The truth, they say, is out there - and readers of our January issue are mighty pissed that we seem to keep missing it. Take rapid detox for heroin addiction, a treatment that fast provoked fury. "We keep hearing of these miracle cures, and we'd love to think they are the answer," wrote one recovering addict, who like fellow travelers dissed us for allowing others to diss AA. Some found it "very disappointing" that we left out France's Millau bridge in our tour of cool spans, while others were incredulous - "C'mon, Wired, WTF" - that we didn't include Macworld in our Realtime calendar. Then there was the gal who rejected our portrayal of media-sharing software creator Bram Cohen as a "self-centered coward." (As if!) As a coconspirator wrote: "Piracy may currently be illegal, but I have no question that it is morally right." Sure. Tell that to the nice man at the Department of Justice.
Space Cowboy
What a nice surprise to see Richard Branson staring out from the January cover (issue 13.01). I have long admired the passion and adventure that seems to fill his life. I've worked in aerospace for 21 years, and though I'm not a rocket scientist, if Branson ever needs a dedicated, passionate employee, I know just the person for him.
Joni Schaper
Lancaster, California
In "Rocket Man," Spencer Reiss juxtaposed SpaceShipOne's feathering reentry feature with a space shuttle's, implying that Burt Rutan has solved a major problem with manned spaceflight. As Buzz Aldrin stated in the article, reentry of a suborbital vehicle and reentry of an orbiting vehicle differ dramatically: The shuttle is going several times faster than SpaceShipOne at reentry and has to dissipate orders-of-magnitude more energy.
I am also amazed that Reiss missed the parallels between Richard Branson's ideas with respect to babies born on the moon and issues raised by Robert A. Heinlein in his story "The Man Who Sold the Moon." Doesn't anybody read anymore?
Kevin Rodgers
Carlsbad, California
What happened to NASA's technological mastery of human spaceflight? The US manned space program lacks safety, leadership, and purpose. Human exploration of the moon, Mars, and beyond would restore national pride and bring purpose to our space program. If such visionaries as John F. Kennedy, Wernher von Braun, and Carl Sagan were alive today, we would probably be walking on Mars!
Rick Schreiner
San Marino, California
Isn't this Virgin Galactic/SpaceShipTwo business just some profitable research toward a future Virgin Pacific LA-Tokyo fractional-orbital service?
Patrick Middleton
Leigh-on-Sea, England
Sober Reality
In "Instant Detox" (issue 13.01), Clifford Bernstein says, "For 70 years, thanks to Alcoholics Anonymous, addicts have been told they're suffering from a spiritual problem. AA assumes that you can talk someone out of their addiction - which is ridiculous." Both statements are incorrect. AA tells people they're suffering from a disease, not a spiritual problem. Everyone in AA knows that you can't talk anybody out of their addiction - once they're an addict, they're always an addict.
In 69 years, Alcoholics Anonymous has failed to "cure" a single alcoholic. Bernstein's record is no better. I wish him well in fostering long-term sobriety and recovery, but bashing AA won't improve his success rate.
William W.
Valley Springs, California
As a psychiatric nurse who has cared for addicts for 17 years, I find Clifford Bernstein's claims wildly exaggerated and simplistic. Instant detox does not equal instant cure. Proponents of the Waismann method and the scientific "disease" concept of addiction often ignore the behavioral aspects of the addict. Detoxing, whether rapid or lengthy, is only part of the equation. Psychological cravings and relapse triggers continue long after the physiological withdrawals cease. Frequent and sustained follow-up after detoxification is crucial. Behavior modification, coping skills, stress management, counseling, group meetings, aftercare, and each addict's own uniquely personal will and motivation to succeed will ultimately determine whether or not they can sustain abstinence.
Robert Poole
Rome, Georgia
Behind in His Reading
You guys are a bunch of knuckleheads and don't have the sense God gave a zucchini. I don't know how you expect someone to get through your magazine in a month. It's too damn interesting. Why can't you be like other magazines and write one, maybe two good articles, with a lot of boring ads, so I can get through the whole thing in one visit to the porcelain library? It would be great if you could cut the size in half or dumb it down a little. It will keep me from having to explain why I spend so much time in the "library."
Mark T. Wellington
Chatham, New Jersey
A Creative Defense for Piracy
"The Shadow Internet" (issue 13.01) does not represent the intentions of topsite participants. Copyrights are harmful to society. We finally have the technology to share information. How could that not make the world a better place?
Piracy may currently be illegal, but I have no question in my mind that it is morally right. The RIAA and MPAA are the enemies of creativity, not its protectors.
Doug Jessell
Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas
Polls Aren't the Problem
In "Can Polling Be Fixed?" (Start, issue 13.01) Adam Rogers never considers the possibility that the exit polls were accurate. Most of the problems he highlights do not apply to exit polls. No matter what your opinion of the election result, why tolerate elections run by partisan individuals using proprietary software purchased from partisan companies with no verifiable record to examine? �Voting is about counting, not creativity. There should be no statistics, no weighing of samples, no adjusting, unless of course your goal is to ensure a specific outcome. Americans deserve a voting system at least as good as the Australians have, and it's up to us to demand it of our government.
Virginia Dato
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Cheap Shots
"And Luxury for All" (Infoporn, issue 13.01) was off track in stating that luxury has become more affordable. It ignores the fact that exclusivity and high prices largely define luxury products. Showing the average retail price compared to the Costco price misses the mark entirely; once an item is sold at Costco, it's no longer a luxury, but a mere commodity.
Some products have gotten less expensive because of changes in manufacturing and the declining value of the dollar against the euro.
Prices of products such as mink coats, world cruises, and aged Scottish whiskeys have declined mainly because of changes in consumer tastes.
__Marc S. Gordon
Phoenix, Arizona __
Vive la Difference!
Stewart Brand's review of Jared Diamond's book Collapse ("Will We Ever Learn?" Play, issue 13.01), was sufficiently intriguing that I intend to read the book even though I can tell I'm going to disagree with it.
I think Diamond is wrong to use Easter Island as a metaphor for modern civilization and our exploitation of Earth's resources. There is no resource - not even oil - that we couldn't do without if we had to. We can invent our way out of any shortage and find new resources to exploit. The rate of discovery today is unprecedented, which is why "lessons of history" like Easter Island don't apply.
Kelly Parks
San Diego, California
Undo
• Missed connection: TV2Me users connect to their own computers, not to the manufacturer's Web site, to stream video (Start, "Remote Controller," issue 13.01).
• Spellcheck: The name of writer Noah Shachtman was misspelled in "Are You Hot or Not?" (Start, issue 13.01).
• Yen again: The rental fee for the Chibi Vision backpack (Play, Street, issue 13.01) is about $30, not $300.
• Mash-up mix-up: Mark Vidler has not scored commercials for Audi (Play, Music, issue 13.01).
