Slashdot Mirror

Phlinn writes "In the Reason interview with Michael Powell, it is possible to develop a clearer understanding of the FCC's recent actions. It would appear that despite recent actions, he's not the pro censorship icon many people think. Beware of actions based on a "greater good" however."

An anonymous reader writes "John Kerry lambastes John Ashcroft and the Patriot Act, positioning himself as a crusader for civil liberties. The question is, how much substance is there to his rhetoric? This article was an eye-opener to me, in evaluating just that. Slashdotters tending to be passionate about the Patriot Act, encryption, and electronic monitoring - subjects this article tackles with respect to Kerry."

Nephilium writes "Reason magazine has dedicated their latest issue to a discussion of privacy and data collection. They sent subscribers a customized cover of the magazine [as previously covered on Slashdot]. Some good points as to the benefits and drawbacks of who is sharing your information." The sample targeted advertisements are for non-profit organizations, but it may not be long until someone figures out how much companies will pay to utilize this sort of targeting.

Nephilium writes "Reason magazine has dedicated their latest issue to a discussion of privacy and data collection. They sent subscribers a customized cover of the magazine [as previously covered on Slashdot]. Some good points as to the benefits and drawbacks of who is sharing your information." The sample targeted advertisements are for non-profit organizations, but it may not be long until someone figures out how much companies will pay to utilize this sort of targeting.

illuminata writes "Can the video game industry keep its mittens out of the political slugfest? According to Kevin Parker's article Free Play, they sure can't. In it, he cites Dreamcatcher's Gore and Sega's Legacy Online and Jet Set Radio Future as main offenders. He even goes on to point out how some people want video games to convey their favorite political message in the future. Are there any particular titles or game companies that you think lay on the politics too thick, or is it all just a bunch of foof?"

An anonymous reader writes "An article for Reason Magazine, recently posted to their site, argues that games, unlike traditional media, are inherently biased - in favor of individual freedom - and that games might influence real-world political preferences." The author starts by arguing: "Video games are evolving into a grand anti-authoritarian laboratory", and concludes: "Computer games, as a class, do appear to favor civil and economic liberty... because of the same human tendencies that free players from domineering storylines and inflexible rules. Games naturally turn players against contrived limits and inconsistencies."

No_Weak_Heart writes "Talk about 'know your customers' -- the NY Times has an interesting article about Reason Magazine's upcoming June issue. Each of the print magazine's 40,000 subscribers will receive a copy of the mag with their name and a satellite photo of their home on the cover!" Although described as a "cover stunt", the magazine's editor "said that the parlor trick could have profound implications as database and printing capabilities grow."

kpost writes "Reason magazine has an interview with Bruce Sterling." Fairly lengthy and entertaining interview for you bookworms out there. Covers a lot of different subjects.

kpost writes "Reason magazine has an interview with Bruce Sterling." Fairly lengthy and entertaining interview for you bookworms out there. Covers a lot of different subjects.

Thanks to Reason Online for their article discussing recurring anti-game violence lawyer Jack Thompson, whom they describe as "nothing if not relentless" for his repeated attempts to sue videogame companies on behalf of violence victims. They also shine a light on his pre-videogame concerns, which include acting as "a primary force behind 2 Live Crew's obscenity woes", and even "peddling some genuinely intriguing claims about Janet Reno's time in Miami." The piece concludes by referencing similar "brainwashing fears" common to Thompson and an earlier crusader, Fredric Wertham, who "was at the forefront of the campaign to stop comic books from rotting the minds of the young with fantastic, colorful tales of violence, horror, and unconventional living arrangements" in the '50s.

rnturn writes "A long but interesting article over at Reasononline discusses a paper written by a pair of economists and published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis (!) and the reactions to it of several other economists. A snippet from the article: 'Moreover, U.S. court decisions in the 1980s that strengthened patent protection for software led to less innovation. "Far from unleashing a flurry of new innovative activity," Maskin and Bessen write, "these stronger property rights ushered in a period of stagnant, if not declining, R&D among those industries and firms that patented most."' Not exactly news to most readers but it appears that their paper is making waves in economic circles."

rnturn writes "A long but interesting article over at Reasononline discusses a paper written by a pair of economists and published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis (!) and the reactions to it of several other economists. A snippet from the article: 'Moreover, U.S. court decisions in the 1980s that strengthened patent protection for software led to less innovation. "Far from unleashing a flurry of new innovative activity," Maskin and Bessen write, "these stronger property rights ushered in a period of stagnant, if not declining, R&D among those industries and firms that patented most."' Not exactly news to most readers but it appears that their paper is making waves in economic circles."

I thought I'd grab up some of the many commentaries and responses to the Eldred decision. If you read only one of these links, see Lessig's blog. Jack Balkin, another law professor who contributed to the case, is discussing it in his blog. The NYTimes has two distinct news stories on the decision (NYT1, NYT2), plus a biting editorial about the decision. Copyright scholar Siva Vaidhyanathan has a piece in Salon. The LA Times posts one of the very few stories to present the decision in a positive light. Reason is one of several to mock the mouse.

swankypimp writes "The new issue of Reason magazine has an article entitled "Hollywood vs. the Internet: Why Entertainment Companies Want To Hack Your Computer." The author discusses the watermarking of digital television as a springboard to Digital Rights Management on all consumer electronics and computers (as in the recently proposed Hollings bill). While light on the tech speak, it is a good summary of the political agendas behind copyright protection intended for those of us who don't constantly check the "YRO" section."

bughunter writes "Accomplished astrophysicist and SF author Gregory Benford shares a personal account of his recent conversation with Stephen Hawking at Reason Online. As usual, Benford's style is engaging and informal, and this doesn't read like a typical interview. Although the article is short on jargon, Benford and Hawking share insights on the meaning of life, the universe, and everything, as such minds are want to do. We even get a glimpse of Cambridge tunnel hacking. Of course, there's also a plug for Hawking's new book, The Universe in a Nutshell."

bughunter writes "Accomplished astrophysicist and SF author Gregory Benford shares a personal account of his recent conversation with Stephen Hawking at Reason Online. As usual, Benford's style is engaging and informal, and this doesn't read like a typical interview. Although the article is short on jargon, Benford and Hawking share insights on the meaning of life, the universe, and everything, as such minds are want to do. We even get a glimpse of Cambridge tunnel hacking. Of course, there's also a plug for Hawking's new book, The Universe in a Nutshell."

Reader Mike N. contributed this review of The Mystery Of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else. Hernando de Soto, for those unfamiliar, is an interesting character in his own right.

The Mystery of Capital author Hernado de Soto pages 276 publisher Basic Books rating 8.5 reviewer Mike N ISBN 0465016146 summary A take on the abstraction of 'Capital' We read about the new economy, cyber-squatting, e-cash, intellectual property, and the Wild West on the internet. How can we intelligently consider these concepts if we are unclear about what the old economy, or cash, or physical property (let alone the real Wild West) is?

Hernado de Soto addresses the latter questions while making the case for his central thesis: that Western property law and administrative infrastructure is the reason for the ascendency of the Western economy.

The book is framed as an investigation of the 'Five Mysteries of Capital' during which the author enthusiastically demonstrates the shortcomings of common knowledge on the subjects of poverty, money, law, and history.

De Soto's mysteries are, in short:

1. The Mystery of Missing Information. How much poverty, and conversely, how much property is there in poor countries, and how do we measure it? Huge numbers of people live and work off the books: they have no clear title to their land and possessions, they pay no taxes, they have no credit. We're not talking about subsistence farming here, but about buses and taxis, repair shops, and light industry. This 'Shadow Economy' is explored, and the 'Dark Capital' bound to undocumented resources is examined.

2. The Mystery of Capital. What is Capital, where does it come from? De Soto views capital as not just a proxy for physical assets, but as a side effect of of property laws and infrastructure. His explanation of capital amplification derived from the standardization, globality, and liquidity that is given to property by standard protocols and infrastructure echoes common reflections on the internet phenomenon.

3. The Mystery of Political Awareness. Why have so many governments failed so badly at economic reform? Simply because they do not realize they are in the midst of their own Industrial Revolution, 200 years late. De Soto argues that the true extent of the shadow economy was unknown until recently, and methods of dealing with it are in process. It is refreshing to read something on this subject that acknowledges the hard work and sincerity of many of these governments, rather than rehashing accusations of incompetence and corruption.

   4. The Missing Lessons of U.S. History. How did the U.S develop an infrastructure that nurtures successful Capitalism? This section is an entertaining overview of the evolution of U.S. property law (believe it or not). What I found interesting was the way that 'law' would spontaneously arise in circumstances where the existing system was inadequate or non-existent. Also of interest were the examples of legislation chasing and converging (roughly) with reality over a century long period.

   5. The Mystery of Legal Failure. What legislation is required to = enfranchise the people of the Third World? Again, the author makes an argument for law tracking reality. In the Roman legal tradition, laws are not created, they are 'discovered'; the best laws are those that fit existing practice. Well intentioned land reform measures fail because they do not reflect the actual situation. People do not want to be uprooted, they want title to what they believe is theirs.

If anyone believes the answer to any these questions is either simple or boring, they are mistaken. De Soto addresses topics such as the nature of cash, the importance of responsibility, and the impregnability of badly designed bureaucracies in the course of his arguments. An especially harrowing read is his description of research detailing the steps required to get title to property in Haiti, the Philippines, and several other countries. Ith can take decades (decades!) and hundreds of transactions with dozens of bureaucracies to get clear title to land that a family may have lived on for generations.

De Soto tells a story about walking through rice paddies in Indonesia - = there were no survey markers or fences, but he knew whenever he crossed a property line - a different dog barked at him. He tells a group of ministers working on land reform to start at the bottom; listen to the dogs. and work up from there. His message is simple -- discover the law, then write it.

In each of these sections the author firms up his arguments with a = unique perspective based on solid research as much as theory. The final section of the book gives sober and well thought out step-by-step directions to lift people out of poverty and invisibility, again based on experience in field programs, rather than ideology.

This book is infused with a sort of passion that gives the arguments and figures an unexpected fascination. It is neither an anti-globaliztion rail nor a 'greed is good' apologia, but a well thought out investigation into a subject the author cares deeply about. For myself, I care little for economics, but I am familiar with engineering. De Soto approaches his topic like an engineer; he is interested not in promoting a theory, but in solving a problem.

I would recommend this book to two audiences: anyone interested in world poverty or economics, or those interested in the interaction and evolution of laws (ill-informed or not) and the Web. I would also recommend that we start barking.

You may find out more about the author at www.ild.org.pe.

You can purchase The Mystery of Capitalism from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews. To see your own review here, carefully read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.

digitect writes: "The article More More More at Reason is a good overview of the increasing rate of acceleration for technology. It includes references to nanotube technology, nanobots and estimations of gross computing power in the near and far future. Frankly, I doubt we will ever develop computers with the sophisticated power of even a mouse brain, although many may protest that we already have exceeded their gross power. I believe that things like perception and reasoning are beyond the scope of raw power. But it's a fun read anyway."

digitect writes: "The article More More More at Reason is a good overview of the increasing rate of acceleration for technology. It includes references to nanotube technology, nanobots and estimations of gross computing power in the near and far future. Frankly, I doubt we will ever develop computers with the sophisticated power of even a mouse brain, although many may protest that we already have exceeded their gross power. I believe that things like perception and reasoning are beyond the scope of raw power. But it's a fun read anyway."

Bob Kopp writes "The libertarian magazine Reason is running an article about the clash between corporations that own copyrights and 'grassroots, participatory culture.' The article discusses the effects of the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act, which extended the life span of copyrights by 20 years, as well as the dangers of information monopolies in general."

Bob Kopp writes "The libertarian magazine Reason is running an article about the clash between corporations that own copyrights and 'grassroots, participatory culture.' The article discusses the effects of the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act, which extended the life span of copyrights by 20 years, as well as the dangers of information monopolies in general."