That was just awesome!

I think that was the first web page I've seen in years without corporate logo and banner feces smeared all over it.

Well written, well thought out.

Good job.

In fact, they maybe could see that having a system that transports all bits equally, without government or industry censorship, is the single most powerful force for democracy and open markets in history.

Open market and democracy are disturbuting power. The problem is that those already in power possitions don't want a real democracy (direct voting?) or real open markets (many markets are actually closed ones, the music & movies are just common examples of such). You are asking them to share their power, why do you think they'll do that?

"as simple as gravity in the real world" may not be the best analogy.

Gravity is described by general relativity on a macroscopic scale and as far as I know not understood at all on a microscopic scale.

Do we have bookstores that sell all books equally, without regard to the wishes of their writers, publishers, or readers?



We have some bookstores that do as you suggest. Most of the chains push books primarily on the say so of their publishers - mainly the big media chains. Radio stations are an even less even playing field. That which can be counted easily can be more easily controlled.

To me this entire document reads like someone pleading "Can't we be reasonable about this". Never, never underestimate the ability of governments to legislate.

Never trust a grand strategist, nor an argument based on ideas of historical inevitability. The thing the two things have in common is that they both fail.

I really enjoyed the document, but I also wish that authors would stop lumping ALL businesses and ALL governments into the 'clueless reactionary' category. Not all business is like the RIAA.

Business simply plays by a set of rules society sets, if society doesn't like the results, it should change the rules. To paraphase: people get the government and businesses they deserve.

Andy

Nice article, on the whole, but why is it formatted to consume no more than one third of my screen? It's quite annoying to read it in a narrow strip like that.

Richard, you are clearly missing the point. Merely connecting to the Internet you are adding to/growing the value on its edges. Whether or not you know you are binding yourself to a social contract does not matter. Can we remove value from the network by connecting ourselves to it? Even malicious actions could be considered 'happy crimes' in that they increase knowledge and possibly have economic benefits that result from the development of more robust infrastructure. We have to talk about edges here because we are talking about connecting to the Internet and not building the network.

 Dear Friends: Greetings: I am a retired attorney. A few years ago a man came to me with a letter. He asked me to verify the fact that this was legal to do. I told him I would review it and get back to him. When I first read the letter my client brought me, I thought it was some “off-the-wall” idea to make money. A week and a half later we met in my office to discuss the issue. I told him the letter he originally brought me was not 100% legal. My client then asked me to alter it to make it perfectly legal. I asked him to make one small change in the letter. I was still curious about the letter, so he explained to me how it works. I thought it seemed like a long shot, so I decided against participating. But before my client left, I asked him to keep me updated on his results. About two months later, he called me to tell me he had received over $800,000 in cash. I didn’t believe him, so he asked me to try this idea and find out for myself. I thought about it for a couple of days and decided I really didn’t have anything to lose, so I asked him for a copy of the letters. I followed the instructions exactly, mailed 200 copies, and sure enough, the money started coming in! It arrived slowly at first, but coming. I kept a precise record of the earnings, and in the end, it totaled $978,493! I could hardly believe it. I met with my friend for lunch to find out exactly how it worked. He told me there are quite a few similar letters around, but this one is different because there are six names at the end of the letter, not five like some others. This fact alone results in your name being in far more returns. The other fact was the help I gave him, making sure the whole thing was legal, since no one wants to take the risk of doing something illegal.

 By now you are surely curious to know what small changes to make. If you sent a letter like this one out, in order to be completely legal, you must actually sell something in order to receive a dollar in return. So when you send a dollar to each of the names on the list, you must include these words, “PLEASE PUT ME ON YOUR MAILING LIST” and include your name and address. This is the key to the program. The item you will receive for the dollar you sent to the six people below is the letter.

 At the time I first tried this idea, I was earning a good living as a lawyer. But everyone in the legal profession will tell you there is a lot of stress that comes with the job. I told myself if things worked out, I would retired from my practice and play golf. I decided to try the letter again, but this time I sent 500 copies. Three months later , I had totaled $2,341,178!

 Here are a few reasons a person might give for not trying this program: Ø Some people think they can never make a lot of money with anything this simple. Ø Some are afraid they will be ridiculed for trying Ø Some dream of large sums of money, but do nothing to actually achieve it. Ø Some are just plain lazy. Ø Some are afraid of losing their investment. They think this program is designed to beat them out of a few dollars.

 The system works if you will just try it. But you must follow the simple instructions exactly, and in less than three months, you will receive $800,000 GUARANTEED! Keep what you are doing to yourself for awhile. Many will tell you it won`t work and will try to talk you out of your dreams. Let them know of your success after it works.
LETTERS FROM PARTICIPANTS IN THIS PROGRAM:
 
 My name is David Rhodes. In 1992 my car was repossessed and bill collectors were housing my. I was laid off and my unemployment ran out. In October of 1992, I received a letter telling me how to earn $800,000 anytime I wanted. Of course, I was skeptical. But because I was so desperate and virtually had nothing to lose, I gave it a try. In January 1993, my family and I went on a 10-day cruise. The next month I bought a brand new Mercedes with cash! I am currently building a home in Virginia and I will never have to work again. This money program really works perfectly every time. I have never failed to receive less than $500,000. This is a legitimate, money-making opportunity. It does not require you to sell anything or to come in contact with people. And , best of all, you only leave the house to mail the letters. If you have always believed that someday you would get the lucky break, then simply follow the instructions and make dreams come true.

 Larry McMahon, Norfolk, VA Six months ago, I received this letter and ignored it. Five more came within a period of time and I ignored them also. I was tempted, but I was convinced that they were just a Hoax. After three weeks of deliberating, I decided to give it a try ( not expecting much ). Two weeks went by and nothing happened. The fourth week was unbelievable! I caint say I received $800,000 but I received $400,000. For the first time in years, I am debt free. I am doing this again, only this time starting with 500 post. I strongly recommend that you follow the instructions exactly as outlined in this letter.

 INSTRUCTIONS 1. Immediately send $1.00 to each of the six people on the list at the end of this letter. Wrap the dollar bill in a note saying “ Please add me to your mailing list” and include your name and address.
 2. Remove the name next to the #1 on the list and move the rest of the names up one position (#2 becomes #1, #3 becomes #2, etc…..) Then place your name in the #6 position.
 3. When you have completed the instructions, take this letter and copy it,then go to (Google,Yahoo,...) and type in (Making Money Massege board,or post massege,...)and start posting your copy to 200 massege boards,or more this is only the mini you can post as much as you like...The more copies you send the better the results. Keep a copy of this letter so you can use it a second time. Post it out again in six months, but Post it with the addresses you receive with each dollar. It will work better the second time. NOTE: This service is 100% legal - (Refer to title 18 section 1302 of the U.S. Postal & lottery laws)
 How does it work? When you send out 200 Posts, it is estimated that at least 15 people will respond and send you a $1.00. ($15.00) Those 15 will Post 200 Posts each and 225 people send you $1.00 ($225.00) Those 225 people Post 200 Posts each and 3,375 people send you $1.00 ($3,375.00) Those 3,375 post 200 posts each and 759,375 people send you $1.00 ($759,375.00) At this point your name drops off the list, but so far you have received $813,615.00. P.S. When your money begins to come in, give the first 10% to charity with spirit and share a good fortune!


1. vicman Garcialepe
   6713 Pickering Ave Apt "C" whittier, CA zip 90601

2. Justin Hutchings.
   P.O. Box 242
   Hawkinsville Ga, 31036

3. A.J. Kaquatosh
   P.O. Box 577
   Keshena, WI 54135

4. Steven
   1614-377 Ridelle Ave.
   Toronto M6B1K2
   Canada

5. T.T.T.Y.B
   14 PRICE TERRACE
   HAMILTON 2271
   MATAMATA

6. Radwan Hammoud
   P.o.BOX 289
   DR.Nazih Bizri Blvd.
   Saida - Lebanon Middel East

This realy realy works,i tried it once and i'm doing it again,first to be honest i only posted 145 posts and i didn't recive alot only 6,689.00$ in 3 months,at least this means that it realy works ,so this time i'm posting 604 posts and i've got so far in 2 month 15,640.00$ this is realy like a dream come true.so go on and try it trust me you've got nothing to lose....

important tip - Cover money by paper fully by which it can not been seen in light , because postal employees do some cheat some times....ok

Philosophizing about the Internet is perfectly fine and good, but if it's not informed by an understanding of how the Internet works and what its shortcomings and possibilities are, it won't be very useful.

The "World of Ends" misses the mark because it erects a monument to certain aspects of the Internet's design that were merely pragmatic compromises once upon a time and are no longer productive.

But that's largely because Doc and Dave aren't engineers and they don't know how the process of network engineering actually works. They tend to make pretty good guesses most of the time, but this time they're off.