Subject: IETF / UN

From: "Eastlake III Donald-LDE008" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 15:27:24 -0400

...
	"But the UN is a government--"
	"No it isn't," Martin insisted, "It's a talking shop. Started
out as a treaty organization, turned into a bureaucracy, then an escrow
agent for various transnational trade and standards agreements. After
the Singularity, it was taken over by the Internet engineering task
force. It's not the government of Earth; it's just the only remaining
relic of Earth's governments that your people can recognize. ..."

Singularity Sky, by Charles Stross, ISBN: 0-441-01179-9, Ace Books. From
page 281 of the July 2004 paperback edition.

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From: Matt Larson <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 16:41:40 -0400

> page 281 of the July 2004 paperback edition.

We're already on the edge of on-topic and this comment has the risk of
sending us spiraling off, but everyone really must immediately stop
whatever you're doing to go out and buy and read everything by Charles
Stross.  You won't regret it.

Matt

---

From: "Steven M. Bellovin" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 13 Oct 2007 01:12:25 +0000

On Fri, 12 Oct 2007 16:41:40 -0400
Matt Larson <[email-masked]> wrote:

> > 	"No it isn't," Martin insisted, "It's a talking shop.
> > Started out as a treaty organization, turned into a bureaucracy,
> > then an escrow agent for various transnational trade and standards
> > agreements. After the Singularity, it was taken over by the
> > Internet engineering task force. It's not the government of Earth;
> > it's just the only remaining relic of Earth's governments that your
> > people can recognize. ..."
> > 
> > Singularity Sky, by Charles Stross, ISBN: 0-441-01179-9, Ace Books.
> > From page 281 of the July 2004 paperback edition.
> 
Indeed.

A few years ago, I dropped him a note and mentioned that that line was
quite popular in the IETF.  He replied

	As it happens I'd be quite surprised if the IETF or something
	like it *doesn't* end up running the planet one of these days.
	(Running the planet being a thankless infrastructure
	maintenance task, after all.)

		--Steve Bellovin, http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~smb