Hyperlinking – A U.S Federal judge held that “hyperlinking does not in itself involve a violation of the Copyright Act.”
salon.com | April 6, 2000 Damien Cave Salon contributing writer
Over time, as I integrated more and more applications and networking services/capabilities into the local network, it become quite apparent that all this Inter-Web connectivity had resulted in my LAN becoming a tiny part of the internet.
I try not to get ‘too’ technical with my wife when The Internet stops working (system update, maintenance, reboot, crash, etc). Years of working with non-techies taught me how to simplify the information for rapid consumption.
Currently, the internet, or the Web can be seen to represent a wide open forum for those seeking to address issues that may have pertinence or relevance to individuals and social groups that can be situated along any point of the social or political spectrum. Perception, it appears, is everything (to everyone, if not most).
The explosive growth of the World Wide Web is, in some respects, closely aligned to the period of widespread high-speed access to cable television or satellite t.v channels via Broadband network infrastructure investments and technological achievements. In the end, it boils down to one essential component: global communication at your fingertips, commercial vested-interests aside.
Continued growth of the internet (WWW), as consensus continues to develop, is analogous to the advent of the Guttenberg printing press in the 15th century (1436) by Johann Gutenberg.
The invention of moveable-type and the lithographic printing press represent major developments in writing, recording and distribution of cultural literature. The widespread adoption and uses contributed to the eventual decline, not demise, of the Oral Traditions and/or method of recording and disseminating information across all succeeding societies and cultures.
Terms and concepts such as Mass Media, Mass Communication, Mass Production or Mass Consumption have become entrenched in the consciousness and lexicons of 21st century citizens. Yet, very few spare much thought to the fact that at a no-so-distant point in human history such ideas and notions would have involved or encompassed, at most, a few hundred thousand individuals out of millions.
In addition, then existing written records were possible largely through the time-consuming and tedious process of handwriting or transcribing everything that was considered culturally important or significant. And, perhaps in all those instances, those who were engaged in or had dedicated themselves to such tasks (monks, for example), represented an even smaller group of individuals who were capable of performing the enormous tasks of importing and translating oral sources of information; and then, painstakingly, transcribing these into written (archival) records.
Duplications of completed works for ‘mass distribution’, when circulated, would have been among an even smaller readership that consisted of royalty, religious leaders, nobility, aristocrats – the ‘educated’ intellectuals. Not coincidentally but, rather, consequentially, the scope of the readership of handcrafted prints represent, in some aspects, the interests of the political power-bases of the times.
Speculating, it can be suggested that within any social and political structure that’s dependent upon the delivery and validity of information that it is, first filtered through the lens of one particular person or group of ‘advisors’. This may then lead to another segment that disseminate among members of the political leadership or elites who will, with time, influence the balance of power with those tasked with the gathering and disseminating of information. Intelligence gathering, has a familiar ring to the practice.
It’s not, mere, coincidence that communists, stalinists, maoists, theocrats and every other form of tyrants or dictators always seek to control the forms and means of public communication as they seek to secure their rule or seat of power.
This is not to infer that this does not apply to democracies, as well – State Secret Acts, for example, are the balms that soothe the masses. Even when there is a sense or recognition of the maxim – The Pen’s Mightier Than The Sword. None-the-less, having control over the source and the means of public communication serves to disadvantage the opposition; and becomes another means of solidifying individual and political power. A strategy that has been in use since the biblical Moses climbed down from the mount and laid the Law down on the People.
Social revolutions may (at times) begin at the grassroots of the social spectrum but it takes someone with a comprehensive understanding of the existing power structure to galvanise, radicalise the social discontent that culminates in fundamental political upheavals, revolutions and evolution. I must add here – Trump is more an exception to the rule, in my opinion.
There’s never been any social model in which the governors or rulers are so perfectly happy, satisfied or secure in their position that any simmering disaffection of the ruled can be dismissed or ignored as being of little or no consequence to the stability or sustainability of society’s existing social or political systems.
It’s often said that men are social and political animals. Assuming that this is correct, then all social groupings and associations are political activities where-in the primary objective of the process or method employed is aimed at obtaining or maintaining support for a public opinion or common action.
While utopia’s an intellectual pipedream, an academic exercise, democracy is a dog’s breakfast of ideas and opinions, it appears to be better suited for the free circulation of ideas and opinions in the social and public spheres of civil society.
Communism or socialism, as ideologies (in comparison) seem to be, at best, half-baked ideas from which tyrannies or dictatorships germinate. They both provide the masses with very limited options. As such, the broad acceptance such States (social models) is often found lacking among those who are oppressed by the ideologues. The difference between the realistic and the practical sides of Life.
If, at this point, it has not dawned on you that up to this point all I have done is highlighted/hyperlinked selective parts of the public posts and pages to help drive a narrative about how I’ve spent a few years, reading, archiving, cataloging, indexing, cross-indexing thousands of documents on numerous subject matters. Why? Just because it can be done with time, effort and expertise and patience.
More than that, however, I’ve always gravitated toward collecting and cataloging; and so a habit that became a hobby has resulted with this mixed collection of documents being shared on the World Wide Web.
I must note here, an irony. I’m often told that I’m a man of few words (word to the wise). However, when I write I allow the muses to exercise some control. I strongly dislike small-talk or filling the silence with random sounds to fill up the surrounding silence. In fact, it’s quite easy, but not always, to avoid such situations by being quite selective with those with whom you congregate or associate. It’s the birds of a feather flock together mentality or approach. I’m a geek; and I’m quite observant of my surroundings. I’m a people/crowd-watcher. Social interactions, group dynamics, and such, interests me.
Taking myself out of that perspective, when I write I tend to preface, parenthesise, bracket and use general punctuation marks – think the air-quote unquote ” as an example ” … ” . It’s a tendency I have when I speak as well. Not a style for socialising small talk events. Which then means, not wanting to be bored by others leads you to seek out those who may be on the same wave-length or plane of consciousness.
I look for the eyes rolling back into the sockets to judge when to switch tack or tracks. And I don’t gesticulate, much, to keep attentions for long.
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