e$'s (mini-rant) I have some thoughts on John Humphrey's post. I thought the big problem with E$ was with the clearing house. Is it the consensus that it is the e$ patents? If the problem is that the inventors are sitting on their patents, then why can't we just RIP THEM OFF$ When the patent system was started in the U.S., it was done for the population in order to stimulate the invention process and so improve the lot of the people. Invention is a SPECIAL kind of production. It is not normal mass property! Patents are only property because it is considered that they are of value to the people rather than the owners! Patents pro- cess was started to give property to patent "owners" in order to persuade the inventors to invent for the people. If an inventor "SITS ON A PATENT", then it is ABUSE OF PATENT! Fuck the patent owner! Fuck him with bells on! RIP HIM OFF! its a noble cause! If this has become a serious problem then finding techniques of riping off e$ patent owners is a moral and practical undertaking. Then it should be a topic of Cypherpunks. I am not sure that hoarding of patents is the main hinderance of useful e$. What do other Cypherpunks say? patents? workable e$ schemes! clearing- houses? P.S. Maybe doing private Internet business while hiding from the owner of the e$ patent will be a new privacy concern :-) P.P.S. Thoughts for a rip-off technique. Take a good private e$ tech., restate it in different terms, throw in a few changes, options, extras so it doesn't look so much like the original. Then offer it to the public with a variety of very low cost deals - especially for start-ups. By the time the original inventor gets you into court, you'll have a ton of money he'll have nothing and with our system of "justice" you can bury him. :-) Even if he "wins" - with your privacy skills you can take it with you and hide it - talk to Duncan Frissell. Note: You'll have the money to talk to Duncan, the original inventor won't. :-) P.P.P.S Why not just take the best features of several private e$ tech.s and make a hybrid? It wouldn't even be plaguerism! (sorry, I lost my dict- ionary). Central power is stolen freedom. THE UNITED STATES "FEDERAL" GOVERNMENT HAS NO LEGITIMACY. The United States "Federal" Government - We'll be even more American without it. PUSH EM BACK! PUSH EM BACK! WWWAAAYYYY BBBAAACCCCK! BBBEEEAAATTTT STATE! Gary Jeffers