Schneier on solutions for identity theft
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“Personal information protection is an economic problem, not a security problem. And the problem can be easily explained: The organizations we trust to protect our personal information do not suffer when information gets exposed. On the other hand, individuals who suffer when personal information is exposed don’t have the capability to protect that information.”

Searching for the Big Picture: Systems Theories of Accelerating Change
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The Singularity: A Hard or Soft Takeoff?
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Trying to Muse Rationally about the Singularity Scenario
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Counterterrorism in America: Security Theater Against Movie-Plot Threats
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from slashdot:
Developing an overblown DRM system: Millions of dollars.
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Hiring consultants to tell you it’ll really, really work this time after firing all the ones who informed you copy protection is a cryptographic impossibility: Thousands of dollars.
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Paying lawyers to send cease-and-desist letters to thousands of websites after the key leaks: $500/hour.
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Watching yet another DRM scheme go up in flames shortly after its release: Priceless.
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also, check the formerly-known-as Secret Number as Photoshop art, from wired. stupid overpiced suits, just die already.

openmoko, the first open source phone, is the way to go.
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assuming the basic navigation is slick enough for basic users (OS groups are not really usability-inclined, but they’re paying close attention to it on this project, as I can see), there are some killer apps the comercial phones can never offer:
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• vOIP (like, a skype, or better yet, a gizmo project port). some say the iphone is closed for new apps by fear of this very functionality
• cryptography. please. i pay too much every month for the crappy security carriers offer me. “boo-hoo, the men in black asked me for all your records, how can I say no to them?”
• ad-hoc networks: creates a bottom-up internet using wifi and bluetooth resources. fractal, the more apps available, the stronger the connection. already being used by the OLPC.

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just ad-hoc networks and some bicycle battery charger (the more you pedal, the more you charge your phone) would be a godsend for decentralized communities.