Technology

00Publius Contributor - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Family - Gay Marriage - Gays - Inernet - Media Bias - Morals/Sex - News - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

12News, Florida: Marriage is ‘Controversial’ In Florida

November 7, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

A short section of the run down of the winning and losing Amendments in Florida contained a perfect example of liberal slant. In this case, a Channel 12 News piece reports on the passage of Amendment Two, an assurance that marriage shall be defined as between one man and one woman only. (For a full definition of Amendment Two, see Ballotpedia.org)

As far as News 12 is concerned, Amendment Two is “the most controversial, but it sure doesn’t seem like the people of Florida agree with channel 12 — which is a bit of a controversy in itself there.

Continue reading “12News, Florida: Marriage is ‘Controversial’ In Florida”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Google - Inernet - Media Bias - News - Scott Cleland - Technology

Google Proves Crime Does Pay – If You Have Enough Market Power

November 2, 2008 by

-By Scott Cleland

Google, in settling with authors/publishers for $125m in their copyright infringement lawsuits, has cleverly leveraged its market power to tip, and lock in, another Internet segment to de facto Google monopoly control — access to most of the world’s books online. The untold story here is how this settlement:

  • Enthrones Google as the de facto gatekeeper to access most of the world’s books online;
  • Establishes a “new model” for online content distribution;
  • Attempts to set precedent that leveraging market power to extract monopoly rents in an adjacent market is OK; and
  • Positions Google to become the world’s omni-platform for media distribution that will wipe out traditional media competition, unless antitrust enforcement ensures media distribution competition survives.

Why does crime pay for Google?
Continue reading “Google Proves Crime Does Pay – If You Have Enough Market Power”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Economy/Finances - Google - Inernet - News - Scott Cleland - Technology

What Google earnings say about Google-Yahoo; pricing power & a ‘derivative problem’

October 21, 2008 by

-By Scott Cleland

Google’s earnings provide an excellent window into why the DOJ has serious antitrust concerns with the proposed ad partnership between Google and Yahoo.

Google’s discussion of its 4Q08 earnings provides DOJ with substantial fresh evidence that Google is:

  • Exercising substantial pricing power;
  • Not running fair and competitive ‘auctions’; and
  • Anti-competitively self-dealing.

I. Pricing Power Evidence:

Any economist will explain revenue is simply volume times price. In 4Q08, virtually all of Google’s revenues continued to come from search monetization. Google reported that its ‘volume’ i.e. “aggregate paid clicks,” “increased approximately 18%” over 3Q07. Google reported that ‘revenues’ increased by 31% over 3Q07.
Continue reading “What Google earnings say about Google-Yahoo; pricing power & a ‘derivative problem’”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Technology - Warner Todd Huston

WaPo Tries to Claim Cindy McCain Unethical for Erection of Cell Phone Tower

October 16, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Apparently the Washington Post thinks it has an ethics violation to hold against Cindy McCain, wife of GOP presidential candidate John McCain. The Post is trying to claim that Cindy McCain somehow illicitly got a portable cell tower delivered to her remote Arizona ranch so that their phones would work there. The truth is, however, the Secret Service ordered up the portable cell tower, not Cindy McCain.

Even the words the Post uses to report the story prove somewhat weasely because, as the Post can’t find any actual wrong doing, the story relies on vague ways of implying wrongdoing without actually saying it. In the end, there doesn’t seem to be much there, there, but I suppose the Post had to justify the money it spent by publishing this non-story anyway.

The story starts right in with the vague verbiage of implied wrong doing. After saying that Cindy McCain sought to improve the cell reception around her “remote 15-acre ranch near Sedona, Ariz” and that she did so “just as her husband launched his presidential bid,” the Post tried to imply that it was all at undue costs. (bold mine)

Continue reading “WaPo Tries to Claim Cindy McCain Unethical for Erection of Cell Phone Tower”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Google - Inernet - Media Bias - News - Scott Cleland - Society/Culture - Technology

Why eBay’s deals stoke Google-Yahoo investigation fire — less competition among friends?

October 12, 2008 by

-By Scott Cleland

Just when the DOJ is investigating if the Google-Yahoo ad partnership is anti-competitive, eBay bursts onto the antitrust stage with “investigate us too!” acquisitions of Bill Me Later and more classified ad businesses. (See NYT article and post, and WSJ article for excellent background.)

Why are the eBay acquisitions relevant to the Google-Yahoo investigation?

First, they spotlight how dominant and incestuously interdependent the primary Internet players are.

Continue reading “Why eBay’s deals stoke Google-Yahoo investigation fire — less competition among friends?”

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Google - Inernet - Media Bias - News - Scott Cleland - Socialism - Society/Culture - Technology

Googleopoly III – Dependency – Crux of the Google-Yahoo Problem

October 9, 2008 by

-By Scott Cleland

I wrote a new white paper, Googleopoly III, to answer the core question in the Google-Yahoo deal: Would Yahoo compete as vigorously with Google post agreement?

My detailed analysis concludes Yahoo would not compete as vigorously, because the deal would make Google Yahoo’s single most important business relationship — effectively making Yahoo financially, operationally and strategically dependent on Google.

I also describe the agreement as a “Hotel California deal” where Yahoo could check out but never leave…

Continue reading “Googleopoly III – Dependency – Crux of the Google-Yahoo Problem”

00Publius Contributor - Communism - Inernet - News - Society/Culture - Technology - Warner Todd Huston

Hey, You On FaceBook or MySpace, Yer a Commie

October 6, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Well, maybe you’re not a commie per se, but definitely a socialist. Not just a social fellow, either, but an outright socialist. OK, maybe you aren’t even aware of why, maybe you haven’t translated your FaceBook and MySpace, your Twitter and your Tagged into that outright socialism yet you are headed that way nonetheless. It is pushing you down the road to socialism. It is.

No I mean it.

I was born in the last years of the Baby Boomer generation — believe me, I don’t admit that proudly. The Baby Boomers have made one of the biggest messes in American history. But they sure point fingers well:” I did not make a mess with that woman, Monica.”
Continue reading “Hey, You On FaceBook or MySpace, Yer a Commie”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Google - Inernet - Media Bias - News - Scott Cleland - Society/Culture - Technology

The Privacy Problem is Unauthorized Tracking

September 29, 2008 by

-By Scott Cleland

The Privacy Solution is a Meaningful Consent Standard

There was a major tectonic shift in the Internet privacy debate today at the Senate Commerce Committee hearing on Internet privacy.

Surprisingly strong consensus emerged surrounding Internet privacy that:

  • Behavioral Advertising did have value;
  • Technology is not the privacy problem with behavioral advertising;
  • The privacy problem is lack of advance meaningful consent by consumers to track their Internet movements and to use their private information; and
  • Any privacy effort must comprehensively include all Internet players using any Internet technology because consumers don’t care about the technology being used—they just care about their privacy being abused.

AT&T, Verizon and Time Warner, three of the four largest American ISPs, all agreed in their collective testimony that any behavioral advertising should involve “meaningful consent” by consumers, meaning the customer:
Continue reading “The Privacy Problem is Unauthorized Tracking”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Google - Inernet - News - Scott Cleland - Technology

Googleopoly II: Google’s Predatory Playbook to Thwart Competition — a new White Paper

September 28, 2008 by

-By Scott Cleland

My new Googleoply II White Paper (see www.googleopoly.net) identifies and documents the twenty-six sources of Google’s market power and the five different anti-competitive strategies Google employs to foreclose competition.

This original and trenchant analysis brings into sharp focus the moorings of a potential antitrust case against the Google-Yahoo ad pact. The White Paper also should give pause to even the biggest apologists and cheerleaders for Google — if they are ‘open’ to reading it. Simply, it is a must-read piece for anyone trying to understand why the DOJ’s investigation of the proposed Google-DoubleClick is so serious and important.

Continue reading “Googleopoly II: Google’s Predatory Playbook to Thwart Competition — a new White Paper”

00Publius Contributor - Abortion - Democrats/Leftists - Family - Google - Inernet - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Google Folds, Will Allow Anti-Abortion Ads on Service — But a Victory for Anti-Abortion?

September 18, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Google has had a bit of its arrogance forced from it today. In the face of a costly lawsuit the on-line giant has made a reversal of its standing rule saying that it now will allow anti-abortion ads to run in its advertisement services.

Until now, Google has imposed its own political agenda by disallowing any ad to be taken out by anti-abortion advocates while allowing all ads for abortion pushers to go through without question. Google has, however, reversed that decision in the face of a legal challenge that its policy breached the Equalities Act of 2006 in the USA.

Google spokesmen said that they reconsidered this policy to create “a level playing field” and to enable “religious associations to place ads on abortion in a factual way.”

But, let me warn that this is not a victory signed, sealed and delivered for free political speech just yet. Google did not outline what this new policy of determining what presenting abortion “in a factual way” would mean. We will have to wait and find out to see how Google will use this new tactic to silence abortion advocates, if they indeed do so.

At this point, Google could easily continue to reject anti-abortion ads using this ill defined claim that the ads would somehow violate this new policy of “factuality.”

However, even this admission from the Internet giant that they were being grossly unfair is a hopeful sign that the moral position against abortion will get a fair hearing from among the advertisement viewing public. Abortion agencies have had a monopoly on readers on Google until now, but this new policy might do what Google is claiming they are suddenly interested in, “leveling the playing field.”

Let’s all hope that Google is being truthful and not just looking for a new sly way to continue to push its own political agenda on an unsuspecting public.

Continue reading “Google Folds, Will Allow Anti-Abortion Ads on Service — But a Victory for Anti-Abortion?”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Google - Inernet - Media Bias - News - Scott Cleland - Society/Culture - Technology

Exposing the Biases in the Broadband Policy Debate — My new white paper

September 17, 2008 by

-By Scott Cleland

Invited to speak at the ITIF forum on ITIF’s white paper, “It’s Time to End the Broadband Policy Wars”, I so strongly disagreed with the framing bias of that white paper and the broadband policy debate in general that I decided I needed to counter it by writing my own white paper:

Don’t be Fooled by the National Broadband Policy “Straw Man”
Exposing Three Hidden Policy Biases of Broadband Policy Proponents

The abstract of my six page paper is below:

Abstract: Don’t be fooled by the straw man argument and hidden biases in the assumptions undergirding the call for a more government-centric national broadband policy. Their argument cannot withstand common sense, penetrating analysis, or ‘open’ public scrutiny. There are at least three major hidden biases in their pillar assumptions, that when exposed, make it clear that proponents of a more government-centric national broadband policy need to go back to the drawing board to find a legitimate rationale for their policy approach.
Continue reading “Exposing the Biases in the Broadband Policy Debate — My new white paper”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Technology - Warner Todd Huston

Did ABC & Gibson Use Camera Trickery To Belittle Gov. Palin?

September 15, 2008 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Did ABC use particular camera tricks to make Governor Palin look small and powerless in their Charlie Gibson interview? I’ve been pointed to a blog that makes a compelling case that they did just that. Using still shots of the Gibson interview with Palin compared to similar Gibson interviews with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, it seems this blogger has proven it to be an open and shut case of manipulation of the viewer. The writer shows how ABC used special camera placements and lenses to make Governor Palin seem small and Charlie Gibson seem overpowering and large by comparison.

By now, just about everyone is aware of Hollywood’s special effects and camera techniques. There have been so many TV shows explaining them, so many DVD extras laying out the techniques that most Americans are at least a little familiar with the effects and techniques that filmmakers use to heighten and enhance their work. The anonymous blogger is familiar with these special effects, claims to work in the business in Hollywood himself, and does a great job explaining and pointing out where such effects were used to belittle Governor Palin.

Citing the anti-conservative, Hollywood hatemongering we are all familiar with our blogger remains anonymous. He says he doesn’t want to hurt his career any more than he already has being a conservative in Hollywood. So, with deference to “HollywoodTrench’s blog,” I’ll lay out his argument for you all to decide if he has hit the spot or if he is a bit too conspiratorial for your tastes.

Continue reading “Did ABC & Gibson Use Camera Trickery To Belittle Gov. Palin?”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Google - Inernet - Media Bias - News - Scott Cleland - Socialism - Society/Culture - Technology

Google’s dominance grows, But Don’t forget DOJ investigation

September 9, 2008 by

-By Scott Cleland

Google’s online advertising dominance grows — Don’t forget the pending DOJ investigation…

Google’s dominance of the Internet’s business model for monetizing content only grows.

“Gap widens in online advertising: Rivals struggle to catch up to Google as buyers favor search over display” reports Jessica Vascellaro in the Wall Street Journal.

The article’s conclusion is dead on and ominous — the gap between Google and its competitors in online advertising is widening and will continue to do so because the business that Google dominates, search advertising, is growing significantly faster than display advertising is.

While the article focused on the different growth rates of online advertising, the article missed the opportunity to highlight what else the numbers tell us:

Continue reading “Google’s dominance grows, But Don’t forget DOJ investigation”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Inernet - Media Bias - News - Technology - Warner Todd Huston

Chgo Sun-Times Columnist Quits, Says Newspaper is ‘Dying’ and ‘Can’t Compete on Web’

August 29, 2008 by

– By Warner Todd Huston

Jay Mariotti, a firebrand sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, announced he is quitting the print biz loudly proclaiming that newspapers are “dying” and that he didn’t want to go down with the ship of the struggling industry. Naturally, the management of the Sun-Times is not amused.

Mariotti told Chicago’s CBS 2 news that newspapers are in serious trouble and he wanted out before he was forced out. “It’s been a tremendous experience, but I’m going to be honest with you, the profession is dying,” Mariotti told CBS 2, “I don’t think either paper [Sun-Times or Chicago Tribune] is going to survive.

Continue reading “Chgo Sun-Times Columnist Quits, Says Newspaper is ‘Dying’ and ‘Can’t Compete on Web’”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Google - Inernet - Media Bias - News - Scott Cleland - Society/Culture - Technology

How the FCC Comcast Decision Limits Net Neutrality

August 29, 2008 by

-By Scott Cleland

Contrary to conventional wisdom, the FCC’s order on Comcast’s network management practices, reined in the net neutrality movement much more than it advanced their agenda. The old adage is true here, be careful what you ask for — FreePress/Public Knowledge.

At its rawest level, the chest-beating petitioners got the FCC to reiterate what the FCC has long said it would do, and also order Comcast to do what Comcast already publicly committed to do. When the dust settles and the rhetoric cools, the petitioners will better understand the old adage: be careful what you ask for.

In this instance, they hoped to advance their agenda for sweeping net neutrality legislation and regulation, and what they ended up with was the expert agency taking much of the wind out of their sails.

How does the FCC Comcast decision limit Net Neutrality?
Continue reading “How the FCC Comcast Decision Limits Net Neutrality”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Inernet - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Technology - Warner Todd Huston

Another Time Mag. McCain Computer Smear

August 20, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

I thought this whole McCain as Computer illiterate meme had finally faded, but Time Magazine comes to the rescue of this pointless attack once again. The last time we saw this attack it was by the chief geek over at PCmag.com, Lance Ulanoff. This time it is Lev Grossman from Time Magazine in one titled “The Off-Line American.” Painting McCain as “behind the times” and “way behind” Grossman also takes the occasion to link McCain with “recently indicted Alaska Senator Ted Stevens.” Lots of slams yet much ado about nothing. But, anything to try to make McCain look bad, of course.

First of all, it is a bit humorous that Time and Grossman’s goal is to make it look like McCain is Internet illiterate, yet with the very first use of the word, in the first sentence of the very first paragraph of the story, Internet is misspelled by splitting it into two words.

It’s hard to tell exactly how much or how little John McCain knows about the Inter net.

Time publishes an article about the Internet, calling it the “Inter net,” and they have the gall to make fun of McCain, or President Bush for saying “The Google”? Now THAT is irony.

Continue reading “Another Time Mag. McCain Computer Smear”

00Publius Contributor - Inernet - Media Bias - News - The Heritage Foundation - The Law

Important FEC Ruling for Blogger Freedom…

August 15, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Apparently the FEC just made a good ruling for our side. The Heritage Foundation has the report…

Blogger Freedom Reaffirmed

Bloggers and web site operators may support, oppose, link to, and work cooperatively with federal political candidates. This freedom was reaffirmed when the newly re-constituted Federal Election Commission released its first two enforcement cases August 12.

The Commission’s refusal to regulate blogging and internet sites is not new, but it is notable is that the pro-blogger decision was made within a week or two of the new Commission taking office. Of the scores of items on its docket, the new Commission chose to address this one first: quite likely because they wanted to send a signal to that bloggers are free to engage in politics

Specifically, the Commission said that Gordon Fischer, a former state political party chairman, did not violate election law when he maintained a web site and blog (Iowa True Blue) promoting Barack Obama and criticizing Hillary Clinton. (Our friends at CCP note that the complaint was filed by a Clinton supporter: observing that all too many FEC complaints are filed for political harassment
Continue reading “Important FEC Ruling for Blogger Freedom…”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Energy - News - Society/Culture - Taxes - Technology - Warner Todd Huston

What is Tennessee’s Senator, Bob Corker, Doing? Selling us Out, That’s What!

August 11, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Ken Marerro over at Blue Collar Muse has a nice round down on the low down of the guy living down to expectations, Bob Corker (R, Tenn.). It appears that Senator Corker is selling down the river the erstwhile GOP House members who made such a strong stand on energy last week. Corker is signing onto a Senate energy bill that is little else but a GIANT give away to the Democrats.

A friend emailed me about Bob Corker’s involvement in the Gang of 10. He asked, “What is Corker doing?” To quote Bob Corker himself, he is doing “…exactly what I came to the Senate to do.” To the host of Tennesseans who bemoaned the choice of Corker over Ed Bryant as our Senate choice in 2006, he’s doing exactly what we feared. In fairness, for two years Corker has been a pleasant surprise. However, he couldn’t have picked a worse time to begin living down to our expectations.

Just like GOP Senators in the Gang of 14 and judicial nominees, Republicans in Energy’s Gang of 10 are undermining GOP leadership and strategy. Mitch McConnell and GOP leaders have worked this issue for months with the backing of Republicans and Democrats; legislators and voters. Pressure was mounting on Democrats to surrender their sellout of Americans. Gas and oil prices were falling. Support for Energy Independence via drilling and R&D for alternative and renewable energy sources was growing. It seemed inevitable the GOP would get their vote and sooner rather than later. Now, thanks to meddling by Corker, instead of continuing to exploit flaws in Democratic policies, Senate GOP leaders might be forced to regroup and decide if they can even continue in the face of the Gang’s treachery.

It gets worse, of course. Hit up the Blue Collar Muse for the rest of this infuriating tale of Republicans that are more like… well, they are RINOs, let’s face it.

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Entertainment - Inernet - News - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Is Warner Todd Huston a Mythical Creature?

August 7, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Well, is this Warner Todd Huston fellow a myth? Is “he” really just a pen name for several writers from that vast right-wing conspiracy circling the web in their black helicopters?

Just ponder that question for a minute. Seriously, who has time to write two, three even four full opinion editorials a day? Who can appear on up to 15 websites or more daily? Who can be in Der Spiegel Magazine in Germany one day, the Washington Tmes the next, and then The New York Times? Who is able to have his work noted on the Air by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Neil Bortz, Michael Savage, and countless other radio hosts across the country? Who is one of the most prolific writers on NewBusters.org?

Well, it seems that at least one of the fellow travelers on NewsVine thinks that this WTH is not a real person! NewsViner Joseph Caligiuri has a theory, you see:

Samuel & Mike, it has been my contention for months now that there is no such person as warnertoddhuston Mike as you seem to notice his many articles? I have figured that for the past 5 months it has averaged 2 a day. Its line is always bull and condescending to the Repubs. No insult will get you a reply and how on earth could one person seed, clip, and post on such a clock work basis. Call me Paranoid or call me left but in reality I am the retired Vietnam vet in your neighborhood who’s kids played with yours and my real name is joe caligiuri, With a smile and a grain of salt, Joe

Now I might be a little afraid for the kids in his neighborhood, but… you know.

Now surely you can trust Mr. Caligiuri’s conspiracy. After all, he has such levelheaded, and thoughtful articles on his main NewsVine page that his opinion must be unassailable. Important articles such as “Are YOU One of the 8 Million Targeted for Roundup by US Govt?,” and “Is A Complete Economic Meltdown Just Around the Corner?” grace his personal collection. He also features a nice poster called “Fascism – You really think it’ll be this obvious?” that features a double line of Star Wars Storm Troopers on the march down an inner city street.

Well, let me assure you, this guy — me — is a real person. I am not a myth or a figment of some right-wing conspiracist’s imagination.

OK, stop it with the silly conspiracy theories. It’s me, WTH (and no that doesn’t stand for What The H _ ll) I’m just an average American Joe that is interested in politics, philosophy, and fostering American exceptionalism at home and abroad.

There is no conspiracy. Many have met me in person. I have two goldfish, three sons (one in the Army), a wife whose patience I seriously and continuously tax on a daily basis and an extended family that I love dearly.

Sometimes I spell things wrong, sometimes my grammar is questionable. I have no staff and no editor — and some may think that’s painfully obvious, ha, ha. I’m just a work-a-day guy with a big mouth and more to say than anyone will listen to! I read too much history, watch little TV, and argue way too much with my coworkers. I like walks on the beach and an occasional pina colada…. or a beer.

Anyway, I just thought that this NewsVine reply was hilarious and that some of you out there might get a laugh out of it, too.

Continue reading “Is Warner Todd Huston a Mythical Creature?”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Google - Inernet - Media Bias - News - Scott Cleland - Society/Culture - Technology

What 3Q earnings tell us about Google-Yahoo Antitrust Review

July 30, 2008 by

-By Scott Cleland

GOOG-YHOO earn ~100% of profits

With the 3Q08 earnings releases by Google, Yahoo and Microsoft in the last few days, DOJ antitrust investigators of the Google-Yahoo partnership now get their first fresh look at the most recent revenue and profit market shares for this market.

While many, including myself, have focused on the proxy market share measures of searches from ComScore, Nielsen and Hitwise to track Google’s relentless taking of share on a monthly basis, antitrust investigators will likely look past proxy search shares and focus on the truer and more accurate measures of market share–actual, reported revenues and profits.

There are strong reasons why antitrust investigators will shift from the market’s obsession with the monthly search share proxy figures to real financial numbers.

First, users do not pay for search, advertisers and website publishers do; this makes search share an indirect and less relevant measure of true market power.

Second, all searches are not equal, some lead to clicks and some clicks are dramatically more valuable than other clicks.

Third, the search shares are third-party proxy estimates based on samples; they are not auditable and accountable as publicly-reported financial data are; moreover, SARBOX requires CFOs/CEOs to personally sign that the finances are accurate, subject to severe penalties if they are proven to be fraudulent.

Continue reading “What 3Q earnings tell us about Google-Yahoo Antitrust Review”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Family - Health - Media Bias - News - Selwyn Duke - Society/Culture - Technology

Judge-mentally Impaired Should Get Off Michael Savage’s Back

July 26, 2008 by

By Selwyn Duke

It seems as if taking offense is the recreation of choice in modern America. The latest example (of which I’m aware; I’m sure our UPS {umbrage per second} statistic is sky high) has resulted in a planned protest at WOR Radio in Manhattan over some comments radio talk show host Michael Savage made concerning autism. Or, to be precise, the commentary involved not that condition but behavior that might be misdiagnosed as autism. Here is what Savage said, as reported by wcbstv.com:

During the July 16 edition of his show, Savage claimed that autism is “[a] fraud, a racket. … I’ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out. That’s what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they’re silent? They don’t have a father around to tell them, ‘Don’t act like a moron. You’ll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don’t sit there crying and screaming, idiot.’”

One person who took exception to this commentary was Martin Schwartzman, the father of an autistic child. He opined:

“I couldn’t understand why someone could be so heartless and so insensitive, and also so ignorant for a national talk show host . . . . It was so hurtful to all individuals with disabilities, particularly those with autism, but I really think he should be removed from the air.”

For all I know, Mr. Schwartzman may be a very decent man, but evident is that he has never listened to Savage’s show. If he had, there are a few things he would probably understand.
Continue reading “Judge-mentally Impaired Should Get Off Michael Savage’s Back”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Google - Inernet - Media Bias - News - Scott Cleland - Technology

Why Google is the Biggest Threat to Americans’ Privacy:

July 25, 2008 by

-By Scott Cleland

The Detailed Case from my House Testimony

In my testimony Thursday on Internet privacy before Chairman Markey’s House Internet Subcommittee, I documented for Congress the detailed case of how Google, which is subject to no Federal privacy laws, is the single biggest threat to Americans’ privacy today.

The evidence assembled here shows how Google’s mission and culture are hostile to privacy, how Google’s unprecedented scale and scope enable a breath-taking collection of intimate “blackmail-able” information, and how Google’s track record is not worthy of trust.

From my testimony:

Case Study: How Google Systematically Threatens Americans’ Privacy

To begin, I am not alone in believing Google’s privacy practices are a particularly serious consumer protection problem.

  • Privacy watchdog, Privacy International, ranked Google worst in its world survey on privacy in 2007 and described Google as “hostile to privacy.”
  • EPIC, CDD, and USPIRG filed suit with the FTC last year challenging Google’s privacy practices as deceptive trade practices.

    *

  • Recently, a broad coalition of privacy advocates pressured Google to finally comply with California privacy law and put a link to their privacy policy on their home page.

First, Google’s mission is antithetical to privacy

Google’s megalomaniacal “mission is to organize the world’s information and make it accessible and useful.” Google’s mission is so uniquely antithetical to privacy–it actually warrants the creation of a new term: “publicacy.” Google’s unique and radical “publicacy” mission believes “the world’s information,” is (and should be) public not private. (Note the mission statement puts no qualifier on “information” other than “the world’s”.)
Continue reading “Why Google is the Biggest Threat to Americans’ Privacy:”

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Inernet - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Technology - Warner Todd Huston

House Speaker Pelosi Claims Al Gore Invented Internet Technology?

July 23, 2008 by 3 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

I’m sure by now we are all aware of the Netroots Nation conference that happened in Austin, Texas last weekend. Well, did you know that without Al Gore it wouldn’t have happened? That’s right, since Al Gore invented the Internet… I know, I know, that is the old Al Gore joke where he famously claimed that he invented the World Wide Web. Everyone knows that AL Gore had little to do with the Internet, of course. But at least one person, obviously one rather easy to bamboozle, still thinks Al Gore did invent the Internet. In fact she thinks he invented all the technology inherent in that Internet. And she is currently the Speaker of the House of Representatives, sadly enough.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi attended the Nutrooters gathering and, as reported in the Houston Chronicle, let loose with this gem while introducing Al Gore to those assembled: “Without him, there would be no Netroots Nation. There wouldn’t be the technology.”

Huh? Without Al Gore “there wouldn’t be the technology” to have an Internet based gathering like Netroots Nation?

She has to be kidding, right?

Nancy, um, I’d like to help you out, babe. See, Al Gore didn’t invent the Internet and he is NOT responsible for any of the technology that is connected with it. Not a single line of code did he write, not one piece of hardware was created by the former VP and current global warming snake oil salesman.

Continue reading “House Speaker Pelosi Claims Al Gore Invented Internet Technology?”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Inernet - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Technology - Warner Todd Huston

PCMag.com: Attack of the Geeks on John McCain

July 23, 2008 by 3 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Someone peed in Lance Ulanoff’s pocket protector and it must have been a Republican, because Ulanoff, one of PCMag.com’s chief geeks, unloaded on the “tech illiterate” John McCain in a July 16th article, insisting that McCain isn’t “tech savvy enough to run this country.”

Ulanoff is filled with all sorts of assumptions and with faux indignation that John McCain dares run for president even though he has admitted that he doesn’t know a whole lot about computers. Naturally, Ulanoff begins with the left’s favorite talking point du jour, that McCain is too old.

John McCain, the oldest presidential candidate this nation has ever had, has now proven, by his own admission, that he’s not tech savvy enough to run this country.

So, what is uber geek Ulanoff’s reason that McCain isn’t able to lead this country in a “tech” age? Why its because McCain says he can’t use a computer that’s why. Oh, and he’s old… let’s not forget that

Continue reading “PCMag.com: Attack of the Geeks on John McCain”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Inernet - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

DailyKos Thugs Bully Paper to Pull Netroot Nation Story

July 22, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Just as I finish a piece laughing at DailyKos for claiming that it is conservatives that feel they have to “create their own alternate reality” because of their “rigid ideology,” I find a story out of The Austin American-Statesman where the DailyKos forced that paper to pull a story that had a mildly satirical take on last weekend’s Netroots Nation conference in Texas. Apparently, the DailyKos folks didn’t like The Austin American-Statesman’s “reality” so the Kossacks flooded the paper with their insistence on creating a new one.

The original article by the Statesman’s Patrick Beach knocked the nutrooters for the so-called “surprise” Gore visit, said it turned into a “faint-in,” and that their general feeling was “terribly self-confirming,” among other snippy comments… fun, but snippy. The general tone of the piece was that of amusement at how seriously the nutrooters took themselves. And, even more galling to said nutrooters, this story was the front page editorial of Sunday’s edition. (Original, Google cached version of Beach’s piece.)

This did not sit well with the nutrooters in question.

Continue reading “DailyKos Thugs Bully Paper to Pull Netroot Nation Story”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Google - Inernet - Media Bias - News - Scott Cleland - Society/Culture - Technology

Debunking the Google-Yahoo Antitrust Myths

July 20, 2008 by

-By Scott Cleland

In advance of the Senate and House antitrust hearings on Google-Yahoo, I thought it would be useful to debunk some of the primary antitrust Myths you will likely hear.

Myth #1:

There can’t be an antitrust problem as long as consumers are just one click away from a competitive search engine.

This is intentional misdirection. Google does not get paid by users, but by advertisers and websites. The antitrust concern here is not about “competition” for free search engine use, but competition for paid search advertising.

Google is exploiting the “Internet choice paradox” (PDF file) where because users have near infinite choices to reach Internet content, they assume content businesses must have as much choice in advertising to Internet users as users have in reaching content. They don’t.
Continue reading “Debunking the Google-Yahoo Antitrust Myths”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Google - Inernet - Media Bias - News - Scott Cleland - Society/Culture - Technology

Google’s Cerf floats trial balloon: “Why not nationalize the Internet?”

July 8, 2008 by

-By Scott Cleland

Google’s Internet Evangelist, Vint Cerf recently asked publicly: “Should the Internet be owned and maintained by the government, just like the highways?” according to a post by Erick Schonfeld on TechCrunch.

  • Since the Government neither owns or maintains the Internet today, Google may have much grander plans for ‘nationalizing the Internet’ than anybody appreciated.
  • Maybe we should take Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt much more seriously when he declares: “The goal of the company is not to monetize anything,” and “The goal is to change the world — and monetization is a technique to do that.”

Let’s dissect how radical and destructive Google’s notions for nationalizing the Internet are.
Continue reading “Google’s Cerf floats trial balloon: “Why not nationalize the Internet?””

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Inernet - Islam - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

WaPo After Free Republic Again, Now Over Barack-is-a-Muslim Email

June 28, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Washington Post published a June 28th piece geared to protect Barack Obama from the nagging rumors that he is a secret Muslim, rumors that have been circulating since 2004. The Post’s Matthew Mosk penned an attack on Free Republic, based on an Obama flak who claims she has somehow discovered that Freepers are to blame, if not initially responsible, for floating the Barack-is-a-Muslim chain email that so many millions of Americans have found in their email boxes over the last four years. But, the Washington Post’s article is so filled with assumptions and a singular desire not to really investigate the matter that it boggles the mind. Naturally, all the journalistic missteps serve to shield Barack Obama from any controversy and make all opposition seem nefarious or unhinged.

The Obama flak in question is one Danielle Allen of the Institute of Advanced Studies at Princeton. Mosk wishes to assure us that she is one smart cookie, apparently. To settle any question to the contrary, we are treated to some earnest, if over-the-top, adulation for good Doctor Allen. Allen is called a “razor-sharp, 36-year-old political theorist,” that she’s “gained valuable insight into the way political information circulates,” and that she works at the institute “most famous for having been the research home of Albert Einstein.” Mosk tells us that Allen “boasts two doctorates, one in classics from Cambridge University and the other in government from Harvard University.” The Post tells us that one winter morning Allen was “studying in her office at the Institute for Advanced Study, the renowned haven for some of the nation’s most brilliant minds.” Mosk also tells us that Allen “works alongside groundbreaking physicists, mathematicians and social scientists. They don’t have to teach, and they face no quotas on what they publish. Their only mandate is to work in the tradition of Einstein, wrestling with the most vexing problems in the universe.”

Jeeze, next Mosk will be telling us that Danielle Allen is the virtual reincarnation of Einstein himself!
Continue reading “WaPo After Free Republic Again, Now Over Barack-is-a-Muslim Email”

00Publius Contributor - Education - Inernet - News - Patriotism - Society/Culture - Technology - Warner Todd Huston

What for a Blog?

June 25, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Everyone is talking about the “importance” of blogging and wondering where it will all lead at least where it concerns the influence blogging might have on politics. There was even a warning that bloggers are facing oppression and arrest at an increasing rate in some despotic countries proving that blogging is already causing at least some ripples in the political waters about the world. There is no reason at all to assume this is a fluke or that these ripples will cease to radiate from bloggers any time soon. All in all, to many it seems blogging is a newfangled concern we all face.

But is it new? And what the heck is it all for, really?

To answer the first question, let’s be clear about the relative newness of blogging. The only things that make it new is that it is done via a computer and has opened up the world of social comment for more people to indulge in then ever before. But we have seen something the like of blogging before. In fact, without a past relative of the blog we would not have became the United States of America in the first place.

Continue reading “What for a Blog?”