Brett Shand on Wed, 1 Jan 2003 14:29:30 +0100 (CET)


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Re: <nettime> wireless commons digest [stalder, elloi]



I forwarded this digest to my son, Adam Shand who is not a subscriber to 
Nettime (and is one of the original signers of the Wireless Commons 
Manifesto,) and he has asked me to forward his reply:

Brett
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FYI, if you think it's worthwhile feel free to pass this on to nettime.

I find responses like this confusing at best.  Unless I'm misreading the
underlying message is something like:

   "It's a great idea, it's the way it should be, but it'll never happen
   because you'll get fucked by the government and you're wasting my and
   everyone else time by trying to build something that is good".

Yeash ... where's the Paxil when you need it.

On to the specifics ...

> Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2002 17:08:13 -0800 (PST)
> From: Morlock Elloi <morlockelloi@yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: <nettime> The Wireless Commons Manifesto
>
>
>> NOTE: Anyone can sign The Wireless Commons Manifesto
>
> OK, so we are in for another reincarnation of barlowish self-aggrandizement
> bs.
>
> ("Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel,
> I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind." No shit.)

This at least is funny :-)  But gimme a break ... it's a freaking
manifesto!  Nobody signs onto something which says "Dude ... a world
wide wireless network would be cool.  Heh heh ... yeah, totally cool".

> This kind of drivel was what killed almost all hopes for Internet. Now you
> are trying the same with the wireless.
>
> Let's try to understand few facts. They are simple and obvious.
>
>> Low-cost wireless networking equipment which can operate in unlicensed
>> bands of the spectrum has started another revolution. Suddenly, ordinary
>
> The un-license-ness is there because of current (dis)interest and temporary
> benevolence of powers that be. It will go away overnight when the
> probability  
> that it will truly infinge on the corporate realm exceeds 0.1%. I think 
that
> there was a slight miscalculation on the part of FCCs of the world, but
> nothing
> that cannot be remedied with a simple decree. Witness the preparations for
> that
> decree - for instance, US military concerns that 802.11* may annoy their
> communications.

So because it could be disabled by a government decree, we shouldn't
try?  Also this isn't just about the USA, what about all the countries
with emerging telecommunication infrastructures?

> The current wifi window will close soon, as well as internet one did. Any
> site
> in the world can be taken down in few hour's time. So much for the new home
> of
> Mind.

Maybe ... but the only way that *won't* happen is if enough people stand
up and fight for it, and people only fight for things that they can
understand the significance of.

> Basing any "community" or "lovers messaging" on the ephemeral mercy of the
> corporate world is silly. It is just helping that world to coopt whatever 
is
> left from free-range chic^H^H^Hommunity.

Err ... and how else would you have us do it?  Maybe we should lay
fibre?  Or maybe go home and just pretend that the whole thing is an
impossible problem and to get over ourselves?

> Or maybe you have plans that I am unaware of to produce the required
> equipment
> outside state-controlled choke points ? And to provide means of 
undetectable
> use of the same ?

Which particular choke points?  You can already buy all the pieces you
need from non-mainstream distributors.

> If you don't, your enterprise is as pathetic as mold growing around a leaky
> pipe. When the pipe is fixed, the mold dies. And in the process you will
> harness enthusiasm and energy in vain, on the false premises.

Party pooper ...

Adam.

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