The history of piracy dates back more than 3000 years, but its accurate account depends on the actual meaning of the word ‘pirate’. In English, the word piracy has many different meanings and its usage is still relatively new. Today, some uses of the word have no particular meaning at all. A meaning was first ascribed to the word piracy sometime before the XVII century. It appears that the word pirate (peirato) was first used in about 140 BC by the Roman historian Polybius. The Greek historian Plutarch, writing in about 100 A.D., gave the oldest clear definition of piracy. He described pirates as those who attack without legal authority not only ships, but also maritime cities. Piracy was described for the first time, among others, in Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey. For a great many years there remained no unambiguous definition of piracy. Norse riders of the 9th and 11th century AD were not considered pirates but rather, were called "Danes" or "Vikings". Another popular meaning of the word in medieval England was "sea thieves". The meaning of the word pirate most closely tied to the contemporary was established in the XVIII century AD. This definition dubbed pirates "outlaws" whom even persons who were not soldiers could kill. The first application of international law actually involved anti-pirate legislation. This is due to the fact that most pirate acts were committed outside the borders of any country. Sometimes governments gave rights to the pirates to represent them in their wars. The most popular form was to give a license to a private sailor to attack enemy shipping on behalf of a specific king – Privateer. Very often a privateer when caught by the enemy was tried as an outlaw notwithstanding the license. Below we tried to outline a selective history of piracy, selective and arbitrary because there is so much that can be said about piracy and it is impossible to tell all. We hope that even this brief introduction will show the spirit and truth about the piracy the way we see it. Return to top.
95 Theses of Geek Activism Posted by Devanshu in Science Addiction, Rants, Geek Addictions, Politics, Take Action, Activism, Security on July 23rd, 2006 Geek activism has not taken off yet, but it should. With the gamers recognizing the needReturn to top.
for a louder voice, EFF gaining momentum and Linux taking on the mainstream on
the one hand and recent severe losses in privacy, freedom of speech and intellectual
property rights on the other, now seems to be the best time to rally
around the cause. Geeks are not known to be political or highly vocal (outside of our own circles)- this
must change if we want things to improve. So here is my list of things people of all
shapes, sizes and sides of the debate need to know. Some of these are obvious, others
may not be meant for you. But hopefully, some of these will inspire you to do the
right thing and others will help you frame the next discussion, debate or argument you
have on these topics. 1. Reclaim the term ‘hacker’. If you tinker with electronics, you are a hacker. If you
use things in more ways than intended by the manufacturer, you are a hacker. If you
build things out of strange, unexpected parts, you are a hacker. Reclaim the term. 2. Violating a license agreement is not theft. 3. All corporations are not on your side. 4. Keep in touch with everyone you can vote for and make sure you know where they stand on the issues you care about. 5. More importantly, make sure they know where you stand on the issues you care about. 6. Everything will enter the public domain some day- even Mickey Mouse. 7. Read the original 95 theses. Yes, they are irrelevant to these causes. Yes, they are
religious- and not even close to my religion. And yes, they are 500 years old. But
they do demonstrate how stating your beliefs clearly, effectively and publicly to
challenge the status quo can change the world. Of course, I have no delusions of
grandeur! 8. Use TOR for privacy and anonymity. 9. Trusted computers must not be trusted. 10. Democrats may seem to be on your side, but keep an eye on them. They may only be the lesser of two evils. 11. Republicans may seem to be the enemy, but that is only because they are in power now. The true enemy is a lack of accountability. 12. Read Eric Raymond’s The Cathedral and the Bazaar. 13. Why do I have to jump through hoops just to get video off my own home movie DVDs? 14. Know the DMCA so you know what you are up against. 15. The true enemy is the line: “If you haven’t done anything wrong, what do you fear?”
The problem with that line, as Schneier has said, is that it assumes that the
desire for privacy implies wrong-doing. 16. Proprietary data formats must never store public information. 17. Some corporations are on your side- find them and reward them. 18. No one has ever told me where I could play my 45 RPMs. Why are my MP3s any different? 19. The analog hole is not a hole. The world is analog. 20. If you are in the US, let your Senator know what you feel. 21. Treating your customers like criminals- or potential criminals- will turn customers away. 22. This bears repeating, treating paying customers as potential criminals is a losing strategy. 23. Some corporations may seem to be on your side, but are not. 24. Fair use is a good thing. 25. Use multiple operating systems regularly so you truly understand interoperability. 26. Write to your local newspaper- they can shape the opinions of the people do not understand the issues we care about. 27. Do not follow the Electronic Frontier Foundation, participate in it. 28. Read of Thoreau’s words on civil disobedience. 29. Data mining will not stop terror. 30. Express your opinion in public. 31. Blog. 32. The GPL is not gospel, but it comes close. 33. Use multiple MP3/music players so you truly understand interoperability. 34. If you are in the US, let your house representative know how you feel. 35. Those in favor of suspending some liberties for security, answer this: “Who watches the watchers?” 36. Except for extreme cases, the government should not be in the business of parenting our children. 37. When arguing with people who disagree, be polite, but not condescending. 38. RFID is just a technology- its existence does not make us more secure. 39. Now and in the future, presence of encryption implies nothing. In fact, whatever it
does imply is none of your business. Without any other probable cause, the user must
not bear the burden of explaining reasons for use of encryption. 40. Flame wars help the other side. 41. New technologies to promote and develop media will prosper because of computers and the Internet, not inspite of it. 42. Security is a trade-off- what are you willing to give up? 43. Calling Microsoft evil buys you nothing- it only polarizes the argument. 44. Holding Google to its “Don’t do evil” mantra buys us a lot. 45. Read of Gandhi’s actions in civil disobedience. Discover Satyagraha. 46. Use Creative Commons. 47. Understand the difference between civil disobedience and breaking the law. 48. Can’t find anything to watch on network TV? Watch Democracy TV. 49. Frame the argument in terms of the average person, not the edge-case geek. These
problems affect geeks first, but will affect everyone in the future. 50. Privacy, civil liberties and civil rights are a slippery slope. The reason we
continuously fight for them is not that we all seek a utopian society where doves fly
free- in fact, I seek a perpetual ‘tug-of-war’ where the rope gradually slips in the
direction of my beliefs. 51. Users do not want the permission to use digital media; they want to own digital
media. This means using them as they choose, where they choose, in the device of their
choice without fear of litigation or sudden inactivity. These users are customers-
treat them with respect. 52. Support the free, public domain archives of information. 53. Undermine censorship by publishing information censored in oppressive countries. 54. And then, there is the 12-step plan for the games industry. 55. Corporations and producers of digital media must trust their own consumers. Sales will reward trust. 56. Breaking the law because you disagree with the current law is not the way to solve the problem in a democratic society. 57. ID cards do not make us more secure. 58. Voicing your views in a Slashdot comment thread is good, in your own blog is better, but in places that non-geeks frequent is best. 59. DRM does not work because the customer/user has the key, cipher and ciphertext in the player. (thanks Cory Doctorow) 60. Bloggers have rights- be aware of them. 61. Find out why electronic voting machines are regulated less than casino gaming machines. 62. Find out about Spimes- they are in your future if things go well. 63. Have a global perspective in ideas of geek civil liberties, intellectual property
rights and so forth. Do you like your country’s policies in this respect? Can you help
people from another country? 64. Geek activism is not all about extreme positions. There is a gradient- find your position on it. 65. Read the PATRIOT ACT- know what you are really up against. 66. In the US, put a few technologists in power in Washington. Abroad, do the same for your own seat of government. 67. Write to mainstream media- they have more mindshare than they are given credit for. 68. Read what your founding fathers said before taking someone’s word for it. Quote the
founding fathers back at them- there were so many of them, and they said and wrote so
much, that you will find a quote for each situation. Try this one for starters, “Those
who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve
neither Liberty nor Safety.” – Benjamin Franklin. Read more Bejamin Franklin. Read
more cool quotes 69. Read more. 70. Mixed tapes are legal. Time-shifting TV is legal. Regardless of the media. 71. Decide what is offensive for yourself- don’t let the government decide it for you.
If you do not, pretty soon, you may only see one side of every argument. 72. Music purchases should not be governed by determining which seller has the most clout among the player manufacturers. 73. We do not lock the door to our bedrooms or bathrooms because we have something to
hide. We do not secure our networks, conversations, emails and files because we have
something to hide. 74. Make sure that if a vendor locks you in, you lock them out. 75. 80% of games are not rated M. 76. You may agree with Richard Stallman, but make sure you understand the opposing point of view. 77. An email tax to certify that it is “legitimate” is an awful idea. 78. Know your rights and be prepared to defend them. 79. Open source is not free. 80. Free is open source. 81. The ESRB game rating system exists for a reason- so that parents can be parents and the government can get on with more important stuff. 82. Do not allow corporations to get away with assisting oppressive regimes. Let your voice be heard. 83. Linux is no longer a philosophy- it is a good piece of software. Use it if it fits your needs. 84. There are reasons based in mathematics that establish the NSA wiretaps and other similar brute data mining ideas do not work. 85. Multiple nag screens that warn us of possible insecurity do not make us more secure. 86. More information available to the most number of people is a good thing. 87. There are DRM free alternatives for music you can play anywhere. 88. Vote. 89. Free as in free lunch is good. Free as in a free people is even better. For software and for everything else. 90. Quoting Schneier’s blog: Cardinal Richelieu understood the value of surveillance
when he famously said, “If one would give me six lines written by the hand of the most
honest man, I would find something in them to have him hanged.” Watch someone long
enough, and you’ll find something to arrest—or just blackmail—with. Privacy is
important because without it, surveillance information will be abused: to peep, to
sell to marketers and to spy on political enemies—whoever they happen to be at the time. 91. Read our modern geek philosophers- read Bruce Perens, Cory Doctorow, Bruce Sterling
and even Richard Stallman. Read Schneier to find practical reasons why stupid security
mechanisms are stupid. Read them even if you disagree with them- it will help frame
your point of view. 92. DRM only keeps an honest user honest. 93. You have the right to anonymity on the internet. 94. Be proud of being a geek, a gamer, a privacy advocate, promoter of free speech and
an innovator without fear of litigation, of government or restrictions on liberties- a
geek activist. 95. Most of all- have fun.
It has long been known"
....I didn't look it up
"A definite trend is evident"
... These data are practically meaningless.
"While it has not been possible to provide definite answers to the questions"
... An unsuccessful experiment, but I still hop to get it published.
"Three of the samples were chosen for detailed study"
... The other results didn't make any sense.
"Typical results are shown"
...This is the prettiest graph.
"These results will be in a subsequent report.
... I might get around to this sometime if pushed / funded.
"In my experience"
... Once
"In case after case"
...Twice.
"In a series of cases"
...Thrice.
"It is believed"
... I think.
"It is generally believed that"
... A couple of others think so too.
"Correct within an order of magnitude"
... Wrong.
"According to statistical analysis"
... Rumor has it.
"A statistically oriented projection of the significance of these findings"
... A wild guess.
"A careful analysis of obtainable data"
... Three pages of notes were obliterated when I knocked over a glass of soda.
"It is clear that much additional work will be required before a complete understanding of this phenomenon occurs"
... I don't understand it.
"After additional study by my colleagues"
... They don't understand it either.
"Thanks are due to Joe Blotz for assistance with the experiment and to Cindy Adams for valuable discussions"
... Mr. Blotz did the work and Ms. Adams explained to me what it meant.
"A highly significant area for exploratory study"
... A totally useless topic selected by my committee
"It is hoped that this study will stimulate further investigation in this field"
...I quit
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