I posted this in the last spectrum topic, but it's perhaps even more applicable to this discussion.
- Neil Wehneman
*****
Lawrence Lessig spends a not insignificant amount of time on the concept of spectrum in 2001's The Future of Ideas.
Quoting him from page 233 (emphasis in original)...
"Here again, an idea about property is doing all the work - but this time the idea is at its most attenuated. We don't yet have a full property regime for allocating and controlling spectrum. Yet we are still being driven to embrace this single view. We are racing to deny the opportunity for balance, pushed (as we always are) by those who have the least to gain from a world of balance. The possibility of a commons at the physical layer is ignored; even the chance to experiment with the commons is denied. Instead, policy makers on the Right and the Left race to embrace a system of perfect control.
So strong is this idea of property, so unbalanced is our understanding of its tradition, that we embrace it fully, without limitation, even when it doesn't yet exist, and even when the asset being assigned a property right is not - like the wires of AT&T's cable or the creative genius behind Disney's Mickey Mouse - something anyone has created. We are racing to assign property rights in the air, because we can't imagine that balance could do better."
Buy it new, buy it used, or get it from the library. But if you have interest in spectrum you should definitely read this book.
Lawrence Lessig spends a not insignificant amount of time on the concept of spectrum in 2001's The Future of Ideas.
Quoting him from page 233 (emphasis in original)...
"Here again, an idea about property is doing all the work - but this time the idea is at its most attenuated. We don't yet have a full property regime for allocating and controlling spectrum. Yet we are still being driven to embrace this single view. We are racing to deny the opportunity for balance, pushed (as we always are) by those who have the least to gain from a world of balance. The possibility of a commons at the physical layer is ignored; even the chance to experiment with the commons is denied. Instead, policy makers on the Right and the Left race to embrace a system of perfect control.
So strong is this idea of property, so unbalanced is our understanding of its tradition, that we embrace it fully, without limitation, even when it doesn't yet exist, and even when the asset being assigned a property right is not - like the wires of AT&T's cable or the creative genius behind Disney's Mickey Mouse - something anyone has created. We are racing to assign property rights in the air, because we can't imagine that balance could do better."
Buy it new, buy it used, or get it from the library. But if you have interest in spectrum you should definitely read this book.
"The whitepaper goes on to state that the long-term goal of this system is to catalog every human creation in existence that can be expressed by a digital medium."
This is being done to squeeze yet more money out of "consumers" for the copyright creators.
I don't overly fault the creators for doing this. I do fault ourselves for not finding a way to do something similar, although for different ends.
"Perhaps the single most important feature of the digital revolution is that for the first time since the Library of Alexandria, it is feasible to imagine constructing archives that hold all culture produced or distributed publicly. Technology makes it possible to imagine an archive of all books published, and increasingly makes it possible to imagine an archive of all moving images and sound...
But Kahle and the Internet Archive suggest what the future of libraries or archives could be. When the commercial life of creative property ends, I don't know. But it does. And whenever it does, Kahle and his archive hint at a world where this knowledge, and culture, remains perpetually available. Some will draw upon it to understand it; some to criticize it. Some will use it, as Walt Disney did, to re-create the past for the future. These technologies promise something that had become unimaginable for much of our past--a future for our past. The technology of digital arts could make the dream of the Library of Alexandria real again.
Technologists have thus removed the economic costs of building such an archive. But lawyers' costs remain. For as much as we might like to call these "archives," as warm as the idea of a "library" might seem, the "content" that is collected in these digital spaces is also someone's "property." And the law of property restricts the freedoms that Kahle and others would exercise."
First off, I have decided to reinstate the typos (they'll return soon). I will just let those go, even though they annoy me.
However, I am going to keep the profanity out. It's not that the profanity bothers me personally, it's that I know the profanity would bother others.
Specifically, PJ of Groklaw has stated her disdain for it (and she might link to my article), and a large portion of my personal audience is "far right" Christian.
Is it morally wrong to swear? Perhaps yes, perhaps no. But I've decided that that particular battle is not worth fighting. I'd rather put my efforts into other things, such as showing Enderle's inconsistencies.
A week ago at SCO Forum, Rob Enderle gave a keynote speech entitled "Free Software and the Idiots Who Buy It." Mr. Enderle employed repeated logical errors, accusations without evidence, and ad hominem attacks. He materially confused the meaning of Free Software, as well as assigning physical threats to the Groklaw / Free Software community without proof.
I have written a paragraph by paragraph critique of his keynote, and it is available at my site (Part One and Part Two)
I welcome and appreciate feedback and comments on it. I jokingly refer to the paper as "Logical Fallacies and the Idiots Who Use Them," but did my best to keep the text proper professional.
Disclaimer: I am not a physician. This is not medical advice. If you are in need of medical advice, please consult a physician licensed to practice medicine in your state.
That said, I've had difficulties regulating my sleep for years. I've recently had success thanks to some of what I'll share below.
First off, if you have insurance, don't be afraid to see a doctor regarding this. The same advice that we're giving, if it comes from an MD, would probably carry more weight to you. As such, you're more likely to change habits.
Also, doctors can prescribe medication (such as Ambien), and posters here generally cannot.
However, medication is an aid to a solution, not the solution itself. A doctor will probably only give you a week or two worth of medication, and might not be willing to refill it. So you'll have to make other long-term adjustments.
Caffeine can do some very bad things to your system, so you might need to cut back on that. My self-imposed, physician-approved limit is two caffeinated drinks a day. I also don't allow caffeine (or other substantial eating) past 8 PM.
If you do exercise (which is a good thing), you should avoid significant physical exertion past 8 PM.
You also need to train your body so that once you lay down on your bed, one of two things will happen: sleep or sex. (/* insert joke here */) Do not read in bed, do school work or similar, or anything else besides sleep or sex.
If you do try to go to sleep, and can't fall asleep after 20-25 minutes, get up and out of bed. Do something enjoyable like reading a book or playing a computer game for half hour to an hour. Then get in bed and try again to fall asleep. If you're not asleep after 20-25 minutes, get up and divert yourself for a little longer. Repeat until you're asleep.
You have to avoid naps during the day. Naps feel great at the time, but they will screw up your sleep cycle significantly. If you're tired enough to take a nap, consider taking a shower instead to wake yourself back up.
Finally, give yourself some positive reinforcement. If I successfully get to sleep between 9 PM and 1 AM, and get up between 5 AM and 9 AM, I reward myself. I immediately buy myself a song off of iTunes and listen to it as I get ready for my day.
Perhaps this is a rare occasion where a poster is saying "MOD PARENT DOWN" to their own post.
Michael Robertson emailed me regarding this comment, asking politely to see the reports I referenced.
This was my reply back:
First off, I owe you an apology. I intentionally sign my full name and have my contact info be public in order to give myself something resembling accountability.
I think this is a situation where I was rightfully called on poor behavior.
I did a quick search to see if I could jog where the connection between you / Ellison and that term had been forged in my memory, but unfortunately I came up empty.
I made a joke that most techs would laugh at, but it was at your expense and was unwarranted.
Again, I apologize. Since I can't remove Slashdot comments I will post a note beneath the original.
Am I the only one who is reminded of Larry Ellison whenever I read about Michael Robertson? (The former is the CEO of Oracle and the latter is the founder and CEO of Lindows / Linspire.)
Both run tech companies. Both have personalities (based on reports and news stories) that could be categorized as "dickhead."
And both appear to be redeemable for the sole reason that they seem to really enjoy pissing in Bill Gates' Cheerios.
- Neil Wehneman
P.S. Since this topic is on trademarks, it should be noted that Cheerios is a registered trademark of General Mills, and my reference to it is in the non-trademark use of the mark. (Reference)
Everytime a topic like this comes up, a lot of people mention the Mark of the Beast or other references to Revelation.
Many are jokes, a few feign seriousness, and there are sometimes one or two that appear to be truly righteously indigant (on Christian grounds) in regards to the technology.
I personally don't touch eschatology, as I have better things to do with my time, but I thought I would repeat (or rather, paraphrase) the insight of a non-Christian poster of several months ago.
Why do you fundamentalists get up in arms about this supposed 'Mark of the Beast' or that intepreted 'Sign of the End Times?'
You say that you want Jesus to come back, but your messiah said himself that he won't return until these things come to pass.
Stupid Christians. No End Times = No Return of Christ. You shouldn't be fighting this technology.
You should be cheering this on.
Not making any judgment calls (as a Christian myself), but thought I would repeat the insight for the benefit of all.
I'm a little surprised that no one has mentioned that Israel has been offering a "trusted traveler" program since 1996.
Regardless of your politics or religion or whatever, you have to admit that there are few countries that have to deal with terrorism on a more daily basis than Israel.
And it appears that Israel's voluntary program has also been effective on a logistics level. I found this quote via Google, from the page of Sen. Hutchison (R-TX) referencing a report by the General Accounting Office:
At Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, security waiting time has been reduced from approximately one hour to 20 seconds through the use of biometric identifiers.
The biometric identifiers mentioned are part of the "trusted traveler" program.
As long as any program such as this is not compulsory, I view it as a useful option.
I'm a big Sixpence fan as well. Unfortunately, they disbanded recently.
What I found interesting about Sixpence is that they were one of the few "crossover" bands to also put out worship music (specifically on the City on a Hill series.)
However, on their studio releases, as you said, Sixpence didn't preach or get pushy. I think that earned them a lot of fans, both within and without Christianity.
Slashdot Mirror
I posted this in the last spectrum topic, but it's perhaps even more applicable to this discussion.
- Neil Wehneman
*****
Lawrence Lessig spends a not insignificant amount of time on the concept of spectrum in 2001's The Future of Ideas.
Quoting him from page 233 (emphasis in original)...
"Here again, an idea about property is doing all the work - but this time the idea is at its most attenuated. We don't yet have a full property regime for allocating and controlling spectrum. Yet we are still being driven to embrace this single view. We are racing to deny the opportunity for balance, pushed (as we always are) by those who have the least to gain from a world of balance. The possibility of a commons at the physical layer is ignored; even the chance to experiment with the commons is denied. Instead, policy makers on the Right and the Left race to embrace a system of perfect control.
So strong is this idea of property, so unbalanced is our understanding of its tradition, that we embrace it fully, without limitation, even when it doesn't yet exist, and even when the asset being assigned a property right is not - like the wires of AT&T's cable or the creative genius behind Disney's Mickey Mouse - something anyone has created. We are racing to assign property rights in the air, because we can't imagine that balance could do better."
Buy it new, buy it used, or get it from the library. But if you have interest in spectrum you should definitely read this book.
Lawrence Lessig spends a not insignificant amount of time on the concept of spectrum in 2001's The Future of Ideas.
Quoting him from page 233 (emphasis in original)...
"Here again, an idea about property is doing all the work - but this time the idea is at its most attenuated. We don't yet have a full property regime for allocating and controlling spectrum. Yet we are still being driven to embrace this single view. We are racing to deny the opportunity for balance, pushed (as we always are) by those who have the least to gain from a world of balance. The possibility of a commons at the physical layer is ignored; even the chance to experiment with the commons is denied. Instead, policy makers on the Right and the Left race to embrace a system of perfect control.
So strong is this idea of property, so unbalanced is our understanding of its tradition, that we embrace it fully, without limitation, even when it doesn't yet exist, and even when the asset being assigned a property right is not - like the wires of AT&T's cable or the creative genius behind Disney's Mickey Mouse - something anyone has created. We are racing to assign property rights in the air, because we can't imagine that balance could do better."
Buy it new, buy it used, or get it from the library. But if you have interest in spectrum you should definitely read this book.
- Neil Wehneman
"The whitepaper goes on to state that the long-term goal of this system is to catalog every human creation in existence that can be expressed by a digital medium."
...
This is being done to squeeze yet more money out of "consumers" for the copyright creators.
I don't overly fault the creators for doing this. I do fault ourselves for not finding a way to do something similar, although for different ends.
Specifically, referencing page 126 of Lawrence Lessig's Free Culture
"Perhaps the single most important feature of the digital revolution is that for the first time since the Library of Alexandria, it is feasible to imagine constructing archives that hold all culture produced or distributed publicly. Technology makes it possible to imagine an archive of all books published, and increasingly makes it possible to imagine an archive of all moving images and sound...
But Kahle and the Internet Archive suggest what the future of libraries or archives could be. When the commercial life of creative property ends, I don't know. But it does. And whenever it does, Kahle and his archive hint at a world where this knowledge, and culture, remains perpetually available. Some will draw upon it to understand it; some to criticize it. Some will use it, as Walt Disney did, to re-create the past for the future. These technologies promise something that had become unimaginable for much of our past--a future for our past. The technology of digital arts could make the dream of the Library of Alexandria real again.
Technologists have thus removed the economic costs of building such an archive. But lawyers' costs remain. For as much as we might like to call these "archives," as warm as the idea of a "library" might seem, the "content" that is collected in these digital spaces is also someone's "property." And the law of property restricts the freedoms that Kahle and others would exercise."
Fight for sensible copyright laws. Donate to the EFF. Or do both.
But we must stop doing nothing.
- Neil Wehneman
You are correct and I am changing the essay to reflect that.
- Neil Wehneman
I appreciate the compliment, and I assume you mean Bill O'Reilly, as opposed to Tim O'Reilly :).
- Neil Wehneman
I appreciate the compliment. Thank you.
- Neil Wehneman
Thanks for the compliment on my patience :).
- Neil Wehneman
You raise some good points.
First off, I have decided to reinstate the typos (they'll return soon). I will just let those go, even though they annoy me.
However, I am going to keep the profanity out. It's not that the profanity bothers me personally, it's that I know the profanity would bother others.
Specifically, PJ of Groklaw has stated her disdain for it (and she might link to my article), and a large portion of my personal audience is "far right" Christian.
Is it morally wrong to swear? Perhaps yes, perhaps no. But I've decided that that particular battle is not worth fighting. I'd rather put my efforts into other things, such as showing Enderle's inconsistencies.
I hope this makes sense.
- Neil Wehneman
You are right and I will correct this in my critique.
Thanks!
- Neil Wehneman
You're funny, and there is some truth to that.
However, I took extra care not to debate him, but simply to show the sheer pervasiveness of his faulty logic.
- Neil Wehneman
I am emailing with PJ, and she has expressed interest in linking to my write-up.
Groklaw is how I found out about the speech.
- Neil Wehneman
This is slightly OT, but it's in regards to SCO.
A week ago at SCO Forum, Rob Enderle gave a keynote speech entitled "Free Software and the Idiots Who Buy It." Mr. Enderle employed repeated logical errors, accusations without evidence, and ad hominem attacks. He materially confused the meaning of Free Software, as well as assigning physical threats to the Groklaw / Free Software community without proof.
I have written a paragraph by paragraph critique of his keynote, and it is available at my site (Part One and Part Two)
I welcome and appreciate feedback and comments on it. I jokingly refer to the paper as "Logical Fallacies and the Idiots Who Use Them," but did my best to keep the text proper professional.
- Neil Wehneman
I am in the process of writing a full critique of Enderle's keynote. Specifically, he employs numerous logical fallacies.
Read what I have written so far.
- Neil Wehneman
Disclaimer: I am not a physician. This is not medical advice. If you are in need of medical advice, please consult a physician licensed to practice medicine in your state.
That said, I've had difficulties regulating my sleep for years. I've recently had success thanks to some of what I'll share below.
First off, if you have insurance, don't be afraid to see a doctor regarding this. The same advice that we're giving, if it comes from an MD, would probably carry more weight to you. As such, you're more likely to change habits.
Also, doctors can prescribe medication (such as Ambien), and posters here generally cannot.
However, medication is an aid to a solution, not the solution itself. A doctor will probably only give you a week or two worth of medication, and might not be willing to refill it. So you'll have to make other long-term adjustments.
Caffeine can do some very bad things to your system, so you might need to cut back on that. My self-imposed, physician-approved limit is two caffeinated drinks a day. I also don't allow caffeine (or other substantial eating) past 8 PM.
If you do exercise (which is a good thing), you should avoid significant physical exertion past 8 PM.
You also need to train your body so that once you lay down on your bed, one of two things will happen: sleep or sex. (/* insert joke here */) Do not read in bed, do school work or similar, or anything else besides sleep or sex.
If you do try to go to sleep, and can't fall asleep after 20-25 minutes, get up and out of bed. Do something enjoyable like reading a book or playing a computer game for half hour to an hour. Then get in bed and try again to fall asleep. If you're not asleep after 20-25 minutes, get up and divert yourself for a little longer. Repeat until you're asleep.
You have to avoid naps during the day. Naps feel great at the time, but they will screw up your sleep cycle significantly. If you're tired enough to take a nap, consider taking a shower instead to wake yourself back up.
Finally, give yourself some positive reinforcement. If I successfully get to sleep between 9 PM and 1 AM, and get up between 5 AM and 9 AM, I reward myself. I immediately buy myself a song off of iTunes and listen to it as I get ready for my day.
I hope this helps.
- Neil Wehneman
Minor quibble.
The RIAA was not convicted. The case never went to trial. The two opposing sides settled.
This isn't to say that the RIAA would not have been found guilty. But to say that they were convicted is factually in error.
- Neil Wehneman
Perhaps this is a rare occasion where a poster is saying "MOD PARENT DOWN" to their own post.
Michael Robertson emailed me regarding this comment, asking politely to see the reports I referenced.
This was my reply back:
First off, I owe you an apology. I intentionally sign my full name and have my contact info be public in order to give myself something resembling accountability.
I think this is a situation where I was rightfully called on poor behavior.
I did a quick search to see if I could jog where the connection between you / Ellison and that term had been forged in my memory, but unfortunately I came up empty.
I made a joke that most techs would laugh at, but it was at your expense and was unwarranted.
Again, I apologize. Since I can't remove Slashdot comments I will post a note beneath the original.
- Neil Wehneman
Am I the only one who is reminded of Larry Ellison whenever I read about Michael Robertson? (The former is the CEO of Oracle and the latter is the founder and CEO of Lindows / Linspire.)
Both run tech companies. Both have personalities (based on reports and news stories) that could be categorized as "dickhead."
And both appear to be redeemable for the sole reason that they seem to really enjoy pissing in Bill Gates' Cheerios.
- Neil Wehneman
P.S. Since this topic is on trademarks, it should be noted that Cheerios is a registered trademark of General Mills, and my reference to it is in the non-trademark use of the mark. (Reference)
Many are jokes, a few feign seriousness, and there are sometimes one or two that appear to be truly righteously indigant (on Christian grounds) in regards to the technology.
I personally don't touch eschatology, as I have better things to do with my time, but I thought I would repeat (or rather, paraphrase) the insight of a non-Christian poster of several months ago.
Not making any judgment calls (as a Christian myself), but thought I would repeat the insight for the benefit of all.
- Neil Wehneman
Am I the only one who finds it fitting that Evian is "naive" backwards?
- Neil Wehneman
the reason has a lot to do with a little-known DNS behavior called credibility
Which became even less well-known after Verisign hijacked DNS with SiteFinder
</sarcasm>
- Neil Wehneman
That said, I support what they're doing. I don't think that ideas can actually be owned. (*** ducks ***)
Why are you acting like you're saying something heretical?
Ideas themselves cannot be owned.
What can be owned is a temporary, government-granted monopoly on certain uses of that idea. These are called patents and copyrights.
- Neil Wehneman
Never plug a 12v power brick into a 5v device.
I got a delightful burning smell, and Vonage got $100 out of me for a replacement ATA (analog telephone adapter).
- Neil Wehneman
I'm a little surprised that no one has mentioned that Israel has been offering a "trusted traveler" program since 1996.
:
Regardless of your politics or religion or whatever, you have to admit that there are few countries that have to deal with terrorism on a more daily basis than Israel.
And it appears that Israel's voluntary program has also been effective on a logistics level. I found this quote via Google, from the page of Sen. Hutchison (R-TX) referencing a report by the General Accounting Office
At Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, security waiting time has been reduced from approximately one hour to 20 seconds through the use of biometric identifiers.
The biometric identifiers mentioned are part of the "trusted traveler" program.
As long as any program such as this is not compulsory, I view it as a useful option.
- Neil Wehneman
The NPC's will refuse to take stupid orders
What do you mean you won't walk into that flaming pool of death? I gave you an order!!!
Obligatory Penny Arcade
I'm a big Sixpence fan as well. Unfortunately, they disbanded recently.
What I found interesting about Sixpence is that they were one of the few "crossover" bands to also put out worship music (specifically on the City on a Hill series.)
However, on their studio releases, as you said, Sixpence didn't preach or get pushy. I think that earned them a lot of fans, both within and without Christianity.
- Neil Wehneman