB flash drive shaped like a miniature human penis.
Seeds in movies
The flash drive company PNY and Sony have worked together to sell flash drives pre-loaded with films like Ghostbusters and Men in Black, and albums like Thriller.