Bob Frankston
(bio)
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Floppy Days Interview 28-May-2023
Talking about the old days of VisiCalc as well as a bit about the future.
Floppy Days is "A podcast about home computers of the late 70's through the 80's. NEW SPONSORSHIPS! 8-Bit Classics is a great place to get video cables, power supplies and more for a wide variety of vintage computer platforms. Arcade Shopper has a wide variety of hard-to-find items for a large number of platforms."
Forever URLs 25-Feb-2023 (Updated: 19-May-2023
A Forever URL is one that never expires. Such URLs can be implemented using today's DNS as-is with new tooling to assist developers in developing websites. They also support devices and can support email addresses that aren't tied to a provider. They are a resource for the Internet as infrastructure.
Bits of “Intelligence” 25-Apr-2023
The AI engines tap into some powerful mechanisms, as does the Internet - -the idea that meaning comes from context and patterns and is not intrinsic -- a concept that is at odds with most people's reality. It is more revolutionary than Copernicus, who shifted a reference frame.
Connectivity Begins at Home 25-Apr-2023
📹 (video) This is my talk to BLU (Boston Linux and Unix) group. It's as much a conversation as a talk. While traditional home control is framed in an automation meme (Jetsons), I see it as more about managing relationships among peer devices.
GPT Ignores Major Risks of AI 18-Mar-2023
PDFIn response to a post on LinkedIn, I asked GPT about the risks of AI, and it's very telling that it omitted key risks of BS (blithely providing misinformation with authority) and its use for impersonation. the threats to provide by interpolation that we can't control. etc.
Trust and Insecurity 24-Feb-2023
PDFWe need to be wary about perimeter security and firewalls. While they seem to provide protection, they a vulnerable to the slightest breach. More problematic is that they prevent unanticipated innovation and make it difficult to try out new ideas. You can’t know all the second-guessers in the path.
Refactoring Consumer Electronics 01-Jan-2013 (Updated: 10-Feb-2023
PDFArticle in the January 2013 issue of the IEEE Consumer Electronics magazine. The concepts behind the Internet -- the best efforts exchange of raw bits -- represents a basic shift from a framing of electrons and pipes to one in which we can focus on relationships and applications.
The Stories of Software 01-Jul-2016 (Updated: 10-Feb-2023
PDFThe concept of software has evolved from the early days of programming when each minute step of had to be described in detail. Yet the challenges remain because, ultimately, software is about sharing our understandings with devices that will act as our agents.
I learn a lot writing these columns. This one made me think about what software is and why automatic programming succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations yet has seems to have succeeded at all.
Distributed Cooperation 17-Oct-2022
PDFI use my home as a living laboratory for connected systems. One of the goals is to avoid single points of failure by having direct relationship between endpoints.
The Public Packet Infrastructure 25-Aug-2022 (Updated: 18-Sep-2022
PDFThe Internet isn't just a way to access the web, it is fundamental infrastructure -- the Public Packet Infrastructure. The infrastructure has seemingly unlimited capacity because we can innovate and take advantage of opportunities instead of negotiating for passage.
We need to bring public policy and public perception into alignment with this new realty.
This is also available on CircleID
The Impact of Open Connectivity 12-Jul-2022
The Internet hints at the much larger possibilities of open connectivity in enabling discoveries such as the web but for the physical world. The ideas themselves go to a deeper level of thinking about how we build systems and how we can enable the future.
The Internet as a Public Good 27-Jun-2022
Why do we work so hard to promulgate the idea that being held incommunicado is the norm and we have to pay to communicate? The ability to communicate and connect is a right not a privilege.
Realizing the Long-Term Value of Connectivity 14-Mar-2022
Open community infrastructure can provide enormous societal value by enabling services that we haven't dreamed of. Tesla has shown how a car you by can get features undreamed of at the time of purchase thanks to software updates. Open infrastructures enables innovation and discovery.
Voice over IP–An inflection Point 10-Feb-2022
Voice over IP (VoIP) represents a sharp break from the traditional telephony. Unlike traditional telephony (digital or otherwise), VoIP doesn't depend on a provider's reserved path. Understanding how VoIP works is key to liberating ourselves from depending on providers'. Without that dependency we are free to innovate and take advantage of a Public Packet Infrastructure own by the local community.
The Public Packet Infrastructure 04-Oct-2021
The Internet isn't just a way to access the web, it is fundamental infrastructure -- the Public Packet Infrastructure. The infrastructure has seemingly unlimited capacity because we can innovate and take advantage of opportunities instead of negotiating for passage.
We need to bring public policy and public perception into alignment with this new realty.
This is also available as my IEEE Column
Living the Beta Life 13-Aug-2021
PDFIt feels like all the devices and software I use are in beta, waiting for me to find bugs. I'd have it no other way -- I don't need to predict the future if I can live it. Alas, products are still in beta even if they are official shipping because I go beyond the typical use case and don't handwave away failures that I know are not necessary.
The Age of Software: An Introduction 13-Jun-2021
PDFThe combination of digital representation and software has transformed the world and our understanding of the world. The Internet as just one byproduct of this fundamental conceptual shift from meaning being intrinsic to meaning being defined by software with multiple interpretations co-existing.
Connectivity Starts at Home 13-Apr-2021 (Updated: 15-Apr-2021
PDFToday's Internet is just one application of the powerful idea of best-efforts connectivity. The home router (NAT) decouples the connectivity within the home from the larger internet enabling innovation that leverages the Internet without being limited by it.
TV is Over – Long Live Content 05-Dec-2020
PDFWe are now in the age of "content" with Television (and movies) now available for view online just like books rather than being experiences you had to tune into on a broadcaster's schedule. We haven't cut the cord, we just forgot about it and moved on.
The JavaScript Ecosystem 23-Oct-2020
PDFJavaScript started out as a simple extension for the browser but has become so much more. In part this is true on building on rich concepts going back to Lisp. Along the way it has challenged the givens of programming and given us a high-performance flexible language along with rich libraries and rich tools. We're just beginning to discover the possibilities. (Also on CirlceID)
Beyond the Interweb 24-May-2020 (Updated: 14-Jul-2020
PDFToday's Internet is a network of networks and seen through the lens of the web. We need to look beyond the engineering history to see the Internet in the context of the larger vision of JCR Licklider, an acoustic psychologist, and his vision of man/computer symbiosis.
Bits vs. Things 03-Sep-2019 (Updated: 04-Dec-2019
PDFI’m writing this for CE Magazine rather than Computer Magazine because I don’t see programming and software as something apart from the larger world but as the language, we use to articulate our understanding. Software has transformed consumer electronics from simply choosing what is available to having the ability to create and share one’s solutions.
The Internet and My 53 Years Online 15-Jul-2019
PDFWith the upcoming celebration of the 50 years of the Inter-net, I’m trying to figure out how the traditional story misses the powerful idea that has made the Internet what it is – the ability to focus on solutions without having to think about the network or providers.
Found Objects 26-Jan-2019 (Updated: 21-Jun-2019
PDFIn the tradition of the Internet I don't build new networks nor new special environments for each application but rather repurse existing devices and services. The key is an architcture which limits complexity.
CFR: Our Copper Fiber and Radios 29-Jan-2007 (Updated: 07-Mar-2019
PDFOur Copper, Fiber and Radios are a simple fixed asset. Why are we paying a service fee to privileged services providers when we can do it better ourselves. Our home networks run at a gigabit bit without a service charge yet we can on thousandth the capacity when we go outside our homes and pay a high fee for the "privilege".
I was reminded of this as I saw Verizon installers running RG-6 cable for FiOS TV when I already had a perfectly good gigabit network and then they told me I had to use their router …
From Hi-Fi to CLI 01-Jan-2019 (Updated: 13-Dec-2018
Today users typically use computers through graphics user interfaces -- GUIs. Only programmers use the command line. But that is changing as more people discover the power of the command line just as they learned how to wire their own home entertainment systems in the days of Hi Fi.
It is no longer a relic of the past but rather a path to the future.
More 5G BS 02-Dec-2018
Hill.TV has taken on the cause of 5G as Telcos try to enlist support by telling why 5G is the answer no matter what the question.
Progressive Web Apps 01-Mar-2018 (Updated: 12-Jul-2018
The browser is now a full fledged platform for apps. The major benefits of using the browser as a platform includes ease of universal deployment and avoiding concepts such as having to install software. It's also a very flexible and powerful environment. (Also available on CircleId)
Connectivity as a Vital Consumer Service 27-Mar-2018 (Updated: 28-Mar-2018
PDFToday we retreat the Internet as if it were another television channel. If the service goes out we are fully dependent upon a provider to diagnose and fix the problem.
Today we are increasingly dependent upon connectivity and must meet the challenge by empowering consumers to work with providers to address issues and assure connectivity.
((Also avalable on CircleID)
Interconnected computing 02-Jan-2018
It's useful to think of the internetworking effort as a way to weave end points, initially computers, into a whole. The network is just a means. We need to look beyond neutrality to infrastructure.
Life (yet to be) Scripted 01-Jan-2014 (Updated: 21-Oct-2017
PDFThe goal of "home automation" seems to write rules to control our homes (and our lives) as if we were setting rules for a very smart butler. But the real world is more complicated and computers aren't omniscient butlers who can read our minds and anticipate every eventuality.
An Alien “Drove” my car 01-Apr-2017 (Updated: 24-Mar-2017
PDFAI and applications like self-driving cars are exciting but we need to wary about treating them as if they think like we do. It is normal to see new technologies just replacing existing technologies or, in this case, human drivers. While there is some overlap in roles we get the most benefit by recognizing how they are different from us and not just replacements.
What is special about an Internet of Things 14-Mar-2017
PDFI've been reading reading papers about an "Internet of Things" but they tend to be old engineering approaches relabeled. What makes the Internet special is our ability to build on the big idea of "just works" or ambient connectivity and the ability to mix and match end points using this common facility.
5G (and Telecom) vs. The Internet 26-Feb-2017
PDF5G sounds like the successor to 4G cellular telephony and indeed that is the intent. While the progression from 2G to 3G, to 4G and now 5G seems simple, the story is more nuanced and gives us a chance to better understand the what and, more important, the why of the Internet.
TEDx 2016 Talk -- The Abundance of the Internet 25-Jan-2017
📹 (video) My talk from TEDx November 2016.
Having grown up from when the technology was simple I see can see beyond the Internet and how it is so much more than just a network and just the web. It gives us the raw materials to create our own abundance.
Time to Retire the Leap Second 03-Jan-2017
The leap second creates many problems in return for essentially no benefit.
It is a leftover from the days when computers used the same notation people did for writing dates. Now that computers separate the representation from the presentation it's time to move on.
Site Insites 01-Jan-2017
PDFThis past summer I decided my website need to be refreshed. Rewriting the site from scratch in JavaScript (actually TypeScript) gave me a chance look beyond the façade of the web and better understand how the Web works and the simple mechanisms it is built on.
Mobile Edge Computing 01-Oct-2016
PDFWhen we frame local computing as being at the edge of a network we lose the big ideas of connectivity by framing the Internet in terms of tele-communications.
The Internet as Our New Infrastructure 04-Jul-2016 (Updated: 24-Jul-2016
PDF 📹 (video) The Internet is our new infrastructure. It is a basic facility just as roads and sidewalks available as a basic elements of infrastructure. I use the term "infrastructure" rather than "utility" to distinguish it from metered utilities like gas and electricity that are provided only at a price. This is the talk I gave at FGV in Rio on April 29th 2016.
Re How the internet was invented 15-Jul-2016
The popular view is that the Internet is just another network. It's not -- it's represents a very different approach to how we communicate. One that is resilient rather than dependent on carriers.
80/20 Consumer Electronics 01-Apr-2016
PDFI learn by doing and creating my own solutions. This gives me a chance to experience the future and see beyond the present. Join me in exploring the possibilities.
Zero-Rating vs. The Internet 04-Nov-2015
PDFThe idea of setting the rate for a given class of content is a concept that comes from the traditional world of telecommunications. It doesn't map into the raw packets of the Internet that are carried apart from their context.
The Engineers "Dilemma" 27-Sep-2015
The telecommunications business model has problems. The FCC's well-meaning efforts to make that business work has the unintended consequences of protecting it from alternatives approaches that can work far better. This extends to protecting it from better engineering.
Chicago’s cloud tax 02-Jul-2015
The idea of an "Internet Tax" misses the point that the Internet is just the latest face of ecommerce going back to Sears selling from a catalog over the phone.
DL- GOOGLE Makes Us GODS (via Iona Miller) like Icarus 20-Mar-2015
The idea that we can gain by connecting our brains to the Internet. But our brains have never been isolated. They have always been connected to the rest of society and the intelligence outside the brain and inherent in its architecture have always been our source of smarts.
We need to be careful lest this hubris lead us think this time we have the one true answer.
Internet-Native Policies 17-Feb-2015 (Updated: 19-Feb-2015
PDFAmid all the recent discussion about "Network Neutrality" a concern is that we may be losing the soul of the Internet – the ability to create our own solutions. Our "flow" metaphors fail us when dealing with the tolerant and bursty nature of the Internet. The Internet is not a utility, nor is it a consumable we can meter like electricity or water.
Now that the Internet has begun to "grow up" we need to move beyond policies appropriate for a nascent Internet seeking passage through a telecommunications network and start to adopt Internet Native Policies to facilitate connectivity
Putting it all Together? 01-Jan-2015
PDFThe idea of an automated home is premised on the idea that we can just put together any number of programs and they would auto-magically compromise a coherent whole. After a half a century of programming I know we still have a lot to learn.
Re: The Creepy New Wave of the Internet 17-Nov-2014
There is a tendency to project our world views on the Internet. To some it is a way to centralize power and control. But the origins of the Internet are just the opposite -- something that emerged from our ability to use computing to create our own solutions.
Community Broadband Podcast 03-Nov-2014
“In this episode, we talk a lot about how to think about what he terms "connectivity" rather than telecommunications. Telecommunications are a train track - the network owner determines when to move the trains and at what capacity. Our goal for networks is more akin to the roads, where we have more capacity to move around and pick our own routes on our own schedule”
Connected Things 01-Oct-2014
PDFThe power of the Internet comes from our ability to build connected applications. We use the term “Internet of Things” to extend this concept beyond computation to include the objects in the physical world.
Connectivity Policy 17-Jul-2014 (Updated: 31-Jul-2014
PDFThe internet is a different way of using the same facilities (wires, radios etc.) used for telecommunications. The big difference is that the Internet approach is not limited to provider-defined for-profit offerings. The differences go far deeper.
I use the term "borderless connectivity" for the new concept. The approach is being adopted from the edge -- driven by market forces. Telecommunications becomes just another resource as one way to extend connectivity as we shift from being dependent upon service providers to creating our own solutions.
Today's Internet gives a hint of what we can do with the new opportunities.
Connectivity problem 10-Jul-2014
We are still dealing with the legacy of circuits using protocols and approaches which presume a common pipe for all packets and purposes.
Comsos - Science and motivation 08-Mar-2014
We should applaud efforts to broaden interest in science. The reason science funding is often driven by the military is not because we like war but because we fail to appreciate the value inquiry.
Thinking Outside the Internet 07-Mar-2014
PDF 📹 (video) In order to understand the importance of connectivity we have to think outside the paradigm of pipes or channels that characterized classic period of networking dating back to Shannon. The Internet itself is about borderless connectivity with the value and meaning outside the channels.
This has strong implications for how we provide (and fund) the opportunity we associate with "The Internet"
MAC addresses and Tracking 13-Feb-2014
We need to remember that many of the constraints we try to work around are simply engineering and policy decisions. We could revisit them rather than trying to work around the problems. The MAC addresses and the channels we use to communicate are just constructs.
Routing (Packets) vs. Gatewaying (Messages 23-Jan-2014
PDFOur smart phones are wonderful devices with many functions built-in. This is in contrast with the simplicity of the Internet in which we simply route packets of bits rather than having to wait for third parties for each message. I contrast the simple routing of packets with the complexities of gatewaying messages with service providers attempting to “add value” to our relationships.
Evolution and the Internet 06-Jan-2014
Understanding how systems evolve is as much about the Internet as biology. We need to understand that the Internet wasn't designed as much as evolved as we discovered how to communicate without depending on a third party in the middle of the conversation.
A Permanent Slump? 23-Nov-2013
When looking at the changes in today's job climate we need to understand how various factors interact rather than just treating each element in isolation.
Deconstructing “the Smartphone” 01-Oct-2013 (Updated: 22-Oct-2013
PDFAs exciting as mobile may be, the parts are far more than the whole. This excitement is understandable. The devices have evolved to the point where computing is personal and available. “Mobile” is what I call marketecture – putting together disparate concepts into a neat package that defines a market.
Memes that define us 03-Oct-2013
Today's political debates and policies are defined by our use of words that we use in lieu of having to understand what they mean.
Homeopathic Policy 22-Aug-2013
Just because we can "run the numbers" doesn't mean that the results are meaningful. Information theory uses the word information but excludes understanding. Just because 2+2=4 doesn't mean a Tutu has four legs.
The Internet: Missing the Light 26-Jul-2013
PDFWe tend to think of the Internet in terms of high profile applications like the web. The future lies in those applications that aren't yet valuable enough to get so much attention. Yet today's Internet fails us for the simplest things such as connecting a light switch to a light bulb. There is no mechanism for stable relationships and the telecommunications business model works at cross-purposes with "just works" ambient connectivity.
Information versus Telecom 05-May-2011 (Updated: 26-Dec-2012
PDFIf you think that the Internet is important because it's a network you're missing the point.
Today's telecommunications industry exists in defiance of all we've learned about "information" in the last 100 years.
In 1897 the British Copyright office warned us about the danger of creating scarcity by taking our abundance and converting it to private property. In 1949 Claude Shannon gave us a science of "Information" that helped us understand the distinction between bits and what we do with them.
The generativity of today's Internet demonstrates the power of the idea.
We need to build on this understanding and experience to create an infrastructure that supports the exchange of bits. We can then focus on relationships and creating value rather than getting lost in the constricted pipes of today's Telecom.
Re ITU gone wild 21-Nov-2012
We need to remember that the problem with the ITU is not the details of their proposals but in the fact that telecommunications is a very different paradigm from the Internet.
The Risks of Telecom 21-Oct-2012
The recent New Yorker story about an accident on the Chinese railroad mentioned a passenger upload a picture to the web while the train's engineer couldn't communciate because he had to use a traditional communications system.
T-Mobile Closed my Local Store 16-Sep-2012
My local T-Mobile store had knowledge staff -- that's why I know and use T-Mobile. Now they are devolving into simply a second tier carrier. Their ads don't do much to tell me what is different (actually selling phones instead of just leasing).
Thinking outside the pipe 17-Oct-2011 (Updated: 19-Jul-2012
PDFThe idea that bits must flow through wires or virtual pipes makes it hard to think of the Internet as infrastructure like roads. We communicate by exchanging bits. We need to move beyond the pipe or railroad metaphors if we are to take advantage of the abundant opportunities all around us.
Verizon's 300Mbps FiOS vs LTE 03-Jun-2012
What if Verizon add a Wi-Fi/LTE access point at each FiOS drop -- we'd have essentially unlimited capacity without "consuming" spectrum. It's such a powerful solution we have to wonder why they prefer scarcity.
From DIY to the Internet 11-Mar-2012 (Updated: 14-Mar-2012
PDFThe Internet has become a phenomenon because if empowers us. To understand how to get "more Internet" we must recognize that we got the Internet by doing things ourselves (DIY) and if we want more connectivity we need to start locally rather than petitioning the telecommunications providers. The Internet is not a layer on top of telecommunications but an entirely different concept.
ICCE 2012: A Software Perspective 06-Feb-2012
PDFThe founder of Broadcom gave an interesting talk on this history of the hardware used in networks. While the chips are important I'm a software guy as see them in the context of applications and larger market forces.
Jobs, Jobs and Cars ... and Speech 27-Jan-2012
"Creating" jobs requires creating a supportive environment. Part of this is the ability to communicate. The US First Amendment creates an atmosphere the encourages experimentation. We also need the ability to exchange bits and today's idea of making speech a profit center does great harm to our ability to do business.
SOPA, DRM and Strange Bedfellows 09-Jan-2012
PDFPolitics makes for strange bedfellows because seeming agreements often mask radically different understandings beyond the agreement. This is why "friends of the Internet" can support bad ideas like SOPA and DRM.
The benefits of bad architecture 09-Dec-2011
Good architecture decouple system elements in order to facilitate evolving the design. But the telephone system is designed badly and as a result it's difficult to dislodge the incumbents. Bad user experience is one result. Economic stagnation is another.
Whose communicator is it anyway? 05-Dec-2011
When a carrier puts monitoring software in a device they are assuming it is really their device and their software even if you have all "phone" conversations over IP. Another reminder that something is very wrong.
The Internet as Infrastructure 17-Oct-2011
PDFAn in-depth discussion of the Internet as our new infrastructure. The lessons we learn from the Internet can also be applied to other markets and systems. The value of infrastructure such as the Internet comes from the opportunity it provides and what we do with that opportunity. It's a lesson for policymakers that extends beyond the particular technology.
Remembering Divestiture. 22-Aug-2011
When you look back at the history of MCI we should also think about the technologies that enabled MCI and eventually doomed telecommunications as an industry.
ATT’s Plight is our Plight 23-Jun-2011 (Updated: 22-Jul-2011
PDFATT’s planned acquisition of T-Mobile is an occasion to look at the fundamental issues facing the entire telecommunications industry.
Very simply – we are asking providers to add capacity but we’re not willing to pay them a portion of the value created. Skype gets the benefits without paying the carriers. Worse, the more capacity there is the less valuable the carriers’ own services are.
Verizon/Android Tethering and ATT/Cellular-over-IP 02-Jul-2011
Cellular over IP, Tethering and other technologies are vital elements of our right to communicate. Today the carriers are trying to impose restrictions just as they did in days they tried to ban webcams and home servers.
They can't have it both ways -- they can't argue that they are trying to create abundance when doing everything within their power to assure scarcity. Even more so when it comes at the cost of our safety as well as our economy.
ICANN Financial incentives? 22-Jun-2011
ICANN seems focused on creating source of revenue even if that means assuring the web will unravel. We need to assure that ICANN's incentives are consistent with the needs of society.
The DNS may be being mooted 17-Jun-2011
New TLDs are being introduced just as browsers shift the emphasis from the DNS to searching. The new TLDs seem aimed more to extract money from users than to help them.
The Wrong Stuff 13-Jun-2011
PDFWhen trying to think rationally we have to be aware that we don't have all the facts. Some seemingly foolish optimism is necessary to counter the possibilities we cannot anticipate.
Why Isn’t Wi-Fi Better? 15-May-2011
The problem with Wi-Fi is not technical. It's the idea that we need to make billing and authentication level zero. That can't work -- instead we can simply fund a common infrastructure.
The Internet Lost in Translation 05-May-2011 (Updated: 06-May-2011
PDFIf all we need is a way to exchange some bits then we can adopt a simple model using any and all paths available without even a need to assure all bits get through. By funding it as a whole we don’t need to assure billing relationships between every device and every element of the path. It’s not just that you don’t know what to bill for. It’s hard to innovate when even a pacemaker must have a bookkeeper as the critical design element.
While we do need to deal with some of the problems with today’s telecom our major focus should be on the future – creating generative opportunity rather than fighting over scarcity.
The iCology 14-Feb-2011
PDFApple has its own iCology in which you use Apple tools to develop products for Apple platforms for Apple users
Demystifying Networking 29-Nov-2010 (Updated: 09-Feb-2011
PDFExchanging bits is a simple idea but one that is shrouded in misunderstandings that keep us dependent upon service providers. If see past the mystery and understand networking we can fund infrastructure as a public good. It would give us the kind generative opportunity that a service provider can't give. In fact the service providers very existence depends upon keeping their users dependent and limited.
Flexview 09-Nov-2010
Is Verizon taking on Netflix and reducing our dependence on the physical cable?
Zombies Ahead 04-Jul-2010
Hardening the Internet plumbing and have government sponsored identity doesn't address the complex concept of trust. How do we know to ignore signs saying "Zombies Ahead"and pay attention to signs saying "US-1".
Broadband – DRM and Purpose 13-Mar-2010
PDFAt $1000/household/year the ability to communicate seems more like a privilege than a right. It doesn't help that the broadband claims sound more like snake oil than technology.
Frankston’s Imperative 10-Feb-2010 (Updated: 11-Feb-2010
PDFI was challenged to explain my concepts in five minutes. Sheldon Renan came up with the term "Frankston's Imperative". I plan to post a written version of this talk in the near future. Very simply people communicate using a common infrastructure. It was different in the 1800's when private companies built a special infrastructure just to send telegrams. Today people use their own devices to communicate. The devices just exchange bits but the meaning is external to infrastructure. In the 1860's we sold telecom as a service. Today we need a common infrastructure funded as a whole.
Speaking of jobs 15-Jan-2010
We need to come to terms with the changing nature of jobs as we did in the 1800's when sewing machines came on the scene.
Understanding Ambient Connectivity 09-Jan-2010
PDFYou walk around and you find Wi-Fi everywhere connected to abundant fiber and wires. Yet this abundance is locked away by a business model more suitable to 19th century telegraphy than 21st Internet Connectivity.
FiOS – a Reality Check 15-Dec-2009
PDFPeople still find magic in fiber. Judging by my FiOS experience fiber is nice but so is Coax. Let's not be blinded by the light and recognize the problem of putting old line companies continuing to build upon business models that are at odds with the Internet. You can also read a prettier version on CircleID
Identity give-away 04-Nov-2009
The banks blame identity theft on the victims. We mustn't accept this -- the responsibility is with the institutions which should work to earn our trust. Instead they seem complicit in giving way our "identity". I'm particulary annoyed at Bank of America's practices.
Untethering and new connections 01-Nov-2009
Once we start thinking about dependencies on the cloud we should also think about other implicit dependencies and limitations. For example why must I have line of sight to a satellite to find my location.
QR Codes 02-Aug-2009
QR Codes are a way of encoding text that can be read by apps on devices such as iPhones and the Android without requiring third party services.
The Internet Story 23-Jul-2009
PDFThe Internet is a wonderful story but we confuse it with the old story of telecom. In my talk about GlueCon I dig beneath the surface to understand how the two stories differ.
Zero Marginal Cost! 16-Jul-2009
PDFThere is essentially no ongoing cost to running an existing wire as DSL or lighting up a fiber at higher speed. Imagine if we could take advantage of the abundance inherent in our physical infrastructure!
Policy beyond the potholes 01-Jun-2009
One of the more mindless arguments against connectivity as infrastructure is that cities can't fix potholes. This is childish at best. Instead we should be asking why we are denied access to the "dumb pipes" we need.
Phone tax on a wifi 22-May-2009
Another reminder of how difficult it is to recycle old companies -- so we are we trying so hard to prevent the birth of new industries based on connectivity?
The Broadband Internet? 26-Jan-2009 (Updated: 20-May-2009
PDFAchieving Simple Connectivity.
We ask for more "Internet" but it gets lost in translation from "broadband". We're so inured to the difficulty of getting connected that few people even realize the importance of making connectivity simple. We should be able to assume we are connected everywhere without having to make deals with every provider. Today's telecom is all about billing and not about empowering us. We need to make sure that our demand for broadband doesn't get lost in the 19th century idea of telecom. We can achieve connectivity with our existing resources -- we needn't settle for more of the same.
Licensed vs. Unlicensed Wireless Spectrum and Plato's Children 07-May-2009
We need to stop thinking in terms of telecom and think in terms of the resources locked up in the value chain of Regulatorium-defined services. Trillions of dollars in value were created by liberating IBM's hardware by decoupling it from software. The Internet has demonstrated that we can apply this to connectivity. So do we keep slipping back into the outdated and outmoded language of "telecom'?
The Economic Crisis and its Implications for the Science of Economics 06-May-2009
Much of economics appears to be about trying to predict the future even though it is inherently unpredictable. Instead we need to work with that dynamic instead of trying to outsmart it. We need to embrace the nuance and sharp distinctions I call "digital". We'd rather see nice analog lines trends than accepting the digital discontinuities.
The Internet: Everyday Magic 14-Apr-2009
We're so used to working with ideas that we forget that we are accomplish real results simply by manipulating abstractions. Why can't we accept that the Internet is about an idea and not the fiber and other physical objects?
The (Kindle) Value Chain 27-Feb-2009
Authors are worried about losing control if they permit the kindle to read books. A mothers going to have to pay a royalty if they read to their children?
A Fine Way to Run a Railroad but not an Internet 07-Sep-2007 (Updated: 14-Feb-2009
We tend to find ourselves trapped by bad metaphors. The Internet has had such a transformational effect because it has given us the opportunity to create our own solutions by doing our own networking.
But we continue to act as if the Internet were a railroad with finite capacity and we must pay others to do our networking for us -- even if that creates a fundamental conflict of interest. We are forced to become dependent upon broadband. The Internet grew rapidly in the US because we could use the phone network as a transport without paying a premium to stay online. Riding the broadband railroad puts an end to that and leaves us firmly dependent upon companies that exist only in the fictional world of the Regulatorium.
It's as if instead of enacting antitrust laws we handed the economy over to the robber barons 100 years ago.
The Office of Connectivity Advocacy 05-Dec-2008
PDFWe need a connectivity advocate as part of a proactive agenda to assure connectivity and provide our economy with new opportunities. The Internet isn't a telecom service so we're not going to get there by fixing telecom. Instead we need a fresh start that can find value in our existing infrastructure and take the lead in providing new opportunity.
Becoming an Internet Native 21-Nov-2008
Become an Internet native is about more than seeing it as the "e-" version of the familiar. It is a chance to rethink the basic design of systems and see new opportunities.
The Internet and Opportunity 04-Nov-2008
We need to get past the very corrosive idea that the Internet works because the carriers know what's best for us. It's just the opposite -- it works despite their efforts. But as we see in this response to my further comments those who defend the carriers seem to find it necessary to attack the messenger rather than the message -- after all they insist they own the message.
The ITU vs The Internet 13-Sep-2008
Sometimes policy goals and engineering realities are in conflict as is evidenced in talk of the ITU requiring protocols supporting traceability.
Re: Do the Happy Dance people... strike 3 and you're out 01-Sep-2008
Comcast simply doesn't get it. They lie to the FCC about what they are doing and they promulgate arbitrary and seeming perverse policies. At some point we need to call them out. What if Comcast Transport and Comcast Content were separate companies. What if it had to follow the same rules as the rest of us?
Time to understand accounting rather than just bookkeeping V2 30-Aug-2008
It's useful to think of telecom industry in terms of accounting. Real accounting gives us measures used to guide decision making and set policy. Today's telecom is based on measures antithetical to the dynamic that is the Internet and one result is that the more connectivity we have the more the measures our out of kilter.
Re: OPEC 2.0 -- Barrels vs Bandwidth 30-Jul-2008
We need to be careful about our analogies. Bandwidth is a measure and not a resource in itself. If we have bandwidth based pricing we create constrictions that limit our ability to connect and communicate.
We didn't need all that DRM after all?? 29-Jul-2008
It's encouraging to see P2P usage is down while getting content from original sources is increasing. While there may be value in controlling content we don't need the extreme control inherent in controlling the path from the source all the way to the screen.
The Carriers' Perspective 24-Jul-2008
If we are to understand the issues behind the controversy over network neutrality we need to understand the carriers perspective. They are stuck with a business model that depends on sharing in the value generated using their wires. This puts them in conflict with the Internet and the creation of value using the network but outside the network. I a could argue that the carriers should've known better and that we paid for much of the infrastructure but better to encourage moving forward than being vindictive.
Cellular Scare -- byte caps extreme 22-Jul-2008
With all the talk about "byte caps" it's useful to look at what happens when you exceed your cellular minutes or, far worse, you pay for data by the byte. A simple error of being on the wrong plan could result in a $1000 charge for a $50 ... or worse.
Abducted! 20-Jul-2008
The efforts to do good often come at a price. Even more problematic then the real agenda is different as in trying to limit the Internet because it spread ideas and not all are "good".
getting to be interesting -- a scarcity-creating model 15-Jun-2008
When looking at economic models it's important to question the premises as well as the model. A clever model shouldn't lead us to accept false premises. Congestion pricing decreases supply when value comes from scarcity. (Note typo at end -- I meant to say increasing capacity is more efficient than managing scarcity)
The ID Divide 09-Jun-2008
Once again a word, in this case "identity", makes it too easy talk about a complex concept without understanding what we don't understand.
Two Sides but Different Coins 26-May-2008
I applaud the call for civility in the debate over Internet policy issues vs telecom interests but there aren't two sides of a debate -- we have two different dynamics. The Internet is about creating solutions independent of what's in the middle. Telecom is all about what's in the middle. We need to come to terms with this fundamental difference if we are to have a productive discussion.
Achieving Connectivity from the Edge 13-Mar-2008 (Updated: 14-May-2008
Very simply the Internet is about relationships that are independent of the path and intermediaries. This is what makes it easy to create new value and our own solutions. The telecom industry is just the opposite - it's all about making sure intermediaries can charge a fee even if they not only don't create new value but work hard to prevent it.
Network Neutrality: It's not just Common Carriage and Antirust 14-May-2008
I wrote this essay after a complex legal discussion about this history of common-carriage and antitrust and how it applies to telecom policy and antitrust. As I've written, those policies make sense when we are taking about Railroads. If we want to talk about the Internet we need to question precedents based on premises that no longer make sense.
GIOVE-B Transmitting its First Signals 13-May-2008
Getting more sources of location information is good but we need to more than rely on satellites. If we are to get the benefits of knowing the location of device and people we need better protocols and better availability of the data even when satellites are not directly visible.
How carriers mismanage traffic and then blame us 22-Apr-2008
We need to be careful to avoid getting so focused on the problems in trying to repurpose a content delivery system as peer infrastructure that we forget that it's a transient problem. If start by assuming a common infrastructure and then remove the bottlenecks we'll find we have abundant capacity at a very low cost.
South Park says it better 21-Apr-2008
This episode parodies the popular notion that the Internet is something that can crash. Perhaps more telling is the meta-message -- they very idea that I can simply give you a URL to a TV show bypasses the entire broadcast and telecom infrastructure as if it added no value. Alas, you can't watch the show from outside the US as the infrastructure is used to limit the availability and value of the content (or to create artificial value through synthetic scarcity).
Re: how does one define "capacity" 20-Apr-2008
We typically think of capacity in terms of bits per second or a technical measure? But that misses the point - shouldn't we think of capacity in social terms or human terms such as the entertainment value we can deliver or the learning we do?
FCC: Moving Beyond Neutrality. 26-Feb-2008 (Updated: 15-Apr-2008
The FCC is holding hearings on "Network Management" in response to the concerns over network neutrality. I've been pleased to see that the FCC is taking steps to limit the carriers' practices but ultimately the problem of neutrality cannot be solved in isolation.
The basic problem is that service-based regulator system forces the carriers to take advantage of their control to finance their infrastructure. This is true whether we have a traditional phone company or a municipal system (a "muni-bell").
The FCC can play a positive role in removing the impediments to local ownership and work with the carriers to revisit divestiture but this time effect real restructuring so we can have a shared infrastructure.
Re: Comcast increasing compression of some HD sources 02-Apr-2008
Our fixation on speed as the primary measure of "broadband" value we've lost sight of the importance of connectivity itself. In turn we look to something we can do with speed -- video. In particular HDTV. Yet even for video innovation is far more important than arbitrary standards. It's as if we confused typing speed with the ability to write and think. Speed is easy – we should be demanding ubiquitous (wireless) connectivity rather than more 1950's style TV.
FW: [IP] Comcast HD Quality Reduction: Details, Screenshots - AVS Forum 02-Apr-2008
Dividing a common medium into separate paths decreases effective capacity as we see with Comcast resorting to compression to fit more channels into their broadband pipes. It's difficult to add compression as an after-the-fact solution. We can indeed compress video signals if we due sufficient computation but it requires stepping back from the isochronous streaming constraint of traditional television.
Re: Hope for Wireless Cities. (revised for clarity) 31-Mar-2008
Another perspective on how the Internet isn't an improved version of traditional telecom. Internetworking is a pragmatic approach do creating our own solutions. We need to be careful to avoid confusing the bits with their meaning – the problem is not in the network but in ourselves. Given this confusion it's useful to look at the premise that HD is just about lots of bits at high speed. This focus on technical measures misses the point of television as entertainment for humans. It's as if we confused the ability to type with the ability to tell a compelling story.
Re: Hopes for Wireless Cities Fade as Internet Providers Pull Out 28-Mar-2008
This is part of an ongoing attempt to explain how the Internet is very different from the traditional telecom view of the world. Many efforts to provide local connectivity, including municipal Wi-Fi are simply local version of traditional carriers (I use the term muni-bell). I wrote about this in WiFi Edge. This goes into more detail in responding to counter-arguments.
Re: Economics is Dismal 22-Mar-2008
When you listen to economists you must examine the presumptions. We shouldn't accept a dismal conclusion based on the presumption of scarcity when know that measures like bandwidth are arbitrary and don't represent the potential capacity available.
Re: Competition 01-Mar-2008
Maybe we need a new term "natural commons" for cases where it's hard to have competing exclusive ownership but we want to encourage everyone to contribute.
BS and FCC v Us and Comcast v ATT 16-Feb-2008
The carriers' network management policies seem to belie their claims of a crisis. There is not consensus that there is a long term problem. Instead their short term strategies highlight the fundamental problem -- they are managing their network rather than fulfilling their mission of serving our communities. The problem isn't a question of network management - it's about whose network they are managing.
NN is about users, not providers! 15-Feb-2008
Focusing too much on the plight of small ISPs or even large ones misses the point of the Network Neutrality debate. It's not about how they manage the networks -- it's about our ability to communicate without having to serve the business needs of providers we are forced to use.
Re: "Deep Packet Inspection" Trade Group 12-Feb-2008
The idea that you must peek at every packet to determine how to handle it misses the point of the Internet. Unfortunately such assumptions go unquestioned by many of those who see telecommunications from a network-centric perspective.
That Olde Tyme Broadband -- again. 01-Feb-2008
Another demand for more broadband. Inarticulate rage has risks. Broadband is just a package the Internet comes in. And it comes despite the package not because of it! It's a testament to the power of the ideas behind the Internet that we can get value even though the very idea of telecommunications is dysfunctional -- the more we get the less viable the carrier business is.
Imagine no FCC 30-Jan-2008
Imagine a world without the FCC and without a telecommunications industry. How would we communicate? The FCC is supposed to assure we can communicate but instead has become agency that has assured scarcity rather than abundance.
Re: Regulating the Invisible Hand: A Contradiction? 17-Jan-2008
We must be careful when talking about (de)regulation to recognize when we are trying to manage the results vs. managing a dynamic that we can't fully control. What we can do is try to prevent obvious dysfunctional behavior (as we see with telecom) and find a balance between cooperation and collusion that frustrates marketplace dynamics.
Re: [ NNSquad ] Richard Bennett on Comcast and Fairness (from IP) 14-Jan-2008
A good engineer works within the constraints given -- a great engineer questions the constraints and gets fired because the constraints serve a policy need higher than mere science or reality.
One can argue about Comcast's approach but far more important to question the constraints and focus on making the inherent abundance available to all.
Re: Your Thermostats or Your Life! 13-Jan-2008
The real lesson of the Internet in understanding how to create distributed solutions. Too bad we still try to impose arbitrary "intelligent" solutions rather than working with dynamic marketplaces that can evolve.
Net Neutrality vs Moral Court 12-Jan-2008
The very idea of that a network provider gets to decide what the nature of our communications is problematic (and offensive). It's not simply a matter of treating everyone equally because still leaves the measure in the hands of carriers whose arbitrary assumptions cannot be challenged. We needn't settle for "equally bad".
Re: On the Cusp of the Future 26-Dec-2007
We tend to envy farsighted governments that set an agenda for the future but somehow these agendas go off the rails whether it's in Japan in the 1990's or the US in 1934 with it's telecom act.
Re: Details of Unlisted Number Address "Exploit" Revealed 21-Dec-2007
Another example of building upon implicit assumptions. In the early days of telephony forcing people to list their numbers seemed to make sense to capitalize on the network effect. Today we've forgotten why land line (but not cellular!) numbers are listed. Worse, we still limit the network effect to wires and fail to see that it's a social phenomenon and not a technical issue!
F for Fake 10-Dec-2007
David Strom mused about fake blogs -- but how do we know something is not "fake" -- a surprisingly ambiguous concept.
Video Tipping Point Near? 28-Oct-2007
PDFAs long as people see the Internet as just another "channel" on their broadband pipe it will be hard to explain why we should invest in a common infrastructure. But we are nearing the point at which we'll see TV itself transform into content we view on the Internet. This change in how we think about viewing will make it easier to justify direct investment in infrastructure instead of being suckered into paying forever"cable".
The Internet vs The Internet Dynamic 26-Sep-2007
The thing we call the "Internet" is an artifact. The value of the Internet is in the dynamic that is akin to Moore's law for hardware. When we confuse the artifact with the Internet and ask more of the thing and confuse it with broadband we are in effect asking more of the past. The tragedy is that in asking for more "Internet" we lose it's soul.
If There be Pirates There be Heroes 07-Sep-2007
Those who have a stake in scarcity vilify Bit Torrent users as Pirates. Those who advance the technology and use what is available or those who take control over our infrastructure for their own benefit while leaving us impoverished and with only a limited ability to communicate.
Lampposts vs the Internet 25-Aug-2007
The Internet is about taking advantage of opportunity. Instead of having to find a special place for sensors, such as lampposts, we can take advanate of all the opportunity offered by the distributed nature of the Internet.
Re: iphone and 2 year servitude 07-Jul-2007
Another reminder that we don't have a real marketplace. The wireless service providers are essentially identical. No matter which we choose we still don't get access to the basic transport and it's even worse when we can't even mix and match technologies and are forced to make choices of entire packages.
First Square Mile is not the Last or First Mile: Discovery not Just Choices! 16-Jun-2007
The fights over network neutrality and the demand for more broadband have little to do with the Internet itself. They are only attempts to reform telecom. It would be far better to focus on a positive agenda of connecting our neighborhoods and then inter-connect them. After all, that's what the Internet is really about -- our interconnectedness. Telecom is just a minor application alongside the web and what may lie in the future.
What does Telecom have to do with the Internet anyway? 16-Jun-2007
Network neutrality is not an issue in itself. It's a symptom of the larger problem being forced to buy services when we can do far better by creating our own solutions. As long as we keep talking about the Internet as something "out there" we won't be able to take advantage of the bountiful capacity right in our own neighborhoods.
FSM – The First Square Mile, Our Neighborhood 15-Jun-2007
Telecom is about services delivered over the last mile. Our connected neighborhood gives us the opportunity to discover the unanticipated. Instead of waiting at the end of the last mile we should look within our first square mile and see the possibilities, not just the choices offered.
Re: One of four U.S. jobs headed overseas 1 and comment on 14-Jun-2007
It's troubling to find the chairman of the Federal Reserve treating technology as a little more than trade. He complains that the best jobs are going overseas and then seems to want to make sure that Americans are qualified to do little more than act as the sideshow for the rest of the world.
NSF announces GENI Project Office and no threat from P2P 22-May-2007
Project GENI is a throwback to the old days of projecting all our hopes and fears on the network. It's in sharp contrast to the importance of the Internet in recognizing that responsibility and solutions are determined by how we use the transports. Once again, Intelligent Design finds its counterpart in the Intelligent Network.
GENI discussion 22-May-2007
While project GENI is not the "next Internet" it's worth looking at it because of what is not being done. The approach is inherently biased towards trying to solve social problems inside the network. That's more like the old phone company than the Internet. What seems to be missing from Internet research is the real spirit of the Internet which is to reduce our dependency on the network itself. No surprise that large institutions empower institutions not individuals.
Re: It's Silicon Valley vs. Telcos in Battle for Wireless Spectrum 16-May-2007
We keep reading about battles for the spectrum -- a fictional construct dating back to our primitive technologies of the early 1900's. Yet we seem to be mesmerized by the spectacle and unable to free ourselves to take advantage of what we have learned in the last century. The world's economy is deprived of trillions of dollars in value and we are barred from creating our own solutions
The Internet is Not Telecom 14-May-2007
We tend to treat the Internet as another communications network. It isn't -- it's the idea that we can create solutions independent of the telecom services
The Nation's Borders, Now Guarded by the Net 14-May-2007
It seems as if we are increasingly succumbing to fundamentalist idea such as the notion that morality is absolute and intrinsic. If you used LSD in the 1960's it means your are tainted and this country would rather do without your contributions than accept the idea of evolution. This is the kind of intolerance we profess to be fighting against but instead we seem to fighting over which intolerance will be used to prevent the future from being better than the past.
Re: Researchers explore scrapping Internet - Yahoo! News 14-Apr-2007
The Internet continues to be a work in progress. Today's Internet is a prototype that made pragmatic compromises in order to allow us to discover what is possible given the constraint of the end-to-end principle. Today too many people believe we now know what the Internet is good for and want to make it better for those applications. This misses the whole point -- the goal was to enable us to continue to discover new possibility, not to find the one answer. If anything we need to remove the scaffolding that has tied to a single infrastructure and encourage more innovation from the edge independent of the governance of ICANN and the dependency on the IP address and the DNS.
Whose Network is it Anyway? 14-Apr-2007
Verizon says it listens to its customers and responds. What more can one ask?
A lot more -- we can demand the ability to create our own solutions instead of petitioning a service provider.
It's another lesson in the difference between the world of telecom and its services and the world of the Internet with us, the users, in control.
I don't want favors, I want freedom to do it myself!
Forget about it and Oyffice 2k7 11-Apr-2007
The blog post feature in Office 2007 but it also illustrates the problem as I come to terms with office 2007. All these features are nice but some fundamental problems still remain and patches to an aging product come at a price.
[IP] Beyond evil twin hotspots -- the pervasive retaking of control 17-Mar-2007
The issue with hot spots is just one aspect of the larger battle between the world of telecommunications and the essentially unrelated world of the Internet. Link-level security protects are particular path and makes us more reliant on service providers.
End-to-End security is important but ultimately it's about taking responsibility for our networking but ultimately it's about who owns the infrastructure. Ownership is a defining assumption for tele/com being treated as a single industry. Users owning their own infrastructure challenges the basic concept of telecom.
Let Them Eat Bandwidth? 14-Mar-2007
The Boston Globe reported that Comcast cut off a user for too much downloading. I applaud Globe calling attention to these kind of abuses by Comcast and other providers and I encourage them to pursue this topic and ask why we have to ask permission to communicate.
[IP] More DST fall-out 11-Mar-2007
More on DST as a reminder of the importance of proper representation. Even something seemingly as simple as a date is fully of subtle surprises.
[IP] DST and related foibles 09-Mar-2007
DST is round #2 of Y2K. It's useful to stress the system from time to time so we assure our systems are resilient rather than brittle. Change is the norm so we need to stress systems to help them stay resilient.
FTC Broadband Workshop Comments 25-Feb-2007
PDFThe title of the FTC workshop on “Broadband Con-nectivity Competition” assumes that the status quo makes sense and we only need to fine tune it.
What struck me most about the workshop is the lack of a crisp insight. There was a lot of talk about how complex the issues are and lots of fascination with the details of the current Internet. But there was a stunning failure to see though the complexity.
We can argue all we want about neutrality or we can recognize that bits are inherently neutral and reframe policy in terms of basic connectivity. Basic connectivity means we can create our own solutions rather than being required to buy services from a provider. We would not need to petition the FCC nor the FTC for neutrality.
Attempting to bring a service-based model in line with the principles of neutrality is futile and counter-productive.
[IP] Re: Windows Vista Flunks At MIT 12-Feb-2007
Transitioning to Vista can be a challenge when user code is too smart or the operating system is too specific. Static friction slows development and makes it difficult to take advantage of new capabilities.
The Internet in Perspective 11-Feb-2007
With all the discussion about VoIP and the two-tiered Internet and Broadband policy you'd think something is being said. But the words have no common meaning. The biggest problem, perhaps, is that the Internet itself is little more than a demonstration of what is possible when one is forced to come up with solutions that are not beholden to third parties who cannot help but use their control to limit our opportunities to create different of solutions.
Be Careful Lest You Get What You Ask For 20-Jan-2007
If we want more Internet connectivity we must not ask for broadband. They are not the same thing. We've managed to salvage broadband as transport but the price we pay is that we are disconnected unless we are near our TVs and PCs.
[IP] more on Visual VM 14-Jan-2007
The idea of a visual UI for voice mail is obvious. The problem is that it took a billion dollar company to get a cellular carrier to let them do it. We should demand real interfaces and not just a choice of arbitrary facades that hide the underlying opportunities.
[IP] RE: The AT&T/BellSouth Deal and Hollow Net Neutrality 30-Dec-2006
The fATT/BellSouth merger is papered over with empty Network Neutrality promises. But the real problem is the underlying assumption that the transport is to be funded by services. We need to fix the basic funding model rather than pretend we can keep a broken model as long as we naïve enough to believe in vague promises to be neutral. (until bugs is fixed see this for a more readable version.
[IP] Moving beyond IPV6 15-Dec-2006
The has serious scaling problems and while IPV6 might help we have to go back to the edge and communicate despite the center rather than put all our effort in fixing the middle.
(Wireless) Connectivity from the Edge 14-Dec-2006
While I applaud the idea of municipal Wi-Fi in spirit, in practice it is problematic and we have a far better alternative in connectivity from the edge by taking advantage of existing paths and building from there. The danger is that these well-meaning efforts will give us more of the past rather than the opportunities inherent in a dynamic and ever-changing Internet.
Our Internet! 14-Dec-2006
The Internet is not something we connect to. It's not even a network like the phone network. It simply the name for the community that can connect using common protocols. Instead of thinking about networks and broadband we must look for transports that create the opportunity to connect. We should pay for copper and glass and radios and not have funding by buying service we can do ourselves. It's not about the money -- it's about the lack of opportunity.
The FTC Must Look Beyond Broadband 14-Dec-2006
The FTC is going to hold a workshop on broadband competition. Broadband competition is a charade. We need the real competition that will come from having a transport that is not beholdent to those whose business is selling billable services.
[IP] Kindergarten Cam Redux 14-Dec-2006
The price has once more discovered and example of using the Internet to view remote cameras. What is old is new again if you don't recognize the common theme and view each instance in isolation.
The HP-HW6945: Mobile Computing w/Telephony 02-Dec-2006
I don't think of the HP-HW6945 as a telephony. The addition of a built-in GPS and the ability to run multiple applications has made telephony one of the applications. It's a taste of mobile computing and a chance to learn the value of ubiquitous connectivity.
Mulling about Writing about Mulling. 02-Dec-2006
It's easy for me to write quick email posts but far more difficult to write without the safety of the small group and the lists context. And then there are those typos. Maybe if I confess I can feel freer to write more freely but probably not.
A Real Marketplace 01-Nov-2006
Alfred Kahn, the architect of airline regulation argues against heavy handed network neutrality legislation. While I agree that additional regulation is unwise the solution is not status quo but a real marketplace which is self-regulated. Transport and content are distinct industries yet the FCC and its Regulatorium seem desperate to maintain the fiction that they one and the same. What we need is a dose of reality.
The Internet as Design Principle 09-Oct-2006
We tend to think of the Internet in terms of what we can do with it. But the design principles that have allowed the Internet to become what it is are far more important than each application. The Internet is a lesson in how to build resilient sytems.
[IP]. stalling Wi-Fi plans -- obviously Wi-Fi is not considered useful in itself. 22-Sep-2006
Muni Wi-Fi is a nice idea -- we should be able to assume ubiquitous connectivity. Unfortunately such efforts aren't as if they are worthwhile products. Instead they are often given grudging acceptance as long as they can pay their own way. It's akin to funding roads only out of the revenue of the restaurants along the way and seeing no additional value in having at transportation system.
[IP] Spectrum Allocation and the Burden of Proof 08-Sep-2006
It's nearly 80 years since the US Supreme Court accepted limitations on First Amendment and gave Federal Radio Commission control over our speech. After 80 years of advances in technology the onus is on those advocating spectrum allocation to justify the extraordinary exception to the First Amendment.
[IP] more on search experience on "border" 03-Aug-2006
Our use of secret ballots is a recognition of the need for having some escape from others' judgment and scrutiny. If we expect to be watched all the time we will learn to avoid taking the risks necessary to discover new ideas.
FCC vs Us 21-Jul-2006
As much as one can fault the phone companies and cable companies for their behavior, the are acting within the rules of the Regulatorium. It is a folie à deux -- a shared madness in which the participants create their own reality.
The carriers are behaving rationally in responding to the demands of the Regulatorium rather than their customers. In fact, the customers are a threat as they seek to wrest control from the gatekeepers.
It's Our Infrastructure 21-Jul-2006
Continuing on the theme of understanding our infrastructure vs the carriers' assumption all those fibers exist only for their benefit. They want consumers not users who can be participants and thus competitors.
[IP] more on "Strong" AI to be here within 25 years 15-Jul-2006
It's important to understand how systems evolve. In some situations we get the kind of hyper-growth characterized by Moore's law. It's not magic -- it's co-evolution as long as you don't care about the particular results. I doesn't occur if you have a particular goal as there is nothing to be intelligently designed. And that includes so-called intelligence.
The issue is important because understanding how complex systems function is essentially for those making policy decisions -- unfortunately there is a tendency to take an authoritarian approach as if those who want to do us good are proxies for the grand intelligent designer.
It's about Infrastructure! 22-Jun-2006
It's often far easer to explain a point in response to a question than try to write a general position paper. This is a good start before you read the related essays. It's about our infrastructure not the Regulatorium's notion of services.
Opportunity, not Services 18-Jun-2006
Today's debate about our infrastructure is framed in terms of network neutrality. We must articulate the concept of an open transport but the real debate will be about owning our own infrastructure. It is more than just means for carriers' to deliver services. You may want to read Infrastructure! first to better understand the context.
Carriers: Their Services vs Our Infrastructure 16-Jun-2006
Read Opportunity for an overview. The whole concept of "telecommunications" seems to be fundamental and necessary. But if you step back you see how all the pieces fit together but they are in a world of their own. We are able to create our own solutions.
The question is not whether carriers will permit us to communicate, it's only a question of how long will we allow our economy and safety to be held out bay in order to support an obsolete and business model that preserves scarcity rather than allowing us to get the benefits of abundant connectivity.
[IP] Who they're spying on 07-Jun-2006
It's easy to try to justify bad policies by pointing to examples of good results. The current administration's contempt for our rights and any restraints on its activities gives us added reasons to object to its spying on its own citizen. It's public statement shows a dangerously warped and naïve view of the reality. The contempt it has shown for legal constraints on its activities shows contempt for our freedoms.
Beyond Buggy Whips 26-Apr-2006
Frank Coluccio reposted comments I made on a mailing list. People are starting to think beyond the current carriers. This is a trend that is gaining momentum.
[IP] Out At Sea 17-Apr-2006
Before we had offshoring we had Britain and its East India Company. Are today's carriers the modern version of the global monopolies?
Telecom is Just a Phrase We're Going Through 31-Mar-2006
Telecom is just a phrase. Tele (over distance) is distinct from Communications (Talking). The entire telecom industry is premised on the notion that they are a single concept and thus normal marketplace forces don’t apply.
But transport is simple infrastructure.
Today's regulatorium is premised on a compromise made in 1927 to support spectrum allocation and its inefficiencies. In 2006 we must correct the misunderstanding and allow for abundance and opportunity.
Skype as the Future of Connectivity 23-Mar-2006
It is Skype, not Internet 2, that represents the future of connectivity. Skype provides stable connectivity despite the Internet. The report on an investigation of Skype's code makes this even more clear.
[IP] TECHNOLOGY ALERT: AT&T Plans to Buy BellSouth v2] 05-Mar-2006
Another tragic consequence of a failed experiment in state socialism from the 1930's. The real question is why this chimera is tolerated when its own research demonstrates that communications and transport have no intrinsic relationship. If Whitacre says his business isn't viable then he seems to be doubling up the bet in the same way that Ebbers did.
[IP] Flash TV -- the broadcasters'' nightmare 24-Feb-2006
The new show Kappa Mikey is done using Flash. Sending flash through the standard broadcast channels destroys the integrity of the original flash. It's a harbinger of content which is done far better outside the broadcast channel. Their role is shipping from facilitator to a bottleneck
So Why Say Infrastructure? 19-Feb-2006
Dana Blankenhorn posted some of my comments about what it means for our infrastructure to be held hostage. It's the kind of short post that I should do more often -- I tend to try too hard to explain rather than posting short comments.
9-1-1 – Better Safe Than Live? 04-Feb-2006
What's the good of 9-1-1 if it fails in an emergency because you have to first tell it that you haven't changed your location. Too bad 9-1-1 is more about politics than safety.
Achieving Connectivity 01-Feb-2006
Abundant connectivity is here but the cellular carriers want to Assure Scarcity because it threatens their business. They agree that the Internet is going to give us plentiful and cheap bits. We shouldn't be negotiating to get the carriers to behave better, they can't and even if they did, the Internet is more than faster phone lines. We should focus instead on Getting Connected by shifting the basis for policy from predefined and limited services to the opportunity afforded by connectivity.
QoS as per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India 01-Feb-2006
A "Next Generation Report" for the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has a nice statement saying that QoS is a nonissue. QoS is a big issue because it's gives the transport owner to define service policies. If QoS is moot, then they lose the ability to choose the winners and charge a premium for "quality" bits.
Assuring Scarcity 31-Jan-2006
I've been trying hard to explain that the Internet gives us abundant capacity to connect and create new value but it is being thwarted by the telecom industry.
The cellular companies are so confident that they are willing to make my case for me. They are warning each other about the danger of abundance and lay out their strategy for assuring scarcity.
They are bragging about maintaining monopoly control. They pride themselves in stalling the global economy. Why do we stand for this?
Getting Connected 30-Jan-2006
The telephone and cable TV networks are fundamentally different from the Internet. Asking the carriers is a losing proposition -- they can honor the rules while violating the spirit. More important they are trying to provide wide area phone service and they are inherently unable to provide abundant local connected. We need a policy based on connected rather than treating the Internet as something the carriers will deign to allow.
[IP] Government study: VoIP, video can be taxed 27-Jan-2006
The topic of "Internet" taxation keeps coming up but that's a meaningless concept. Commerce is commerce independent of the Net. VoIP is a technology. You can tax people providing phone services but not SIP. It's hard to have a rational discussion among people who are using meaningless terms. Worse are laws that embody misguided assumptions.
[IP] more on STUPID STUPID High-Def Forced To Down-Convert 25-Jan-2006
It's difficult to discuss the DRM issues because we have a conceptual device between those who view bits as bits and those who view each instance and form of their product as an new product. Current DVDs and HD DVDs are seen as different products -- not just an increase in capacity.
And Now with Billability 22-Jan-2006
The new big thing for the telephone companies is IMS. It is supposed to be a way to delivery all sorts of new service but in reality it's real purpose is to assure that they can bill for services and prevent their users from competing with them. It's an attempt to prevent the Internet from growing. It's doomed and their investors are going to learn that you can't find an idea. But for the carriers it's their last desperate attempt to have a reason to exist and we are paying the price for their intransigence.
Kodak vs the Internet — Who Owns You? 03-Oct-2005 (Updated: 19-Jan-2006
Update: Kodak is now offering a premium service which supports downloading.
The idea of a Wi-Fi camera that automatically send your data to a web set where you view the pictures sounds wonderful. But there's something very wrong -- you don't really own those pictures. You have to pay and they will deign to mail you a CD if you want and can wait. And the price increases with use!
Something is very wrong -- once more we have an old business that is used to exerting control and getting revenue for each transaction. Just like the carriers, just like Tellywood.
As their business models become more threatened they react by trying to tighten control and petitioning Congress to make innovation illegal. You no longer own what you buy -- you cannot invest in the future. It seems as if the dynamics of the marketplace are too threatening to be tolerated any more.
[IP] more on Spielberg loses out at the push of a button 11-Jan-2006
Another example of why DRM-based systems are so fragile. Unfortunately people seem to generalize from examples in isolation and thus fail to see the systemic consequences of their policies. This is not just about DRM -- it affects medical care and our safety. The wisdom embodied in the US Constitution is not to be found in today's "leadership".
[IP] more on response from Google to yet another twist 10-Jan-2006
Google is cooperating with researchers measuring network performance. It would be wonderful if we could scale this effort with a SETI-like approach that allows us all to contribute a small amount of our networking and computing capacity to give us a better understanding of the dynamics of the Internet.
[IP] more on WI-FI RUN BY CITIES: YEA OR NAY? 09-Jan-2006
The so-called "Progress and Freedom Foundation" seems to be driven by ideology unfettered by understanding. It's trying to preserve a fictional telecom industry against the threat of a fictional municipal telecom industry. Unfortunately many accept this argument because they do not understand the concept of connectivity and the opportunity it providers.
[IP] worth reading more on : Telco's Arrogant Stand on Content 07-Jan-2006
The story of IPTV is very confused. If you start asking questions you find that the story falls apart. The carriers claim that they deserve special advantages in delivering video content but what they are really asking for is special treatment for assuring scarcity. When offered abundance they get afraid. Additional comments in a followup posting.
[IP] Leap second considered harmful 03-Jan-2006
I'm glad to see I'm not alone in questioning the idea of a leap second. This 21 page reports goes into detail but concludes that the leap second is not necessary while creating problems of its own. Now, we can chuck the whole thing and move one?
[IP] more on Huge virus threat rocks Microsoft 03-Jan-2006
Another reminder that the world has its toxic elements. Technology is not perfect and even solutions come with risks.This is as much a social problem as a technical one. We must go after those who exploit these vulnerabilities. Too bad the fixation on terrorism blinds us to real and immediate threats.
Speed is nice, connectivity is vital 27-Dec-2005
There is a temporary glut of high speed connections but we shouldn't confuse the current applications with what we can do with abundant connectivity. 30cps (300bps) was wonderful and 1200bps was faster than we could read. And we soon found that we needed more.
We are still confusing fast broadband with the Internet and simply replacing the television isn't that exciting but we'll get past that.
Universal connectivity is far more important than speed just as universal service was an important idea (even with a bad implementation) in the early days of telephony. We need to shift our emphasis to connectivity.
The billions spent on redundant infrastructure is more than sufficient to provide 24x7 connectivity to everyone with or without a wire.
The problem is that the carriers' business model presumes scarcity. Abundant connectivity means that they are no longer in a privileged position in creating services and thus can't repay the costs of that infrastructure. Ironically the only way they can compete in providing "broadband" is to emphasize speed.
Why not just save as XML? 16-Dec-2005
When I save settings from a device or a program it's typically in some inscrutable binary format. That's just dumb. Save in XML unless there is a strong reason not to. Just do it!
[IP] GOOD QUOTES IPTV quote 16-Dec-2005
Microsoft is proud that IPTV boxes are closed boxes that allow the carriers to control your browsing as well as choosing what you can watch and when you can watch it. Good this monstrosity is going to fail of its own weight. (See follow-up comments
[IP] credit card rip-off (fwd) 10-Dec-2005
Scam or not a scam? Where is the boundary between "clever" marketing and outright fraud? Beware clicking the "rewards" button after making a purchase -- you might find yourself getting build monthly.
VoIP–A Life Saver! 07-Dec-2005
Once again in a disaster resilient connectivity has showed it's value. It allows anyone to contribute to the solution. Tradiitional networks create brittle dependencies because the business model requires that everything be captures and billed.
Can we really afford to put ourselves in peril to conform to an obsolete business model that exists only because of a regulatorium that disserves us?
[IP] more on re: 2029, A Worldwide Mesh? 04-Dec-2005
Another example of attempting to do us favors by creating a smarter network rather than giving us enabling technology. It's no surprise that people solving low level technical problems will want to present in terms of visible benefits but we must not confuse that with giving us the ability to create new solutions.
The problem with these approaches is that they divert us from solving the real problems of a connected infrastructure. The current Internet doesn't support local solutions because of dependencies on mechanisms such as the DNS. Today's telecom companies are a major impediment to any improvement because they threaten those who try to solve their own problems. This is not just business as usual but malevolence and clear and present danger.
[IP] The RBOC's next move (blocking) 03-Dec-2005
With all the concern about carriers blocking access to Internet services there has been remarkable little blocking. The real threat is far simpler -- the withholding of capacity and the lack of ubiquitous connectivity.
[IP] more on Chinese hackers 25-Nov-2005
Once again we see an attack on a supposedly vital system. We can't simply put up new walls -- we need to understand how to be effective participants in a complex ecosystems rather than hermits limited by fear.
[IP] Cisco Agrees to Buy Scientific-Atlanta for $6.9 Bln 18-Nov-2005
Cisco's purchase of Scientific-Atlanta may open the way for video content to be distributed over the IP infrastructure. The walled garden may be still be implemented using encryption but the ability to share a common infrastructure would be a major step forward. I await to see what happens.
[IP] Verizon's EVDO terms of use 10-Nov-2005
Whose network is it anyway? Verizon's EVDO policies seem to be out odds with the service they really sell. These kind of restrictive policies are endemic to the ISP model. Since they are at odds with reality enforcement is only sporadic and even perverse. The danger lies in the danger that the carriers might actually be so foolish as to impose these policies as they see their business threatened.
Reality vs the Regulatorium 03-Nov-2005
The discussion about SBC's whining about how the deserve to be paid just because they spent money is a reminder about how far the Regulatorium has drifted from the realities of today's marketplace.
The issues are coming to a head. The Regulatorium is becoming more obviously dysfunction and as ideas like municipal Wi-Fi become accepted the carriers are going to find their "story" is no longer accepted.
The new story of the utility model for connectivity is starting become too obvious to ignore.
[IP] more on Trying to Plug the Analog Hole -- An Exercise in Futility 02-Nov-2005
The increasing effort to create technical solutions are born of the attitude that one must prevent bad things from happening even if that means disallowing innovation and creativity.
It is a zero-sum philosophy that encourage evasion in order to get anything done. The alternative is to find a balance and encourage users to see their self-interest lies in cooperation. Instead evading restrictions becomes illegal and necessary -- a sign of a dysfunctional kleptrocracy.
[IP] PC Makers Facing a Flop In Home Entertainment {corrected} 02-Nov-2005
No surprise that computer companies are failing to become consumer electronics companies. Instead of playing to the strengths of personal computing they are hobbling themselves by imitating old line consumer electronics while coupling it with the complexity of personal computing. At a dab of DRM and you have a perfect formula for failure.
[IP] Comments on PPOE 01-Nov-2005
PPPoE (point to point protocol over Ethernet) is a strange creation. It's a strange protocol that exists only to confirm to a particular billing regimen. It requires that the packets travel an expensive phone network rather than getting the benefits of connectivity for the first leg.
[IP] more on SBC to raise DSL pricing 25-43% (unless you bundle) 31-Oct-2005
SBC's CEO was interviewed in Business Week. Carriers seem to whine a lot about the state of affairs. It's a tactic used to gain the sympathy of Congress as they try to retain their privileged position.
Normal business blame themselves when they fail to stay profitable. The carriers tend to blame their customers and see them as competition.
[IP] more on IPTV deployment in major cities 29-Oct-2005
IPTV is another attempt by the Telcos to take advantage of their right of way to choose what we can watch and have us pay for it. They have counterparts in municipalities that want to share the booty.
The 15mbps providing for IP connectivity is less than 1% of capacity but is enough for video. How long before Tellywood goes direct and stops letting the carriers keep most of the fees and all of the control?
[IP] Paranoia and George Orwell 12-Oct-2005
I'm amazed how little people seem to care about their inability to own knowledge and information. The so-called Progress and Freedom Foundation seems to see freedom as something for corporations so they can give us what we want as long as we ask nicely and they see money in it. It's freedom from choice. We see Kodak taking control over your pictures only reluctantly sells them back to you.
See a followup response and more
[IP] The Blackberry patent debacle is in the news again 09-Oct-2005
The patent wars over the "Blackberry" are in the news again. I followed up and looked at the patents. They demonstrate the tragedy of a system that disdains science. Doing the same old thing but over RF seems to make it patentable? Of course that ignores that 802.11 puts everything over RF and RF has been used for Ethernets for more than 30 years!
Those Orifices! 03-Oct-2005
Steve Jobs described the carriers as orifices. It may not be a dignified description but we need some way to make people understand that the carriers are all about ARPU (Average Return Per User) and not about benevolence. They want to force you to pay and pay for what you already own. After all, you don’t really own it -- you are just using at their sufferance. It's their network and you should appreciate that they are nice enough to let you pay a lot of money to use it. They could simply say no instead of just pay more.
Beyond the DNS and The Internet 01-Oct-2005
This is a summary of my current thinking about the need to move beyond the limitations of the current Internet which is really a first implementation of end-to-end network. The network itself is only a first step - the edge devices are dependent upon a central authority for their presence on the network. The name (the IP address) is defined by where they are on the network -- if you move to a different place you must change your name.
The result is a network that is not sufficiently dynamic and subject to the whims of those who administer the network. The P2P community (Skype is an example) works around these restrictions. Such approaches will become the norm as we make it easy to develop ad-hoc communities that do not depend on "The Internet" but can use any paths available.
This is a work in progress but I want to share my thinking so far.
[IP] more on Neustar to create their own DNS root and own universe to rule 30-Sep-2005
Apparently the cellular phone companies want to create their own special Internet. This seems very strange since there is no problem getting to the net and the name servers now. If the cellular carries want to create their own private Internet they may find themselves alone users migrate away and take their telephony with them.
It turns that this particular implementation is likely to be used just internally within the cellular system for its own use. But it's part of their larger problem of trying to use Internet technologies without embracing the end-to-end principles which make the net what it is. The protocols are constantly evolving -- capturing an instance leaves in trapped in the past.
[IP] more on more on frequent fliers 30-Sep-2005
It's no surprise that a discussion about "privileges" that frequent fliers get brings out anger towards "the rich". It's really a form of profiling that's endemic in social policies. We see this same anger directed towards technologists and intellectuals. It's important to ask where the anger comes from. Picking on frequent flyers seems particular strange since for many of them it isn't a privilege but just a way of making their commutes tolerable. It's a zero sum mentality that seeks to limit others' gains rather than trying to create more for all.
[IP] Verizon to Police Web Customers To Protect Disney From Piracy 24-Sep-2005
As the Telcos try to become providers of video content they find themselves in an industry in which every gain comes at a high price. Verizon which once tried to defend its customers against the RIAA now seems quite eager to sell them out in return acceptance by Mickey Mouse and the rest of Disney. In a market based on control, users are just another commodity.
[IP] more on Microsoft and software engineering 23-Sep-2005
The PC industry has been around for 25 years -- far longer than the mainframes or minicomputers but it has stagnated. We are still using mainframe operating systems and designs rather than creating systems for the dynamics of personal and connected computing.
Connectivity is a Utility 22-Sep-2005
I've been talking to people about the utility model for connectivity. This essay gathers up a lot of what I've said into one place and pulls the themese together.
DVDs and IPTV -- Change is Opportunity 20-Sep-2005
Microsoft is selling IPTV to the carriers because it's not clear how to sell it to consumers. But while Tellywood fights the future it also manages to make a profit on it. Rather than selling to the past, IPTV should be part of our future, not the carriers'.
The Information Trollway 10-Sep-2005
Billing was once a means of paying for our communications infrastructure but it has become an end in itself and makes it hard for us to get the benefits of simple Internet connectivity. It has the effect of only allowing valuable applications -- it's like forcing us to pay the price of a cake when all we want to buy is flour -- it's basically a "let them eat cake" policy when we really need bread.
It's Time to Get Rid Of USB Et Al 10-Sep-2005
The USB protocol was a breakthrough in 1995. Now it's just an annoying legacy that fails to take advantage of all we've learned about networking and connectivity over the last ten years.
[IP] Australian court rules against Kazaa 05-Sep-2005
The Australian Supreme Court has ruled that Kazaa owes the record industry a zillion dollars for not working hard enough to prevent bits interpreted as copyrighted materials to pass their portals.
Is it better to keep the record companies fat and happy than allow the economy to benefit from innovation?
Why Settle for Just 1%? 15-Aug-2005
The carriers have promised to give us a level playing field but they've taken 99% of the bits off the table by saying video bits don't count. It seems silly to fight over that 1% of the bits rather than demanding that that carriers play fair and put 100% of the bits onto the level playing field.
Verizon – The Saga Continues 14-Aug-2005
I'm still trying to straighten out my Verizon service though I realize that the real issue is that landline telephony is a legacy business and it doesn't make sense for Verizon to invest. Their real goal is to become a video provider.
vs The Customer and Themselves 08-Aug-2005
Companies like Verizon, Comcast and Microsoft are finding it difficult to come to terms with our increased ability to do things ourselves. Rather than being more accommodating they seem to be putting themselves in the position of treating their customers as their primary competition.
Verizon vs Customers and Itself 08-Aug-2005
I simply wanted to move a virtual phone number to VoIP. In order to do so Verizon would up sending a few trucks to my house and taking hours of time just to preserve a fiction. It's as if they fear admitting that their business is now about preserving a story rather than creating value.
Microsoft vs Customers and Itself 08-Aug-2005
Microsoft should be trying to make it easier to use their technologies and to find new applications. Instead they are acting as if it is more important to limit the customers choices in order to preserve the obscellescent business model of Tellywood.
The FCC Vs Business and Vs US 08-Aug-2005
The FCC's mission seems to be the protect the carriers from the marketplace. 19th century science has been frozen into the 20th century Regulatorium. We must not allow this travesty to continue into the 21st century.
[IP] more on Science is for Pansies - REAL Men believe in Genesis! 05-Aug-2005
Our schools are a mirror on our society. While we can lament its failures we need to stop back and recognize that they are doing what are asking. They teach students science to the letter and fail to convey the more important idea that failure is an essential part of learning. Entrepreneurs have figured that out -- at lest in the US. We confuse training with educating and then wonder why people fail to challenge the accepted wisdom.
[IP] Oppenheimer and other unwelcomes 04-Aug-2005
Robert Oppenheimer and others vital to our victory in World War II would not be able to participate in helping the country today -- many wouldn't even be allowed to visit the country. As we isolate ourselves from the world we become poorer and less safe. What we don't know is harming us. Once again, our enemy is fear itself
[IP] HDMI (HDCP) for HDTV don't get burned! 1080p sets ship 01-Aug-2005
Interference is an artifact of a bad signaling system. It's amazing how such a simple mistake can cause such damage. The legislation that stems from this mistake reads like a programmer's nightmare. In translating naïve physic into legislation we find ourselves destroying marketplaces and subverting the free speech clause in the US Constitution.
Rather than locking bad ideas into legislation the FCC should be at the forefront in questioning its own legitimacy. After all, it is supposed to have some knowledge of technology in order to set the rules rather than trying to make physics conform to legislation. As far as its rules are concerned the value of pi might as well be 3.
[IP] Leap second fight brewing 29-Jul-2005
The leap second gain - we confuse leaping over tall buildings with leaping of a small stream. Let astronomers keep their correct fact but not annoy the rest of us by making us trip over pointless hurdles.
Joho and the Bell Curve 28-Jul-2005
A response to David Weinberger's comments on "Bell Curve" I generally agree with him. My goal is not to convert Iders but to give us a vocabulary that gives us insight into systems. It is important for public policy. Talking about evolution outside the realm of biology can reduce the emotional barriers that make effective debate so difficult.
DRM vs the Bathroom 28-Jul-2005
Will this attempt to lock down all bits allow commercial television to enforce a policy of requiring us to watch commercials? Is going to the bathroom a violation of a "contract" with television broadcasters?
DRM Chops off the Long Tail 27-Jul-2005
The idea of protecting rights seems so reasonable. The problem is that a strict DRM policy thwarts the dynamic of the marketplace. Not only are we denied opportunity to discover new possibilities the existing marketplace becomes stagnant and fails. Chris Anderson's long tail is a useful metaphor for those opportunities that seem worthless but are the sources of new vitality. It's evolution in action -- too bad we are so ego-centric as to think evolution only applies to biology. It makes it difficult for people to appreciate the importance of the dynamics of the marketplace. The marketplace fails if we try too hard to manage the process.
Who "Designed" the Bell Curve? 27-Jul-2005
It's easy to tell a story about what we don't have. The bell curve is beautiful and symmetric. How could the two tells coordinate to well. It's easy to posit an intelligent designer for a phenomenon which emerges out of simple principles. Intelligent Design is only the illusion of an explanation and denies us the opportunity to understand.
[IP] more on Public Broadband Hits Political Speedbumps 18-Jul-2005
Be careful about what you ask for. If you fund your Internet connectivity then those who buy content from elsewhere wind up reducing the funding for the Internet. This is like paying for E911 from phone calls -- those who use VoIP wind up defunding E911.
"Broadband" should be about enabling a process to increase availability rather than a fixed goal which will become an impediment to future growth.
[IP] Spammers Most Likely Users of Email Authentication 13-Jul-2005
We are trying to control behavior using identity as a proxy. Such approaches can be counterproductive by giving those whose behavior we want to limit an opportunity to adopt an identity and thus escape scrutiny. Conversely those whose identity we associated with "bad" behavior trapped within a stereotype and prejudgment.
The i730 and Beyond 12-Jul-2005
I've been writing about the Samsung i730 because it's at the crossroads of telephony and computing. For now it's still a phone. In this essay I try to explore why and why not. It's about more then Verizon trying to maintain control and Microsoft missing the new face of personal computing.
The Samsung i730 – the Saga Continues 08-Jul-2005
I did buy the Samsung i730. It's a nice phone but the Bluetooth implementation is perverse. It's a tug of war between the carriers and the users and the results are far more confusing than the HP-6315 (a GSM phone vs the CDMA i730).
Evolution is Simple and Fundamental 16-May-2005 (Updated: 07-Jul-2005
PDFThe controversy over the teaching evolution pits science against religion. But the topic is too important to be lost in arguments over which set of facts to accept.
Understanding evolution is really about how systems change. Biological evolution is just a special case. By teaching evolution is an arbitrary fact in biology class we trade insight for memorization.
We cannot afford a retreat into comforting non-explanations. It leads us to make public policy blunders that leave us all poorer.
We can see evolution in the systems all around us. Science is not arbitrary -- it's simply about learning from our mistakes and, in fact, making mistakes as we explore. If we see that we results are not what we desire then we can and must adjust and adopt. As Jared Diamond has so ably demonstrated in Collapse! we cannot afford the consequences of ignorance.
Verizon vs Users – The Samsung i730 07-Jul-2005
The Samsung i730 seems like a wonderful connected portable computing device. Why did Verizon have to go and lame it by removing capabilities that would allow me to use it to connect my devices to the world? To add insult to injury I can't even receive phone calls while I'm using Wi-Fi -- very strange. (That's what Samsung said, turns out that you really can!)
More Cellphony Dependency 07-Jul-2005
The NY Times Circuits lead column tells us that the carriers are looking at ways to deliver (AKA sell) use content? Nary a thought that maybe we can just do it ourselves like we do with PCs -- browse to sites and view or even buy things directly. But buying music is the least of what we can't do … such is the price of dependency
Selling Candy to Children 05-Jul-2005
SMS is seductive. Like 900 numbers it creates billable entities. Produces like ringtones and jokes are like candy to children. Seemingly innocuous but the costs add up.
Messaging has so many possibilities -- too bad it's priced so that the only viable business is like selling candy to children.
VON: Connectivity is a Utility 04-Jul-2005
It's easy to understand the desire to keep businesses alive long past their expiration dates. Such policies are considered "pro business" when they are just the opposite -- they show distrust for the marketplace and its ability to reinvent itself.
One might justify the policy if it preserves jobs and meets other needs but the tele/com industry is costing us jobs and frustrating the creation of new industries that can create new jobs and value.
Connectivity is another utility like garbage collection, electricity, public roads etc. The value comes from the availability of connectivity but policies that require capturing the value of each service don’t permit innovation because nascent services typically don't seem valuable at first.
The utility model is a business model. Providing connectivity as a utility is the real pro-business policy.
[IP] Bank of America vs security 22-Jun-2005
It's bad enough that Bank of America sends its email through intermediaries that we don't know whether to trust, it's another thing for them to send alarmist messages in response to innocuous queries.
As an aside, I scrape screens because the bank web sites that are touted as the alternatives to paper documents are seriously flawed in that the data is only available at their whim and once you close an account all history is lost!
[IP] more on In-flight cellphone proposal hits static [the real issue!] 17-Jun-2005
Even I fell into the trap of thinking the cell phone ban was about cell phones. This is what makes it so hard to explain to people that the "orifices" have limited the value of the devices we have and the infrastructure by convincing people to accept their definitions of "services" rather than allowing others' to create their own value.
Telephony, in this case cellular telephony, is just an application. What is really important is the connectivity afforded by their devices and the ability to use technology as our agent.
Mindless fear of "wireless signals" is compounded by those who fear what might go wrong. It's a reminder of the importance of the US Constitution which helps assure we have the opportunity to innovate without having to assure only "good" outcomes.
[IP] more on "NCLB: The Implausible Dream" 12-Jun-2005
In the effort to "solve" the problem of education we need to blame someone. Yet if the education is failing today's students why do we assume it was successful with their parents? Education is not just for the children.
Another anti-spam Naïveté – VRFY isn’t Authoritative 17-May-2005
I’ve run into yet another naïve attempt to control spam – systems that try to verify the mail sender using the SMTP VRFY command. The problem is that a system that relays mail might report the address as invalid because it is not a local address even though it really is valid when relayed.
Spam Evolving? 09-May-2005
I notice that the email addresses on my sites have not been harvested in a long time. I generate a new one on each visit and including the IP address as well as the date and time. Spam messages tend to arrive in batches with very similar messages and the made-up names tend to be valid English words without an appreciation for the meaning.
It's important to understand spam and see it in perspective. It's too easy to give into our fears and see spam as another reason to be afraid of free speech.
A Failure to Connect 09-May-2005
What is connectivity? I’ve been thinking about it in terms of networking but that’s only a small part of the problem. It’s really about relationships and operations that involve cooperation or connections between two “things”. In DIY, Not Connectivity, I emphasized that it was about marketplace economics rather than just a lower cable TV bill. I wanted to hand out copies of that essay at the IP Policy Summit and got a case study in the real problem.
…
Why just watch when I can participate. Connectivity is about enabling opportunities for new kinds of relationships between device as well as people.
DIY, not just Connectivity! 08-May-2005
PDFIt's wrong to think of the Internet as the successor to the telecommunications industry because of surface similarities. But the dynamics of the two industries are very different.
There is no transition -- the new opportunities that that the Internet thrives on must not be sacrificed to get us what we think we want. And they need not be since we the marketplace process continues to serve us well. We don't want to look back and lament that we asked for the Internet and all they gave us was more television.
Stop Shouting and Start Communicating! 01-Apr-2005 (Updated: 05-May-2005
Imagine if we didn't have to use wires - we could just send a signal from anyplace to any other place. By 1864 James Clerk Maxwell described radio waves. By 1895 Marconi was sending "Hertzian Waves" several kilometers. Oscillating waves were a familiar concept. Alexander Graham Bell worked on the same principle in trying to put multiple signals on a single telegraph line but the mechanical tuning fork wasn't up to the task
[IP] more on IP-Based TV Will Revolutionize Entertainment 29-Apr-2005
With all the talk about IPTV we need to be wary -- the Telcos want to be a CableCo. We won't get real change until we can buy directly rather than paying a transport "tax". If we buy directly, then owning the transport is a liability. This has stark implications for today's "telecom" industry.
[IP] more on Bush Administration Punishes some who donated to Kerry 25-Apr-2005
Apparently the Bush Administration requires loyalty over expertise and anyone who has made a donation to Kerry is not allowed to serve on international technical committees. It's equivalent of requiring bribes in order to consider scientific facts. Having a difference of opinion is regarded as heresy. At a time when the rest of the world is moving ahead we are trying to roll back the renaissance! Another victory for terrorists!
[IP] more on P2P Fuels Global Bandwidth Binge 24-Apr-2005
I'm trying to understand why people seem to focus on doling out scarcity as opposed to working towards abundance. The word "Binge" has a negative overtone and "P2P' is too easily associated with "bad" activities. Once again we should demand more capacity rather than accusing the most avid users of abusing a "privilege". It's a right not a privilege! The consequences are serious -- the US is in real danger of opting out of a vibrant world economy!
[IP] Civil War V2 15-Apr-2005
Frist is upping the ante in the senate. Giving faith a privileged position in the judiciary is very dangerous. The separation of church and state is an agreement to disagree - violating that agreement is very dangerous.
It's not "Identity Theft"! 13-Apr-2005
It's not about stealing your soul's sole identity. It's about a weak system of establishing a relationship for the purpose of some transactions. Whether accepting a weak system and then protecting your magic numbers, we should step back and think about the purpose of these tokens of identity and address that problem rather than accepting blame when our "identity" is "stolen".
RIAA Plans to Sue Hearing Aid Manufacturers 12-Apr-2005
The RIAA continues its campaign do whatever it takes to make sure they maintain contorl. What's next, suing hearing aid manufacturers because they don’t enforce DRM rules? Will the MPAA require eyeglasses honor the broadcast bit?
EV-DO - a Taste of Connectivity 09-Apr-2005
EV-DO is wonderful. I can be connected anywhere (at least in major cities). But it's also the end of a generation. The next generation will be IP based. We should embrace the present but not make it the enemy of the future.
The Filibuster vs the Tyranny of the Faux Majority 06-Apr-2005
Both the Presidency and Congress are aligned in pushing a moralistic agenda The normal checks and balances are undermined by those who seek to impose a narrow moralistic agenda on the country. The tyranny of the majority threatens the normal resilience of our democracy.
The majority in Congress doesn't reflect a majority of the people -- it's more of an artifact of an all-or-nothing electoral process.
The filibuster is considered obstructionist but it is also a way to protect the country from those who view constitutional protections with disdain and seek solace protection from science. There is a real danger in embodying that ideology into law and the enforcing it with a judiciary select for loyalty to that ideology.
Airport Foibles 06-Apr-2005
Passing through Logan Airpot on my way to DCA I had chance to be entertained by observing how things can go wrong
[IP] A clear and present danger? 04-Apr-2005
I used to think of the filibuster as an obstructionist tactic. Now that I'm on the 'other" side I recognize that it plays an essential rule to protecting us from the tyranny of the majority.
Gratuitous Complexity for Fun for Profit 19-Mar-2005
Reading a story in the Boston Globe about how wonderful it is that I can now send picture messages from Verizon to Cingular cell phones I decided to look into the protocols and understand a bit more about how such messages could cost 25 cents each.
Not only is it difficult to do things for ourselves -- we must pay a high price and be thankful for the little we are allowed to do.
Another case of being limited to solutions and being given little opportunity.
more on "Identity Theft for Dummies"? 27-Feb-2005
The attention to "stolen" records that can be used to "steal" "identities" is misguided. I put the words in quotes because they are used in distorted ways.
The real problem is that all it takes to steal an "identity" is persons name phone number and social security number and maybe a tidbit or two. And once you lose your "identity" why is it so hard to reestablish relationships?
Of course this is not you identity, just the persona that the is used by banks and others in lieu of the real "you".
Focusing on protecting the records will comes at a high social cost while not solving the real problem.
Connected to the World Out There, not Just People 24-Feb-2005
It's wonderful to fly while using my GPS to compare what I see in maps with what's on the ground. I'm no longer confined to the tiny metal cage in the air.
It also makes me think about the all the press about blogs and blogs talking about blogs -- blogcest. There's a big world at there, the blogs are about more than just reporting, they are also a means of participating.
More on Digital TV: Congress vs. Consumers 08-Feb-2005
Congress has mandated that TV broadcasting shift from using the analog broadcast bands to digital bands. It's important to examine the reasons for this industrial policy. It's all about preserving Tellywood and limiting consumer choice.
Tellywood and the Home Theater 07-Feb-2005
The home theater epitomizes the fusion of Television and Hollywood -- Tellywood. Articles on home theaters can be entertaining but a newsmagazine should do more than write about fantasies circa 1969. In the age of the Internet and computers a television is simply a combination of screens and video sources. It's more than just a piece of furniture used to display the content of plastic discs.
Attempts at overthrowing the teaching of evolution gathering steam 08-Nov-2004
It's unfortunate that we teach evolution as if it were just another fact to memorize. Evolution is really just a property of complex systems. Complexity is really just an emergent property and an illusion. It's just that we don't see the inherent simplicity.
As long we treat biological evolution as apart from evolution in other systems we will find ourselves asking people to memorize it as an arbitrary "fact" rather than understand it in context.
The same processes apply marketplaces, social systems and the Internet.
If we don't understand how systems self-organize we'll seek refuge in authority rather than realize the benefits of opportunity.
The End of Tolerance? 04-Nov-2004
The US has been defined by its diversity. Tolerance has had a major economic benefit. Out government has had a role in protecting us from the tyranny of the majority.
Have we reached a time where one point of view has a decisive majority? Most worrisome is that this is not a benign majority but one that is threatened by others' ideas.
Can we afford to ignore Niemöller's warnings just because they came for the gays first?
Ambient Opportunity 29-Oct-2004
It's been a long time since I've posted so I'm trying to put a lot into this one essay. It's an overture for essays I'm planning to write and ties together a range of concepts related to the end-to-end argument and the importance of creating opportunity in marketplaces. Reinventing the Internet is just part of the larger story.
Project MAC: Man-Machine Symbiosis 30-Jun-2004
The 35th anniversary of Multics reminded me of the original goals of Project MAC -- understanding the relationships between man and machine. This vision is even more important today as we find ourselves awash in technology. We are bystanders when we should be participants.
More on Why the FCC should die 13-Jun-2004
More on how a marketplace that provides opportunity rather than narrow solutions allows demand to create supply. The FCC frustrates this virtuous cycle. This is a bit dense and I will be writing more about this in the future
A Bluetooth Tragedy 06-Apr-2004
It should be simple to connect a navigation program to a wireless GPS. Unfortunately the GPS manufacturers have chosen to use Bluetooth thus making it difficult to do it except in the few scenarios that they thought of.
WTF 06-Apr-2004
Summary of a summary of my comments at David Isenberg's WTF workshop.
Regulate What 01-Mar-2004
VoIP bits transported over networks have no intrinsic meaning. To bill or tariff them would be an exercise in absurdity
It's About Connectivity Not The Internet! 23-Feb-2004
The press treats the Internet as a news niche that is both too broad and too narrow. The changes wrought by the Internet -- abundant connectivity -- are beyond news stories including high profile corporate mergers. The readers can't understand what is happening unless the reports can connect the stories. Conversely when reporters do write about the Internet they paint a confused picture by ignoring the crucial differences between the technical infrastructure and social policy
At The Edge 24-Jan-2004 (Updated: 29-Jan-2004
The artifact that's today's Internet is unimportant compared with the power of the end-to-end concept. The Internet is demonstration of our ability to wrest control and create value at the edges of an infrastructure
2007 or 1995 or 1950? 01-Dec-2003
Congress doesn't seem to get it. They are acting as if the asymmetric broadcast model must be kept alive and criminalizing those who use content without asking permission first. The private bit police will be in charge.
Telecom Policy: Virtue vs Tolerance 01-Dec-2003
A brief introduction to the brief introduction to my latest essays on telecom and other policies. The Internet seems to violate our work ethic and that makes it very hard for people to come to terms with the new opportunities.
Favors I Can't Afford 29-Nov-2003
I accidentally spammed thousands of people because the address book synchronization service is overzealous. The real damage is that it is speaking in my name and thus I get the blame.
Don't Recapitulate! 13-Nov-2003
The FCC's plan to set rules for VoIP is a reminder of the tragic disconnect between the Regulatorium and the real world and the price we pay for accepting a mythological view of telecommunications.
What the SV AV-100 Is and What it Could Be 20-Oct-2003
The Panasonic SV AV100 is an example of the best in consumer electronics and the worst. It is a great camera but is hobbled by software that limits its capabilities. The PC industry, often despite itself, has thrived by giving users the ability to reinvent products and create new capabilities. The consumer electronics industry can benefit by sharing the ability to enhance and even redefine products.
The Importance of What Isn't 21-Sep-2003
We are used to judging a product by what it is but what isn't and can be is far more important. With computers we are increasingly able to create new products out of building blocks. The Internet is just one example of how we can take an existing product, the entire telecommunications industry, and use it as the starting point for creating new products. One reason why it is hard to understand the real importance of the Internet is because we trying to explain what can be and people find it hard to see what isn't.
Answering the Wrong Question: IEEE and Voting 20-Sep-2003
The IEEE is in the process of setting standards for voting machine. Assuring a trustworthy voting system is about more than the local behavior of individual machine. There's a danger that narrowly focusing on an aspect of the process will be taken as endorsement of the process as a whole.
Spam Assassinated! 27-Aug-2003
Spam Assassin is a popular program used to filter mail. Unfortunately its metrics show a deep antipathy towards my email messages because I want to move beyond the limitations of the teletype era. I am being silenced by others' moralistic assumptions about email.
AOL and Roadrunner vs the Internet 25-Aug-2003
In a naive and misguided attempt to protect their users form spam AOL and it's subsidiary, Roadrunner, have banned email from systems with dynamic IP addresses and thus have made the spam problem much worse by channeling all of the Internet traffic through narrow and arbitrary chokepoints. This doesn't bode well for companies whose future depends on their ability to understand the Internet
AOL and Roadrunner have Left the Internet 25-Aug-2003
In a naive and misguided attempt to protect their users form spam AOL and it's subsidiary, Roadrunner, have banned email from systems with dynamic IP addresses and thus have made the spam problem much worse by channeling all of the Internet traffic through narrow and arbitrary chokepoints. This doesn't bode well for companies whose future depends on their ability to understand the Internet
Viruses, Trust and Complacency 20-Aug-2003
We must take the latest waive of computer viruses seriously but the hiding behind the castle wall is not an effective response and only increases our vulnerability while denying us the benefits of the new technologies.
IPv6 isn't just about more addresses 05-Aug-2003
Internet Protocol V6 is an important part of giving us a dynamic Internet that allows us all to be participants. Those who want a transition to IPv6 miss the point of the Internet. We can start using IPv6 now without waiting for a transition.
Kinko's vs Hot Spots 29-Jul-2003
Kinko's has been a leader in taking advantage of the Internet. Adding wireless access to their in-store network is simple and obvious. But instead they have chosen to use T-Mobile's hotspot service which is far expensive and more complicated and slower.
AOL vs the Internet 26-Jul-2003
AOL is threatening to stop accepting mail from systems with dynamic IP address. This is an arrogant and hostile attack on the Internet itself. Has AOL decided to opt out of the Internet?
Hotspots Cold Cells 03-Jul-2003
The idea of deploying hotspots seems like a natural extension of the cells used for cellular phones. This is a false analogy and has made hotspots seem to fall short of expectations when the real problem is in not understanding the real needs.
Faux Wires 03-Jul-2003
The cellular phone network may not have the artifact of wires but it has the reality of the circuit which is the real limitation whether or not there are wires.
Realizing the Internet 25-Jun-2003
We need to recognize that the Internet has triumphed. The good news is that the carriers are embracing the Internet. The process needs to be accelerated but will rapidly move beyond the carriers ability to stay in control.
We Have Connectivity! 24-Jun-2003
We have an infrastructure that is fully capable of giving everyone always-on connectivity but the FCC and the carriers acting as if it is still a phone and cable TV network. We must recalibrate and focus on removing the impediments of connectivity instead of just mediating feuds that no longer server any larger purpose.
Book Sharing 23-Apr-2003
The record industry isn't the only one concerned with their bits. Imagine if the book publishers controlled their content just as tightly!
The End of Leap Seconds?? 22-Apr-2003
The "time committee" is considering phasing at the leap second. The leap second has been one of my pet peeves but it's a lot more. It's an example of the experts' inability to distinguish between their technical concerns and the social use of their technology.
Number Portability is misdirection. 20-Apr-2003
With all the discussion of number portability it's easy to lose sight of the fact that we already have number portability. The issue should be why we have to invent a second layer just so that we can pretend it is a difficult problem.
768x1280 20-Mar-2003
Laptops seem to be made for viewing movies. If I rotate my laptop I get a tall and narrow screen suitable for reading and writing text.
United States v. American Library Association 05-Mar-2003
The Supreme Court is going to determine if libraries can be forced to act as censors. It is a test of modernity and the idea that ideas have meaning in context and the best way to respond to concerns is by challenging the ideas rather than censoring them. Does a picture of a naked person cause irreparable harm?
Some Good News 03-Mar-2003
I'm cautiously optimistic after returning from the Spectrum Policy conference at Stanford. But I'm exciting to find that the SFO intra-airport trains are running and that I-90 now goes directly into Logan Airport.
Dim Copper 28-Feb-2003
We didn't create the automobile by lashing a carriage to a mechanical horse but we were able to repurpose the roads designed for horses by paving them to create a smooth surface. The Internet isn't just an upgrade to the phone network. It needs its own path. The existing copper infrastructure is a valuable resource that can be used as a native medium for Internet connectivity. We must take advantage of the opportunity to provide universal connectivity very quickly at a low cost, we get vastly improved telephony as a free bonus.
Theft of Service? 12-Feb-2003
Cable modems showed great promise when they were introduced. Originally planned for 10mbps, they rolled out at 1.5mbps. Originally supposed to be symmetric, they were asymmetric at 5:1 and now it's 10:1. Any available capacity is denied us and used to sell us a limited choice of stale content (movies).
Email is Still Just a Toy 06-Feb-2003
We now think of email as a normal form of communication and have to use the retronym postal mail. But when we have important messages, our email systems aren't up to the task and we go back to paper.
Spam Fixation 01-Feb-2003
It seems as if everyone wants to hunt down the spammers and make laws against people who call us on the telephone. The real problem is managing our availability. Computers make it easy for people to send us email but they also give us the means to take charge of our availability.
Prior Restraint: Censorship as the Legacy of Spectrum Policy 22-Jan-2003
Early radio receivers took advantage of the technologies available and assigned each transmitter a unique frequency. It is a very inefficient approach and required a complex regulatory system to keep all the signals sorted out. Since World War II we've had the ability to use signaling approaches that are far more effective and do not need this regulatory regimen. Yet we still cling to spectrum allocation and the censorship inherent in the onerous regulatory system
Bad Coupling 05-Jan-2003
I started to write about my successes in using my home networking to connect all my devices but I soon realized that it was a tail of triumph over unnecessary.
Bad Coupling (abstract) 05-Jan-2003
I started to write about my successes in using my home networking to connect all my devices but I soon realized that it was a tail of triumph over unnecessary.
Cranking Along 20-Dec-2002
Scott Kirsner wrote about blogs (including mine) in the Boston Globe. I felt I should quickly put together my own comments but it took five days to reflect upon my writing.
On Ensuring End-to-End 15-Dec-2002
It is easy to ask for quality but rarely do people ask what is meant by Quality. In practice, the term is often and excuse for arbitrariness and is antithetical to the openness of the Internet.
Mistrial! 23-Nov-2002
The Federal courthouse in Boston has banned the use of PDAs. The unwillingness to allow mental aids is very worrisome.
Ownership 31-Oct-2002
Owners add value. But we limit ownership based on a static agrarian model of property. In order to maximize society's benefit we need to be able to accept that others' need the opportunity be owners and holding bits hostage leave us with little opportunity to create value.
Another Dangerous Idea 31-Oct-2002
Just as the Darwin's recognition that we are the product of an indifferent process of evolution, the Internet forces us to come to terms with the interplay of social policy and technology.
Implementing .DNS 02-Sep-2002
With all the noise and rancor surrounding ICANN it is easy to lose sight of the fact that ICANN itself is just mechanism that people care about too much. Create the .DNS TLD gives us a way to move beyond the squabbling.
Trapped by the Web! 02-Sep-2002
The web protocols are great for pushing documents but we must not confuse a web site with a service. Your need to focus on service, not a web site.
About Binding 02-Sep-2002
The DNS is a mechanism for associating stable identifiers with volatile IP addresses. The dotDNS simply removes the impediments to effective use of binding for maintaining relationships on the Internet but it's also important to understand the concept in its own right.
The Cable Racket!! 26-Aug-2002
What gives ATT the right to grab revenue from a company just because it uses their wires? Something is very wrong and I hope that these kinds of arrangements will make it more obvious.
Blogging, Spam and Discovery 10-Aug-2002
Blogging is being "discovered" by the mainstream press and they view it in their image. But it is a lot more interesting when viewed as a way to exchange information and compared with others approaches such as advertising and its feral cousin, spam.
(East (New (York))), (New (York)) 31-Jul-2002
In visiting the neighborhood I grew up I was struck by the sign for E New York Ave. But the street is named after East New York, not New York. Ambiguity is everywhere. Too bad the ICANN seems to be in denial.
Various annoyances and related issues 06-Jul-2002
We tend to underestimate the pervasive effect of seeming innocuous design issues yet they have large implications, especially as they accumulate. In itself each annoyance seems minor. The challenge is seeing which of them are leverage (or tipping?) points. After all, the Internet Protocols are trivial yet they mooted a trillion dollar telecom industry.
The FCC In Context 25-Apr-2002
Politics is often treated as a spectator sport. But the FCC is different in that we can do more and think about the fundamental issues rather than just betting on winners and losers.
The Importance of Encrypted IPV6 23-Apr-2002
The Internet has become a maze of twisting winding passages because the existing addressing scheme has been unable to keep up with the demands. The Internet has also become unsafe and we need to support responsible behavior by giving users the ability to maintain the integrity of their connections.
The "Magic" of the Internet 14-Apr-2002
The Internet seems to work by magic but if you look underneath you find it is very simple. A good example is email. You don't even need a program - you and send mail by simply typing and sending commands to the recipient's computer! The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is indeed simple!
Beyond Telecom 30-Oct-2001
We have a communications infrastructure that based on the assumption that telephony and television are fundamental services. The Internet has demonstrated that they are both applications built upon packet-based connectivity. The marketplace has been unable to make this transition because we are locked into a complex regulatory structure defined by regulation.
The IBM PC at 20 and beyond. 03-Aug-2001
Written as part of the 20th anniversary of the IBM PC. How the PC has been a source of innovation and why it will continue to be a place to experiment and not just another appliance.
DNS - Safe Haven 02-Aug-2001
This is a proposal to address issues that threaten to entangle the infrastructure of the Internet with political and policy issues. Updated
The Internet is Not Television 02-May-2001
An extended letter to the editors of Wired Magazine in response to a May 2001 cover story which demonized the Internet simply because it doesn't make sense to those whose vision of the world is limited to television as we know it.
The Prerogatives of Innovation 15-Mar-2001
The Personal Computer and the Internet have given us wonderful opportunity to innovate and change the world. Yet there still seems to be a condescending attitude that drives companies to continue to design lame products and services that deny the value of innovation. These efforts are sadly misguided -- they promise simplicity and deliver only frustration.
Contents vs Connectivity 10-Feb-2000
The Internet is the source of disruptive innovation that has driven our "new" economy. But the Internet is now considered too important to tolerate any more disruption. With companies that own "content" also owning the consumer's connections to the Internet, we no longer have a marketplace to advocate improving or even maintain connectivity.
Open Access 11-Nov-1999
As we build Internet connectivity atop the existing telecommunications infrastructure we need to assure that there is a separation between connectivity and the services that are built upon the connectivity.
Much Fuss about the DNS 12-Jul-1999
The domain names (as in www.frankston.com) seem to be a scarce resource as companies try to secure their own ".com" names. There are also too few Internet addresses to go around. Alas, the "crisis" is due to a lack of understanding of the role of the domain names. There are more appropriate mechanisms already available.
The IP Infrastructure 12-Apr-1999
This essay captures much of what I've been trying to explain about what the IP infrastructure really is and what it means. Very briefly, it provides a connected infrastructure and creates a new marketplace that takes advantage of this connectivity. In order to understand this it is necessary to have a basic understanding of what underlies the Internet. This understanding is necessary for those making policy decisions and is essential for being a literate member of today's society. I'm writing companion essays on the new literacy and on the difference between computer science and the needs of the IP infrastructure. If you'd like to be notified when they are available, [Notification], "send me a note"
Y2K, Area Codes etc 20-Mar-1999
The Y2K problem and Area Code splitting are the results of failing to understand the difference between how we use information informally and how we must representation it in computer systems and on the Web.
Newton 2000 24-Nov-1998
Suggestions for how, a suburb of Boston, Newton, Ma can use the IP infrastructure and related technologies to make the city operate more efficiently and be a better place to live.
Extending Email Addressing 21-Oct-1998
Email addressing has a serious flaw. Unlike the paper mail which allows you to use any name you want, with email you must register each one with your service provider and often pay a fee. This is a proposal to extend email addressing to support the extensibility necessary for universal use of email.
Internet Myths and Public Policy 27-May-1998
Originally written in response to a desire to provide Email to all. Without a proper understanding of the technology, setting policies to implement this is very likely to have the perverse effect of insuring just the opposite!
Home Connectivity 06-May-1998
The terms "Home Networking" and "Home Automation" are often used to describe what I prefer to be calling "Home Connectivity and Control". The confusion in terminology is symptomatic of the difficulty in a real but often misunderstood need.
Universal Service 26-Apr-1998
An argument that the social policy of universal access (via the Universal Service fund) is outdated and a threat to advancement in telephony.
IP Everywhere 06-Apr-1998
The IP Infrastructure has the potential for being a vital resource, but we are at a point where a lack of understanding by policy makers and an emphasis on supporting legacy systems threatens to leave the Internet a much less effective medium than it could be.
Phone Numbers 07-Mar-1998
The idea of a phone number should be very simple -- each phone has a number. But, in practice, we are burdened with special case rules such as when we must or must not dial a "1" or an area code. We must also constantly monitor changes to these rules such as area code splits. This complexity is the result of policies rather than technical reasons.
Leap Seconds 07-Mar-1998
Leap second seems trivial but we have an inherent ambiguity in how we deal with time and computation. The value of a time, such as the year 2000, cannot be determined ahead of time!
Firewalls 25-Feb-1998
Mechanisms like firewalls have the downside of frustrating effective use of the network, while providing only the illusion of security. Updated with comments about malicious programs sent via email.
Rush Hour 1997 01-Aug-1989
An amusing look at the mid 90's, written in 1989. It now seems to be less absurd than it was meant to be.
The columns were my first attempt at writing short opinion pieces. They were
written in 1998 and 1999. The proofreading was far limited at best.