Re: <nettime> Reality check on Sundevil.

["Jürgen A. Erhard" <juergen.erhard@gmx.net>]

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>>>>> "Julian" == Julian Dibbell <julian@mostly.com> writes:

    Julian> Taylor McLaren <paste@interlog.com> goes:
    >> MEEP! Julian Dibbell <julian@mostly.com> wrote:
    >> >And I'm only mildly
    Julian> <...>

    Julian> a quote like, for instance, OSU police Lt. Steve Altman's
    Julian> "The computer specialist feels ['feels'!] there may be in
    Julian> excess of a thousand files."

    Julian> Right now there are only two real consolations. The first
    Julian> is the fact that, as the Reuters piece shows, the Man
    Julian> still hasn't quite figured out how not to make himself
    Julian> look ridiculous.

The problem here is that that piece (of junk) sounds ridiculous to
*us*, who are `in the know'.  But to your average Joe on the Street
"feeling" how many files are on a harddisk (to take the example you
picked out) is both believable ("how can anyone *know* that") and
suitable wizardly ("all computer stuff sounds chinese to me").[1]

    Julian> And the second is the hope that the copy wars may yet have
    Julian> a happier ending than the drug wars. I wouldn't expect the
    Julian> first to last much longer, and I'm holding on to the
    Julian> second by a thread.

I think there's more hope for a more-or-less happy ending for the
"copy wars" because it's much more widespread than "drug" "abuse", and
much harder to demonize than things like heroin and
friends... especially to the people who *did* it themselves.

Just take one look at your average heroin junkie (or the image
purported in the mainstream media), and compare to your average
"software/music pirate"... in the latter many people will recognize
themselves.

And the "musicians will starve" slogan is *sooo*
believable... especially when spoken by multi-millionaires like
Metallica.

Bye, J

[1] Sorry if this seems arrogant... but I come from a pretty
working-class background myself, so I *know* how simple the majority
of people `out there' is knitted[2], sorry again.

[2] "Einfach gestrickt"... ;-)

- -- 
Jürgen A. Erhard    juergen.erhard@gmx.net   phone: (GERMANY) 0721 27326
     MARS: http://members.tripod.com/Juergen_Erhard/mars_index.html
  Mesa - Free OpenGL API (http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/~brianp/Mesa.html)
          Codito, ergo sum - I code, therefore I am -- Raster
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