I really shouldn’t Google myself with a mouthful of coffee because spit-takes are bad for computers. Until this morning, I had no idea that a guest post I wrote back in June inspired the top-ranked offering TechDirt considered among the “funniest and most insightful comments of the week.” But I have to agree with Mike Masnick that, when it comes to ...
Anyone who follows the ongoing tug-of-war between Hollywood and Silicon Valley will inevitably encounter variations on two cherished themes of the Web-centric: 1) that Hollywood is corrupt, monopolistic, and greedy; and 2) that Hollywood is incapable of embracing technology. If we are to believe that either or both of these generalizations are fair, then what are we to make of ...
During the squabble over SOPA and PIPA, one of the underlying (and possibly just lying) PR bullets coming out of Silicon Valley was that the actions called for in the bills would “break the Internet.” And when that wasn’t the claim, the most consistent complaint was that the bills would chill free speech. But in the wake of violent protests ...
I know it’s a day to relax, enjoy a late-morning cup of coffee, and perhaps forget about the troubles of the world, so I hope you’ll forgive me for asking you to think about nuclear weapons. This article from 2009 has stuck with me ever since I first read it. Not only is it an interesting analysis of global stability ...
The Washington Post reported yesterday that the Iranian government is laying the foundation for a national intranet that would replace Iranian citizens’ access to the world wide web. Iranians already have limited access to high speeds and certain social media sites, but this infrastructure would give the government even greater control to filter out western influence, to squelch and monitor ...
