Spectrum of Greed

This could happen, but not till the FCC gets out of the way!

Sitting on the porch of a community center swimming pool on a sunny 80 degree day in February is a good thing.  This is where I am able to get a wireless signal while visiting my wife’s relatives in Florida.  I heard they got 4 inches of snow at home yesterday, so my timing was good.  What does this have to do with wireless internet?  My wife’s grandmother doesn’t have internet of any kind in her social security funded home in this nice retirement community.  She does have both a cell phone and a traditional land line phone though.  For her, a woman approaching 90 years of age (but still driving and fully functional), the learning curve of the internet is enough to keep her away, much less the cost involved with getting internet to begin with when she has limited choices and limited funds.  But there are tons of benefits to granny getting on the ‘net - both to granny and to the economy.  (continue reading…)

This is a fun example of the war between the old guard and the new economy.  Laurence Lessig and Stephen Colbert star in this ‘unauthorized’ remix of an interview originally done on the Steven Colbert show.  Lessig has recently published a new book called Remix, noting how our Congress continues to pass antiquated copyright laws that inhibit creative expression, the legitimate creation of value, and reduce the creative potential of our youth.  Lessig was already my hero for his outspoken comments on the need for a complete removal of the FCC.  Now, he adds icing to the cake with this interview and his new book.

If you want to see the original video from ColbertNation, (continue reading…)