The Potential eBay Lobbying Juggernaut

There was an interesting piece in the New York Times on Sunday about eBay’s lobbying tactics, “How eBay Makes Regulations Disappear“. Here is the relevant quote that describes what eBay is up to online:

“EBay combines its politics-as-usual approach with more creative grass-roots tactics. It keeps its membership informed about regulatory issues as soon as they crop up,...

Senate Campaign Study on CNN.com Blog

We got a short and sweet mention of our campaign study on CNN’s blog, the Situation Report.  Here’s the relevant snippet:

“An extraordinary study examines how well candidates for Senate are utilizing online technology in the 2006 campaigns.”

You can view the study here....

Is the Internet Really Leading to Better Discourse?

Among many, there seems to be a belief in the intrinsic value of online conversations. The world is flat. Ordinary people are being empowered. Governments and corporations are being held accountable.

It is all true to an extent. But I think the story that isn’t being told enough is how divisive and pointless much of the online conversation really is....

A Broadside Against Collectivism

Wow. Just read a great essay on Edge called “DIGITAL MAOISM: The Hazards of the New Online Collectivism” by computer scientist Jaron Lanier. The essay is a massive broadside against the trend towards collective editing and decision-making that is taking hold online (the Wisdom of Crowds trend). Lanier takes aim at the use of collectivism in venues as diverse as Wikipedia (and all Wikis really),...

Warren Buffett Doesn’t Need the Internet

I recently visited the website of Berkshire Hathaway, which is the holding company controlled by billionaire Warren Buffett that ultimately employs 190,000 people. I was looking for video clips of Berkshire Hathaway’s annual board meeting, which are famous for Buffett’s pronouncements on a variety of economic subjects. It became clear pretty quickly that Berkshire Hathaway doesn’t do multimedia....