The right to tinker (Was Re: Obsolecence)

There's an interesting article mentioned in Slashdot today about Edward Felton's (of SDMI watermark reverse-engineering fame) efforts to publicize the benefits and rights of consumers and researchers to be able to tinker with technology: http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displayStory.cfm?story_id=1176171 It's not a very deep or comprehensive article, but I find some comfort in the fact that someone seems to be looking at preserving our rights to play with technology to experiment and improve it. I see and hear lots of people complaining about corporations and big business erroding our rights, but there don't seem to be many people who are trying to do anything about it. It seems to me that if nothing /is/ done, the hobby we all enjoy and take for granted will be criminalized for subsequent generations. -brian.