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| There are great benefits to connectedness, but we haven't wrapped our minds around the costs. |
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Expanding the Market's Role in Advancing Intellectual Property |
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| Topic: Intellectual Property |
1:53 pm EDT, Apr 9, 2005 |
One-size-fits-all mandates on critical consumer technologies will stifle the growth of the intellectual property industry and indeed, of new forms of art. A wide array of hardware-software combinations to choose from would best serve copyright holders -- artists and the content industries -- and consumers. The full paper (29 pages) is available for download in PDF. Those who follow the issue will find familiar material here, but numerous original nuggets make it worth a look. In particular, the thread on differential pricing is recommended. Studios and broadcasters might look to both new and old advertising models to capture revenue. Non-separable advertising / programming will play a larger role, as it did in the early days of television. Cultural "purists may balk at the idea of mixing business and entertainment -- but is there really that much artistic integrity to be frittered away? Is "Everybody Loves Raymond" a work of such high cultural value that it would wither under such treatment? Expanding the Market's Role in Advancing Intellectual Property |
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| Topic: Intellectual Property |
1:39 pm EDT, Apr 9, 2005 |
Remember that silly thread about the "decline" of rated R movies? This is part of the explanation. Mr. McGuire: I just want to say one word to you -- just one word.
Ben: Yes sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Ben: Yes I am.
Mr. McGuire: Unpop.
Ben: Exactly how do you mean?
Mr. McGuire: There's a great future in unpop. Think about it. Will you think about it?
Ben: Yes I will.
Mr. McGuire: Shh! Enough said. That's a deal. Companies should wake up to the new economics of the internet, and think abundance, not shortage. The internet is changing the entertainment business from one that is driven by hits to one that will make most of its money from misses. A miss hit |
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The National Counterintelligence Strategy of the United States [PDF] |
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| Topic: Politics and Law |
1:33 pm EDT, Apr 9, 2005 |
The Strategy seeks to defend the peace by fighting terrorists and tyrants, to preserve the peace by building good relations among the great powers, and to extend the peace by encouraging free and open societies on every continent. As used here, counterintelligence includes defensive and offensive activities conducted at home and abroad to protect against the traditional and emerging foreign intelligence threats of the 21st century. * US counterintelligence will shift from a reactive posture to a proactive strategy of seizing advantage.
* We will reach out to the private sector ... No real surprises here, but worth a look. The National Counterintelligence Strategy of the United States [PDF] |
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Face the Music: Benefits of Peer-to-Peer Networks [PDF] |
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| Topic: Intellectual Property |
1:24 pm EDT, Apr 9, 2005 |
This report explains why public policy should embrace peer-to-peer technologies. It examines the history of technological innovation in communications and the piracy panics they cause among entrenched incumbents. For three centuries, in battles over the printing press, telegraphy, mechanical pianos, cinematography, radio, cable television, photocopying, video and audio recorders, and the current generation of digital technologies, public policy has favored technological innovation by refusing to allow copyright to regulate technology. The paper reminds policymakers of the historic lesson that technological innovation promotes political, cultural, and social development, and economic growth. Face the Music: Benefits of Peer-to-Peer Networks [PDF] |
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How Patriotic is the Patriot Act? |
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| Topic: Civil Liberties |
1:16 pm EDT, Apr 9, 2005 |
In this new book, a communitarian way of thinking is applied to one of the hottest topics of the day. Amitai Etzioni argues that when it comes to national security we face two profound commitments: protecting our homeland and safeguarding our rights. Demonstrating that extremism in the defense of either security or liberty is not a virtue, the book charts a middle course between those who are committed to the preservation of our liberties but blind to the needs of public security and those who are willing to sacrifice our cherished freedoms for the sake of preventing terrorism. How Patriotic is the Patriot Act? |
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Defense Strategy for the Post-Saddam Era |
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| Topic: Military |
12:56 pm EDT, Apr 9, 2005 |
What kind of military will the nation need in the future? -- and at what cost? Americas large defense budget cannot realistically be pared in the years ahead. But given the extreme demands of the Iraq mission, particularly on the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, reductions in various weapons modernization programs and other economies might free up enough funds to add at least 40,000 more ground troops to todays military. Finally, the book sketches several possible new conflict scenarios that could occupy the American military in the years and decades ahead. Defense Strategy for the Post-Saddam Era |
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OMG!: How Generation Y is redefining Faith in the iPod Era |
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| Topic: Society |
12:52 pm EDT, Apr 9, 2005 |
... a groundbreaking study of the comparative identities of young Jews, Catholics, Protestants and Muslims and their relationship to both religious identity and institutional religion. Entitled "OMG! Generation Y is Redefining Religion, Identity and Community," the results will be released at the Brookings Institute in April 2005. The early findings indicate that this is the most diverse generation in history - only 7% of those polled have friends who are mostly the same religion as they are. The nature of their religious commitment defies easy categorization, but they are not checked out or disengaged. The overwhelming majority has an informal religious attachment that is individualistic and exists without the reinforcement of institutional religious commitment. The watchwords are decentralization and disintermediation. OMG!: How Generation Y is redefining Faith in the iPod Era |
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Faith and Youth in the iPod Era |
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| Topic: Society |
12:49 pm EDT, Apr 9, 2005 |
People between the ages of 18 and 25 -- a critical period of identity formation -- are growing up in a highly-technological world with countless opportunities and distractions vying for their attention. How can religious institutions innovate and evolve to meet the spiritual needs of this generation? And what are the implications for religious and civic life as this generation matures? Faith and Youth in the iPod Era |
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Workshop on Ground and Air Military Robots |
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| Topic: Military Technology |
12:45 pm EDT, Apr 9, 2005 |
U.S. Army Goal: To build intelligent autonomous systems as combat multipliers. Future combat systems will require operators to control and monitor aerial and ground robotic systems and to act as part of larger teams coordinating diverse robotic systems over multiple echelons. The major goal of the workshop was to identify the most important human-related research and design issues from both the engineering and human factors perspectives and to develop a list of lessons learned and fruitful research directions. You can download this book in PDF for free. Workshop on Ground and Air Military Robots |
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Signposts in Cyberspace: The Domain Name System and Internet Navigation |
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| Topic: Technology |
12:37 pm EDT, Apr 9, 2005 |
Most of the Internets users rely on the Domain Name System (DNS) and navigation aids or services to find the resources they seek or to attract users to the resources they provide. Yet, although they
perform well, both the DNS and Internet navigation services face challenges arising from technological change and from institutions with a wide variety of commercial, cultural, social, and political agendas. Individually, or together, those pressures could force operational changes that would significantly reduce access to Internet-linked resources by segments of the user community, reducing the Internet's value as a global resource. This document reports the conclusions of an assessment of the current state and the future prospects of the DNS and its interactions with Internet navigation, including its uses as a means of navigation itself and as an infrastructure for navigation by other means. The full text (284 pages) is available for online reading. You can also download a 31-page executive summary in PDF. Signposts in Cyberspace: The Domain Name System and Internet Navigation |
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