yes, i can see that some engineering knowledge is important to some discussions, but for isoc and some parts of ietf, it isn't necessary at all, and if you are interested, the more you participate the more you learn. but take for instance the Intellectual Property Rights working group of the ietf http://news.com.com/2100-1013-996351.html?tag=fd_top lets just wonder what might happen if various internet standards were to be privatized... what would this mean for the digital divide? what would it mean for internationalization of the internet? I have my theories, but what if members of air-l were able to join the ietf-ipr and provide good evidence that this line is highly problematic, which several people have, including myself, but were summarily voted against. What would happen if enough people took the evidence and said 'if the internet is to be for everyone, as isoc says, then given what we know, you should not allow for the privatization of standards'? and if they voted then, maybe it would go the other way.... maybe.... but there are always a few committees where the social scientist, legal, and humanities and everyone else have an interest if nothing else than as a member of the public. On Thursday, April 10, 2003, at 12:22 PM, Sandra Braman wrote:
Jeremy's question regarding global governance is a good one, a lot has been written about it, and a number of public interest advocacy groups are actively pursuing the problem.
But it should be noted that several of the key groups require an ability to cope with engineering, and social scientists and those in the humanities often choose to exclude themselves from such conversations as if the technical matters aren't also political. Robin Mansell, of the London School of Economics, has provided a role model in her acquisition of an engineering degree on top of all she knows about the social sciences, in order to sit on pertinent committees, etc.
Sandra Braman
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Jeremy Hunsinger Center for Digital Discourse and Culture