Message: 3 Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 15:34:19 -0500 From: Barry Wellman <wellman@chass.utoronto.ca> To: aoir list <air-l@aoir.org> Subject: [Air-l] origin of the species Reply-To: air-l@aoir.org

Can't one safely assume that an e-address ending in .edu is an American address? (I've never seen one that I know originated elsewhere.) If so, then whoever is doing the counts, can simply add the .edu to other US signifiers.

Barry, the .ca (which ain't California).

Not quite... www.toronto.edu maps to www.utoronto.ca. My email address is jason.nolan@utoronto.ca which, depending on the gods, is also jason.nolan@toronto.edu. .edu is no different than .com .net or .org. They're all somewhat diasporic domains, I guess. Anyone can have them. .mil on the other hand... Another point worth mentioning is that just because someone does not use an amerocentric domain name doesn't mean that they're not american. My friend, an American living in France (http://sarahsmiles.tk/) just registered a domain in Tokelau (http://my.dot.tk/index.html). And there was a movement to get access to the .eh (Western Sahara I think), by a group of Canadians because of how many of us end our sentences, eh? You can essentialize the Internet suffix too quickly. Domain names have their own problems and stories. For example, for me to register a .com/.net/.org domain costs $23.15 (CND) versus almost $50 to register a .ca domain. And nothing at all to register a .tk domain. Even worse, if I want a top level domain such as my achieve.utoronto.ca, I now have to have political clout within the institution. And then there's been this marketing of county's domains, such as .tv .to and .tk as commodities. This is very cool, and worthy of study, especially if someone includes the stories of the whos and hows by which these names were given out in the first place. Just a thought or three. -- Jason Nolan PhD Scholar in Residence, Knowledge Media Design Institute University of Toronto http://achieve.utoronto.ca/jason/ (416)978-5656/3884f ICQ: 6238593