New Year's Resolutions, past and present
So this is Xmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one begun
HAPPY XMAS (War Is Over) by Yoko Ono and John Lennon
Let's see how I did regarding my New Year's Resolutions 2003, and then on to New Year's Resolutions 2004.
"Work on my website more"
Not really. I did blog almost every day, though since I'm not a talker, it seems it's really not for me.
"Don't argue with people about the battle-cry of You-Can't-Censor-The-Net".
Check. I had so many more arguments to have ...
"No censorware reports with any legal risk"
Check. In fact, sadly, I was finally driven again (as when the DMCA first passed) to completely throw in the towel, and quit censorware decryption. A very painful decision, writing off a lot of research. There's just not the necessary support for it.
"Pursue more opportunities."
Didn't have too many pundit/policy opportunities to pursue. Arguably I fell short here. I don't have the personality for it, and much of the effort is disheartening.
"Put getting paid before activism - because getting paid will get me through times of no activism far better than activism will get me through times of not getting paid."
Well, I won a DMCA exemption ("The Register's recommendation in favor of this exemption is based primarily on the evidence introduced in the comments and testimony by one person, Seth Finkelstein, a non-lawyer participating on his own behalf."). That was an achievement. But, impolitic as it is to say so, it was costly, in many senses. More so than absolute numbers would indicate. Not so much the hundreds of dollars in travel expenses out of my own pocket - but while unemployed, and also being told at the same time nothing much could/would be done against the ongoing vicious attacks, said attacks which actually ended-up being used in DMCA opposition argument against me.
[Digression - Y'know, as I write this, again it's a whole lot more pleasant being in the camp of Tiggers, vs Eeyores. Doing something is much, much, harder than being a preacher to the choir, and also fantastically less rewarded. Maybe, like liberals who become conservatives, I should convert in my middle age? It's a New Age of Effluence: Regurgitant Bubblocracy! or, Emetic Engineering In The Bogosphere (Maybe I could make that fly, but a good salesman has to either believe it themselves, or be pathologically shameless, which isn't me)]
So, for 2004:
More Google reports. There's just no comparison. Google doesn't sue.
Memoirs? There's not much interest in censorware history and as many readers as I'll probably ever get in my life, read the Greplaw interview, so I'm not sure that's worthwhile.
Other work on my website? I should do some.
Probably the best thing I should do is again resolve to make sure I pursue things which get me paid.
By Seth Finkelstein | posted in activism | on January 01, 2004 11:59 PM (Infothought permalink) | Followups
