Laura June posted this piece on Engadget recently and I'd like to bring it to everyone's attention.

It's pretty clear that I believe in an individual's choice to use the internet in a way that doesn't supply the entire world with their name, their home address, and their mobile phone number. Part of the incredible richness that exists on the internet is exactly because people can use it without full disclosure. Sure, there are people that would rather have a cleaner, more scripted and controlled user experience. There are others that revel when hints of anarchy color things less black and white as well.

(Copyright Jackrabbitscrewball.com)

This clear division of attitudes made itself clear to me just this weekend as I was browsing the comments on a post about malicious android apps (also on Engadget). If you disregard the chaff comments (which are exactly why people decry anonymity on the internet) it's clear that there are two camps: those that prefer a guided controlled experience (iTunes apps) and those that prefer the freedom of an unguided market and accept the inherent risks (Google's Android market). Those same two camps will vote identically when asked if they approve of the TSA security measures before boarding an airplane. Full body scanners? It's either "Sign me up, I love being safe!" or "No thanks, I'd rather keep a shred of privacy and decency than give it up for unproven potential increases in safety."

You'll never reconcile these two groups, no matter how you ask the same question. All we can ever hope for are useful real world compromises that make the first group feel safer and take the least away from the second. I'll be opening comments up on this thread. Maybe we'll get a few that aren't anon spam too!

--Jack

Engadget link 3/27/2011: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/07/editorial-facebook-single-identities-and-the-right-to-be-anon/

I don't watch much TV but I've been complaining for years about why TVs just don't put a CPU and a WiFi radio inside and get connected like everything else we own. Why should we have to buy some off brand connector box so we can play media from DVRs, flash drives, or the internet? Well someone finally did it. Surprise, surprise, it's Sony. It's cutting edge right now and will be boring next year but so what. Even the advertisement is genuinely entertaining. Check it out!

Sony Internet TV

--Jack

If you live in a major city you probably have broadband internet. Broadband internet is internet that works like this: you ask for some content and it is delivered. Dial-up internet is a little different - you ask for content then get coffee. When you return your content is there! According to some random statistics I found published on the internet, 55% of US households have broadband, while only 10% still use dial up. Broadband just isn't available everywhere but it is far better than it used to be years ago when you had to live in a major city to be able to get broadband speeds. 10 years ago I was still struggling with ISDN at 128kbps.

It came as a bit of a surprise to me that we are working on an interplanetary internet network when we have just only really entered the age of fast broadband here at home (on Earth, that is). My first thoughts were "Why do Martians need internet?" and "Did SETI actually find something they aren't telling us?" My second thought was "I know we are planning a moon colony, but surely there are easier ways to deliver fast access to internet porn?"

It turns out I had no idea why we need an interplanetary internet system. What NASA is trying to do is create a communications system they can use to carry data between the Earth and all of their various probes, rovers, orbiters, and spacecraft. Martians need not apply. What is even more interesting is that the system is all about communicating very very slowly, across huge distances. Packet speeds are such that a handshaking exchange between a Martian rover and Earth mission control takes 16 minutes! Dial-up users rejoice, at least your coffee is piping hot when your data gets there. At 16 minutes for a handshake, interplanetary porn isn't going to happen anytime soon.

You can find more information here at the IEEE Spectrum site