The apartment rules clearly stated "No Cats, No Dogs!" Somehow this lead to our first ferret and they've been helping with the entropy of the house since. At the time ferrets weren't common pets and veterinary experience was difficult to find. We found ourselves spending time at the Animal Medical Center in Manhattan - not an easy trek - and Sukie threw herself into learning about what makes them tick.
About the same time there was a netnews group devoted to ferrets - rec.pets.ferrets - and Sukie co-founded a mailing list that centered on health issues and is now known for being an information link between vets and medical researchers.
In the late 80s a frantic message arrived from Sweden. A ferret was very ill and the local vet has determined a potential problem with an x-ray, but didn't know how to interpret it. Sukie knew there were a few possibilities each with differing outcomes and medical approaches. The problem was the nearest vet who was knowledgeable on the subject was in New Jersey. Unfortunately the clock was ticking and Federal Express was not going to cut it.
I had contact with a Swede who I thought might be in Stockholm. Urban had a ferret and shared an interest in aircraft, so we knew of each other. We chatted and, mirabile dictu, he lived not far from the Swedish vet and had access to a digital scanner at his University. He flew into action and scanned the x-ray while I tried to set up something to transfer the image. It turned out to be a bit too large (well - way too large) for our first idea, but a quick hack to some client code took care of that. Urban grabbed the changes and compiled the new client on his side. - we were in business and soon the file was making its way across the Atlantic.
The expert vet on my end came over for a look. All of the technology involved - clients, computers, routers, and networks faded away and real medicine took center stage. A phone call was placed to Sweden and a vet was guided through an operation.
the little ferret made it and returned to health
The pipe part of the Internet was improving rapidly at the time and people were recognizing once prohibitively large chunks of information could be economically moved. Around '93 I was involved in what may have been the first high quality live multicast concert on "the net".. A few of us were testing what was possible with a variety of technologies, but the real reason was a fundraiser for Bruce "Utah" Phillips - a folk singer without the funds to have cardiac surgery. There were hacks to be sure, but the effort was much lower than what conventional telephone networks required - and at a much lower cost. It was also becoming clear that voice and video telephony over the Internet were going to be possible and that could sink the telcos unless they could evolve.
The world had changed. A lone individual could create their own service without having to ask permission. As long as your client spoke a common protocol and you had a large enough link it would just work.
With that I begin a rant - a reaction to the court ruling this week that attacks network neutrality in the US...
<rant>
It took me ten years - the point where a ferret was saved - to appreciate the Internet is much richer than a communication network. It is made up of a variety of networks, a common protocol, peerage agreements and so on - but it is also a collection of cultures and people.
You should be able to attach to a connection and exchange packets of information with others around the world. Many people think so-called ISPs are selling Internet service, but the are just providing carriage between you and their connections to other networks. Services happen at the periphery.
I'm willing to pay my ISP for the carriage they provide for their portion of the physical Internet, but they shouldn't have any filtering capabilities. The intelligence should be at the edge - in my smartphone, laptop and desktop. I should be able to create a service on my own if I desire.
Of course this notion has been stated more eloquently by others. My friend David Isenberg, the guy who popularized the idea of dumb networks in the 90s, notes:
the Internet is a communications network the way oil is a transportation system
There are many technical legal issues and I have refrained from mentioning network neutrality as it is usually poorly defined. Getting into definitions and legalities clouds the basic issue and books have been written on the subject. The core notion of the Internet vanishes in a puff of greed if those we call ISPs are allowed to become filtered gateways making money in the process. These filters won't matter for major destinations like Google and Facebook, so don't expect them to fight - but could have a chilling effect on small and medium sized companies. And even worse can happen.
I apologize for the rant as it is not my normal style, but it is important to recognize broadband isn't the Internet, mobile connections are part of it, no entity owns or manages it and there is much beyond the pipes and software. The Internet - perhaps I should just call it the 'Net - is so much more than. It is a matrix that supports cultures. We are fundamental contributors.
Over the years I've been witness to some remarkable things enabled by the 'Net... sure we have any number of whizzy services and performance has improved enormously, but it is the ability for it to morph so easily and the cultures it supports that continue to fascinates me.
Culture is messy and it is easy to cherry pick examples where good comes from the ability to filter, but we don't live in a black and white world and I think a simple open 'Net is by far the better choice. It seems much to important too leave to governments, a few companies and their lobbyists.
</rant>
A decade ago another friend - Steve Cisler, perhaps the first spiritual librarian of the 'Net, took a long road trip to understand what connection to the 'Net means by disconnecting himself and observing. About once a week he would type up his notes and mail a memory card to me for posting. His journey is fascinating and worth thinking about a decade later.1
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1 It is in blog format, the most recent post first, so go back in time if you read it.
I didn't realize he had terminal cancer at the time and he departed not long afterward. I wish he was with us to articulate his views on 'Net and culture.
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Recipe Corner
I found a nicely ripe avocado the other day and the sandwich I made was delicious. Just a sketch recipe as you could go many ways. This is enough for about four sandwiches.
Avocado Bean Salad Sandwich
Mash a ripe avocado with a can of chickpeas (about 14 ounces). Mix in the juice of a half citrus (I used lime) , a few tablespoons of chopped coriander , a couple of finely chopped scallions, salt and freshly ground pepper. Spread on sandwich bread or into pita bread. Tomatoes are awful this time of year, but a slice of tomato would make it even better.
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