Re: Liberating the Bits

[Tim May <tcmay@got.net>]

BigNuts wrote: 
> > On Tue, 1 Jul 1997, Tim May wrote:
> >
> > > Technology liberates the bits.
>
>   Tim gave excellent information on how one can go about using
> technology to enjoy the fruits of other people's labour without
> contributing toward the survival of those producing the things
> he enjoys.

  Anything that isn't nailed down, is mine.
  Anything that I can pry loose, isn't nailed down.

>   When I originally came up with the concept of BlackNet and
> anonymous remailers, I foresaw that my invention of Public Key
> Cryptography might help make it possible for ordinary people to reap
> the benefits of other peoples' ideas and hard work, without doing
> anything to contribute toward the survival of creative, productive
> people.

  Big deal. I was the first one to write about fire and the wheel
but you don't see me constantly reminding people about it.

>   I can understand that Tim May wants to hang on to the mountain of
> cash that was made possible by his company's software copyrights,
> but I am surprised that he seems so boastful about denying others
> any compensation for their ideas, talent, and labour.

  Hey! I got mine and I'm keeping it!
  Just because a bunch of gullible people believed my company's claim
that we owned the results of our creative ideas doesn't mean that I
have to be a sucker, too.

  People have no more right to deny others the free use of their
creative ideas than they do to deny others the free use of their
identities.
  Technology allows me to use other people's idea capital and their
reputation capital without compensating them and any attempt to deny
me my right to do so is an infringement on my freedom.

  Everything in the world is up for grabs and those who have the most
firepower get to take the goodies home. I have the latest in guns
and digital technology, so I can get and keep a lot of goodies.
  {BTW, if you grab all of the candy bags from all of the children
out Halloweening it doesn't matter if they don't come back next
year because there will always be new suckers to take their place.}

Theres something wrong when I'm a forger under an increasing number of
laws.
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | identity anarchy: encryption, digital
money,
tcmay@got.net  408-728-0152 | anonymous identity, digital identities,
zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | identity, reputations, identity markets,
Higher Power: 2^1398269     | black eyes, collapse of identity.
"Personal Identity isn't even a speed bump on the reputation capital
highway."