...... for his indiscretions of the past two years. Nobody cares, it's the 4th or 5th time it's been heard.
<stephens...@gmail.com> wrote:
>Some scientists say that what separates humans from other species is our ability to reason. Outside of that, and opposable thumbs, there's really not much difference in us and other mammals. That being said, we are evolutionary creatures. We grow, mature, learn, and get wiser with time. We have deeper understandings and change emotions and sometimes we even change the way we feel about topics.
>I am reminded of things that I learned long ago from a tree climber that was crowning a large oak tree for us. He said, "You can read all the books in the world about trees, but until you are brushed by her leaves at 90 high you do not know the power she holds". I paraphrased because I am sure it went more like, "You don't know shit about a tree ‘til you been up one about 90 or so" and was immortalized in my thoughts with more clarity. Regardless, the point is that it is impossible for the groundsman to understand the tree like the climber, but a good climber will explain it in a way that it resonates.
>That brings me to my evolution of sorts. For years I have only seen the ideas of liberty through the eyes of the greedy. I have not seen the viewpoints of property owners on the web. I am sure that is largely due to the fact that I do not sit in the data center and work with tangible machines all day. I view the internet much like end-users do in that, I sit down at my workstation, login to my servers, and it all works. It is a tool. I used to call my computers "chainsaws" because I didn't care how nice they were as long as they would do the job. I never saw the property as property...I saw it as "space".
>I humbly apologize for this misconception of the internet and retract any and all statements I have made that imply that hardware owners should be dictated, coerced, or otherwise forced on the tools used to manage their property. I do this with deep conviction because I realize how blind I have been for several years and it shames me. I have failed to see that a server or computer is merely a machine...a tangible and does not represent the internet itself and that, only due to a social movement and cooperative effort, accompanied by the technology to find a means to the end, was the ability to network via the internet even a remote possibility.
>I feel very humbled because I feel like I was a guest invited to a party and assumed that meant I had a perpetual invitation Never did I see the server and machine as anything more than a void and this was wrong of me. I was wrong to "crash the party". I was wrong to fight against property owners. I was wrong to support things that are counter-productive to internet liberties and I did it out of spite, vengeance, and hate.
>It was I that was angry, it was that I was vengeful, and it was I that was not understanding and apparently unwilling to open my mind to the other point of view. I was no better than Spamhaus in the end.
If you truly embrace the concept of "my system, my rules," then there
>Some scientists say that what separates humans from other species is our ability to reason. Outside of that, and opposable thumbs, there's really not much difference in us and other mammals. That being said, we are evolutionary creatures. We grow, mature, learn, and get wiser with time. We have deeper understandings and change emotions and sometimes we even change the way we feel about topics.
>I am reminded of things that I learned long ago from a tree climber that was crowning a large oak tree for us. He said, "You can read all the books in the world about trees, but until you are brushed by her leaves at 90 high you do not know the power she holds". I paraphrased because I am sure it went more like, "You don't know shit about a tree ‘til you been up one about 90 or so" and was immortalized in my thoughts with more clarity. Regardless, the point is that it is impossible for the groundsman to understand the tree like the climber, but a good climber will explain it in a way that it resonates.
>That brings me to my evolution of sorts. For years I have only seen the ideas of liberty through the eyes of the greedy. I have not seen the viewpoints of property owners on the web. I am sure that is largely due to the fact that I do not sit in the data center and work with tangible machines all day. I view the internet much like end-users do in that, I sit down at my workstation, login to my servers, and it all works. It is a tool. I used to call my computers "chainsaws" because I didn't care how nice they were as long as they would do the job. I never saw the property as property...I saw it as "space".
>I humbly apologize for this misconception of the internet and retract any and all statements I have made that imply that hardware owners should be dictated, coerced, or otherwise forced on the tools used to manage their property. I do this with deep conviction because I realize how blind I have been for several years and it shames me. I have failed to see that a server or computer is merely a machine...a tangible and does not represent the internet itself and that, only due to a social movement and cooperative effort, accompanied by the technology to find a means to the end, was the ability to network via the internet even a remote possibility.
>I feel very humbled because I feel like I was a guest invited to a party and assumed that meant I had a perpetual invitation Never did I see the server and machine as anything more than a void and this was wrong of me. I was wrong to "crash the party". I was wrong to fight against property owners. I was wrong to support things that are counter-productive to internet liberties and I did it out of spite, vengeance, and hate.
>It was I that was angry, it was that I was vengeful, and it was I that was not understanding and apparently unwilling to open my mind to the other point of view. I was no better than Spamhaus in the end.
should be no such concept as "no better than Spamhaus" in your
lexicon.
>It was not Spamhaus' listing that fueled my anger and it was certainly not the Rights of Property Owners. What fueled my anger was Spamhaus' seemingly personal attack and smear tactics style. It is an ugly way to "do business if you ask me. Their lack of communication with me to find resolve or even ask what was going on.
>It was a shock to be treated so impolitely in a professional situation (or what I thought was supposed to be professional). Their lack of understanding that Admins are in a different position that end-users and can see things clearer than we can. Admins have a unique and full understanding on how information is delivered and affects the manageability of the hardware to maintain stability of the cooperative effort we know as the internet.
>With this understanding comes a greater sense of responsibility to teach, instruct, help the end-user to understand that you are "donating the usage of your real property to be used collaboratively, but retain full rights to it".
it.
>It is YOUR responsibility, as the keeper of this knowledge to understand that you have this unique vantage point and show empathy in times of error from the ignorant consumers. It was my lack of understanding of the internet that caused my initial error in judgment and it was Spamhaus' lack of understanding of people that led to my backlash.
(Mr Higgins)
No, it was your basic sociopathy - your greed, your desire to make a
quick, easy buck - that lead to your backlash. The very nature of
what you were doing, the people you were trying to work with, and the
forums in which you participated were ample evidence that what you and
those you associated with were doing was nearly universally despised.
It doesn't take a Mensa-level IQ to realize that. As just one
example, the whole spammer mentality involving "inboxing" is about
sneaking around the barriers that Admins have put in place to stop
spam.
>If Admins and end-users are going to cooperate with one another, it must be done with UNDERSTANDING. This goes for NANAE as well. How can there be authority without understanding and how can an Admin expect to remain free of backlash from ignorant end-users without the same understanding?
Admins are less concerned with backlash than they are with the smooth
operation of their networks. They certainly don't care about backlash
from spammers and spam supporters they have tossed off or are blocking
from their networks and they certainly aren't going to cooperate with
them.
>NANAE has provided me access to the best advice and enlightenment I have received from a single venue. It has been a free channel to some of the brightest minds the world has to offer, that would otherwise be completely inaccessible or prohibitively expensive to contract. It has served as a platform to express my ideas and differences in thought, and it has ultimately been the platform that has helped me better understand that the internet is not a void, it is not a thing, it is not a dream, an inspiration, or a force...it is a complex architecture of interconnected property that has voluntarily provided access and usage of that property to those that play by their rules. It is not a public venue, it is a private party.
>In conclusion I write this as a humble man; humbled over my fervor in support of ignorant rage, apologetic and remorseful over my actions of vengeance and anger, and ashamed of my immature words and lack of understanding. I am clearly incompetent to serve as a leader in any Internet Revolution at this point in my life. I think we all have a bit of growing up to do, but right now I am just going to focus on my own maturity and wisdom gained.
>Respectfully,
>Andrew Stephens
>eDataKing
(To which
I don't know what you're up to this time, but I don't believe a word
of the above. More power to you if you really believe it and plan to
live it. I sincerely hope you do.
