NotesA micropayments system assumes a solution to the mental accounting problem. If somebody could actually solve the this problem, rather than merely claiming to have solved it via some mysterious means ("intelligent agents", et. al.), the savings would be enormous even in existing business such as long distance and Internet service -- not to mention all the new possibilities possible by lower transaction costs.
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NotesEverything about apps feels like a win for usersâthey are faster and easier to use than what came before. But underneath all that convenience is something sinister: the end of the very openness that allowed Internet companies to grow into some of the most powerful or important companies of the 21st century.Unfurl
NotesPeople often ask me: Why are you still involved so deeply with Mozilla? Firefox won. Why havenât you gone on to do something else? Does Mozilla still have work to do? Unfurl
NotesSome days...some days it's frustrating to be on the web. We're compiling C++ into JavaScript and running Unreal in the browser but at the same time, here in 2013, we're still making the same mistakes. And by we, I mean, the set of web developers who aren't us, right Dear Reader? Because surely you're not doing any of these things. ;)FeedUnfurl
NotesThe tech industry and its press have treated the rise of billion-scale social networks and ubiquitous smartphone apps as an unadulterated win for regular people, a triumph of usability and empowerment. They seldom talk about what we've lost along the way in this transition, and I find that younger folks may not even know how the web used to be.Unfurl
NotesIn truth, no private company would have been capable of developing a project like the Internet, which required years of R&D efforts spread out over scores of far-flung agencies, and which began to take off only after decades of investment. Visionary infrastructure projects such as this are part of what has allowed our economy to grow so much in the past century. Todayâs op-ed is just one sad indicator of how we seem to be losing our appetite for this kind of ambition.Unfurl
NotesWith the development of GPS controlled drones, far-reaching cheap radio equipment and tiny new computers like the Raspberry Pi, we're going to experiment with sending out some small drones that will float some kilometers up in the air. This way our machines will have to be shut down with aeroplanes in order to shut down the system. A real act of war.Unfurl
NotesAll this to say: our collective memory of past is astoundingly inaccurate. Not only has the number of people reading not declined precipitously, it's actually gone up since the perceived golden age of American letters. Unfurl
NotesArchive Team is a loose collective of rogue archivists, programmers, writers and loudmouths dedicated to saving our digital heritage. Since 2009 this variant force of nature has caught wind of shutdowns, shutoffs, mergers, and plain old deletions - and done our best to save the history before it's lost forever. Along the way, we've gotten attention, resistance, press and discussion, but most importantly, we've gotten the message out: IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY. FeedUnfurl
Notes The Internet Underground Music Archive was better known by the acronym IUMA. The IUMA was started in 1993 by three students at the University of California at Santa Cruz: Jeff Patterson, Jon Luini and Rob Lord. The three men worked together to create an online music archive that would help musicians and bands who weren't signed by a major label. The site allowed these unsigned artists to upload files and send them to fans. The site also enabled the artists the opportunity to talk with their fans. The IUMA was first part of the Usenet newsgroups. Unfurl
NotesThe federal government has been paying lip service to the idea that it wants to encourage new businesses and startups in the US. And this is truly important to the economy, as studies have shown that almost all of the net job growth in this country is coming from internet startups. Thankfully some politicians recognize this, but the federal government seems to be going in the other direction. With the JotForm situation unfolding, where the US government shut down an entire website with no notice or explanation, people are beginning to recognize that the US is not safe for internet startups. FeedEmbedUnfurl
NotesThere's been a lot of interest in the story of the Secret Service completely shutting down JotForm.com through a request to GoDaddy. It appears that the suspension is now ending, though it hasn't fully propagated. What's amazing is that no one in the US government (or at GoDaddy) seems to be willing to explain what happened. When GoDaddy completely shut down JotForm.com with no notice, the folks at JotForm had to inquire as to what the hell happened to their entire website. They were merely told to contact a Secret Service agent. That agent then told JotForm she was too busy to respond to them and would get back to them within a week.
Think about that for a second. The US government completely takes down a small business' website and then is too busy to explain why. FeedEmbedUnfurl
Notes Activities like this will chill innovation and entrepreneurship in the US. Why locate here or even setup under a .com if the US government might kill your business with no explanation at any moment?FeedEmbedUnfurl
Notes A broad interpretation of SOPA's anti-circumvention language would sweep even more broadly than Tor. Software such as VPNs, used by security-conscious businesses, can also "bypass" a SOPA-established blockade. So could DNS software. And even the humble "/etc/hosts" file, part of every major operating system including OS X, Linux, and Windows, can be pressed into service as a SOPA-bypasser as well. FeedUnfurl
NotesSo it was as proponents of the Hollywood-funded bill curmudgeonly shot down all but two amendments proposed by its opponents, who fought to dramatically alter the document to preserve security and free speech on the net. But the chilling takeaway of this whole debacle was the irrefutable air of anti-intellectualism; that inescapable absurdity that we have members of Congress voting on a technical bill who do not posses any technical knowledge on the subject and do not find it imperative to recognize those who do.Unfurl
NotesBoth software developers and users should demand more. Developers should look for ways to reach their users unimpeded, through still-open platforms, or through pressure on the terms imposed by the closed ones. And users should be ready to try "off-roading" with the platforms that still allow itâhewing to the original spirit of the PC, perhaps amplified by systems that let apps have a trial run on a device without being given the keys to the kingdom. If we allow ourselves to be lulled into satisfaction with walled gardens, we'll miss out on innovations to which the gardeners object, and we'll set ourselves up for censorship of code and content that was previously impossible. We need some angry nerds.Unfurl
NotesA List Apart strongly opposes United States H.R.3261 AKA the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), an ill-conceived lobbyist-driven piece of legislation that is technically impossible to enforce, cripplingly burdensome to support, and would, without hyperbole, destroy the internet as we know it.FeedEmbedUnfurl
NotesAfter a series of one-sided hearings, luxury goods maker Chanel has won recent court orders against hundreds of websites trafficking in counterfeit luxury goods. A federal judge in Nevada has agreed that Chanel can seize the domain names in question and transfer them all to US-based registrar GoDaddy. The judge also ordered "all Internet search engines" and "all social media websites"âexplicitly naming Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Bing, Yahoo, and Googleâto "de-index" the domain names and to remove them from any search results.Unfurl
Notes But, even more to the point, it's getting ridiculous how many people defending SOPA/PIPA are doing so using this logic. They brush off all of the specific concerns, the highlights of problematic language, and they conclude "why are you justifying theft?" Of course, that's ridiculous. Beyond the fact that "theft" and "infringement" are very different (don't get me started), nothing in anyone's complaints about SOPA or PIPA have anything to do with "justifying" infringement. In fact, in the post that was being discussed, we clearly noted that infringement is a problem. We just disagree that PIPA and SOPA are reasonably, or even effective, solutions. FeedEmbedUnfurl
NotesAmerica's position of influence over the Internet economy is a valuable form of "soft power." If the US government uses this power judiciously, it can ensure that the Internet evolves in ways that serve US interests.
Instead, American policymakers are rapidly squandering this soft power by giving US law enforcement agenciesâand, under SOPA, even private copyright holdersâfree rein to exercise this power with minimal judicial oversight. The US is home to many of the world's leading search engines, advertising networks, and credit card payment networks. These firms not only serve the US market, they are also widely used overseas. If the US begins to use them as pawns in its war against file-sharing, foreigners and their governments will become more reluctant to rely on them.Unfurl
NotesA group that represents a number of major software developers, including Microsoft, Adobe, and CA, has withdrawn its support for the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) bill, which would require Internet companies and other players in the tech ecosystem to deny services to suspected software pirates and copyright violators. Unfurl
NotesThis idea crystallized for me yesterday when Jonathan Glick, a long-time digital journalist, tweeted, "I think #OWS was working better as an API than a destination site anyway." If you get the idea, go ahead and skip ahead to the documentation below. If you don't get, let me explain why it might be the most useful way of thinking about #Occupy. FeedUnfurl
Notes Among the publishers include giants like Electronic Arts, Capcom USA, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, Sega, THQ, Square Enix, Take Two, and Ubisoft. Major developing studios have also declared where they stand with the proposed law that enables the government to blacklist websites and stifle freedom of speech. These studios include 38 Studios, Nival, and Gears of War developer Epic Games. A full list of ESA members can be found at the organization's website here.FeedEmbedUnfurl
NotesSan Francisco, California: The US State Department is once again undermining its own Internet Freedom Initiative - this time by giving the green light to a copyright bill that will adversely affect online free speech around the world.FeedUnfurl
NotesPhone books list all sorts of businesses, a small percentage of which engage in illegal activity. Yet I could never call Pac Bell and demand, "Hey, my house got robbed a few weeks back, and when I went into this pawn shop, they had my television set. Remove them or you're liable!"FeedUnfurl
NotesBut a major online backlash has evolved, with everyone from lawmakers to Web-freedom advocates to some of technology's biggest players calling it a greedy and dangerous overreach that could have a chilling effect on free speech and innovation.Unfurl
Notes Responding to an intervention by EDRi (video, speech (PDF) at a hearing recently on attacks against computer systems, the European Parliament today adopted, by a large majority, a resolution on the upcoming EU/US summit stressing âthe need to protect the integrity of the global internet and freedom of communication by refraining from unilateral measures to revoke IP addresses or domain names.â Unfurl
NotesAt a dinner earlier this week, Joi Ito, the head of the Media Lab at MIT described the Internet as a âbelief systemâ and I suddenly understood. The Internet is not just a series of pipes. Itâs core architecture embeds an assumption about human nature. The Internet is designed to empower individuals not control them. It assumes that the if individuals are empowered, they will do the right thing the vast majority of the time. Services like eBay, Craigslist, Etsy and AirBnB are built on the assumption that most people are honest. Other services like Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube, Wordpress, and Soundcloud assume people will be generous with their ideas, insights and creations. Wikipedia has proven that people will share their knowledge. Companies like Kickstarter show that people will even be generous with their money. This does not mean that there are not bad people out there. All of these companies spend a lot of time and money to battle spam and fraud. The companies are simply betting that there are many more good people than bad. The architecture of the Internet shares this assumption. It could have been designed to prevent bad behavior. Instead its design empowers good behavior. FeedEmbedUnfurl
Notes Washington, D.C. â Today the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Since Rep. Zoe Lofgren was not permitted to deliver her opening statement at the hearing, it appears below in full. Unfurl
NotesThe US Department of Justice wants to make it a federal crime to violate the âterms of serviceâ of any website, reports Declan McCullagh at CNet. According to this interpretation, breaching the terms of service of websites â which can be done by simply using a fake name on Facebook, lying about your weight on a dating site, or using Google if youâre under the age of 18 â could make you a criminal.FeedUnfurl
NotesThis morning, EFFâs staff and concerned netizens across the country tuned into the live webcast of the House Judiciary Committeeâs hearing on the Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261). At least we tried to. Unfortunately, we were confronted with an incredibly poor webcast stream for much of the hearing. We find it ironic and deeply concerning that Congress is unable to successfully stream video of an event this important to all Internet users, even as they are debating a dangerous plan to change the Internet in fundamental ways and deputize Internet intermediaries to act like content police.Unfurl
NotesThe House Judiciary Committee today held an important hearing on the Stop Online Piracy Act with a hugely stacked deck of witnessesâGoogle's lawyer was the only one of the six to object to the bill in a meaningful way. And it wasn't hard to see why. This wasn't a hearing designed to elicit complex thoughts about complex issues of free speech, censorship, and online piracy; despite the objections of the ACLU, dozens of foreign civil rights groups, tech giants like Google and eBay, the Consumer Electronics Association, China scholar Rebecca MacKinnon, hundreds of law professors and lawyers, the hearing was designed to shove the legislation forward and to brand companies who object as siding with "the pirates."Unfurl
Notes In reality though, most of the large tech companies that exist today were once very small and very fragile. If SOPA was in place, those companies would have never grown up, since the two guys in a garage would have required four lawyers to survive. Dropbox is a perfect example. Created by some college students, the company provides shared online storage space for a fee. Under SOPA, the company would have been cut off from its revenues as soon as a single accusation was made that it was hosting copyrighted material. As a small company this could have been crippling. Today though, I know that Dropbox is one of the most popular tools in the movie industry, since it allows easy sharing of new daily shots, music cues, draft movie posters and more. The innovative tech companies of the future will be extinguished before they have a chance to even get out the door. FeedEmbedUnfurl
NotesDodd, a Connecticut Democrat who served three decades in the Senate, is looking for a win in his new role as head of the MPAA, which grew powerful in Washington under the 38-year leadership of Jack Valenti, a onetime aide to Lyndon Johnson. The groupâs members include Walt Disney Co. (DIS), Viacom Inc. (VIA/B)âs Paramount Pictures, Sony Corp. (6758), News Corp. (NWSA), Comcast Corp. (CMCSA)âs NBC Universal and Time Warner Inc. (TWX)âs Warner Bros. Unfurl
NotesThis Wednesday, November 16, the disastrous "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA) heads to the House Judiciary committee. In case you need a refresher, SOPA could allow the U.S. government and private corporations to create a blacklist of censored websites, and cut many more off from their ad networks and payment providers. This bill is bad news, and its supporters are trying to push it through before ordinary citizens realize just how much damage it can cause.Unfurl
NotesThe bill is, by nearly any sane measure, overreaching and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) says that the bill targets Mozilla specifically for refusing to comply with Homeland Security's ICE unit.Unfurl
NotesIn this new bill, Hollywood has expanded its censorship ambitions. No longer content to just blacklist entries in the Domain Name System, this version targets software developers and distributors as well. It allows the Attorney General (doing Hollywood or trademark holders' bidding) to go after more or less anyone who provides or offers a product or service that could be used to get around DNS blacklisting orders. This language is clearly aimed at Mozilla, which took a principled stand in refusing to assist the Department of Homeland Security's efforts to censor the domain name system, but we are also concerned that it could affect the open source community, internet innovation, and software freedom more broadly:Unfurl
NotesWhy have we all been sitting idly while the movie and music lobbyists have been systematically advancing legislation that strips freedoms, blocks innovation, and exclusively advances Hollywood's financial agenda?FeedUnfurl
Notes These bills represent a major blow to openness and freedom on the Internet, free speech rights, and the fabric of the Internet itself. If SOPA is allowed to pass, the Internet and free speech will never be the same again. FeedUnfurl
Notes"Itâs unclear whether SOPAâs authors intended it to cover these websites that are vital to whistleblowing and human rights. If they didnât, they need to press re-set; and next time, consult with the numerous Internet communities the bill could affect, rather than exclusively Hollywood lobbyists. But the immediate need is clear: the bill must be killed. If you care about free speech and a free Internet, act now!"Unfurl
NotesIâm all for sorting out the rules that govern the entertainmentâs supply chain, but letâs keep some perspective here: when we ââsolveââ copyright problems at the expense of the Internet, we solve them at the expense of 21st-century society as a whole.FeedEmbedUnfurl
Stop Doing Internet Wrong. - Scott Hanselman
VC&G | Revisiting Hotline, the 1990s Internet BBS Platform
Why I love Twitter and barely tolerate Facebook â I.M.H.O. â Medium
How Mozilla Was Born
Archiveteam
Congrats, US Government: You're Scaring Web Businesses Into Moving Out Of The US | Techdirt
How SOPA's 'circumvention' ban could put a target on Tor | Privacy Inc. - CNET News
A List Apart: Articles: Say No to SOPA
US judge orders hundreds of sites "de-indexed" from Google, Facebook
Why SOPA endangers America's Internet leadership
Nintendo, EA, Sony sponsor Internet censorship bill [update] | Joystiq
A Guide to the Occupy Wall Street API, Or Why the Nerdiest Way to Think About OWS Is So Useful - Technology - The Atlantic
Major Game Publishers Onboard with SOPA and Protect IP Act
US State Department not for internet freedom - Opinion - Al Jazeera English
Congress Weighs Fighting Internet Piracy Like the War on Drugs - Conor Friedersdorf - Politics - The Atlantic
Anti-piracy bill meets Web-freedom backlash - CNN.com
unfinished work - I Believe In The Internet - The Content Industry Doesn't
Zoe Lofgren - Lofgren Opening Statement on SOPA
Lying on the Internet could soon be a federal crime
Internet Community Shut Out of Stop Online Piracy Act Hearing - Again | Electronic Frontier Foundation
At Web censorship hearing, Congress guns for "pro-pirate" Google
Hollywood's New War on Software Freedom and Internet Innovation | Electronic Frontier Foundation
Fight For The Future
5 Things I Learned by Quitting the Internet | Cracked.com
Proposed Copyright Bill Threatens Whistleblowing and Human Rights | Electronic Frontier Foundation
Locus Online Perspectives » Cory Doctorow: Itâs Time to Stop Talking About Copyright
Sprint to nix 'unlimited' from mobile broadband and hotspot plans in November