Yesterday's announcement from ICANN ends a lingering point of controversy surrounding the governance of the Internet: the United States’ continued control of the Internet’s Domain Name System (DNS). ICANN's announcement of 30 September 2009 ends that controversy. A relevant snippet from the forthcoming book gives the background to ICANN, the controversy, and the importance of … Continue reading ICANN becomes Independent!
Author: johnnyryan
Writer & thinker. Chief Policy & Industry Relations Officer at Brave. Author of 'A History of the Internet and the Digital Future' http://amzn.com/1861897774 .
The Big Idea: the death of the center and the new centrifugal trend
Now that it is complete, a clear narrative has emerged from the forthcoming book. The Internet, like many readers of the book itself, is a child of the industrial era. Long before digital communications, the steam engine, telegraph pole, and coalmine quickened the pace of the world. Industrialized commerce, communications and war spun the globe … Continue reading The Big Idea: the death of the center and the new centrifugal trend
IIEA needs an intern (Digital Future)
WE WANT YOU TO JOIN OUR TEAM http://www.iiea.com/job-opportunities Job spec: RESEARCH intern on The Digital Future Payment: unpaid - opportunity to compete for paid position may arise Opportunity: Interns may (subject to performance and to funding conditions within the Institute) have the opportunity to progress to junior researcher status within the Institute and may have … Continue reading IIEA needs an intern (Digital Future)
World of Warcraft, WTF?
For the forthcoming book it was inevitable that I would look at World of Warcraft. ‘World of Warcraft’ is by any standard is the most popular computer game of all time. Since its release in 2005 it has built a steadily increasing following of loyal subscribers. 11.5 million people across the globe were paid subscribers … Continue reading World of Warcraft, WTF?
Al Gore and the Internet
With the forthcoming book almost complete, there are one or two matters that I had to get to the bottom of. Foremost among them, Al Gore's involvement in the development of the Internet, and the controversy that surrounded this question in the 2000 presidential election... For a brief moment during the 2000 presidential election in … Continue reading Al Gore and the Internet
Civic Hacking (citizen activism online, and very 2.0)
Researching two-way politics and online citizen activism in the US for the forthcoming book, I spoke to John Tauberer recently. Josh set up the website GovTrack.us, an "independent, nonpartisan website that started the "civic hacking" movement in the United States". The site contains data on the status of legislation, voting records of senators and congressmen, … Continue reading Civic Hacking (citizen activism online, and very 2.0)
New Audiences and the digital fourth wall
Working on the forthcoming book. Here's a teaser the changed media environment... The theatres of the Elizabethan and Stuart eras were venues where ‘a thousand townsemen, gentlemen and whores, porters and serving–men together throng’, according to one contemporary account. The decorum of the modern theatre did not apply. Heckles and sometimes projectiles came at the … Continue reading New Audiences and the digital fourth wall
The origins of “smart casual”?
Short teaser from the forthcoming book... The tailored suit has a long history. The coat, waistcoat, and breeches gradually became the gentleman’s mainstay from the English Restoration in the 1660s onward, when the elaborate dress common at European courts fell out of favor. Embroidery and silk died out from the middle of the 18th century … Continue reading The origins of “smart casual”?
The bubble… (eBay, Amazon, Netscape, Webvan, Pets.com…)
Continuing from the earlier snippet about the Dot Com Collapse... this is a continuing piece from the forthcoming book. (feedback welcome) The collapse had been foreseen by a shrewd few. In early December 1996, Alan Greenspan, the Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, attended a dinner in his honor at the American Enterprise Institute. After … Continue reading The bubble… (eBay, Amazon, Netscape, Webvan, Pets.com…)
Short note on the virulent growth of WWW + Internet, 1988-1997
Some data from the book. On 25 July 1994, the front cover of Time Magazine announced ‘the strange new world of the Internet’. The Internet was of course only new to those who had not known of it previously. What was new was the WWW, which put a user friendly face on the network. Also … Continue reading Short note on the virulent growth of WWW + Internet, 1988-1997
Communities beyond geography: Phone phreakers
More for the book... In 1957, a blind, five year old boy named Joe Engressia first realized that he could control the phone system and make long distance phone calls at no cost by whistling a specific pitch down the phone line. The AT&T phone network used twelve combinations of six audio tones as control … Continue reading Communities beyond geography: Phone phreakers
1840s – Ada Lovelace (Byron’s daughter!) becomes world’s first programmer
This appears in my book A history of the Internet and the digital future - see kind words from Cory Doctorow, Marc Benioff, and others here. On 12 February 1812, Lord Byron, perhaps the most outrageous and disreputable of the English poets, took the floor at the House of Lords to begin his maiden speech. … Continue reading 1840s – Ada Lovelace (Byron’s daughter!) becomes world’s first programmer
Newspaper circulation decline
The decline in newspaper circulation is a topic I've begun to explore for the forthcoming book on the history of the Internet. In May 2009, the Newspaper Association of America issued figures revealing a 29.7% decline in US newspapers' print advertising revenues in a single quarter at the beginning of 2009. This presumably is partly … Continue reading Newspaper circulation decline
Quick note on ‘Openness’
The word 'Openness' is attractive as the keystone of the book's title. And yet it is controversial. It may even be inaccurate. The 'Open' word as I am using it first came to me when I read interviews with Paul Baran in which he talked about two startling things: first, how RAND published his secret research because they believed … Continue reading Quick note on ‘Openness’
Interview with Tim Wu
Tim Wu was speaking at the IIEA in Dublin on 25 May. I had a talk with him on the record about Theodore Vail, AT&T Bell, net neutrality, Internet regulation, Google and "the temptation of Goolge", norms on the Internet, and the future of mobile networks.
Silicon Valley Landmark: Zott’s and the packet radio test
San Francisco features disproportionately in the history of the digital age. Yet despite the historical coverage it receives, little attention has been given to one of its landmarks, a small wood paneled tavern known as “Zott's” – officially named “The Alpine Inn” since the mid 1950s. Its first owner was a Mexican who moved from … Continue reading Silicon Valley Landmark: Zott’s and the packet radio test
Models of state research spending: Vannevar Bush v Mike Mansfield
A new statement from Ireland's Science Advisory Counsel calls for an exploration of how "Ireland can maximise the revenue potential of its investment in STI". The Irish Science Advisory Counsel is composed of senior figures in industry and research including Sean Baker of IONA and Roger Whatmore of the Tyndall Institute. The question coming to … Continue reading Models of state research spending: Vannevar Bush v Mike Mansfield
Internet growth before WWW
Some figures on Internet growth from 1981 to 1993. This is growth in the Internet before WWW. Date----Hosts 08/81---213 10/85---1,961 10/89---159,000 10/93----2,056,000 data originally hosted at <NIC.MERIT.EDU> /nsfnet/statistics/history.hosts 3 February 1994 (no longer online)
Caffeine Curve
Credit to the original genius who drew this (not me)
Revision note for University of Cambridge Students on secret world intelligence topic
This is a revision note I have drafted for final year pre exam revision for University of Cambridge undergraduates who were supervised by me on Militant Islamist Radicalization on the Internet. Good luck, make use of this, and keep in touch! The challenge now is to apply the Internet-focused information and approach from our sessions … Continue reading Revision note for University of Cambridge Students on secret world intelligence topic
The tulip, NASDAQ, and the dot-com crash
I'm studying the dot-com crash for the book... (the image is the Pets.com sock puppet) From 1634-1637 a wave of enthusiasm and investment swept the Dutch Republic, the object of which was the tulip. At home, the tulip was becoming an important element of Turkish court culture, to the extent that the Sultan of the … Continue reading The tulip, NASDAQ, and the dot-com crash
Innovation in the shadow of the Nuke
Researching my forthcoming book on the history of the 'Net, I'm investigating the nuclear context. By the mid 1960s the Air Force had upgraded its early nuclear missiles to use solid-state propellants. The new solid-state weapons brought the launch time down from eight hours to a matter of minutes. Yet while US missiles were becoming … Continue reading Innovation in the shadow of the Nuke
The MP3, its origins, and its impact
Continuing on the music theme for my forthcoming book, and the disruption caused by the Internet to established industries... In 1996, the song ‘Until it sleeps’ by Metallica became the first track to be illegally copied from CD, encoded as an MP3, and made available on the Internet by a user operating under the nickname … Continue reading The MP3, its origins, and its impact
Music industry: hope in the Long Tail and a long history of technological turmoil
A thought on an area that I'm going to have to tackle for the book. In 1999, the top 10 albums in the United States generated sales worth over 54.6 $M. By the end of 2008, that figure had fallen to just under $18.7 $M. What is happening? Update ( 13/06/2010 - with correction): From … Continue reading Music industry: hope in the Long Tail and a long history of technological turmoil
Kleinrock on ARPANET chatter
Researching my book on the history of the Internet, I asked Len Kleinrock three key questions yesterday. I asked him at what point it was clear that the early ARPANET - the forerunner to the Internet - became dominated by informal chatter between researchers. The answer was interesting. The point at which it became abundantly … Continue reading Kleinrock on ARPANET chatter
Maths – East & West
I have been thinking about the following problem recently: Maths. In 2001, the bipartisan Hart-Rudman Commission warned that the failure of math and science education posed a greater threat to American power than any conceivable conventional war in the new century. In his 2005 book, and in later postings on his site, the conservative US … Continue reading Maths – East & West
The Irish Times on The Next Leap
The Irish Times calls The Next Leap "an excellent report ... [which] deserves to be read and considered, especially right now, as the Government struggles to find a constructive way forward out of an economic morass". When the IIEA released my report, The Next Leap: Competitive Ireland in the Digital Era, in mid December, it … Continue reading The Irish Times on The Next Leap
Review in IISS Survival journal
Survival, the journal of IISS in London, has published a review of my Countering militant Islamist radicalisation on the Internet: a user driven strategy to recover the web in a bumper three book review article. The other books are Brynjar Lia's Architect of Global Jihad: The Life of Al Qaeda Strategist Abu Musab al-Suri, and … Continue reading Review in IISS Survival journal
Update on next book – on the history of the Net
This is among the most interesting things I have done yet. In September 2009, I am due to submit a manuscript for a book on the history of the Internet to Reaktion Press, London. Background research has taken me on a path through some of the most interesting events and documents of the last century. … Continue reading Update on next book – on the history of the Net
Videos of Next Leap launch
Tanaiste's (deputy prime minister) launch statement my presentation chair person's introduction
Next Leap Report comment-on-able at http://nextleap.wordpress.com
The report is now available for comment - at http://nextleap.wordpress.com Photos and video of the launch will be posted soon... or download PDF version [cover front / back]
The Next Leap: Competitive Ireland in the Digital Era
Video from the launch event Tanaiste's (deputy prime minister) launch statement my presentation chair person's introduction The Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan, will launch my report on Tuesday, 16 December 2008, at 7.00 PM at the IIEA. Paul Rellis, Managing Director of Microsoft Ireland, will … Continue reading The Next Leap: Competitive Ireland in the Digital Era
Coverage of ‘The Next Leap’
Coverage of The Next Leap in Silicon Republic. The editor, John Kennedy, wrote this positive endorsement of the report at http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/11959/business/urgent-call-for-digital-industry-task-force Urgent call for digital industry task force 15.12.2008 Forty-five years after Time Magazine had a cover story on a visionary Irish minister called Sean Lemass and a new ‘can do’ spirit sweeping the nation, … Continue reading Coverage of ‘The Next Leap’
Much happening in Ireland’s digital sector
Not only will this month see the launch of the new CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team), lead by Brian Honan, but also the discussion on establishing a digital rights trading and services hub in Ireland has been heating up. The Digital Media Forum, based at the Digital Hub, has released an article entitled "A vision … Continue reading Much happening in Ireland’s digital sector
A marvelous sentiment
Adam Curtis, the BBC documentary maker with a keen eye for archival footage and historical trends said this, during an interview with the Register: “We should be saying to people ‘I’m going to take you out of yourself and show you something you haven’t thought of, which is either awesome, or incredible, or will inspire … Continue reading A marvelous sentiment
Choose a book title
With my submission date to Reaktion Press still 13 months away, I have to choose a book title that I can work to. I'm pretty new to this side of things, so some points to keep in mind. First, the title of my first book was fifteen words long, to my thinking, that's three times … Continue reading Choose a book title
The Lisbon Treaty & the Irish Voter: Democratic Deficits and the Three Painful Steps
Article I co-wrote with Joe Curtin, a colleague at the IIEA, in openDemocracy The Lisbon treaty and the Irish voter: democratic deficits Link: http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/the-lisbon-treaty-and-the-irish-voter-democratic-deficits Johnny Ryan and Joseph Curtin Ireland’s rejection of the European Union’s “reform treaty” exposes a democratic deficit in Dublin more than in Brussels, argue Johnny Ryan & Joseph Curtin, who offer … Continue reading The Lisbon Treaty & the Irish Voter: Democratic Deficits and the Three Painful Steps
My interview with Ann Cavoukian for the EBF
Ann Cavoukian is the Information & Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, and was the leading figure referenced last week by Peter Fleischer, Google's Chief Privacy Counsel, who was speaking at the IIEA Digital Future Group that I run . I interviewed her over skype on 6 June 2008 for the EBF. The subject of our conversation … Continue reading My interview with Ann Cavoukian for the EBF
Updated strategic questions for the Digital Competitiveness Report
See http://www.iiea.com/digital/ What are the current policy (or other) opportunities & challenges that Ireland faces in the digital sector? Which emerging trends are potentially dominant in the digital sector? In which niches can Ireland become a world leader? What is the most important strategic investment of relevance to the digital sector that Ireland could make … Continue reading Updated strategic questions for the Digital Competitiveness Report
Norms on the Net: Governing the Internet and the perils of failure
(I just published this article on the online magazine http://www.nthposition.com/, which Seamus Sweeney introduced me to.) Odd as it might seem in a world of ubiquitous computing and hand held email devices, the first ever web browsing software made its debut in 1991. Not until the mid 1990s did the Internet begin to make any … Continue reading Norms on the Net: Governing the Internet and the perils of failure
Dr Johnny Ryan FRHistS 