I've been watching the hubbub over world of ends for the last couple of days. I mostly said what I thought over in Shelley's comments.
I view World of Ends as what the authors essentially called it: an article. I like that Doc and Dave didn't pedal it to Wired--they certainly could have and will likely get coverage there and in other pubs regardless. It was classy of them, blooglicious even, to put it up in the public domain with a facility that lets others comment on it and steal as they wish.
While I wasn't a recipient on the now legendary email to folks who got first dibs on checking the site out (although I was probably the first reader to add a link to the site to a global corporate Intranet), my understanding is that the good doctors at Searls & Weinberger, Inc. were primarily trying to answer questions they get all the time. These must range anywhere from, "What's the Internet for?" to "Why should I give a damn?"
As a forum for them to give their personal responses to common questions about the Internet, and then let others weigh in, I think it's relevant. I'm not moved to make the leap that it is anything beyond that. Do I wish I'd get a similar response--well, any response--when I say the Internet is schizophrenic, which, in my opinion is as important? Yeh. But hey.
My only nit with the article is that is was pretty heavy on the top-down end. For an article talking about the importance of fringes and ends, it had a punditish tone and important-people sidebar links. I would have liked these good guys of the net to have added a drill-down layer for each point giving real world, real-time examples of goods and bads from *this* world of folk (not just the Lessigs and Isenbergs). Take it down a level, get dirty, show you can roll around in the grass. It's as important that people like Doc and Dave talk about us as it is that we talk about them. We circle and reinforce one another, and help keep each other real.
They did give us a facility to do this, however. The site has a welcome Quick Topic comment area which is where you'll find the real crux of the content. The comments there, and on slashdot, and other places, which Doc has added links to, are a fitting underbelly to the site. (Idea: Doc, add these links to the site itself, not just your weblog).
In fact, the World Ends thread on slashdot, to me, was most indicative of the Internet and why we're all here. I don't think I need to explain why. Something to do with joy.
These offshoot voices, our voices, are the real conclusion to the article, which, if it's on target, should have no conclusion at all.
