Blog Wars - Views from the Front Line

http://www.bit-tech.net/bits/2006/10/05/Blog_Wars___Views_from_the_Fro/1.html



Please keep this discussion to technology, rather than political policy.

 

[eurl=www.youtube.com]YouTube[/eurl] tag soesn't work on page one.

 

"This article is not about politics"

I showed this to my proffessor and some fellow poly-sci mates and we think it is.

International freedom of speech, limitless instant communication, a militarized presence in the fastest growing technological freeway the world has ever witnessed, and porno's are very political subjects I can assure anyone.

Are not technology and politics deeply affected by each other?

With that being said, I will stfu now...

 

I think the intention of those comments was to keep this from becoming another OMGAmericaSUX thread.

That said, governments and other groups are starting to realize that the internet is just as real a field of combat as anywhere else, but the weapons of choice are words and pictures, and the "ground" that's held is public opinion...

Trial by public opinion... May the best spin-doctors win.

 

Can we have click for big pictures please so we can read the legend on image 2?

 

That's just the start. Spin Doctors and stuff are what we're getting now. But when the US policy states they want 'military competency' that doesn't mean they want to be able to post "ZOMG U SUCK" on any board they like. It means denial of service attacks, it means viruses, it means tracking emails, tracing IPs, and backing all that up with bombs. 'Military Competency' is a very vague term but the meaning behind it is the capability to fight, win and dominate a given spectrum of conflict.

That's not to say I'm judging the US policy as being wrong or evil. I don't like it, just like I don't like the idea of living next door to an air base, but such is life. Given how the world works the US stance is completely understandable. This is the 21st century, billions of dollars in transactions and billions of dollars worth of data is piped through the internet every day. It's like an electronic Panama Canal and it's a vital economic and communications asset, that makes it a target and that, in years to come, will very possibly make it a battleground.

 

I have been looking at this site for a long time. I am not a modder but I really enjoy most of the articles on this site. I have finally signed up just to say one thing.

What a fantastic Article. - Thank you.

 

I dont see it as the new frontier information super highway, the internet is 21st century television, another prison without bars

 

I really would like to read the captions on the second image as well, if zoomy images could be added. Maps fascinate me.

 

First of all - great article!

Though the call is for technological comments, I feel compelled to first utter a few thoughts of attitude

- Any kind of technology can be used for good or for bad. How a society will use a technology is dependant on what is the hearts of the people (and their leaders).

- Democracy may be the slowest kind of government, but so far it has proven to be the least disruptive kind of government – as long as "We the people" need to keep an eye on all and any advances in technology, and especially how that technology is used.

- I find it to be a bit of a paradox that a "Department of Defence" paper puts a lot of emphasis on the offensive strategies rather than the defensive strategies. But then again, any footballer knows that the best defence is an offence - but is this really the attitude one expects from a Defence department. Should the department not be renamed to what it really seems to be all about: "The Department of Military power".

- Some say that business is war. That one can only survive with a business if one treats every competitor as an enemy, and every costumer as a hostage.
However I seem to remember strong arguments to support the “win-win” attitude in the bestseller “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”.


So the technological question must be: What can and will “we the people” do, to ensure that access to information, technology and intellectual property stays open, respected and accessible to every man – while still maintaining individual rights to make an honest living?

As only one man - I think I’ll keep reading, writing and pondering. And then do whatever I find necessary to make sure that my neighbour supports the notion that his and my children alike - can and may - also read, write and think
- and keep modding all aspects of life.

 

I know what most of them will do. Say "Meh, it's complicated computer stuff about the pipes again" and go watch Survivor on the idiot box.

Democracy only works as well as the citizens who support it, and that's how we came to be where we are now.

I also wanted to thank the staff for this article. The more we can bring governement monitoring of the web into the light, the more likley we are to put an end to it.

 

Welcome to the forums l.moore! Thanks for your comment and glad you liked the article. I found it interesting also (I've been humming 'Amarillo' for the last 2 days now - seriously! ).