So what? Long == bad? Has our culture become so impatient that people can't take the time to read through something that would barely fill a single printed page?
Regardless of whether you like Katz or not, you have to respect him for bringing something more substantial to the table that "Hey, they are gonna release a new version of Beowulf" or "Hey, the RIAA really sucks, huh?"
For once I would like to see a Katz article that actually had a discussion of the article following it, not a million "Jon Katz sucks" posts. (yes, I know I am just contributing to the "JK sucks" line noise with this post, but I had to get it off my chest)
Sure, you could give all kinds of garbage that will probably be obsolete by the time next Christmas rolls around; but why not give something that will last a little longer?
How about giving your friends memberships in organizations that promote worthy ideals? Some good examples are the ACLU and EFF (as mentioned above). The money that you spend on a gift like this benefits everyone, by helping in the fight to hold onto the precious little freedom we have left. This is great for every budget, most organizations have memberships in the $20 - $30 range, putting them squarely in the "Less than playstation2" category, but I am sure any organization would gladly accept a $1,000,000+ donation (from the "unlimited" range).
Plus there is some geek prestige to be had by pulling an EFF membership card out of your wallet.
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Regardless of whether you like Katz or not, you have to respect him for bringing something more substantial to the table that "Hey, they are gonna release a new version of Beowulf" or "Hey, the RIAA really sucks, huh?"
For once I would like to see a Katz article that actually had a discussion of the article following it, not a million "Jon Katz sucks" posts. (yes, I know I am just contributing to the "JK sucks" line noise with this post, but I had to get it off my chest)
How about giving your friends memberships in organizations that promote worthy ideals? Some good examples are the ACLU and EFF (as mentioned above). The money that you spend on a gift like this benefits everyone, by helping in the fight to hold onto the precious little freedom we have left. This is great for every budget, most organizations have memberships in the $20 - $30 range, putting them squarely in the "Less than playstation2" category, but I am sure any organization would gladly accept a $1,000,000+ donation (from the "unlimited" range).
Plus there is some geek prestige to be had by pulling an EFF membership card out of your wallet.