Tech Daily Dose

Read This: Leadership 2.None

I'm giving a shout-out to 463 Communications twice this week but it's kind of worth it. Sean Garrett, the PR firm's main man in San Fran, posted a really interesting missive on the company blog about present-day high-tech leadership in Silicon Valley.

Garrett writes:

A decade ago, we had industry leaders like John Doerr, John Chambers, Jim Barksdale, Reed Hastings, Craig Barrett and so on who put on the hat of industry steward and talked about the growth of the technology industry and the policy issues that would impact it. They weren't necessarily reserving their big keynote addresses or sit-downs with the Wall Street Journal to discuss Kleiner Perkins portfolio companies or Cisco's growth strategy.

Who is doing this in 2008? With a few exceptions, it's pretty much the same people. That's a good thing when considering how well Doerr, Chambers and Barrett do when evocatively connecting the dots between sound policy and innovation that benefits society at large. But, it's also a bad thing when you consider that a whole lot of companies have grown up and a lot of executives have made their marks since then without a contribution to the policy dialogue.

Read the full 463 blog post here.

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Harry Truman, Herbie Hancock Make History

Librarian of Congress James Billington on Wednesday named 25 additions to the National Recording Registry as part of its efforts to preserve the nation’s aural history. Each year the institution selects recordings that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" to preserve for all time. Read the press release here.

Some of the selections were:

▪ Harry S. Truman’s 1948 Democratic National Convention speech
▪ 1,000 broadcasts by Ronald Reagan before his presidency
▪ The first trans-Atlantic radio broadcast in 1925
▪ Michael Jackson’s "Thriller"
▪ The "Sounds of Earth" disc that traveled with Voyager through space
▪ Herbie Hancock’s "Headhunters"
▪ One of the few gospel recordings performed by Thomas Dorsey
▪ The first recording of "Call it Stormy Monday, but Tuesday is Just As Bad"

Posted by Andrew at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Music Group Tries To 'Demystify' Rights

The 320,000-member American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers published a position paper last week to "demystify the basic rights of music creators" amid growing confusion and concern around music copyright issues. The topic has been a recent favorite on Capitol Hill.

The paper helps define a "right" and copyright basics; and explains the meaning of "performing rights." It also asks the gazillion-dollar question: "Are rights still relevant in the digital age?" The document also includes a "Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers," which has collected over 6,000 signatures in support to date online.

The document centers around 10 core principles like: "We have the right to be compensated for the use of our creative works, and share in the revenues that they generate." In addition to the flurry of online signatures, a number of prominent musicians have backed the effort, including Lionel Richie, Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson and Justin Timberlake.

If they haven’t already, the group might want to send a copy of the position paper and bill to the 200-plus members of the House who have signed a resolution to fight legislation to nix an exemption granted to AM and FM radio stations that allows them to broadcast music without paying royalties.

A similar effort just began in the Senate. Read more about it CongressDaily's AM edition on Tuesday.

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Google's Patent Search Out Of Date

IP Law360.com reports:

Attorneys looking to track down more details on U.S. patents issued this year may have trouble relying on Google Patent Search. The Mountain View, Calif.-based search engine launched its user-friendly beta Web site, www.google.com/patents, in December 2006 to make information on the United States’ seven million patents more accessible, but has not updated the site since Jan. 1. So Googlers, what gives?

Posted by Andrew at 08:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Former IP Czar Downplays 'Net Neutrality' Legislation

Forbes.com published an op-ed Friday written by former Bush administration IP czar Chris Israel. In it, the Institute for Policy Innovation fellow discusses the recent announcement made by Comcast and BitTorrent that they will work together to find a market-based solution to challenges posed by the bandwidth demands of peer-to-peer file sharing.

According to Israel, the news "further demonstrates that an intrusive government 'network neutrality' regime is not necessary, and this provides a more promising future for protecting intellectual property online." In the debate over net neutrality, he writes, the issue of who gets to do what with the network they built has been the main sticking point while stopping the flow of illegal content has played a somewhat secondary role.

Meanwhile, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., added to the ongoing debate over the topic on Capitol Hill on Thursday by introducing a bill that would require pipeline providers to interconnect on "a reasonable and nondiscriminatory basis" and ensure all legal content, applications and services have an equal opportunity to reach consumers.

Their bill, which approaches net neutrality from an antitrust angle, differs from a measure introduced by Energy and Commerce Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey, D-Mass., which is FCC-focused. Read CongressDaily's latest coverage here.

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Friday Fun: Webby Award Winners Announced

Winners of the annual Webby Awards were announced this week.

Highlights include:

▪ Webby Person Of The Year - Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central's "Colbert Report." He was honored for using the Internet to interact with fans of his show -- from "Google bombing" to make him the top search result for "greatest living American" to challenging the "truthiness" of Wikipedia.

▪ Webby Film & Video Person of The Year - Filmmaker Michel Gondry. His latest film, "Be Kind Rewind," is a celebration do-it-yourself filmmaking introduced "sweding" to the Internet, inspiring filmmakers to recreate scenes from their favorite films.

▪ Webby Artist Of The Year - Will.I.Am, frontman for the Black Eyed Peas. He was recognized for the songs and Internet videos he created in support of U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama. His online "Yes We Can" video has been viewed more than 17 million times since its February premiere.

▪ Webby Film & Video - Best Actor: Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, creators of the cult hit timanderic.com. They are poster children for the kind of weirdness that could only take off online.

Other highlights include multiple winnings by NYTimes.com, The Onion, PostSecret, National Geographic, Apple.com, Hometown Baghdad, "You Suck at Photoshop," Flickr, FactCheck.org, BBC, TED.com, ESPN.com, and CondeNet. Read more about the winners here.

Posted by Andrew at 09:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Gen 'Y' Ready, Willing To Serve

My former Technology Daily colleague Brittany Ballenstedt, now with Government Executive magazine, has an interesting story about new survey results released by the Gallup Organization that shows roughly one-third of young adults seriously would consider a career in public service if asked by a parent or the next president of the United States.

When it comes to exploring jobs in the federal government, respondents said they would be most likely to look at government Web sites as their primary source of information. Of millennials, 11 percent said they would use search engines like Google and Yahoo to learn about federal jobs, compared with 6 percent of those older than 30. Read the full story here.

Posted by Andrew at 08:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Constitutional Flaw Could Impact Patent Rulings

The New York Times ran an interesting story on Tuesday about a George Washington University law professor who has discovered a constitutional flaw in the appointment process over the last eight years for judges who decide patent appeals and disputes. John Duffy's short paper documenting the problem seems poised to undo thousands of patent decisions concerning claims worth billions of dollars.

Since 2000, patent judges have been appointed by a government official without the constitutional power to do so, the paper reports. "I actually ran it by a number of colleagues who teach administrative law and constitutional law," Duffy said, recalling his own astonishment at finding such a chink in the legal armor.

Although a spokesman for the Justice Department would not offer a comment, the agency has already all but conceded that Duffy is right, the article states. Given the opportunity to dispute him in a December appeals court filing, government lawyers said only that they were at work on a legislative solution. Read the full story here.

Posted by Andrew at 07:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Yale Info Society's 9.5 Theses For Tech Policy

Susan Crawford points out on her blog that the Yale Information Society Project recently posted its 9.5 Theses for Technology Policy in the Next Administration:

1. Privacy. Protect human dignity, autonomy, and privacy by providing individuals with control over the collection, use, and distribution of their personal information and medical information.
2. Access. Promote high-speed Internet access and increased connectivity for all, through both government and private initiatives, to reduce the digital divide.
3. Network Neutrality. Legislate against unreasonable discrimination by network providers against particular applications or content to maintain the Internet’s role in fostering innovation, economic growth, and democratic communication.
4. Transparency. Preserve accountability and oversight of government functions by strengthening freedom of information and improving electronic access to government deliberations and materials.
5. Innovation. Restore balance to intellectual property rules and explore alternative incentives to better promote innovation, freedom, access to knowledge, and human development.

Read the full list here.

Posted by Andrew at 08:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Microsoft Cracks Down On Illegal Software Sales

High-tech giant Microsoft on Tuesday announced legal actions against eight software dealers in the United States, Canada, Egypt and the Netherlands that are alleged to have engaged in the illegal sale of unlicensed Microsoft products. The actions came as a result of hundreds of reports to the Microsoft anti-piracy hotline (800) RU-LEGIT (785-3448).

The alleged illegal sales involved the unlawful importation of unlicensed software into North America from multiple dealers overseas. As alleged in the lawsuits, the dealers deceived customers by selling them software without also providing them with the necessary licenses, according to a Microsoft press release.

"We want customers to receive the best possible experience with our products, including the benefits of support and service that come with the purchase of licensed, genuine software," Microsoft attorney Bonnie MacNaughton said. "The unlawful distribution and sale of this software has tangible, negative consequences for the marketplace."

Posted by Andrew at 08:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Weekend Buzz: No More MicroHoo

Microsoft announced over the weekend that has withdrawn its offer to acquire Internet giant Yahoo for roughly $5 billion. "After careful consideration, we believe the economics demanded by Yahoo do not make sense for us, and it is in the best interests of Microsoft stockholders, employees and other stakeholders to withdraw our proposal," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in a statement.

"We have a talented team in place and a compelling plan to grow our business through innovative new services and strategic transactions with other business partners," Ballmer said. "While Yahoo would have accelerated our strategy, I am confident that we can continue to move forward toward our goals."

Roy Bostock, chairman of Yahoo issued a response reiterating that "our independent board and our management have been steadfast in our belief that Microsoft's offer undervalued the company and we are pleased that so many of our shareholders joined us in expressing that view." Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang added: "With the distraction of Microsoft's unsolicited proposal now behind us, we will be able to focus all of our energies on executing the most important transition in our history."

Stanford Group analyst Clay Moran believes Yahoo missed a good opportunity and he expected the firm's stock to drop significantly on Monday. "We believe this is good for Microsoft’s stock in the near term not only due to the unwinding of arbitrage positions, but also as it likely represented its best option under the circumstances," he added.

The result of the deal's demise makes Google the big winner, Moran said. The company's two largest competitors remain separate, thus entrenching its dominant position, and Yahoo may be pressured to further pursue a search outsourcing agreement with Google.

Posted by Andrew at 09:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

White House Honors Math, Science Teachers

(Photo Credit: David Bohrer/White House)

Ninety-nine educators from around the country have been awarded the annual Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching for 2007. The teachers, who each get a certificate and $10,000 educational grant to be used over a three-year period, will be recognized during a ceremony on Friday evening hosted by National Science Foundation Director Arden Bement.

While in Washington this week, the teachers visited the White House and were slated to meet a NASA astronaut as well as members of Congress and the Bush administration to discuss hot topics in math and science teaching. A little bird tells us the group had been promised a snapshot with POTUS himself but he was busy chatting up the New York Giants who stopped by the South Lawn the same day. Instead, the teachers posed for a photo-op with Vice President Dick Cheney.

Click here for the press release and here for a larger Cheney pic.

Update: An administration official pointed out that Bush met with the award winners in 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 and First Lady Laura Bush met with them in 2003 and 2007. Cheney met with the recipients in 2002 and again this year. According to the source, former President Bill Clinton never (or rarely) met with them.

Posted by Andrew at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

DeborahJeanePalfrey.com Found Dead

The woman believed to be the so-called "D.C. Madam" was reportedly found dead Thursday in a shed near hear mother's Florida mobile home. The madam, Deborah Jeane Palfrey, was recently convicted on federal charges stemming from operating a prostitution service in the nation's capital with a number of high-profile clients. Her sentencing was scheduled for July 24.

The news prompted me to visit Palfrey's personal Web site where she previously posted a copy of her escort service records (all 46 pounds of them). The site, which was created in February 2007 and is registered to Palfrey's attorney, Montgomery Blair Sibley, is now blank except for a line that eerily reads: "deborahjeanepalfrey.com is off line until further notice."

It is unclear when the site was wiped clean. Deborahjeanepalfrey.com had a traffic rank of 3,463147366,946 on analytics site Alexa.com.

Posted by Andrew at 04:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Experts Discuss New Media & Press Freedom

"Securing and Expanding Press Freedom Through New Media" was the topic du jour at a morning briefing on Wednesday hosted by the National Endowment for Democracy. The event preceded World Press Freedom Day, which is observed annually on May 3. This year's theme is "Freedom of Expression, Access, and Empowerment."

Participants included Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; John Palfrey, executive director of the Berkman Center on Internet and Society at Harvard Law School; Shanthi Kalathil, a consultant at the World Bank's Communication for Governance and Accountability Program; Aboubakr Jamai, a fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government; and Xiao Qiang of the China Internet Project at the University of California, Berkeley.

By engaging in the new information society, "netizens" are contributing to the free flow of information and participating in the democratic process, which is a vital prerequisite to an open society, the foundation said in a description of the event posted on its Web site. The group pointed out that authoritarian governments are increasing efforts censor content and citizens’ access to information while investing in greater surveillance efforts.

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What I Love About The *New* NationalJournal.com

Tech Daily Dose - prime placement, above-the-fold, so to speak. Yippie.

Posted by Andrew at 09:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

AT&T Unveils iPhone Accessibility Plan

AT&T announced Tuesday that Apple's popular iPhone is now more accessible for Americans who are deaf or have a hearing or speech disability. The telecommunications giant unveiled a new $40 plan to give those customers the choice of unlimited text messaging, Web browsing and easy access to e-mail.

Under the service offering, "users can tap, flick and pinch the innovative multi-touch touch screen for a completely new world of functionality," AT&T Vice President Carlton Hill said in a press release. To qualify, customers must complete an application for eligibility through AT&T’s National Center for Customers with Disabilities, which can be found here.

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NY Post Entertains With 'Fight Night' Game

Some creative (and computer-savvy) minds at the New York Post have unveiled a Web-based "2008 Democratic Fight Night" game that lets a reader toss his or her favorite candidate --- either Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., or Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. -- into a virtual boxing ring to beat the living daylights out of the rival wannabe nominee.

A colleague who sent me the link pointed out that the game is "not quite Grand Theft Auto, but it still entertains." Well, he's right. It's a hoot. You can check it out here. Now, who will come up with the online game where presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona pummels himself? Any takers?

Posted by Andrew at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Heads Up: Kojo Talks IP Rights

"The Kojo Nnamdi Show" on WAMU (88.5) in Washington will feature a segment Tuesday focused on cracking down on pirated goods. Nnamdi's interest in the issue comes on the heels of an annual report card on intellectual property protection released Friday by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (Read CongressDaily's coverage here).

Guests (who will be on the air just after 12 p.m. ET) include: Assistant USTR Stan McCoy and Susan Sell, director of the Institute for Global and International Studies at George Washington University. Click here for more information about Kojo's show and to listen to the webcast.

Posted by Andrew at 09:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Google Joins Online Kids Safety Group

Internet giant Google has joined the Family Online Safety Institute, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to identifying and promoting best practices, tools, and methods for Web safety. Google Policy Counsel Pablo Chavez was added to the group's board to help steer its strategic direction and initiatives. "Joining FOSI furthers Google's efforts to educate families about ways to use the Internet safely," Chavez said in a press release. Google joins a list of big name high-tech players involved in the effort, including AT&T, British Telecom, Comcast and Verizon.

Posted by Andrew at 05:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Interesting Angle On 'Orphan Works'

Andrew Feinberg over at CapitolValley.net has an interesting take on the recently revived discussion on Capitol Hill over "orphan works," copyrighted materials whose owners cannot be found. He takes a look back at the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, which drastically extended copyright terms and then boils it down to how the change impacts John Q. Public.

Feinberg writes that one of his favorite television shows, "The Wonder Years," is unavailable on DVD because the nostalgic series featured so much copyrighted material from the 1960s era that obtaining permissions and arranging royalties has proved impossible. Some copyright holders won't give permission but others simply can't be found.

Posted by Andrew at 09:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

New Name, New Site -- Same Tech Topics

Free-market think tank iGrowthGlobal, which was launched last year by refugees from the Progress and Freedom Foundation, has changed its name to the Technology Policy Institute -- a little more generic, a little less new-agey. The firm, led by former PFF President Thomas Lenard, focuses on the economics of innovation, technological change, and related regulation in the United States and around the world. The group, which is guided by light-touch government and private sector driven policymaking, is also staffed by PFF alums Garland McCoy and Scott Wallsten. Lenard said the name change more accurately reflects the coming year's focus on communications and broadband policy, online privacy, and Internet governance. As part of the rebirth, TPI also launched a sleek, new Web site.

Posted by Andrew at 09:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

'Face' Time At National Press Club

The National Press Club is getting tech-savvy with a Monday afternoon seminar titled "Reporting from Facebook." According to the notice, the session "will start by looking at what online social networks are and examining the differences between several of the most popular sites, including Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn. From there we will move on to a more in-depth look at Facebook - navigating the site, using it to research stories, using it to identify and contact sources, and using it to connect with your audience."

Posted by Andrew at 09:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

CCIA Chief Weighs In On Free Trade

In Monday's San Jose Mercury News -- some thoughts on free trade from the Computer and Communications Industry Association's Ed Black.

Editorial: U.S. political leaders must recognize importance of free trade

As the leading export industry of the nation, the high-tech sector is a strong supporter of free trade and open markets. That is why the current confrontation between Congress and the Bush administration is so alarming.

Global trade has been and remains vital to the U.S. economy. The extraordinary economic growth after World War II was, in large part, due to the fact that the United States opened itself up to the world. Thoughtful political leaders of both parties understood trade's importance, and chose to subordinate politics to trade. The challenge was always to mitigate harm to some impacted sectors while expanding trade.

Read the full editorial here.

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Child Protection Group Plans DC Policy Day In May

From the latest National Journal magazine:

Striking blondes have a way of getting attention in D.C. That’s a sure bet for adult-film starlet Stormy Daniels, who will represent the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection at the National Press Club on May 29. The Los Angeles-based group of porn producers wants to keep adult Internet content away from kids. Online child safety has been a key issue for the Justice Department and has prompted hearings, legislation, and self-regulatory actions by industry, such as ASACP’s own online warning-label program. ASACP, whose inside-the-Beltway exposure has been scarce, has hired the Raben Group to raise its image in the public policy realm.

Check out ASACP's "Restricted to Adults" PSAs here and here.

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The *New* NationalJournal.com

National Journal Group's long-awaited Web site overhaul is complete and we hope you like the finished product. Here's a screenshot of a demo front page. Click here to visit the real thing and here to read a note to readers.

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Comcast, Pando Work On P2P Bill Of Rights

Cable and Internet giant Comcast and Pando Networks, a provider of managed peer-to-peer content delivery services, said Tuesday that they will lead an industry-wide effort to create a “P2P Bill of Rights and Responsibilities” for file-sharers and Internet service providers. The pair plan to collaborate with industry experts; other ISPs and P2P firms; content providers and others, to guide the popular high-tech platform.

The purpose of the initiative is to clarify what choices and controls consumers should have when using P2P applications as well as what processes and practices ISPs should use to manage P2P applications running on their networks, according to a Comcast press release. Comcast and Pando will also test Pando Network Aware™ P2P technology on Comcast’s fiber-optic network with the purpose of analyzing data flow.

The announcement builds on Comcast’s March 27 announcement to work with BitTorrent and the broader Internet and ISP community to more effectively address issues associated with rich media content and network capacity management. Comcast Chief Technology Officer Tony Werner said he hoped to gather stakeholders this spring and publish the P2P guidelines later this year.

Update: Marvin Ammori, general counsel of Free Press, said the Comcast and Pando have "declared themselves the arbiters of consumers' rights and responsibilities." Their announcement gives little information about the arrangement, "but Comcast's behavior tells us everything we need to know," he said, adding that the firm has been blocking P2P and doesn’t plan to stop.

Scott Cleland at the Precursor blog also weighed in, calling the partnership "a breakthrough agreement" that solves "multiple thorny problems." Read his full post here.

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Google Lends Search Expertise To Child Safety Group

Internet innovator Google has partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to provide software tailored to help automate and streamline the technical side of the group's child pornography investigations through advancements in video and image search.

"Criminals are using cutting edge technology to commit their crimes of child sexual exploitation, and in fighting to solve those crimes and keep children safe, we must do the same," NCMEC President Ernie Allen said in a press release. Working in cooperation with federal law enforcers, NCMEC analysts have reviewed more than 13 million child porn images and videos and the Google offering will help expedite searches.

In August 2006, Google joined the Technology Coalition and the Financial Coalition Against Child Pornography, industry initiatives launched by NCMEC and its sister agency, the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, to develop solutions that disrupt the ability of predators to use the Internet to exploit children or swap child porn.

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The Sirius-XM Debate: Now, The FCC's Turn

Surf on over to CongressDaily's TechCentral for the latest on the pending merger between Sirius Satellite Radio and rival XM. Here's a taste of Monday's "Issue of the Week:"

When Sirius Satellite Radio Chief Executive Officer Mel Karmazin testified last year at congressional hearings on plans to combine his company with rival XM, he made several promises to win over regulators, including assurances that the millions of receivers in homes and cars wouldn’t become obsolete and that low-cost pricing would be available. Karmazin’s message apparently resonated with the Justice Department, which approved the $5 billion transaction on March 24 with no conditions.

Now, as the merger’s fate rests with the Republican-controlled FCC, industry analysts say the government’s review has shifted from whether the combination should win approval to how it should be conditioned.

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Opening Day At The Tech-Tastic Newseum

(Photo Credit: Andrew Noyes)

Friday marked the grand opening at the new Newseum in Washington. It was a massive, day-long affair that drew scores of tourists, locals and, of course, news enthusiasts. I've had a keen interest in the project as it has evolved because of the groundbreaking high-tech components featured inside the museum. This is just a snapshot of what's inside. It's a must-see! [Click here for more photos]

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One Economy Launches Tech Outreach Campaign

Technology nonprofit One Economy launched its "Bring IT Home America" campaign on Tuesday -- a program geared toward combining the resources of government, business, and the nonprofit sector to extend innovative technologies to those who need them most. Companies like AT&T, Intel, Verizon and Wells Fargo have signed onto the two-year project.

According to the group, 21 percent of people earning less than $30,000 per year have broadband and the applications it makes possible in their homes; three times as many affluent households have high-speed access. One Economy believes in the need to inspire a "profound and urgent national commitment to bring the power of information to all Americans -- regardless of income, race, age, or geography."

By the end of the campaign, One Economy and campaign members will have engaged 5,000 youth to provide technology training in their neighborhoods, brought broadband into the homes of half a million Americans, and reached millions more with the next generation of public-purpose media, the Public Internet Channel, officials said.

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, a champion of the initiative, issued a statement saying broadband access is as important as water and sewer infrastructure for the Mountain State and other rural localities to prosper in the new economy. As a proud West Virginian who grew up with lackluster technology in school and even less at home, I couldn’t agree more.

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R.E.M. Touts Benefits Of The High-Tech Age

R.E.M. rocked NBC's "Today Show" on Tuesday morning and chatted with Matt Lauer about their new album, how they have embraced high-tech distribution methods and the state of the American music industry.

Mike Mills on tech: "The technology is out there and the best thing you can do is break down the barriers between yourself and your fans. We streamed it on iLike and we have a Web site -- SupernaturalSuperserious.com -- where you can build your own video out of clips we've provided. It's just a way to remove the middle man and connected directly with the people who like you."

Michael Stipe on the music business: "I think the music is doing great right now, I think the industry is sort of suffering. But musicians continue writing good songs and there are fans out there that support them."

Watch "Today Show" clips here. I can't wait to get my hands on the new album. And yes, this was blogworthy because I love them and it's my birthday week so I'm entitled.

Posted by Andrew at 01:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

CNBC's March Madness

Everyone seems to have March Madness -- even CNBC, which is encouraging viewers to take part in Wall Street's answer to the annual college basketball frenzy. The network has lined up 64 companies, four sectors, and one champion. Winners are selected each night through April 7th at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET by the "Fast Money" traders.

According to CNBC's site:

Hewlett-Packard rolled over 16 seed Western Digital. Then, in a hard fought chip conference battle, 9-seed Intel, squeaked by LCD giant Corning. Microsoft, appeared to be oblivious to taunting from the sidelines by Yahoo's Jerry Yang and they beat IBM. Larry Ellison's Oracle squad sailed by Comcast.

While EMC -- with its mysterious virtualization offense -- won a hard fought one over Verizon. 3 seed Apple stole from Research In Motion's playbook and won as the iPhone maker started to gain business customers. And John Chambers out-coached Michael Dell with Cisco beating Dell.

Meanwhile in live tournament play, AT&T made mincemeat out of Google* with the traders ruling in favor of telephone’s buildout over Google’s online ad sales.

*The producers of Fast Money advanced Google to the next round of competition anyway. Read more here. (Thanks for the tip on this, MB)

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Virgin America's In-Flight Entertainment Extravaganza

Richard Branson is a damned genius. That's why I consciously bypassed conveniently located Reagan-National Airport to fly to Los Angeles on Tuesday evening via Virgin America from Dulles International Airport, which is quite a haul from downtown D.C. I was tired of crisscrossing the country on the big, boring airlines and needed something fresh and new -- and boy, did Branson deliver.

From the time I boarded the plane, I knew I was in for a treat. The "mood lighting" blanketed the cabin in a pinkish-purplish hue and I made my way to my surprisingly comfortable coach seat (It's worth noting that the first class recliners are equipped with a massage feature). The safety video was kitschy and the on-board announcements were casual and friendly.

Now, comes the good part (and the part that makes this blog post a bit relevant for Tech Daily Dose) -- the in-flight technology smorgasbord. Everything a passenger needs for a 5+ hour flight from Washington to California is contained in a nifty little seatback touch-screen monitor/remote control. The system is known as Red, it's still in beta version and it totally rocked my world.

Watch: There are new release movies, music videos, live television, on-demand premium TV and multi-lingual TV offerings. Plus, as an extra special treat for techies: videos from popular blog BoingBoing. I watched "Across the Universe" for $7 because I missed it in theaters. Oh and there's a program guide that lets you set reminders for upcoming TV shows and Google Maps to let you know where you are in the sky.

Listen: The music player boasts an impressive track listing from a variety of genres and artists -- and passengers can create their own playlists that can be revived on future flights. Radio stations include rock, alternative, hip-hop, jazz and many others. If you're a fan of Cantonese or Mandarin pop music, they've got that too.

Continue reading "Virgin America's In-Flight Entertainment Extravaganza" »

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Web Stats: HuffPo Defeats Drudge?

Kara Swisher has an interesting blog post over at All Things Digital that points out that "the Blue states are taking back ground from the Red ones -- at least in cyberspace." In February, for the first time ever, Arianna Huffington's liberal political news and commentary site, the Huffington Post, reportedly surpassed conservative/populist Matt Drudge's Drudge Report.

She cited recent traffic data reports from both comScore and Nielsen Online. Nielsen, for example, said Huffington's traffic has more than tripled since February 2007 when it had about 1.1 million unique visitors. Last month, that number grew to 3.7 million. The same month, Drudge's site had 3.4 million (it had 2.75 million a year ago). Read the full post here.

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Zittrain Ponders Future Of The Web

Oxford University Internet scholar Jonathan Zittrain was in Washington on Thursday to speak at Google's D.C. office (alongside Stanford Law School's Lawrence Lessig who was in town to launch his ChangeCongress movement). I was supposed to attend but had a last-minute conflict.

Zittrain's talk was based around his new book, "The Future of the Internet -- And How To Stop It." His thesis, summed up nicely by the Washington Post's Mike Musgrove, is that "the prevalence of spam and malware may be setting the Web on a path to a kind of appliance-driven lockdown."

Zittrain argues "the threat of faulty code and spyware, among other problems, means that the world is starting to turn to closed systems -- like TiVos, Xboxes and iPhones -- that can't as easily be modified by users or gifted programmers," Musgrove wrote on the Post IT blog.

Andrew Feinberg at CapitolValley.net also wrote about the book, which is sitting on my nightstand begging to be read right after I finish "Patent Failure," a timely tome by James Bessen and Michael Meurer.

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Sign Of The Times? No More Inky Fingers

From Jim Romenesko at Poynter Online:

----------------------------------------------------
Memo to Orlando Sentinel employees
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Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 10:56 AM
To: OSC DL All Employees
Subject: Orlando Sentinel Digital Edition Launching March 31

On Monday, March 31, the Orlando Sentinel will launch a new digital edition of the newspaper via a new business partner, Pressmart. As a result, the paper will no longer be available in physical form at the Orlando Sentinel offices. On March 31, employees will receive an automated e-mail with a link access the newspaper. This link will also be permanently posted on the home page of SentineLink ...

... The decision to begin offering a digital edition was made in an effort to cut costs while expanding our digital product selection to our customers. In addition, there are significant financial benefits to the Sentinel, including increased ABC-audited circulation, lowered printing and distribution costs, and reduced future archival costs.

Read the full memo here.

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NJ Q&A: Chertoff Looks Back – And Forward

There's a special story posted on CongressDaily's TechCentral written by my colleague Shane Harris at National Journal magazine. In it, he conducts an exit interview of sorts with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. After weathering congressional criticism, Gulf Coast hurricanes, and a failed bid for immigration reform, Chertoff remains upbeat about DHS, the shape in which he leaves it, and the future of border security.

In Harris's interview, Chertoff warned about national complacency toward terrorism, praised his department's efforts to prepare for the upcoming transition, and questioned whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be taking on reconstruction efforts. Click here to read the Q&A.

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Auto X Prize Wins Congressional Support

An international competition to inspire viable, super-efficient vehicles that could help curb the United States dependence on foreign oil and stem the effects of climate change will kick off this week at the New York Auto Show. The Senate passed a resolution supporting the project last Thursday and the House did the same in February.

The winning entrant of the Automotive X Prize must produce a commercially viable vehicle that gets at least 100 miles per gallon fuel efficiency over a series of road trials meant to simulate real world driving conditions. The public unveiling of the multi-million dollar prize purse and title sponsor will take place on Thursday.

"The dual passage of both the House and Senate resolutions demonstrates that our elected officials understand the real issues consumers are facing today and that real solutions will require the American spirit of free enterprise," Automotive X Prize Executive Director Don Foley said. "This high-profile competition is igniting ideas and concepts across the globe to help solve the challenge of energy security and climate change."

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A New Spin On The Spitzer Scandal

The high-priced call girl who effectively ended New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's political career this week happens to be an aspiring musician and a song featured on her MySpace.com page is getting quite a bit of radio airplay.

Several stations, including the Big Apple's "K-Rock" and Z-100, downloaded Ashley Alexandria Dupre's song "What We Want" and featured it as part of their pop music line up. Eric Johnson of New Jersey's WSJO told Radio-Info.com that "it's not a bad mid-tempo pop song. We’ll spike it in and let the listeners decide."

News of Dupre's ditty is particularly interesting given Spitzer's high-profile crusade against radio "payola." When he was the state's attorney general, his office served subpoenas against record labels in a probe into the illegal compensation of radio stations for playing certain songs.

A tipster tells Tech Daily Dose that Spitzer "can now claim that his anti-payola efforts at getting new artists on the air were successful." "Apparently Spitzer thinks pay-for-play wasn't so bad after all," the snarky source added.

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Sirius CEO Predicts Late March Merger Ruling

From the Reuters DealZone blog:

Sirius Satellite Radio CEO Mel Karmazin said Wednesday he hoped U.S. regulators would rule by the end of March on the satellite radio company’s proposed merger with rival XM. Speakin