He began by quoting New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd: "Wooing the press is an exercise roughly akin to picnicking with a tiger. You might enjoy the meal, but the tiger always eats last." Mueller's own take: "I did enjoy the meal but I am struck with the notion that I am now at the podium and many of you still look quite hungry."

During the question-and-answer session he tackled (and dodged) some pretty serious queries but he also made room for lighter topics. Mueller was asked if the high-tech investigative methods depicted in primetime cop dramas like "CSI" and "Criminal Minds" were realistic. He said they were but the shows make the work look easier than it is -- and they don’t necessarily show the safeguards analysts employ to protect citizens' privacy.

Mueller also revealed that he does not visit social networking sites that have become all the rage. "I guess I can't invite you to be my friend on Facebook?" the questioner asked. "No," he replied.

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.

It had been a while since I thought about Senate Commerce Committee kingpin Ted Stevens' infamous commentary on the Internet, which he described as a "series of tubes." But thanks to CNBC Chief Washington Correspondent John Harwood, all those memories of the "net neutrality" debate in the 109th Congress came rushing back.

Harwood told Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show" on Wednesday that the satirical news program's hilarious treatment of the Stevens rant is mentioned in his new book, "Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power," as an example of how the media can be used to spin an issue memorably and humorously out of control.

In honor of that shout-out, I've posted my favorite YouTube remix of the Stevens speech above. Enjoy! I think the net neutrality debate in the 110th Congress is missing a gem like this.

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"

Throughout his career, Nader has confronted head-on the downside of nuclear, automobile, genetic engineering and other industrial advances -- and now he's questioning the amount of time Americans spend in front of their computers. [Hey Ralph, it's 9:49 p.m., I'm online and I logged on at 8 a.m. Lock me up.]

A Nader press release asks: "Has Google and the information revolution that it leads made our society better? Or is it just another mass diversion from the reality of the corporate takeover of our democracy?" At Google HQ, Nader took questions for an hour and then sat down for an eight-minute interview with YouTube, which he is unable to view on his silly typewriter.

"The 2008 election is a landmark for women in politics as they have played an integral role as voters, politicians and campaigners. I am proud to be from a country where women can play a vital part in the election process," Fiorina said. Online communities are playing a much larger role this campaign cycle, she added. "With the shift in media consumption, more and more voters are turning to the Web – specifically blogs – for their news."

BlogHer is a non-partisan organization that reaches nine million women each month through its news hub and 1,800 blog affiliates. The full Fiorina interview is available here.

"Similar to the record-breaking voter turnout our party has seen during the primary season, the demand for these coveted blogger positions is yet another indicator of the tremendous interest in this historic convention," Dean said. "The Internet has played a critical role in connecting Americans to elected officials and candidates seeking office."

More than 400 applications were received from bloggers across the United States and multiple territories. Some of the blogs selected for the State Corps are full-time, professional endeavors while others are the work of individuals, who through their own efforts have become recognized authorities on state and local politics, the DNC said.

See the full list of convention bloggers here.

At a briefing organized by the MusicFirst coalition, Armey (now employed by DLA Piper) said twin bills offered in the House and Senate would eradicate broadcast radio's longstanding exemption from paying performance royalties. He called the NAB's resistance to the bill "a sad testimony to their lack of professionalism and commitment to the arts and creativity."

First he called upon the Bible ("The holy script says a worker is worthy of his hire and should be paid"); then the nation's Founding Fathers ("The Constitution said people who are creators whether it be inventors or artists should have their rights to their work protected"); then on Howard Roark, the protagonist in "The Fountainhead" and then on William Shakespeare; to make his point.

My spirited colleague Brooks Boliek from The Hollywood Reporter asked Armey how he was a credible source given a story published that day that pointed out what MusicFirst did not -- that he's a lobbyist for the Recording Industry Association of America. Armey snapped: "I just think you're kind of annoying me. If you came in here to grind an ax, grind it somewhere else, because I frankly don’t care what somebody in Hollywood says about my credibility." He later apologized for "flying off the handle."

But before they began Wednesday meetings in the House and Senate, American Library Association President Loriene Roy hosted a press conference to discuss her group's joint effort with the Association of Public Television Stations and PBS to help educate citizens about the rapidly approaching digital TV transition deadline.

While awareness of the Feb. 17, 2009 analog shutoff date is growing, research also shows that many people are confused about what they can do to navigate the transition, the ALA said. As trusted community resources, libraries and public TV stations are uniquely positioned to help get people the information they need. Read more about ALA lobbying efforts here.

Anyway, 463er Katie Hallen writes:

Arianna Huffington and Melanie Ellison threw a posh soiree for Berkman Center for Internet Society Co-Founder Jonathan Zittrain this past Saturday night in honor of his new book, "The Future of the Internet – And How To Stop It."

Held at the Ellison’s breathtaking, ubermodern Pacific Heights home overlooking Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, the party was well attended by Silicon Valley celebrities including Melanie’s husband, Larry Ellison, Larry Page and Craig Newmark (sporting an Obama pin).

Others included Mayor Gavin Newsom, Jerry Brown, Phil Bronstein, Yves Behar (designer of the XO laptop), USA Today’s Jon Swartz (co-author of the cybersecurity caper "Zero Day Threat"), and Stanford Law’s Joshua Cohen (leading John Rawls philosopher and editor of the Boston Review). And, myself.

The Wall Street Journal’s Kara Swisher posted this fun video capturing the evening and thoughts on the book. For more, Zittrain discusses the book tonight on Charlie Rose. The Berkman Center is a 463 client.

Four topics are addressed in the new rule provisions:

(1) An e-mail recipient cannot be required to pay a fee, provide information other than his or her e-mail address and opt-out preferences, or take any steps other than sending a reply e-mail message or visiting a single Internet Web page to opt out of receiving future e-mail from a sender.

(2) The definition of “sender” was modified to make it easier to determine which of multiple parties advertising in a single e-mail message is responsible for complying with the act’s opt-out requirements.

(3) A “sender” of commercial e-mail can include an accurately-registered post office box or private mailbox established under U.S. Postal Service regulations to satisfy the act’s requirement that a commercial e-mail display a “valid physical postal address.”

(4) A definition of the term “person” was added to clarify that CAN-SPAM’s obligations are not limited to natural persons.

In addition, the FTC's statement of basis and purpose accompanying the final rule addresses a number of topics that are not the subject of any new rule provisions. Click here to read the full press release with more details.

(Spam Photo Credit: Benny Yap via Flickr)

Want to know what that giant earthquake in China's remote Sichuan looked like? Better yet, want to know what it's like to experience a 7.8 magnitude quake? Someone claiming to be a Sichuan University student posted a video to Tudou, where it's No. 2 on the homepage, and it was reposted on YouTube. The video shows interminable shaking, creaking and groaning of what appears to be a college dorm.

Plus the Insider notes that search engine Summize shows lots of Twittering about the earthquake; unclear how many of the Twitters are actually near quake-affected areas. More coverage: U.K. Telegraph, Poynter Online.

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.

"The United States’ economy will depend on having a highly skilled workforce in order to compete globally," Gordon said in a statement. "We have enormous responsibility to support younger students’ growth, to stimulate their interest, and to ensure that they are prepared for higher level work in subsequent grades and beyond.”

Witnesses included officials from the National Science Foundation; Texas A&M University; the Texarkana Independent School District; North Heights Junior High School; and aluminum manufacturer Alcoa.