Politics

Admiral McRaven to Become Chancellor of U Texas System at Record Salary

August 21st 2014

Admiral William McRaven, head of the U.S. Special Operations Command, will be the next chancellor of the University of Texas System – and earn a record salary.

News Three Count: The End of America as the Internet’s “Mac Daddy”

March 16th 2014

Taken together, this week’s news shows how the Internet is moving toward a more international “multi-pole” system of of influence, rather than the “America in the Middle” arrangement that has been its history to date.

Lucky or Smart – Will Healthcare.gov Turn Out To Be Either?

October 25th 2013

A lot of opinions have been shared about the Healthcare.gov website — but few from people who have run challenging government IT initiatives themselves. I’ve done that a few times in several states, and the patterns that create risk in this kind of work are evident from a distance.

Off topic: If You’re in Massachusetts, Come Vote Republican for a Day!

March 5th 2012

If you live in Massachusetts and are “unenrolled” you can vote in Super Tuesday’s primary. My hope is that Romney-fatigued voters, idealistic students, and lovers of political theater will vote for Ron Paul. He’s the dark horse candidate in Romney’s Massachusetts – and perhaps our best hope to deliver a Super Tuesday surprise, and start dramatic reform.

Rick Santorum Has a Dirty Problem with SEO, and He’s Made it Worse

February 15th 2012

The gay rights protest site “Spreading Santorum” now eclipses the official Santorum campaign site on the major search engines. Its a text book case bad SEO decisions, and the power of offensive though apparently resonate free speech.

Did Herman Cain Make the Worst (and Funniest) Ad in Political History?

October 26th 2011

Herman Cain’s smoking gums political ad is all the things political ads hope to avoid. Come take a look, see how this is a perfect application of Poe’s law, and join our somewhat informed discussion. ;>

Jesse Jackson Jr.’s Hypocrisy and Digital Marketing’s Naivete

April 19th 2011

Before Jesse Jackson Jr. blamed unemployment on the iPad, he proposed a constitutional amendment to give an iPod and laptop to every student in the US. Digital marketers, meet your future regulator.

The Best “Website Under Construction” Page is Egyptian

February 14th 2011

The best ever “under construction” sign has replaced the website of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Come take a look, and imagine what this site could be like in the future.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World…Wide Web

July 30th 2010

Recently, numerous political groups have been quite upfront about their intent to exert authority over different parts of the online world.  It seems everybody want to rule the Web. Dept of Justice moves to regulate Web through accessibility standards. FCC proposes to regulate Web access via broadband, claims it’s part of regulating telcos. Commerce Dept […]

Obama + Google: A Love Story

February 15th 2010

Presidents Day and Valentine’s Day came together in Fortune Magazine’s feature story. This cover featured an inspired visual melding of brands, and the title promises something juicy along with tech policy. The article chronicles Google’s shift, like much of Silicon Valley, from being blind to government policy to building a lobbying arm to participate in politics […]