[PLUG-TALK] a superset of censorship

[glen e. p. ropella]

Thus spake Keith Lofstrom circa 01/03/2009 01:48 AM:
> It isn't about pure - a not very useful category to think about.  It is
> about whether you give more than you take, and whether you are striving
> to be more of a giver or a taker (the first derivative).

OK.  I buy that.  I admit to getting a(n) (emotive) sense of whether a
person is mostly a giver or mostly a taker.  And I avoid those I
perceive as mostly takers.  But the important point is that, as the
perceiver, I am just as (if not more) responsible for my perception as
the world (e.g. the object perceived) is.

So, if I see/judge someone (e.g. Michael Robinson) as more of a taker, I
have to take the majority of the responsibility for that judgment.
Michael Robinson is, objectively, _neither_ a giver or taker.  But he is
perceived as a taker.  Perhaps the rest of us come to some consensus and
we all think he is a taker... hence we all condemn/convict him.  But
such a condemnation is not an objective thing.

> and how come we don't
> see more of your face these days, glen?

Due to constraints beyond my control, my company meetings were scheduled
for Wednesday nights at 19:30.  So, I couldn't make most of the
presentations in which I was interested.  But the night of that meeting
has recently (yesterday in fact) been changed.  So you will see more of
me!  Muwaahhhaaaahhhaaaa!  I will soon subjugate you to my infinitely
powerful rhetorical persuasion!  ... unless I drink too much, of course.

> I came to open source to advance freedom and to control my own computing
> environment.

My support/usage is almost entirely so that I can control my own
computing.  I have to admit that I'm a bit of a fascist when it comes to
the critical path for getting work done.  And open-source software is
perfect for fascists.  The quality and configurability is often so much
higher than closed-source products that there really is no choice.

> Politically, I want to show that freedom and sharing are
> compatible with wealth and professional accomplishment.

I am coarse, politically.  My first tenet is diversity.  We _need_ all
of what we have (FreeBSD, Windows, MacOSX, Plan 9, the Hurd, Solaris,
VxWorks, etc.), and more.  My second tenet is an encouragement to play
around.  And that tenet pushes for more PC-type stuff and pushes
strongly against products like the Mac.  If the packaging is so tight
and professional as to discourage cracking it open to see what's inside,
then it detracts from the community.  My third tenet is laziness.  Sloth
is the mother of invention and efficiency.

> perhaps.  I like to brag about my friends and acquaintances that do
> well by doing good.  In the next few years I expect PLUGgers will
> give me a lot to brag about.

I haven't been involved with PLUG enough or long enough to be proud of
it, yet.  I'm glad it exists, though.  And I expect to someday give more
than I take.

-- 
glen e. p. ropella, 971-222-9095, http://tempusdictum.com