I agree about the dangers of cloud computing, but not with the elite knowing how to use the tools (or build them).

Few of the elite understand coding. It is done for them often by people who, in my experience in Finland, are rather anarchic and their non-coding peers and friends are in the group most threatened by elitist machinations. The coders may have a foot in the corporate world, but by night....

There are plenty of online equivalents to hiding a book under your bed.

In the long run what matters is speed. If we can organize protest - of whatever kind - FASTER than 'they' can plan to contain it, then we will win. OR we create and manage businesses that are far more efficient and fair than theirs à la Chris Cook.

Perhaps my and Chris's optimism comes from our Nordic experience, but imo we are only at the very beginning of online democracy.

You can't be me, I'm taken