Readings

Nibbled to Death by Ducks / Robert Campbell

Nibbled to Death by Ducks / Robert Campbell
A fine little book. Sort of like having an interesting conversation in an Old Man Bar. But there is one nice section worth excerpting.

Friedman and Its Discontents

OK, so I have Charlie Rose interviewing Thomas Friedman on the tele right now. Maybe I've been out of NYC too long, but isn't it clear that Friedman's a total rube? The look on his face appears to be the same as some pig-ignorant first-time visitor to Times Square, who watched a 3-card monte player for about five monutes, and announces, "This is easy!" OK, so I have Charlie Rose interviewing Thomas Friedman on the tele right now. Maybe I've been out of NYC too long, but isn't it clear that Friedman's a total rube? The look on his face appears to be the same as some pig-ignorant first-time visitor to Times Square, who watched a 3-card monte player for about five monutes, and announces, "This is easy!"

Except that Friedman isn't gambling with his own money. So I guess he's even worse: he's the dealer's plant, but he's so dopey, he doesn't realize he's the plant. Amazing. I thought this kind of unquestioning capitalist porn-hype died with the dot.coms. Ah well.

One example: he talked about how, a couple years ago, Indiana became the first state to outsource their tech development for state unemployment payment systems. There were three bidders, one of which was from an Indian company -- based in Mombai, I think Friedman said. Anyway, Indiana goes Indian -- contractually speaking. Because of cheaper wages, the Mombai bid was 8 million dollars lower than the two US companies (Accenture and maybe Deloitte). But as the process is starting, Gov. Frank O'Bannon drops dead of a heart attack. (Of course Friedman, being a NY Times fuckstick, forgets O'Bannon's name.)

"There's a run off election," Friedman says. (Um, no. O'Bannon's term would have been up in 2004, anyway. Way to check your facts, Jayson Blair.). The pisswad Republican Mitch Daniels makes an issue out of the contract, as one part of his winning campaign over Joe Kernan, the sitting Governor. And then the contract with the Mombai company is canceled.

And Friedman says: "Were the people of Indiana exploiting the Indians, or were the Indians exploiting Indiana?"

Rose chirps in, brown dripping off his nose in cascading sheets, "That's 8 million dollars they could have saved."

"Exactly!"

"Money that could have gone to hospitals, and training."

"Exactly! Who's the winner and who's the loser?"

Tom, both the Indians and the Hoosiers are the losers, because they either have to work like dogs for short wages (which they are happy to get in poverty-stricken India), while the Hoosiers continue to see their wages driven down. The winners are 1) the guys who get to throw that contract around; and 2) the owners of the companies, either in Mombai or in the US, who take the money. I can understand how you don't see them, since you're sitting in their press box at the Global Stadium (naming rights to be sold later), eating all their free cheese while they laugh at you behind your back. "Rube," they say. "Useful idiot." You and your porn star moustache.

"I don't want to make extravagant claims," Friedman just said, as the show was about to end. Good grief. Hearing Friedman earn his cheese makes me pray for the day when corporate shills like him can get outsourced to India. Shouldn't take too long.

Controlled Markets

Sony is trying to control how people trade their Everquest items and experience by creating their own trading post: Station Exchange.

I wonder how long it is before there are restraint of trade lawsuits against Sony and other virtual world manfacturers who try to crack down on third-party selling of items and experience. Why, legally and/or ethically, should Sony own all products created by the combination of their programming of the Everquest online world, and the effort their customers' put into that world? I can think of some reason in favor of Sony's argument, and some against. Same reason why I understand the complications of First Amendment law in mall spaces. I wonder how long it is before there are restraint of trade lawsuits against Sony and other virtual world manfacturers who try to crack down on third-party selling of items and experience. Why, legally and/or ethically, should Sony own all products created by the combination of their programming of the Everquest online world, and the effort their customers' put into that world? I can think of some reason in favor of Sony's argument, and some against. Same reason why I understand the complications of First Amendment law in mall spaces.

Another weird thing involves the creation of a language for the game, Jade Empire. The Cairns Blog wonders if the company could copyright the language, a work-forhire project. I wonder if the Star Trek franchise ever thought about copyrighting Klingon? And if they did, and had been successful, would they have been sued for infringement? Because I seem to remember that Klingon is just a sped-up version of Thai or Vietnamese (I forget which).

The whole thing gives me a story idea. Hmmm.

I got the original links from the Cairns Blog, who got one from the Depraved Librarian, who got it from the NY Times; and another link from Terranova. The Cairns Blog appears to be following some interesting issues of how the online space is developing culturally, not just as a business venture.