There is nothing new here! Sure, only a select subset of the geek population has a clue what a network is, for that matter what the Internet is. So what? How many of you understand what a fuel atomizer is or, for that matter, what an external auditory meatus is? You probably wouldn't want to live without either of them, I promise. What's the point? Get off your 'elite techno-nerd' high! This doesn't diminish your point, but the tone is a bit pompous. People are so illiterate when it comes to the Internet and what an open society' is, that they are automatically fearful of it. We like to think we are living in an enlightened and open age, but we are far from it. Serious network and open-x enthusiasts do not have a voice that can be heard on a mass scale like network television. So what you have is the beginnings of a technological revolution and no means of getting the word to the masses. There is no organization dedicated to bringing the message to the people. You can't depend on the media - there isn't a celebrity trial or political lewdness involved. The whole matter is pretty cerebral, which Americans hate. More attention is devoted to business interests on the Internet than there is education on what the Internet's potential is. The Internet has been a boom - not for information or ideas, but porno and consumer goods. It's a big strip mall! So what about open file sharing? Businesses hate it for obvious reasons. It is the curse of an open society: everybody loves it until it cuts into his or her profits - then it's 'evil.' Today it is Napster and tomorrow it will just be someone else. Too late to do anything about it - the Internet is practically a public utility (as it should be). Rest assured that government will try to secure business interests, but it won't be very effective. Laws will be passed and hackers will get thrown in jail - so what? Nothing new there either! We love to stomp on little people.
Regardless of whether this is a 'movement' for open media - or just another part of the infotainment fad that has remodeled television and the internet into the flea market it is today, the variety of information sources is invaluable in itself. Today's television media has an overdeveloped sense of self-importance. Whenever they are criticized for focusing our attention to one trivial thing or another (Willie's willy, O.J. trial of the week) they react with the ferocity of a grand inquisitor. Of course they are defensive, recent events have shown that the television news media is suffering from lackluster ratings, and gossip oriented content.
The fact is that the media's main purpose is to transmit raw, unmediated information, which open media does without commercials (sorta), and without the hype-driven events of the day. What's more, the Internet is interactive enough where users can get back to arguing about topics rather than simply taking Dan Rather's word for it. Down with the idiot box!
Slashdot Mirror
There is nothing new here! Sure, only a select subset of the geek population has a clue what a network is, for that matter what the Internet is. So what? How many of you understand what a fuel atomizer is or, for that matter, what an external auditory meatus is? You probably wouldn't want to live without either of them, I promise. What's the point? Get off your 'elite techno-nerd' high! This doesn't diminish your point, but the tone is a bit pompous. People are so illiterate when it comes to the Internet and what an open society' is, that they are automatically fearful of it. We like to think we are living in an enlightened and open age, but we are far from it. Serious network and open-x enthusiasts do not have a voice that can be heard on a mass scale like network television. So what you have is the beginnings of a technological revolution and no means of getting the word to the masses. There is no organization dedicated to bringing the message to the people. You can't depend on the media - there isn't a celebrity trial or political lewdness involved. The whole matter is pretty cerebral, which Americans hate. More attention is devoted to business interests on the Internet than there is education on what the Internet's potential is. The Internet has been a boom - not for information or ideas, but porno and consumer goods. It's a big strip mall! So what about open file sharing? Businesses hate it for obvious reasons. It is the curse of an open society: everybody loves it until it cuts into his or her profits - then it's 'evil.' Today it is Napster and tomorrow it will just be someone else. Too late to do anything about it - the Internet is practically a public utility (as it should be). Rest assured that government will try to secure business interests, but it won't be very effective. Laws will be passed and hackers will get thrown in jail - so what? Nothing new there either! We love to stomp on little people.
Regardless of whether this is a 'movement' for open media - or just another part of the infotainment fad that has remodeled television and the internet into the flea market it is today, the variety of information sources is invaluable in itself. Today's television media has an overdeveloped sense of self-importance. Whenever they are criticized for focusing our attention to one trivial thing or another (Willie's willy, O.J. trial of the week) they react with the ferocity of a grand inquisitor. Of course they are defensive, recent events have shown that the television news media is suffering from lackluster ratings, and gossip oriented content.
The fact is that the media's main purpose is to transmit raw, unmediated information, which open media does without commercials (sorta), and without the hype-driven events of the day. What's more, the Internet is interactive enough where users can get back to arguing about topics rather than simply taking Dan Rather's word for it. Down with the idiot box!