The Tides of Revolution
FEDS ANNOUNCE CRACKDOWN ON P2P NETWORKWASHINGTON, DC -- The Department of Justice has announced search warrants and seizures against individuals allegedly committing copyright infringement on peer-to-peer (P2P) networks using a file-sharing technology known as BitTorrent. Ten search warrants were issued against members of a network called Elite Torrents. Federal agents also took control of the main server that coordinated all file-sharing activity on the Elite Torrents network.
The DOJ claims that the network attracted more than 133,000 members and, in the last four months, facilitated the illegal distribution of more than 17,800 titles -- including movies and software -- which were downloaded 2.1 million times.
The DOJ press release on the action mentioned the Motion Picture Association of American as providing valuable assistance to the investigation.
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Federal Anti-Municipal Wi-Fi Bill Introduced Mobile Pipeline A Texas Congressman has introduced a bill that impose a nationwide prohibition on municipally-sponsored networks. Dubbed by the Author, Representative Pet Sessions (R-Texas), as Preserving Innovation in Telecom Act of 2005, the bill prohibits state and local governments from providing any telecommunications or information service that is "substantially similar" to services provided by private companies.
The bill, HR 2726, is similar to a host of state bills pushed by telecommunications companies aimed at fending off municipally-run wireless networks. Some of those bills, most recently one in Texas, have been stalled in state legislatures.
The telecommunications operators say that such networks represent unfair competition while municipalities claim that the services are needed to promote business and close the gap between digital haves and have-nots.
According to Sessions' on-line biography, he is a former employee of Southwestern Bell and Bell Labs. The bill will first be considered by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
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So, how are these seemingly separate issues related? --- They are both part of an ongoing revolution, economic and cultural. What’s different about today, copyright and service utilities have served us well; we are leaders of the world in both? --- The difference is digital transmission of nearly everything, and that will change nearly everything.
The inevitable tide and time may well determine the outcome of this digital struggle. One might view the ultimate victory of information over the cartels, conglomerates, and monopolies as “the Asian solution.” If we do not progress and deploy free information, Asia will do it for us and be about as benevolent to us as we were to them. The tide dear friends is information.
Viewed as a vital infrastructure, like highways and as a human right like free speech it is an immutable strategic requisite to productivity and the future, not just marginally but exponentially and infinitely. Think of it as the library raised to the Nth power. Information has the power to propel us into space, into robotics and artificial intelligence, to solve the problems of hunger, fuel, health and raise our standard of living. More important Information has the power to unlock our culture, to unlock our sole and stage a cultural re awakening that can keep pace with the soon to be realized unbridled advances in technology.
Sailing ships built the trade routs and wealth of the Phoenicians. Free labor of slavery built the Greek and Roman Empires, books brought on the Renaissance and colonial exploitation built the British Empire. Machines built the Industrial age and investment banking and competitive markets built the productive power of Capitalism. The acknowledged weakness of the later arises from sequestered information as in the professions, the engineered scarcity as in cultural content and communications and the sometimes-obscene dichotomy of wealth. Information not only tends to mitigate those problems but also promises a completely new paradigm of growth.
In all of these historic explosions of economic growth, the status quo has been supported by military power. Today is no different. It is interesting to see that the Department of Homeland Security has become engaged in what amounts to an economic and cultural war. It seems imprudent politically to fight, administratively or legislatively, on the loosing side. This Information Revolution is a very big worm, and when that worm turns, there will likely be casualties, political to say the least.
The Industrial Age bean counters, masters at evading anti trust, are beginning to get it, and they are fighting it with all the market power they can muster, but what if they instead embrace the change. If they pointed instead to the near infinite global market, they might come out far ahead. By fighting change, they will likely become irrelevant or loose their company. In an Information age, value and wealth will grow from the exploitation of this powerful new cheap digital resource ---The opportunity is Information and its exploitation in creating value added product for global distribution at low price. Products of the Information age have inherently high margin and easy distribution. What is it that the bean counters do not understand about infinity?
King George made it a law, but we had a tea party instead.
The DOJ claims that the network attracted more than 133,000 members and, in the last four months, facilitated the illegal distribution of more than 17,800 titles -- including movies and software -- which were downloaded 2.1 million times.
The DOJ press release on the action mentioned the Motion Picture Association of American as providing valuable assistance to the investigation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal Anti-Municipal Wi-Fi Bill Introduced Mobile Pipeline A Texas Congressman has introduced a bill that impose a nationwide prohibition on municipally-sponsored networks. Dubbed by the Author, Representative Pet Sessions (R-Texas), as Preserving Innovation in Telecom Act of 2005, the bill prohibits state and local governments from providing any telecommunications or information service that is "substantially similar" to services provided by private companies.
The bill, HR 2726, is similar to a host of state bills pushed by telecommunications companies aimed at fending off municipally-run wireless networks. Some of those bills, most recently one in Texas, have been stalled in state legislatures.
The telecommunications operators say that such networks represent unfair competition while municipalities claim that the services are needed to promote business and close the gap between digital haves and have-nots.
According to Sessions' on-line biography, he is a former employee of Southwestern Bell and Bell Labs. The bill will first be considered by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
--------------------------------------------------------------
So, how are these seemingly separate issues related? --- They are both part of an ongoing revolution, economic and cultural. What’s different about today, copyright and service utilities have served us well; we are leaders of the world in both? --- The difference is digital transmission of nearly everything, and that will change nearly everything.
The inevitable tide and time may well determine the outcome of this digital struggle. One might view the ultimate victory of information over the cartels, conglomerates, and monopolies as “the Asian solution.” If we do not progress and deploy free information, Asia will do it for us and be about as benevolent to us as we were to them. The tide dear friends is information.
Viewed as a vital infrastructure, like highways and as a human right like free speech it is an immutable strategic requisite to productivity and the future, not just marginally but exponentially and infinitely. Think of it as the library raised to the Nth power. Information has the power to propel us into space, into robotics and artificial intelligence, to solve the problems of hunger, fuel, health and raise our standard of living. More important Information has the power to unlock our culture, to unlock our sole and stage a cultural re awakening that can keep pace with the soon to be realized unbridled advances in technology.
Sailing ships built the trade routs and wealth of the Phoenicians. Free labor of slavery built the Greek and Roman Empires, books brought on the Renaissance and colonial exploitation built the British Empire. Machines built the Industrial age and investment banking and competitive markets built the productive power of Capitalism. The acknowledged weakness of the later arises from sequestered information as in the professions, the engineered scarcity as in cultural content and communications and the sometimes-obscene dichotomy of wealth. Information not only tends to mitigate those problems but also promises a completely new paradigm of growth.
In all of these historic explosions of economic growth, the status quo has been supported by military power. Today is no different. It is interesting to see that the Department of Homeland Security has become engaged in what amounts to an economic and cultural war. It seems imprudent politically to fight, administratively or legislatively, on the loosing side. This Information Revolution is a very big worm, and when that worm turns, there will likely be casualties, political to say the least.
The Industrial Age bean counters, masters at evading anti trust, are beginning to get it, and they are fighting it with all the market power they can muster, but what if they instead embrace the change. If they pointed instead to the near infinite global market, they might come out far ahead. By fighting change, they will likely become irrelevant or loose their company. In an Information age, value and wealth will grow from the exploitation of this powerful new cheap digital resource ---The opportunity is Information and its exploitation in creating value added product for global distribution at low price. Products of the Information age have inherently high margin and easy distribution. What is it that the bean counters do not understand about infinity?
King George made it a law, but we had a tea party instead.
posted by Clancy Hughes | 6/04/2005 10:07:00 AM
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