Adam Back wrote:
Seems to me many of the `cypherpunks' have become `careerpunks' and are now more interested in trading crypto tips, trade gossip, than in cypherpunks projects.
They went through the phase of buying kewl domain names (take a look down the subscriber lists), tinkering with remailers, and have now graduated to making money from crypto consulting, and lost interest in the issues where they don't add to the bottom line.
People go through life changes and often try on different types of attire/lifestyles at various points along their time-line. Hopefully, they gather a few viewpoints and ideals along the way which will stay with them throughout the outward changes in their interests and directions in life. Doubtlessly, the cypherpunks list has sown many seeds of free thought which are growing in different ways throughout the cryptography industry. If enough of these seeds have sprouted successfully then there us always the possibility that the discussions on this list will play a part in a modicum of free thought being a part of the process by which future corporate decisions are made. Once one's consciousness (and conscience) has been exposed to a variety of viewpoints and influences it is harder to dismiss the views of others out-of-hand. Immersing oneself in a narrower technological arena of crypto interest such as is provided on the coderpunks and cryptography list is no doubt beneficial to increased crypto-technical expertise. For those who choose to retain their soul in the process, the cypherpunks list serves as an island of anarchy in which the tendency to merge into corporate robot- icism can be countered. TruthMonger