token_word intro

by Jack Seay

June 7, 2003

The purpose of token_word is to give you experience with 2 of Xanadu's important
capabilities - transclusions and micro-payment on the Internet.

(Xanadu is an advanced hypertext system designed by Ted Nelson over 40 years
ago. It is far more capable than the World Wide Web. He says "The World Wide Web
was not what we were working toward, it was what we were trying to *prevent*."
The Web is a mess of unstable plug-ins, broken links, and non-editable pages,
unsuited to the needs of copyright - the opposite of Xanadu.)

1. Transclusions: These are used by token_word to simulate links. They are used
to build composite documents from permanent segments. When you create a
document, it becomes permanent. To create a new version, all the text that will
stay the same is seen from the original and only what is new is added. This in
turn becomes a new permanent document that includes original text and segments
pointed to in the previous version. Links don't break because they refer to a
specific unchanging version.

2. Micro-payments on the Internet: Every character of text is bought from the
original writer only once. If it is read again in another document, it isn't
paid for again. If you read a quotation from author B in an article written by
author A, then A gets paid for what A wrote and B gets paid for what B wrote,
but A quoted. This encourages complete freedom to quote anyone in as much length
as desired, since they get paid for you quoting them and the link to their full
document can always be followed.
Features of Xanadu not (yet) in token word: links, formatting, non-text media.

3. Links: user and author definable types. Can be used to designate dimensions
and any 3 shown at any point in time.
Advertisers will be required to use links that indicate sponsorship.
Readers/viewers/listeners who want to let a business pay for a document may
select from a menu of ads to view. This will be completely optional. You will be
able to exclude any objectionable, irrelevant or uninteresting ads from future
viewing. You, not advertisers, will decide on content. Why should they, not you,
decide the viewpoint and substance of your intellectual and emotional life? As
long as there are businesses with products and services to sell, there will need
to be advertising. But the customers should make the rules on when, where, and
how they will see and hear ads. And no business has any right to prevent the
truth from being told about them. If the cost of distributing digital media is
kept cheap enough, most people will pay their own way most of the time to avoid
the distraction of ads, as they do at a movie theatre. They will request ads
when they are in the mood, just as they look up Yellow Page ads. The power to
blackmail must be taken away from the producers of deceptive ads for fraudulent,
dangerous, or worthless products and services. See the Cluetrain Manifesto
http://www.cluetrain.com/apocalypso.html

4. Formatting: This will include the usual text attributes such as font, size,
color, italics, bold, etc. It will also include collapsible outlines, visual 3D
diagrams showing links to any selected group of dimensions. These can even
change through time to indicate states in the past or plans for the future.

5. Non-text media: pictures, sound, recorded and synthesized speech, animations,
video, 3D graphics (animation, CAD, mathematical, scientific, artistic and
combinations of these). Hybrids such as graphics produced by music and movies
containing all source materials used in producing it. As for how these media can
connect people, see http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.08/korea.html

token_word: http://www.apnrecords.org/cgi-local/tw/tokenWord.pl