July 2nd 2008
Back in November, Ars Technica provided an overview of the Obama plan for technology and innovation. In it, the campaign describes a role responsible for network integrity, coordination between agency CTOs, system interoperability, and increased government transparency. As it happens, I’ve worked with several state CTOs on most of these issues. Given authority over capital […]
June 26th 2008
NPR suspended its skepticism and asked Andrew Rasiej, founder of the Personal Democracy Forum, how can Twitter change the presidential debate? Well gosh. Here’s a short list of ways Twitter might change political debate in America. It will delay the real political change that only debate in Haiku can provide. Twitter abbreviations such as “They […]
June 24th 2008
Tom Regan of The Christian Science Monitor provides some perspective on the Web’s influence on the US presidential race. In January, Obama raised a record $32 million, a previously unimaginable amount. All but 12% of it came through the Web. And then there’s Ron Paul, who had $5 million single-night online fundraisers. About ten years […]
April 2nd 2008
California Representative Howard Berman, whose Congressional district is near Hollywood, claims the PRO-IP Act is on track to be enacted by the end of this year. In addition to his prognosis, Berman notes, “I don’t think there’s a lot of controversy.” No more than the 1765 Stamp Act, surely. First among the greatest flaws in […]
March 20th 2008
Change in Congressional IP legislation is in the air as Hollywood’s Congressman, Howard Berman, prepares to depart his role as Chair of the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property. However, IP Law visionary Larry Lessig won’t be adding to this wave of change by running for Congress. Instead he will launch a national […]
March 17th 2008
Where have all the protests gone? Many of the most interesting and successful are making creative use of new online environments. And they’re winning concessions from the powers that be.
February 20th 2008
Arts Technica describes how shifts caused by a death in congress could reshape the legislative terrain for intellectual property law. Rep. Tom Lantos’ (D-CA) death from esophageal cancer leaves an opening at the top of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, an opening that appears to be perfectly shaped like Howard Berman (D-CA). Berman is expected […]
February 18th 2008
The President has destaffed the committee responsible for making sure civil rights and privacy are respected by the administration’s anti-terrorism programs. At the same time, he made asking for extended spy powers, and blanket immunity for a still-undisclosed range of privacy intrusions, his highest profile priority. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board was recommended by […]
February 15th 2008
For the six million or so Americans who live overseas, voting has always been a bit sketchy. According to the non-partisan Election Assistance Commission, only a third of the nearly one million ballots issued last election cycle were actually cast. So, for the first time, Democrats living abroad are now able to cast primary votes […]
February 13th 2008
When Oscar Morales, an engineer from Barranquilla, Colombia, and five friends launched a Facebook group called No More FARC, they didn’t expect to create a movement. But within thirty days, their Facebook group’s 250,000 members mobilized millions of protesters. Last week, more than 4 million Colombians marched simultaneously in 27 cities throughout the country and 104 […]
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