Re: Problems with anonymous escrow 2--response

[blancw@pylon.com]

Responding to msg by solman@MIT.EDU

The skills of an entity  without any reputation capital are 
absolutely worthless. But usually an anonymous entity will come 
around brandishing all sorts of certifications (reputation 
capital).
..........................................................

Well, I was thinking that certifications & reputations wouldn't 
mean all that much to me, nor either knowing or being 
unfamiliar with someone's identity (or pseudonymity).  I would 
be more convinced with a demo.  Something which could 
demostrate facility or ability would be more valuable to me 
than a second-hand proof.  I realize some professions cannot 
provide such demonstrations, but I myself would rather have a 
way of making decisions based on the excercise of first-hand 
judgement whenever possible. 

This anonymity/identity and certification/reputation business 
looks to me like trying to have one's cake and eat it, too, as 
the expression goes.  A featureless landscape with remote 
associations to actual substance so as to both please the 
aloof-ers & appease the uncertain.  It's a bit odd, because for 
every method which is found by which to hide, another method is 
found by which to reveal what was heretofore undetectable in 
Nature.   While scientists push back the envelope & reveal what 
was previously 'invisible' to our eyes, others work to effect 
stealth techniques against the tools of Consciousness.  Kind of 
strange, though interesting.

Blanc