I agree on many points. The "Representation" for the Internet would be a lot like what made up the course of events that led to the SOPA/PIPA protests. Just a slew of ordinary, informed individuals that come together for a single purpose. Ebb and flow as you suggest.
The problem I see is that we will have successive generations (starting with arguably Generation X and their children and now grandchildren!) who don't see the internet as a separate world. But an integral part of the existing facets of modern life. It's as ubiquitous as coming home, plopping down on a couch and turning on the TV. For most people it's just "there." Well, for those people that still watch TV and haven't turned completely to the offerings of the digital space.
The global network that connects everyone who has access has become so integrated in modern society that it's fast becoming a part of culture and everyday life. Not so different than chatting up another passenger on the bus and showing off the baby pictures that you uploaded to imgur or photobook - whether or not the other passenger wishes to see your kid and would rather just listen to the playlist streaming from their iPhone.
And I think this is the core of where the resistance to online regulation falls. To continue the metaphor, it's like the city suddenly hiring bus monitors and making sure that everyone keeps perfectly still with their devices turned off. All the while installed video screens show a stream of advertisements and official political messages. The only recourse for "Rule Breakers" is to kick them off of the bus! For many people, there are no other alternatives as to how they go from point A to point B apart from walking. So they either comply with the absurdity or they resist and protest. Call up the city council and say, "Hey! I want to listen to my MP3 player or read my e-book. Not watch this regurgitation of candidates all spouting the same crap message!"
So how would it be possible to regulate the digital space? I realize here that the bus ride metaphor fails since public transportation is itself regulated to a degree and passengers are already restricted. Don't bring food or drink, don't step over the yellow line, (a safety issue) and a host of common courtesy rules that follow in the meatspace. Plus regulations on the bus service itself such as easy access for disabled people and equal access for all patrons regardless.
I think the question we should be asking is, WHO do we regulate for the digital part of our lives? The users or the providers? Try to regulate the users and you find yourself herding cats. You end up caging a bunch of them and all they can think to do is look for a way out for some other alternative.
I'm afraid Bizzaro World is copyrighted by Warner Bros./DC Comics. You'll have to find some other, equally screwed up place where reality has no meaning.
I wonder if "Washington DC" has been bought yet...
So, a person who did nothing illegal in one country - can then be extradited to and prosecuted in another by their laws?
Holy crap! As a woman in America enjoying what's considered legal, (going places without a male relative escort, revealing my face, hair, legs, speaking in public, driving a car...) I'm going to be stoned to death in some Middle Eastern country for breaking Sharia law!
Want a simple statement of fact? Most people are employed in small businesses.
There's your real job creators. That's who drives the economy. That's who keeps people employed. Those small business owners are the ones who invest more of their money back into the business and value their employees.
Now, if aliens were to come and abduct the top executives of the largest corporations and somehow make them collapse, you know what would happen? Small businesses would fill the void. And yes, the world would keep on turnin'.
Nice rant there, chief. So I gather that Techdirt is in your favorites list along with Fox News?
As for my computer, I believe most of the parts were assembled in a number of Asian countries. Namely China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. If the components weren't constructed by robots who were programmed by wage earners, then the chips and slots were put in place on the motherboard by other wage earners that earn less than most Americans that work at McDonalds.
The microchips weren't designed and developed by the head honcho at the top, but by really, really, REALLY smart people with a talent for mathematics and engineering.
And the electricity that's sent to my home is funded in part when I pay my utility bills. The power lines are installed, regulated, and maintained by men and women who most likely earn less than $100,000 per year.
And while I have the option to run my computer with an OS founded by someone who became a Multi-Billionaire, I do like the open source options which are produced by poor schlubs who work days doing thankless IT service, then later crunching code at 4am while buzzed on Jolt cola and chocolate covered coffee beans.
And most of the captains of industry that you so lauded in your post of ignorance were little more than power brokers, hooksters, and con jobs who had a talent for business decisions. Very few were actually anything like Andrew or Bill. A lot of them were more like David and Charles.
Now Dennis, I know you asked MrWilson here what he's done that's worth a damn by comparison - but as for me, I can honestly say I contribute to the communities that I'm a part of.
Neil Gaiman's The Sandman: Dream Country was the first and only comic book to win a World Fantasy Award. Afterward the people behind the World Fantasy Convention banned comic books so it couldn't happen again.
If 'unsigned' musicians are topping signed acts, then it most likely wouldn't be a stretch for the Entertainment Industry to change the rules of their own rankings.
The Internet leading to "docile copiers" seems absurd in a widely connected culture that is so eager to move onto and discover the next new thing. A wave of people that try and out-do the other person for little more than boasting rights. And as soon as they've set a trend and done their thing, they get bored and move onto the next thing.
And in this culture of "New, Now, Next," of attention seekers, we have people who not only try to one up others, but put their own twist on a subject. We get an unending cycle of evolution, innovation, and invention that can change things in as little as a day. Yes, there will always users and leeches and those who are content to consume. They drive the markets. They select those innovations they like and weed out the rest. And yet all it takes is one spark of inspiration to turn a consumer into a budding creator. Someone to say, "I like this and I want to do it, too!"
And how do they start? By emulating their source of inspiration.
On the post: DailyDirt: DIY Fast Food
On the post: Music Labels Have No Plans To Share Any Money They Get From The Pirate Bay With Artists
Re: Re: Re:
On the post: More And More People Sign On To The Declaration Of Internet Freedom
Re:
The problem I see is that we will have successive generations (starting with arguably Generation X and their children and now grandchildren!) who don't see the internet as a separate world. But an integral part of the existing facets of modern life. It's as ubiquitous as coming home, plopping down on a couch and turning on the TV. For most people it's just "there." Well, for those people that still watch TV and haven't turned completely to the offerings of the digital space.
The global network that connects everyone who has access has become so integrated in modern society that it's fast becoming a part of culture and everyday life. Not so different than chatting up another passenger on the bus and showing off the baby pictures that you uploaded to imgur or photobook - whether or not the other passenger wishes to see your kid and would rather just listen to the playlist streaming from their iPhone.
And I think this is the core of where the resistance to online regulation falls. To continue the metaphor, it's like the city suddenly hiring bus monitors and making sure that everyone keeps perfectly still with their devices turned off. All the while installed video screens show a stream of advertisements and official political messages. The only recourse for "Rule Breakers" is to kick them off of the bus! For many people, there are no other alternatives as to how they go from point A to point B apart from walking. So they either comply with the absurdity or they resist and protest. Call up the city council and say, "Hey! I want to listen to my MP3 player or read my e-book. Not watch this regurgitation of candidates all spouting the same crap message!"
So how would it be possible to regulate the digital space? I realize here that the bus ride metaphor fails since public transportation is itself regulated to a degree and passengers are already restricted. Don't bring food or drink, don't step over the yellow line, (a safety issue) and a host of common courtesy rules that follow in the meatspace. Plus regulations on the bus service itself such as easy access for disabled people and equal access for all patrons regardless.
I think the question we should be asking is, WHO do we regulate for the digital part of our lives? The users or the providers? Try to regulate the users and you find yourself herding cats. You end up caging a bunch of them and all they can think to do is look for a way out for some other alternative.
On the post: GEMA Hikes Venue Performance Royalties 500%, Threatens Germany's Underground Club Scene
On the post: Does Batman Need Copyright Protection?
No. Because he is Batman.
On the post: Couple Arrested For Dancing On NYC Subway Platform
Re: I'm not saying it was aliens, but...
On the post: Are Books Printed With Disappearing Ink Really The Best Way To Make People Read Them?
Re: Far fetched, but...
On the post: Penny Arcade Shooting For A Crowdfunded Ad-Free Website
Re: Re: Re: Re:
On the post: ACTA Failure Inspires The Most Clueless Column Ever
Re: Ever wonder...
On the post: ACTA Failure Inspires The Most Clueless Column Ever
Re: Re: The answer is simple.
I wonder if "Washington DC" has been bought yet...
On the post: Class Action Racketeering Lawsuit Filed Against Copyright Trolling Porn Companies
Re: Re:
http://dailyhumorpix.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/vlcsnap-2011-08-08-23h47m10s1751.png
On the post: Yahoo And Facebook Settle Patent Fight, But Damage To Yahoo's Reputation May Linger
Re: Reputation?
On the post: Poll Shows Only 9% Of UK Public Think Richard O'Dwyer Should Be Extradited
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Holy crap! As a woman in America enjoying what's considered legal, (going places without a male relative escort, revealing my face, hair, legs, speaking in public, driving a car...) I'm going to be stoned to death in some Middle Eastern country for breaking Sharia law!
On the post: PIPA Author Senator Leahy Gets His Reward: A Part In 'The Dark Knight Rises'
Re: Re: Re: Re:
There's your real job creators. That's who drives the economy. That's who keeps people employed. Those small business owners are the ones who invest more of their money back into the business and value their employees.
Now, if aliens were to come and abduct the top executives of the largest corporations and somehow make them collapse, you know what would happen? Small businesses would fill the void. And yes, the world would keep on turnin'.
Source
On the post: PIPA Author Senator Leahy Gets His Reward: A Part In 'The Dark Knight Rises'
Re: Re:
As for my computer, I believe most of the parts were assembled in a number of Asian countries. Namely China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. If the components weren't constructed by robots who were programmed by wage earners, then the chips and slots were put in place on the motherboard by other wage earners that earn less than most Americans that work at McDonalds.
The microchips weren't designed and developed by the head honcho at the top, but by really, really, REALLY smart people with a talent for mathematics and engineering.
And the electricity that's sent to my home is funded in part when I pay my utility bills. The power lines are installed, regulated, and maintained by men and women who most likely earn less than $100,000 per year.
And while I have the option to run my computer with an OS founded by someone who became a Multi-Billionaire, I do like the open source options which are produced by poor schlubs who work days doing thankless IT service, then later crunching code at 4am while buzzed on Jolt cola and chocolate covered coffee beans.
And most of the captains of industry that you so lauded in your post of ignorance were little more than power brokers, hooksters, and con jobs who had a talent for business decisions. Very few were actually anything like Andrew or Bill. A lot of them were more like David and Charles.
Now Dennis, I know you asked MrWilson here what he's done that's worth a damn by comparison - but as for me, I can honestly say I contribute to the communities that I'm a part of.
On the post: Band Asks Fans To 'Donate Sounds' For Next Album
On the post: Crowdfunded Album Leaps Onto The Charts, Sells More Than Rihanna And Coldplay
If 'unsigned' musicians are topping signed acts, then it most likely wouldn't be a stretch for the Entertainment Industry to change the rules of their own rankings.
On the post: Innovation, Copying And Civil Disobedience
And in this culture of "New, Now, Next," of attention seekers, we have people who not only try to one up others, but put their own twist on a subject. We get an unending cycle of evolution, innovation, and invention that can change things in as little as a day. Yes, there will always users and leeches and those who are content to consume. They drive the markets. They select those innovations they like and weed out the rest. And yet all it takes is one spark of inspiration to turn a consumer into a budding creator. Someone to say, "I like this and I want to do it, too!"
And how do they start? By emulating their source of inspiration.
On the post: Just Because A Banana Can Be Used To Rob A Bank, It Doesn't Mean We Ban Bananas
On the post: Band Explains Why It Loves When Fans Download Unauthorized Copies Of Its Music
Re: Re: Re: Re:
It's called buoyancy. Hot air floats.
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