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LIST.UVM.EDU ( 53 matches. )
Item # | Date | Time | Lines | Subject | | 007852 |
1995-05-31 |
03:02 |
98 |
Washington Monthly on Telecom Bills |
| 007907 |
1995-05-19 |
19:39 |
35 |
"Donald Duck Schools" and Declining Reading Scores - New in |
| 007788 |
1995-05-19 |
15:39 |
30 |
"Donald Duck Schools" and Declining Reading Scores - New in TeleRead Area[FWD:CITS] |
| 007537 |
1995-04-04 |
19:05 |
35 |
WWW>TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home |
| 006979 |
1995-01-12 |
11:15 |
67 |
Re: Gingrich superhighway |
| 006936 |
1995-01-09 |
14:12 |
50 |
Re: Gingrich superhighway |
| 006895 |
1995-01-06 |
04:44 |
117 |
Gingrich vs. Clinton crowd on hardware |
| 005489 |
1994-08-05 |
21:38 |
65 |
Re: Universal Access: E-d-u-p-a-g-e 08/04/94 (fwd) |
| 005050 |
1994-06-22 |
17:14 |
114 |
Re: U.S. Tech Corps (fwd) |
| 003898 |
1994-03-24 |
12:19 |
78 |
Summit: Of Literacy, Hardware and Cost-Justification |
| 003793 |
1994-03-18 |
19:51 |
63 |
The Virtual Bookshelf |
| 003702 |
1994-03-11 |
13:29 |
172 |
Road kill & the new TeleRead (see CoSN gopher) |
| 003275 |
1994-01-17 |
16:04 |
62 |
Al Gore, Literacy, the NII, and *Another* LA Times Column |
| 003266 |
1994-01-16 |
17:30 |
142 |
Re: NII Mess & LA Times Column |
| 003247 |
1994-01-15 |
15:51 |
275 |
NII Mess & LA Times Column |
| 003158 |
1994-01-03 |
06:00 |
342 |
The Icebergs of Silicon Valley (Ltr. to White House) |
| 003097 |
1993-12-27 |
03:07 |
69 |
Re: Gore's Titanic Example, Gov. & the |
| 003096 |
1993-12-27 |
02:42 |
187 |
Regulation of Post-Convergence "Information Utilities" |
| 003086 |
1993-12-24 |
00:28 |
112 |
E-d-u-p-a-g-e 12/23/93 [about po'-folks' telcom rates] |
| 003038 |
1993-12-18 |
15:21 |
177 |
Misleading W. Post lead on E-Libraries (& the NII) - Long |
| 002631 |
1993-10-22 |
01:24 |
73 |
teleread.txt |
| 002620 |
1993-10-21 |
03:43 |
35 |
UNPLUG Chl One Report & Atlantic Monthly article |
| 002555 |
1993-10-15 |
23:34 |
84 |
CIVIC NETWORKING [and Bell-Atlantic/TCI & TeleRead] |
| 002454 |
1993-10-02 |
18:11 |
180 |
Of Trolleys and Savage Inequalities (Re: Ken Dowlin Paper) |
| 002422 |
1993-09-29 |
10:35 |
34 |
Re: The nets and the "negative income tax" |
| 002414 |
1993-09-28 |
14:40 |
22 |
Re: The nets and the "negative income tax" |
| 002403 |
1993-09-27 |
18:16 |
35 |
The nets and the "negative income tax" |
| 002334 |
1993-09-21 |
21:06 |
23 |
Re: NII panel discussion at Minnesota CPSR meeting |
| 002200 |
1993-09-15 |
20:01 |
70 |
Re: Information Infrastructure and rural development |
| 002162 |
1993-09-01 |
18:26 |
110 |
Re: NetPads |
| 002075 |
1993-08-17 |
14:28 |
64 |
Re: folks telecommunicator |
| 002064 |
1993-08-16 |
12:12 |
15 |
Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative) |
| 002065 |
1993-08-16 |
10:42 |
64 |
Re: folks telecommunicator |
| 002056 |
1993-08-13 |
14:18 |
100 |
Re: folks telecommunicator |
| 002053 |
1993-08-13 |
11:51 |
69 |
Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative) |
| 002052 |
1993-08-13 |
08:21 |
523 |
Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative) |
| 002051 |
1993-08-13 |
08:02 |
21 |
Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative) |
| 002045 |
1993-08-13 |
00:42 |
56 |
Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative) |
| 002041 |
1993-08-12 |
19:36 |
57 |
Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative) |
| 002044 |
1993-08-12 |
19:12 |
123 |
Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative) |
| 002027 |
1993-08-11 |
21:57 |
149 |
Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative) |
| 001986 |
1993-08-08 |
22:49 |
84 |
Re: Folks Telecommunicator (and TeleRead) |
| 001982 |
1993-08-08 |
10:54 |
111 |
Re: folks telecommunicator and TeleRead |
| 001319 |
1993-05-03 |
20:27 |
29 |
Re: Long messages posted to this conference |
| 001316 |
1993-05-03 |
16:11 |
40 |
Re: Long messages posted to this conference |
| 001305 |
1993-05-02 |
19:06 |
38 |
Long messages posted to this conference |
| 001299 |
1993-04-30 |
21:12 |
83 |
Sidebar (fwd) |
| 001275 |
1993-04-29 |
17:38 |
22 |
TeleRead Proposal |
| 001277 |
1993-04-27 |
21:07 |
684 |
2nd File |
| 001276 |
1993-04-27 |
21:02 |
751 |
File #1 |
|
Item #7852 (31 May 1995 03:02) - Washington Monthly on Telecom Bills
[log in to unmask]
http://www.clark.net/pub/rothman/telhome.html (TeleRead: Bring the
E-Books Home)
Item #7907 (19 May 1995 19:39) - "Donald Duck Schools" and Declining Reading Scores - New in
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
New in TeleRead area on the Web:
--"Donald Duck Schools." Michael Schrage of M.I.T. comments on the
man's no Cliff Stoll. Schrage is both funny and right.
--How TeleRead could help reverse a disturbing trend reported by the
Department of Education. Reading scores of high school seniors are down
you lack Mosaic and have just a regular dialup connection, the following
command *might* still get you to TeleRead:
lynx http://www.clark.net/pub/rothman/telhome.html
Item #7788 (19 May 1995 15:39) - "Donald Duck Schools" and Declining Reading Scores - New in TeleRead Area[FWD:CITS]
Subject: "Donald Duck Schools" and Declining Reading Scores - New in
TeleRead Area[FWD:CITS]
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
New in TeleRead area on the Web:
--"Donald Duck Schools." Michael Schrage of M.I.T. comments on the
man's no Cliff Stoll. Schrage is both funny and right.
--How TeleRead could help reverse a disturbing trend reported by the
Department of Education. Reading scores of high school seniors are down
you lack Mosaic and have just a regular dialup connection, the following
command *might* still get you to TeleRead:
lynx http://www.clark.net/pub/rothman/telhome.html
Item #7537 (4 Apr 1995 19:05) - WWW>TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home
From: "David H. Rothman" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: WWW>TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home
TeleRead is finally Webbed--with some handy links for folks interested
in e-books, libraries, copyright and education. See
and computers. Can't books follow them there?
TeleRead is quite in contrast to the disgraceful Green Paper from the
Clinton Administration, which would jack up the price of knowledge. Called
"an inspired idea" by William F. Buckley, Jr., TeleRead would promote mass
use of electronic forms to cost-justify the national library. Local
Item #6979 (12 Jan 1995 11:15) - Re: Gingrich superhighway
high-tech companies bidding for *other* government business if they
participated in a TeleRead-style program.
terms of technology for the *home* rather than fixating on institutions. The
advantage of the focused procurement, the TeleRead-style approach, is that
it would involve both homes and institutions.
possibilities for local merchants, especially with a new generation of
authoring tools on the way. A TeleRead approach--DC leaning on the Valley to
produce the right hardware--would help give the advertisers enough eyes to
Item #6936 (9 Jan 1995 14:12) - Re: Gingrich superhighway
the rest of the TV as well--I've already mentioned this possibility in the
TeleRead proposal.
Item #6895 (6 Jan 1995 04:44) - Gingrich vs. Clinton crowd on hardware
are you, and we want to carry you with us," begins to change the game.'"
Of course, I'd argue for a school-and-library-based, TeleRead-style
program to give low-income folks the support they need to get started at
Item #5489 (5 Aug 1994 21:38) - Re: Universal Access: E-d-u-p-a-g-e 08/04/94 (fwd)
-David Rothman For the latest TeleRead (185K), put your system in
[log in to unmask] capture and type from the UNIX prompt:
Item #5050 (22 Jun 1994 17:14) - Re: U.S. Tech Corps (fwd)
ultimate solution lies in a *focused* procurement program for schools and
libraries of the kind I describe in teleread.txt (gopher cosn.org ->
Networking information -> Reference -> TeleRead proposal). Such a program
could provide students with small machines optimized for K-12 and civic
Item #3898 (24 Mar 1994 12:19) - Summit: Of Literacy, Hardware and Cost-Justification
(cosn.org). And then select: --> Networking Information --> Reference
- --> TeleRead proposal. For those without easy access to gophers, I'll be
happy to e-mail the latest teleread.txt (185K). My opinions are my own,
not necessarily CoSN's.
Item #3793 (18 Mar 1994 19:51) - The Virtual Bookshelf
Virtual bookshelves will be in the next version of the TeleRead
proposal, which, in its present form, is now available on the CoSN
To see teleread.txt (with my opinions, not necessarily CoSN's), people
should type: gopher cosn.org
------> TeleRead proposal
For folks without gopher capabilities I'll be glad to email teleread.txt
(185K). Summary: It's a plan to (1) drive down the cost of small,
the same technology for e-forms for government and consumer
transactions. Although I wrote TeleRead for a U.S. audience, the basic
concepts could eventually travel well to many other countries.
Item #3702 (11 Mar 1994 13:29) - Road kill & the new TeleRead (see CoSN gopher)
From: David Rothman <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Road kill & the new TeleRead (see CoSN gopher)
Enter the TeleRead plan, on which I testified last November at an
inter-agency NII hearing. Instead of dividing up the information market
and setting rich against poor, TeleRead would help expand the market
through new applications and by diverting wealth from paperwork-related
TeleRead proposes:
computer conferences; that's why commercial services could actually come
out ahead under TeleRead compared to alternatives. Remember, consumers
have only so much money and time to spend. If nothing else, TeleRead
would provide more of a market for text-heavy services by encouraging
right machines more affordable. Furthermore, via more money for teacher
training, TeleRead would blend the technology into the school systems
and build consumer demand. So in the end the national library could
the like exist; but such programs are nowhere near as smart as
electronic forms could be with a TeleRead-style approach. What's more,
the right hardware-software combination could minimize fraud and data
Now there is a new wrinkle to the plan--TeleRead as a way to promote
such interactive TV services, including, yes, home shopping.
And so I've updated TeleRead and added a suggestion that TeleReaders
could be used as accessories for interactive TV--control devices to
With TeleRead's smart forms capacity, for example, the worst technoklutz
could record programs in advance, freeze images, or spit the screen to
them on a TV version of themselves. Some say this could be as far as a
decade off. But suppose we could use TeleRead's pen interface to
control the images on 32-inch screen on the actual TV and help
For a copy of the full TeleRead proposal, check out the CoSN gopher.
On your command line, type: gopher cosn.org
Within the CoSN gopher you'll reach TeleRead this way:
--> 5. Reference/
--> 11. TeleRead Proposal.
Name=TeleRead Proposal
Type=0
Feel free to spread teleread.txt on the 'Net, AOL, CompuServe, GEnie,
etc., as widely as you would like; no permission needed.
Please reach me at [log in to unmask] if you have any problems. For
those without gopher access, I'll be delighted to e-mail teleread.txt
(185K). Don't be shy about writing if you're outside the U.S.,
especially in Canada; many of the concepts in TeleRead are most
portable.
Note: Teleread.txt is an expansion and refinement of my writings in
Computerworld, the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, and elsewhere.
Item #3275 (17 Jan 1994 16:04) - Al Gore, Literacy, the NII, and *Another* LA Times Column
that don't have enough computers to connect to the highway..."
TeleRead, of course, addresses the equipment and literacy issues
directly. Ideally the Administration will appreciate the need for these
with unnecessary restrictions on the flow of knowledge!
Teleread.txt (170K) is available by e-mail to
[log in to unmask] (be sure that you
Item #3266 (16 Jan 1994 17:30) - Re: NII Mess & LA Times Column
BTW, the current teleread.txt tells how we could use LOCAL libraries as
distribution mechanisms for e-books bought with money from a national
Item #3247 (15 Jan 1994 15:51) - NII Mess & LA Times Column
500-channel cable TV systems. We could also use it to distribute e-books
and educational software, as I've made abundantly clear in my TeleRead
proposal (170K in its latest incarnation, available to you, Michael
it's a book or a TV program? It's just another collection of bytes."
TeleRead, however, would focus on literacy-promoting bytes.
anything, they'd come out ahead, compared to now, since the proposed
TeleRead program would encourage Silicon Valley to develop
sharp-screened, affordable computers optimized for reading, writing,
e-forms *and* networking. TeleReader-style computers will be reality
sooner or later. But TeleRead would encourage the Valley to bring them
to market much faster than otherwise.
No magic involved. TeleRead would simply create a core market of schools
and libraries, which would lend the machines out to students and others.
(3) We might also want to make material in the national library
available to local libraries. In TeleRead I propose an encryption-based
scheme that would work with *free* books. Transactions could be tracked
Meanwhile, let me return to the point I made earlier about piracy. With
a well-integrated information system such as TeleRead, John, you could
have posted your message online and inclunded a link to the Times
Item #3158 (3 Jan 1994 06:00) - The Icebergs of Silicon Valley (Ltr. to White House)
readers may e-mail me at [log in to unmask] for a copy of the latest
teleread.txt (170K). Please take care not to address requests to the entire
list.
People who have already seen teleread.txt might want to read this post for a
new twist, "How to Use Encryption in Ways that Would Not be So Threatening
The encryption would simply be for dependable reporting of accesses, so that
the TeleRead program itself could compensate the publishers and writers
through a national fund.
and Hispanics, but sooner or later the truth will get out. Please see
TeleRead's Addendum Nine, "Of Trolleys and 'Savage Inequalities.'" As you
know, 70 percent of Afro-American and Hispanic children are now in mostly
TeleRead's common library for all Americans, however, would help create a
constituency for equality and even aid the elite, since it would also
increase the number of e-books available to them. At the same time TeleRead
is fiscally realistic. The current version of the proposal suggests that we
As before, TeleRead explains how we could use multiple applications to
make the plan affordable. Mass use of electronic forms could help justify
but also in the hundreds of billions of dollars that Americans spend on
federal, state, and local paperwork. If TeleRead reduced this amount by just
a fraction, it would more than cost-justify the e-library. In effect
TeleRead would shift resources from wasteful, paperwork-related activities
of business and government to knowledge-spreading activities in the private
sector. And, of course, the schools would benefit as well. By using high-tech
to save money and increase government services, TeleRead would certainly
further the Administration's economic goals.
I was delighted to see Tom Kalil, out of the blue, request a copy of
TeleRead when he read one of my postings on the Internet (no endorsement
implied here). TeleRead is very consistent with Robert Rubin's simultaneous
concerns with (1) the cost of government and (2) the need for equal
this detailed and very professional presentation." (Ideally you can forward
the latest TeleRead to his office to replace the version sent to Mr. Gore
many months ago. As I recall, the document that Mr. Gore saw did not include
Finally, I myself would be delighted if Walter Annenberg funded a
TeleRead-style pilot project to help government and industry learn dial-up
patterns for e-books so Washington could plan ahead. TeleRead itself
suggested that Andrew Carnegie, if alive today, would help refine the idea;
William F. Buckley Jr.'s TeleRead column ("The TeleRead in Your Future")
repeated my Carnegie allusion; and, on his own or otherwise, Mr. Annenberg
classroom. Assistant Labor Secretary Thomas Komarek, who helps set
information policy for his department, has written me that TeleRead is in
line with DOL objectives. Simply put, Americans are not just students. They
be simply be to assure that authors and publishers received proper
compensation from the TeleRead program. To repeat, the encryption would just
encourage readers to report usage, not actually pay money for eligible e-books.
servers with e-books. Because the actual payments to publishers and authors
would from be TeleRead--not the local libraries--this system would be much,
much fairer to the people of Watts and Appalachia. The ultimate goal, of
believe in the right of newspapers and other private companies to operate
two-way services. Also, I do not consider the TeleRead approach to be proper
at this time for high-cost, broad-band media such as commercial TV and
Item #3097 (27 Dec 1993 03:07) - Re: Gore's Titanic Example, Gov. & the
TeleRead addresses the questions below. While favoring a central
national library online, I very much favor use of the same
Item #3096 (27 Dec 1993 02:42) - Regulation of Post-Convergence "Information Utilities"
As I point out in teleread.txt (170K, available to anyone e-mailing me
at [log in to unmask]), there are ways to cost-justify a national
Item #3086 (24 Dec 1993 00:28) - E-d-u-p-a-g-e 12/23/93 [about po'-folks' telcom rates]
And why not a little more imagination, too? Via multiple apps--of the
kind I describe in teleread.txt--the new tech could help schoolchildren
and business people at the same time and establish a wider constituency
Item #3038 (18 Dec 1993 15:21) - Misleading W. Post lead on E-Libraries (& the NII) - Long
Yes, Walter Annenberg's plan could do good. My TeleRead article in the
Post last spring ended with the observation that if Andrew Carnegie were
my article or William F. Buckley Jr.'s column on my proposal ("The
TeleRead in Your Future").
books as students at Harvard? Just what is meant by the word "designed"?
I myself have a "design" for electronic libraries-- TeleRead--but
there's a difference between "design" and reality. Mr. Annenberg is
Another solution exists, however--TeleRead, a way to build on his
efforts and others while addressing issues such as equipment costs and
copyright. TeleRead includes:
technology than fewer people using the "leading-edge" variety. By the
way, TeleRead is a multi-vendor, Free Enterprise approach that would
create opportunities for many companies--not just a favored few.
understand that he'll do very shortly. Mr. Gore recently wrote me about
TeleRead: "I am impressed with this detailed and very professional
presentation. The information you provided certainly appears to contain
For innocent and not-so-innocent bystanders: The latest teleread.txt
(this proposal is continually evolving) is available by e-mail to me at
Item #2631 (22 Oct 1993 01:24) - teleread.txt
From: David Rothman <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: teleread.txt
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
Jeff, if you want to help spread a university level of information to
cities like yours, then you might check out teleread.txt (160K) which I
can e-mail you in a flash.
Interestingly, none other than William F. Buckley Jr. is ahead of the
trendies on this issue. He has already endorsed TeleRead in a column
called "The TeleRead in Your Future." I've also enjoyed a very
open-minded attitude so far from Roger Williams of the Washington
office of the Assocation of American Publishers. No surprises here,
actually. TeleRead, as you'll discover, would protect property rights
better than alternatives by reducing the financial incentives for
At the same time, TeleRead would cost-justify itself in ways beyond the
usual ones associated with electronic books. TeleRead is more than a
program: it's an integrated information policy that would drive down the
federal levels. You've read about "social computing" that companies use
to put computer power in the hands of their clients. TeleRead would be
the ultimate expression of this philosphy. Needless to say, too, it
beat for the local paper, and I'm rather sensitive to the issue of
different levels of library support for different communites. TeleRead
reflects both my factory-town days and close to a decade of high-tech
Item #2620 (21 Oct 1993 03:43) - UNPLUG Chl One Report & Atlantic Monthly article
[Actually I've deleted most of the Ednet posting--to avoid overlaps with
a description of my TeleRead plan, which I've already discussed on
Communet. Folks who haven't seen teleread.txt yet (150K) are welcome to
e-mail me. TeleRead is an alternative to Whittle's profit-oriented
vision. I suggest a program to drive down the cost of computers for
Item #2555 (15 Oct 1993 23:34) - CIVIC NETWORKING [and Bell-Atlantic/TCI & TeleRead]
From: Rothman <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: CIVIC NETWORKING [and Bell-Atlantic/TCI & TeleRead]
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
educational software available for free or for subscriptions based on
family income. For more information, see teleread.txt (150K), the latest
version of which I'll be happy to e-mail to anyone reading this note. I
writers to bypass the librarians by gambling enough money up front.
Teleread.txt also explains how to drive down the cost of
reading-computers--and use the same technology for smart electronic
Item #2454 (2 Oct 1993 18:11) - Of Trolleys and Savage Inequalities (Re: Ken Dowlin Paper)
Anyone interested in my own views on electronic books and the rest may
e-mail me for a copy of teleread.txt (150K); I can send it in a flash.
Expanded from articles in the Washington Post and elsewhere, TeleRead
reflects my perspective as both a former poverty beat reporter and the
author of a book on portable computer technology. Although written for
American readers, TeleRead should also be of interest outside the U.S.,
especially in this era of international copyright law.
TeleRead addresses not only copyright issues, but also some nasty fiscal
ones. I tell how to work toward universal availability of powerful,
Item #2422 (29 Sep 1993 10:35) - Re: The nets and the "negative income tax"
> instead low-cost information for all and fair compenation for writers
> publishers, etc.--should feel free to e-mail me for a copy of my TeleRead
> proposal if they haven't seen it yet. Among other things, the proposal
Item #2414 (28 Sep 1993 14:40) - Re: The nets and the "negative income tax"
> instead low-cost information for all and fair compenation for writers
> publishers, etc.--should feel free to e-mail me for a copy of my TeleRead
> proposal if they haven't seen it yet. Among other things, the proposal
Item #2403 (27 Sep 1993 18:16) - The nets and the "negative income tax"
instead low-cost information for all and fair compenation for writers
publishers, etc.--should feel free to e-mail me for a copy of my TeleRead
proposal if they haven't seen it yet. Among other things, the proposal
Item #2334 (21 Sep 1993 21:06) - Re: NII panel discussion at Minnesota CPSR meeting
Mick, I couldn't agree with you more about the dangers of the cable model.
If you're interested, I can send you my TeleRead proposal (145K) whose
approach is entirely different. Gore's office has forwarded it to the Office
Item #2200 (15 Sep 1993 20:01) - Re: Information Infrastructure and rural development
If I haven't sent the TeleRead proposal to you already (I may have), you
might take a look at teleread.txt (about 140K), which tells in detail how
we could bring high-tech to all Americans in way that advanced your goals.
suburbs wouldn't be bidding up the cost of site-licensed material (even
so, TeleRead does provide for fair compensation for creators--more
generous than they receive now).
Yes, I do see a place for local servers and I'd want the Internet
strengthened, not weakened; indeed I suggest that TeleRead could be a
funding mechanism for the Internet. It's just that the present system is
other places with similar goals will continue your excellent work at the
local level but also push for a TeleRead database and allude to the plan
by name. Remember, too, that local programs like yours will be much more
successful if everyone owns a computer fit for serious work. TeleRead
tells in detail how to achieve such goal.
A word to Canadians: Some of the most intelligent reaction to TeleRead has
come from your country. Obviously the same concepts could help rural
Other people reading this note--Americans or Canadians--should also feel
free to contact me for an e-mailed copy of teleread.txt.
Item #2162 (1 Sep 1993 18:26) - Re: NetPads
In my biased opinion the TeleRead wins out for education, unless, of
course, children are in training to be stock clerks or census takers.
Innocent and not-so-innocent bystanders may request a copy of the full
TeleRead proposal by e-mailing me.
Item #2075 (17 Aug 1993 14:28) - Re: folks telecommunicator
(Reminder to innocent onlookers: It's no big deal for me to e-mail copies
of the latest version of teleread.txt.)
Item #2064 (16 Aug 1993 12:12) - Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative)
From: Sadati <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative)
I have read part of discussions on TeleRead on the list. I think this is a great idea and would like to get a copy of your proposal that you spoke of.
Item #2065 (16 Aug 1993 10:42) - Re: folks telecommunicator
I'd be delighted to e-mail you (or anyone else) the full TeleRead proposal
if you're interested.
Item #2056 (13 Aug 1993 14:18) - Re: folks telecommunicator
which should be of interest to you, given your employer (one of the many
ways that a TeleRead arrangement could help the government serve people,
besides allowing e-forms to reduce the paperwork burden on the average
for BBSs, etc., and I suspect that well-run outfits like CompuServe and
American Online could thrive mightily under TeleRead if everyone owned
computers. People dial up nets to talk to other people. If those other
passed on). It's just that for a really mass effort, we need a
TeleRead-style program.
Item #2053 (13 Aug 1993 11:51) - Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative)
From: "David H. Rothman" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative)
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
applaud Apple's interest in tablet style computers, but if you read the
TeleRead proposal itself (available to anyone from me via e-mail), you'll
see I have in mind a machine quite different from the present Newton and
yet. Plus, I'd like a bigger screen. If John Scully or a successor wants
to adapt a Newton and bid for a TeleRead contract--well, terrific. But please
don't suggest that Apple has already come up with a true TeleReader. Mind
for fair compensation for creators (having done half a dozen books, I have
a little interest in this matter). I also suggest, in the latest TeleRead,
that the same network infrastructure could be be used for Freenets so
about the technical aspects. And I tell how TRnet could work together with
the Internet--which could receive funding by way of a TeleRead agency. I
also tell how to cost-justify the plan by encouraging the *mass* use of
At any rate, with a TeleRead-style network and library in existence, Apple and
others could sell *lots* little boxes and make a bundle off electronic
forms used for tax returns and other transactions with the government.
TeleRead's main purpose it to drive down the cost of technology for all,
especially schoolchildren. But would also reduces the cost of gov. and
Item #2052 (13 Aug 1993 08:21) - Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative)
From: Jason Jed <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative)
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
Item #2051 (13 Aug 1993 08:02) - Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative)
From: "Bernard D. Aboba" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative)
Item #2045 (13 Aug 1993 00:42) - Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative)
From: "David H. Rothman" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative)
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
Item #2041 (12 Aug 1993 19:36) - Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative)
From: miekael <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative)
In-Reply-To: "David H. Rothman"'s message of Wed,
Item #2044 (12 Aug 1993 19:12) - Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative)
From: "David H. Rothman" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative)
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
I myself had in mind the above and was thinking of buttons to move within
a book, not just the pen interface--I believe the TeleRead proposal say as
much. Here, let me see. Yes: "You could move on to other 'pages' or reach
I'd want the designers to have leeway as far as the exact reader software
used. The TeleRead proposal just outlines the basics. The really
revolutionary idea isn't so much the hardware as the intellectual property
Item #2027 (11 Aug 1993 21:57) - Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative)
From: "David H. Rothman" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Techno-dumping (and the TeleRead alternative)
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
b&w CRT in the same box as the CPU. The machine might look quite Macish
*if* we went the CRT route. In the TeleRead proposal, I suggested a
tablet-style computer (propped up by a wire stand when you were typing at
hope that school boards will pass resolutions asking local congress
members to start a TeleRead program--including not only the machines, but
also an affordable national database of the kind described in my proposal.
The freshest version of teleread.txt is available from me via e-mail and
now includes comments from Communet member Jack Frisch, Professor Emeritus
of Communication and the Arts, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. The new
teleread.txt also tells how TeleRead could help Free-Nets and the
Internet.
Tooo, the proposal tells how we could use electronic forms to cost-justify
TeleRead. They could save small business people and other citizens tens of
billions of dollars in time and money in their transactions with
Hall recently. I had to go from office to office and suffer the usual
delays. With TeleRead I could easily have done everything online and via
mail.
Item #1986 (8 Aug 1993 22:49) - Re: Folks Telecommunicator (and TeleRead)
From: "David H. Rothman" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Folks Telecommunicator (and TeleRead)
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
cost-justify themselves through other apps such as electronic forms. (See
my earlier message today about the TeleRead concept. I'll retransmit if
need be)
Item #1982 (8 Aug 1993 10:54) - Re: folks telecommunicator and TeleRead
From: "David H. Rothman" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: folks telecommunicator and TeleRead
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
dealer in the Boston area who for years has been promoting high tech among
minorities. I've been in touch with him in connection with my TeleRead
idea--in regard to the development of a prototype. An MIT-educated
4. For those of you tuning in just now, the TeleRead idea involves (1) the
feds eventually buying up scads of sharp-screened reading-computers for
TeleRead has evolved considerably since it was last discussed here, and
I'd be happy to e-mail to interested people the newest version of the full
proposal, which is now 20,000 words and which contains some material on
TeleRead as a way to make government more responsive.
Last May William F. Buckley, Jr. endorsed the basic TeleRead concept--the
universal library--in his syndicated column. That was consistent with his
advocacy of property rights. TeleRead would reduce the incentive for
bootlegging and protect e-books much, much more effectively than
In any event, the TeleReader, the universally available computer, is a key
part of the TeleRead concept, and I'm delighted to see FreeNetters
discussing this ancient but ever-relevant issue.
Item #1319 (3 May 1993 20:27) - Re: Long messages posted to this conference
annoyed at the length, repetitiveness and overly-detailed nature of that
TeleRead item, although it was basically interesting.
Item #1316 (3 May 1993 16:11) - Re: Long messages posted to this conference
kilobyte of these messages. When they are quite long, it causes some
number of people problems. For example, the Teleread info was interesting
to me (I'm glad it was made available), but since Eudora chops it up into
Item #1305 (2 May 1993 19:06) - Long messages posted to this conference
I am writing after waiting over eight minutes for a very
long message about Teleread to scroll slowly by on my screen.
I am using an old mailer here and can not break out of long
Item #1299 (30 Apr 1993 21:12) - Sidebar (fwd)
insert it? Just mention a new addendum in the T of C: "--Addendum
Three: How TeleRead Could Slash the Cost of Government." And then
stick the sidebar at the end of the file. *Thanks*!
ADDENDUM THREE:
HOW TELEREAD COULD
SLASH THE COST OF GOVERNMENT
keyboards, citizens could even sign tax papers.
Tax forms are just one example of how TeleRead could help Americans in
areas besides reading. What about Social Security forms? Software could
tax-preparation firms.
TeleRead, however, would dramatically speed up this process. It would
drive down the cost of computers for all, promote mass computer literacy
and encourage refinement of computerized forms.
As I've said in the main proposal, a huge TeleRead program shouldn't
start immediately. But imagine the potential for economy in government when
TeleRead reaches full size and most Americans use TeleForms.
The ultimate savings--on both the government and private sides--would
more than pay for the costs of the dial-up books and the rest of the
TeleRead program.
Item #1275 (29 Apr 1993 17:38) - TeleRead Proposal
From: "Arthur R. McGee" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: TeleRead Proposal
--1918914643-590364778-736130683:#24969
Content-Type: APPLICATION/octet-stream; name="teleread.doc"
Content-ID: <Pine.3.05.9304291743.E24969@netcom2>
Item #1277 (27 Apr 1993 21:07) - 2nd File
NINE MYTHS
Say "TeleRead" to a certain species of "information management" guru,
and it will be like touting Fords to a buggywhip maker.
After Computerworld printed an early version of my TeleRead proposal
in July 1992, it received an angry letter from a Chicago consultant who was
I won't blame some elite consultants for loathing the idea. While many
would adapt to TeleRead--and actually come out ahead--others would find
that it took away their raison d'etre. Many prospective clients could
--Myth #1: Apple started in a garage, so why do we need a new
government program like TeleRead? What a waste.
Reply: By the time Apple came along, the government had poured
federal agencies started buying portable computers.
Such benefits, however, are small compared to those that TeleRead
could bring over time. Without being too xenophobic--not the smartest
mindset in an industry as international as high-tech--TeleRead would try to
favor vendors with American-made screens and other key components.
The biggest need for TeleRead, of course, has nothing to do with the
immediate welfare of regions such as Silicon Valley and the Route 128
duplicating news articles."
Anyone still question the need for TeleRead?
--Myth #2: Wouldn't TeleRead stifle competition among publishers and
writers. What's this about DE-escalating royalties?
per dial-up to distribute a first novel rather than a Krantz book.
Moreover, as suggested in the main TeleRead proposal, TRnet should be
entitled to a steep discount as a mass buyer.
the press is for those who own one.
TeleRead, on the other hand, would be a boon to new publications and
to small publishers of books, newsletters and magazines with original
much as they are *photocopying* it.
Under TeleRead, Bartimole-style mavericks could reach larger audiences
without worrying about the costs of postage and printing. Yes, some copying
But what about the risk of politicians censoring material? That is
exactly why TeleRead would be an independent agency; receive long-range
funding; have many librarians involved in the selection of books and other
subscription programs of their own.
TeleRead would not even have to be in Washington near the normal
policymakers and lobbyists. Spread out the functions. Let a Silicon Valley
the librarians--most of whom would work for local, state and university
libraries rather than for TeleRead--live anywhere.
Keep the Library of Congress open as a servant of the Congress and as
a preserver of paper manuscripts, but don't let it run TeleRead, not when
the existing Library is within a short walk of the Capitol Building. In short,
make TeleRead a decentralized, virtual organization without a Washington
headquarters around which the usual lobbyists could hang out. Astute
politicians should welcome this approach. It would provide less opportunity for
book-burning group to hassle them over TeleRead.
A decentralized TeleRead might lease TRnet computer facilities in
several regions and cut down on communications costs. Granted, each
years ago and wrote about it in his paper.
Should you still see TeleRead as more Big Brotherish than "Free
Enterprise" is, then you might consider the following scenario:
Yet another way to fight theft and breakage would be to involve
parents in the TeleRead program from the start. The machines could improve
their own literacy skills and make them more employable. Special video
should repay the taxpayers.
TV could survive TeleRead. The question is, Will books survive
television?
aforementioned if we read more.
Shouldn't our government, then, favor TeleRead over the refinement of
High-Definition Television? Powerful commercial motives exist for refining
persuasive e-mail to the government officials?
Myth #9: But some TeleRead-style projects exist now. How about
competing activities such as Co-NECT Schools? What about groups such
Bravo! They're not competitors at all. These programs are
a fraction of the size that TeleRead would eventually be. Besides, the more
the technology is tested beforehand, the faster we can get TeleRead
off the ground. TeleRead's TRnet would be a wonderful way to distribute
already-developed educational materials to children--and adults. And educators
The point to remember here is that no private effort could ever offer
as many books and as much educational software as TeleRead could, and do this
at affordable prices for all.
THE ORIGINS OF TELEREAD
Several years ago, William F. Buckley, Jr., complained that many
yet we cannot blame publishers alone, not when production costs have risen.
I conceived TeleRead, then, as a good solution for readers, writers,
and publishers alike--and even for bookstores, too, if they were willing to
writers and publishers can put aside their differences and work together to
hasten the coming of TeleRead.-D.H.R.
ACTING ON THE IDEA
If you like the TeleRead idea, spread this file around and write the
White House or the appropriate people on the Hill. Many officials in
and, like Sen. Baucus, comes from a rural state where most citizens lack
easy access to large libraries. West Virginians might appreciate TeleRead's
de-centralized nature. In this era of computer networks and faxes, why
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
A shorter version of the TeleRead proposal appeared in The Washington
Post Education Review of April 4, 1993. Opinions expressed here are my own,
right; but another reason exists, too--the disparity between the library
budgets of rich and poor cities. That is exactly what TeleRead would help
address.
decades. That's good news in some respects (it suggests that a full-service
TeleRead program could enjoy a sizeable constituency). But white,
middle-class America is not the whole country.
AN AFRICAN AMERICAN REFLECTS ON TELEREAD AND AFFORDABLE BOOKS
By William R. Murrell
your local newspapers to print or quote from the material, and write editorials
about TeleRead. Tell your children to contact their school newspaper editors.
Spread the word among friends, teachers, and PTA contacts. Ask your minister to
give a sermon on TeleRead. This is a person-to-person project! My computer
addresses are at the ends of my essays, in case you want to reach me. The
TeleRead idea means A LOT to me as a parent and a Black person. In the past I
have taught technology to African Americans, and my wife teaches third grade,
to the some low-income people? Is this possible? I know it is.
Would this "TeleRead" program create more genuises with better
solutions to the problems that affect us and society at large? I know it would.
by every household? Again, I know so.
This TeleRead proposal should be taken seriously by anyone who believes
that technology should help all Americans, not just the rich.
Write the White House and your congressman NOW and tell them about
TeleRead. In particular you might want to write Greg Simon, Assistant to the
Vice President for Domestic Policy, Old Executive Office Building, Washington,
and Technology, Old Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20500. Dr.
Gibbons's office is now considering TeleRead.
Item #1276 (27 Apr 1993 21:02) - File #1
I am aware of projects to digitize material for national libraries in
English, France, and elsewhere; but in many ways, my TeleRead proposal for
the United States goes further than most other plans do. Other countries may
would be especially designed to encourage reading and even promote literacy.
The TeleRead plan also tells how to combine a central database with
America's existing system of public libraries. Thousands of experienced
Also, I suggest that books are more valuable than television; and I
advocate a national TV tax to finance the start of TeleRead, rather than
simply pay for more television programs. TeleRead would not kill
off televison. It would simply promote and help preserve books,
which can convey details and emotions beyond the realm of the
electronic media. TeleRead, of course, could also spread educational
software, though I myself see the written word as the main
priority.
I conceived TeleRead to help narrow the information gap between
"haves" and "have-nots" in the United States, but along the way, other
make it easier for nations to sell whole libraries to each other someday.
At the same time, TeleRead might offer some hope for developing
nations without well-financed library systems at present. I suggest that
in the future the United States should help other countries replicate the
TeleRead program and stock their libraries with their own books, too, not
just those from the U.S. and other wealthy nations. Certainly, of course, I
not just *buying*.
Also of interest outside the United States, TeleRead offers Americans
an alternative to high U.S. tariffs on imported computer products.
True, I suggest that TeleRead promote the production of American-made
laptops for the program itself; and, of course, the integration of
TeleRead into the U.S. public school system would make American workers more
competitive and prosperous. No, I won't hide my own concerns as an
American. However, TeleRead would help developing countries just
as much in the end:
1) The overwhelming majority of the U.S. laptop market would remain
open to all--and, in fact, would be much bigger than if TeleRead were not
around to spur demand for the technology.
everyone eventually, so that the whole planet would benefit.
(3) TeleRead could even be a bargaining point in intellectual property
negotiations between wealthier countries and developing nations.
Rich countries might help poorer nations set up TeleRead systems in return for
true protection for intellectual property. Nations could be site-licensed for
today at large corporations. Or perhaps dial-up fee arrangements, audited by
an international agency, could be worked out. Without TeleRead treaties,
massive piracy of books might occur someday over international computer
more, optical character recognition is declining in price, and without
TeleRead treaties, even nondigitized books will be bootlegged en masse
someday. So if wealthy nations are rational, they will negotiate TeleRead
treaties with developing countries.
(4) While respecting property rights--and, indeed, protecting them
better than 100% technologically based copy-protection schemes--TeleRead
provides a paradigm for every nation interested in making books and
thwarting censors and increasing the range of available books and
ideas. TeleRead, for example, encourages the *decentralized* purchase of books
for national databases. What's more, the approval of librarians would not be
qualify for compensation if enough readers dial them up. Yes, yes,
TeleRead also allows for readers to narrow their choices to avoid being
overwhelmed.
(6) The TeleRead paradigm would make it impossible for one
nation (or racial or ethnic group) to obliterate the memories and culture of
States, experts talk of the time when the whole Library of Congress could
be on one computer chip. If nothing else, read-only backups of TeleRead-style
databanks could exist in many places--one way, too, to protect against computer
viruses.
There will be as many variants on the TeleRead idea as there are
readers of this proposal. I would hope, however, that most readers would
TELEREAD: HOW ELECTRONIC BOOKS
COULD COST LESS AND BE EASIER
Updates: (1) Greg Simon, Al Gore's domestic policy advisor, recently
forwarded the TeleRead proposal to the Office of Science and Technology Policy
for consideration. (2) Michael Dirda, the steel-town native whom I mention in
TABLE OF CONTENTS
--TeleRead: How Electronic Books Could Cost Less and Be Easier to
Read than Paper Ones. By David H. Rothman.
Stamps."
--Nine Myths--and Responses. TeleRead should appeal to many parents,
educators, researchers, librarians, writers, editors, software developers
hate it. Here are arguments and counter-arguments.
--The Origins of TeleRead. TeleRead is not a group, just one writer's
idea.
rather than to the network IDs of the people posting this file.
--Copyright Information. Alas, TeleRead doesn't exist yet, and
cumbersome copyright laws do. So please read the notice at the end of this
way--or print long excerpts from it. You are free to distribute the
material online and pass out disks with the TeleRead file.
--Addendum One: Is Bridgeport the Future? Without TeleRead, what
happens when cities slash library funds?
--Addendum Two: An African American Reflects on TeleRead and Affordable
Books. By William R. Murrell of MurrellBoston Telesis (Compuserve 71521,2516;
TELEREAD: HOW ELECTRONIC BOOKS
COULD COST LESS AND BE EASIER
fewer price tags on knowledge, the more wealth created.
Let me, then, propose a three-part plan, TeleRead, which would help
students, other readers, writers and the American computer industry, too.
from Commerce Department and industry figures, we could collect more than
$3.5 billion a year for TeleRead if we imposed five-percent taxes on cable
revenue, advertising sales of TV stations, and retail sales of new
property taxes, even some of the most rabid tax-haters might champion
TeleRead as a way to slash the cost of buying books for local libraries and
schools.
away "TeleReaders" to many students from low-income families. By
encouraging mass production, the TeleRead program would make laptops almost
as cheap as calculators, so that middle-class children could buy them
however, TeleReaders could work with low-cost computer printers.
TeleRead wouldn't just supply laptops or promote the production of
them. The program could also make certain that machines were used regularly
members of Congress.
While helping education most of all, the TeleRead program would be a
boon to Silicon Valley and other high-tech areas hit by defense cutbacks.
Flat screens, new kinds of memory chips, and other technologies would grow
more attractive to our oft-skittish venture capitalists. TeleRead would not
ban the use of foreign parts or ideas, but within reason would favor
laptops with a high American content. Simply put, TeleRead would be a sane
alternative to the mindless tariffs that the United States slapped on some
bureaucracy. Rather, the taxpayers could benefit from competition for
TeleRead contracts.
As Soon as Possible
TRnet, part of the TeleRead program, would offer an electronic
cornucopia. Like most public libraries, it would avoid pay-per-read. TRnet
Electronic indexes needn't be the only technique with which
TeleRead might eventually direct users to the right material. Via hypertext,
you could highlight a word or phrase and be referred to another place
agent-style software to ferret out books for us, a centralized
subscription arrangement such as TeleRead would make more sense than a motley
series of collections from providers of often-pricey information. What if an
production and distribution costs, publishers could pay far better. Under
TeleRead, writers and publishers would earn fees based on how often people
retrieved books. And as a mass purchaser of material, TRnet could pay
set advances by the expected number of dial-ups. Outside business people
could pay authors and publishers for rights to anticipated TeleRead money;
let Wall Street invest in literary futures.
certain amount of money up front to reduce the number of dial-ups required
for royalties. The TeleRead laws might require TRnet to reserve maybe a
fifth of its budget for "bypass books," as I'll call them. By raising or
best-sellers would also keep a lid on costs.
That still leaves open the question of TeleRead's total expenses. To
be hypothetical, suppose we could immediately put all paper books and some
government could rely on private phone companies. As much as possible,
TeleRead could take advantage of the nooks and crannies of existing
networks. The system might even offer bargain subscriptions to user willing
to dial up their books after regular business hours. Also, TeleRead could
lease private computer facilities to avoid technolock (technolock: n. A
federal government's 1993 budget, or around half a percent of the Gross
Domestic Product. What's more, the actual first-year expenses of TeleRead
would be in the hundreds of millions, and perhaps much less. Only a
this scaled-down program.
TeleRead, then, needn't come to life full grown. At the start, it
could even send surplus TV tax revenue back to the U.S. Treasury. Let a
lean TeleRead sell itself; and then support will quickly grow for a
full-service system that can give the Wrights all the books they needed.
Of course, TeleRead and its TRnet should be just one option for
readers. We should still be able to buy electronic or paper books from
of censorship by officious politicians (another way would be to make
TeleRead an independent agency with long-range funding).
Also, TRnet must not compromise privacy. If the program charged
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development in Alexandria, Va.
Skeptics might dismiss TeleRead and its TRnet as socialistic; but they
are not, any more than a public library. If Andrew Carnegie--the
way of blacksmiths--quite the contrary. Even book chains might find new
roles. On the other hand, TeleRead could traumatic for some of the more
mediocre of Washington's think-tankers.
Move ahead twenty years now; here's life in the TeleRead era.
Students suffer less rote learning and fewer multi-choice exams.
TeleRead has revived the old-fashioned essay as a way to teach the research
skills and logical thinking that 21st-century workers need. Students modem
They offer electronic networks, too, for people who would rather not
deal directly with the TeleRead program. The program lets the chains enjoy
enough of a markup to make such efforts worthwhile.
chains.
Thanks to TeleRead, the transition to electronic books
were less bumpy than publishers expected. When a voluntary
And Articles
Few have become millionaires; but thanks to TeleRead's de-escalating
royalty rates, the average writer stands a little more of a chance of
He needn't rely on the uncertainties of "shareware" distribution.
TeleRead has been especially helpful to publishers of educational
software. No longer is bootlegging so major a threat.
contact at National Park Service.
TeleRead makes government more attentive than can push-button TV
plebiscites. If an obtuse GS-15 tells you to get lost, then you can whiz
and national laws. International Markets
The United States helps other nations start their on TeleRead
programs, and negotiates agreements with countries where similar programs
exist.
Via TeleRead, we create new markets for American books and can share
technical expertise with the Third World. At the same time, foreign
countries can develop their own electronic library systems--well-stocked
with indigenous literature. The TeleRead approach encourages cultural
diversity. Perhaps someday one TeleRead system will serve entire planet,
but not until more countries grant freedom of the press.
Of course, even now, people in most countries can dial directly into
the American TeleRead system and thwart many a censor. Corporations
Years ago, when TeleRead was proposed, some corporations saw the plan
as a budget-buster from Satan. Instead, however, it consumes just a tiny
S. Malone and published last year by HarperCollins.)
What's more, TeleRead is a boon to many corporate marketers. With so
much information online for free, they can more easily anticipate national
Anyone Displaced by TeleRead and TRnet
No worker got a pink slip without plenty of warning; everyone knew
TeleRead was coming. With so many educational resources online,
career-switching is much easier. Although employers have eliminated useless
and we'll all go broke and end up slaves of the Japanese if we even dream
of spending half percent of our Gross Domestic Product on TeleRead."
-D.H.R.
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