“The good thing about elections is… they happen.”
It’s a phrase I coined which comes in handy at times when I feel that those who make the decisions make poor decisions. It’s not particularly clever, but it was funny at the time.
It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of the person who sits in the rounded office right now, and my “good thing about elections” statement certainly didn’t ring true at the last go-around. But this Preserving Innovation in Telecom Act which is floating around Congress hits a little too close to home. It says that State or local government can’t provide telecommunications service, cable service, or “information service” to the public if a private entity is providing a similar service. The bill offers no clarification on just what they consider an information service. It reminds me of an unnamed traffic site which (from my understanding) took public information about state traffic data — which is collected by technology paid for by taxpayer money — and locked it behind a private pay service.
It’s the latest trend in Microsoft/RIAA-style government. Lock up everything so we can “innovate” at our own pace rather than being challenged by real innovators in the industry who care more about creating a brilliant, extensible service than locking in a fortune.
Am I really getting into politics?
Anyway, on to the fun links of the day.
- Michael Jackson is…… not guilty. “If there was no diddle, it must be acquittal.”
- Aussie Halo 2 tournaments. “Look out for the guys with no tans. They’re the dangerous ones.”
- Jimi Hendrix’s childhood home will be converted into a museum and youth center.