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Net Neutrality 9-30-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

MORE FROM:
‘Neutrality’ Is New Challenge for Internet Pioneer an Interview on Net Neutrality with Sir Tim Berners-Lee By JOHN MARKOFF Published: September 27, 2006

Q. So there are political consequences [to losing a neutral net]. Are there are also economic consequences? If so, what are they?

A. I think the people who talk about dismantling — threatening — Net neutrality don’t appreciate how important it has been for us to have an independent market for productivity and for applications on the Internet.

Now, if we compare what you can get into your home with earliest modems, it’s maybe 1,000 times as fast. So that market has been very competitive, very successful.

And I think we wouldn’t have seen this explosion in the exciting, tremendous diversity of the kind of things you see on the Web now. So in the future, obviously, we expect to see many more things. We expect to see, very importantly, television streaming over the Internet, which is going to make a very exciting market in television content and maybe entertainment, maybe educational ideas.

The people deploying these things rely on the fact that the Internet is sitting there waiting to carry whatever they can dream up.

MORE TOMMOROW

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Net Neutrality 9-29-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

‘Neutrality’ Is New Challenge for Internet Pioneer andnterview By JOHN MARKOFF
Published: September 27, 2006

SIR TIM BERNERS-LEE was a software programmer working at the CERN physics research laboratory in Switzerland in the 1980’s when he proposed the idea of a project based on hypertext — linking documents with software pointers.

The World Wide Web went online in 1991 and rapidly grew beyond the physics community. In 1994, Sir Tim founded the World Wide Web Consortium at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to promote open standards on the Internet. Earlier this year, he began speaking out in favor of “Net neutrality.” The term describes one side in the debate in the United States over whether Internet service providers should be able to control the order in which they route packets of data — or even be able to reject those packets — or whether they should be required to be neutral on the matter. For example, in some cases I.S.P.’s have restricted the routing of services provided by competitors like Internet phone calls.

He answered questions earlier this month by telephone from Cambridge, Mass.

Q. Do you think you would be able to invent the Web today, given the barriers that are emerging?

A. You have to imagine the Net without the Web. I think I would be able to invent it today, but if we lose Net neutrality, then imagine a world in which it’s much more difficult to invent the Web.

Q. Is your view that the anti-Net neutrality infrastructure actually threatens political democracy? Does it go beyond just the technical structure of the Internet?

A. Net neutrality is one of those principles, social principles, certainly now much more than a technical principle, which is very fundamental. When you break it, then it really depends how far you let things go. But certainly I think that the neutrality of the Net is a medium essential for democracy, yes — if there is democracy and the way people inform themselves is to go onto the Web.

MORE TOMORROW . . .

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Net Neutrality 9-28-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Lies, cable TV, and Patrick Hynes

What’s all this about? Well, if you’ve been reading the business sections of the papers over the past year or so, you’ve probably seen a few articles about this stuff. From what I understand, the debates involve delivery of television signals and other high-bandwidth content (i.e., Internet service) to people’s homes. Cable TV has been the dominant player for the last 20 years, thanks to technological issues and municipal-level monopolies, but ISPs and telephone companies are positioning themselves for an era where the Internet is used to deliver paid television programming.

A related issue is how Internet traffic will be treated in the future. Currently the Internet isn’t owned by anyone, but companies do own parts of it. Any network connection that’s part of the Internet treats all traffic – whether email, Google searches, news, music, or video – equally, or relatively equally. From what Borderline has been able to fathom, some companies which own “backbone” connections (kind of like the superhighways of the Internet) as well as potential distributors of high-bandwidth programming — want to be able to segregate traffic by type and price, so things like blogs or free video posted on local websites would be on the slow road with lots of traffic lights, while paid video channels would be on the faster toll road. “Net Neutrality” refers to the efforts to keep the Internet the way it is now, i.e., all traffic is treated in the same way, rather than paid programming getting higher priority.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Dream Homes Invaded by Link Leak Virus

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Imagine Your Dream Home

Open Comment Night began in a lovely way. Doug and Joe and AdLib started talking and shortly thereafter the talk of magical exciting dream homes started showing signs of the link leak virus.

The Link Leak Virus was to be part of every home we described — even Phil’s famous Gerby Shak! The Link Leak Virus is a special strain of the indie virus with blogtipping mutations that occur in threes at Open Comment Night they become a link free-for-all.

Welcome to all of the new folks who came. It was great fun having you!

Cool links were shared.

Just a Bunch of Dreamers

Douglas came in talking of McMansions, but they weren’t for Joe who dreamed of
a two-part building for his dwelling.
AdLib told of a Dungeon of Doom or the World’s Largest Library, but Joe wasn’t buying. He said it could take as many 11,005,247 comments to get his house back — no telling.

The pace picked up after that.

Dossy brought news of the housing bubble about to pop.
Kirsten decided that one dream house was no place to stop.
Phil’s imagination carried everyone away to adventure land
Start reading at comment 47 and you’ll understand.
Renée doesn’t need a new dream home. She’s got one.
Ben just sold his. So, he’s looking to find another one.

Rick has his dream home planned with a skycar also.
Starbucker will be dreaming his days away in the mountains of Colorado.
HART gets the real estate mantra location, location, location.
A log cabin is Mike’s ideal permanent dream vacation.

Christine will be on a river in the woods.
SeanRox seems to think the house he’s in is pretty good.
Becky wants real wiring and closets that aren’t too small.
Samuel thinks after all his homes this one is best of all.

cat’s had dream houses and is surprised that a city now has its charm.
Whimsperation wants to build downtown homestead farm.

Me? I just want to live in a luxury airplane, flying to see all of my friends in their dream houses everywhere.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
The Mic is On! It’s Your Dream Home for Sure!

Net Neutrality 9-27-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Net Neutrality Fight Moves to Pennsylvania Legislature

. . . With the Stevens bill looking like it’s going to die and a possible changeover in Congress, the telecom companies are looking for an alternative legislative vehicle so they don’t have to have strong net neutrality protections tacked onto the telecom reform bill next cycle. And that means going to the states. Rather than passing national franchising, the telecom companies are trying to get a bunch of big states to pass state video franchising bills, and then they won’t have to deal with a Federal bill next cycle and net neutrality can just die without legislative action. One of these states is Pennsylvania, and the bill is called SB 1247.

Now, video franchising isn’t bad in itself, but this bill is horrible. It allows redlining, which means that no one will invest in building out broadband to rural areas. The only people who will get cable and internet service over fiber are in high income suburbs and dense urban areas. And obviously, there is no net neutrality protections.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

The Mic is On! It’s Your Dream Home for Sure!

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It’s Like Open Mic Only Different

Here’s how it works.

open mike night

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME
The rules are simple — be nice.

There are always first timers and new things to talk about. It’s sort of half “Cheers” part “Friends” and part video game. You don’t know how much fun it is until you try it.

Tonight we’re talking dream homes!

manor of the others

We might also talk about

  • littles homes in the countryside
  • mansions on the grounds
  • cottage in the woods
  • city apartments

AND THE EVER POPULAR,
Basil the code-writing donkey.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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