Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Lessig's Challenge: Are You Up To It?

Posted by Hemos on from the put-your-money-where-his-mouth-his dept.

Eloquence writes "At the 2002 Open Source Conference, law professor and cyberactivist Larry Lessig, last prominently featured here because of the Eldred case, asked some poignant questions: 'How many people have given to [the] EFF more money than they have given to their local telecom to give them shitty DSL service? How many people have given more money to [the] EFF than they give each year to support the monopoly--to support the other side?' Luke Francl has interpreted these questions as a challenge, and decided to chronicle both his donations to good causes and his less voluntary payments to 'the media oligarchy' on this page: Lessig's Challenge. This is a good idea if others imitate it: If these pages become interlinked with each other, not only can they motivate us and let us track our progress, they may also help us to keep each other up to date about 'good causes' -- there's more than the EFF, after all. With Harry Potter in theatres and Lord of the Rings before us, should 'nerds' also be thinking about supporting those who fight for our rights to, say, play DVDs on an open-source OS?"

5 of 344 comments (clear)

  1. No kidding by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    How many people have given to [the] EFF more money than they have given to their local telecom to give them shitty DSL service?

    Well, what kind of high speed access is EFF going to provide for me?

  2. Re:Other side? by kennylives · · Score: 4, Funny
    The 'monopoly' in this case *AA - the media monopoly. If you read the linked speech, LL doesn't mention Microsoft at all.

    But, that's an interesting hair-trigger ya got there...

    --

    Where the value of X-Mailer: is the true measure of a man...

  3. Re:Please by serps · · Score: 5, Funny
    Spare me your pet causes. You do what you wish with your duckets, whatever makes you feel better. I will do as I please with mine.

    I believe you are confused.

    Ducat n.

    1. Any of various gold coins formerly used in certain European countries.
    2. Slang.
      A piece of money.

    vs.

    Ducket n.

    1. A container for storing ducks.

    You can do what you please with your ducats, but please be careful with your duckets. Ducklings can break.

    --
    "Einstein argued that [...] God is not capricious or arbitrary. No such faith comforts the software engineer." ~ Brooks
  4. Re:money by bwalling · · Score: 5, Funny

    And if you're a lazy unskilled idealist you could donate

    If you're a "lazy unskilled idealist" you probably have no money.

  5. Re:I'm In Compliance by pla · · Score: 4, Funny

    Heh... By that reasoning, I *HAVE* given more to the EFF (I think it has expired, but I joined and got a spiffy hat and a chance to chat up booth bunny at Linux World a couple years ago).

    So, $50 to EFF, $0 to Microsoft. Yeah!

    As for my cable company... When the EFF offers a 1.5 megabit connection in my neighborhood (for under $50/mo), You'll find me one of the first in line. Until then, I can only hug my knees, rock back and forth, and keep mumbling unconvincingly to myself "Ted Turner doesn't own Adelphia yet". :-)