I agree with Jamie Honan's concerns about the so-called business section
of newspapers more properly being know as the sport section - and to
this I would add the gambling section too.
Big corporate manouvres are important, but the nature of the Internet is
that no-matter who you connect through, it is a two-way,
person-to-person, computer-to-computer global network which supports
tunnelling, encryption. proxies and mirroring - so the provider can't
physically stop you doing all sorts of personal and unrestricted things.
Its true that a large proportion of the population simply do whatever is
placed in front of them - be it Microsoft software, a Holden, a Big
Mac, commercial TV and radio or AOL. The big companies are paying
billions to get the eyeballs and therefore the thoughts of those
people. That is an issue, but it does not herald the demise of the
Internet as an extraordinarily personal and free form of two-way
communication.
I think that newspaper reports tend to glamorise recent battles, and
exagerate the negative effect this will supposedly have on our ability
to use the Net as we please.
- Robin
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Robin Whittle [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.firstpr.com.au
Heidelberg Heights, Melbourne, Australia
First Principles Research and expression: Consulting and
technical writing. Music. Internet music
marketing. Telecommunications. Consumer
advocacy in telecommunications, especially
privacy. M-F relationships. Kinetic sculpture.
Real World Electronics and software for music including:
Interfaces Devil Fish mods for the TB-303, Akai sampler
memory and Csound synthesis software.
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