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> "Nearly 20 years ago I was attacked on forums for suggesting such threats were even a possibility. What surprised me was the vehemence of the attack - that is

> "Nearly 20 years ago I was attacked on forums for suggesting such threats were even a possibility. What surprised me was the vehemence of the attack - that is I had a damn hide and temerity to even suggest the notion was possible." Welcome to the club… I been ridiculed my entire life for warnings and suggestions that decades later have all played out exactly as predicted. I've long since given up on humanity. We're just another doomed species that hasn't realized it yet.

29083011397778 4y ago
My favourite part of this is watching what RMS has to say, watching it come to pass, and, finally, watching others dismiss his newer concerns. People may not like him as a person, and that's neither here nor there. What's depressing is the continued sleepwalking (by society at large, and geeky sub-groups in particular) into a dystopian future where the OEM has all the power.
- hilbert42 4y ago
  "What's depressing is the continued sleepwalking (by society at large, and geeky sub-groups in particular)..." RMS isn't the most lovable person around but he's pretty much always been factual and on message. Why people - especially those 'in the know' - cannot separate their dislike of a person from his/her message is something that I don't quite understand. Discarding a message on the grounds of disliking the messenger is illogical and it makes me wince whenever I see it in those who ought to know better. The truly worrying and troubling aspect of this is that I've never considered myself the most level headed or logical person in the world (the volume control on my amygdala is broken and I often can't turn its 'noise' down). So when I see techies behaving more illogically than me I have grave concerns for the world. I experience cognitive dissonance regularly (it's difficult not to in this day and age), however I'm not only aware of the fact but also I'm continually fighting and reasoning with the conundrums it raises. Again, it's somewhat of a mystery to me why many of those who are of a technical and logical bent aren't similarly conflicted. You're right, it's very depressing when many of the intelligentsia are asleep at the wheel and or refuse responsibly. The consequences are that it's not only the OEMs we have to worry about but also those authoritarians who'll take charge in the intelligentsia's absence. Without ongoing logical and reasoned debate a dystopian future is almost certainly assured.
hilbert42 4y ago
"I've long since given up on humanity." I must admit the strange and seemingly irrational behavior of many—and that includes some governments—during the COVID pandemic has radically altered my perception of humanity. My views are now much less sanguine and much more angst-ridden. Moreover, humanity now seems more hyped and irrational than it once was. During the Cold War MAD by some 'miracle' kept the world safe, if exactly the same situation prevailed today I much doubt that it would. The reasons? ...Well that's for another time.

29083011397778 4y ago

My favourite part of this is watching what RMS has to say, watching it come to pass, and, finally, watching others dismiss his newer concerns. People may not like him as a person, and that's neither here nor there. What's depressing is the continued sleepwalking (by society at large, and geeky sub-groups in particular) into a dystopian future where the OEM has all the power.

hilbert42 4y ago
"What's depressing is the continued sleepwalking (by society at large, and geeky sub-groups in particular)..." RMS isn't the most lovable person around but he's pretty much always been factual and on message. Why people - especially those 'in the know' - cannot separate their dislike of a person from his/her message is something that I don't quite understand. Discarding a message on the grounds of disliking the messenger is illogical and it makes me wince whenever I see it in those who ought to know better. The truly worrying and troubling aspect of this is that I've never considered myself the most level headed or logical person in the world (the volume control on my amygdala is broken and I often can't turn its 'noise' down). So when I see techies behaving more illogically than me I have grave concerns for the world. I experience cognitive dissonance regularly (it's difficult not to in this day and age), however I'm not only aware of the fact but also I'm continually fighting and reasoning with the conundrums it raises. Again, it's somewhat of a mystery to me why many of those who are of a technical and logical bent aren't similarly conflicted. You're right, it's very depressing when many of the intelligentsia are asleep at the wheel and or refuse responsibly. The consequences are that it's not only the OEMs we have to worry about but also those authoritarians who'll take charge in the intelligentsia's absence. Without ongoing logical and reasoned debate a dystopian future is almost certainly assured.

hilbert42 4y ago

"I've long since given up on humanity." I must admit the strange and seemingly irrational behavior of many—and that includes some governments—during the COVID pandemic has radically altered my perception of humanity. My views are now much less sanguine and much more angst-ridden. Moreover, humanity now seems more hyped and irrational than it once was. During the Cold War MAD by some 'miracle' kept the world safe, if exactly the same situation prevailed today I much doubt that it would. The reasons? ...Well that's for another time.