Seems like the argument is that the Semantic Web (or downcase) has merit but requires coded trust relationships between data providers to work. So, the problem

Seems like the argument is that the Semantic Web (or downcase) has merit but requires coded trust relationships between data providers to work. So, the problem is that intelligent people are busy working on things that rely on the problem already being solved--which it very much isn't. That's a cogent argument. So I've recently been dabbling in XFN and FOAF, which are like baby steps towards some kind of coded trust relationship and the problems there are: 1) they are insufficient for non-personal relationships, 2) the cost/benefit for personal users maintaining these coded relationships isn't there and 3) no one appears to be solving these problems at the moment because they don't really need to be solved right now. Architecture Astronauts?