| Thursday,
June 19, 2003
Dear Jerry:
Hatch's proposal is pretty close to the one made by
Rep. Howard Berman last year. I believe I previously described this as
" a wacko idea". No disrespect to the the Congressman or the
Senator, whom I think are probably the victims of really bad staff advice.
This is a variant of the Engineer's Disease. People think that because we
can do something like that, we should. Always very satisfying to smite the
wrongdoer, eh?
Carried to its logical extreme this tactic would
destroy a lot of innocent peoples' equipment, including that at public
libraries, where a lot of the articles provided in electronic databases
are pirated. The libraries don't know this and neither do the firms who
put together the databases. They rely upon written assurances in
contracts. The publishers know but hope that no one else will notice.
There are millions of articles in each database, and probably less than
one percent of them are suspect. Do we then destroy a public good to
satisfy the desires of an extreme minority? I don't think so.
Nope, there are better ways. The RIAA actually has
come up with an effective tactic. Based upon law, not technology. The
music business, as we know it, may well be permanently changing. I once
made my living as a professional photographer. Had my own studio and a
half dozen employees. What put me out of business was K-Mart and their 99
cent color portrait. My break-even was about fifty bucks. I found out how
little people cared about quality work. I was simply priced out of the
market and closed up shop. I signed up for a real estate licensing
class...and two of my close competitors were also there. Out of eight
people in the class.
That was slightly less than 30 years ago. In the
time since we've all seen the way technology can steamroller an occupation
or an industry. I'm a fierce defender of copyrights, but I believe the
solution to these problems lies with the law, not with cybervigilantism.
The law is very clear but it seems most people can't be bothered to read
it, much less comply with it.
Sincerely, Francis Hamit
Dvorak thinks the recording industry is pretty
well over that high profit margin spree, and artists will have to make
most of their money in concerts now. I haven't studied it enough to have a
real opinion.
and there is this
Hi Jerry,
You should find this link amusing, as well as the
page format..
( http://amish.blogmosis.com/archives/012511.html#012511
)
best, jer
=================
Jerry,
I read the Harvard commencement speech by President
Larry Summers with interest, and perhaps you will too:
http://www.president.harvard.edu/
speeches/2003/commencement03.html
"It is plainly not enough that our students at
some point have 'exposure' to science and its methods. They will need to
achieve a reasonable working knowledge of, and facility with, its means of
measurement, analysis, and calibration.
"... Having nations with incomes that double in
a decade is unprecedented in history and has never happened in this
country, but it is a realistic possibility. The consequences of such
outcomes will rival the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution.
"But there are alternative futures suggested by
such terms as 'ethnic cleansing,' 'Iraq,' 'AIDS,' and 'global warming.'
... If Harvard students are to make a difference, they will need to
understand and think about parts of the world remote from
themselves."
In other words, Summers is saying that he wants
Harvard graduates to be able to think like ... hard science-fiction
writers!
Eric Schwarz
Well, why not?
=======
Subject: MS lowers prices (almost to 0) in Thailand
to compete with Linux
XP and Office for $22. Wonder how they can produce
and sell it so much cheaper in Thailand than here.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t272-s2136259,00.html
I hope the EU commission notices this (since we know
the Justice Department here could care less.)
John
-- John Harlow, President BravePoint jharlow@BravePoint.com
Voice: (770)449-9696 Fax: (770) 449-9003 www.BravePoint.com Progress,Web
and Java Specialists
A mind is like a parachute; it works best when fully
opened....
Comparative advantage?
======
And another twist to the SCO kamikaze saga:
Subject: Prediction made in 2000
http://features.linuxtoday.com/news_story.
php3?ltsn=2000-02-22-004-05-NW-0003
Here's the test from the post in question:
Bill Baxter - Subject: Not Open Source, I'm
afraid. ( Feb 23, 2000, 00:01:50 )
Note that these releases are not open source.
SCO retain rights to the source code. Maybe they even hope that some of
their code will wind up in linux, so that they can then sue, and render
the Linux license terms invalid. Or would they be that spiteful? My guess
== yes.
He called this three years ago.
Amazing.
Jay Aldrich
==============
Subject: A growth industry for the backers of SCO
Interesting article (from Forbes-via-Slashdot) on
the backers of SCO.
http://slashdot.org/articles/03/06/19/
1245254.shtml?tid=106&tid=185&tid=187&tid=88
Their main product is 'lawsuits'. They buy
Intellectual Property and then sue over it. They've left an interesting
trail behind them.
Only in America.
John
-- John Harlow, President BravePoint jharlow@BravePoint.com
Voice: (770)449-9696 Fax: (770) 449-9003 www.BravePoint.com Progress,Web
and Java Specialists
A mind is like a parachute; it works best when fully
opened....
With about as much social value as the Nigerian
Oil Money scam, no?
And a warning from Roland
Subject: Redfang.
Thankfully, I've stayed away from this stuff -
without knowing much about it, I knew that the lessons of the past
vis-a-vis 802.11b would be promptly forgotten, and that once again, we'd
end up with a horribly insecure initial implementation:
http://www.securityfocus.com/news/5896
Imagine how great it'll be to have your PalmPilot or
iPaq rifled through silently and undetectably as you stroll down the
street . . .
------------- Roland Dobbins
Yes that always did concern me. And then there is
the connection between your cell phone and your earphone.
==
Subject: Imperial Military
http://www.techcentralstation.com/1051/
defensewrapper.jsp?PID=1051-350&CID=1051-061903A
Karl Gallegher
Indeed. A well done article. Excerpt
Already this relationship is openly
celebrated. Before the Iraq War, servicemen asked by the media about
impending war invariably replied: "We're good to go when our
Commander-in-Chief gives the word." The intimacy of the Commander's
relationship with his military has become a casual part of presidential
presentation. Often he prefers to address the people from afar, surrounded
by his troops. Front-page pictures show the Commander, almost like pater
familias, surrounded by rapt young soldiers reaching out to touch him.
Ave! Ave Caesar! And make no mistake, such builds
very good armies indeed. But I am not entirely sure I agree with his Old
war/New War analysis, or even understand it all.
I do know that being bogged down in Iraq is not
proper Imperialism. The proper way for an Empire is to have Legions --
Heavy Armor and Mechanized Infantry Divisions -- that can defeat anyone
who seriously challenges it. That includes client states. Then use the
clients to do the actual police work once the conquest has been made, and
only employ the Legions when necessary or when you think it time to blood
the troops. Feeding a trooper a day to the Iraqis is not a proper use for
US troops. Let one of the allies who now wants some of the spoils furnish
the MP's.
None of this looks like the army the Framers had
in mind, but then The United States doesn't much look like These United
States did in 1820, or even in 1932. And the trend accelerates. Dole and
Bush the Elder decided to feel good by passing the Americans With
Disabilities Act federalizing every parking lot in America and putting
every building under the jurisdiction of federal inspectors. Since all
that was clearly left to the States we can conclude that the 10th Amendment
is no more. The second is about to fall. The First seems to be gone in
large part: a juvenile was recently jailed for writing poetry about his
alienation from his school. Another was jailed briefly for writing a story
about killing teachers until he pointed out that he was assigned to write
a scary story.
But the first juvenile, it is noted, was studying
Hemingway in school, not poetry, and thus can be jailed for writing
alienation poetry. That ought to insure his loyalty, or at least that of
the others in his school.
And this may be more relevant to the new model
army than is at first apparent. Vlahos goes on:
All comparisons to Rome, of course, are mere
metaphor. But the transformation the American Military needs to think
about has three passages: from serving a republic to serving an empire,
from a national-tribal identity to a world-cosmopolitan identity, from
being a defender to being an enforcer.
The Coast Guard is an example. And of course the
Marines used as border guards who shot a teenage goatherd because the boy
was potting tin cans with his .22 rifle, precisely as I used to do when I
was younger. Dangerous thing, to stop that charging tin can in its tracks,
particularly when there are Marine sharpshooters hiding so well you don't
know they are there.
From being defender to enforcer.
The mission of Rome was To Protect the Weak and
Make Humble the Proud. Defending Rome became secondary.
As to Old War/New War: sure we need to be able to
practice New War; but we also need to make it clear we can defeat any
opposition and that client states have independent policies only at our
sufferance.
That is the essence of Empire. Some of us may
mourn the old republic. But then so did Cicero, and his head and hands
were displayed at the Roman Forum rostrum from which he had so often spoken, and
from which, once, he had saved the Republic. And Marc Antony's wife
pierced with a hatpin the tongue of the greatest orator Rome had ever
known.
But that was a long time ago. And we were born
free.
And see following.
Gore considering starting his own cable news channel
Morning Jerry,
Interesting article:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,89895,00.html
I've seen this type of thing come and go here
locally, and the simple fact is that there isn't much of a commercial
market for a liberal bent news network (hence his need for wealthy donors)
on either radio or television. Besides, I thought he already had one in
CNN (or was that just the Clinton News Network?).
Also - thanks to all who responded on my question
about free hydrogen in the atmosphere. Amazing how much we forget over the
years - the refresher is much appreciated.
Cheers,
Doug Lhotka
"Freedom is not free. Free men are not equal.
Equal men are not free."
alterius gratia numquam vive nec pete ut alius tui
gratia viva
This was being discussed yesterday by Larry Elder
among others. The fact is that they have NPR, and commercial liberal talk
shows have been tried many times. Donahue keeps trying to make a comeback
on TV but little comes of that. For reasons not entirely clear to me given
the election returns, most of the people who pay attention to politics in
this country tend to support more conservative talk shows.
We did have Michael Jackson, mildly left but
usually very sensible, here in LA for a long time. He married the daughter
of a conservative newscaster and became himself more conservative over
time and now seems to have vanished.
And A Lengthy Announcement from Space Adventures:
Dear Dr. Pournelle;
The most significant Space Adventures' news for me
to report in this letter is our announcement yesterday of our contracted
acquisition of two tourist seats to the International Space Station (ISS),
and our plans to execute the first dedicated tourist mission to the ISS in
early 2005. Space tourism is assured to return to the ISS now, and in a
manner that benefits all involved parties.
There has been a lot of press in the last 24 hours
covering our joint announcement with the Russian Aviation & Space
Agency and RSC Energia, including New York Times, AP, Reuters, SPACE.com,
CNN, MSNBC, BBC, NPR and AFP coverage of our press conference (where both
Dennis Tito and Mark Shuttleworth participated), and great television
coverage all throughout the day including the Today Show. A few highlights
are below:
1. From the MSNBC home page: http://www.msnbc.com/news/928483.asp?0cv=CB20
2. From the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3002680.stm
3. From CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/06/18/soyuz.tourists/
4. From SPACE.com: http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/space_adventures_030618.html
With the ability to provide seats to orbital space
tourists back in full force, it is more important than ever for those that
are interested in flying in space to step forward and to do so, as never
has there been such a unique opportunity for one to realize their own
dreams while at the same time providing great benefit to the ISS program
and becoming an inspiration to people everywhere. Space exploration is so
important for our future, and human space flight, both commercial and
otherwise, is perhaps the most critical aspect of long-term space
exploration.
It would be appreciated if you would refer anyone
whom you may think is a qualified candidate to participate in the private
Soyuz mission, dubbed Space Adventures-1 (SA-1), to me as you see fit.
Anyway, allow me, as usual, to update you on the
other happenings with our company in this latest CEO Report (as you know,
I do this three or four times per year via e-mail).
* * * * * * * * *
In the wake of the Columbia accident, there was a
rise of pundits who pontificated that human space flight wasn't worth
continuing by the government, and was not worth the money or the risk for
industry to pursue. We know differently; and so, of course, do our
partners and clients. In the last few months, I am proud to point not only
to our own acquisition of the two Soyuz seats mentioned above, but many
other accomplishments by other companies as we push on with space
activities.
* On April 18 came the announcement by famed
aircraft designer Burt Rutan that for the past two years he had been
secretly developing a sub-orbital passenger spacecraft to serve as a
test-bed for future commercial space tourism flights. Burt announced at
that debut, which I attended on behalf of Space Adventures, that he would
be beginning the test phase of his program in the near future.
* Newsweek revealed that Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO
of Amazon.com, had also created a Seattle start-up, Blue Origin, to
develop a sub-orbital vehicle. Dubbed 'New Shepard' after Alan Shepard,
the first American in space, Bezos' plans are still under wraps but
nonetheless, the very fact that he has joined the companies competing to
build private spacecraft made national headlines; and is a testament to
the caliber of people who are turning their sights on commercial human
space flight and space tourism.
* For many of the thousands of youngsters who attend
U.S. Space Camp each year, venturing into space is just a dream. But now,
the dream is within reach thanks to a new partnership between Space Camp
and Space Adventures, Ltd. On March 6, we announced that we will work
together on a number of initiatives, including joint marketing and
co-sponsored events, Space Camp alumni benefits and exclusive tours.
Details can be read here: http://www.spaceadventures.com/press/030603.html
* On May 1, Space Adventures was recognized as the
Top Service Company (i.e., fastest growing) in the state of Virginia, at
the annual awards banquet held at the Richmond Marriott. Space Adventures
also won a spot on the "Fantastic Fifty" list of the
fastest-growing companies in the state, by demonstrating 430% revenue
growth through the period: http://www.spaceadventures.com/press/050103.html
* Several times in April and May, the media has
looked to Space Adventures as an example of the future of space flight and
our commitment to keep it going, two highlights are below:
o Forbes journalist James Clash writes about Space
Adventures and his experience flying with us to the Edge of Space in his
new book, "To the Limits: Pushing Yourself to the Edge--In Adventure
and in Business". An excerpt came be read online here: http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2003/04/22/cz_jc_0422feat.html
o Brad Stone, writing for Newsweek, included Space
Adventures' and our partners' accomplishments in his article about Jeff
Bezos, Burt Rutan, and their new spacecraft: http://www.msnbc.com/news/904842.asp
If you would like to learn more about any of the
above programs or future Space Adventures developments, visit our web site
at www.spaceadventures.com
and please feel free to contact me directly at any time.
And if you know anyone would have the interest and
the wherewithal to participate in a Soyuz flight to the ISS, please let me
know.
Very Best Regards,
Eric Anderson President and CEO www.spaceadventures.com
===============
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