This is from a comment left on AlwaysOn in response to my article about Time's choice of person's of the year.

From Symph402nd | POSTED: 12.23.05 @18:21

This is such a sad thing to post. Rather than waste your time complaining about the moral caliber of Bill Gates, why don't you look into what is really going on in the world with a heart. I never liked the things Gates did but I felt a lot better about him after I found out about his involvement with Bono and all that he has contributed. Whether so wealthy or not, the fact is he doesn't have to give but he choses to give and he gives a lot which is more than you might even be able to say about yourself. You could service the world a lot better by talking about what really matters rather than this kind of idiocy. This is an example of an American Idiot. Bono has great plans, ideas and programs and Gates is smart enough to see that. You dull the enthusiasm of those, like myself, who have worked so hard to actually do something about a real serious health crisis. Why would anyone want to do that? You obviously have a voice in the world, use it to say things you want to be remembered for not this kind of nonsense.

My reply:

My sincerest apologies, I did not mean to sound mean, or to dampen your enthusiasm for doing good things. I encourage you to continue with your mission and disregard my piece.

I applaud the charity work that Time's people of the year winners have accomplished, and I hope they continue to be successful in giving away billions of dollars for many, many years to come.

I, too, want to make a difference in the world, and help the world solve serious problems. I lack material resources but I have no lack of digital ink.

And the judicial application of digital ink can be used to great effect. The power of the pen can now be mightier than the checkbook.

The blogosphere is an important addition to the mediasphere (as long as we can keep some professional media.)

I view the blogger and blogging, as ways that will help our society to "think" our way through some serious problems ahead.

The blogosphere is an aggregation of billions of links--not unlike the neurons in our brains. If you examined just one neuron, or one blog, you would find nothing very remarkable. Yet in aggregation--both are phenomenal.

That is why I say, that the humble blogger, and the not so humble blogger, have made and will make, a much larger contribution to the world than any three rich people that you can fit on the cover of a magazine.

And I am truly shocked that Time magazine did not realize the incredible value that the blogosphere has already provided.