Seven Generational Ruminations

The Cult of the Amateur: How today's Internet is killing our culture author: Andrew Keen asin: 0385520808

Charles Cooper is offering a review and/or perspective on a recent book, The Cult of the Amateur: How today's Internet is killing our culture. As one of the amateurs he's talking about this makes for some interesting reading. The book in question is by Andrew Keen who Mr. Cooper describes as a "gloomy elitist" and with this book is trying to "rattle the cage" of the "geekerati" of Silicon Valley.

FBI taps cell phone mic as eavesdropping tool discusses a federal court case that has scary implications. In a recent court case it was disclosed the FBI has developed a new form of eavesdropping: remotely activating a mobile phone's microphone and using it to eavesdrop on nearby conversations. Further the eavesdropping works even if the phone is turned off, because some phones do not turn fully off unless you remove the battery.

America's robot army covers the growing number of robotic equipment being deployed or developed for use by the American Military.

The scenario being developed is where Robots replace infrantry troops, where networked surveillance equipment is able to track everything moving in whole cities, etc. Rather than place flesh and blood troops at risk, it will be the machines instead.

Okay, did Luann here get the idea? At tvturnoff.org they're suggesting we can "take control of technology" so that technology doesn't control us. They suggest doing this by excising TV from our life for a week.

I grew up watching television, just like all the kids around me. It was the 60's, and the shift from black and white to color television was just beginning. Yes, there were color televisions available, but they were more expensive so we didn't get one until pretty late in the 60's. And, yes, the installation of the color TV involved a lot of guys fiddling with technology and it might have coincided with the Super Bowl.

There's a growing wave of what they call "teledildonics", which is a $20 word for remote control sex toys. These are gizmos that "manipulate the genitals" under computer control, providing sexual experiences mediated by computer software running over the Internet.

It's a truism that any new technology is often first used to facilitate sexual encounters. So here we go.

I just listened to an National Public Radio piece that presents one mans concept of utopia. Namely, individuals or small scale organizations working on small scale work projects.

Who was it that sang "I can't drive 55"? A Meditation On the Speed Limit is a project launched by a group of college students who wanted to prove 55 is a ridiculous speed limit.

In September 2005 a pair of hurricanes hit New Orleans and the surrounding land. As a result much of New Orleans has effectively been destroyed. The government response to help the people of New Orleans and the surrounding land has been egregiously bad.

This is an issue I've been tracking, namely how well do the VOIP providers provide emergency dialing service. The VOIP providers want to replace the normal telephone companies, so the VOIP providers had better be able to provide all those services. But as I've noted in previous postings, some of the VOIP providers are dragging their feet.