robots - it has begun

I am fond of telling people that the robotic revolution is just around the corner, and that it will make the computer revolution look insignificant.
( read a little background here behind the cut... )

A couple of years ago I looked on the peer-to-peer networks for books on robotics. There were some, but none that I was looking for. Yesterday I looked again and was astonished! There are now hundreds of books on robotics there. While most other topics are relatively unchanged from years ago, the robotics scene has exploded.

It now reminds me of the early days of hobby computing, back in the early 80s, when people were playing with computers because they were cool toys. A few people had some idea of their potential, but they were nowhere near that capability yet. This is where robots are now.

And if we have learned anything about the pace of technology it is that it accelerates. The robot revolution will almost certainly happen faster than the computer revolution did.

It has begun.

record sales go up while filesharing increases

Record industry types aren't usually shy about success. But this time their success is a little embarrassing. For the past few years the industry has argued that file-sharing and CD burning is having a negative impact on sales. But, unfortunately, their own sales figures don't back up their arguments.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/28/1080412234274.html

The article is a couple of years old, but still relevant. I'd love to see if sales have continued to rise at the same rate, especially after they seem to have had some success at stopping people from sharing as much as they did in those early days.

For myself, I refuse to buy CDs from the big companies. I only buy direct from the musicians or from independent labels.

In the future I think power will reside in generosity and credibility rather than control and force.
There are getting to be too many people and too many ways to get around controls and avoid force that such tactics surely can't last much longer.

Thanks to Michael Green (http://melbournebelow.com.au ) for bringing the above article to my notice.