Welcome to my writings.
If you want the recent essays check out the sidebar on the left or, better, go to Further Readings for a curated list of essays.
Other essays are listed in chronological order and then by category. The main essays are in larger letters and minor documents (such as messages posted on discussion sites) are indented and in smaller letters. The documents themselves are located on this site (www.Frankston.com) and as well as external sites.
Note that I'm currently writing shorter transient posts on Facebook as "Bob Frankston". I'm gathering links here.
You can send me Email. Note this unique address is only valid for the next few days.
The best way to link to a document is as http://rmf.vc/keyword.
| By default only the most recent posts are shown, to see: | ||
| • | Recent By Date | Posts from the last few months |
| • | Columns | Columns written in 1998-1999 -- blogging before blogs. Look here for my more recent columns. |
| • | All | All posts -- hundreds |
Writings and Updates by Date
Some of the recent entries are also listed on the sidebar. Secondary items such as postings on other mailing lists are indented. Note that the year shown is the year the essay was updated. An essay written in 1979 might be listed under 2009 if it was updated recently.
Years: all recent 1974 1979 1989 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
The Posters Dilemma 26-Mar-2023
PDFThis is my experiment with posts intended for discussions with copies on other sites.
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.
My Facebook Posts and More … 20-Jan-2018 (Updated: 12-Mar-2023
PDFAn attempt to catalog my Facebook Posts until when and if I use the ideas in formal essays and columns
Forever URLs 25-Feb-2023
PDFA 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.
Further Reading 18-Feb-2015 (Updated: 24-Feb-2023
PDFAny one essay can only skim the surface. For further reading ...
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.
Consumer Technology vs. 5G 04-Feb-2021 (Updated: 10-Feb-2023
PDF5G is often heralded as the future of communications technology. It's actually the antithesis. It is the anti-Internet clawing intelligence back into the network and limiting innovation. With 5G consumers would once again be limited to a choice of offerings and a new generation would rediscover the busy signal. Also available on CircleID.
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.
VSIG Lecture on the Public Packet Infrastructure 03-Oct-2022
My VSIG talk on the Public Packet Infrastructure. It's part of the VSIG Series of lectures on Internet Governance.. It's based on the ideas in article on the Public Packet Infrastructure
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.
