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An Erosion of Civil Liberties |
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| Topic: Society |
1:21 pm EDT, May 31, 2002 |
Attorney General John Ashcroft has a gift for making the most draconian policy changes sound seductively innocuous. He was at it again yesterday, describing new domestic spying powers for the Federal Bureau of Investigation as nothing more than the authority to surf the Internet or attend a public gathering. That is profoundly misleading. In reality Mr. Ashcroft, in the name of fighting terrorism, was giving F.B.I. agents nearly unbridled power to poke into the affairs of anyone in the United States, even when there is no evidence of illegal activity. The New York Times is clearly unhappy with recent changes at the FBI. But they seem to be narrowly focused on the negative privacy implications, while not assessing the likelihood that these changes will prove (in)effective in "preventing" future acts, or that they will disrupt the FBI's responsibilities with regard to law enforcement. An Erosion of Civil Liberties |
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washingtonpost.com: The New Face of Another Gilded Age |
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| Topic: Society |
11:24 am EDT, May 28, 2002 |
We have just witnessed, in the spectacular growth of U.S. fortunes over the past two decades, a once-in-a-century phenomenon. Puffed up by the boom in high-technology and finance, a select group of Americans has accumulated an even larger boodle in an even shorter period of time than the titans of the Gilded Age amassed 100 years ago. The numbers almost defy belief. ... If the recent accumulation of wealth in the hands of the few resembles the Gilded Age, what about the politics? ... While history often repeats, it usually does so only in outline; ... politics today has a somewhat different cast. ... Money will keep talking, the public interest will keep walking. The great battles, in short, are still ahead. washingtonpost.com: The New Face of Another Gilded Age |
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Los Angeles Times: New Ad Campaign Aimed at TiVo Owners |
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| Topic: Society |
9:52 am EDT, May 21, 2002 |
A new breed of interactive TV commercial debuts today, aimed at the people most likely to skip them. Watch my ad, please! Ad Wizard: Hey! I noticed that no one is using video-on-demand to deliver real content, and no one wants to watch ads. The two must be made for each other! Let's use VOD to deliver ads! Isn't that a great idea? Los Angeles Times: New Ad Campaign Aimed at TiVo Owners |
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LawMeme: Legal Bricolage for a Technological Age - Top Ten New Copyright Crimes |
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| Topic: Society |
2:47 am EDT, May 21, 2002 |
"...And viddy films I would. Where I was taken to, brothers, was like no cine I'd been in before. I was bound up in a straight-jacket and my gulliver was strapped to a headrest with like wires running away from it. Then they clamped like lidlocks on my eyes so I could not shut them no matter how hard I tried. It seemed a bit crazy to me, but I let them get on with what they wanted to get on with. If I was to be a free young malchick in a fortnight's time, I would put up with much in the meantime, my brothers...
-- Alex, from A Clockwork Orange" LawMeme replies to the Jamie Kellner (CEO of Turner) interview which previously appeared on MemeStreams. Good stuff... LawMeme: Legal Bricolage for a Technological Age - Top Ten New Copyright Crimes |
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An Anti-American Boycott Is Growing in the Arab World |
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| Topic: Society |
11:32 am EDT, May 10, 2002 |
Doughnuts may not be quite as American as, say, apple pie, but they come close enough to make Samir Nasier, a Saudi fast-food king, nervous. So nervous, in fact, that Mr. Nasier and his brothers are offering roughly $300,000 to anyone who can prove that their House of Donuts chain has any connection to the United States. An Anti-American Boycott Is Growing in the Arab World |
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| Topic: Society |
11:05 pm EDT, May 9, 2002 |
I just saw this program on frontline. A very good look at various Islamic cultures in different countries. Deals specifically with the relationship between Islam and other cultures, and the ideas muslims have about Islamic law. Set your tivo to grab it. frontline: muslims | PBS |
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Spreading by the Web, Pop's Bootleg Remix |
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| Topic: Society |
4:03 pm EDT, May 9, 2002 |
The song may sound familiar at first. But, suddenly, the recording changes course. As the recording moves on, it is clear that the song is neither fish nor fowl; it is a crossbreed. It is something that is completely different, often illegal and, thanks to the Internet, becoming explosively popular. "The best bootlegs don't sound like bootlegs; they work at a profound level, and actually sound like they are the original record." "It is a case of bootleggers bootlegging bootlegs." "It's my favorite record of the year so far." Neil Strauss on the latest fad in online music. Spreading by the Web, Pop's Bootleg Remix |
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Bomb Suspect Traced by Cell Phone |
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| Topic: Society |
11:49 pm EDT, May 8, 2002 |
Mailbox bomb suspect Luke Helder made a crucial mistake while on the run: He turned on his cell phone. As soon as he activated it, FBI agents quickly triangulated his position between two rural towns and had him in handcuffs within an hour Tuesday, according to Nevada authorities. Bomb Suspect Traced by Cell Phone |
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CNN.com - Buffett: Nuclear attack 'virtually a certainty' - May 6, 2002 |
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| Topic: Society |
11:05 am EDT, May 6, 2002 |
"We're going to have something in the way of a major nuclear event in this country," said Buffett, the firm's chief operating officer. "It will happen. Whether it will happen in 10 years or 10 minutes, or 50 years ... it's virtually a certainty." CNN.com - Buffett: Nuclear attack 'virtually a certainty' - May 6, 2002 |
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Interview with Turner exec, PVR/VOD discussed |
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| Topic: Society |
1:00 am EDT, May 5, 2002 |
Jamie Kellner controls Turner's programming riches. What he does with them could speed up -- or slow down -- the transformation of television. ... "I'm a big believer we have to make television more convenient or we will drive the penetration of PVRs and things like that, which I'm not sure is good for the cable industry or the broadcast industry or the networks. ... Because of the ad skips.... It's theft. Your contract with the network when you get the show is you're going to watch the spots. Otherwise you couldn't get the show on an ad-supported basis. Any time you skip a commercial ... you're actually stealing the programming. This is a good interview. Another entrenched business model run by smart people with vast resources which is threatened by new technology and wants to preserve its position. We need new business models, and in the video space they are only going to come from the indy film industry which can move quickley.... I wonder how many people in this industry know that southpark started as a file people were sending around on the net... Interview with Turner exec, PVR/VOD discussed |
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