I just finished reading this very interesting paper for my class. It’s 46 pages, pretty long, but a fascinating read, at least for me. The core contention is that the best form of ‘government’ (i.e., rule-making) for the net is basically collaborative filtering based on ID. So, for example, you could only accept emails from people who know people you know (orkut-style), or only install software from companies who you or your ISP or OS vendor trust, or only let your kids see web pages vetted by your friends who are also parents. The paper is light on how this would work in practice (probably a good thing ;), but goes into a fair amount of detail about why at least in principle the idea is better than the other rule-making options, like democracy, anarchy, or benign dictatorship. I found it all pretty interesting- certainly the kind of thinking I’d like to see more of, instead of falling back to the Same Old Cliches about how the internet wants to be free or how what the internet needs is more laws.
Good weekend- Duke won the ACC tourney and a couple friends came over to watch- always good to have company for these things. And I was uber-productive this morning- got out of my apartment and pounded out my paper for class tomorrow. Krissa edited it tonight, and so I have reasonable expectations that it won’t suck by the time it is due tomorrow night.
Have had 7K liveCD downloads from the torrent so far, and a couple indicators of interest in custom versions. Yay. :)
In the spirit of feeling entitled to the direction of the efforts of others without compensation, merely because their prominence suggests an implicit responsibility to mob rule, I suggest that “market research” be conducted to decide what Eugenia should be required to do about one of her own usability problems: her contemptible personality. I suggest that Eugenia’s future conduct be decidied by a poll that can be advertised on Slashdot and OSNews, and I will even generously volunteer to construct and setup the polling software necessary to decide her future endeavors. It is the least she can do after all of the effort that her readers go through to finish even the smallest of her epic forays into the realm of writing, and if she cannot meet this responsibility, then I for one think she should step aside and permit someone else to take up the reins.