Discussion of all things related to Public Domain

["tompoe AT renonevada.net" <tompoe AT renonevada.net>]

Hi:  Your points and concerns are well taken.  Here's something that I 
think might be of interest.

If you agree we have entered the Digital Age.  The Digital Age loosely 
defined, is when all content and creativity and innovation boils down to 
a digital file.  At the extreme, we have an example of some scientists 
that placed raw materials in a box.  They put an object made out of the 
raw materials in another box.  They hooked up the two boxes by a phone 
line.  Then, on the appointed hour, the folks at the box with the object 
pushed the button, and the object was measured and converted those 
measurements into a digital file.  They sent that digital file to the 
other box through the phone line, and then pushed a button at the other 
end to have the digital file read, and processed through a software 
program that combined the raw materials to create an identical, not 
similar, object.  When the time was up, they opened that box, and the 
object was ready.

Taking that example, as evidence of the power of the Digital Age to 
change how things are done, let's add the human variable.  In the 
Digital Age, we, as individuals can use the Internet to market our 
products.  The product might be a basket for one person, a programming 
capability for another, a music collection of original works for 
another, a painting for yet another.  Try to imagine someone who makes 
sausage to sell, someone who buys cars and resells them to others.  Each 
individual has the empowerment of the Internet to afford to start a 
business without much money up front.

Open Studios assists communities to start community-based recording 
studios that provide free recording services for folks that want to make 
songs, music, want to create CD's with their paintings, and writings, 
and discussions about their personal lives.  These facilities also 
provide a means for homeless people to create videos, make movies, 
recordings, develop market strategies using the Internet, contact and 
work with manufacturers to put their works in electronic devices that 
people can purchase as well, like teddy bears with special songs, 
necklaces with special recordings, whatever creative combination they 
come up with.  Communities can develop markets through the Internet that 
draw people from all over the world, instantly.  I can purchase a very 
fine fruitcake from a monastery in Missouri.  I can purchase arts and 
crafts from every region, every corner of the world.  I can purchase 
food products that can reach me no matter where I am.

An economy can thrive and grow and be very prosperous without large 
international corporations.  The Digital Age promises everyone has an 
equal opportunity to compete and earn a living without finding a job 
from among the few corporate giants that want to control the world 
community.

Having said that, it's not so easy for now.  Soon, though, there will be 
so much joy and interesting activity for those who seek to make their 
way without doing what the greedy corporate giants think is proper.

Why don't you start a community-based recording studio in your 
community?  One of the possibilities is that the volunteer work you do 
now, will turn into consulting work for businesses that want to market 
and make advertising campaigns to attract markets for their products. 
They'll ask Michele to help them.  You'll be fabulously rich, and then 
you can donate some money to Open Studios to help others.  :)
Thanks,
Tom Poe
Open Studios
Reno, NV

Michele wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I have read some of your articles and other people
> articles on the Linux Business model subject.
> I have not found anybody that has truly looked at the
> medium and long term consequences to the whole economy
> if (when) the Linux model will succeed.
> Everybody is excited about the damages Linux can do to
> Microsoft and other large monopolies, as well as
> opening up the creative spirit and innovation of many
> people...
> My concearn is the following: even if I agree about
> some of the limitations posed by the monopolies and
> all the risks connected to this, these large
> corporations keep a lot of people employed.
> In fact the whole IT economy is based on certain
> economical laws and trends; there are already several
> major trends that are making people loose their job;
> for example the trend to commodity HW that has driven
> the margins of HW to almost negative levels.
> Such a trend is positive if it reaches an equilibrium,
> otherwise is plainly distructive.
> I would bet that at least 50-70% of the Linux public
> domain developers work for companies in the current IT
> economy, and at night (or even during their working
> hours) they develop open source technology.
> In the past this role was only exercized by the
> Universities; but the University was only lasting 5-6
> years, then people were moving on into the economy and
> contributing their knowledge into a balanced
> economical model, where you are paid for your
> contribution, and so what you create has a value
> attached to your salary.
> Some of the open source technology will end up adding
> value to the company this people work for, but in many
> cases it will serously damage the whole business model
> that is currently keeping them employed.
> It's like a sone living with his parents and being fed
> by his father's job, while the son is working on
> putting his father employer out of business...
> With my question, I am not trying to shoot down Linux
> and the open source community, but it would be great
> if we could understand the long term consequences.
> The time of exploration, when Europe was looking for
> new territories has had several positive as well as
> negative impacts to world history.
> One of them was the Black Plague in Europe...; let's
> make sure Linux is not going to accelerate the "job
> death" of millions of IT people...
>
> I wonder what is your opinon on this and if you know
> of anybody else that is working on figuring this out
> or if we could start this study/discussion...
>
> Thanks.
>
> Mik
>
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