As the year comes to an end, two windows on my computer screen describe the year gone by in a manner that no amount of contemplation, alcohol or a mixture of both can accomplish.

The first window is that of my brand new Mozilla Firefox browser displaying the terror level on the bottom right hand corner of the browser screen. The Rumsfeldesque bar is currently a dark orange possibly with a touch of mauve. For those among you who don’t monitor developments of this nature daily, this color stands for ELEVATED. Should the bar become fully orange, it would mean that I should stand thinking seriously about those bunkers on sale at Sears, and they tell me that if my browser starts blinking it probably means that the person sitting next to me on the bus is Osama bin laden.

The other is an email from a stranger imploring me to adopt two homeless rats. Not your ordinary, run of the mill rats, but the email assures me that they are “ adorable female rats, one white and black and the other white and brown, just one month old, very sociable and friendly, used to people, even learning to do tricks and to respond to their names. The last two attributes are something I plan to add for my future online dating personals.

To get back to the terror alert level, it stands as a supreme testament to describing many of the qualities that were in vogue during 2004. Idiocy. Incompetence. Fanaticism. And fanaticism in a suit. However so much has been written about the predominance of these traits, that adding to them would be akin to spitting in the ocean.

So I would like to focus on the brighter side of the terror alert level on my browser window. It can be done in two words: Open Source. 2004 was a year when the term Power to the People took on a new meaning. No longer do did we patiently have to wait for the market research people in large corporations to rework slide seventy two of their presentation for the umpteenth time in order to get wise to the needs of the people. Bright minded professionals across the world, (many of those who have plans for Friday nights) rolled up their sleeves and said “Enough is Enough (or words to that effect).” A wide array of applications were designed for us to use at absolutely no charge. The super hip Terror Alert Level Monitor. Foxy Tunes, an application that allows you to control your iTunes right from the browser window. Tabbed browsing that eliminates new windows. And much, so much more.

These were not mere technology advances – they were all about a mindset of a population that had run out of guillotines but was still thirsty for a revolution. Users cocked a snoot at the music industry and downloaded music fearlessly. Their enthusiasm was infectious. Even the record executives got in with the game and placed blank files on the shareware networks. And the age long game between matter and anti matter that has been in play since the Big Bang entered a new phase.

Even the traditionally neglected countries of the world got their share of attention. Their laws and sensibilities were thankfully unable and unwilling to keep up pace up with the Internet penetration rates, thus making them viable branch office for the Kazaas, penguins and maybe even stem cell research clinics of the future. Firefox is just one of the many badges the people of the world can wear on sleeves with pride. Finally, we the people belong to a group that doesn’t have one unique identity. John Lennon can go to sleep a happy man.

What of the flip side, you ask pointing out that there is always a flip side. It exists in the form of really annoying people you run into on a daily basis. Unfortunately, they still continue to exist, and in the open world, they are empowered to an even greater degree. No longer are they content by saying “Happy Monday” or mouthing inanities like “Excuse me” even after you have made way for them. Once on the Internet these people send you meaningless Instant messenger messages, or worse even spam. So bad has the spamming phenomenon become that the email about the rats actually appeared to me as a legitimate one. Make no mistake – we are battling one of the greatest scourges of our times. It borders on the thin line between the ludicrous and absolute madness. On a daily basis I get advice from strangers on buying Omaha Steaks for dinner and assurances from banks assuring me that my payments on non existent homes can be reduced. How do we deal with these people? Simple. We deal with them just the way matter has dealt with anti matter, and the way Batman deals with the villains of Gotham City . With intelligence and without sirens, uniforms or donuts. In the world of the open source, we don’t have to turn to authority figures for control. In this world, ability is authority and there is no need for a baton.

So let us take solace in this mindset of daring innovation that challenges the boundaries drawn by the big media channels and the people who view them. Let us revel in the fact that people across the globe continue to rapidly redefine the boundaries and hopefully the values of a world where providing food for the poor or taking care of a helpless rat are meritorious enough deeds to get access to the highly guarded corridors of Heaven.

And by the way, if you or anyone you know is interested in adopting rats that can do tricks, please send a note jenjubatus@yahoo.com . The email assures me that they would really appreciate it.

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© COPYRIGHT 2002-2012 Arun Krishnan