IP: second of two replies to an original note They don't need broadband -- let them eat ----

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Again read from end by message

------ Forwarded Message
From: Jock Gill <jock () jockgill com>
Date: Sat, 02 Mar 2002 18:40:25 -0500
To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: Re: also comment

Dave,

I beg to differ with the reader from Canada.

True, electricity is either on or off.  However, the difference between
broadband access to information - especially media rich information - is non
liner with respect to text only over copper phone lines - or even cell phone
access at 19.2

The important difference or ease of access, quality and quantity of media
choices is also critical.  I very much doubt our good friend from north of
the border would settle for being personally limited to what he can research
over telephone line when all of his competitors are researching all media
types at broadband speeds.  Ask him to risk his professional career for
several years by limiting himself to working only on a slow modem.  I doubt
very much he will take the bet.

As I wrote earlier:

 If, for example,  we take a class trip to the swamps to study swamp water,
we want all students to have at least access to the same quality
microscopes.  Not some limited to  broken coke bottles and others to simple
magnifying glasses and still others to the finest microscopes.

A good example is multidimensional data fusion in 3D as demonstrated by
Creve Maples of Sandia Labs some years ago.  People with Creve's system have
a distinct "unfair" competitive advantage in finding solutions to a number
of critical and complex information processing problems with direct
engineering applications in both civilian and military areas..

Is the good professor arguing that some should be limited in ways they can
participate and compete?  Is he arguing that we should all be content with
text based web pages and text email?  Would he be?

Regards,

Jock

At 01:54 PM 3/2/2002 -0500, you wrote:

> > Delivered-To: dfarber () fast net
> > Delivered-To: CLUSTERHOST newmx2.fast.net dfarber () fast net
> > From: "Kedrosky, Paul" <paul.kedrosky () commerce ubc ca>
> > To: "'farber () cis upenn edu'" <farber () cis upenn edu>
> > Subject: Errant syllogism (was RE: utterly misses the point  more onThey d
> >         on't needbroadband -- let them eat ----)
> > Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2002 10:01:11 -0800
> > X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2655.55)
> >
> >  Dave --
> >
> > Jock Gill is promoting an errant syllogism. Ubiquitous broadband is not
> > analogous to rural electrification, however seductive the analogy might be.
> >
> > He argues that in an "information driven society, equitable access
> > information, power, is part of the level playing field that our Democracy is
> > supposed to be about". Fair enough, as far as it goes -- but that's not very
> > far. 
> >
> > Because information access is a continuum -- you can have varying amounts of
> > information, even varying quality -- while rural electrification was binary
> > -- either you had electricity on your farm, or you didn't. In the former
> > case it arguably made sense for the state to intervene given how slow the
> > private sector was in providing an essential good -- electricity.
> >
> > But you can't reasonably make the same argument for broadband or the digital
> > divide. As Hiawatha Bray points out, broadband is no panacea, and many
> > choose willingly not to have it. And anyone who wants Internet access and
> > has a phone can get on today. Needless to say, none of this takes anything
> > away from the availability of all sorts of other information sources, from
> > newspapers to network news.
> >
> > The rural electrification syllogism is a canard.
> >
> > -------------------------
> > Paul Kedrosky
> > Faculty of Commerce
> > University of British Columbia
> > paul.kedrosky () ubc ca
> Jock Gill < jock () jockgill com >
> <www.jockgill.com <http://www.jockgill.com/> >
> Interactive Digital Studies
>
> ------ End of Forwarded Message