You don't get your electricity, water, gas, cable, or any of the other utilities free, why should communication services be any different?
electricity, water, and gas are resources obtained from nature. someone has to obtain and distribute them
cable consists of information and entertainment. information can be distributed in other (possibly more efficient ways), and its entertainment value is a matter of taste. i find its entertainment value to be very low, even negative, due to the unaviodable presence of consumerism, materialism, self-centeredness
but communication is completely human generated and human consumed. i don't need someone else to dig-up communication from the ground. today, i do need someone to throw my ideas and expressions over long distances. the original poster is forward-looking, hoping that someday people might cooperate to eliminate the middle-men (corporations) in this process, as we have the power to passively pass communication on from one to another
currently, the idea seems impractical, but perhaps with a little work and patience, it can approach reality
At the same time, airwaves are instrinsically less secure than wires, so business clients (and paranoid types) will always want a "secured" alternative to what the masses use.
use encryption: "i'm thinking of a number between one and god. try to guess what it is"
Slashdot Mirror
Resonably priced music. Ingenious. I think $10 is a good price for an album; I don't not think $15-$20 is. Way to go Warp, Bleep, et al!
electricity, water, and gas are resources obtained from nature. someone has to obtain and distribute them
cable consists of information and entertainment. information can be distributed in other (possibly more efficient ways), and its entertainment value is a matter of taste. i find its entertainment value to be very low, even negative, due to the unaviodable presence of consumerism, materialism, self-centeredness
but communication is completely human generated and human consumed. i don't need someone else to dig-up communication from the ground. today, i do need someone to throw my ideas and expressions over long distances. the original poster is forward-looking, hoping that someday people might cooperate to eliminate the middle-men (corporations) in this process, as we have the power to passively pass communication on from one to another
currently, the idea seems impractical, but perhaps with a little work and patience, it can approach reality