The web is the most valuable source of information to citizens and the
world at this difficult hour. To darken it at this time would be
disrespectful for those who died in defense of the freedom to know.
Dave
At 08:01 PM 9/13/2001 -0400, vint cerf wrote:
consider a twist of ribbon as an alternative?
vint
At 08:11 AM 9/13/2001 -0400, stan kulikowski ii wrote:
>>> I was wondering, and I have asked the firm where I
>>> work, if all web sites (commercial and otherwise)
>>> should "go dark" in memory of the victims today.
>>
>
> on this suggestion, i put my entry page of a web design course dark, so
>we could discuss the issues and techniques of design in the course. the
>technique is rather simple, but the motivations are a little more complex
>than i had anticipated.
>
> how many times can any of us recall that this was done? for what reasons?
>
>i seem to recall that some web sites went dark after the passage of the
>telecommunications act of 1996. this was done in protest over the
>censorship issues in the decency parts of the bill, and these were
>eventually struck down by the supreme court. i would not imply any
>causality here, but the judicial result did give some validation to the www
>expression.
>
>going dark in protest is a different motivation than going dark as an
>expression of support for victims. same technique, different goals. it
>seems to me there is some risk of misunderstanding ambiguous sentiments
>tied to the same expression. i had thought that support of victims means
>the people who survived the attack, and the relatives of those who died--
>and probably those of us who have an empathy of this event as a tragedy.
>there is a different 'support of victims' which means to focus on the dead.
>like 'remember the alamo' was a symbol to charge emotional energy and spur
>soldiers into later battles.
>
>news agencies are showing detailed images of the towers falling which are
>intended to charge the sentiments of the viewers. children will be
>drawing images of jets, towers and smoke to discharge these anxieties they
>get from the news. very similar symbolic expressions which either build
>catharsis or discharge it.
>
>i could use a little RFC on this design technique of web sites going dark,
>at least to collect data on when and how this has been used. perhaps some
>informal guidelines on the range of motivations and use of symbols.
> stan