What is Digg?61 Comments
- lithuin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+45Public service announcement:
The link immediately above is not a mirror, but a crappy retail site. - politech, on 10/12/2007, -2/+23Interesting. The word "Hacker" has been co-opted in an unsavory way by the media and I am still proud to refer to myself as a hacker.
I have always objected to the word "Geek" though.
A "Geek" was a carnival performer whose show consisted of bizarre acts, such as biting the head off a live snake or bird. Or eating ground up cockroaches. Now those people are called Fear Factor contestants. - icetigaurus, on 10/12/2007, -2/+20http://www.duggmirror.com/tech_news/95_Theses_of_Geek_Activism/
The site got digg-pwnd really quick. - nofxjunkee, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1825. Use multiple operating systems regularly so you truly understand interoperability.
Amen. - DevanJedi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15I've created a mirror of my own (I am the author of the original article): http://www.galaxyfaraway.com/gfa/95-theses-of-geek-activism/ but feel free to use the duggmirror link above, since it will allow you to see it in its originally intended glory :).
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14Hehe, but now we know your taste in cases is pretty ***** :)
- HaroldHupmobile, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12There'll be a time when no one gives a ***** about Mickey Mouse.
- evilTak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10...and, for me, that time is now.
- glind, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9I don't think this is an attempt to speak for a certain group, it's an attempt to get a group to speak up.
- i440, on 10/12/2007, -10/+1896. Get off the computer everyonce in a while and take a shower. Your current schedule of taking a shower every 3.1415 months simply won't do. Yes, Richard Stallman, I'm talking to you.
- evilTak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7"DRM only keeps an honest user honest" means that anybody who's remotely technically savvy can defeat DRM. The only people who generally have issues with it are those who are attempting to use "legitimately acquired" content in "legitimate" ways not foreseen by the creators of the DRM scheme.
- icetigaurus, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9And wow, this list is very good. I definetly need to practice these more and spread the information and initiative to others. It is time for all of us to step up to the proverbial plate and put our money where our collective mouth is.
As the technologically advantaged, we still have quite a bit of power yet left to wield in this world and the ability to change it for the better. But due to this current life of government directed invasions of our rights to freedom and privacy in the name of combatting terror, corporations trying to control digital technology (DRM), and many of the other items on the list, this power could disappear very quickly. Let us accomplish a positive change for humanity before it is too late...
Together we can make the world a better place! - DevanJedi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Ed- thanks for the comments. Keeping "an honest user honest" is as much a waste of resources as "keping a tall user tall" (in the words of Cory Doctorow). An honest user is already honest- why do you want to box them in. They are precisely the kind of customer that you should reward. This- by Cory Doctorow- is very close to what I believe about DRM (and more eloquent): http://www.dashes.com/anil/stuff/doctorow-drm-ms.html
- Zipko, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7This is a good list, although I wouldn't take it at face value. The author even encourages readers to disagree and argue against his points in an effort to create discussion. There are a lot of his points that I could find fault with, but what I liked about the article is that the author doesn't intend it to be a statement of fact. It's meant more to facilitate discussion, which is always good.
To pick out one in particular that was of interest to me is 84, a mathematical proof that the NSA wiretapping can't work. It sparked my interest as a math major, and I was disappointed upon reading it to find that the proof was based on an appeal to emotion, not any real math. To start with, the author declares that he will show that the program cannot find terrorists. He states that it is an "impossibility", 0% chance. Then later in his argument he describes scenarios that show either a 1%, 2% or 23% chance of finding a terrorist.
So it isn't a mathematical proof since it contains a contradiction. Lets look next at the emotional appeal, that even though the program can work, it shouldn't be used since it is wrong more often than it is right. The point of the wiretapping shouldn't be to declare definitively that a person is a terrorist. It should only identify possible cases, that could then be picked out and examined closely. Taking the 1% success rate, an agent could narrow down his search to 100 people that would need to be examined, and in that group he would find one known terrorist. This is much more manageable than the assumed .00033% chance of picking a person at random and hoping they're a terrorist. So the program would be useful not in definitively finding terrorists, but making the job more efficient.
That all being said, I still don't approve of the NSA wiretapping. Not because I don't think it works, but because there is too high of a potential for abuse. A good digg if only because it facilitates discussion on topics we've already seen but may not have given much thought to. - Stovepipe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Yep, there are some good challenges here. I winced a little at the spelling of "aweful" and the misapostrophization in "Holding Google to it's ... mantra" -- but I guess Martin Luther might not have been letter-perfect in his theses either.
I can say that the article prompted me, as a Linux user, to decide to try an install of Free BSD on a box I've got lying around here. ISO images are downloading now. - gadgetlust, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3In the unlikely case that anyone is curious (or has acute insomnia):
http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/luther/web/ninetyfive.html
(an English translation of the *original* 95 theses) - airmann90, on 10/12/2007, -6/+9Wow, I just bookmarked this. Inspirational in my opinion. This will be my new "guide" to life.
- WDot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The battle can be won. After all, look at how the meaning of "funky" changed over the years from something cool to something smelly.
- DavidDigg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I just got FreeBSD to play nice with my network card on my mobo (Asus A8N-VM CSM) last night after going with 7.0-CURRENT. It took me the entire weekend and about 5 installs of 6.1 i386 and amd64, but it finally worked. If you're coming from Linux, you might find that hardware support is less complete, but you still have good chances, and FreeBSD is way happier with my SATA drive than Linux was.
- member57, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2East Germans tried it and were literally burried in their own information. How about for 1 week or even a month every geek flood, his/her internet pipe with tons of random data? Blogs, DL programs, pictures, movies, massive text files, etc. Log that carnivore. I wonder if we cause a meltdown?
- evilTak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2There's a good argument in The Hanged Man's Song ( http://tinyurl.com/q5ctd ) about why mass data aggregation and filtering will never realistically be usable for detection of wrongdoing, and will inevitably degrade to its only real application, extortion.
- FilCab, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3It's 3,1416 (3,14159) ;)
- EviLiu, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I want to digg this twice.
- wallclimber, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2scott2: "This falls under the category of "Be careful what you digg, because someone may find out later".
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Interesting comment. On the other hand, the whole point of this list is about making your thoughts known and publically standing up for certain values.
So, in this case if someone finds out that I gave it a Digg, then I'm proud to own up to it. But I'm already pretty verbal about my belief in freedom, so it wouldn't surprise anyone. :o) - animewars, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This is a wonderful read, and am actually going to try a couple of things I haven't before. Very impressed.
- n3tw0rk@dm!n, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Please reference #8 in TFA regarding Tor ;-)
- Ignignokt01, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Linux offers security, performance, and simplicity. Windows is the standard. Mac offers simplicity,ease of use, and beauty. Both of you need to stop arguing and just accept the fact that each operating system fits different people's needs. I use Windows because I both use tons of design programs and play all kinds of PC games. I just bought another HDD though to install linux on, because sometimes i just dont want to deal with all the microsoft crap. There's nothing to fight about :D
- bmcnally, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm trying to figure out #89: Free lunch is good
There is no such thing as a free lunch, something that was pounded into me by several of my Comp Sci professors. - Giever, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Unfortunately, I cannot follow both number 31 and 95, as one will contradict the other, for myself.
- bash, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"#11: The true enemy is the line: %u201CIf you haven%u2019t done anything wrong, what do you fear?%u201D"
Does anyone have a concise rebuttal to that line? The explanation the author gave doesn't have the same effect as "The coin has no memory." to the Gambler's Fallacy, or "Don't hate, appreciate." to all the haters out there :P
The only thing I got is "Well if deer have nothing to hide, why do they fear hunters?" but it's a bit verbose. Any suggestions? - wallclimber, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Bash: "The only thing I got is "Well if deer have nothing to hide, why do they fear hunters?" but it's a bit verbose. Any suggestions?"
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lol! I kinda like it. It has "Bambi" overtones. Bambi is the epitome of innocence...
Well, except for Bambi Petruski. She's a stripper who almost never hides anything, but that's a different matter altogether... - EdLesMann, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@ DevanJedi
You stated that you were the original author in a post above. If so, do you think you could do a follow up with a bit more explination behind your reasoning of most of these?
Just an example of something I thought to be odd. You state many times that DRM doesnt work (59), you suggest that are not for it ( how I read 18 like that anyway), and several other comments like those. Then in 92 you say "DRM only keeps an honest user honest." which I have only heard coming from people who support DRM. I would be interested in knowing why you chose to put that in there.
Partly the reason why I ask for you to explain yourself is that I know that there were a few things that I would like to see changed for clarity and enhancements. Since you did ask for our opinions/arguments/ect I will take a deeper look into this and if I believe that I have something that should be contributed, I will.
I just would be very interested if the Digg (Internet) community would contribute to this because I would like to see how it develops with a community backing. - dunezone, on 10/12/2007, -7/+8I personally like this one.
"Linux is no longer a philosophy- it is a good piece of software. Use it because it if it fits your needs." - wallclimber, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1FTA: " 6. # Everything will enter the public domain some day- even Mickey Mouse"
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I really like most of the list and it reflects many of the values I believe in...But I had to smile at #6. I fear the poor mouse will never be free of corporate servitude, certainly not in our lifetimes. I figure our great great grand kids will someday be taking THEIR kids on vacation to the Disney Moon Adventureland SpaceBase, via Shuttle, with a 5-day, 3-night package deal including hotel rooms at the MickeyMoonland Hotel...
The Mouse will never be free. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Everything will enter the public domain some day- even Mickey Mouse. ?
sure ? i dont think so, property rights can be extended.
MickeyMouse arrivede on earth in 1928 .... 80 years ago. - deltaechoromeo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's because Disney managed to keep old cartoons, like "Steamboat Willie", from going Public Domain a while back.
- member57, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I would assume it has the same meaning as "Locks only keep honest people honest." or "Take away honest citizens weapons and only criminals will have weapons." DRM is instantly circumvented the minute it comes out, so the real pirates, the ones that sell thousands of copies of a movie, album, software, etc., can well pirate the content and profit greatly without the artist getting compensation. The "profit pirates" are ruining it for everyone.
- aquafire, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Mickey Mouse is, and probably will be for a long time, a great example of the government giving a corporation the power to bend copyright law in their favor. It's a textbook case of why we have to fight back.
- avester, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1refering to #38
if anything RFID makes us less secure. so instead of people having to stesl a credit card or key all they have to do is get close enouph to scan the signal and then reproduce it. - gildude, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1All in all pretty good. A few of them are hard statements with no backup (or backup on NSFW sites - unfortunately links to boingboing.net get blocked here at work and show a page indicating inappropriate content). Dugg though.
- LiterateWolf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Amen. Constitution over profits.
- tehgooch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1No, the music companies are ruining it for everything. The "profit pirates" are just ruining it for the music companies.
- SenatorPenguin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If you are going to steal someone's SSN, or Credit Card #, there are many easier ways to do so. Any information worth stealing is still encrypted with the https protocol.
- gcube9x, on 10/12/2007, -8/+9That doesn't mean to shove it in other people's faces.
- member57, on 10/12/2007, -5/+5So, offering a better alternative than buggy, insecure software is "shoving it in people's faces"? I have microcrap shoved in my face everyday at work. So damn right I'm gonna offer up better software at a better price any chance I get. Don't like the Linux slant, then stop reading digg, /. or any other geek web site.
- WhyBother, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1This list gets pretty repetitive. Your could probably sum this all up in 10 points.
In fact, if you just take all the "Not all/Some Corporations/Democrats/Republicans are on your side" and "reward them/let them know what you think" Theses, then that's about 10 right there. My guess is he started out with a view valid points, then need to get up to 95 to make an article.
Also, as long as we're trying our hand at linguistic revisionism, I'd like to "take back" the word "Nixon" to mean "stand up guy; one who is surprisingly bright; one who is personally disagreeable, and slightly more conniving than probably appropriate, but in a totally forgivable manner due to his intelligence and strategical prowess". "Bush" can still mean "I did what last night?" - Scott2, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1No offense intended to the writers or diggers, heaven knows a good part of that list is true (not all, but a good part).
This falls under the category of "Be careful what you digg, because someone may find out later". - superzorn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Beautiful! Who's able to open the link?
- quietbob, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0...reminds of the words of M.Jackson..."heal the world, make it a better place"
- hobophobe, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1TOR is not this magic bullet that people keep claiming it is. There is one thing people seem to forget about it: the last hop is unencrypted. If someone runs a TOR server and a packet sniffer simultaneously, any connection in which they are the 'final hop' will be viewable by them. To wit:
[you]--[a]--[b]--[c]--[d]--[e]--[google.com] < e can see your traffic when you go to google in this example, provided that the protocol you are using is unencrypted. It could be any of the alphabet, since you don't know what the final hop will be.
So, using TOR is a questionable (draw your own conclusion here) tradeoff between trusting your ISP/Government and trusting a stranger running a TOR server. -
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