So 8 months ago I helped someone with getting their hands on the 2nd disc of the Gentoo LiveCD set. Someone in IRC needed a copy of it but didn’t have access to a burner or a CD-R so I felt bad for them and made it myself while I was working overtime on a Saturday.

I met them outside work, and gave it to them — seemed harmless enough. On my way home I got some good marks for helping a lady cross the street, got someone’s stolen purse, and sold some girl scout cookies. It was good to help out.

Flash to the now – same person got caught running versions of Knoppix and some accompanying software to scan a university network and distribute some nasty messages to the public on opening day. To say the least I was disappointed.

For one, it was contrary to my original impression of the person. I felt they were young and inexperienced and needed some help getting their feet on the ground. And they did — because they are bright and talented — and unfortunately they took a turn in the wrong direction and misused their talents to do some mischief.

Ok, so maybe at some point in their lives the best artists spray graffiti out of boredom or lack of a proper canvas. An even more probable cause is the theory that those who are good at rare arts or have special talents often lack the resources and direction needed to nurture those abilities.

So while most would probably pawn a handful of negative actions off as criminal mischief, I instead place blame on our schools, our leaders, our community for forcing this young adult into what pretty much seems like an act of pure boredom more than anything else.

It’s my hope that this person will learn from this experience, maybe seek a more honorable canvas and paint pictures with better paints and the finest brushes — and not be deprived of their right to creatively exhale.

Pressure and time lead to good things; they can also destroy youthful dreams and ambition.

After the introduction of new technology, society goes through a recognizeable cycle. At first we experiment — everything is new and the sky is the limit. Then something arbitrarily bad happens and society creates countless laws as a result. Over-regulation becomes so hindering that movements are made against the authorities to slacken the rules because they are not reasonable once the paranoia subsides. Sooner or later democracy prevails and a middle ground is reached.

Right now I can spot many areas where we are in a period of over-regulation:

• Arguably, (and don’t judge me for this) affirmative action will at some point be unnecessary. I don’t think it has reached the point where it is over-regulation, however.
• Rape, sexual assault, and stalker laws are heavily weighted against males in reaction to years of neglect towards women.
• The nuclear power industry was crippled due to over-regulation during the 70s and 80s that made it virtually impossible to make money at it. Only now is the industry recovering from the effects.
• Hacker penalties for somewhat inconsequential tampering are greater than what would appear to be much more violent and disruptive crimes.

I can certainly understand why things are the way they are today in America. It is not at all surprising that years of neglect induce equal and opposite reactions by the government and community. In a way, it is like a societal immune system where you need to have a flare-up in order to preserve the greater whole. And while the flare-ups suck, these controlled fires are necessary for self-preservation.

On the other hand, our own immune system and natural flora can also be harmful when misused or misdirected. Bacteria that help us can easily kill us. Laws and regulations that protect some can also destroy others unjustly.

I hope societal judgement improves over time, so medium ground may be reached before any of the innocent pay the price.