Message from a Parallel Universe

[Aimee Farr]

Tim May wrote:

> Cypherpunks,
>
> I was twiddling the dials on my Hartle-Witten BraneNet, and I
> received this message from a parallel negative tension brane
> universe. Apparently there is a group similar to our own group in
> this world which is at this quasi-time debating "literary anarchy."
>
> Here's an excerpt:
>
> >Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 15:53:24 -0700
> >To: cypherbranes at lne.com
> >From: Aimless Fargone <clueless at lawyers.org>
> >Subject: Literary Anarchy
> >Cc:
> >
> >
> >I get what you guys are saying about how maybe individual readers of
> >books could decide for themselves like what books they could read. I
> >even hear your point of view that government regulation of
> >bookstores, writers, magazines, and libraries might be dispensed
> >with in some far-off utopian future.  But, like, I don't understand
> >how it would work. How would people know what was the truth and what
> >was a lie. You guys talk about these mysterious "reputations," but
> >couldn't authors _lie_ about their reputations, couldn't publishers
> >deceived the gullible? And what's to keep an author from pretending
> >to be another author, or what's to keep him from copying the style
> >and ideas of another writer? How would people even know what was
> >important and what wasn't? And couldn't foreign intelligence agents
> >write stuff that was uncontrolled, contaminating our value
> >propositions? Really, punks, I'm just seeking a value proposition
> >for why it is that this idea of "literary anarchy" would work.
>

*laughter*... that is damn funny. Tim, this is not to say that I don't
respect your fiendish intent.

~Aimee