I think you misunderstand his point. He is talking about a customer loyalty program. You sign up for AT&T Worldnet dialup internet ($9.95 if you sign up for an AT&T long distance plan IIRC) and you get a card you can use at one of their Internet payphones for some kind of discount (perhaps $0.15/minute instead of $0.25/minute). AT&T wins in several ways -- they attract people who are business travellers (especially if the card can be used as a calling card also), they get usage of the internet payphone, they have that person/family as an internet customer (yes, it is dialup, but dialup internet connection is still popular and is useful if one travels a lot) and a long distance customer. A smart business decision for AT&T all the way around.
I don't think it was an Indian Cultural thing -- i think it was because school was his whole life. He was being cut off from everything for 10 days -- not just classes, but all of the extracurricular activities such as swimming that was his life. His parents were busy with their work, so he had no one to talk to.
I think the way our society is today shares some of the blame, but not all. I wonder if the parents were involved enough in their son's emotional life. My Wife works at my daughter's Elementary School in a before and after school Childcare program, and their are kids that have parents that do not have the time (or energy) to pay attention to their children's emotional needs after working all day. These children are not always dicipline problems. It's too bad that many households need 2 parents working to make ends meet. Having Mom or Mr. Mom at home for the kids does make a big difference.
You may want to put a song free to draw attention to yourself - small bands do this sometimes to build a listener base. Get people to come to a concert, then sell CDs, etc.
Another reason may be an amateur musician who writes and performs a neat song that he thinks others may enjoy. He is not into music as a profession or even a part time job, and is not really thinking about income (at least at this point).
I am personally for free speech (With sensible restrictions, of course). I'm also not stupid, who would turn down free beer? (In moderation, of course) However many people here seem to equate freedom of speech to simply stealing a persons property, which is an abhorent act! This seems to be why we are now seeing "licencses" such as this, which appears to have the soul purpose of allowing college kids to repackage someone elses hard work, and then defend their theft under the banner of "Free Speech".
I think you are missing the point of this License. It cannot be used to make "theft of music" magically legal (i.e. I cannot go out and put Twisted Sister's "We're not gonna take it" under this license any more than you could). On the other hand, if I create an original song/story/play or whatever, and decide I want to release it for free ("free beer"), then this gives me a way to do it while still keeping my rights to the work. You could then legally copy it, burn CDs, trade it via Gnutella/Freenet/whatever as much as you wanted to. You wouldn't be allowed to make money on my work or claim it as your own.
I do not see how me allowing my works to be distributed "free beer" style is an abhorent act as long as it is my decision to do so. I could even choose to distribute my works like shareware (preview up to 30 days, if you like it/keep it pay me x amount, otherwise delete it). IMHO this is a great idea.
In general, I find your post to be thoughtful, but there are a few things a must disagree with.
It's very easy to portray what the linux community does as theft of products, services, and a threat to the United States economy. As long as the community supporting linux has the reputation as thieves, it will also tend to give the product a bad name.
I do not see where open source is theft of services. The packages I have seen included with Linux distros (for example Sun Office) are there quite legally. I can name many Windows programs (including Windows itself) that have been put up on warez sites, but I cannot name any commercial Linuz packages off the top of my head. I'm sure there are true Linux Warez out there somewhere, but not like Windows apps. How does this give Linux users a bad name?
The DeCSS court case is the only major battle I can think of that involves Linux. Even then, the root of the case is the rights of 2600 to link to code that is "illegal" under the DMCA. The whole crux of DeCSS is that Linux users want to be able to watch purchased DVDs on their Linux system without having to boot to Windows. Yes, DeCSS can be used for illegal purposes, but then so can a hammer. I see no one wanting to ban hammers just because I can boink someone on the head with one.
Instead, the linux community acts like freeloaders. They want to have good products, yet they are unwilling to give any payment to those who bring the products to them. They fight the rights and liberties of those who control intellectual property, but they want their rights and liberties protected by the government.
Again I must disagree. The whole idea of open source is to put products and code out in the open where people can use and improve on them. Just becaause one uses open source software does not make them a freeloader.
We are in the midst of a revolution with intellectual property and how it will be distributed in the future.
Once upon a time, scribes created books. Books were rare, few people knew how to read, and life was good for those scribes. Along came Gutenburg and created the printing press. Suddenly reading material could be published in mass and made available to many people. Scribes no longer were in demand, but the printing press was not the end of Capitalism. New industries (publishers) were born. The scribes fought like made, but they were obsolete.
We are in a similar situation with IP today. Let's face it - intellectual property is no longer a limited quantity. Perfect copies can be made and passed around. The current model of the RIAA may be on it's way out (just like the scribes were) , but new models will take its place. The only reason the Capitalistic model looks to be in jeopardy is that the RIAA does not want to change with the times -- they want to stay with the old paradyme of their way or no way -- you will buy our product our way, or else. This break down of Capitalism (buyers and sellers coming together) has resulted in Napster et. al. The mass trading of MP3s has nothing to do with Linux -- it has everything to do with the cost of CDs being too high. Everyone I have personally talked to that uses Napster still buys CDs - its just they have a fixed amount of money that can be allocated to buy music. If the labels were smart, they would lower the price of CDs and make MP3's (no copy protected crap) available from their sites for a fair price. This is what consumers want! Once consumers and producers come together in the market place, music piracy will no longer be a major problem. Yes, some piracy will always exist, but it will not serious impact the marketplace.
The MP3 "movement" is far bigger than the Linux community. Many traders of MP3s have never owned a Linux box in their lives. Intellectual property issues are a hot topic in the Linux community, but that does not mean Linux users are pirates, freeloaders, or communists.
Some good points here. Most People (non-nerds) could care less about the OS as long as it is easy to use and it does what what they want it to. As soon as one or both of these criteria are not met, most will start looking for alternatives. IQ's sisters are a good case in point.
The more that M$ makes Windows not do what the consumer wants, the better for the alternatives. The more crap that gets added to Windows (excessive copyright "protection", etc.), the less usable it becomes for the average Joe or Jane, the more they will resist it and find alternative solutions.
I live in Louisville too, and all windows at my high school. I have seen 1 PC running linux though, which surprised me. It was a 486 running mandrake 6.x though, i guess I cant be picky....
It suprises me that your High School is all Windows because Watterson Accelerated School here on the East Side of Louisville (on Breckenridge Lane, not too far from Hike's Point) has Macs in their classrooms. We use Windows (for her games and my work at home) and Linux on a dual boot box, so at least she is getting exposure to all three OSes.
It will interesting to see what JCPC* uses in the Middle Schools when she goes their in 2 years...in any case Riverdale's distro looks real nice from what I have read so far.
Well pardon my FUCKING cynicism, but why should I expect this trick to pan out for video any more than it did for audio?
In general, VHS Movie Prices have been more fair than music prices. One can buy several year old movies new for under $10 at WallyworldMart and like stores, or purchase Previewed videos for a similar price. Try and find music (original albums) that is only a few years old (nevermind the '70s or '80s) for under $10 retail.
I'm not saying the the MPAA is less evil than the RIAA (just look at the DeCSS mess), just that perhaps they are a little more consumer friendly. The RIAA has their head so far up their ass that they can look out their mouth -- perhaps the MPAA will learn a lesson from the RIAA's actions.
No kidding. Jabba in "Jedi" looked much cooler, much more initimidating than Jabba in EP1, Jabba at the race was just some sort of lame joke.
Actually, Jabba doesn't have to be intimidating in Ep1. At this point the Empire does not exist, and Tatooine is in Hutt controlled space. The Pod Races are just a way for Jabba to make some easy money (you can bank on Jabba getting a good cut of the entry fee).
By Ep6, the Empire has been in firm control of Tattooine for quite awhile -- Jabba still controls the black market and such, but he cannot be as visible as he was in pre-Empire times.
It seems that there is a silver lining to the black DMCA cloud here...and it happens every time the DMCA is invoked.
1. DeCSS - Since Valenti and his Goons decided to sue 2600 over the links to DeCSS, that program has been copied all over the net, plus it has been given exposure far beyond what it would have seen otherwise.
2. CPHack - Same situation. If Mattel/Cyber Patrol 4 would have kept their big mouths shut, CPhack may have not spread so far and wide.
3. Scientology. If the Co$ would have let this post be buried, few would have remembered it after a few weeks. Even though the/. staff had to "roll over" in order to prevent a nasty law suit, kudos to them for the way they did it...now more people are aware of the Co$ and their "religion", than would have been before.
I'm not saying that the DMCA is good (far from it), but we might as well make lemonade out of the DMCA lemons until we can get the tree cut down (hopefully). Time to write that snail mail to my Congress people!
1. Implement an option ad targeting system that can track preferences without compromising privacy. How to do this - set up a sign up system at OSDN where you can pick a passworded user name and select your preferences without having to give any "real world" information. Include an e-mail address accessable by web browser so if you want more information, the advertiser can send it to that address - not to my regular e-mail. Allow one e-mail per request - no spam, even if it is an ad e-mail address.
2. Along with the traditional click through, provide an option to have more information e-mailed to you at the e-mail address detailed above. The address could be accessed by a cookie, so all you need do is click and go on about your browsing. This allows one to get information that can be viewed at a later time. There have been times when something looks interesting, but I currently do not have time to persue it.
3. Advertiser indexes. There are many times that an item pops up that I have no interest in now, but later the need suddenly develops. Allow "click through" from the index. That way/. gets credit for me buying something through advertiser X, even if the I didn't use the pop-up at the time.
4. Allow for ad preferences. The "shoot/punch/tranmorgify" the monkey ad was cute the first time, but after that it became annoying. Allow me to get rid of it and see something new or different.
From a customer perspective, Linux fits the capitalistic model well, too. It's got the lowest price, its what the consumer should buy. Mind you there are other cost (and preference, and for now performance) factors, which is the only reason Linux isn't on all servers.
Well said! Linux gives you the most choices of any 386 based O/S available. You can (legally!) download it for free and put all the pieces together yourself or you go spend anywhere up to $99 (usally less) and have all the pieces put together for you. Upgrades are available for download without cost. If I don't like one company's version of Linux, I can go to another company or group and get it there.
Micro$oft only gives you the (legal) option of buying their software at there price and from them. If I hate MS Windows, I cannot go to XYZ corp. and get their Windows. How American is that? Heck, even with an Automobile, if I don't like what GM has to offer, there's always Ford, Chrysler, etc.
Right now I run Windows 98 and Linux at home dual boot, but if what M$ plans to do with Windows XP is true, I guess I'll be getting rid of the dual boot -- and Tux will NOT be the one leaving!
I also have a fondness for long novels. They have to be well-written, however. There's a bookmark permanently stuck in my copy of Cryptonomicon at about 1/3 of the way through. It just wasn't a very well written book.
Perhaps Cryptonomicon wasn't your cup of tea, but I must (respectfully) disagree about it being well-written. I enjoyed the characters, the way they were presented (current day versus WWII) with the current day characters being the children/grandchildren of the WWII characters. I think the story about Crypto is great and I am eagerly awaiting the next installment...
I'm wondering can I rent out the little spot on the door in my bathroom to various advertisers. Maybe a nice add on the ceiling in my living room. Maybe I could rent out enough space in my home so I will not have to work and can spend all day just surfing the net and playing tribes.
I don't think they have gotten to your home yet, but you can rent out ad space on your car now, at least in some cities. Your house won't be too far behind.
Pity. I was waiting for a plutonium-powered DeLorean with the Mr. Fusion engine, but perhaps air will have to do...
Doc Brown spend all that time and money on the Mr. Fusion engine, but the DeLorean still needed gas (or a train) to get it up to 88 MPH. Perhaps you can buy a air powered car with the Flux Capacitor Option...just make sure it will do 88!
You are culturally illiterate. How many books have you read in the past week? And I mean real books, not novels, sci-fi, or technology books.
I assume by "real books" you mean works such as Moby Dick, Catcher In The Rye and other such books. These books have become classics because they have stood the test of time. Who is to say that some of Nine Inch Nails works will not be considered classics in 100 years -- of course the opposite could happen, and NIN may be only listened to by History Majors.
However, IMHO whichever outcome occurs, that doesn't make the current Nine Inch Nails fan any more or less culturally bankrupt. Everyone has their own opinions and favorites. BTW one of my favorite books is 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea . It is a classic and it is also Science Fiction.
Time is everything. The RIAA waited WAY too long to get into digital music. The horse is out of the barn and into the next county. The RIAA would be better off setting up a web site with plan ole MP3s and charging for convenience and quality.
Charge 50 cents for a single MP3, 5.00 for an album of 192K / 44K quality or better, 30 cents/single, $3.00 / album for 128K / 44K quality.
Album liners would be available with the full album, you would just download them and print them. The label would get 50% and the Artists would get 50% of the take (the bands should get more, but i can't see the labels agreeing to less than 50%).
The advantage to this is that one would not have to go through poor quality rips and all of the other garbage to get a good quality MP3 of a rare (or even current) song. I for one would pay a reasonable price to get a good quality MP3.
It is too late (IMHO) to bring out SDMI -- the technology for MP3 is too mature and OGGs are almost "ready for prime time."
If they can develop the super fibers required to do this, the Space Elevator is the way to go. It's a great way to get people and materials into space without using great big rockets (tm). The amount of energy needed to leave earth from several KM up is a lot less, than from down here -- and once getting to space can be done at reasonable cost, it will open up for all.
It'll catch on... People left the relatively secure environment of Europe in the 1500 and 1600's and travelled on little ships in hope of making a life in the new world. Those who survived the trip across the Atlantic had to face an untamed wilderness with many hostile conditions. The people who originally left England were basically two groups -- Those who where persecuted (i.e. Pilgrims and Quakers -- they didn't believe in the Church of England) and those out to make a buck (or Pound) (i.e. the Fur Traders). As North America developed, people who were not into too much hardship began to arrive. The same thing will happen with space and Mars once it opens up. You will have those who have nothing to lose go first along with those who are looking for opportunity. Once an infrastructure develops (and transportation improves), there will be a more general settlement.
Slashdot Mirror
I think you misunderstand his point. He is talking about a customer loyalty program. You sign up for AT&T Worldnet dialup internet ($9.95 if you sign up for an AT&T long distance plan IIRC) and you get a card you can use at one of their Internet payphones for some kind of discount (perhaps $0.15/minute instead of $0.25/minute). AT&T wins in several ways -- they attract people who are business travellers (especially if the card can be used as a calling card also), they get usage of the internet payphone, they have that person/family as an internet customer (yes, it is dialup, but dialup internet connection is still popular and is useful if one travels a lot) and a long distance customer. A smart business decision for AT&T all the way around.
I don't think it was an Indian Cultural thing -- i think it was because school was his whole life. He was being cut off from everything for 10 days -- not just classes, but all of the extracurricular activities such as swimming that was his life. His parents were busy with their work, so he had no one to talk to.
I think the way our society is today shares some of the blame, but not all. I wonder if the parents were involved enough in their son's emotional life. My Wife works at my daughter's Elementary School in a before and after school Childcare program, and their are kids that have parents that do not have the time (or energy) to pay attention to their children's emotional needs after working all day. These children are not always dicipline problems. It's too bad that many households need 2 parents working to make ends meet. Having Mom or Mr. Mom at home for the kids does make a big difference.
You may want to put a song free to draw attention to yourself - small bands do this sometimes to build a listener base. Get people to come to a concert, then sell CDs, etc.
Another reason may be an amateur musician who writes and performs a neat song that he thinks others may enjoy. He is not into music as a profession or even a part time job, and is not really thinking about income (at least at this point).
I am personally for free speech (With sensible restrictions, of course). I'm also not stupid, who would turn down free beer? (In moderation, of course) However many people here seem to equate freedom of speech to simply stealing a persons property, which is an abhorent act! This seems to be why we are now seeing "licencses" such as this, which appears to have the soul purpose of allowing college kids to repackage someone elses hard work, and then defend their theft under the banner of "Free Speech".
I think you are missing the point of this License. It cannot be used to make "theft of music" magically legal (i.e. I cannot go out and put Twisted Sister's "We're not gonna take it" under this license any more than you could). On the other hand, if I create an original song/story/play or whatever, and decide I want to release it for free ("free beer"), then this gives me a way to do it while still keeping my rights to the work. You could then legally copy it, burn CDs, trade it via Gnutella/Freenet/whatever as much as you wanted to. You wouldn't be allowed to make money on my work or claim it as your own.
I do not see how me allowing my works to be distributed "free beer" style is an abhorent act as long as it is my decision to do so. I could even choose to distribute my works like shareware (preview up to 30 days, if you like it/keep it pay me x amount, otherwise delete it). IMHO this is a great idea.
In general, I find your post to be thoughtful, but there are a few things a must disagree with.
It's very easy to portray what the linux community does as theft of products, services, and a threat to the United States economy. As long as the community supporting linux has the reputation as thieves, it will also tend to give the product a bad name.
I do not see where open source is theft of services. The packages I have seen included with Linux distros (for example Sun Office) are there quite legally. I can name many Windows programs (including Windows itself) that have been put up on warez sites, but I cannot name any commercial Linuz packages off the top of my head. I'm sure there are true Linux Warez out there somewhere, but not like Windows apps. How does this give Linux users a bad name?
The DeCSS court case is the only major battle I can think of that involves Linux. Even then, the root of the case is the rights of 2600 to link to code that is "illegal" under the DMCA. The whole crux of DeCSS is that Linux users want to be able to watch purchased DVDs on their Linux system without having to boot to Windows. Yes, DeCSS can be used for illegal purposes, but then so can a hammer. I see no one wanting to ban hammers just because I can boink someone on the head with one.
Instead, the linux community acts like freeloaders. They want to have good products, yet they are unwilling to give any payment to those who bring the products to them. They fight the rights and liberties of those who control intellectual property, but they want their rights and liberties protected by the government.
Again I must disagree. The whole idea of open source is to put products and code out in the open where people can use and improve on them. Just becaause one uses open source software does not make them a freeloader.
We are in the midst of a revolution with intellectual property and how it will be distributed in the future.
Once upon a time, scribes created books. Books were rare, few people knew how to read, and life was good for those scribes. Along came Gutenburg and created the printing press. Suddenly reading material could be published in mass and made available to many people. Scribes no longer were in demand, but the printing press was not the end of Capitalism. New industries (publishers) were born. The scribes fought like made, but they were obsolete.
We are in a similar situation with IP today. Let's face it - intellectual property is no longer a limited quantity. Perfect copies can be made and passed around. The current model of the RIAA may be on it's way out (just like the scribes were) , but new models will take its place. The only reason the Capitalistic model looks to be in jeopardy is that the RIAA does not want to change with the times -- they want to stay with the old paradyme of their way or no way -- you will buy our product our way, or else. This break down of Capitalism (buyers and sellers coming together) has resulted in Napster et. al. The mass trading of MP3s has nothing to do with Linux -- it has everything to do with the cost of CDs being too high. Everyone I have personally talked to that uses Napster still buys CDs - its just they have a fixed amount of money that can be allocated to buy music. If the labels were smart, they would lower the price of CDs and make MP3's (no copy protected crap) available from their sites for a fair price. This is what consumers want! Once consumers and producers come together in the market place, music piracy will no longer be a major problem. Yes, some piracy will always exist, but it will not serious impact the marketplace.
The MP3 "movement" is far bigger than the Linux community. Many traders of MP3s have never owned a Linux box in their lives. Intellectual property issues are a hot topic in the Linux community, but that does not mean Linux users are pirates, freeloaders, or communists.
End of Sermon
Some good points here. Most People (non-nerds) could care less about the OS as long as it is easy to use and it does what what they want it to. As soon as one or both of these criteria are not met, most will start looking for alternatives. IQ's sisters are a good case in point.
The more that M$ makes Windows not do what the consumer wants, the better for the alternatives. The more crap that gets added to Windows (excessive copyright "protection", etc.), the less usable it becomes for the average Joe or Jane, the more they will resist it and find alternative solutions.
It suprises me that your High School is all Windows because Watterson Accelerated School here on the East Side of Louisville (on Breckenridge Lane, not too far from Hike's Point) has Macs in their classrooms. We use Windows (for her games and my work at home) and Linux on a dual boot box, so at least she is getting exposure to all three OSes.
It will interesting to see what JCPC* uses in the Middle Schools when she goes their in 2 years...in any case Riverdale's distro looks real nice from what I have read so far.
* Jefferson County Public Schools
In general, VHS Movie Prices have been more fair than music prices. One can buy several year old movies new for under $10 at WallyworldMart and like stores, or purchase Previewed videos for a similar price. Try and find music (original albums) that is only a few years old (nevermind the '70s or '80s) for under $10 retail.
I'm not saying the the MPAA is less evil than the RIAA (just look at the DeCSS mess), just that perhaps they are a little more consumer friendly. The RIAA has their head so far up their ass that they can look out their mouth -- perhaps the MPAA will learn a lesson from the RIAA's actions.
You are thinking of Circuit City's DIVX no-return CD "rental" system that died a quick death.
The current DiVX was named such as a sarcastic nod to CC-DIVX (or rather the death thereof).
Actually, Jabba doesn't have to be intimidating in Ep1. At this point the Empire does not exist, and Tatooine is in Hutt controlled space. The Pod Races are just a way for Jabba to make some easy money (you can bank on Jabba getting a good cut of the entry fee).
By Ep6, the Empire has been in firm control of Tattooine for quite awhile -- Jabba still controls the black market and such, but he cannot be as visible as he was in pre-Empire times.
It seems that there is a silver lining to the black DMCA cloud here...and it happens every time the DMCA is invoked.
1. DeCSS - Since Valenti and his Goons decided to sue 2600 over the links to DeCSS, that program has been copied all over the net, plus it has been given exposure far beyond what it would have seen otherwise.
2. CPHack - Same situation. If Mattel /Cyber Patrol 4 would have kept their big mouths shut, CPhack may have not spread so far and wide.
3. Scientology. If the Co$ would have let this post be buried, few would have remembered it after a few weeks. Even though the /. staff had to "roll over" in order to prevent a nasty law suit, kudos to them for the way they did it...now more people are aware of the Co$ and their "religion", than would have been before.
I'm not saying that the DMCA is good (far from it), but we might as well make lemonade out of the DMCA lemons until we can get the tree cut down (hopefully). Time to write that snail mail to my Congress people!
1. Implement an option ad targeting system that can track preferences without compromising privacy. How to do this - set up a sign up system at OSDN where you can pick a passworded user name and select your preferences without having to give any "real world" information. Include an e-mail address accessable by web browser so if you want more information, the advertiser can send it to that address - not to my regular e-mail. Allow one e-mail per request - no spam, even if it is an ad e-mail address.
2. Along with the traditional click through, provide an option to have more information e-mailed to you at the e-mail address detailed above. The address could be accessed by a cookie, so all you need do is click and go on about your browsing. This allows one to get information that can be viewed at a later time. There have been times when something looks interesting, but I currently do not have time to persue it.
3. Advertiser indexes. There are many times that an item pops up that I have no interest in now, but later the need suddenly develops. Allow "click through" from the index. That way /. gets credit for me buying something through advertiser X, even if the I didn't use the pop-up at the time.
4. Allow for ad preferences. The "shoot/punch/tranmorgify" the monkey ad was cute the first time, but after that it became annoying. Allow me to get rid of it and see something new or different.
"All your base are belong to us" comes from the (bad!) translation of the opening sequence of an arcade game called Zero Wing
The opening sequence of the game is as follows:
In A.D. 2101
War was beginning.
Captain: What happen ?
Mechanic: Somebody set up us the bomb.
Operator: We get signal.
Captain: What !
Operator: Main screen turn on.
Captain: It's You !!
Cats: How are you gentlemen !!
Cats: All your base are belong to us.
Cats: You are on the way to destruction.
Captain: What you say !!
Cats: You have no chance to survive make your time.
Cats: HA HA HA HA ....
Captain: Take off every 'zig' !!
Captain: You know what you doing.
Captain: Move 'zig'.
Captain: For great justice.
Cats is the enemy and a "zig" is the fighter that you use in the game. Go to http://www.planetstarseige.com/allyourbase/ for more information.
Well said! Linux gives you the most choices of any 386 based O/S available. You can (legally!) download it for free and put all the pieces together yourself or you go spend anywhere up to $99 (usally less) and have all the pieces put together for you. Upgrades are available for download without cost. If I don't like one company's version of Linux, I can go to another company or group and get it there.
Micro$oft only gives you the (legal) option of buying their software at there price and from them. If I hate MS Windows, I cannot go to XYZ corp. and get their Windows. How American is that? Heck, even with an Automobile, if I don't like what GM has to offer, there's always Ford, Chrysler, etc.
Right now I run Windows 98 and Linux at home dual boot, but if what M$ plans to do with Windows XP is true, I guess I'll be getting rid of the dual boot -- and Tux will NOT be the one leaving!
Perhaps Cryptonomicon wasn't your cup of tea, but I must (respectfully) disagree about it being well-written. I enjoyed the characters, the way they were presented (current day versus WWII) with the current day characters being the children/grandchildren of the WWII characters. I think the story about Crypto is great and I am eagerly awaiting the next installment...
I don't think they have gotten to your home yet, but you can rent out ad space on your car now, at least in some cities. Your house won't be too far behind.
Doc Brown spend all that time and money on the Mr. Fusion engine, but the DeLorean still needed gas (or a train) to get it up to 88 MPH. Perhaps you can buy a air powered car with the Flux Capacitor Option...just make sure it will do 88!
I assume by "real books" you mean works such as Moby Dick, Catcher In The Rye and other such books. These books have become classics because they have stood the test of time. Who is to say that some of Nine Inch Nails works will not be considered classics in 100 years -- of course the opposite could happen, and NIN may be only listened to by History Majors.
However, IMHO whichever outcome occurs, that doesn't make the current Nine Inch Nails fan any more or less culturally bankrupt. Everyone has their own opinions and favorites. BTW one of my favorite books is 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea . It is a classic and it is also Science Fiction.
Time is everything. The RIAA waited WAY too long to get into digital music. The horse is out of the barn and into the next county. The RIAA would be better off setting up a web site with plan ole MP3s and charging for convenience and quality. Charge 50 cents for a single MP3, 5.00 for an album of 192K / 44K quality or better, 30 cents/single, $3.00 / album for 128K / 44K quality. Album liners would be available with the full album, you would just download them and print them. The label would get 50% and the Artists would get 50% of the take (the bands should get more, but i can't see the labels agreeing to less than 50%). The advantage to this is that one would not have to go through poor quality rips and all of the other garbage to get a good quality MP3 of a rare (or even current) song. I for one would pay a reasonable price to get a good quality MP3. It is too late (IMHO) to bring out SDMI -- the technology for MP3 is too mature and OGGs are almost "ready for prime time."
If they can develop the super fibers required to do this, the Space Elevator is the way to go. It's a great way to get people and materials into space without using great big rockets (tm). The amount of energy needed to leave earth from several KM up is a lot less, than from down here -- and once getting to space can be done at reasonable cost, it will open up for all.
It'll catch on... People left the relatively secure environment of Europe in the 1500 and 1600's and travelled on little ships in hope of making a life in the new world. Those who survived the trip across the Atlantic had to face an untamed wilderness with many hostile conditions. The people who originally left England were basically two groups -- Those who where persecuted (i.e. Pilgrims and Quakers -- they didn't believe in the Church of England) and those out to make a buck (or Pound) (i.e. the Fur Traders). As North America developed, people who were not into too much hardship began to arrive. The same thing will happen with space and Mars once it opens up. You will have those who have nothing to lose go first along with those who are looking for opportunity. Once an infrastructure develops (and transportation improves), there will be a more general settlement.