Politics versus technology

Marc Canter, the Guru of Multimedia who really gets the importance of identity (and always gets the last word) dedicated his very last word of last year to the issue of identity (of course he had been present at the Special Wild West Conflagration of the Gillmor Gaggle). I won't butt in:

It was painfully obvious during the recording of today's Gillmor gang that creating a meta-identity standard will be 2% technology and 98% politics.

It's already 2005 around most of the world by the time I post this – so but as usual (as Steve Gillmor says) “I get the last word in.”

So I just wanna say to Dave Winer, Kim Cameron, Craig Burton, Phil Windley, Drumkmond Reed – Papa Doc Searls and Mr. Steve “Dan's his brother” Gillmor – that we CAN do this.

We can put Microsoft's past behind them – and use them to help us build the mega meta momma backplane we talked about.

I really like Kim and he seems sincere and we can't blame him for his employer's past transgressions. Just like we can't blame Scoble either. Neither of them worked at Micreosoft during “those days” – but they work there now – and it's incumbant upon us to work with them – to help them change – from within.

As I said yesterday I'd like to nominate Dick Hardt and his Sxip Networks technology to lead this effort forward. Sxip can be a ‘mini-backplane’ of sorts – that can then plug into Kim's mega meta momma backplane he's talking about. I really think it's possible that 2005 can be the year that this all comes together.

By meeting the requirements of the 7 Laws of Identity (can't wait to hear the final two – Kim) and by balancing the needs of a centralized DNS with the pluralism that is required for uptake – we can help bring the era of ‘Social Computing’ to fruition (thanks Kim for that one…..)

Sxip Networks was designed for the type of KISS developers need to support digital identity that can become pervasive. Sxip is beholden to nobody but us. And I am not neholden to Sxip. I recieve no money from Dick and company. I just dig the shit out of what they're doing.

So it's a Ho Ho Ho and a three cheers mate (sorry Simon you didn't make it) and here's to a brand new year – and a brand new round of efforts at singing (in tune) “Kum Bah Yah” – my lord.

By the way, for those who haven't experienced it yet, Marc really can sing.

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Kim Cameron

Work on identity.