A very short (4 question) Myers-Briggs/Keirsey temperment test.

The "blog" connection here is silly, but there are a number of good links to more information associated with each type.

Shortest/Best Personality Test

] The most powerful country on earth cannot afford to be
] consumed by fear. To make the war on terrorism the
] centerpiece of our national strategy is an abdication of
] our responsibility as the leading nation in the world.
] Moreover, by allowing terrorism to become our principal
] preoccupation, we are playing into the terrorists' hands.
] They are setting our priorities.

I agree with Jeremy. George Soros says so much more in 10 pages then Gore did in 50. If you want an intelligent counterpoint to Bush and the Neocons this is one of the strongest I've seen.

The Bubble of American Supremacy

] So, if in fact we are not at the end of history, then perhaps Tom is
] on to something here.
]
] It's less about the individual governments and more about the
] connections between them, or lack thereof.
]
] Welcome to the Network Society.

Well, this isn't really what I meant. If there is a split here I think it is only because we are behaving in an unwestern way. Unilateral, pre-emptive military action? Imprisoning people without due process? I think we've regressed. It could have been a lot worse, but it also could have been better.

I was arguing that we'll see more positive innovation in the governance of societies as people become better informed and better at critical thinking... This is not the droid I'm looking for. I'm not even sure I'll see what I think will come in my lifetime, but I'm almost positive that I'm right.

The way that things went down... Its not how I would have done it. Its not how a lot of people would have done it. I think we could have gone into Iraq with international support. With financial and military assistance. Had we spun it properly... It would have been better for us on many levels. It would have been cheaper. It would have been safer. It would have been less galvanizing to the radical elements.

I don't think its clear that France took their position to save telecom contracts in Iraq. Thats just as insipid as claiming that we went in to claim oil reserves. I also don't think France thinks its impossible to do this. I simply think that they don't want to bail us out of this mess financially after the way we've behaved.

The message we intended to send is that the United States is not constrained by the international community.

The message we should have sent is that the international community has no need to constrain the United States.

We could have sent that message. Its a shame.

But, yes, we do need to address the grievances of the European community and do so early and often. If we think we don't have to care what they think, then we are eating our own spin. We'd be wrong, and we'll learn that one way or the other.

Democracies do fight wars against each other. Being democratic does not make you nice. Being interconnected makes you interdependent, which makes you nice.

The End of the West?

bucy wrote:
] While I agree that in principle this is possible, I'm
] not terribly worried by it. I think it would be
] extrordinarily expensive to deploy and maintain... I may have
] some more to say about this later.

Lets discuss this...

1. Asynchronous internet access:
Already occurred. I've been complaining about this for years. I have a DSL connection with a static IP and I pay through the nose for "real" internet access in a colo facility. I think this is a real problem. I think it can be solved, but it will take real market pressure from a really hot service that people want to host themselves. Even surmountable barriers chill speech.

2. DRM:
Yes, sort of. I've been warning about this for years. I think it works for software. I don't think it will work for content. The only way for DRM to work is with things like the DMCA... The future here is uncertain, but certain to be contentious (putting it mildly).

3. Micropayments: I don't see this as a technical problem. If people wanted this, then they would build something reasonable out of what they already have. Its a prisoners dilemma. You WILL get better sites when you decide to pay for them. When I imagine how cool MemeStreams would be by now if I could feed myself while working on it I almost want to cry. But it doesn't happen because everybody expects somebody else to pay. There has to be a massive social movement to encourage people to willingly donate cash to small websites before these changes will start to happen, and when it happens it won't matter what the technology is. People used to pay for online services in the early 90's... I think that all this free stuff is mostly a product of the bubble. It will probably change eventually... I think he has the basic economics right. Some WAP networks currently cut checks to content providers based on the amount of traffic they collect. The billing will be managed such that end users see a flat rate... However, I might be wrong here. He might be wrong. The social movement might not happen. People like free stuff, and prisoner's dilemmas are powerful things...

4. Personal Certs: Already here, but no one really uses them. A geek idea that has never gained traction. I think this needs an application moreso then better tech. Spam white-listing might end up being the killer app for personal certs. Fortunately we don't NEED certs to solve that problem. There will be alternative solutions available, and they are actually more likely to be adopted because the personal Cert option is more costly. Its a maybe situation. If people start banning remailers from publishing we're in a lot of trouble.

5. The end of anonymous speech: This, again, will be a social rather then technical phenomenon. On the one hand, I am amazed to see the end of anonymous mail. That is something I would never have predicted. I think its a really bad idea. On the other hand, I think the reason th... [ Read More (0.3k in body) ]

RE: The Digital Imprimatur

Foreign Affairs is pleased, therefore, to be able to open a window directly onto occupied Germany seven months after V-E Day, taking readers back in media res.

CFR reaches into the treasure chest for a true gem.

That Was Then: Allen W. Dulles on the Occupation of Germany

What would happen if the 'source code' of our democratic systems was opened up to the people they are meant to serve? An open source model for participatory, bottom-up and emergent policy will force us to confront the issues of our time.

A new essay from Douglas Rushkoff. Download the full text in PDF.

Open Source Democracy

The Rumsfeld "slog" memo, courtesy of The Smoking Gun.

Are we winning or losing the Global War on Terror?

Is DoD changing fast enough to deal with the new 21st century security environment?

Can a big institution change fast enough?

... an alternative might be to try to fashion a new institution ... What else should we be considering?

And so the master plan continues to unfold ...

The Rumsfeld Memo

... Tons of foreign technology is imported, but it's never really internalized ...

Tom Friedman on Arab society in the Sunday New York Times.

Courageous Arab Thinkers

I must say I'm surprised to hear this position from you. It doesn't seem your usual take on things. I don't think your position is unreasonable, incidentally, just uncharacteristic....

Hijexx wrote:
] Sorry, but if a mix CD is sold and has unlicensed usage of an
] RIAA cartel copyrighted song, it's fair game for them to bust
] the store.

Well, it seems like there is a grey area here. Somebody trying to sell "mix" CDs that are the equivalent of a playlist ought to get popped, but their is no black and white line between this and a hip hop record. Its all shades of grey. I did see those images you posted, and the front and center track lists certainly feel like piracy more then art. This case may have been on that side of the line.

On the other hand, while fair use does not cover derivative works, small hip hop, rave DJ, and other found sound acts don't have the resources, financial and otherwise, to track and clear all the material they are using. Squash them, and you squash part of the culture that makes music happen.

Similar things can be said about small record stores. This is where fads start. This is where the people who are out looking for new music to listen to find it and start telling their friends.

These things make up the primordial soup in which new music trends are created. The more the RIAA believes that real music comes from a committee, and cracks down on this community, the more damage they do to the real vitality of our culture, further reducing the public's interest in the things that the music industry is producing, and ultimately further reducing their revenues. It is the self destructiveness of greed in motion. Its Pop eating itself.

] With regard to the economics of "independent" record stores
] not being able to get the bulk discounts like the big chains
] do, sorry, them's the breaks. The writing is on the wall for
] independent music stores. Time to evolve or die.

I think that indy music stores struggle in Nashville because most of the people there are into country. Its hard to run a small music store there. No one cares. Atlanta, on the other hand, had a number of small music store institutions. They have been around for a long long time and still seem to be doing well.

When I was in college I used to go to L5 just because it was fun. Its a little out of the way now that I live up north, but I still enjoy going down there every once in a while. I will admit, however, that internet music stores have made those shops a lot less important. It used to be worth the trek to go down there to get something rare. Now I can just order it online. That does change the dynamics. But it also means I'm missing something. I'm missing the clue that the guy behind the counter had about the music. Where can I find that online...

I think I'm going to find it on recommender networks like Memestreams.... So I guess I do think that you are right. These stores are going to be replaced by something a lot more interconnected and a lot more effective. But right now we are in the lull... The record stores have diminished in influence. The net is here but has not yet met its potential. The net still feels more like CNN Center then L5.

This reminds me of another conversation going on in MemeStreams about Clear Channel...

RE: RIAA raiding small music stores for selling DJ mix CDs

Jeremy wrote:
] There is a certain naïveté in the notion that this phenomenon
] is somehow unique to the "IT profession" (whatever that is).
] That he still believes there exist jobs that are both worth
] having and amenable to being "held on to" is clear
] evidence of his denial.

The hard part is the transitional phase. We still have an established system that is based on corporate careerism, industrialized secondary education, HR Management that hires for skills rather then abilities... I prefer a dynamic life to the mind numbing boredom of being stuck in the same fucking cube for 40 years, but by all means lets get cut over to the "new order" as fast as possible because the middle ground is not much fun.

We're sorry, but we could not find any Telecom Engineering Jobs in Lynchburg, Virginia.