24 hours of Democracy

[printing@explicit.com (William Knowles)]

Found this in my mail this morning.

-William Knowles
  printing@explicit.com

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Amusing Rants from Dave Winer's Desktop
Released on 2/12/96; 5:59:40 AM PST
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  ***Good Morning!

  Here's an idea that I'm floating.

  Check it out.

  What do you think?

  Can you help?

  Thanks!

  ***The net has been redefined

  On 2/8/96 cyberspace was redefined by the US government.

  If you doubt me, visit <http://www.whitehouse.gov/>. Click on the
  calendar icon next to What's New. Check out their coverage of the
  Telecom Act, their celebration of 24 Hours in Cyberspace. I think
  this trip should be required reading for every freedom-loving
  webmaster, webwriter and web user.

  The first huge blast of cyberpsace puffery and a historic rejection
  of the US Constitution, on the same day.

  A coincidence? An accident of history? Hmmmm.

  I was educated as a mathematician and then as an engineer.

  I've spent 20+ years debugging software.

  I've learned that when I want to really understand what's going on,
  don't look to an Act of God as the explanation, when it's more likely
  just an error in logic.

  The truth: the media people have learned how to use the net and to
  combine it with TV, radio and print media.

  They're transferring the power structures in their world to the web
  world.

  If we want real change, now is the time to make an investment in
  democracy on the Internet.

  Every voice can be heard. Our ideas speak for us. We can persuade,
  cajole, taunt, seduce, use logic, examine all aspects of a problem,
  learn, be angry, be scared, and then find the most eloquent
  statement, the one that resonates deepest within all of us.

  And then we march.

  It's an exciting time to be a webwriter!

  I get to write about the biggest issue of them all -- freedom.

  And, please read on -- you do too.

  ***It's our turn

  Another truth: the media people liked the blackout campaign. It
  worked. The day after 24 Hours in Cyberspace, the big news on TV was the
  blackout. It demos well. It was an appropriate protest. Good job!

  Now, let's go the next step.

  Here's my proposal.

  Wednesday.

  Start time: 12:01AM, Pacific, 2/14/96.

  End time: 11:59PM, Pacific, 2/14/96.

  24 Hours of Democracy.

  They defined cyberspace.

  We define democracy.

  ***Write an essay

  What does freedom mean to you?

  What does democracy mean to you?

  What are your hopes and dreams for the Internet?

  Have you ever experienced grace or nobility on the net?

  Do you have children? Are you a child? What do you think?

  How does the Internet help make things right?

  Be angry! That's cool. And be respectful. It's Valentine's Day!

  Write a love letter to the Internet.

  ***How it works

  Spend a couple of days writing your essay.

  Talk about it with your friends. Share ideas. Listen.

  When you're ready, post your essay to the web. If you don't have a
  website, check out the Sponsors page at the 24 Hours website. I'm
  enlisting the help of service providers. We may have an easy way for
  people who don't have sites to get their essays posted to the web.

  Shortly after the start time I'll mail a DaveNet piece telling you
  where to send the URL for your page.

  The styling of the page is entirely up to you. There's a Template page
  on the 24 Hours site, the URL is at the bottom of this email. I suggest
  using a white background for easy reading, and to contrast the black
  backgrounds of last week. Use animated GIFs. RealAudio. Java
  applets. Shockwave parts. JavaScript banners. Near the bottom of
  the page, put some keywords about yourself, where you are
  geographically, your email address. Web crawlers will be able to
  extract this information and index it. Follow the example in the
  template if possible.

  At the top of your page, create three links, Next, Prev and Index.
  After the 24 Hours database is compiled, a few days after the end time,
  we'll send you a mail message containing the addresses to fill into
  each of these pointers. Next and Prev will point to essays written by
  other 24 Hours participants. The Index link will point to a home page
  for the whole project.

  Essays will not be judged or reviewed. You own your own words, and are
  responsible for what you write.

  ***Who can help

  Moms & Dads: Ask your kids how they feel about the Internet. Have they
  made new friends? What have they learned? Did the Internet ever scare
  them? Make some quiet time. Listen.

  Teachers: This would make a great homework assignment for your
  students.

  Webmasters: You have to seduce people into caring about this stuff.
  Convey your excitement to people you work with. It's not just about
  pornography, it's about freedom. Point them to "Netscape"'s home
  page. Ask them to read your essay. Create a page of pointers to their
  essays.

  Computer users: Be a visionary! What kind of software would you like
  to see coming from the software industry over the next few years?

  Graphic artists: We need colorful schemes, a simple message, low
  bandwidth art with commercial appeal.

  Celebrities, political leaders: Do you have something to say?

  Editorial organizations: Can you review essays and choose the most
  compelling ones or the most interesting ones?

  Online companies: We need mail, web and database servers; search
  engines. Can you make it easier for your users to get a single page up on
  your server? Can you assist them in registering their pages on
  Wednesday? Can you give them a discount, or provide free storage for
  their essays? Bandwidth, support and free service to participants
  is what counts.

  Everyone: Have fun! That's what this is about. Be creative. As soon as
  it stops being fun we stop growing, and that's the end. Be positive!

  ***Only 42 hours left

  That's about it.

  I've committed the next few weeks to making this happen.

  I want to work with people, where possible, but by design it's a very
  distributed Internet sort of thing.

  I plan to write my own 24 Hours essay, and have lots of ideas for the
  sponsors.

  There are only 42 hours till the essays start rolling in.

  Let's have fun!

  Dave Winer

  PS: People have said there's not enough time. I think there is. I've
  been getting lots of long emails from people in response to the
  DaveNet pieces I've been running. We'll get something done on
  2/14/96 and then if it works, we'll do it again in a few weeks.

  PPS: Please watch <http://www.hotwired.com/userland/24/> for
  project and sponsorship news and other information.

  PPPS: Remember, if you want to participate the legal system, it's
  *very* important that if you're old enough, that you vote. Think
  about who you can support. 1996 is an election year in the US. Be part of
  the system. If you're a voter, please vote!

  PPPPS: Please pass this essay on! The 24 Hours project is worldwide.
  It's open to everyone, of all nationalities.

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It's your turn to speak: <http://www.hotwired.com/userland/24/>