But I feel it is important to circulate this well written piece from Alpie.net. Of course, regular readers will recognize it as one of my favorite tropes, although I usually phrase it differently. Being a citizen rather than a “consumer” means making the jump from bitching about reality to trying to change it. Yes, God knows we’re all busy, trying to make ends meet, raise families, etc. etc. But, like getting enough exercise, making sure the kids do their homework, eating a balanced diet, etc., it’s something that you either make time for because you think it’s important or suffer the consequences.
Stay tuned . . .
Related Posts:
- Get Ready for the 2022 Season of Spectrum Wars! by Harold March 15, 2022 It isn't the sultry Regency drama of Bridgerton, the action psycho-drama of Moon Knight, or even the, um, whatever the heck Human Resources is. But…
- My Insanely Long Field Guide to the Fox29 Philadelphia (WTFX-TV) License Renewal Challenge. by Harold August 29, 2023 In July, the Media and Democracy Project filed a Petition to Deny the license renewal of Fox29 (WTFX-TV) in Philadelphia. The Petition rests on a…
- U.S. Actually Performed Worse During Covid Than Some Net Neutrality Countries, Not Better. by Harold April 8, 2021 Every time the net neutrality debate flares up, the ISP industry and its anti-net neutrality allies come up with some reason why leaving unfettered gatekeeper…
- Does SCOTUS EPA Case Impact Net Neutrality? Here’s Why I Say No. by Harold July 1, 2022 For most people, the Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency was about environmental policy and what the Environmental Protection Agency can…
- Why Canada's C-18 Isn't Working Out As Expected. by Harold July 24, 2023 Back at the end of June, Canada passed C-18, aka "The Online News Act," a law designed to make Google and Facebook negotiate with news…
- No, California Net Neutrality Law Did Not "Nail" Veterans -- Carriers Are Using Vets as Pawns. by Harold March 26, 2021 It's a cliche villain scene: "Don't force me to kill the hostages. Unless you do as I say, their blood is on your hands." While…
As I read the piece you linked to, I nowhere saw a definition of “API”. (It may be there, but I didn’t see it. . .). So, for the unitiated: API stand for something like Application Program Interface (which is a misnomer, since it applies to system programs as well as applications).
APIs refers to the handshake conventions between programs; the rules by which intentions and responses are communicated. For analogy, the API of an automobile (in the USA) might be described as: gas pedal on right, brake on left, clutch (optional) to left of brake; turn signal on left side of steering wheel: up = = right; down == left, etc. (The brake pedal communicates to the driver by its resistance, and also by slowing down the car.) The well-understood API allows different manufacturers to produce cars that people will know how to drive, and it allows people to get behind the wheel of an unfamiliar car and figure out how to drive it.
As a minor aside, I think it’s amusing that software developers often have no notion at all of what the letters API stand for. We just say “A-pee-eye”. I’ve been writing about APIs for 27 years or so, and I really don’t recall what the letters originally stand for. An API is an API. (Which is very closely related to the concept of a “signature”, but I won’t go into that, lest I re-ignite a long ago struggle from a far away galaxy in which I was the boss of wetmachiner Howard Stearns and he was writing a very abstract language reference manual. . .
Glad I met the man. We’re both glad I’m no longer his boss. . .