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Mr. Schmidt Goes to Washington
The New America Foundation -- the think tank that signs my paychecks -- is hosting an event next Tuesday with Google CEO Eric Schmidt, focusing on tech policy, the economy and open government.
Schmidt, who chairs New America's board of directors and is also serving on President-Elect Barack Obama's Transition Economic Advisory Board, will be speaking at 1pm at the Ronald Reagan Building. From the official announcement:
Schmidt will explore the ways in which technology can help the new administration and Congress address two of the biggest challenges ahead: generating the kind of short- and long-term economic and job growth that can help pull the nation out of financial distress, and restoring public trust in government. He will offer specifics on such topics as the need to build a 21st Century Infrastructure, support for research and innovation, repairs for our education system, and ways to make the government more open and responsive.
The event will be webcast live, or you can RSVP to attend in the flesh at http://www.newamerica.net/events/2008/eric_schmidt. Should be a good discussion...
A Smart -- and Reasonably Fair -- Way to Revisit the Gas Tax
Over on CapitalGainsandGames.com today, Andrew Samwick makes the case for increasing the gas tax -- and pairing that hike "with a reduction in the payroll tax rate that fully offsets the revenue increase." As he puts it:
At a very basic level, you get less of what you tax and more of what you don't. Looking at our long-term energy needs, every little bit of energy conservation helps. Looking particularly at our short-term macroeconomic needs, we would like to increase the returns [on] work. Both the payroll tax and the gas tax are thought to be regressive, so on balance, we are not doing much.
A Bit of Liveblogging Today
... from the Media Future Now lunch discussion on the state of the (online) economy.
Today's Installment of Selfless Journalism
The opening sentence of NBC's "First Read" this morning, on last night's debates:
FIRST THOUGHTS: Nothing changed
Thanks Chuck, Mark, and the rest of the political unit. In less than 2 seconds, you confirmed my take on last night -- which means I don't have to read the remaining four pages that you spent the morning pulling together, making sure that people who paid far closer attention to the debate didn't pick up on something important I missed.
Speaking Up (Sorta) For the LA Times
Jeff Jarvis is -- as usual -- right on target with this post that pillories Los Angeles Times staffers for suing Tribune owner Sam Zell when their own complacency and hubris over the past 15+ years is at least as much to blame.
Print Media: Not Quite 'The Stench of Death,' But Not Good Either
Bad news in Thursday's New York Times: The New York Sun reportedly needs millions in new investment to avoid closing at month-end.
The Sun is far from my favorite New York paper -- that nod would go to the Times and the Observer -- but the nose dive that is print journalism's business model is just depressing. It almost makes the 00:01:28 mark in the Daily Show clip below too true to be funny.
Don't Touch that Cactus!
The city of Palm Desert, CA, is resorting to micro-chipping the cacti used to landscape local roadways.
After shifting away from water-intensive landscaping, city officials discovered that the climate-appropriate flora -- especially the golden barrel cacti, which cost up to $800 each -- were attracting cactus rustlers.
Interesting Court Ruling on Copyright and Web Video
TechCrunch has the details on a federal-court summary judgement involving Veoh.
The judge's guidelines for what consitutes "reasonable precautions" for a sites that serve up user-posted video seem reasonable. Combined with last week's ruling on fair use, it's almost like there's some sanity emerging in the world of digital copyright...
I Want This Car
Too bad £75,000 is about a gajillion dollars at today's exchange rates.
Also, I'm not sure I could drive stick left-handed.
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