Hello All!

From the back cover of:

The Tangled Web We Weave: Inside The Shadow System That Shapes
the Internet | Hardcover

We all see what the internet does and increasingly don't like
it, but do we know how and more importantly who makes it work
that way? That's where the real power lays...

The internet was supposed to be a thing of revolutions. As that
dream curdles, there is no shortage of villains to blame--from
tech giants to Russian bot farms. But what if the problem is
not an issue of bad actors ruining a good thing? What if the
hazards of the internet are built into the system itself?

That's what journalist James Ball argues as he takes us to the
root of the problem, from the very establishment of the
internet's earliest protocols to the cables that wire it
together. He shows us how the seemingly abstract and pervasive
phenomenon is built on a very real set of materials and rules
that are owned, financed, designed and regulated by very real
people.

In this urgent and necessary book, Ball reveals that the
internet is not a neutral force but a massive infrastructure
that reflects the society that created it. And making it work
for--and not against--us must be an endeavor of the people as
well.

The Tangled Web We Weave: Inside The Shadow System That Shapes
the Internet | Hardcover
James Ball
Melville House | Melville
House Computers / Internet / Political Science / Public Policy
- Science & Technology Policy / Law / Computer & Internet
Published Oct 6, 2020 $27.99 US / $35.99 CA
272 pages | 6.20" x 9.29"

https://www.edelweiss.plus/?sku=1612198996
Excerpt - CLICK TO READ available

Comparable Titles
[1] The Dark Net
Bartlett, Jamie
Melville House - Trade Paperback, Law
5/10/2016
$17.95 USD

[2] Tubes
Blum, Andrew
Ecco - Hardcover, Computers
5/29/2012
$26.99 USD

[3] Networks of New York
BURRINGTON INGRID
Melville House - Hardcover, Technology & Engineering
8/30/2016
$19.99 USD

[4] The Soul of A New Machine
Kidder, Tracy
Back Bay Books - Paperback, Computers
6/1/2000
$16.99 USD

AVAILABLE were all fine books are sold.
--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.49
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Hello August;

August Abolins wrote to All <=-

Hello All!

From the back cover of:

The Tangled Web We Weave: Inside The Shadow System That Shapes
the Internet | Hardcover

[snip]

In this urgent and necessary book, Ball reveals that the
internet is not a neutral force but a massive infrastructure
that reflects the society that created it. And making it work
for--and not against--us must be an endeavor of the people as
well.

I was quoted ions ago by Amsat as saying that the internet is becoming
the 11-meters of communications. When you consider the human trafficing,
money grubbing leeches such as Bezos, and the hate mongers such as
ZuckerFace I couldn't have been more spot on. All evil! Why they don't get
shut down for their poor online practices and biases is beyond me. I'm sure
a seizure of assets would help many countries battle their deficit issues :)

The idea was to build a global network to -share- (not become a billionare!) data amongst computers, and to open a means to send mails to those in which
it might be too costly to make telephone calls with.

Today it glorifies teens committing murder, people of color causing harm to others and justifying it's OK to do such, demeaning others for the sake of self/group satisfaction... while those on the sidelines get their pockets greased selling YOUR private information to others at a high price. If this doesn't raise a red flag I don't know what will.

We need to all just stop such glorifying of false "gods" and all learn to live and respect one another :)

-Brian

... What is mind? No matter! What is matter? Never mind! - Homer S.
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Re: the tangled web we weave
By: Brian Rogers to August Abolins on Wed May 12 2021 11:07 am

We need to all just stop such glorifying of false "gods"
and all learn to live [with] and respect one another :)

There *are* no Others. My sysop types all this in.

Heinlein wrote 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' .. I wish
I would find the time to re-read it; the vague recollection
I have of it, suggests 'he anticipated some of this'.

The Internet was a few disparate things before The Money
got wind of it, and began reshaping what it meant (not
what it 'was' since that didn't change enough to quite
matter).

We all know what this is: it's the untrained (and largely)
uninterested .. consumer. That's the target. That's the
demographic of interest. /USA_centric_POV_dotcom

I think Heinlein's basic suggestion was: People of (let's
just shorten this to) 'intensive thought and discussion'
will be found to resort to a 'piggyback' method of making
use of infrastructure, for (so-called) 'betterment'
purposes.

That, I think, is what he was trying to say. Again, it's
been decades since I read the book.
--- SBBSecho 3.11-Linux
* Origin: SBBS - Carnage! Hartford, Ct (1:142/103)

Coopski;

Chris H wrote to Brian Rogers <=-

There *are* no Others. My sysop types all this in.

Not your BBS sysop I hope! <G>

The Internet was a few disparate things before The Money
got wind of it, and began reshaping what it meant (not
what it 'was' since that didn't change enough to quite
matter).

Money is a part of it. You also have to consider power and empowerment.
Power - crackers installing ransomware and taking over a good chunk of
the USA's petroleum feed. Yes they got paid but think of the power they
had and over how many MILLIONS of people in the interim were people were
doing idiotic things like hauling little plastic gas cans that ended up exploding in their vehicles! AAA always suggest doing that. AAA Funeral
Home that is :)

Empowerment - all these groups that use it for fake news spews (nice rhyme eh?) Now we have certain types of people who have an open door policy to commit crimes and no punishments (jail etc) will be handed down for them. If Lizzy Bordon was alive today imagine her trial?
Liz: "Your honor I'm a member of the XYZ community and if you sentence me
for any sort of murder you will be doing a disservice to our group!" Judge: *facepalm* you're free to commit more murders this time sharpen your
blade with this device first it'll make it more effective"

;-) Ok so that was a bit extreme for humor sake... but you get my "just"
jist <G>

We all know what this is: it's the untrained (and largely)
uninterested .. consumer. That's the target. That's the
demographic of interest. /USA_centric_POV_dotcom

The consumer is always the target - or victim in most true cases. This is why people need to research things more before stepping into the quicksand of life. Unfortunately they only get a helping hand when it benefits the political group that's extending said appendage.

I think Heinlein's basic suggestion was: People of (let's
just shorten this to) 'intensive thought and discussion'
will be found to resort to a 'piggyback' method of making
use of infrastructure, for (so-called) 'betterment'
purposes.

I can't see that though in the realm of packet radio. Case in point:
I received a message I refuse to answer from a guy in Pennsylvania.
He could easily send it to me 100% on RF but he sent it to me from Pennsylvania, on a brand new virtual server he's renting in Florida
that gates through Europe all on the internet. I wasn't aware we as hams studied and took tests so that we can use the internet. IMHO it's very conter-productive... but what do I know.


... Blood is too precious a commodity.-Bram Stoker's Dracula
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* Origin: SBBS - Carnage! Hartford, Ct (1:142/103)