Writings and Musings

Welcome to my writings.

If you want the recent essays check out the sidebar on the left or, better, go to Further Readings for a curated list of essays.

Other essays are listed in chronological order and then by category. The main essays are in larger letters and minor documents (such as messages posted on discussion sites) are indented and in smaller letters. The documents themselves are located on this site (www.Frankston.com) and as well as external sites.

Note that I'm currently writing shorter transient posts on Facebook as "Bob Frankston". I'm gathering links here.

You can send me Email. Note this unique address is only valid for the next few days.

The best way to link to a document is as http://rmf.vc/keyword.

	By default only the most recent posts are shown, to see:
•	Recent By Date	Posts from the last few months
•	Columns	Columns written in 1998-1999 -- blogging before blogs. Look here for my more recent columns.
•	All	All posts -- hundreds

Writings and Updates by Date

Some of the recent entries are also listed on the sidebar. Secondary items such as postings on other mailing lists are indented. Note that the year shown is the year the essay was updated. An essay written in 1979 might be listed under 2009 if it was updated recently.

Years: all recent 1974 1979 1989 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

My Facebook Posts and More … 20-Jan-2018 (Updated: 07-May-2021 PDFAn attempt to catalog my Facebook Posts until when and if I use the ideas in formal essays and columns

Connectivity Starts at Home 13-Apr-2021 (Updated: 15-Apr-2021 PDFToday's Internet is just one application of the powerful idea of best-efforts connectivity. The home router (NAT) decouples the connectivity within the home from the larger internet enabling innovation that leverages the Internet without being limited by it.

Further Reading 18-Feb-2015 (Updated: 13-Apr-2021 PDFAny one essay can only skim the surface. For further reading ...

My Turn: Broadband opportunities — internet as infrastructure 15-Mar-2021 This is my letter to the editor in the Greenfield recorder explaining why towns can implement their own infrastructure. It is in response to a claim by cable PR saying that only a cable TV company can provide infrastructure.

Consumer Technology vs. 5G 04-Feb-2021 (Updated: 03-Mar-2021 PDF5G is often heralded as the future of communications technology. It's actually the antithesis. It is the anti-Internet clawing intelligence back into the network and limiting innovation. With 5G consumers would once again be limited to a choice of offerings and a new generation would rediscover the busy signal. Also available on CircleID.

My Turn: Broadband opportunities — internet as infrastructure 06-Feb-2021 Letter to the Editor of the Greenfield-Recording responding to claims that only Comcast (or other providers) to provide broadband.

TV is Over – Long Live Content 05-Dec-2020 PDFWe are now in the age of "content" with Television (and movies) now available for view online just like books rather than being experiences you had to tune into on a broadcaster's schedule. We haven't cut the cord, we just forgot about it and moved on.

Refactoring Consumer Electronics 01-Jan-2013 (Updated: 26-Nov-2020 PDFArticle in the January 2013 issue of the IEEE Consumer Electronics magazine. The concepts behind the Internet -- the best efforts exchange of raw bits -- represents a basic shift from a framing of electrons and pipes to one in which we can focus on relationships and applications.

The JavaScript Ecosystem 23-Oct-2020 PDFJavaScript started out as a simple extension for the browser but has become so much more. In part this is true on building on rich concepts going back to Lisp. Along the way it has challenged the givens of programming and given us a high-performance flexible language along with rich libraries and rich tools. We're just beginning to discover the possibilities. (Also on CirlceID)

A piece of living history explains 5G without hype 23-Sep-2020 A conversion about the hype surrounding #5G. Also on Facebook

Broadband Breakfast Live Online on July 22, 2020 — Champions of Broadband: Bob Frankston 22-Jul-2020 My conversation with Drew Clark about the Internet as infrastructure.

Beyond the Interweb 24-May-2020 (Updated: 14-Jul-2020 PDFToday's Internet is a network of networks and seen through the lens of the web. We need to look beyond the engineering history to see the Internet in the context of the larger vision of JCR Licklider, an acoustic psychologist, and his vision of man/computer symbiosis.

The Internet as Infrastructure FAQ 04-Dec-2017 (Updated: 13-Jul-2020 PDFWhen I write about the Internet as infrastructure I find some questions keep reappearing - hence this FAQ

Age of Software and the Public Packet Infrastructure 11-Jul-2020 📹 (video) This is a recording of the talk I gave online to the World Talent Economy Forum.

Talk about the Public Packet Infrastructure 26-Jun-2020 📹 (video) This is the talk I have go the IEEE Madison Wisconsin Chapter on June 25, 2020 explaining the concept of the Public Packet Infrastructure.