Re: [wg-review] [DNDEF] short quizz 9,10

[Sotiropoulos <sotiris@hermesnetwork.com>]

Kent Crispin wrote:

> On Fri, Feb 09, 2001 at 12:31:46AM +0000, Jefsey Morfin wrote:
> > Now, the problem is the UDRP can apply to many things (actually
> > to everything which is defined in the dictionnary) but not to the DNs.
> > Because DNs are not defined in the dirctionnary and not defined
> > ine the UDRP (while some other words are).
>
> You don't need to have a definition of the word "grass" in order to
> mow a lawn.  In fact, I'm quite sure that people of all linguistic
> persuasions can run a lawn mower, without having to worry even that they
> all have a common understanding of what the word "grass" means.  It is
> quite common, even in the law, for things to simply be defined through
> operation and familiarity.

But what about the more colourful, creative,
spontaneously funny meangings
of words like "grass"?  Shall we exclude them
altogether?  Some people might
argue that some types of "grass" require cigarette
papers not lawn mowers.
And why does "grass" have to be mowed anyway?  I
have seen some people who
import these wild grasses and plant them in their
landscaped yards... and
they don't mow that "grass".  Or what if you were
talking to an electronic
engineer about "grass" as "small variations in
amplitude of an oscilloscope
display caused by electrical noise."?  And what if
you wished to use such an
easy to remember monicker as "grass", to market
something entirely
unrelated?  What would be wrong with your doing
such a thing? After all,
what does a warrior woman from ancient Greek
Mythology have to do with
selling books on the Internet?

I believe the people/organizations who register
the domains define each and
every one of them.   First, as something of value
to themselves, even if
only the value of the registration fee. 
Therefore, definition by use or
intent of use is probably the best way to go.  Who
has any more right to use
a word than anybody else?  If we're talking about
a coined word, I can
understand.  But, if we're talking about a
dictionary term... then it's all
bets off!

But, then we must go to issues of "use".  The use
of something, its
intention or task-orientation, is usually a good
place to look for its
definition.  If somebody wishes to say that a
legitimate use of the term
Amazon (which was a famous word in many languages
long before Bezos), is to
sell books in the COM universe, then so be it.  
But, the day Jeff Bezos and
Co. turn around and say they somehow own the the
word AMAZON and are
therefore somehow seigneurial claimants upon any
future mnemonic
technology's referencing/indexing of the term
"amazon" (i.e. beyond the COM
resolution universe), that's when we start having
problems.

Or better yet, let me put it this way, because
Merriam Webster published a
dictionary in American English, he could claim
that he had copyrights to
every word within it, and therefore American
English as a whole!?!  And
therefore, that he should have a say over how any
such words as are found in
his dictionary are to be used in worldwide
commerce, and by whom?  What kind
of a logic would that be?  Let's get back to
reality here folks.  Business
is business, and politics is politics.  Business
has to do with commerce and
its various transactions, politics has to do with
policy and law.  When the
two are mingled, suspicions and antagonisms are
bound to ensue.  We are at a
crossroads which is sort of like the separation of
church and state (if that
was ever really ever achieved).

Or, perhaps, we should just cut creativity out
completely?  Let non-humanity
think as a bunch of collectives, some group minds,
segmented into tiny cells
of self-involvement, oblivious to what lies all
around?  (Let me add, an
*imposed* self-involvement which lacks any real
logical authority, and
ultimately comes down to a threat of violence in
one form or another.
Divide and conquer is an old political maxim.) 
What happens then?  Take a
guess.

Sotiris Sotiropoulos
        Hermes Network, Inc.

P.S. thanks to those who wrote me on the sly to
wish me well.  I am feeling
much better today, still quite stiff and swollen,
but altogether not bad at
all, considering I did a chest and elbow plant
into the pavement at 30km/h
and *no broken bones*!  I'll be getting the
firetalk schedule up at
worldatlarge.org shortly.
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