Fix Congress First: Lessig on Supreme Court Campaign Finance Decision: Change Congress Video

Net Neutrality

The F.C.C. under the Obama administration is moving to add a principle that will prevent Internet providers from discriminating against certain services or applications. Consumer advocates are concerned that Internet providers might ban or degrade services that compete with their own offerings, like television shows delivered over the Web.
Some large Internet and telecommunications companies are talking, however, about creating a two-tiered Internet with a fast lane and a slow lane. Google and Verizon, two leading players in Internet service and content, came out with a joint proposal that took a different approach. In a joint policy statement they issued in August 2010 they proposed that regulators enforce those principles on wired connections but not on the wireless Internet. They also excluded something they called "additional, differentiated online services."
In other words, on mobile phones or on special access lanes, carriers like Verizon and AT&T could charge content companies a toll for faster access to customers or, some analysts worry, block certain services from reaching customers altogether.
The proposal set off a flood of reaction, much of it negative, from Web companies and consumer advocacy groups. In the most extreme situation that opponents envision, two Internets could emerge — the public one known today, and a private one with faster lanes and expensive tolls. Google and Verizon defended the exemptions by saying that they were giving carriers the flexibility they need to ensure that the Internet's infrastructure remains "a platform for innovation." Carriers say they need to be able to manage their networks as they see fit and generate revenue to expand them.
Currently, Internet users get access to any Web site on an equal basis. Foreign and domestic sites, big corporate home pages and low-traffic blogs all show up on a user’s screen in the same way when their addresses are typed into a browser. The Federal Communications Commission has come out in favor of keeping things that way, but its ability to do so has been in doubt since a federal appeals decision in April 2010 restricted its authority over broadband service.

http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/n/net_neutrality/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier

Democracy Matters - Change Elections. Change America

Democracy Matters, a non-partisan campus-based partner organization with Common Cause, works to get big private money out of politics and people back in. Offering paid internships to undergraduates and affiliate internships to high school students, Democracy Matters mentors the next generation of leaders dedicated to strengthening our democracy. Students organize actions and projects connecting pro-democracy reforms to issues of environment, civil rights, education, health care, foreign policy, and more.

Lawrence Lessig: Re-examining the remix

Adam Sadowsky engineers a viral music video

Does Immigration Cost Jobs?

Study after study has shown that immigrants grow the economy, expanding demand for goods and services that the foreign-born workers and their families consume, and thereby creating jobs. There is even broad agreement among economists that while immigrants may push down wages for some, the overall effect is to increase average wages for American-born workers.

Age of Ignoramus

"Love Finds You" Bruce Brown's Song Lyrics

"I Grew Up To Be A Kid"
I was always afraid and shy,
never did what a kid should try,
I never played any games like kick the can,
never ran through a sprinkler, or thought I was Superman,
But I've seen the light and I'm proud to say,
it's so nice to go out and play,
after doing some reviewing, meet the new me,
I Grew Up To Be A Kid
Kinda strange to see such a change in me,
I'm ridin' high cuz bein' shy was just a stage,
From a doom and gloomer, to a late bloomer,
I'm through acting my age,
it took a little time,
but now I'm where I want to be,
havin' fun, that's the key to me,
I'm really glad I decided, to do what I did,
I Grew Up To Be A Kid

Breast Wishes - New Australian musical supporting the National Breast Cancer Foundation

http://www.breastwishes.com.au/about.asp

Breast Wishes is a new Australian musical about love, life, loss and silicon; a witty and heart-warming journey of courage and determination through laughter to triumph.

A celebration of breasts and those who support them, Breast Wishes is written by some of Australia's most respected comedic and dramatic writers including Merridy Eastman, Jonathan Gavin, Richard Glover, Wendy Harmer, Sheridan Jobbins, James Millar and Debra Oswald, with music and lyrics by Bruce Brown. Original concept by Anne Looby.
Music & Lyrics by Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown, originally from LA, established himself as a highly regarded pianist, singer, and songwriter performing at all the major jazz clubs in Southern California. His songs have been described as 'original standards' and reflect his love of the great American songbook. Holding all the lyrics in place is a beautiful, almost invisible architecture. His words flow in careful trickles, clever bursts and soulful yearns. His melodies dance and float over chord changes that provide daring colouration. Bruce arrived in New Zealand late in 1998 to take up the position as Senior Vocal Jazz Tutor at the Conservatorium of Music, Massey University Wellington where he currently teaches full-time and performs regularly in the capital. In 2000 Bruce recorded 'I Believe It' in Sydney with fellow Americans Gordon Brisker and Don Rader, and Sydney's own Hamish Stuart and Jonathan Zwartz. His second album 'Love Finds You' was recorded in his home town of LA in early 2005 with a circle of his lifetime friends and jazz peers including Larry Koonse - guitar, Dave Carpenter - bass, Ron Stout - trumpet.

OSCON 2010: Tim O'Reilly, "The O'Reilly Radar"

Why is Apple Competing with Its Developers?

While on the one hand, the above applications sound fantastic and certainly like things we would want to use, the fact that the patents are coming from Apple and not some enterprising startup is somewhat unsettling.

It's not unusual for Apple (or any company) to patent its ideas, but most of Apple's previous patents have been for technology improvements, like using wireless sensors as heart rate monitors, tracking sports in real time, allowing iPhones to "socially network" with each other when in proximity with one another or modifications to the iPhone's homescreen. Apple has not been in the habit of patenting actual mobile applications.

What does this mean for companies already building applications similar to these? For example, OpenWays, which has already built mobile applications that allow smartphones to work as hotel room keys or Socialight which can be used to build a "virtual hotel concierge" service, among other things? What of the fact that multiple airlines already have their own mobile boarding pass applications? What of the universal remote apps like FLPR, Bobby, L5 and RedEye, to name just a few? And the list could go on and on.

Does Apple want to compete with these developers with its own native apps or does it just want license this technology to others building related services? Are these patents defensive maneuvers to block Google from providing services like these on its Android mobile operating system?

News like this is one of the reasons why so many in the technology industry are so vehemently against the idea of software patents. Foundry Group's managing director Brad Feld, for example, recently called the litigation surrounding patents "a massive tax on and retardant of innovation." Redmonk analyst Stephen O'Grady agreed, saying "it is not reasonable to expect that the current patent system, nor even one designed to improve or replace it, will ever be able to accurately determine what might be considered legitimately patentable from the overwhelming volume of innovations in software."


Philosophical arguments aside, given Apple's cryptic ways and its behavior when dealing with competition (see: Adobe, AdMob, Flurry Analytics), the idea of Apple venturing into its developers' playing field is one that could greatly affect the innovation in mobile applications for years to come.

How to select your company’s lawyer

Selecting legal counsel for your new venture is one of the first decisions you’ll have to make as a startup entrepreneur – and it’s one you shouldn’t take lightly. While corporate counsel typically doesn’t have a lot of complex work early on, there’s a good chance you will be with that person or firm throughout the life cycle of your company.

As your company matures, the legal issues you’ll be asking your lawyer to tackle will become more demanding. You’ll need someone in your corner you value and respect.

Push-Notification Platform Xtify Picks Up $2.8M, Ramps Up Development

Xtify faces competition from other location-based ad companies, such as San Francisco, Calif.-based Placecast, which runs geo-targeted ad campaigns, for instance pinging users with text messages when they are near a shop. Xtify says that the very fact that they have a background-running notification system is what differentiates them from the competition. In addition, the service is not reliant on getting a phone’s location from a carrier, nor is it using SMS, which makes the service cost-efficient, Xtify says.

http://www.nytimes.com/external/venturebeat/2010/07/31/31venturebeat-push-notification-platform-xtify-picks-up-28-98767.html

Shawn Madden invited his friends and fans via YouTube() to send in footage of themselves having fun. In return, he’s made them stars of his new video.

Facebook's Erick Tseng on Mobile Strategy

Facebook Mobile

Prof. Lawrence Lessig Explains Creative Commons Licensing