book

[mattd]

 >>Bought a copy of True Names and read it last night. Great story, 
especially considering the date. The first net-fi I read was Neuromancer in 
'84.

Im yet to have the pleasure of either,Does 'Billion dollar brain",by len 
Deighton squeeze into the genre?

 >>R. Stallman's Right to Read short story is sickeningly close to reality. 
I don't care one way or the other if Microsoft patents and creates an OS 
that does DRM but I do care about having it forced down my throat at the 
hands of congressvermin and corporations which, as I see it, is practically 
a certainty.<<

They are patenting our DNA,the freeTM market is a very strict mistress.MS 
and its precious code is now listed as a security risk. The wisdom of 
insecurity by watts,springs to mind."when you can snatch the source code 
from my fingers..."
Dont knock corporations here mike, jamesd will be on your case like a 
latter day roy cohn.Tims freeper hatchet man.

 >>Tim's essay was mostly the familiar stuff, nicely organized and 
presented. The style was almost academic but I notice he did slip one 
"spokesvermin" reference in there<<

Tim says jya should not be seen as representative of this list.Ill take him 
over timmy anyday.Tim May is well past his useby date.The familiar stuff 
deconstructs into lame self mythologizing,dead data and puff pieces on 
cyber-liberty.
Academic in the use of jargon,obscurantist verbiage,pretentious 
drivel,reactionary nonsense?I'm not surprised.

 >>So, Tim, we seem to have raced closer if not past the fork in the road, 
especially since September. Recalling Yogi Berra's "when you come to the 
fork in the road, take it", have we taken it? And if so which path?

Tim May: Deja vu all over again.Verbal contracts not worth the paper 
they're written on,etc...Fork off tim.

 >>The fork analogy may be too simple. The natural path for a vital culture 
is the crypto-anarchist path. The path of increasing state control is the 
natural path for the maintenance and accumulation of power. We all see the 
forces in operation, it's pretty much the topic 24/7. I think the forces 
that bind this mess together increase with distance, the more free the net 
becomes the greater the perceived threat and the desire to reign it in. The 
tighter the controls the greater the desire to break free. On each side 
there are those for whom compromise is unacceptable. In the middle are the 
nearly oblivious masses who can with varying degrees of success be swayed 
one way or the other from time to time. Fear seems to be their main 
motivator. <<

30% of the pop may support the revolution,30% may oppose it,the rest are on 
the fence.The way to leverage relatively small no's through anonymity and 
the web is to use AP to defend and extend the web."the net is closing 
in"and not just on bin laden.What anarchy? Why die for timmy mays casper 
milquetoast version when the real things on the streets.
Alternatively,lie low,stay anon,the state of grace is quad anon.Both will 
be needed.Mays cod anarchism will not.
Fear is the key and the only thing to fear is fear itself."extremely dark 
markets'should not be feared.Viva anarchy!

 >>Rather than making a choice and following any single path we are 
following two concurrent and divergent paths and the energy level is 
increasing. We are headed for a period of escalation. It's definitely a new 
'War on Drugs' scenario, just as dangerous, just as futile and just as 
sustainable. Mike <<

Who's this "we",whiteman? After prohibition 2,vietnam 2,bush 2 its time for 
civil war 2.The coasts march on crawford and liberate the chicago and 
minnesota communes.In the dreamtime of one persyn who's been down the other 
side of the mountain and knows the world can live out the true meaning of 
this creed,"Liberty without socialism is privilege,injustice;Socialism 
without liberty is slavery and brutality." Bakunin:  Sustainable is as 
sustainable does.