John Dillinger wasn't nailed with much more fanfare than the alleged creator of the now-famed Melissa virus, whose apprehension in New Jersey a few days ago drew a governor and a platoon of state, local and federal cyber-cops. This syndrome is becoming almost ritualistic. The virus and the arrest tell us a lot about Crime and Hype; Technological Hostility, and Closing the Distance that makes so much online hostility so easy.

The open source software movement is a reminder that free markets are ultimately based on a handshake. That requires a high level of trust. The enemy of that level of trust is us, as Pogo said, our own fear and greed, but even that can be managed if we're willing to participate and see what happens.

I've made several major and minor changes again over the last few days. Mainly again regarding moderation, but also you ought to see a few minor UI improvements on the homepage and the comments as well. I like 'em. Hope you do to. Click the link to read some comments on updates to the moderation system (especially important for moderators- you guys have lost some power, so read why :) and more importantly, read my suggested requirements to be eligible for 'Jury Duty'.

As the legendary Julian Seban wrote in his classic, "Eating the Ether: Seeing the Vibes from Cyberspace," the Millenium would see a massive counterattack on the free nation of Cyberspace. The closing of Bedope, User Friendly, and to a much lesser extent Segfault, mark an ugly passage in the history of the Internet. This is a geek tragedy, a black day for nerds in every corner of the world. Heads up. This is stuff that matters. We could be next.

Flame is an interesting little beast. Some people would argue that it is the thing that makes the internet work- martial law? Mob rule? Others would argue that it is one of the most dangerous things about life online. I'm not (quite) egomaniacal enough to claim that I have a solution to the problem, but I'd like to share my perspective with you a bit. Click below to read it.

Mitch Haile has submitted a feature that I need to put a disclaimer in front of. This is quite different then usual Slashdot fare, but I think its worth sharing. It contains somewhat graphic (but real) stuff, so if you're squeemish, just keep scrolling past the link. It discusses meeting people over the internet, and a frightening story that sounds like the bad stereotypes, but happens to be true. Many of us have met people over the net, and this is food for thought.

So both Jon & I wanted to write our reviews of Futurama. But me, being a hardnosed jerk, didn't want to post 2 full blown reviews on Matt Groening's new show. So instead, Jon and I each wrote mini reviews of the show, and have attached them below. Its Taco vs. Katz.

Jonas Oberg , chief webmaster of the GNU project has submitted an essay has calls "On the Subject of RMS" where he talks about Linux vs GNU/Linux, Free Software vs. Open Source, and other things that seem to pop up a lot these days. Check it out.

In "EDtv",the much-hyped movie about media hype, Director Ron Howard blinks. He gives us a mellow sit-com instead of a biting film about the dread and eerily relevant convergency of media, technology and voyeurism. "The Truman Show" never looked braver or better. "EDtv" is too creepy to be funny.

Islands in the Clickstream is a weekly reflection on the interaction between ourselves, computer tehcnology, and the ultimate concerns of our lives. CT: This is Richard's second bit to appear on Slashdot. His work will hopefully be appearing here weekly.

For the last few days, I've been doing virtually nothing except read email regarding comments, and making changes to the code to implement new ideas that people have suggested. Click the link below to read a summary of the changes.

Brice Ruth has written a response to the lengthy debates sparked a few days ago on these pages regarding the new Internet Printer Protocol. He has a lot to say, and from an informed position. You should check this out if you're interested in the issue- a lot of good information seperating fact from fiction. Hit the link below to read it.

The Running To The Internet Interactive Book Tour continues, heading west to blessed San Franscisco where you don't have to explain or defend the Web to pissed off Luddites in academic, media and politics. On the trip, Slashdotters pop up everywhere, my dog and I end up on the Today Show, the evil Sales Force is thrwarted again, and a there is a strange, only-on-the-Web convergence of spirituality, technology and community. Stop writing code and start praying.

Kevin S. Van Horn has written an interesting piece describing why he thinks ideas should not be property. I think that this is something that a lot of us agree with, but he presents it well. Check it out.

More and more, scholars, academics and scientists are comparing the rise of the Internet and the rise of the Digital Age to periods like the Renaissance and Enlightenment. Comparisons are being made to the discovery of fire and the printing press. And you know what? The parallels hold up amazingly well, from a universal embrace of freedom right down to the fear and hostility that greet new ideas:

Erik has written in with a nice little commentary on the personalities behind the free software movement. Mostly about RMS and Linus, but its worth reading.

Every now and then Hollywood really amazes me. They produce a complete bomb. Not Insurrection bad (you guys already know what I felt about that cespool), but Insurrection had had the whole legacy of Star Trek to embaress... Wing Commander only had a few awesome video games (the latter of which already featured bad acting and a cheesy plot). Hit the link to read my review. Or save yourself the time and just don't bother reading the review or seeing the movie.

Eric S. Raymond wrote in with his summary of the proceedings from the recent O'Reilly Open Source Summit. Click the link below to read his comments on the proceedings.

Engineers, programmers and futurists believe that programmable robots that provide sexual companionship are likely to be commonplace in the 21st century, at more or less the same time as computers become able to process information as quickly as the human brain. The implications of tactile sexbots, likely to contain vibrators, sound systems and other equipment, are as significant as they are unexamined. If you thought the fight over the CDA was bad, wait till Rev. Falwell and his many pious friends in Congress discover Sexbots. For better or worse, computing might be breaking down another big wall.

In the powerful new book "Open Sources, Voices from the Open Source Revolution" Bruce Perens of the Open Source Initiative and others describe the process by which they helped create the Open Source movement and established the radical notion that computer users had rights. This was -- is -- a shocking idea for most of the people who buy computers and struggle with expensive equipment, rapidly-obsolete software, and companies that keep their operating systems and other programs secret. The Open Source Bill of Rights is an idea whose time has come. And for the sometimes beleaguered new citizens of the Internet, the notion could be taken even further