Wherein Bill Frezza, my only reason for an InternetWeek subscription, signs off. So long, Bill, and thanks for all the fish... :-). Cheers, RAH At 10:08 PM -0700 on 12/6/00, InternetWeek Newsletter wrote: > Opinion: The Internet Vs. Tyranny, And Other Parting Thoughts > > Writing a regular opinion column is an invigorating tonic, a deadline- > disciplined interlude of forced reflection, providing an opportunity > to follow where the muse might lead. With this column, I have tried > to examine the broader impact of Internet technology on business, > public policy and society. My approach has been rooted in the firm > belief that ideas matter and that fundamental principles worked out > long ago can be applied to novel situations to guide us toward > discovering not only what might be but what ought to be. > > Working against the backdrop of a society that has deeply embraced > moral relativism has provided ample opportunity to lay bare the > hypocrisy that permeates both the business and political leadership > of our day. Judging by the mail I've received from so many readers > over the years, this has delighted some and infuriated others, which > was exactly my objective. > > Our industry, the telecommunications industry, and its newborn wonder > child the Internet, are shaking up the world like no revolution > before. Of course there are historical developments that had greater > impact. But none has affected so many people over such a brief > period. And, thanks to the acceleration of events brought about by > the Internet itself, we are all in a position to see the results of > the choices we make, unlike our predecessors who played largely to > posterity. > > Most encouraging, the power to innovate is decentralizing, with the > rewards for success so unabashedly disproportionate that > extraordinary efforts are being called forth from people who might > otherwise be content to lead ordinary lives. Progress has always come > from the motivated few over the objections of the complacent many. > The way these few are treated determines the future. The most > profound contribution of the American experiment to human happiness > is that we have freed the basic impulse for improvement from the > tyranny of hidebound culture. The Internet has become both the source > and the conduit to export our culture of success to the rest of the > planet, smashing ancient chauvinism by exposing one and all to the > Darwinian hurricane. > > Capital has been pried from the grip of those whose main objective > was to preserve it, set loose in a global arena seeking market-driven > returns. Talent has been released from the prison of place to make > contributions far beyond the reach of local customs and constraints. > The price to access knowledge has dropped so precipitously that > anyone can stand on the shoulders of everyone, scaling heights that > would otherwise take lifetimes to achieve. The cost of failure has > been reduced to such acceptable levels that this marvelous teacher > can instruct without maiming, making its students stronger as they > prepare for the next challenge. Coercive force wielded by prince or > mob is receding toward impotency, unable to have its way as the prime > productive asset becomes the power of unfettered minds. > > These are good things to remember as we head into a cyclical economic > downturn. Many will question the value of what has been created. The > reactionaries will preach ruin and the envious will gloat, claiming > the Internet bubble was an aberration. They are wrong. The > businesses, technologies and entrepreneurs that survive the cleansing > fires will form the foundation for the next round of growth. The > failures will be its fertilizer. This is as it should be. Unlike the > Roaring Twenties when the central government was powerful enough to > turn a recession into a protracted depression, today's government is > so palpably broken, careening headlong toward a chronic dysfunctional > state, that it can be discounted. Washington will remain a bleeding > tax on progress, but as a tapeworm rather than a cancer. The > innovators will outrun it, along with its European counterparts who > foolishly believe that coalescing into a single ministerial glob will > assure bureaucratic immortality. > > Thank you, dear readers. It has been a great six years. This is my > last column, at least for the foreseeable future. The press of > business and the closing of our newest venture fund demands my full > attention. I am also deathly afraid that I am becoming a bore, > preaching the same themes in variations that can only be appreciated > by diehard free market capitalists--a misunderstood minority even in > the best of times. Hence until I retire, a good 10 years from now, my > harangues will have to be reserved for my poor dinner companions. > > Happy thoughts for a happy future. Farewell, until we meet again. > --Bill Frezza -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' --- You are currently subscribed to e-gold-list as: archive@jab.org To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]