OK, I have decided to withdraw from political discussions on Slashdot. I feel that I have said what I have to say. I'm not a demagogue, an activist, or a propagandist, I just had some strong opinions that I wanted to share, for the record.

The debates over the war were great. I enjoyed them immensely, and I have the greatest appreciation, love, and respect for all those who participated. Wow, what an experience! However, I doubt I convinced anyone of anything that they don't already believe, and I doubt anybody else did either. That was not the point. Most people don't form their opinions based on ethical philosophy or rational argument. They form their opinions based on their preconditioned beliefs and the circumstances of the situation.

The point, rather, or at least my point, was to Speak Truth to Power. There is no way to convince those in power to change their policies, not by rational argument. They've heard it all before. But you should speak the truth to them anyway, just so that they know that you know, not because it will change anything, but just as a matter of principle.

Do you know what that was? That was the Truth. And do you know what we did? We Spoke it to Power.

But it is done now, so I am withdrawing from political discussions on slashdot. I don't want to try to fight a propaganda war, I don't want to engage in any kind of confrontation. I just felt that there were certain things which had to be said. I said them. I am done now.

Peace out...

Now that war has begun in Iraq, the flame wars are heating up on slashdot. I just want to take this opportunity to issue an ideological call to arms to all my fellow slashdotters.

Slashdotters of conscience, this is an historic opportunity. Never before has there been such an open and public forum for debate during a time of such importance. Slashdot is arguably the most important forum on the net, and we have the opportunity to make ourselves heard more than ever before in history. Historians 500 years from now (assuming that there are historians 500 years from now) will analyze these discussions (assuming they survive) to find out what the digerati thought of this historic moment.

I call upon all slashdotters of conscience to speak out about your political beliefs, to have the courage to engage in the ideological battle which is currently being fought for the hearts and minds of the people of the world. To arms! Take up your digital flamethrowers and, with strong warrior spirit, clear conscience, and powerful intent, make yourselves heard!

History will record what we say here. I want it to go down in history that, when the shit hit the fan, I stood up on the most important forum on the net and made a strong case for Pacifism in no uncertain terms.

I call upon all of you to stand up for what you believe and make your voices heard. Those with the courage to fight this ideological battle will be remembered as heroes. Flame on!

I have recently launched a project I call the Talamanca Open Photography Project (TOPP). Based in the Talamanca region of Costa Rica, this is a project to conserve the rainforests through nature photography. The idea is to demonstrate that it is possible to make money off of the jungle without destroying it by using information technology. This will apply pressure to the local economy in the direction of rainforest conservation. I want to see bands of drunken poachers tromping through the jungle with lighting equipment and digital cameras instead of dogs and guns the way they do now!

I've decided to try distributing medium resolution photos under some sort of open licence. This seems commensurate with the general spirit of freedom and openness of the project. So, as a result of this, I've decided to rejoin /. after a long hiatus, to try to enlist the interest, support, and input of the /. community. I used to hang out on /. a few years ago, until I found that it was taking up way too much of my time. But now I think I have something to say that might be of interest to the /. readership, so I decided to rejoin. Hasn't changed much, although this friendship thing is new and may not be such a good idea. Seems like an incitement to flame feuding to me.

So anyway, please take a moment to check out the TOPP, I think you'll find the idea interesting and I could sure use any input you have. In particular, I'm interested in people's ideas about the open licencing of images and business models related thereunto.