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June 1, 2007
The Gift That Keeps On Giving
Tomorrow is Kayleigh's first birthday, and what happy little one-year-old wouldn't be delighted with her very own 128-bit integer? I certainly can't think of any - except perhaps that suspicious-looking kid who hogs all the rubber balls at Gymboree. So I decided to take the plunge and get Kayleigh her very own integer:
39 83 49 F4 12 4E 36 B6 0A 49 A2 C7 08 A2 CB CA
Now please understand this number is hers and hers alone. None of you can have it. Yes, I'm talking about you. If you use it, share it, make t-shirts of it, make songs about it on YouTube, create a Flickr group about it, send it via Twitter or create a Facebook app about it, you will receive a take-down notice from my army of attorneys, not to mention a few sudden jabs from the voodoo doll of you I'll be giving to Kayleigh. She's currently going through a bit of a biting phase. That, and our cats might pounce on it.
Along with filling her with pride and joy over her father's good taste in birthday gifts, I'm hoping that her own integer will teach Kayleigh the importance of respect. Respecting rules, no matter how arbitrary. Respecting encryption keys, DRM and other tools that rightly prevent things from being free, even when such controls make no sense whatsoever. And respecting the simple truth that anything, including something as simple as a string of numbers, can be owned by someone and thus made inaccessible to everyone else.
Enjoy your integer, Kayleigh - you've earned it. And be sure none of your toddler friends ever get their grubby little hands on it - they can get their own integer - if their parents are as generous as I. Now blow out the candles and have some cake, sweetie. -daddy
Posted by acarvin at June 1, 2007 12:56 PM
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