Rants & Raves
For Whom the Bell Tolls
I cannot think of a technological innovation I would like to see succeed less than Larry Roberts' superswitch, as described by Josh McHugh ("The n -Dimensional Superswitch," Wired 9.05, page 88). While it's a brilliant concept, the frightening implication is that this technology will shift control of the Internet to the telcos, as if the Bells have suddenly become the solution and not the problem. The counterpoint Frank Rose provides in the same issue ("Telechasm," page 128) couldn't be more prophetic.
Phone companies are now more deleterious to the future of the Internet, with their access-rationing, than they were at the outset, with their analog mind-set. Regarding Apeiro's "prioritized packets," what could be more to the telcos' advantage than the "differentiated services at a range of prices" McHugh mentions in his article? Differential pricing allows the monopoly to extract the most revenue from every economic level, sometimes even denying access: hardly the egalitarian concept promised by the Net. Consider the potential for governmental control and abuse around the globe.
It is my contention that the monopolization displayed by both the telcos and the imbedded communication bureaucracy in thwarting last-mile deployment of fiber, RF, and cable is the proximate cause of the present economic downturn - it isn't the Federal Reserve, as others would believe.
Alternatively, think of the reliability of a redundant network extended along the last mile. Let the weekend do-it-yourselfer rent his Ditch Witch and lay fiber-optic cable, at $1 a foot, to two or three of his neighbors. Neither government nor telcos could charge for traffic over this network: Fiber would be as free as the air.
Redundancy breeds reliability. Fiber breeds bandwidth. Light breeds speed. Let's put a petabyte on our server and cut down telephone poles as a constructive form of civil disobedience. I'm ready with my Ditch Witch.
Clancy Hughes
clancy@hughesair.com
Frank Rose's "Telechasm" is the best piece I have ever read about telcos. I retired from AT&T/Lucent in 1985 after 30 years of service, and I found it refreshing to see a knowledgeable writer take on this industry.
Edward Foss
edfoss@home.com
The only thing keeping regional Bell operating companies from building the next-generation network can be summed up in two words: government regulation.
Brian D. Williams
talon57@well.com
A Meter Violation
I enjoyed "The Future Will Be Fast But Not Free" (Wired 9.05, page 120), but felt it was intended to incite readers' anger over an unfounded threat, like the emails some years back that claimed the government was going to start charging for each email transaction.
The concept of paying for bandwidth on a metered basis is ridiculous. If we all had to think about the money we were spending every time we logged on, the Net would come to a screeching halt for most of us. After all, Web shopping offers little more than convenience and better selection.
It's common knowledge, however, that the business model on which free ISPs based themselves is inherently flawed - as is the idea of banner ads as reliable revenue. Most sensible people never expected free Internet service to be anything more than it was: a big, slow advertisement you have to look around. I might accept a free TV set with built-in 24-hour commercials, but I sure as hell wouldn't want it to be my only one.
Warren Grubb
wgrubb@atl.mediaone.net
Bre'r Robinett
Thanks for the Warren Robinett flashback in Mike Dolan's "Behind the Screens" (Wired 9.05, page 142). Finding the Robinett room hidden in the Adventure game cartridge was every 11-year-old Atari addict's holy grail in the early '80s. Back then, any serious videogame junkie had Robinett's name on the tip of their tongue. I appreciate being reminded from whence we came.
Scott Robbins
w4pa@yahoo.com
Seeing Red
The question on the minds of game geeks everywhere isn't about what's under the Xbox's hood, but whether the games will suck ("The Xbox," Wired 9.05, page 138). Without killer apps, nothing else matters. But if the games are good, we freaks will follow.
That said, I loved the "Game On!" package (page 136) - great stuff all around. It's about time Wired stopped treating games like technology's redheaded stepchild.
Dan Amrich
damrich@gamepro.com
Wanna Hold Your Hand
The item on mobile computing titled "Porno for Pockets" (Must Read, Wired 9.05, page 76) warns: "If you look at this stuff for long, you really will go blind," but it failed to say whether we'll grow hair on our Palms. Please advise.
Scott Bell
novascott@home.com
Peeling Out
At first, I was enamored with Tara McHugh's edible baggies (Electric Word, Wired 9.05, page 54). Then the other half of my brain kicked in. If these baggies are themselves edible, won't they also require wrapping before I toss them on the rack in my fridge (possibly with something like "real" plastic)? Also, haven't Fruit Roll-Ups already been invented? Patent pending? Good luck!
Marc Stewart
mstewart35@juno.com
Fine Wine
Dave Winer ("Almost Famous," Wired 9.05, page 100) often seems to be a voice in the wilderness, screaming that the emperor is dressed too well or not at all. He can be infuriating, insightful, and an inspiration to those who share his belief in the Web as a mighty engine of change that will not only alter how we speak, but perhaps how we think. Dave spent a lot of time with me when I first got webbed feet, and his let-it-all-hang-out style is worth paying attention to.
Jamis MacNiven
jamis@buckswoodside.com
Undo
True Blue: The BlueArc Si7500 Storage System holds 7 terabytes and costs $800,000 (Fetish, Wired 9.06, page 70). ... Replay: Some consumer DVD players will not play back recordable discs (Must Read, Wired 9.05, page 70).
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